Book Review: DISTURBANCE: SURVIVING CHARLIE HEBDO (Le Lambeau) by Philippe Lançon

Disturbance: Surviving Charlie Hebdo by Philippe Lançon
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

"We had sensed the rise of this narrow-minded rage that transformed social struggle into a spirit of bigotry. Hatred was an intoxication."

I picked up this book with the full weight of preconceived expectations. This multiple award winning memoir of a journalist who survived the 2015 Charlie Hebdo terrorist attack took a month to arrive to Manila, and in that time, an act of violent fanaticism similar to the brand that hit author Philippe Lançon took place nearby. A doctor shot and killed a former mayor at her daughter's graduation. (Just typing that last sentence is unbelievably surreal, but such are the times we live in.)

"Political choices are often the result of character," Lançon wrote. But character is partially shaped by media, and by government who wields the power to shape reality. When thousands of people advocate for the murderer or the terrorist (as was the case with Charlie Hebdo and the Furigay assassination), we are confronted with the horrific truth: Civility is less common than we thought.

In light of politically/religiously motivated killings, JE SUIS CHARLIE becomes more than a battle cry for press freedom. It is also a furious call for Civilization in a time of barbarity, when we live in "a society where the sleep of reason engenders monsters."

"We never control the development of the illnesses we diagnose, provoke or maintain." Lançon knew that if he were not careful, his account could be politicized. Having spent nine months in hospital, unable to drink, eat, nor speak because of the terrible gunshots that destroyed his lower face completely, the wordsmith now regretted contributing to all the noise. And so he set out to write an account more medical than political, more meditation than propaganda, laying bare his most intimate bodily functions and embarrassments, sparing nothing from his attempt to paint as complete a picture of his recovery as possible. Not for squeamish readers!

Being an atheist ("As monks believe in God, I believe in doctors"), the author sought transcendence in art and literature instead of prayer. He listened to Bach's fugues during operations and nurse visits ("The more complex it became, the more it simplified me."), read Kafka, Proust and THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN in between doctors, and got permission (quite often!!) to visit the theater or the museum while accompanied by policemen, then returning to the hospital exhausted. And boy oh boy, did he give A COMPLETE ACCOUNT. Lists of recordings and preferred artists, specific paintings by favorite painters, and excerpts from poems he and his friends sent back and forth. It was as if, traumatized by the encounter with Barbarity that blew open his face and his life, Lançon reacted by marshalling all the artistic resources his great civilization and his privileged background afforded him. For every crisis, a sonnet. For every setback, a sonata.

I must confess, having recently spent a prolonged stay at the hospital with a family member myself, I was irritated when Lançon expressed disbelief at the hospital's urging him to leave already. "What do you expect?! You're already well enough to go for long walks in gardens and visit art galleries and see plays!!!" I grumpily told the red book I held, envious at the privilege afforded him that is impossible for most hospitalized patients in my country. It was with a bit of jealousy that I read his descriptions of the beautiful settings for his convalescence: 400 year old hospitals like La Pitié-Salpêtrière and Les Invalides.

I was wrong to expect so much from DISTURBANCE (Le Lambeau in the original French). Lançon wrote something that will interest medical students and patients experiencing prolonged hospital care, but in terms of ideology, there is very little inside. And for a book around 500 pages long, I think it could have been shortened by half. The English edition is also memorable for having the most number of typos and errors I've ever read (and I'm a teacher who reads multiple textbooks a year!). At one point I could swear there was possibly an entire paragraph missing!

"I had to be equal to what had happened, and had to do it with as much naturalness as possible... drawing on the best part of myself." Five hundred pages of therapy resulted in a book that this reader expected too much from, but perhaps others with kinder life experiences may find helpful.

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Book Review: THE LAST GRADUATE (The Scholomance # 2) by Naomi Novik

The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"Each one of them was a story whose unhappy ending hadn't been written yet, and in its place I'd inscribed one line with my own hand: AND THEN THEY GRADUATED FROM THE SCHOLOMANCE."

For a happy Sunday, I was reunited with El and Orion, and if we placed our heroine and hero beside Hermione and Harry, Rowling's characters would pale in comparison.

I was once again inside the Scholomance, a school originally founded to educate and keep young wizards safe from all evil beings bent on eating them, but which had lost its way. Only a small ratio of its seniors were expected to graduate alive, as only the richest, brightest and cruelest made it out the gates. All the rest? Dead.

In a wizard-eats-wizard world, in a culture where students look for ways to paint targets on others' backs to avoid being hunted themselves, El dares to re-imagine a different world.

