How To Build A Girl – Caitlin Moran

What’s it all about?:

What do you do in your teenage years when you realize what your parents taught you wasn’t enough? You must go out and find books and poetry and pop songs and bad heroes—and build yourself.

It’s 1990. Johanna Morrigan, fourteen, has shamed herself so badly on local TV that she decides that there’s no point in being Johanna anymore and reinvents herself as Dolly Wilde—fast-talking, hard-drinking gothic hero and full-time Lady Sex Adventurer. She will save her poverty-stricken Bohemian family by becoming a writer—like Jo in Little Women, or the Brontës—but without the dying-young bit.

By sixteen, she’s smoking cigarettes, getting drunk, and working for a music paper. She’s writing pornographic letters to rock stars, having all the kinds of sex with all the kinds of men, and eviscerating bands in reviews of 600 words or less.

But what happens when Johanna realizes she’s built Dolly with a fatal flaw? Is a box full of records, a wall full of posters, and a head full of paperbacks enough to build a girl after all?

Imagine The Bell Jar—written by Rizzo from Grease. How to Build a Girl is a funny, poignant, and heartbreakingly evocative story of self-discovery and invention, as only Caitlin Moran could tell it.

What did I think?: 

I was lucky enough to see Caitlin Moran in London when she went on tour talking about How To Build A Girl amongst other things that I hadn’t bargained for and was thoroughly delighted with. Yep, I stood on my chair and screeched “I am a feminist,” I bought some merchandise (all proceeds going to the charity Refuge which was fantastic) and was doubled over with laughter as Caitlin read some of the er… riskier parts of the book? How To Build a Girl is the story of an ordinary girl from Wolverhampton trying to become a woman amidst all the problems that adolescence brings, with a family who are practically living on the bread line.

Johanna Morrigan struggles with her own identity, in typical teenager fashion worrying about her body shape, her music tastes, boys and the inevitable sexual experiences that follow, but at the end of everything, all she wants to do is take care of her family. Her father has been an aspiring musician for many years but has failed to make it to the big time and drinks heavily. Her mother seems to exist on a different planet after having twins, probably suffering from post-natal depression so Johanna feels quite a bit of responsibility is on her shoulders for looking after the family. However, she makes a bit of a mistake by talking to the wrong person about the disability benefits her family is on and as a result, the benefits are cut taking her family even further down the poverty line. Things seems to be looking up when Johanna wins a poetry competition and has the opportunity to appear on television. Oh dear…the social awkwardness really comes into play here when Johanna makes a hilarious gaff on the programme (that had me in stitches, by the way) and she seems doomed to stay in her house forever and never appear in public again.

The only cure for this is to re-invent herself. Johanna Morrigan becomes Dolly Wilde, who blags herself a job as a music journalist complete with lots of eyeliner. And a top hat, of course. She also decides she will become a Lady Sex Adventurer, her exploits with a man with “a uselessly large penis,” is truly hilarious and has to be read to be believed. She manages to make a fair bit of money for her large and ailing family, but at some point seems to lose a part of herself along the way. But that’s what growing up is all about, making mistakes, hopefully learning from them and becoming a stronger, independent person because of them.

Caitlin Moran has written a fantastically rude and very authentic novel about adolescence and becoming a woman. I think it’s the sort of book that young girls should be able to read (and then hide under their pillow) just for the honest way in which the author writes about all those teenage feelings. Perhaps then they would feel that they weren’t alone, and what they were experiencing was entirely normal? If it helps one teenage girl feel a bit better about themselves, I think Moran has done a great duty and I can’t help wishing that it had been around during my adolescence.

Would I recommend it?:

But of course!

Star rating (out of 5):

A Monster Calls – Patrick Ness

What’s it all about?:

The monster showed up after midnight. As they do.

But it isn’t the monster Conor’s been expecting. He’s been expecting the one from his nightmare, the one he’s had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments, the one with the darkness and the wind and the screaming…

This monster is something different, though. Something ancient, something wild. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor.

It wants the truth.

What did I think?:

I don’t even know where to start with this review, A Monster Calls is one of those books that will take your breath away. Not only is the premise incredibly sad but it was an idea conceived by the author Siobhan Dowd who tragically passed away from cancer before she was able to write the story. Patrick Ness took the project on and combined with the beautiful illustrations by Jim Kay, it stands out as one of those rare and powerful books that touch something in your heart and remain with you forever. Our main character is a boy called Conor whose mother is beginning treatment for cancer, although the prognosis is unfortunately not good. While this is happening Conor is having terrible nightmares and problems at school including bullying. Then it seems that others at his school, including teachers aware of his mother’s illness don’t really know how to talk to him and wherever he goes he is conscious of their pitiful glances. If all this wasn’t more than enough for a young boy to deal with, his father has moved abroad building a different life for himself with his new wife and child and doesn’t seem to know how to interact or support Conor in his time of need. Furthermore his grandmother, who looks after him when his mum is having her treatment is a bit prickly and does not conform to the stereotype of a loving, spoiling gran so they also have a difficult relationship:

“He didn’t like the way she talked to him, like he was an employee under evaluation. An evaluation he was going to fail.”

