The BookFetish Blog

I’ve been finished with Jon Krakauer’s Where Men Win Glory for over a week now. But this is one of those books that stirs up emotions, ones like anger and frustration, and it took me some time to figure out what exactly I want to say.

Jon Krakauer has covered in other books a fundamentalist Mormon sect murder, the 1996 Everest disaster, and the story of an Emory University kid trying to make it in the wilds of Alaska.  I read and really liked all of those books, so when I saw Where Men Win Glory on a recent bookstore trip, I picked it up without hesitation.

You probably remember the story of Pat Tillman.  He was the Arizona Cardinals football player, who left behind  a fairly lucrative NFL career to enlist, with his brother Kevin, in the Army after 9/11.  After a tour first in Iraq, Tillman was killed by friendly fire during his last tour in Afghanistan.

In true form, Krakauer provides a thorough history of Pat Tillman, from his early sports days to the time he spent in Juvenile Hall for fighting, to his relationship with friends and family, and of course his decision to enlist and all its repercussions.

Also in true form, Krakauer lays out the very facts that incited the anger and frustration I felt when I was reading this book.  I remember bits and pieces of the story but when it broke, I was working some crazy hours and not paying too much attention to the news. I missed the full ramifications of the story. Reading this, I finally understood.

So what brought on the anger and frustration?  Two things: Krakauer explains how the Army completely failed to follow protocol, thereby failing Tillman’s company, and of course, Tillman himself. Then, the whole cover up that ensued after his death, a cover up that reached all the way to White House Staffers. Had Tillman’s family not been who they are, we might never have known about the fratricide.

This is what Krakauer does best. He weaves the history and backstory into the crux of the real story. He presents his facts and interviews and stirs the emotions in his readers.  In Into Thin Air, you feel the desperation of those stranded on Everest, and in Where Men Win Glory, you feel the anger, frustration, and determination of the Tillman family in the aftermath of his death.

Krakauer writes non-fiction, but his books read like novels.  He takes an unusual circumstance and weaves facts together in a way that keeps the reader turning the page, wanting to know what happens next, even if we already know the outcome of the story.

Laurel Osterkamp has another winner with the novella, Campaign Promises. Lucy Jones’ life is defined by significant moments in politics, from her first crush to her high school reunion, and a few more big events in between. Everything relates back to  particular politicians and how their stories shape Lucy’s own perspective.

I’m a bit of a political junkie, and I couldn’t get enough of this book. I had never thought about significant events from my own life against the backdrop of the hot political story of the day, but really, the relationship is there if you just take a moment to think about it.

This is such an interesting premise for a book. Osterkamp uses third party candidate John Bayard Anderson to talk about Lucy’ lessons in integrity. Gary Hart’s mistakes when it came to romance- and being overconfident are a part of some risk taking Lucy enjoys. And a certain (two shots of crazy) congresswoman-as-mean-girl is there to show how some people just never change.

I found myself looking forward to seeing how Laurel would relate political figures to the events in Lucy’s life. I liked the reminder that Pat Schroeder blazed a trail in her run for presidency (and the reminder that because of her, we have the Family and Medical Leave Act. Thank you, Pat). I don’t want to give away Lucy’s life lesson from Pat, but I found myself going  “Yep, uh-huh, I sometimes do that, too.”

The last chapter had me laughing. This is the one with the (two shots of crazy) mean girl-congresswoman reference.  It relays an encounter Lucy has at her high school reunion, and I found myself playing out the scene in my head. I really appreciated the references Laurel made here and found myself just wanting more stories from Lucy’s life.

So, really, if you’re looking for a light (and sometimes a little sad) chick lit piece with some intellect behind it, go out to Smashwords and download Campaign Promises. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. Oh, and as a bonus, you can get the first four chapters of Starring In The Movie of My Life as part of the download.  I loved that one, too, and you can read why here.

Just a note that TheBookFetishBlog will be migrating to a new server later this week. So, Thursday night, the site will be unavailable.  It should be back up an running on Saturday.

