Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal by Mary Roach

My mom gave this to Paul for his birthday and as soon as he was done with it I had to read it, too.  If you’re not familiar with Roach she is a very popular non-fiction author who has written about sex and death previously and is know for being a fun science writer.  I thought I had read her books, but it turns out I’ve just seen her on tv a lot and possibly read excerpts before. Thus, it was an especially fun read for me as I loved discovering her chatty style and her hilarious footnotes. If you are looking for readable non-fiction, Roach is for you. If you love interesting and strange factoids, or maybe are a fellow reader of Mental Floss, then Roach is for you. For this topic Roach starts at the top and works her way down. Thus, we begin with taste and smell and chewing and work our way down the digestive track to flatus (my new favorite word) and poop.  I did cringe at some of the poop stuff, and can’t stop referring to my family’s flatus now. But how interesting to find out that Elvis Presley had a mega colon and that’s what probably killed him! Or that our jaws are fabulous designed to exert just the right amount of pressure for chewing and pull back in a fraction of a second so that we don’t smash our teeth.   I wish this had more illustrative photos (after hearing the megacolon described, I want to see it.) I also really enjoyed reading about her research into pet foods. Competitive eating disgusts me, so I found that chapter especially icky.  Roach really does shed a light on how fascinating the body is and perfectly it works in terms of getting nutrition and getting rid of waste.  She also sheds a light on how many fascinating and varied jobs there are out there.  Also that people volunteer for experiments involving flatus, smelling dog’s flatus, etc.

Now more than ever I feel a desire to go visit the Mütter Museum.

*It’s been a week since I read this book and I keep thinking about different parts of it. Let me share with you a part I keep recalling because I think it sums up both Roach’s funny writing style, as well as the fascinating facts that most of us have never bothered to think of before. She says to think of and wonder at the anus, for it must know who is knocking at the door-liquid, solid, or gas-and then open accordingly.  Now that’s some phrasing that sticks with you!

Trinity: A Graphic History of the First Atomic Bomb by Jonathan Fetter-Vorm

(Reading Challenge:  Great Graphic Novels)

This was a fascinating book. And, since there is another big winner about the atomic bomb this year it looks like I’ll be learning a lot about this important event.

It covers the development of the bomb from the start, identifying the key scientific thinkers across the world who were figuring out atoms and fission. Then it comes to Robert Oppenheimer and the U.S.’s quest to built the first bomb.  This part was really interesting to me (the part explaining actual fission, not so much, despite the author and illustrator’s best attempts to simplify and explain clearly-I simply don’t get it!). Did you know that thousands of people in the U.S. were employed in this project-yet they didn’t know what they were working on? That it was so compartmentalized that no one could put the pieces together to figure out that’s what the project was? And this top secret method was so successful the CIA emulated in the future? That whole towns and factories were built just to produce parts that would be used in making the bomb? I didn’t know any of that and it was fascinating. Some other fascinating and horrible things I learned? That so much nuclear testing has gone on around the world that we all have a little radioactivity inside us. Can’t escape it. Also? That although we think of the dropping of the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki as the most terrible things to happen in terms of warfare and death tolls, the firebombing campaign of Japan actually had a higher loss of life. It was a more drawn out attack, but worse.

I thought of the book as having two parts-the creation of the bomb and then the use of it. The latter section shows Truman considering the decision to use the weapon, the horror of the bomb, and Oppenheimer and the world’s realization that nothing would ever be the same politically because of this dreadful threat of nuclear war.

In clear words and pictures this very complicated and big event and subsequent topic is brought to life to the reader.  I really liked this and wish it had been around when I was in high school because I think it would have been very useful to read in history class!

The Silence of Our Friends by Mark Long

(Reading Challenge: Great Graphic Novels)

As seems to be the case with graphic novels, I never would have picked this up on my own, but because it was on the list I did and I’m glad. Also, this is published by First Second and I pretty much love everything they put out. They just publish consistently high quality engaging interesting graphic novels.