Then the monster comes. Fashioned from an old yew tree in the front garden, it appears just after midnight (obviously) and attempts to terrify Conor. However it is rather taken aback when Conor refuses to be terrified, after all Conor has in his words “seen a lot worse,” and his fears run a lot deeper than an old creaking yew tree. Conor dismisses the visit as just a nightmare, but then nightmares don’t leave bits of themselves behind like leaves and wood, do they? When the monster returns, he tells Conor that he will visit him again and each time tell him a story, three in total and then he expects Conor to tell him a fourth – THE TRUTH.

I don’t want to say too much more about the plot of this book as one of the many beautiful things about it is discovering the secrets yourself. I just have to re-iterate how blown away I was by it. Patrick Ness has already established himself as one of my new favourite authors with The Knife Of Never Letting Go, but with A Monster Calls he cemented it for good. I really appreciated the dark humour that ran throughout the story that made the heart-breaking moments so bitter sweet and I finished the story feeling emotionally exhausted but exhilarated at the same time as I knew I had just finished something incredibly special, the likes of which are rarely seen in a generation. I must also urge anybody who hasn’t read it to plump for the illustrated version – Jim Kay’s drawings also add a little something extra to the story and are truly gorgeous. I think this book would also be a must-read for anybody who has lost someone they loved, or a child in the same position as Conor that risks losing a parent.

Would I recommend it?:

But of course!

Star rating (out of 5):

Rosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA – Brenda Maddox

What’s it all about?:

Our dark lady is leaving us next week; on the 7th of March, 1953 Maurice Wilkins of King’s College, London, wrote to Francis Crick at the Cavendish laboratories in Cambridge to say that as soon as his obstructive female colleague was gone from King’s, he, Crick, and James Watson, a young American working with Crick, could go full speed ahead with solving the structure of the DNA molecule that lies in every gene. Not long after, the pair announced to the world that they had discovered the secret of life. But could Crick and Watson have done it without the dark lady? In two years at King’s, Rosalind Franklin had made major contributions to the understanding of DNA. She established its existence in two forms and she worked out the position of the phosphorous atoms in its backbone. Most crucially, using X-ray techniques that may have contributed significantly to her later death from cancer at the tragically young age of 37, she had taken beautiful photographs of the patterns of DNA.

What did I think?:

Rosalind Franklin is unfortunately probably best known for not achieving the recognition she should have got in life for unravelling the secrets of DNA. Instead, two scientists called Francis Crick and James Watson boldly used parts of her work to find out the secrets for themselves and published their findings which led to them winning the Nobel Prize. Personally, I was aware of the dis-service that had been done to Franklin but did not realise until reading this book exactly how much her work had contributed to the unveiling of “the molecule of life.” The book tends not to focus too much on the early part of Rosalind’s life as it is when she becomes a scientist, the true nature of this independent, determined and highly intelligent woman is realised. However, a couple of things sprang to my attention from her early life. Firstly, a letter written by one of her relations describes the young Rosalind as:

“alarmingly clever – she spends all her time doing arithmetic for pleasure & invariably gets her sums right.”

Although the word “alarmingly” is probably meant as an endearment it resonates from a time when females were not expected to be clever as managing their household and pleasing their husbands was probably the best they could amount to. It is no wonder that Rosalind has become somewhat of a feminist icon. After all, being Jewish, female and a scientist in times which were not friendly to all three is a tremendous achievement. Being a bit radical also ran in her family as her Uncle Hugh, a pro-suffragist, attempted to attack Winston Churchill with a dog whip due to his opposition to women’s suffrage. Rosalind knew herself from the age of twelve that she wanted to become a scientist and certainly fit the criteria according to Einstein:

“a scientist makes science the pivot of his emotional life, in order to find in this way the peace and security which he cannot find in the narrow whirlpool of personal experience.”