And yes, in case you were wondering, the whole series is indeed a clever metaphor for the reality of top tier colleges becoming feeders into a selfish capitalist system, where the rich get richer while the poor get more downtrodden.

And that's what makes this teacher-reader root for El so much.

Because that's what good schools ought to do: produce critical thinkers who will look at the corruption and mediocrity of the world around them and say, "This isn't right. We could do better."

And BECAUSE the fantasy novel is built on that real world truth, Novik's book doesn't feel escapist at all, no matter how many incantations and monsters are in it. (In fairness, after Rowling's series on a wizarding school, Novik did a truly magnificent job in coming up with all original spells and enemies! That couldn't have been easy!)

For some reason I thought this was Book 2 in a duology, and kept wondering all throughout why it didn't "feel" like the ending of a series.

And then Novik pulls an Agatha Christie in AND THEN THERE WERE NONE, and literally breaks my world apart with the last sentence, the last few words!!!

I let out a heartfelt curse when I read this, startling my poor sister in the same room!

Breathlessly, I Googled THE + SCHOLOMANCE + duology, and THANK GOD FOR THE INTERNET because in under a minute, my blood pressure began to revert to normal again when I saw the magic words "Book 3 coming out in September 2022." Huhuhuhu.

Only a few months to go!!!!

If you're starting on this series only now, all I can say, BUY ALL THREE BOOKS ALREADY!

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Book Review: MISTER PIP by Lloyd Jones

Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"I want this to be a place of light, no matter what happens."

Thus spoke the only white man left on Bougainville, on his first day as the only teacher for the island's many school children, as all others had fled due to the fighting in the '90's.

The former actor turned school teacher confesses how ill prepared he is, but goes on to do his best to teach anyway, despite having only one book: GREAT EXPECTATIONS by Charles Dickens (hence the title).

This is a terribly moving account of how teachers leave marks on students, as well as the power of stories and books to uplift and inspire people to change. It is also a tragic tale of the human cost of conflict.

I'm not familiar with the religious affiliation of the author, but to me, this gem of a book fits under the category of "Catholic literature," with the themes of the dual nature (fallen and divine) of man, the search for grace's light in the most evil of times. There is much to reflect on, and this reader found herself genuinely mourning and rejoicing with the characters. For a book only 200 pages long, its impact is earth-shaking and, I suspect, life-long.

Author Lloyd Jones was a journalist during the Bougainville Civil War, and wrote about the island he visited, as well as the atrocities he heard about while covering the news. It grieves me that this is the first time I have heard of the Coconut Revolution.

"We know the devil because we know ourselves. And how do we know God? We know God because we know ourselves."

While this book has received many awards, including one for being the best YA book, I would highly recommend this for mature readers as things turn ugly real fast in the last third. One of the book's themes is how quickly one's entire life is changed, in a single moment, and it was like that for me. It went from heartwarming to heartbreaking, in the space of a heartbeat. And despite my initial curiosity about the 2012 Hugh Laurie film adaptation, this is another unforgettable book I prefer not to watch onscreen, out of a healthy sense of self-preservation.

"We have received a handy reminder that while we may not know the whole world, we can, if we are clever enough, make it new." Isn't this what teaching, what LIVING, is all about?


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Book Review: THE FINAL MARTYRS by Shusaku Endo

The Final Martyrs by Shūsaku Endō
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"I have the impression that trees and rocks and even postcards saturated with the thoughts of men must all speak to one another in hushed voices."

"The Final Martyrs" is the title of the first short story in this collection containing 11 powerful short stories, three of which moved me to tears.

"The Final Martyrs" is itself very familiar... as it was the germ of what later became Endo's most famous novel, "Silence."

I read the short books while queuing in the hospital for a long overdue physical checkup.

Going to the hospital can be a deeply reflective activity, as it is a place of absolutes, where the order of the day is literally life and death. One can't help but think existential thoughts when one is surrounded by extremes in health and illness, and Endo happened to suit the occasion perfectly. In fact, quite a few of the stories here take place in graveyards and hospitals.

This is my third Endo book, but it was my first time to read his shorter works. And I was surprised to find that the shorter form affected the heart more powerfully than the longer novels. The themes may be more fully fleshed out in SILENCE and THE SAMURAI, but there is much to said for brevity's concentrated impact.

