Cannery Row by John Steinbeck

Published in 1945, Cannery Row is about the characters and happenings in a section of the central Californian city of Monterey during the Depression. (The characters return in Sweet Thursday, written nine years later.) Driving through Cannery Row and visiting the National Steinbeck Center in Salinas, CA, inspired me to read this book.

Doc, a local marine biologist, has always been nice to the people of Cannery Row without asking for anything in return. To thank him, Mack and “the boys” arrange a party at his house, but Doc never makes it. The party spins out of control, and the next morning Doc returns to a house turned upside down. Mack and the boys feel awful and vow to throw Doc another party for his birthday. This time, the party is a success.

Cannery Row has a simple plot and its characters don’t change much but these factors do not affect its ability to engage the reader. In fact, they enhance Steinbeck’s portrayal of the people of Cannery Row, who are essentially good despite being thrown with some of life’s toughest challenges. No one in the town is wealthy, yet everyone seems satisfied with what they have. Mack and the boys throw the party even though they cannot afford it. Even after the first party’s failure, they don’t give up on the idea of rewarding their friend. Doc, to be generous, will buy a frog from anyone for a nickel. Doc also takes in a mentally challenged boy, Frankie, and is always patient with him, even though the boy constantly makes mistakes. Almost everyone in Cannery Row owes money to Lee Chong, the owner of the local grocery. Lee never asks to be repaid. Despite economic hardships, Dora, the owner of Cannery Row’s whorehouse, always gives generously to charity. Through his illustration of these characters, Steinbeck is saying that good people can be found in the most obscure and dirty places and in the most difficult of times.

The most interesting character in the story is Doc. Doc frequently goes down to the coast to collect specimens and works in his lab doing experiments. He lets anyone help who wants to. He helps everyone with anything and is always honest. He also does some surprising things. After a hitchhiker warns Doc about having a beer while driving, Doc punches him in the face. Doc also eventually allows Frankie to go to an institution. Doc made the right decision, however, I had expected Doc to adopt Frankie.

John Steinbeck is a wonderful writer. His introduction is evocative: “Cannery Row in Monterey in California is a poem, a stink, a grating noise, a quality of light, a tone, a habit, a nostalgia, a dream.” By the time you finish the story, you discover all of those qualities to be true. Steinbeck’s descriptions of the sea creatures Doc finds and of the California coast are beautiful. His writing is also humorous and entertaining.

I believe that Cannery Row has much to offer the reader; a laugh, a tear, heartbreak, and a promise. A very solid five out of five stars.

America (The Book): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction by Jon Stewart, Ben Karlin, And David Javerbaum

In America (The Book), Jon Stewart satirizes American politics, American history, and other countries.

Written in the style of a history textbook, this book has many elements. The book includes study guides, class exercises, and discussion questions. There are also essays written by people who were affiliated with The Daily Show when the book was written. Reading this book was never dull - it was always interactive and engaging.

As far as the history goes, I actually learned quite a bit that I didn't know beforehand and that was refreshing.

The original 2004 edition took me a while to find. This edition is no longer being printed - only the "teacher's" edition can be purchased new. I definitely recommend the 2004 edition without the annoying history professor's corrections in red found in the "teacher's" edition. This edition also lacks the hilarious section evaluating the 2004 presidential candidates. 

Overall, the best thing America has to offer is a good laugh; it's not that substantial. For these reasons, I give America three out of five stars. 

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

The Bell Jar is Sylvia Plath's only novel. Originally published under Plath's pseudonym Victoria Lucas, the novel is a roman à clef of Plath's college years.

Esther Greenwood is a talented writer interning at a prestigious New York magazine. During her time in NYC, Esther is surprisingly unexcited by the big city or its lifestyle. Instead, she just drifts along and is even frightened by some of the events that occur. She moves back to Massachusetts with the possibility of taking a writing course in the summer. When she doesn't get this opportunity, Esther plans on writing a novel but she can't - she is unable to write, sleep, or eat. Esther's mother becomes concerned and sends her to a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist's efforts don't help and Esther attempts suicide. After this event, Esther hops from one asylum to another. 

Sylvia Plath's own suicide was a genuine and tragic loss to literature because she was truly talented. In The Bell Jar, Plath compares the possibilities of Esther's life to figs on a tree. Esther is sitting in the low part of the tree starving because she can't decide which fig to pick. As time passes, the figs, representing opportunities, shrivel up and die. This is a beautiful and clever metaphor for life's possibilities. Perhaps the most poetic moment is Esther's feeling as if she is under a bell jar stewing in her own air and the bell jar follows her wherever she goes. This metaphor gives readers who have not experienced mental illness an insight into what it might actually feel like. 

As for the plot, with the exception of Esther, the characters are all unlikable. Esther's mother is in denial about Esther's all too real issues.  Esther's friends are shallow. Esther's ex-boyfriend is a hypocrite. Most of the psychiatrists and nurses seem useless. Esther, however, is funny and you feel for her because she is wildly talented. 

Overall, I think that this book has great value for its important subject matter and poetic moments; five out of five stars. 

A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket

The Bad Beginning is the first book in A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket (the pen name of American author Daniel Handler).

The parents of Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire have perished in the fire which also destroyed their home. The executor of the will, Mr. Poe, finds the orphans a new home and a guardian, Count Olaf. Count Olaf is a vicious villain after only one thing: the Baudelaire's inherited fortune.

