Review: The Earthquake Machine by Mary Pauline Lowry

Mary Pauline Lowry via

The Earthquake Machine by Mary Pauline Lowry


Reviewed by Ingrid

Published: 2012

It's about: "The Earthquake Machine tells the story of 14-year-old Rhonda. On the outside, everything looks perfect in Rhonda's world, but at home Rhonda has to deal with a manupulative father who keeps her mentally ill mother hooked on pharmaceuticals. The only reliable person in Rhonda's life is her family's Mexican yardman, Jésus. But when the INS deports Jésus back to his home state of Oaxaca, Rhonda is left alone with her increasingly painful family situation.

Determined to find her friend Jésus, Rhonda seizes an opportunity to run away during a camping trip with friends to Big Bend National Park. She swims to the Mexican side of the Rio Grande and makes her way to the border town of Milagros, Mexico. There a peyote-addled bartender convinces her she won't be safe traveling alone into the country's interior. So with the bartender's help Rhonda cuts her hair and assumes the identity of a Mexican boy named Angel. She then sets off on a burro across the desert to look for Jesus.

Thus begins a wild adventure that explores the borders between the United States and Mexico, adolescence and adulthood, male and female, English and Spanish, and adult coming-of-age and Young Adult novels." (From the back cover of the book.)

I thought:

I included the summary above because I love how it mentions the many of the social boundaries explored in this story. Typical coming-of-age novels are about the crossing of many boundaries between youth and adulthood. However, beyond this,  "typical" is the last word I would use to describe this lovely book. Maybe "groundbreaking" would be more appropriate. Beyond the story, the topics in the book itself cross some major boundaries - the first, and probably more important of the two is the fact that this is a coming-of-age adventure story about a girl. This girl embraces her girlhood (or womanhood,) while also defying many gender boundaries and stereotypes. Part of Rhonda's journey involves coming to accept her newly growing woman's body instead of not eating to try to stunt its growth. She meets all kind of wonderful, strong women role models along her journey, including a woman carpenter and a band of women banditos who call themselves Las Verduras. She also develops a special veneration for and her own, personal style of worship of the Virgin of Guadalupe instead of the bearded male God she grew up being taught to worship. In the end, Rhonda finds and creates  her own meaning from life and affirms her value as an individual - a value that isn't tied to a husband, boyfriend, lover, parents, or children. Her worth comes completely from within herself. This is a valuable and necessary message for young girls today.

The second major boundary that this book crosses is one of sexuality. Mary Pauline Lowry guest posted about this at Dead End Follies a few months ago. A lot of YA bloggers who read this book were offended by the sexual content. Sexual content in literature and the media in general is a topic that comes up often and has been widely written about elsewhere, so I won't go into to much detail, but I do want to quickly differentiate between gratuitous sexuality and sexuality that deepens and enriches a story. The sexual content in this book is not gratuitous. It illustrates the development of Rhonda's character and the extent to which she has control and appreciation for her female body. Affirming one's sexuality is a radically important part of becoming a mature adult and, in Rhonda's case, in becoming a woman.

If sexual content makes you a little uncomfortable, I think this is a good book to take you outside your comfort zone. Unfortunately, in western culture female sexuality is still much more taboo than male sexuality. The positive expressions of female sexuality in this book is a small but important step toward  gender equality.

Verdict: Stick it on the shelf.

Reading Recommendations: This literary fiction/YA crossover book will appeal to both girls and boys, and would be a worthwhile and fun read for both.

Also, here's a great review of The Earthquake Machine from The Huffington post.

Warnings: Strong sexual content, some swear words.

Favorite excerpts: 'Cúidate, niña,' Jésus replied. 'You are talking like a Mexican. That won't do at all.' But his eyes looked pleased. For the first year he'd been there, Rhonda sat with him while he told her stories about his people. Rhonda could hear the homesickness in his voice, but the language was only a flush of sound. But words had begun to pop out at her, and then whole phrases, and then Rhonda began to distinguish how the words flowed together into stories. And now she was not just speaking fluently herself, but having thoughts formed by the new language."

What I'm reading next: Would It Kill You To Stop Doing That: A Modern Guide to Manners by Henry Alford

* I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. 