Endo is a Catholic writer who captures the pain of growing up as part of a minority group where his faith used to be outlawed, punishable by torture and death. Like the best composers, Endo has written literary variations on a single theme, each grain containing an entire soul's universe. Incorporating autobiographical elements as well as historical figures like Kolbe and real Japanese martyrs, to read Endo is to experience the communion of saints in an almost palpable manner. How fortunate I feel, that his books have cast this shadow "in the river of my life."(a favorite Endo phrase)

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Book Review: PYGMALION AND THE IVORY VIRGIN by Serge Le Tendre and Peynet

Pygmalion et la vierge d'ivoire by Serge Le Tendre
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

You THINK you know the story of the sculptor whose statue comes alive. I thought I did. But we only know the barest bones of the story, if you grew up knowing only Edith Hamilton.

"Pygmalion and the Ivory Virgin" has a different impact, when seen visually. There is foreshadowing, there are layers that are NOT in the text, but are shown in the beautifully drawn panels. The impact of a sea monster that suddenly emerges is actually FELT like a blow upon turning a page, and so too are the animal activities that hint at echoes done by human counterparts later on. We also get to appreciate how Pygmalion's earlier sculptures are actually mediocrities, which makes one reflect on his frustration on sculpting women. Perhaps he was simply channeling his self-hatred to others, blaming innocent models and women in general for his own failings?

While Pygmalion is the title character, he comes across as a j*rk both in Hamilton's book and this one. It is Agape (*applauds name choice of author*), she who loves Pygmalion and is initially spurned, who shines. Although as a woman, I was just shaking my head at her, shouting: "Girl, HE'S NOT WORTH IT!!!"

To expect perfection by putting others on a pedestal... as a teacher, I was reminded of the Pygmalion effect in the classroom: when students have teachers who show high expectations of them, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Le Tendre's book shows us the build up and the consequences of the age old question: what happens after you find the perfect woman?

The font of the text took some getting used to, but after the first couple of pages I was so interested in the story that it no longer bothered me.

The ending felt a bit contrived for this reader, and also, a quick re-read of Hamilton's retelling shows inconsistencies. But of course, in the name of artistic license, all is forgiven.

Well worth the read! Le Tendre made an old tale new again.

FOR MATURE READERS ONLY.

(Grateful to Netgalley for a free download of this graphic novella!)

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Book Review: SEA OF TRANQUILITY by Emily St. John Mandel

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"Perhaps we believe on some level that if the world were to end and be remade, if some unthinkable catastrophe were to occur, then perhaps we might be remade too, perhaps into better, more heroic, more honorable people."

I remember reading STATION ELEVEN, my first novel by this author, in January of 2020. News of a virus in China had just broken out, and we in Manila felt mildly concerned but never really thought it would wind up the way it did: upending lives, taking away loved ones who meant the world to us so it felt like losing entire worlds as well. I remember thinking how prescient this novel was, because it described a world devastated by a pandemic... but never really thought it would happen. Until it did.

I remember discussing it with a friend while we waited in our seats for a play to start (oh how I miss live performances!!), because that first novel heavily featured theatre as an art form that could survive any pandemic. I think I even talked about it in our book club, during one of our last purely face-to-face book sessions (we've switched to online/hybrid sessions since then).

And so when I had saved enough money to purchase a brand new book (inflation hits teacher salaries hard and I've been buying mostly secondhand books), I got this one. How would Mandel write about a pandemic DURING the pandemic? I wondered. And how would it differ from the pandemic novel she wrote, BEFORE the pandemic? (STATION ELEVEN came out in 2014)

As it turns out, having a shared lived experience of the past two years impacts both reader and author. We are both altered, because our common worlds have changed.

But we both belong to that hardheaded human species, one that has managed to survive tougher times, and one that is finding new ways of moving forward, still.

It reminds me of another pandemic book I read recently, Anthony Doerr's CLOUD CUCKOO LAND. Both write about the threads that bind past, present and future together. Mandel's is shorter, but I would argue that this makes for a more forceful impact on the reader, and therefore I prefer it. And also... her book has TIME TRAVEL!! Which is such a trope, but in Mandel's hands, it becomes completely believable.

Mandel's latest novel is a beautiful reflection on what our New World looks like today. And while some in positions of authority seem to think that issuing declarations are like waving magic wands, pretending that the pandemic hasn't happened (or even more foolhardy yet: that it is already OVER), books like this one invite us to take stock of what we as a civilization have learned the past two years.

We can never go back to the way things were, because everything has changed. These lessons were painfully learned, but the whole point of being human is to learn, to adapt. To pretend otherwise, borne out of economic-based fear instead of public health considerations, is irresponsible leadership at best, ignorant and callous disregard at worst.

"A life lived under a dome... is still a life," Mandel declares, with a conviction borne out of a physically embodied truth. "I had already moved too fast, too far, and wished to travel no further. I've been thinking a great deal about time and motion lately, about being a still point in the ceaseless rush."