So this is a story about civil right in the late 1960s in Texas.  It is based on Mark Long’s memories of his life and incidents. I suppose it is somewhat fictionalized (and his note at the end goes into that), but basic facts are accurate. Mark is white and his dad is a reporter. They live in a very segregated part of Texas and while his family is teaching their children to respect all people and not use the N word, they are oddities in their neighborhood for it. The casual racism is really upsetting to read about. Upsetting because I doubt it was exaggerated and it’s astonishing and horrible to think that people thought it was ok to behave that way. And Texas, this look back is not improving your image to me. Police officers wildly and randomly shooting into a dormitory? Believing that black people are out to get you and who cares if they die?

What I liked about this book, and what was so moving, was the real struggle you see in Mark’s dad and his black friend Larry.  They are uneasy friends, both wanting to be “men of conscience”, but struggling against bosses, the media, friends, family, and ingrained racism.  This was a wonderful look at both the big picture of civil rights in the U.S. and a closer look at how that played out in two families.  I really liked the use of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s words in the text as they were illustrated by the actions of Larry and Jack.

Definitely recommended. I think it would be great if this were used in history classes.

Annie Sullivan and the Trials of Helen Keller by Joseph Lambert

(Reading Challenge: Great Graphic Novels)

Although I know the basic facts about Helen Keller and Annie Sullivan, this book taught me a whole lot that I didn’t know.  It begins when Annie Sullivan arrives at the Keller house to begin teacher Helen and continues in a chronological fashion that is interrupted by flashbacks to Annie’s childhood. Turns out that Annie had a lousy early life-orphaned, kept in a home for the poor that was later the target of investigations for the horrible treatment people in it received, her only sibling dying from TB, and then finally getting sent to the Perkins School for the Blind.  She was smart and capable, but you get the impression that she was a difficult person to get along with.  Which may have made her just the right teacher for Helen, who was a wild thing when they first meet.

I liked how when Helen and Annie talked to each other their hands are shown signing into each other and then the words were above. Not speech bubbles unless someone was actually speaking aloud.  Much of the story is also told by Annie’s letters to her mentor, who is at the school for the blind.  The process of teaching Helen was fascinating.  I find it really hard to get my head around imagining being blind and deaf. In fact, it’s so distressing for me that when I do imagine it I have to quickly make myself stop.

There is more to the story, though, then just the whole “miracle worker” part.  Quite a bit of drama comes when Helen is older and she and Annie return to Perkins.  Although not students there, her old mentor wants to use their fame and publicity for the school and that makes Annie resentful and drives a wedge between them.  Then there is a fascinating plagiarism story that was apparently quite the scandal.

I liked this quite a bit, especially because I learned so much more to the Helen Keller story than I already knew.  There is a helpful afterward that gives even more information about different elements of the story.

 

At Home on the Range by Margaret Yeardley Potter

This is going to be my last review of the year and it’s kind of crazy that I finished this in July and am writing about it on December 30.  Since July I have thought about this book many, many times, and have considered what I might write about it, too.  I’ve referred to Gima in the kitchen often, and contemplated how I might write a modern equivalent.

Who is Gima? Well, this book was written a very long time ago by Margaret Potter, the great-grandmother of Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love. Now, despite a dear friend’s absolute adoration for Elizabeth Gilbert, it’s no secret that I have a pooh-pooh attitude toward her and at first was all, “oh, sure, just because it’s Elizabeth Gilbert’s grandmother’s diary she can publish it and make more money”. But I stand corrected because I’m so glad she did republish this. Gima, author and Gilber’s grandmother (grandmother? great-grandmother? who can remember?) was a feisty, strong, economical, lady. Probably not unlike many women of her generation who had to make do, had alcohol problems in the family, had lots of kids, and were able whip up large meals at a moment’s notice.

First of all, I love reading vintage cookbooks and really anything about housekeeping, cooking, and entertaining. The recipes and meals they came up with were often so different from what we eat today. Such as organ meats. Or presenting things I might consider condiments as healthy side dishes. Her style of writing was casual and wonderful.  Paul was eager to try a recipe, though I forget what it was. And for a time afterward I kept referring to Gima as I did my own meal planning. For example, this exchange via email with Paul on July 30: “I’m hard cooking eggs for his science experiment and went ahead and did 4 so you could have some for lunch breakfast. And because Gima says so.” Indeed, Gima says it’s always good to have hard cooked eggs on hand. You know, in the olden days it seemed like people often popped in unexpectedly at meal times and you would have to stretch your meal.