Review: The Center Cannot Hold by Elyn R. Sacks

Reviewed by Christina

Published: 2007

Full Title: The Center Cannot Hold: My Journey Through Madness

It's about:  Elyn Saks, a brilliant professor and scholar, describes her inner schizophrenic life in this surprisingly inspiring memoir.

I thought:  I loved this book.  I think I should modify my Top Seven Inspirational People post, bump it up to eight and add Elyn R. Saks.  This lady is, first of all, incredibly intelligent.  She cares for others immensely and has dedicated a huge chunk of her career to developing material that argues for the rights of people with mental illness.  And, luckily for me (and all of us!) she wrote this honest, brave, and important book. 

The Center Cannot Hold is a perfect example of the idea I tried to get at with my Mental Illness in Fiction Reading List.  It is a text that attempts that noblest goal: to encourage human empathy in the reader.  Ms. Saks hopes to dispel the awful stigmas associated with schizophrenia- those enduring prejudices about people with thought disorders being dangerous, absolutely hopeless cases, people who can be discarded from functional society and labeled "crazy."

Anyway, I'm a big fan of this author and her work.  Here are a couple of interesting tidbits that struck me and/or changed my mind about something:

• HIPAA.  I am now a believer in it.  It used to be not illegal for health care professionals to discuss patients' histories with other people!  At one point, an E.R. tech actually told Ms. Saks the name of another student at Yale who had suffered a psychotic episode.  And soon after that, a hospital told the school's administration about Ms. Saks' condition, effectively withdrawing her from law school without her consent.  (This was also before the Americans with Disabilities Act.) 
• Speaking of consent, holy moly!  It apparently didn't exist for many American patients in the 1980's.  Ms. Saks was unwillingly committed to a hospital, restrained and in solitary confinement for days at a time, and force-fed medications.  I don't think I'm overstating this when I say: WTF?!?!  Contrast that with the laissez-faire attitude toward psychotic people in England during the same period, when Ms. Saks (who clearly needed antipsychotic medication) was allowed to stay in the hospital if she and her demons wanted to, but she didn't really receive any treatment other a recommendation for psychoanalysis.
• Psychoanalysis, if you ask me, is generally a bunch of hooey.  I thought pretty much everyone believed this, so I was surprised when Ms. Saks described her own very positive experiences with it.  And she did soften my attitude a bit.  She argues for (and demonstrates her own need for) a combined regimen including medication and some sort of talk therapy.  And that, I have to admit, does make sense. 

SO.  If you have any interest at all in this subject or if you're hoping to relate more closely to people with schizophrenia, PLEASE read The Center Cannot Hold.  It's an vivid, insightful, and hopeful book.

Verdict: Stick it on the shelf.

Reading Recommendations:  In some very basic ways, this reminded me of Autobiography of a Schizophrenic Girl and An Unquiet Mind.  I liked it WAY better than either of them, though.

Warnings: Nothing I can remember.  Maybe one or two swears that I glossed over?  Nothing to deter you, really.

What I'm reading next:  The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood

Review: Mormon Enigma by Linda King Newell and Valeen Tippetts Avery

Emma Hale Smith (via)

Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith by Linda King Newell and Valeen Tippetts Avery

Reviewed by Ingrid

Published: 1984

It's about: An academic biography of Emma Hale Smith, first wife of Joseph Smith Jr., founder of Mormonism, written by two Mormon women. Emma Smith is a sensitive spot in Mormon history because she refused to accept that her husband received revelation from God to practice polygamy. After her husband died, Emma refused to join Brigham Young - the new leader and second prophet of the LDS church - and the majority of the Mormon community as they trekked west to establish themselves in the Salt Lake Valley. Emma had a very prickly relationship with Brigham Young, the two eventually became bitter enemies. Brigham Young's words about Emma Smith have survived in the church's memory much more so than Emma Smith's words have, so she has come to have a negative reputation within the church, though it has lightened up in recent years. She is now most often represented as a more romanticized and idealized version of herself in LDS produced movies about Joseph Smith, Jr. and the early days of the church. She is also often given a nod for being the first president of the Relief Society, a society for women that still exists in the church today. Her firm refusal to accept polygamy and her life after the death of her husband are rarely discussed in official histories.