Rosalind Franklin (picture from mysciencebox.org)

She first began to make a difference during the war where she was employed by the British Coal Utilisation Research Association studying the porous nature of coal and the density of helium. Her work there led to coals being classified, predicting their potential for fuel and for the production of essential devices i.e. gas masks. In 1946, she extended her CV and broadened her skills by studying X-ray diffraction with the French scientist Jacques Mering, a technique that would prove crucial and valuable in her later work with DNA. It was during her next post with Kings College that she finally made her mark, discovering that there were two forms of DNA and that they were helical in structure. Indeed, her X ray photographs of the molecule were pronounced by J.D. Bernal to be amongst the most beautiful X ray photographs of any substance ever taken.

Enter Watson and Crick, who were currently working on producing a model of the structure of DNA but were having a few technical problems with discovering exactly where each bit went. Papers and photographs belonging to Franklin were given to Crick on the sly causing them to pronounce that they had discovered “the secret of life.” Shockingly, they then went on to publish their paper in the journal Nature in the spring of 1953 with only a short footnote regarding the “general knowledge” of Franklin’s contribution. Franklin’s paper did follow but due to the order of publishing, it seemed only support for Watson and Crick’s amazing discovery, rather than revealing who exactly had done all the legwork. Unpublished drafts of her papers revealed that it was she alone who had discovered the overall form of the molecule with the location of the phosphate groups on the outside. Rosalind went on to carry out brilliant work on the tobacco mosaic and polio virus but tragically succumbed to ovarian cancer in 1958 at just 37 years of age.

I found this book to be an absolutely fascinating read even if I did get carried away a bit at times with the injustice done to Rosalind Franklin and the tragic end to her life. She wasn’t particularly careful when using radiation and tended to just “get on with it,” neglecting to wear appropriate protective coverings or adhere to our now stringent safety requirements when dealing with such a hazardous substance. Could this have contributed to the development of her cancer? She was also a very interesting person, perhaps a bit prickly at first and difficult to get to know but she was immensely passionate about many things besides her beloved science – for example, travelling and climbing and was a fiercely loyal friend. For me, it was wonderful to read an interesting account of a woman that made such a difference even if it was sadly not recognised in her own lifetime.

Would I recommend it?

But of course!

Star rating (out of 5):

Kindred – Octavia E. Butler

What’s it all about?:

Dana, a modern black woman, is celebrating her twenty-sixth birthday with her new husband when she is snatched abruptly from her home in California and transported to the antebellum South. Rufus, the white son of a plantation owner, is drowning, and Dana has been summoned to save him. Dana is drawn back repeatedly through time to the slave quarters, and each time the stay grows longer, more arduous, and more dangerous until it is uncertain whether or not Dana’s life will end, long before it has a chance to begin.

What did I think?:

I’ve only recently started reading more science fiction as I didn’t consider it a genre I was particularly interested in. However, I have been pleasantly surprised from the recent books I have read and this is no exception. Many thanks to the lovely people at Book Bridgr and Headline Publishing for allowing me to read a copy and although I have never come across the author’s work before, I am now eager to try some more. The story is set across two main time frames – the current, contemporary period (1970’s) and 19th century Maryland where our main character is a young black woman called Dana. When celebrating her birthday with her husband Kevin all of a sudden she is transported back to the South at the height of the slavery period, obviously a very dangerous time for a black woman to be on her own. First of all however, she must find out why she has travelled back in time in the first place. It appears that whenever the son (Rufus) of a rich plantation owner is in danger, Dana materialises and she deduces that she must be travelling back in order to save his life.

Dana’s first trip back in time where she saves Rufus as a young boy lasts merely minutes but with each subsequent journey her stay in the South becomes longer. This heightens the danger that she is in as being a young black woman without an obvious white owner may lead to her being beaten, raped, even killed. Rufus himself is not a particularly likeable character as he grows up and takes on the mantle of his terrifying father and although he grows close to Dana with every visit, there is a risk that he may become just as much of an adversary to her. In the contemporary time, Dana’s husband Kevin is also desperately worried about the effects of her time travel, especially when she comes home with injuries having run into the path of the wrong (white) man. He is determined to be with her the next time she leaves, even if they both have to be careful regarding the particulars of their relationship as he happens to be white. He manages to time travel back with her successfully but cannot reach her side quickly enough (they have to be touching) for the return journey home leaving him stranded in the past, his only hope of return being Dana coming back. Attempting to guess when Dana will next return is highly unpredictable and when she does, her life is increasingly at risk to a point where the likelihood of her FUTURE self even being born is becoming more and more unlikely.

