Mark Joseph Jochim
A fascinating account of Theroux's travels along the U.S.-Mexican border and far into the interior in 2017 and 2018.
While his visits to migrant towns on both sides of the wall were interesting, along with endless accounts of the severe poverty and violence overshadowing everything, I most enjoyed the travelogues from his solo drives through the country. His descriptions of the landscapes, the smells of the towns, the taste of the food, and – above all – the people are without peer. He has a way of transporting the reader spiritually to anywhere he choses to write about.
You really do feel for the innocents that constitute the bulk of Mexico's population. This basically includes almost everyone apart from the police, the politicians, and the narcos and other gangsters that pervade modern Mexican society.
Throughout the book, Theroux references other writers and recommends so many additional books and articles to seek out should you have the interest. I kept finding myself typing different books into my search engine and added more than a few to my Goodreads Want List.
When I was much younger, I read several of Theroux's books in preparation for my own travel adventures. Some 20 years ago, I stopped travelling so much – having settled in southern Thailand where I remain to this day – and, sadly, stopped reading new Theroux books. This one proves that I have many that I need to catch up on!
A fascinating account of Theroux's travels along the U.S.-Mexican border and far into the interior in 2017 and 2018.
While his visits to migrant towns on both sides of the wall were interesting, along with endless accounts of the severe poverty and violence overshadowing everything, I most enjoyed the travelogues from his solo drives through the country. His descriptions of the landscapes, the smells of the towns, the taste of the food, and – above all – the people are without peer. He has a way of transporting the reader spiritually to anywhere he choses to write about.
You really do feel for the innocents that constitute the bulk of Mexico's population. This basically includes almost everyone apart from the police, the politicians, and the narcos and other gangsters that pervade modern Mexican society.
Throughout the book, Theroux references other writers and recommends so many additional books and articles to seek out should you have the interest. I kept finding myself typing different books into my search engine and added more than a few to my Goodreads Want List.
When I was much younger, I read several of Theroux's books in preparation for my own travel adventures. Some 20 years ago, I stopped travelling so much – having settled in southern Thailand where I remain to this day – and, sadly, stopped reading new Theroux books. This one proves that I have many that I need to catch up on!
Cussy Mary Carter is the titular Book Woman, a rider in the Pack Horse Librarian program of President Franklin Roosevelt's Works Progress Administration, established in 1935 to bring the written word to the impoverished people living in remote rural sections of the United States. Our librarian has a route centered on the town of Troublesome in eastern Kentucky. She also happens to be the “last of her kind”, the Blue People of Kentucky who have a rare condition that turns their skin blue. Her nickname is Bluet.
We learn of the patrons along her route and become emotionally attached to a number of them as well as town people, good and bad – some rotten to the core. The love of books and reading permeate the story as does the intense racism in these hills, coves and hollers at the time. The description of each element of the story, including natural aspects and of barely inhabitable abodes is amazing at times and it is easy to visualize much of the setting.
One becomes so emotionally invested in the characters that the final hundred pages or so becomes a roller coaster of tears and cheers. By the time that I learned of Henry and Angeline's fates, I had already deemed this the best novel I'd read since finishing The Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas several months ago. It is definitely my favorite book of January and I am looking forward to reading The Book Woman's Daughter in the near futue.
Cussy Mary Carter is the titular Book Woman, a rider in the Pack Horse Librarian program of President Franklin Roosevelt's Works Progress Administration, established in 1935 to bring the written word to the impoverished people living in remote rural sections of the United States. Our librarian has a route centered on the town of Troublesome in eastern Kentucky. She also happens to be the “last of her kind”, the Blue People of Kentucky who have a rare condition that turns their skin blue. Her nickname is Bluet.
We learn of the patrons along her route and become emotionally attached to a number of them as well as town people, good and bad – some rotten to the core. The love of books and reading permeate the story as does the intense racism in these hills, coves and hollers at the time. The description of each element of the story, including natural aspects and of barely inhabitable abodes is amazing at times and it is easy to visualize much of the setting.
One becomes so emotionally invested in the characters that the final hundred pages or so becomes a roller coaster of tears and cheers. By the time that I learned of Henry and Angeline's fates, I had already deemed this the best novel I'd read since finishing The Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas several months ago. It is definitely my favorite book of January and I am looking forward to reading The Book Woman's Daughter in the near futue.
This collection of essays delights with every passing page. It is a memoir of the author's reading life as well as guidelines for others to follow in their own reading lives. I loved the chapters on bookshelves and acknowledgments, to name but two of many. I have been tracking my reading for a number of years but am inspired by the last chapter to keep a more detailed reading journal to help me remember, to benefit my future self to paraphrase the author.
Highly recommended if you love books and reading them.
This collection of essays delights with every passing page. It is a memoir of the author's reading life as well as guidelines for others to follow in their own reading lives. I loved the chapters on bookshelves and acknowledgments, to name but two of many. I have been tracking my reading for a number of years but am inspired by the last chapter to keep a more detailed reading journal to help me remember, to benefit my future self to paraphrase the author.
Highly recommended if you love books and reading them.
The Little Prince is a novella written by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and published in April 1943. It is the story of a child, the little prince, who travels the universe gaining wisdom. On the surface it's a simple story, but this little prince is as wise as they come and his messages of compassion and goodwill continue to endure.
From the book, we can take away seven timeless life lessons:
1. Don't be too fond of numbers
2. Look after the planet
3. Don't judge others by their words, but by what they do
4. Relationships make life worth living
5. The important things in life you cannot see with your eyes, only with your heart
6. It is the time you give to something that makes it precious
7. And finally, remember to look up at the stars
I enjoyed the story and messages in my first read of 2024.
The Little Prince is a novella written by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and published in April 1943. It is the story of a child, the little prince, who travels the universe gaining wisdom. On the surface it's a simple story, but this little prince is as wise as they come and his messages of compassion and goodwill continue to endure.
From the book, we can take away seven timeless life lessons:
1. Don't be too fond of numbers
2. Look after the planet
3. Don't judge others by their words, but by what they do
4. Relationships make life worth living
5. The important things in life you cannot see with your eyes, only with your heart
6. It is the time you give to something that makes it precious
7. And finally, remember to look up at the stars
I enjoyed the story and messages in my first read of 2024.
