Book 45: Finished.

I feel exhausted from lugging around a nearly 1000 page book with me for the last week. And since it is so large, my copy got a little more beat up than I usually treat my books, but I suppose I should just consider it "well-loved."

Well, where to begin. I already commented on the racism and historical aspects of the book. Truth be told, the era in which the story is set is one that as a history nerd, I'll never tire of. I love the American Civil War and circumstances surrounding it. It was my favorite unit to teach when I was teaching history.

Then, or course, are the characters. There are so many at first that it was almost difficult for me to keep them straight, but I eventually fell into the flow of life in Tara and Atlanta. I lived with these characters and took on their pain and struggles as if they were my own.

And I completely and totally fell in love with the epic sweep of the novel.

It is hard for me to express why I love it. A small part of me feels like I shouldn't-the novel is overly romantic and dramatic. Some scenes are over the top and excessive. And let's not forget that I really don't find much to admire in Scarlett O'Hara. But I love the other characters to the point that I kind of want to adopt them.

And lastly, there is Rhett Butler. Is he really a man that we, as readers, should fall in love with? At first I was not a fan of his attitude and the way he treated Scarlett. But then again, we don't get to really know him until the last section of the story. And it is hard to hate a man who would treat his daughter the way he did. You also can't forget his line,

"My dear, I don't give a damn," (957).

I seriously wanted to applaud him for finally standing up to her (Scarlett) and telling her that if she acted that way, there would be consequences.

In all, it is a book of epic everything. It captures the South in a way that I haven't seen in other novels (that I have read so far). It has that Southern feeling of grandeur and slowness. It takes its time to unfold and reveal itself as it wishes. It tells us how we should really feel and act in times of crisis as well as shows us a dark and haunting image of our nation's past.

Is it the best book I've ever read?

No, but I find it to be one of the best fictional portrayals of one of the darkest hours of America's history, and for that, I have to commend it, faults and all.

If you haven't read it yet, you must. While it has its faults, it is one of those books you need to read. Not because it is literary genius, but for the fact that it will make you reflect on your own life, your beliefs, and how you treat the people around you.

Book 45: Miss O'Hara.

When I was reading Wuthering Heights back in March, I complained about how I hated every character in the book. But, when I finished it, I still loved the book. And while that may not be the case here, I really don't find much to admire in Miss Scarlett O'Hara.

I don't think I have ever read a book with such a selfish, vain, spoiled protagonist. Scarlett annoys me with her naivety and selfishness. She wants what she wants and will stop at nothing until she gets it. When she sees a boy she wants, she goes full throttle until the poor thing is trembling next to her in hopes she will bat her eyes at him.

She treats her family and those close to her as if they are disposable. She never takes responsibility for her actions and she is simply infuriating. Also, she can be conniving and manipulative to get what she wants and it usually successful. Don't forget that she steals husbands and beaux as if they were going out of style. Yes, there is not a lot to like about Scarlett. She is everything I hope I am not.

But there is something that draws me in to her. Even though she is all of the above things, and many more, I still like and appreciate her spunk. When her family begins to fall apart, she pulls them together. Granted, she's a little rough about it, but she takes care of them the best way she knows how. When the Yankee soldier enters her house and begins to rob them of the few possessions she has left, she takes care of it in the way she has to.

Scarlett has a lot of spunk, desire, and sass, all of which I can appreciate. But I don't have to like her.

Which is why I am glad that there are so many likable characters in this novel. They stand beside Scarlett and showcase her few good qualities (that sass and spunk I was talking about). And they also show the reader someone to root for who is deserving of good things. Above all, I am talking about Melanie who is a staunch Scarlett supporter. No matter what Scarlett does to the poor girl, Melanie sticks beside her and supports her, even when rumors are flying.

It is because of this that the reader can stomach Scarlett. While she is certainly not a nice person, she tries because she wants more. She wants things to be easy for her and those around her. She had to make choices that were difficult, but her family ultimately owes their life to her. Without Scarlett, all of the other characters would have died (except Rhett, but he is deserving of his own post, that's for sure). Scarlett is their center and their pillar of strength, bad person or not.

I am hoping, as I finish this up, that Scarlett will surprise me and make a turn for the better, but I am not holding my breath. I have a feeling I will know how this will end and it will probably end the way it should.