Cheers to yet another weekend in hibernation, amid another wave. The Sea of Tranquility is not merely a physical location on the moon, and a possible future lunar colony. Mandel reminds us that we have the power to recreate this sea of tranquility within ourselves.

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Book Review: JUSTINE (Book # 1 of the Alexandria Quartet) by Lawrence Durrell

Justine by Lawrence Durrell
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Gorgeous prose can only get one so far. At the end of the day, it's a tawdry tale told beautifully, but it is a beauty that fails to hide the hollowness of a novel with hollow characters. I had high hopes, but was disappointed in the Bored White Rich People problems the book focused on.

Sugarcoat it all you want, philosophize how you will, but adultery is tacky whether at home or in Alexandria. THE ENGLISH PATIENT this is not.

Filing this under "Why is this famous?" and "Why did they bother making a movie out of this?" OK, fine, since I'm feeling charitable, we can file this under "Read if you want to marvel at how Durrell can make a city come alive with mere words."

I got an edition with all four novels compiled in one volume. Having finished the first, I don't see myself continuing any longer!



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Book Review: DELIVERANCE by James Dickey

Deliverance by James Dickey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"Here we go, out of the sleep of mild people, into the wild rippling water."

Four bored businessmen go canoeing in the wilderness of Georgia because they felt trapped by their nine-to-five jobs in the city. But what was meant to be a joyful test of manhood turns out to be a desperate fight for survival against fellow men and Mother Nature, and not everyone survives.

I thought I'd read this short novel to relax on a Friday night, after a stressful day at work.

Only to get even more stressed and anxious, but unable to put it down until I had finished it!!! (Darn me and my life choices LOL)

I suppose it's a perfect read for when you're spending yet another weekend barricading oneself indoors because of the alarming rise in COVID cases. This is the kind of book parents can give their (adult) children if they want to dissuade them from going on that overly adventurous rafting trip.

There's an award-winning film based on the book out there, but after having read the book, I don't think I can stomach seeing and hearing the events play out onscreen. The book is giving me mild PTSD already, thank you very much.

Recommended for any adult who has ever tasted "the long declining routine of our lives." This book helps us be grateful for the peace and security that allows one to be bored, for often, boredom is actually happiness in disguise. And we only realize it when it has been taken away from us.

It was also quite fascinating to read an adventure novel by a poet! The music of the words comes out, though it seems he tried to tone it down.

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Book Review: NINE PARTS OF DESIRE (The Hidden World of Islamic Women) by Geraldine Brooks

Nine Parts of Desire: The Hidden World of Islamic Women by Geraldine Brooks
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The book's title comes from a quote by Ali ibn Abu Taleb, husband of Fatima and founder of Shiite Islam: "Almighty God created sexual desire in ten parts; then he gave nine parts to women and one to men."

Geraldine Brooks has been a long-time favorite novelist of mine, but it was only now that I was able to track down her first book, a nonfiction one! Here we see traces of the narrative power of the future novelist merged with concise journalistic writing.

I had NO idea that Geraldine Brooks used to be an award winning correspondent, and that she had the toughest assignments for the WSJ: for many years, she covered the Gulf War and the religious and cultural storms in the Middle East! She draws from that rich experience as she writes about the several Muslim women she interviewed and befriended.

With several interviews ranging from Queen Noor of Jordan to Salman Rushdie, this was a fascinating look at the different circumstances and levels of repression amongst females in several Muslim countries. The degrees of degradation differ, but all throughout, Brooks harps on a common thread: the many dangers of fallible males speaking for an infallible prophet.

This was the best book I've read in terms of making the difference between Sunni and Shiite Islam clear, in practical terms. Brooks draws on history as well as holy verse in order to show how opposing agendas are supported by different quotes. It's not that different, after all, from Christians selecting various biblical texts to support antithetical arguments.

Brooks managed to write respectfully even about women with opposing views from hers, acknowledging the differences in upbringing and culture that make this so. Her anecdotes are at times horrifying (being thrown in jail for attempting to check in a hotel in Saudi Arabia as a lone female, sexual assault while investigating in the middle of the dessert), but she manages to convey hope as she highlights inspirational women, whose courage in standing up for their rights is made even more remarkable given that they are in danger of being murdered by their own fathers and brothers in the name of family honor.

As a Filipina, I realized how much freedom my society and government allows me, compared to my sisters in other Muslim countries. And while there is much to improve on in terms of full equality, there is much to be grateful for.

"That woman had made her choice: it was different from mine. But sitting there, sharing the warm sand and the soft air, we accepted each other. When she raised her face to the sun, she was smiling."

