The Language of Blood by Jane Jeong Trenka

Length: 263 pages
Genre: Narrative Memoir/World Cultures
To Purchase: $0.25-$23 on Amazon

This novel is a memoir by a Korean-American adoptee. Brought to the United States in the 1970s, Kyong-Ah left her Korean identity at the time of her adoption by American parents--thereby becoming Jane Brauer. Trenka tells her story chronologically, detailing her grade school years spent in rural Minnesota, and college years in a more urban setting in MN. Later in the book, she tells of her return to Korea and learning all about her family--recovering her Korean identity and establishing special bonds with her Umma (mother) and sisters.

The perspective with which she writes is fascinating and I admire Trenka's style--she is a realist and tells it like it is. Some parts of her story were challenging to get through, but overall it was extremely insightful for anyone interested in topics ranging from cultural studies to adoption. My experience living in S. Korea this past year gave me a deeper appreciation for Trenka's story. I'm grateful my Korean friend Zee was kind enough to lend me this book!

To learn more the author's books and writings, visit her blog here. I'm looking forward to reading her follow-up book. Here are some of my favorite quotes from throughout The Language of Blood:

"Some things I will never know; others I am learning gradually, with effort and determination. In the latter category are Korean manners and language, including the names of things with no English equivalents; Korean history; the difference between Eastern and Western dragons; how not to stereotype other Asian people. I am learning to navigate the gap in perception that lies between my view of the world, the white American view of the world, and the Korean view of the world."

"Consider another recipe: Start with a girl girl whose blood has been steeped in Korea for generations, imprinted with Confucianism and shamanism and war. Extract her from the mountains. Plant her in wheat fields between the Red River and the Mississippi. Baptize her. Indoctrinate her. Tell her who she is. Tell her what is real. See what happens."

"So, like a know-it-all, naive college graduate who thinks she is going to be "alternative" and cool, like a dumb American who tries to mimic the native culture but fails badly without even knowing it--I choose a gold, reversed swastika. I thought it would be great to take back to America because it's a Buddhist symbol, and I would look super-exotic wearing it, and I was so happy with myself for even knowing it was a Buddhist symbol, and so on."

"I have little patience for "ex-pates" who ricochet around the globe in search of the perfect cafe, willing women, cheap wine. Yet there are some whose experiences resonate with me; for those who find their place, their second home, yearning is transformed into something else, something ghostly yet real as flesh."

"All She Wrote" - a poem by Harryette Mullen

The following poem is a favorite of mine and especially lately, having been in Asia for almost 10 months now, it makes a lot of sense to me :) I studied Harryette Mullen's book of poetry Sleeping With the Dictionary in college and it is one of my very favorite poetry books.

All She Wrote

Forgive me, I’m no good at this. I can’t write back. I never read your letter.
I can’t say I got your note. I haven’t had the strength to open the envelope.
The mail stacks up by the door. Your hand’s illegible. Your postcards were
defaced. Wash your wet hair? Any document you meant to send has yet to
reach me. The untied parcel service never delivered. I regret to say I’m
unable to reply to your unexpressed desires. I didn’t get the book you sent.
By the way, my computer was stolen. Now I’m unable to process words. I
suffer from aphasia. I’ve just returned from Kenya and Korea. Didn’t you
get a card from me yet? What can I tell you? I forgot what I was going to
say. I still can’t find a pen that works and then I broke my pencil. You know
how scarce paper is these days. I admit I haven’t been recycling. I never
have time to read the Times. I’m out of shopping bags to put the old news
in. I didn’t get to the market. I meant to clip the coupons. I haven’t read
the mail yet. I can’t get out the door to work, so I called in sick. I went to
bed with writer’s cramp. If I couldn’t get back to writing, I thought I’d catch
up on my reading. Then Oprah came on with a fabulous author plugging
her best selling book.

"Bumping Into Geniuses" by Danny Goldberg

Genre: Narrative rock 'n roll
Length: 288 pgs.
to purchase click here - from $1 (used) to $20 (new)

Music executive Danny Goldberg began his career as a rock fan who "wanted to worm [his] way into...the community of rock critics." Right out of high school, he landed a job at Billboard's head offices in NY, thinking they were a "generic magazine," soon learning that, the rock music that meant so much to him, "was also part of something called the music business." He then takes readers through his eventful and awe-inspired career, working with bands and artists such as Patti Smith, Led Zeppelin, Stevie Nicks, Bonnie Raitt, Kiss, Nirvana, Stone Temple Pilots and Warren Zevon. Though interspersed with enchanting tales of musicianship, artistry and touring, Goldberg's stories sometimes lulled my interest. They were primarily told from the perspective of a PR businessman, so some parts I forced my way through, like the financial breakdowns of various albums he helped market, etc. That being said, I couldn't put the book down when I read his substantial section on his time working with Nirvana. His perspective on their music and surrounding events was refreshing--seemed more authentic and sincere, like it was coming from a real friend and not a rock critic. In addition, Goldberg also includes a substantial section on one of his later clients, Warren Zevon, whose extensive and inspiring music career I'd have probably never learned about otherwise. All in all, it was a good read for someone like me, who is a bit obsessed with rock music and its history, but maybe not a choice read for a non-music fanatic.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Author: Douglas Adams
Genre: science fiction
Length: about 215 pgs.
available for purchase here ($10-15)

Hmm...what to say about this impossibly clever sci-fi adventure? Apparently, there is a cult of fanatics who are obsessed with this series, but this was my first real science-fiction read (besides reading some Bradbury in HS). HHGG wasn't a book that particularly moved me in a literary sense, BUT it did move me to laugh out loud many times and expand my mind--it was a challenging read with its innovative concepts.
There's so many new concepts and strange names to remember!