By the way, here is Paul’s review that he put up in a more timely fashion than me (he read it first, also he includes more details in his reviews, so while I have the emotional response, I’ll be he lists some specific fascinating recipes for you. Go ahead, read his next!) http://ijustreadaboutthat.wordpress.com/2012/07/19/elizabeth-gilbert-margaret-yardley-potter-at-home-on-the-range-a-cookbook-presented-by-elizabeth-gilberth-by-her-great-grandmother-margaret-yardley-potter-1947-new-material-2012/

So, I read this halfway through the year, I’m writing about it at the end of the year, and it’s definitely one of the books I read this year that has stayed with me and made an impression.  I’m always impressed by women of other generations and Gima is a delightful example.  I think all modern housewives could take a few tips from her. But maybe not so much about scrubbing the tripe like a bath towel!

Seriously…I’m Kidding by Ellen Degeneres

After completing the reading challenge and reading lots of zombies and other things, I thought it was time for a light change of pace.  I read Meg’s review of this Ellen DeGeneres book and thought I’d give it a try.  She had read and mentioned Mindy Kaling’s book, which I had really liked.  I didn’t like this as much as Mindy’s book, but it was still funny and quick and easy to dip in and out.  Ellen has such a strong voice that as I read it I could easily “hear” her in my head speaking the words.  Which occasionally made some of the chapters seem too much like a long winded bit, but for the most part I enjoyed this.  I sincerely believe that she is probably very much like the person she presents herself to be and would love it if she was my neighbor and friend. And then she and Portia could come over for dinner parties and board games with me and Paul and it would be awesome.

Wheels of Change by Sue Macy

The subtitle of this book is “How Women the Bicycle to Freedom (With a Few Flat Tires Along the Way), which was frankly too long to type up above, but is a very accurate concise summary of this book.

Like the Leonard Bernstein book, and the Rhys Bowen novels I’ve been reading, this was a very interesting look at popular culture/daily life of a time period that I don’t know too much about (late 1800s/turn of the century.)  It’s all about how bicycling became popular in America and specifically how it became popular with women who were able to make tremendous leaps towards independence with it.  I kept being reminded of a scene in The American Heiress, which I loved (and just searched in vain for my review of -turns out I never wrote about it!! ), in which a young woman goes for a bike ride with a young man, much to the frustration of her chaperone.  That is indeed, one of the things that was suddenly happening everywhere.

I liked the setup of this book quite a bit-every several pages there would be a double page of a specific topic, and sometimes even boxed off insets within those pages. Those sections might include a profile of a particular woman, or show examples of how bicycles were used in advertising, were prominent in song (Daisy Bell, anyone?) and story, and more.  The memorabilia and illustrations were great primary sources and fascinating to pore over.

This was one of those really interesting and accessible nonfiction books that I have to wonder how often it will get checked out and read. I hope teachers and librarians will put it in the hands of kids because it’s an interesting look at a piece of American history that I never thought about, but turns out was quite significant. On that note-the forward was also very interesting, as it spoke to the role of bicycles transforming the lives of young girls in Africa (and other parts of the world) today.

My Friend Dahmer by Derf Backderf

This is another reading challenge book and after I got it out I decided I wouldn’t read it.  I was afraid it might be too depressing or gruesome. But then, today, I decided to give it a shot and I’m glad I did. I read the entire thing (start to finish-don’t miss out on the prologue, epilogue, or end notes) during Tabby’s dance class.
This is the true story of Jeffrey Dahmer, serial killer, and it covers his adolescence up until he graduates from high school.  The author was his classmate and, while not really a friend, hung around with him quite a bit.  His memories are filled in with extensive research, so that as a whole the book really depicts who Dahmer was and what was going on with him.  I find it really difficult to read stories about serial killers and psychopaths because as much as it seems like there’s always some external things going on (i.e., his mentally unstable mother and his parents’ incessant fighting and bitter divorce), it more seems like these people are hard wired this way and like no intervention would help.  The author points out again and again that not one adult seemed to notice Jeff’s odd behavior (such as outright being drunk constantly at school)and intervene.  You really have to wonder though if they could have helped someone who had sexual fantasies involving corpses.  Could he have been saved? Or perhaps just constantly drugged for the rest of his life to tamp down the mental demons and terrible urges he had? I mean, it’s all really sad and horrifying to contemplate.  For all that I think that I was pleased to find that this was not a difficult book for me to read.  It was not too graphic or gory or intense.  I am glad that I ultimately did read this.