As a science fiction novel, I thought this was a good addition to the genre. I enjoyed the parts set in the 19th century South better than the contemporary story as I felt the latter felt a little thin and under-developed. As historical fiction it is beautifully written and captures perfectly the voices of all black people kept as slaves in a dark and shameful part of our history. I found that some characters were drawn better than others, for example Rufus, whom I ended up despising by the end of the novel was a fantastic “love-to-hate” character compared to Kevin, Dana’s husband and the “goodie” of the story who just felt a bit wishy-washy and slightly two-dimensional. However, the novel was exciting and intriguing enough to keep me turning the pages and I would definitely try something else from this author.

Would I recommend it?:

Probably!

Star rating (out of 5):

Season To Taste Or How To Eat Your Husband – Natalie Young

What’s it all about?:

Always let the meat rest under foil for at least ten minutes before carving… Meet Lizzie Prain. Ordinary housewife. Fifty-something. Lives in a cottage in the woods, with her dog Rita. Likes cooking, avoids the neighbours. Runs a little business making cakes. No one has seen Lizzie’s husband, Jacob, for a few days. That’s because last Monday, on impulse, Lizzie caved in the back of his head with a spade. And if she’s going to embark on the new life she feels she deserves after thirty years in Jacob’s shadow, she needs to dispose of his body. Her method appeals to all her practical instincts, though it’s not for the faint-hearted. Will Lizzie have the strength to follow it through? Dark, funny and achingly human, Season to Taste is a deliciously subversive treat. In the shape of Lizzie Prain, Natalie Young has created one of the most remarkable heroines in recent fiction.

What did I think?:

A big thank you to the lovely people at Book Bridgr and Tinder Press/Headline for allowing me to read this very dark and unique novel. The title kind of says it all so no spoilers there! In short, it is about a fifty-something woman called Lizzie Prain whom after thirty years of marriage decides to take a shovel to her husband’s head. The only problem now is, what to do with the body? Ah, yes the obvious solution – eat it. In this way, the power in the relationship which often lay on her husband’s side could be taken back and she could regain control over her life. Her husband’s sudden disappearance may pose certain questions, but if she pretends that he has run off with another woman, everything should be perfect. What Lizzie doesn’t realise is how difficult eating her husband will be so she writes a list of notes to help her along the way. For example ideas for various dishes using the human meat, reminders of how awful her marriage had become, positive reinforcements and advice to herself should the police come knocking. For example:

81. Your husband’s will now be in your mouth and oesophagus, your gullet, stomach and intestines.

82. If you have managed to go to the loo yet, he will have also come out already as waste. 

83. Look at the poo.

Hopefully, this gives you a good idea about how grim this novel actually is. And this is one of the tamer quotes! As Lizzie continues to eat her husband piece by piece, organ by organ (yes, even the eyeball gets a “look” in!) she focuses on her end-goal. This is to escape to Scotland and start a new life where no one knows her or that she ever had a husband at all. However a problem arises in the form of Tom who works at the local garden centre and almost instantly befriends Lizzie. His grandfather is a bit suspicious about where Lizzie’s husband has disappeared to and on top of that her new friend Tom actually wants to come into her house and sit in the kitchen. With bags of a dismembered body hanging around? That could be a tricky one.The question is, will Lizzie succeed in her mission and escape to Scotland? Or will somebody find out what has happened and bring her to justice?

I found this novel absolutely fascinating and at the same time, incredibly disgusting. I think it has to be the darkest thing I have ever read and although I’m not a squeamish type at all I found myself wincing and feeling nauseated at particular moments. The “hand,” dinner was probably the worst for me but there is certainly grimness to be found on almost each page. Did I enjoy it? For the most part, I have to say I did. It felt like a very unique read and I did enjoy the numbered lists that Lizzie made for herself. As to a motive for killing her husband, there isn’t really one I don’t think – perhaps a temporary moment of insanity would explain things a bit better. Although, perhaps the author isn’t trying to give Lizzie a motive, maybe she suggests that we never know what we may be capable of? This is a dark and very gory read so definitely NOT for those of a nervous or delicate disposition! Personally, it kept me intrigued right through to the end and I’m quite excited to see what this author does next.

Would I recommend it?:

Probably!

Star rating (out of 5):

The Private Blog of Joe Cowley – Ben Davis

What’s it all about?:

The brilliantly funny and cringe-worthy secret blog of 14-year-old Joe Cowley (wannabe comic artist and self-confessed repeller of girls):

Sunday 1st January
So here’s the thing. I’ve decided to start writing a blog. A private one. The idea is that it’ll help me sort my life out, because quite frankly, it can’t get much worse . . .
· I gained the nickname Puke Skywalker after vomiting over Louise Bentley on the waltzer.
· I am subjected to daily wedgies by my arch-enemy Gav James.
· My so-called best mates are trying to get me killed in a bid to win £250 on You’ve Been Framed.