While I read a lot of Chick Lit that I like, rarely does a book make me want to grab the heroine, take her out for a few drinks, and help her learn from my mistakes. Reading Meredith Schorr’s Just Friends With Benefits made me want to do just that. Thirteen years after college, Stephanie Cohen’s crush on Craig Hille resurfaces, and Stephanie vows Craig will not be the one who got away… twice.  Despite her friend Suzanne’s warning to “not put all her eggs in one bastard”, Stephanie takes on a “friends with benefits”relationship with Craig, certain that these frenetic hookups will eventually lead to true love.

What Schorr captures so well is the knack we have for overanalyzing and justifying everything our crush says or does, or doesn’t say and doesn’t do.  I found myself repeatedly wanting to say, “Stephanie! Open your eyes! He doesn’t feel about you the way you feel about him!”

But when we’re in that place, when we are so certain that HE IS THE ONE, we are loath to acknowledge anything that might show us we’re wrong. And we’re overeager to read more into what he says or does than he really intends.  That’s where I found myself really pulling for Stephanie, and being pulled in by Schorr’s story. Because I’ve been there. Most women I know have been there. I found myself really hoping Stephanie would not compare every guy she dates to Craig, and find happiness somewhere else.  I have a lot more to say on this matter, actually, but it would be full of spoilers and I don’t want to do that, so suffice it to say that I identified with Stephanie trying to figure out her relationships.

The other part of the story that is compelling, and also full of reality, is Stephanie’s relationship with her friends.  They tease each other, support each other, and call each other on their bullshit. I used to have a tribe like that , where we spent weekends and holidays together, a surrogate family of sorts. So whenever Paul, Stephanie’s ex, was on the page, I kept picturing my old friend James. Although James and I never dated, the dynamic between James and me was so similar to what is between Paul and Stephanie that I found myself picturing me and my friends as Stephanie and the other characters throughout the story.

I got a kick, too, out of some random pop culture references in the story, like Charles Chips. I remember the tins from when I was a kid. And reading the “here’s to the men that we love..” toast? Well, I used that one a number of times in my own college career.  So, reading Just Friends With Benefits was a lot like revisiting some of my own life. I appreciated the realism Schorr brought to the story. And as Stephanie figured out what really was right for her, I found myself wanting to know what story Schorr will share with us next.

“There are gods in Alabama: Jack Daniel’s. high school quarterbacks, trucks, big tits, and also Jesus…”

How could you not be immediately sucked into gods in Alabama after reading that opening sentence?  Especially if you are intimately familiar with small southern towns and know this to be true? That’s what got me- I felt like I was reading about places I visit every year when I visit my extended family.

Ten years ago, Arelene made a deal with God, and she’s kept her promises. Until now, God’s held up his end of the bargain.  But then a high school classmate shows up at Arlene’s door in Chicago asking questions about Jim Beverly, one of the gods of Alabama.  Now Arlene’s secret- the reason she left Possett, Alabama- might be exposed and Arlene is faced with making her first trip home in ten years. Add to that Burr, Arlene’s African-American boyfriend who has given her an ultimatum: introduce him to her family or they are through. Arlene figures this trip home is as good an occasion as any for Burr to meet her family. This trip home forces Arlene to realize the guilt she feels after an incident ten years ago. As her alibi for the past begins to fall apart, Arlene comes to understand more about family, and about how far she is willing to go for love and a sense of redemption.

Johsilyn Jackson obviously knows the nuances of small southern towns very well. Her prose made me think of sultry summer afternoons, lazing on the porch swing, sharing idle gossip with my aunts and cousins. While an appreciation of life in a small southern town certainly helps the reader identify with the story, it isn’t necessary. We all have secrets, things we prefer remain buried in our past. Most family relationships have their complications and many of us are looking for redemption from something.  Jackson’s telling of the story-alternating past deceptions with new ones interspersed with kernels of searing truth- keep the reader turning pages. I will definitely be reading more Joshilyn Jackson.