Book 45: On Racism and History.

Well. To say that I am flying through this behemoth of a book would be an understatement. We could say that I am devouring it as I do ice cream, or that I am inhaling it as if I were at the top of Mt. Everest lacking air.

Yes, I am flying through this. I was worried before I began it that this book was going to irritate me. I thought that the author would take liberties with her history, and as someone who has a history degree and knows a lot more than the average person about the Civil War, well, I was worried. But, I am surprised to see that Mitchell does a fair job of keeping things fairly accurate, while giving a great, fictionalized account of the South during the Civil War.

I can see now why many in the South saw this book as their response to Uncle Tom's Cabin (which I read back in college and I am looking forward to reading again). It gives a different view of plantation life and the stance of blacks who were slaves.

The fact that Mitchell makes it clear that there were some plantation owners who treated their slaves more fairly and equally is admirable. But those plantations owners were few and far between. A very, very large majority of slave owners in the South were abusive and not at all like the O'Haras and some of their wealthy neighbors.

You also have to love the fashion descriptions. I mean, I would LOVE to wear those big elegant dresses, corsets and all, if they came back in fashion. And I know I am not the only one.

As for the war events and the plight of those left behind on the farms and plantations in the south when the men went off to fight, well, that's fairly accurate as well. The fact is, with no men left behind, the women and children (and slaves) had to do what they could to survive. When Scarlett crouches in a field and declares that she'll "never go hungry again," there is a lot of power in those words. The few farms and plantations that escaped Sherman's March to the Sea were in control of the Southern, or Northern army. There was NO food for the families left behind. The blockades prevented any food from being imported.

There is also a lot of accuracy when all of the young men around Scarlett's age die in battle. Where the North had a large population of young growing families, the South was smaller in population, and when their men died, they couldn't be replaced.

With all of that being said, Mitchell did a fine job of describing the conditions of those in the South in a believable way. I'm impressed, and of course, eating it all up.

Of course, there is one issue in the book and it is the one thing that a lot of readers find wrong with it. The book is blatantly racist. Now, whether Mitchell was a racist person and believed the things she wrote...well, I don't have the answer to that. And it is hard to say that the book would be better without the racist and degrading statements. If we were to correct it to make it politically correct by today's standards it would ruin all value and power of Mitchell's work in capturing the South as it was during the Civil War.

I don't condone racism, so take all of this that way. But personally, when I read a book such as this, where racism is used as a sign of the times in which the book was written, or as a way of capturing the time period, I have to let it go. Much like Mark Twain's the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the racism that is present in the book is what makes it so powerful to us, in this time period. I have to accept the book, and its racism, as a sign of the times in which it was written. And I have to keep in mind that it is clear the times have changed in that we don't find that kind of language acceptable today. I also know that these kinds of novels and writings have helped us capture history in a way that boring articles cannot convey.

For that, I have to love the novel as it is, racism or no. It adds to the depth and power of the book and without that element, it would be a far different book.

Anyway, I think I have rambled long enough on this topic, but be prepared for a long discussion of Miss Scarlett, of which I have a LOT to say.

But, before I leave, here is a question for you: Would you completely dismiss a novel or piece of writing just for its racist leanings? I'm curious!

Book 45: Gone with the Wind and Book Stats.

Title: Gone with the Wind
Author: Margaret Mitchell (1900-1949)
First Published: 1936

My Edition: Scribner Paperback (seen at left-isn't it a beautiful cover?)
Pages: 959

I have never read this and I haven't seen the movie. I know, I know, I am horrible, but I have never been interested in reading this for fun. Perhaps I just have this assumption that it is utter garbage, but now, researching it, I find that I might actually kind of love it (we will see).

I love the history of this novel-that it was groundbreaking and captures the essence of a time period in U.S. history that some would rather sweep under the rug. The South is always made out to be the bad guy in history books and novelizations of the time period, but the people who lived then loved their way of life and culture. They survived a lot of hardship that history books would rather gloss over than explain, and that has always been something that has bothered me about history education in America (that's a whole other rant).

In any case, I am looking forward to reading "the novel of the south" and seeing what I can find to love and hate in its pages. I don't really know what to expect, if anything. But I do have this gut feeling I am going to be sucked into its pages, know what I mean?