This cannot go on. I have to do something, or I’ll end up like Mad Morris down the park who thinks he’s Jesus. By the end of next term, I’m going to be a completely different person.

At least, that’s the theory…

What did I think?:

Many thanks to the children’s publishers at Oxford University Press for giving me the opportunity to read this quirky and amusing young adult novel by Ben Davis. After reading it, I immediately thought that it was the Adrian Mole for the new generation and one of my favourite things about the book was the cute comic strip illustrations and photographic images that made Joe’s blog entries even more interesting and fun to read. Joe Cowley is your typical fourteen year old teenager. He loves Star Trek, is both curious and terrified of the opposite sex – actually describing himself as a “repeller” after an unfortunate incident with a girl on a waltzer ride. He has dreams of becoming a comic strip artist, is harassed by the school bully Gav James on a daily basis and is still trying to deal with his parents recent divorce. Living with his mother, it is then not particularly easy when his mum moves in her new boyfriend and another familiar face that is going to be hell for him to deal with. As Joe tells the reader of his “catalogue of misery,” he decides on a more positive outlook. He is going to start a private blog to help him deal with his feelings (NOT a diary, as diaries are for girls in his words), he is going to get Gav back for everything he has put him through and finally he is going to kiss a girl. A real, live one.

As the blog entries continue, it looks like Joe might get one of his wishes as he manages to attract his ultimate girl crush Lisa Hall, who unfortunately is also the ex-girlfriend of the bully Gav James. You can almost sense the drama that is going to unfold! Lisa however, does not seem to be as invested in the relationship as poor Joe is. In fact, she only seems to want to be with Joe when Gav is around…hmm… slightly suspicious? Then Joe meets another girl, Natalie, another Star Trek devotee, but she tends to dress a bit differently and doesn’t really fit within the “popular” crowd. Joe is quite torn as although Natalie seems to genuinely like him and they share the same interests, being with Lisa actually makes him popular, something which is quite new and exciting to him. He is even at risk of losing his two loyal best friends, Harry and Ad as he attempts to change himself into the person Lisa expects him to be.

The rest of the book throws up some very funny, heart-warming and intensely cringe-worthy incidents that many teenagers will be able to identify with. My favourite parts included Operation Scooby-Doo which was absolutely hilarious and the drama caused by the computerised baby Adwina which Joe has to look after in a school project. This book is seriously funny and the illustrations are a fantastic addition but I think this book also holds some strong messages about family, friendship and growing up that many teenagers would relate to and appreciate. As a character, I think Joe learns a lot about life in general, and I’d love there to be a sequel just to see what he gets up to next!

Would I recommend it?:

But of course!

Star rating (out of 5):

The Vanishing Witch – Karen Maitland

What’s it all about?:

The Vanishing Witch by Karen Maitland, author of the hugely popular Company of Liars will thrill fans of CJ Sansom and Kate Mosse with its chilling recreation of the Peasants’ Revolt. The reign of Richard II is troubled, the poor are about to become poorer still and landowners are lining their pockets. It’s a case of every man for himself, whatever his status or wealth. But in a world where nothing can be taken at face value, who can you trust? The dour wool merchant? His impulsive son? The stepdaughter with the hypnotic eyes? Or the raven-haired widow clutching her necklace of bloodstones? And when people start dying unnatural deaths and the peasants decide it’s time to fight back, it’s all too easy to spy witchcraft at every turn.

What did I think?:

This review comes with many thanks to the lovely people at Book Bridgr and Headline Press for allowing me to read the latest novel by one of my favourite authors, Karen Maitland. As fans of the author will know, she is a wonder at combining the turbulent times of the Middle Ages with a little bit of the supernatural, a recipe that always results in a gritty historical mystery that never fails to keep me on the edge of my seat. This latest offering is set in the 14th century in the city of Lincoln against the backdrop of the Peasants’ Revolt. Richard II is on the throne and poverty is rife across England so what does our King do to assist those in need? Well, listen to his trusted advisor John of Gaunt of course and introduce a new tax to be paid for every person over fifteen years of age in a household. Furthermore, the way in which the King’s Commissioners went about checking to see whether someone was over fifteen years was so lewd and crass that it is no surprise the peasants revolted!

Our foray into the medieval involves a host of wonderful and wacky characters, laid out for us at the beginning of the book by the author under the heading Cast Of Characters (obviously). This always fills me with slight trepidation as there seem to be so many to contend with, but like her other novels, Maitland tends to focus in depth on a select few. In The Vanishing Witch we learn about two families on either side of the poverty scale, the first a boatman called Gunter, happily married and living with his family just outside the city. He ekes a living by transporting cargo from place to place with the help of his son. The new tax really hits his family hard, being in quite dire straits to begin with, and their quest for survival is prominent throughout the novel.