Music Was It: Young Leonard Bernstein by Susan G. Rubin

This took me quite a while to read I have to admit.  It started off high interest and then it ended just feeling very slow to me.  And yet, it wasn’t boring.  The scope of this book is interesting because it covers Bernstein’s childhood and young adulthood up until he finally conducts his first historic performance at Carnegie Hall and becomes crazy famous.  I felt like most of the photos in the book were kind of ugly (making me feel badly for people from 70 years ago immortalized as homely.) Though it ended up really dragging I got interested again at the very end when there was an epilogue of sorts.  It included mini bios of all the people mentioned in the book and I really liked finding out what happened to them all.  There is also an excellent discography.  I thought it was also strange that his personal romantic relationships were not mentioned during the book, but were in the timelines. It immediately made me wonder which men and women he was sleeping with.
What I found most interesting in the book was the fact that apparently music as a pastime was just more prevalent.  There is mention after mention of Lenny and his friends, all teenagers, singing and playing piano together.  Now, is that because they were so musical? Or because arts and music were more popular and broad hobbies since people weren’t sitting in front of computers and tvs?

Although I didn’t love this and wouldn’t have chosen it on my own (this is a Best of the Best reading challenge selection), I am glad I read it and next time I listen to West Side Story or Appalachian Spring (apparently Lenny was great friends with Aaron Copeland) I will be listening with enlightened ears.

Drop Dead Healthy: One Man’s Humble Quest for Bodily Perfection by A.J. Jacobs

I got this for Paul for his birthday and it was really the gift that keeps on giving because I knew I’d read it, too.  Well, I just finished it and it has got me all kinds of thinking.  But first, I knew that we’d enjoy it because we read his essays in Esquire, plus he’s written for Mental Floss, and he’s a good non-fiction writer.  His books are pretty much all the sort of thing where he takes on a crazy project and writes about it.  And while those are a bit all the rage now, I think he’s very good at it.  For example, his previous book The Year of Living Biblically is all about trying to follow the Bible’s actual old school Old Testament rules for a year.  Then there was The Guinea Pig Diaries.  Paul and I agree-his wife must be a saint.  This latest project took two years to do and it was his quest to be the healthiest person in the world. Now here’s the thing about his essays and books-they sound gimmicky but he does a ton of research. So, yes, he has a great humorous quality to his writing, but there’s also facts all over the place.
I have about a million issues with weight and health and fitness so this book has basically sent me into a turmoil.  Well, first of all-my first though is losing weight and exercising. But he’s talking about the whole package of health, so each essay (one per month, approx.) is about a new area he’s addressing, such as sleep, stress, environmental toxins, his testosterone, hearing, teeth, etc.  Because he’s doing this as a project he actually fully tries out many things that most people never would, and looks into lots of fringe health movements (and then, if need be, debunks them.)
But he also finds out which things do matter and at the end of his two years comes up with some summation things he would keep doing, and tips for normal people.
So here’s what I’m taking away from this:

Sugar: I absolutely must have less sugar in my diet and my kids’. I can’t go totally sugar free, but definitely need to seriously reduce it.

HIIT (high intensity interval training): apparently this really is a proven scientifically sound way to get fit and is best for your body.  Paul started trying it out last week.

Accident prevention: this chapter was pretty hilarious.  Most freak accidents you really can’t prevent, but one thing I really need to do is just simply put the cell phone out of reach when I’m in the car.

Standing:  Standing is better for you than sitting.  Though this tip, as well as the treadmill desk which he advocates, seem most applicable to people who work at home or in an office.  Frankly, I relish the moments I get to sit and pretty much collapse on the couch at the end of the day.  So I’m probably good.

Breakfast cereal/White flour:  A.J., here’s what I’m not doing.  Despite all the evidence, scientific and anecdotal, I am not ready to give up cereal for breakfast or things made with white flour.  I’m just not.

I’m hoping this book is actually the kick in the pants for our whole family to lose weight and be more active.  And lest my review scares you off because you think it’s a diet and exercise book, it’s really not.