Interestingly, because of the authors' portrayal of church history figures in this book, the leaders of the LDS church were angry about its publication. An article in Dialogue explains that LDS Apostle Dallin H. Oaks told Linda Newell that the book "'represents a non-traditional view of Joseph Smith'" and "may damage the faith of church members who read it." (45).  However, despite what I thought before I did a little research for this review, the authors received no church discipline besides being banned from talking about church history in public.

I should note that LDS scholarship can be difficult to navigate because many LDS church history scholars come to their research with a significant bias. Mormon apologists have an obvious bias which clearly shows in what sources they prefer and those they throw out. Many other LDS scholars developed their interest in the history because they grew up in LDS culture but later left. Their work is also often biased the other way - they feel a strong desire to prove that Joseph Smith could not possibly have been the prophet he claimed he was. (See No Man Knows My History by Fawn Brodie.) There are also scholars in between these two camps who lean slightly one way or the other, such as historian and believer Richard Bushman, who wrote the more recent (and also more academically sound) cultural biography of Joseph Smith, Jr., Rough Stone Rolling.

Though the authors of this book are believers, the research seems to me as fair and as close to being without bias as it could be. (Of course, every historian approaches history with a bias of some kind. It's impossible to be completely objective.) Throughout the narrative they name their sources and discuss their legitimacy. For example, stories about Emma from journals of close friends the authors would consider more legitimate, while later statements made in public meetings from church members that followed Brigham Young to Salt Lake City and shared his hatred for Emma, less so. The authors often compare sources side by side and present all the information they could gather with their own commentary.

photo of Emma Smith Bidamon in her old age (via)

I thought: My mom read this book as soon as it came out and mentioned it often as I was growing up. It seems that most of my preferences in reading are informed by what my mom has read and liked, a fact that I am proud of :). Then there is also my fascination with polygamy. I say this every time I review a book on polygamy - the majority of literature out there about polygamy is polarized and boring. Yeah, polygamy is freaky. Yeah, polygamy is anti-gender equality. But there is so much more to it than that, and I always embrace the books explore the nuance. This book certainly did that. Emma and Joseph loved each other but had a very tumultuous relationship. Like I said above, Emma is almost always vilified or romanticized. This book attempts to show her as she was.

I was surprised that this book spurred the amount of controversy that it did. If you asked me, I couldn't point to a single thing to which I would expect church leaders to respond to negatively, but I've heard that the church has been more open about these things since I've been around (I was born a few years after this book was published.) The authors try to represent Joseph Smith as Emma saw him, which of course is fair in a biography about Emma. Thanks mostly to quotes from his letters and sermons, Brigham Young looks like a jerk when he talks about Emma, but Brigham Young is known for his temper and for saying all kinds of colorful things. The LDS church, like any large institution, likes to try and control what information is out there concerning its history. Because I myself am a Mormon and a believer, I try to give the church the benefit of the doubt and expect that they have and will respect sound academic research. This isn't always true, though, unfortunately.

But anyway, overall I loved the book. The LDS church is in desperate need of realistic female role models, and I think that Emma Smith's strong will and sense of compassion for those around her is worth admiring. The stories about Emma that most stood out to me where the many, many times she took strangers and orphans into her home. Her second husband even had a child from an affair and when the mother couldn't raise the child, Emma took him and raised him as her own. I wonder if Emma's struggle with polygamy helped her grow stronger emotionally and grow in her compassion.

I loved the realistic and fair representation this book provided of this admirable yet flawed woman. We're all flawed. That's what makes life interesting and worth living. 

Verdict: Stick it on the shelf.

Reading Recommendations: If you want to read more about the controversy surrounding the publication of this book, check out pages 40-48 of this article published in Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought.

Warnings: None.

Favorite excerpts: "Emily Partridge [one of the plural wives of Joseph Smith Jr.] perhaps expressed the sentiments of many who knew Emma when she wrote in 1883, 'After the many years I can truly say; poor Emma, she could not stand polygamy but she was a good woman and I never wish to stand in her way of happiness and exaltation. I hope the Lord will be merciful to her, and I believe he will. It is an awful thought to contemplate misery of a human being. If the Lord will, my heart says let Emma come up and stand in her place. Perhaps she has done no worse than any of us would have done in her place. Let the Lord be the judge.'"

What I'm reading next: The Earthquake Machine by Mary Pauline Lowry

Top Ten Tuesday: Ingrid's Favorite Topics

It's a Top Ten Tuesday freebie day! I thought today I'd quickly list my top ten favorite topics. A hint to authors and publishers - if your book fits into one of these categorize, I will more than likely love to review your book on this blog.

via Mint Tea and a Good Book

Polygamy. This is probably my longest standing obsession. I devour polygamy memoirs, like this one.

Titanic. I like Titanic books as a kid, but with the recent centenary I got into it again. The Julian Fellowes miniseries made me sad though. Annie and Pablo!!!!!!!! :'( :'(. Also see here.

Books about books or reading. Because I'm meta like that.

Napoleon or the Napoleonic wars. This was kind of a summer 2009 thing, but I'm always down to read more about my favorite little military commander.

Native American history/mythology. Because of my husband, also cause it's cool.

Mormon history. See post coming tomorrow.

via

Downton Abbey-ish books. I recently acquired this through Netgalley. Yay.

Girls coming of age fiction/memoirs, like this little gem that I'm loving right now.

Literary Theory/Translation studies. In moderation, of course.

Women's Studies/Feminism, especially memoirs like this one.

Any suggestions for me that fit in these categories? Send them my way! I'm all over it. 

Review: Then Came You by Jennifer Weiner

via

 Reviewed by Christina
[I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.] 

Published: 2011

It's about:  In this newest novel from the most famous of Chick Lit authors, Jennifer Weiner weaves together the stories of four women:  Jules, a Princeton-educated egg donor; Annie, a working class SAHM surrogate; India, a  newly wealthy infertile woman who wants to start a family; and Bettina, India's suspicious step-daughter.
 Each of these women (with the exception of Bettina) hope that reproductive technology will change their lives for the better.  But, of course, things don't work out according to plan. 

I thought: (First, a little sidenote:  I requested this book from the publisher because it came up when I was searching for books about surrogacy.  I'm a surrogate myself, currently carrying twins for a French couple whom I love.  I'm interested in seeing/reading everything I can about the subject and would love recommendations!)

So this is Chick Lit!  I have to admit, I thought this was an engaging, decently-written work of fiction.  I can see why Jennifer Weiner is so popular.  She has a keen ear for dialogue, and her characters' emotions, relationships, and reactions to one another ring very true.  Honestly, reading Then Came You was a pretty seamless experience; it was a lot like reading a movie. 

Would I call this "literary"?  Not in a million years.  None of the four first-person narrators has a distinct voice; I couldn't tell a difference between the Vassar and Princeton-educated women and the ones who barely finished high school.  There's no imagery, no style, no overarching theme that I noticed.  Then Came You has some important issues woven into the story (addiction, the ethics of surrogacy and class differences) but nothing developed enough to constitute a unifying purpose. 

On a micro level, a few things annoyed me.  The children's dialogue was developmentally incorrect: a three-year-old who doesn't put two words together, a five-year-old who requests a snack by saying one word rather than a sentence.  Reading this, I assumed Ms. Weiner had no children, but it turns out she does have two young daughters.  So I'm not sure what happened with the sloppy kid dialogue in this book.  Also, the surrogate payment in the book ($50,000!) is grossly inflated.  Do a google search.  No agency advertises that much; it's nearly double the going rate at the very well-established agency I'm working with.  This kind of thing just irritates me because I think it fuels the flames for people who think surrogates are "just doing it for the money."  I also tired of the YA-esque physical descriptions of the characters.  What color is "nut brown?"  That does nothing for me.

BUT one thing I loved, that is almost enough to make me recommend Then Came You to my friends and family: Jennifer Weiner nailed people's various reactions to surrogacy.  Some people think it's freakish, or a sin ("playing God"), some people think it's exploitative (including the author) and some people think it's glorified prostitution.  All of these points of view were represented in the text, and I appreciated that.  Then they're all balanced out by a fair portrayal of motherhood in the warm and fuzzy final chapter.

Verdict: In-between.

Reading Recommendations: Good beach or airplane read- Quick and engaging, but nothing too intellectually or emotionally taxing.

Warnings: descriptive sex, a few swears

What I'm reading next:  The Center Cannot Hold by Elyn R. Sacks