The head of the family on the opposite side of the scale is a wealthy wool merchant called Robert who is married to Edith and they have two sons, Jan the elder, confident and brash, who will take over the family business in time and Adam, scholarly and quiet. Robert’s troubles first begin when he is approached for advice from recently widowed Caitlin. Poor Robert practically bursts with pride at the attention Caitlin shows him and as Edith becomes seriously unwell, torn between his loyalties to his wife and gullible to her womanly wiles, he allows Caitlin to slowly worm her way into his life, eventually becoming his wife when Edith dies. She brings along two children of her own, Leonia and Edward, the former casting her own spell over Robert’s young and impressionable son, Adam. Can Caitlin be trusted? What is her motive for integrating herself with Robert’s family? Is there something a bit spookier i.e. witchcraft going on?

I have so much praise for this novel I hardly know where to start! I loved the way that the author transported us to medieval England with so much authenticity that I could almost smell the streets, hear the noises and taste the swill. Prior to every chapter Maitland gives the reader a glimpse back into history with anti-witchcraft charms and spells that come directly from medieval writings and grimoires (medieval spell books). Here’s a taster of one of many that stood out to me:

“If a family member goes on a long journey, a bottle of their urine or their knife is hung on the wall. If the urine remains clear, or the blade bright, they are well. If the urine becomes cloudy or the blade tarnished, they are ill or in danger. If the urine dries or the knife falls or breaks, they are dead.”

I enjoyed every character in this book for different reasons. Some were so damn unlikeable, like Edward, that I had to keep reading to see whether they would get their come-uppance. Others, like Caitlin’s daughter Leonia, or the strange man dressed as a friar who begins to follow Robert, I was so intrigued by that I had to know their story. Friend or foe? You get the picture, I just had to know. The author certainly does not make it an easy journey for the reader and I was continually confused (in a good way!) over who to trust as page by page, a different secret emerges. Medieval England comes to life all over again in the safe hands and imagination of a fantastic author who not only knows what she’s talking about but makes it so exciting too!

Would I recommend it?:

But of course!

Star rating (out of 5):

Battle Royale – Koushun Takami

What’s it all about?:

Koushun Takami’s notorious high-octane thriller is based on an irresistible premise: a class of junior high school students is taken to a deserted island where, as part of a ruthless authoritarian program, they are provided arms and forced to kill one another until only one survivor is left standing. Criticized as violent exploitation when first published in Japan – where it then proceeded to become a runaway bestseller – Battle Royale is a Lord of the Flies for the 21st century, a potent allegory of what it means to be young and (barely) alive in a dog-eat-dog world. Made into a controversial hit movie of the same name, Battle Royale is already a contemporary Japanese pulp classic, now available for the first time in the English language.

What did I think?:

My sister and fellow blogger Chrissi Reads bought me this book as a gift as I had been wanting to read it for a long time after watching the Japanese film which has become a cult classic. I read it as part of my August Real Books challenge and was so glad that I finally managed to get round to it as it’s quite a powerful read and stayed with me a long time after I had finished. When The Hunger Games series came out it was compared to this as the premise is very similar i.e. a group of teenagers killing each other until one remains (the victor). But believe me, Battle Royale is a hell of a lot darker and is probably not a young adult read.

Before the story begins the author provides a list of the 42 students that have the misfortune to be chosen to participate in a government experiment that will lead to 41 of them being killed. I have to admit I was slightly nervous at this point due to the fact that they were all Japanese names and I was worried that I would get a bit muddled and not be able to remember whom each character was. The story opens with all 42 classmates who are on a bus on a study trip. Fairly soon, we see this is not the case as each classmate one by one passes out. When they come round they are sat in a classroom and Shuya, who seems to be our main character at this time notices that all of his classmates have a strange metal collar around their necks including himself and when he tried to remove it it will not budge. A man enters the classroom wearing a badge which Shuya notices that means he is affiliated with the government. He informs the confused and groggy students that they are all here today to “kill each other,” and have been selected for the “Program.”

“a battle simulation program conducted by our nation’s ground defense forces, instituted for security reasons. Officially known as Battle Experiment No 68. Program. The first program was held in 1947. Fifty third-year junior high school classes are selected annually to conduct the program for research purposes. Classmates in each class are forced to fight until one survivor remains. Results from this experiment, including the elapsed time, are entered as data. The final survivor of each class (the winner) is provided with a lifetime pension and a card autographed by the Great Dictator.”

