Books

I am reading this, it is great, so go read it, right now

dan simmons  -  the terror and hyperion

about to start this, so go read, it too, right now

Vincent di paolo  -  my beloved friend, judas

Anyone getting Go Set A Watchman? I was really hyped for it when it was first announced but the ensuing details revealing it's basically a failed first-draft of what became Mockingbird (wherein Atticus is a racist) that is basically being released without Lee's permission – and by some accounts knowledge at all – has me rethinking it. Memories of my purchase of The Original of Laura are wafting back. . .

im waiting for the band name of

racist atticus

or

atticus is a racist

I'll read it. Mockingbird is one of my all-time favorite books, so there's no way I can pass on this.

Similarly, when all the demos for Psychocandy hit the internet, I snatched them up and really enjoyed listening to them.

What's the difference?

speaking of books, try reading this one . . . good lord, the words and ideas, are so, out there.

the power of now  -  Eckhart Tolle

Anyway, here's what I'm reading right now:

Home-Toilet Book



Home-Bedside Table Book



Downstairs Lounge Book

Relaxer wrote:
What's the difference?

Well, the demos for Psychocandy were, presumably, not marketed as a "new JAMC album." Passing off an early, complete-different, racist depiction of a character as a "sequel" changes the narrative of that character, whether intended or not. And also, right or wrong, the publishing of work against the writer's expressed wishes is viewed quite differently in the literary world as compared to musical demos leaking (which is probably an interesting TAN conversation), and there does seem to be serious misgivings about Lee's ability as an 89-year old blind and mostly deaf person in hospice/eldercare (whose longtime executor just passed away) to articulate her wishes in the matter.

That said, I'm not intending to tell people "YO. DON'T READ THIS BOOK, MILKSHITTER!" just attempting to have a discussion about the merits and ethics of this release. I think you definitely have the right idea going into reading it with the idea it's "bonus material" left on the cutting room floor.

The original version of "Shout at the Devil" was called "Shout with the Devil" and instead of beginning with "He's the wolf crying lonely in the night, he's the blood stain on the sta-a-a-age" it began with "I'm the wolf crying lonely in the night, I'm the blood stain on the sta-a-age."

The original version of "The Drugs Dont' Work" has the lyric "They just make you worse, but I, know I'll see your face again" though the original went "The drugs don't work, they just make me worse, but I, know I'll see your face again."

Works change and evolve. I can't speak to the fact that it was published over her wishes, but I think that's just people mythologizing Lee because she's still alive. If an unpublished Hemingway book surfaced, would we be having this discussion? I doubt it. Watchman is a piece of literary history and should be released.

Also, I haven't read very much about this apart from the Gawker-style headlines of "You'll Never Guess How Atticus Finch Became a Racist Because Oh My God!!!!!" but I'd like to think that in Mockingbird, Scout visualizes her father as a heroically honorable god among men in the same way children do with their parents, like my own for example. Later, as an adult however, she realizes the reality is that all men are flawed, especially her father who can now be seen as the racist he always was.

One final point: most people's impressions and knowledge of Mockingbird are based on the movie, not the book. Those who have really absorbed the book know that while the two are, of course, similar, there are marked differences in tone and perspective between them. The book does not deal or focus nearly as much on the trial as the movie does.

Relaxer wrote:
If an unpublished Hemingway book surfaced, would we be having this discussion? I doubt it.

This exact issue happened with Nabokov. And Kafka. And is currently occurring with Salinger. The posthumous release of unfinished works by authors – and especially those who instructed their work to be destroyed/not published – is literally a huge ethical debate in the literary world.

Relaxer wrote:. . .but I'd like to think that in Mockingbird, Scout visualizes her father as a heroically honorable god among men in the same way children do with their parents, like my own for example. Later, as an adult however, she realizes the reality is that all men are flawed, especially her father who can now be seen as the racist he always was.

See, I would argue that's the exact opposite way one should view it. By most accounts, Lee sent Watchman in and was told in a letter from the publisher, "hey, that character doesn't work, make him better and tell us a story through young Scout's eyes." Thinking the character of Atticus was always supposed to get older and espouse racist views (and, if you follow the logic, wasn't really attempting to be an agent of change but was just a lawyer doing his duty) kind of changes what the Mockingbird was trying to say if you ACTUALLY view it as an intended sequel.

Relaxer wrote:
The book does not deal or focus nearly as much on the trial as the movie does.

Absolutely.

Booker Prize winner is a book by Marlon James called A Brief History of Seven Killings

ggw wrote:
I am about a hundred pages into this:



Fluency in patois is helpful but not required.  A steady soundtrack of Studio One comps is a prerequisite (Trojan will do in a pinch).

Definitely fits in with the Booker's move away from "readability" over the last few years.  It's an excellent book, but you have to be really invested in it. 

The Martian

ggw wrote:

ggw wrote:
I am about a hundred pages into this:



Fluency in patois is helpful but not required.  A steady soundtrack of Studio One comps is a prerequisite (Trojan will do in a pinch).

Definitely fits in with the Booker's move away from "readability" over the last few years.  It's an excellent book, but you have to be really invested in it. 

gonna try to read it but I gotta say I'm not into slang of any sort… for example graham swift's last orders..

You are against slang but use the words gonna and gotta in your sentence? 

killsaly wrote:
You are against slang but use the words gonna and gotta in your sentence? 

oops

boomma

I just read The Water Knife and really liked it.

This: