Thursday Treat #14: The Tortilla Curtain by T.C. Boyle.

I am fascinated by Mexican and Chicano history and culture. In college, I took a lot of Mexican history classes in fulfillment of my history degree. As a matter of fact, I earned a specialization in the subject.

For one of those classes, one of our required readings was The Tortilla Curtain by T.C. Boyle. The story centers around two illegal immigrants who are struggling to survive in a valley filled with other immigrants and wealthy citizens. Contrasted with their struggle is the story of a wealthy family who are sick of seeing Mexicans in their town.

The novel explores the relationship between illegal immigrants and legal citizens. I have my own personal views on the subject, which I won't go into, but the story presented may make you question your own thoughts on the subject. Do illegal immigrants provide necessary labor in the United States?

Besides the powerful political message, the novel is beautifully written. The struggles of the two Mexican immigrants is heart-wrenching. It is even more difficult to realize that their story is also the story of thousands and thousands of people who are living in the United States illegally. Their pain and heartache is real.

I should mention I have not read any of Boyle's other work, although I have been meaning to. But this is a stand-alone novel I would recommend to anyone, anytime.

Book 34: Finished.

I had another post scheduled to post today, but after reading some of the comments about my musings on Virginia Woolf, I decided I needed to write an alternate post. So here we go.

It seems as if Virginia Woolf is one of the more intimidating writers for someone to pick up and read. I have to agree. The first time I read her work, I just didn't get it. I had no idea what she was talking about and to be honest, it sounded a lot like rambling that had no connection to any kind of plot. It also didn't help that there weren't any chapters. I mean, 170 something pages of straight text is daunting. Characters jump in and out of the pages at random and I was left feeling utterly confused.

So...Virginia Woolf. Yes, she is a difficult writer to understand and appreciate. Her works were revolutionary, and remain so. She wanted to challenge her readers with stories that on the surface seemed normal and mundane, but were told in a way that would capture the imaginations of her readers. Some people got what she was working for, and many did not.

The best way I can explain how you should approach Woolf is this: Don't think about it. The more you think about how the story is confusing and twisted and all over the place, the more lost you will become. Instead, you need to sink into her writing-let it envelope you and tell you the story in its own way. You can't rush it, or think too hard or you'll lose it. You have to let it wash over you, the words enter your mind and direct you along the path of her characters. Only then will Woolf make sense. Only then will you understand why she is one of the most influential writers and how her art-her writing-has changed the literary world.

In today's contemporary market, we are used to being told a story in a straight forward manner. There is a clear plot, a problem, distinct characters, and an eventual resolution. In many cases, we don't have to work to understand the story in front of us. It merely "is."

In books like Mrs. Dalloway, we are inside the story so much deeper than we are in another kind of novel. We become part of the characters. We know what they know. We reminisce inside their heads and understand their struggles as they happen. We don't know the solution, or if there will be one. Like her characters, we as the readers are just trying to make it through day by day, not knowing if there will be a happily ever after, or a conclusion. I suppose you could compare it to living your own life. You know that there will be an eventual end, but the steps and path you take to get there are unclear. You can only see what is presented to you, and must accept that.

Mrs. Dalloway is only about one day in the life of Clarissa Dalloway. She spends the day in preparation for a party she is throwing that night. As she goes through the motions of her day, she remembers people and places from the past. The narrative transfers to other characters as they also struggle with memories and thoughts leading up to the party in the evening. All of the characters highlighted seem to come to terms with their pasts, and how their choices and decisions led them to that moment. The climax and ultimate solution is how Clarissa ultimately comes to terms with the life she has led and where her life is going.

It is a simple enough story, one that we have all read before, but it is the way that Woolf weaves her tale that makes it so powerful.

If you are looking to try something by Virginia Woolf, this is as good a place as any. Just don't think too hard and get frustrated. Let it be and let the words sink in slowly.

Book 34: Stream-of-Consciousness and Virginia Woolf.

I mentioned in my earlier post about Mrs. Dalloway that Virginia Woolf's style is hard to adjust to. I know from my own personal experience that I have to be in a right frame of mind to read Woolf (and Faulkner-I see huge similarities between the two).

Woolf liked to experiment with stream-of-consciousness among other writing techniques, which is why her novels can be hard to get into. It almost seems as if everything is disjointed and nothing seems cohesive. It is only through a lot of concentration and letting yourself just go with Woolf's flow that it begins to be pieced together.

I told a friend that in order to understand and appreciate this kind of writing, you have to think about how you think. I know that I can be sitting next to Matt on the couch having a conversation. While we are talking about one thing, my mind is racing. For example, I might mention to him that we need to buy more kitten food, and in my head I'll be thinking, "Well, we also need to buy new light bulbs, since I think we are out after I changed the one in the bedroom. I also really need to wash the duvet cover, but I should cook dinner first. But I don't think we have any onions left, which reminds me that the pantry is a mess." With that I will say, "I think you need to clean your stuff out of the pantry so I can re-organize the food items.

To him, it is a complete jump in conversation, but in my own head, it makes sense. I found a logical connection between kitten food and cleaning the pantry out. That process all took place in my head.

(And when we do have conversations like this, Matt always looks at me like I am crazy).

Virginia Woolf just translates that everyday thing we all do and puts it on paper. It makes the reader uncomfortable since we are so used to reading things linearly and cohesively. Having a character flash backwards or forward is confusing and throws us for a loop, but makes perfect sense for the character.

I think that is the biggest reason why readers new to Virginia Woolf find her difficult. It IS hard to change your perspective and get fully into a character's head. It is an intimate experience and hard to feel comfortable with.

But that is one of the reasons why I love writers like Virginia Woolf. In Mrs. Dalloway, she is taking me into the head of Clarissa Dalloway and a couple other main characters. I get to see their memories, their fears, their every thought on what seems to be a pretty normal day. Things like mending a dress become the biggest tasks in this kind of writing style.

I hope this helped explain a little. I know that just writing it out helped me solidify how I am feeling about the novel at this point (3/4 done), as well as reaffirm my love for this kind of writing.

Happy Reading!

Poetry Month.

It is National Poetry Month for those of you who didn't already know. I am a huge fan of poetry and one of the books that always remains by my bed is Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman. I am a huge Walt Whitman fan and I often thumb through the pages of his poetry when I need inspiration, solace, or time away from the real world.

In addition to Walt Whitman, I love many of the Romantic poets-Emerson, Wordsworth, Coleridge, Keats, Shelley, and Bryant. That era and movement sparked great and wonderful poetry. Although, I do love a number of other poets from other eras as well.

For poetry month, I thought it would be fitting to post some poems that I love as a tribute. I won't analyze them for you, since I think each individual finds their own meaning in a poem, but I'll just let them be and you can enjoy them as you will!

The first poem I am choosing is by Whitman. It is titled "To a Stranger."

Passing stranger! you do not know how longingly I look upon you,

You must be he I was seeking, or she I was seeking, (it comes to me as of a dream,)

I have somewhere surely lived a life of joy with you,

All is recall'd as we flit by each other, fluid, affectionate, chaste, matured,

You grew up with me, were a boy with me or a girl with me,

I ate with you and slept with you, your body has become not yours only nor left my body mine only,

You give me the pleasure of your eyes, face, flesh, as we pass, you take of my beard, breast, hands, in return,

I am not to speak to you, I am to think of you when I sit alone or wake at night alone,

I am to wait, I do not doubt I am to meet you again,

I am to see to it that I do not lose you.

Carrie Ryan Giveaway Winners!

I just figured out who the winners are for my Carrie Ryan Giveaway!

For full details about the contest, click here to read about the great signing I went to!

If you don't remember, first place is winning the following: Hardcover copy of The Forest of Hands and Teeth (signed), Hardcover copy of The Dead-Tossed Waves (signed), The Forest of Hands and Teeth bookmark, and an "Eat. Prey. Love." sticker.



And second place is winning the following items: The Forest of Hands and Teeth bookmark, The Dead-Tossed Waves bookmark, "Eat. Prey. Love." sticker, and CD full of videos and information about The Dead-Tossed Waves and other YA novels and sequels.





Anyway, without further ado....

First place goes to...

Lydia from The Lost Entwife!

And second place goes to...

Lauren from Lauren's Crammed Bookshelf!


CONGRATULATIONS!

I will be contacting you both via e-mail. Please get back to me in the next 48 hours or I will have to pick another winner!