Obviously this doesn’t go down too well with the students, and two of them are killed before the “game” officially begins. Let me just warn you that this book is incredibly gory and definitely not for the weak of stomach. It’s probably the most violent thing I have read and yet I couldn’t help myself turning the pages, curious to find out what would happen in the end. Each student is given a pack chosen randomly containing food, water, a compass, a map of the island they are on, and the inevitable weapon. Unfortunately, each weapon differs and depending on the pack they were given, it could contain a rifle or a kitchen fork. Hmm, makes the death scenes slightly different, I suppose? The collars round their neck are also of great importance. First of all, some of the areas of the island will be forbidden at certain times and if a student happens to be in that area at the forbidden time, the collar round their neck will explode. The collar cannot be removed, will explode if it is tried to be removed and is a way of tracking the students by the organisers so they are aware of their whereabouts at any given time. There is also a time limit on the collars, and if no-one is killed within twenty four hours all collars will explode and there will be no winner. Let the “game” begin….

I did enjoy this novel and thought the translation provided by Yuji Oniki was excellent. Each chapter is fairly short which made me want to read on further and I liked how at the end of the chapter an ominous little sentence was provided telling you how many students remained. I was surprised that I didn’t get confused over the mass of Japanese character names, and loved that I got a little insight into a few of the characters personalities, despite some of them being incredibly warped. As I’ve mentioned before, the story is extremely violent and some of the death scenes wouldn’t feel out of place in a horror film so if you’re a bit sensitive to that kind of thing, this book is probably not for you. For me, I’m really glad I read it, the novel is graphic, compelling and quite hard to put down. I can definitely see why it has become a bit of a pulp classic and urge those interested to see the film as well as reading the book.

Would I recommend it?:

But of course!

Star rating (out of 5):

 

 

The Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini

What’s it all about?:

Amir is the son of a wealthy Kabul merchant, a member of the ruling caste of Pashums. Hassan, his servant and constant companion, is a Hazara, a despised and impoverished caste. Their uncommon bond is torn by Amir’s choice to abandon his friend amidst the increasing ethnic, religious, and political tensions of the dying years of the Afghan monarchy, wrenching them far apart. But so strong is the bond between the two boys that Amir journeys back to a distant world, to try to right past wrongs against the only true friend he ever had.

The unforgettable, heartbreaking story of the unlikely friendship between a wealthy boy and the son of his father’s servant, The Kite Runner is a beautifully crafted novel set in a country that is in the process of being destroyed. It is about the power of reading, the price of betrayal, and the possibility of redemption; and an exploration of the power of fathers over sons—their love, their sacrifices, their lies.

A sweeping story of family, love, and friendship told against the devastating backdrop of the history of Afghanistan over the last thirty years, The Kite Runner is an unusual and powerful novel that has become a beloved, one-of-a-kind classic.

What did I think?:

I can’t believe I have only just got round to reading this fantastic novel. I’ve had it on my TBR pile for so long, and have actually read the authors two other books without having read his debut and arguably most famous work. The story involves two friends Amir, the boy from the rich side of the tracks and Hazara who lives in poverty with his father as Amir’s fathers servants. The boys are of a similar age and are brought up to play together although it is instantly obvious with whom the power lies in the friendship. Hazara worships the ground his friend Amir walks on and even though he is not given the same opportunities, would do anything his friend asked of him. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of Amir, and he takes advantage of his elevated status on a few occasions. On the worst occasion (don’t worry, no spoilers here for those that haven’t read the novel), Hazara is involved in a terrible incident and Amir stands by and does nothing. This turns out to be a mistake that will haunt Amir for the rest of his days, even as he grows up and moves to America, forging a successful career for himself in writing. When an opportunity arises for Amir to redeem himself (although perhaps too late?), he seizes it, rescuing Hassan’s son from a terrible and unimaginable future with some familiar faces.

This book has absolutely everything I consider a great novel to be: drama, tension, heroes and villains and bags of emotion. This is set against a war-torn Afghanistan crumbling as the monarchy is abolished and hopeful for a new start as the Taliban regime is implemented. I love a book where I can have the opportunity to learn about different cultures and customs and everything feels so authentic, as if the reader is smack bang in the middle watching everything unfold around them. Some reviews have criticised the character of Amir as being selfish and spoiled, and yes, of course he is, but it is his efforts to try and right a wrong carried out years ago that redeem him in my eyes and give him that flawed, imperfect and “normal” feeling I love in a character. The father-son relationship between Amir and his Baba was also really intriguing which I enjoyed analysing as the story went on. This is truly a very emotional read, and at parts, I actually had to put down the book and take a few breaths before I continued and when finished, I was emotionally drained but strangely satisfied. There is obviously the horror of war in a way that a lucky Westerner like myself would find hard to understand but I felt almost grateful to the author for bringing it to my attention, reminding us that we are fortunate in so many ways. Beautiful and unforgettable, I think this novel will haunt me for a while and I fully intend to re-read it at some point. My only question is: why on earth did it take me so long to read it in the first place?!