I read this series when I was around ten years old and I thought it would be cool to revisit the first book because I enjoyed the series so much. This is a book meant for children: the writing is simple and clearly not for adults. Words like "aberrant" and "standoffish" are defined following their use. Since the characters themselves are kids, they are definitely relatable for young readers and all but two of the adults come off as mean and oppressive. I typically don't read kids' books unless they are classics, so this was out of the ordinary for me but the detour was worth it. 

The Bad Beginning has a lot of what I look for in a book: an interesting and suspenseful plot, a varied cast of characters, and a villain who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. The main flaw is the book's poor writing. Even though this book is intended for children, the writing does not have to be subpar. 

Overall, The Bad Beginning has a great plot but the writing holds it back. Three out of five stars. 

The Picture of Dorian Gray: A Graphic Novel by Oscar Wilde, I.N.J Culbard, Ian Edginton

Dear readers, 
I have been extremely busy these past two weeks and I apologize for not reviewing anything last week. However, I am glad to say that I am now back. 


The Picture of Dorian Gray is a graphic adaptation of Oscar Wilde's 1891 novel of the same title. 

Dorian Gray is the gorgeous young subject of the painter Basil Hallward. On the day his portrait will be completed, Dorian has a pivotal conversation with Lord Henry Wotton. Wotton tells Dorian that the only things that matter in life are beauty and youth. Dorian knows that his beauty and youth will fade, so he sells his soul so that his portrait will age instead of him. Dorian will remain the same physically forever, but he becomes menacing and secretive towards everyone.  

The original Dorian Gray uses many images to develop the plot and this makes it a great choice for a graphic adaptation. What really stood out for me was how well Culbard illustrated the aging portrait. He draws Dorian in the first painting as youthful, in the second as semi-wrinkled, and in the third as white-haired and repulsive. These illustrations give readers a great sense of how Dorian ages in his portrait. 

As for the story, the characters are really unlikeable. Dorian is a raging narcissist and indirectly and directly kills people. Basil is simply hypnotized by and infatuated with Dorian's beauty and only thinks about Dorian. Lord Henry is rude to his wife and encourages Dorian to only pursue life-long beauty. Basil and Henry were just annoying.

Throughout the book, Dorian lives a double life. He is an upper-class socialite who goes to dinner parties and plays. At the same time, Dorian goes to a London opium den and commits crimes. Dorian's conscience eventually catches up with him. His story demonstrates that what goes around comes around. 

Overall, this book did a good job of showing how Dorian's character grew malevolent, but it could have been done in fewer pages. For the unnecessary extra detail, I give the book three out of five stars. 

This Side of Brightness by Colum McCann

Colum McCann won the National Book Award in 2009 for Let the Great World Spin. This Side of Brightness is one of the Irishman's lesser-known works. 

It's 1916 and Nathan Walker works as a sandhog digging tunnels under New York City. His current project is a tunnel under the East River that will carry trains between Brooklyn and Manhattan. Under the ground, the sandhogs - black, Irish, white, and Italian - dig together in the darkness, making them all equal. Above ground, they couldn't be more different. Everything changes when a sandhog dies in an accident and Walker  bonds with the two remaining sandhogs, a bond that will last for three generations. 

The plot twists in this book are subtle and, if you aren't reading closely enough, you will miss crucial moments in the story. The author uses a minimum of words to convey plot details which leaves it up to the reader to interpret, and I prefer this style of writing. 

Before I read this book, I was not familiar with  tunnel digging. Now, I can tell you all about the methods and health hazards that accompanied it at the time. I was never interested in tunnel digging before, but the way the author describes it is genuinely intriguing. However, the most important thing I learned from this book was about the extreme racism that existed. As an African-American, Nathan Walker was treated disgustingly in New York City. He couldn't walk into certain shops and was constantly called names on the streets. I felt uncomfortable and sad when reading this but I'm glad I did.

The story takes place in New York City over the course of 75 years. McCann is very talented at aging the city and the characters. The descriptions of the city are accurate and detailed and this added a sense of genuineness to the novel.

I really enjoyed this story. It was interesting and different. Five out of five stars. 

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

When it was originally published in 1954, Lord of the Flies sold fewer than 3,000 copies in the United States. Today, it is required reading in many US high school and college English classes. 

The story centers on British schoolboys stranded on an island after their plane crashes. The boys are quick to realize that there are no adults and that they need to fend for themselves. Two leaders emerge: Ralph and Jack. Ralph's priority is keeping a fire lit in order to be spotted by a passing ship, while Jack is more focused on hunting pigs to obtain meat. Their different concerns cause a schism between them and, from that point on, they lose all interest in cooperating and havoc results. 

This novel asks the reader if humans, as portrayed by the children, are inherently good or evil. Golding wants us to believe the latter. He has created a story about innocent young boys who, when there are no rules, do unforgivable things to each other. I agree with Golding, because it's easier to do the wrong thing than the right thing. 

Golding peppers his novel with symbolism and detail. The symbols were enjoyable to spot and their meanings developed over time. The details which described the island gave the novel a more realistic character. 

My only negative criticism would be of the dull moments in the plot. In the middle of the book, there's a repeated cycle of back-and-forth conflict between Ralph and Jack. I found this boring.

Overall, I really enjoyed this work. It spelled out very well the theme of man's intrinsic evil and, for that, I give it four and a half out of five stars.