The story basically traces the week-long adventure of a human being from Earth, as he's abruptly taken from his doomed planet by his friend, who is actually an alien. Their adventure takes them throughout the galaxy on a state-of-the-art spaceship as they are reunited with old friends and learn about a new, mysterious and man-made planet called Magrathea. The funniest part to me was this one character's name, a resident of Magrathea. His name is Slartibartfast. Every time I read his name I couldn't help but laugh to myself. The plot is hard to explain, as are the characters, and this isn't really my literary genre of expertise, so all I can really say is that it was a really enjoyable and entertaining read. Here's an excerpt from one of my fav. parts of the book:

"Curiously enough, the dolphins had long known of the impending destruction of the planet Earth and had made many attempts to alert mankind to the danger; but most of their communications were misinterpreted as amusing attempts to punch footballs or whistle for tidbits. .... The last ever dolphin message was misinterpreted as a surprisingly sophisticated attempt to do a double-backward somersault through a hoop while whistling the "Star Spangled Banner..."

The Real Frank Zappa

Author: Frank Zappa
Genre: Autobiography
Length: 352 pgs.
To purchase used or new ($11-20)

If you are sincerely interested in rock music sounds and culture, along with its history and evolution, I highly recommend reading the book "The Real Frank Zappa," which my former bandmate lent me a while ago. I loved it so much that I bought my own and frequently buy it as a gift for others. Zappa seemed like my kinda guy--a music nerd with a grand sense of humor. Through his autobiography, he details his origins and history in music and recording (he was one of the early pioneers of rock recording, mixing and production) and all the way through albums and tours. The sweetest part, in my opinion, was reading his reflections on his wife and four children and being a dad. It was touching and fascinating to learn that Zappa's entire lifestyle was far from the stereotype of what one might presume of a longtime rock 'n' roller.

above: front and back cover, (an example of Zappa's amusing illustrations that appear throughout the book).

Book Review: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime

Author: Mark Haddon
Genre: mystery novel
Length: 221 pgs.
available for purchase here ($5-10)

This is a really cool concept. The story is told from the perspective of a
15-year old autistic savant. He lives in England and loves mathematics, Sherlock Holmes, and Toby his pet rat. He's extremely gifted at logic and math, but can't perceive emotion nor express it to accurately communicate his feelings. I read somewhere that it is likely that this character's particular type would classify as Asperger's.

At the beginning of the story, the endearing narrator comes across a "murder victim" as he refers to it, (a dead dog), and with his unrelenting ambition and love for mysteries, he takes it upon himself to solve this murder mystery, (while simultaneously writing a novel about all the subsequent events). It's really quite a cozy and intriguing read once you get into the characters and events--and funny, too. It's an impressive piece of writing, especially considering the author is not autistic and had to put himself in such a mindset throughout the entire novel's composition.

Summing it up well:
"The most lovely and unexpected first-person narrator...Gloriously eccentric and wonderfully intelligent."
- The Boston Globe

"To get an idea of what Mark Haddon's moving new novel is like,...think of The Sound and the Fury crossed with The Catcher in the Rye and one of Oliver Sack's real-life stories."
- The New York Times

Excerpt:
"Terry, who is the older brother of Francis, who is at the school, said...they didn't let spazzers drive rockets that cost billions of pounds. ...I'm not a spazzer, which means spastic, not like Francis, who is a spazzer, and even though I probably won't become an astronaut, I am going to go to university.... But Terry won't go to university. Father says Terry is most likely to end up in prison. Terry has a tattoo on his arm of a heart shape with a knife through the middle of it. But this is what is called digression, and now I am going to go back to the fact that it was a Good Day."

book review: Catcher in the Rye

Author: J.D. Salinger
Genre: Narrative Fiction
Length: 277 pgs.
Available for purchase here ($7-10)

Influencing myriad readers since its initial publication in 1945, this timeless and impossibly famous "coming-of-age" story is one that breaks the rules in a truly badass, authentic and amusing way. Shortly before Christmas break, 15-year old Holden Caulfield gets kicked out of Pencey Prep School and impulsively decides to venture around New York City before going home to face his parents. A lot of the story consists of Caulfield describing the people, places and things that he comes across--and then reflecting on his troubles. His scatter-brained ideas represent his inner turmoil and conflictedness about the past and the future.

As he narrates through his adventures, Caulfield uses terms like "flitty" to describe pervs, and "phony" to describe people who aren't worthy of his time (a.k.a. the 1950s version of a modern day 'd-bag' or 'tool'). Other staple terms include lousy, goddamn, madman and big bang. The speaker's tone, dialect and vocabulary were so amusing--and the timeline and plot kept me in suspense. Somehow, even after majoring in English, I only read this book for the first time last week at age 25. I couldn't put it down, it was so wonderful. I was reading it on the subway the other day and couldn't help but laugh out loud several times during the ride.

My favorite quote from the novel was this:

"You ought to go to a boys' school sometime. Try it sometime," I said. "It's full of phonies, and all you do is study so that you can learn enough to be smart enough to be able to buy a goddam Cadillac some day, and you have to keep making believe you give a damn if the football team loses, and all you do is talk about girls and liquor and sex all day, and everybody sticks together in these dirty little goddam cliques."