Would I recommend it?:

But of course!

Star rating (out of 5):

Delusions Of Gender: How Our Minds, Society, and Neurosexism Create Difference – Cordelia Fine

What’s it all about?:

A vehement dismantling of the latest pseudo-scientific claims about the differences between the sexes.

Sex-based discrimination is supposedly a relic of the distant past. Yet popular books, magazines, and even scientific articles increasingly defend continuing inequalities between the sexes by calling on immutable biological differences between the male and the female brain. Why are there so few women in science and engineering, so few men in the laundry room? Well, they say, it’s our brains. Drawing on the latest research in developmental psychology, neuroscience, and education, Delusions of Gender rebuts these claims, showing how old myths, dressed up in new scientific finery, help perpetuate the status quo. This book reveals the brain’s remarkable plasticity, shows the substantial influence of culture on identity, and, ultimately, exposes just how much of what we consider “hardwired” is actually malleable, empowering us to break free of the supposed predestination of our sex chromosomes.

What did I think?:

In my other, non-blogging life, I work as a scientist and every so often you’ll see a review popping up on my blog about a non-fiction book I’ve read that has more than likely been science-y. I’m also a firm believer in gender equality and women’s rights so Delusions of Gender seemed like the perfect mix of science and feminism which encouraged me to pick it up. I found it to be a fascinating read which I learned a lot from and would highly recommend it to anyone interested in the differences between our two genders. The book is divided into short chapters with intriguing titles such as “Why You Should Cover Your Head with a Paper Bag if You Have A Secret You Don’t Want Your Wife to Find Out,” “Sex and Premature Speculation,” and “Gender Detectives.” With titles like these you may want to read this book already but let me assure you that the author backs up the humour in her writing with clear facts, possible theories and very strong evidence that lends a note of seriousness into why exactly we still have gender inequality in a modern, 21st century society.

You’d think we’d have come a long way in achieving more rights for women since say, the nineteenth century yet consider this point that the author makes in the introduction. An English clergyman called Thomas Gisborne wrote a manual called “An Enquiry into the Duties of the Female Sex,” and noted that things such as legislation, political economy and the conduct of government should be assigned to men as they have “the powers of close and comprehensive reasoning, and of intensive and continued application.” Whereas, females enjoy “powers adapted to unbend the brow of the learned, to refresh the over-laboured faculties of the wise, and to diffuse the enlivening and endearing smile of cheerfulness.” Ladies, I hope you are extremely insulted right now. But then Fine encourages us to move forward 200 years and look at The Essential Difference written by Simon Baron-Cohen, a Cambridge University psychologist who states “the female brain is pre-dominantly hard-wired for empathy. The male brain is predominantly hard-wired for understanding and building systems.” Hmm… sounds pretty much the same thing as what Gisborne was trying to say in the nineteenth century?

Throughout the book, Cordelia Fine investigates how different males and females really are. Are we all so hard-wired into our gender that there is no wiggle room in terms of qualities we should possess? Is it really a man’s world? Is it absolutely pointless for a woman to even consider a top level management job as it requires stereotypically more aggressive characteristics that for a woman is considered unattractive? I did enjoy the way that the author discredits work carried out by Baron-Cohen, and theories from the author of A Female Brain, Louann Brizendine that seem to want to put males and females in their own little boxes. For example, the assumption that a woman can use more areas of the brain than a man i.e. multi-tasking, was an experiment based on only 14 brains and the conclusions weren’t even statistically significant? In this way, a lot of experiments dealing with differences between the sexes have used just a few subjects, or made scientific “guesses,” depending on what their own stereotypical views were.

This is a brilliant and fascinating book, injected with a little bit of wit and sarcasm which I always appreciate in a non-fiction book and which I think is needed when dealing with this subject which can sometimes be a little bit touchy. I don’t think Baron-Cohen or Brizendine will be amongst her fans if they ever read it but I really enjoyed the way she picked apart neurosexism and shone a light upon the shadier areas of gender research. Oh, and you don’t need to be a scientist to read or enjoy this, it’s very accessible without being patronising.

Would I recommend it?:

But of course!

Star rating (out of 5):