During this year, I have read a number of books ranging from YA romance novels to sociology books. Not all of them were memorable or enjoyable, but there were quite a few that stood out to me. I wish that I wrote thoughts about each book that I finished right after I finished the book because now it is hard for me to remember certain details or quotes from the books. Because I don't want to be forgetful again, I should probably buy those cute book lover's journals that are like diary entries, but for books. The books I chose down below are ones that I would highly recommend to you. I purposefully chose these books because of their diverse perspectives and different genres. By the way, this is not a comprehensive list. I don't have enough time to write down thoughts for each book I read, even the ones that I liked.
1. Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson (biography)
After reading this book, I could no longer look at the U.S. criminal and justice system the same way. Learning about the background of these prisoners on death row made me realize that a lot of them came from broken backgrounds, which is what caused them to commit such crimes. I became more empathetic while reading this book because I started to see the prisoners as ones that had little love and support. I admired how involved the author was in his law work and how he persisted despite times that he felt like giving up. Although certain parts of the text were hard for me to follow along because of law terminology, I liked learning more about the U.S. justice system. It horrified me that teenagers that haven't even started high school can be convicted of an adult crime. The conditions of prisoners in solitary confinement were startling. By learning about the problems of death row and criminal sentences in the U.S., I strongly believe that the U.S. should adopt solutions similar to ones that Scandanavian countries use, which is treating prisoners humanely and providing them good living conditions. The death penalty is not the solution because it assumes that people cannot become better people and are confined to their past actions.
2. On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong (fiction, epistolary novel, semi-autobiographical)
Vuong's novel was probably one of the most beautiful things I read this year. His writing style is distinct. Although the work is a novel, some parts felt like poetry. There was a natural lyrical flow to the writing. I also enjoyed the unique point of view that Vuong used, which was the second-person point of view. In the book, the main character addresses his mom as if he were writing a letter. This perspective was different than the first-person point of view because it sounded like the character was trying to strengthen and restore a bond with his mom through writing letters. It seemed like he was trying to forgive his mother's faults while loving his mom in the process of explaining his past life to her. Another cool thing about the book was that it covered various issues from poverty to sexuality, which are problems that the protagonist grapples with. In general, the novel felt like I was reading vignettes of various artworks, such as the buffalo and the monarch butterflies. Unfortunately, my reading comprehension is pretty poor, so I was not able to fully appreciate the nuanced literary elements in the novels.
3. A Long Day's Journey Into Night by Eugene O'Neill (play, semi-autobiographical)
What inspired me to read this play was that I visited the playwright's house, which happens to be in the town that I live in! Unlike the other visitors at the tour session, I barely knew much about O'Neill's work. I thought it would be weird if I didn't read his play after the visit, so I bought a copy of his most famous work, A Long Day's Journey Into Night. I would say this is one of the darkest things that I read in my whole life. Even though some works like The Bell Jar are more morbid and depressing, what made this play very dark was that I could relate to some parts of the story. I wouldn't say I come from a dysfunctional family, though the heated arguments in the play reminded me of times when my parents were mad at each other. What O'Neill does an excellent job is the complex characterization of each family member. They are neither good nor bad. They are simply flawed people who struggle with addiction and trauma. I think O'Neill portrayed the parents in this light so he could forgive his negligent parents, or else his remaining life would be miserable from anger and contempt. I found it interesting to see the family members display simultaneous feelings of love and hatred for other members when they got into arguments.
One thing that I will always remember from the play was when Mary Tyrone, the mother, said about the past: the past is the present, isn't it? It's the future, too. We all try to lie out of that life but life won't let us. That quote resonated so much with me that I used my pencil to underline it. It is so easy for people to say to others that they should move on from the past and stop feeling upset. But can you really move on? For me, it just stays with me like a permanent mark. I honestly have tried so many times to move on from the past, but sadly some distressing memories come back. When I mean bad memories, I mean ones that are quite personal and have to do with my family. Times when my parents yelled at each other about who contributed more. A memory of my mom telling me that my brother and I should move out of the house with her. A flashback of when I brought up divorce and my mom literally took that idea into consideration. An image of my mom on the verge of tears because I kept complaining about who she married. Sometimes I feel like I am like Mary in the sense that I hang on to the bad parts of the past and I don't forget them. It would be nice to forget them, but I can't.
4. Age of Ambition: chasing fortune, truth, and faith in the new China by Evan Osnos (nonfiction, history)
As someone who enjoys learning about China, I was excited to read about this book's take on modern China. I liked the author's detailed accounts of various aspects of China that he split into three sections: fortune, truth, and faith. He does a good job of interviewing everyday people across all spectrums that share different views about China's political and economic situation. I liked the author's thorough and nuanced analysis of China's development as he acknowledges the positives of China's system as well as its downsides. I was fascinated by the paradoxes and juxtapositions that the author highlights. What surprised me the most from this book was how different China was a generation ago. The statistics were so shocking for me that I asked my mom whether life in China was that bad when she was growing up. After reading this book, I got to learn a lot about important Chinese figures in the 21st century such as Lin Zhengyi that contributed to China's rise. I also became more informed about current events and trends that happened in the past twenty years like the Chinese internet and corruption. For me, reading this book made me feel closer to my mom because I got to ask her questions about things I read from the book as well as discuss interesting stories. The experience also made me realize that my knowledge gap about China in general was quite big, which honestly embarrassed me. Although my parents don't expect me to know everything about China because I grew up in America, I still felt disappointed that I wasn't aware of so many cool things in China like famous Chinese bloggers on Sina before I started reading the book. Before the book, I didn't notice that there was some disconnect between my mom and me when it came to what type of news articles we read.
5. Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo (biography)
If I had to describe this book in one word, it would be eye-opening. The novel is about people that live in a slum near the Mumbai Airport. Some of these people originally came from villages and then moved to the slum to work as migrants. Reading about their experiences living in poverty made me realize how one's economic status significantly changes their perspective towards life. For them, life is a daily struggle and they are happy if their essential needs are covered, which includes food, shelter, and a healthy family. On the other hand, people in my community are always striving for more in order to be happy, whether it is being promoted or going to a top college. I admired Boo's ability to portray the people as ones that are resilient and perseverant instead of people that others should feel pity for. I hate sounding cliche, but reading the book made me realize how fortunate I am to live in a place where I get a good education and I have access to clean water and food.
Some books that I have.
Comments
Post a Comment