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Book Review: THE DRAGON REPUBLIC (Book # 2 of THE POPPY WAR Trilogy) by R.F. Kuang

The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Once in a while, everyone needs a good old fashioned adventure/fantasy novel that just sucks you in and leaves you oblivious to everything: the outside world, adult responsibilities, and the political situation in your country.

I have known this deep joy before in Pierce Brown's RED RISING series, and I am grateful for the book angel that made it possible for us to continue R.F. Kuang's amazing POPPY WAR trilogy. But my God! What's up with this trend of wreaking as much emotional damage as possible on readers?!?

Kuang's second book is again a thinly veiled do-over of REAL Chinese history. There's that meme of Leo DiCaprio pointing excitedly at something. Well, this is kind of what I did, only I was shouting names of real-life historical figures as soon as I figured out who they REALLY were, as Kuang changes the names and adds some fantasy elements, but otherwise stays true to the geopolitical and sociological truths that give this novel its solid weight. It's as if the author declared: THIS REALLY HAPPENED. LET ME SHOW YOU HOW, AND WHY.

I apologize to the neighbors if they overheard me alternating between shouting names like CHAIRMAN MAO! and CHIANG KAI - SHEK, and loud gasps and maybe a few heartfelt curses. Nothing to see here, folks. Just a reader enjoying a REALLY. EPIC. BOOK.

For anyone who's a bit hazy on the whole Mainland China versus Taiwan issue (who isn't?), this is a must-read!

The everlasting debate between democracy and a dictatorship rings with special force now, as well as the struggle amongst the classes, and provincialism. Should the masses be given the power to vote, when they are "unformed, uneducated and uncultured?" But then, how do we ensure that there is a check and balance in a government where one man, or one party, wields absolute power?

All of these themes make this series one for adults, as younger readers might not be able to understand the full context. There's loads of fun battle scenes, as well as references to the Battle of Red Cliff and the Romance of the Three Kingdoms (which I NEED to read, soon!).

By any rubric, this book gets a perfect score!

It's a Sunday night. Book 3 is within reach. I promise I'll wake up and be a good girl, and go to work tomorrow. Only a few chapters...

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Book Review: THE NARROW ROAD TO THE DEEP NORTH by Richard Flanagan

The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"Memory is the true justice... for if the living let go of the dead, their own life ceases to matter."

I must have done something good in my previous life, to deserve reading yet another five-star classic - my second one in a row! Five star worthy books come across my way more rarely as I get older, and so I am profoundly grateful for this particular book! All the more so because it brought back vivid memories of our last happy trip abroad with our mom.

Richard Flanagan's novel is the best of its kind: truth masquerading as literary fiction. Names have been changed but the historical circumstances are unvarnished. The author's father was a survivor of the infamous Death Railway built during World War II by POW's. The increasingly desperate Japanese made a mad attempt to build a railway from Burma (Myanmar) to Siam (Thailand) that Europeans said was impossible due to the jungle and mountainous terrain. They brought over thousands of enemy soldiers from all the nations opposing them, and this is the story of how one in every three Australian POW's died as a result of that brutal slave labor.

We were lucky enough to visit the cemetery and the museum at Kanchanaburi, Thailand, where we got to walk on the infamous bridge on the river Kwai. The museum had a copy of the book that got turned into a movie, but having read Pierre Boulle's book, I can say that Richard Flanagan's is far superior! While other books have made me tear up once or twice, I don't remember weeping this often (my notes tell me I wept uncontrollably at page 211 and then another time only 2 pages later... and that was just two of x number of heart piercings!!).

This is a prime example of war literature: the kind that makes you marvel at humanity's capacity for greatness, while recognizing that many fall short of Christian/Buddhist virtue once the trappings of civilization are gone. It disturbs while it inspires. And in the words of the author, it fits the definition of greatness. "A good book leaves you wanting to reread the book. A great book compels you to reread your own soul."

What makes this book unique is that Flanagan also wrote fully fleshed out Japanese characters, apart from the Australians. And so the reader is left with a deeper understanding of what could possibly motivate one human being to treat another worse than an animal. I particularly liked the quotes from Basho and Issa, and how Flanagan showed the importance of literature and art in even the most dehumanizing times.

This is now one of my top favorite books of all time. Scenes from the novel are etched as if by fire into my skull, such as the vivisection of live and conscious American soldiers by Japanese doctors in Kyushu University!!

I will forever have a special place in my heart for Dorrigo Evans, the medical surgeon who "was not, he believed in his heart, a good man. But he refused to stop trying." And really, this is what life is all about.



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