Book #25: The Hobbit

Book #25: The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

June 23, 2013


I was in sixth grade when I first got into the Harry Potter series. My grandparents had sent me the third one, The Prisoner of Azkaban, was my 12th birthday (to this day, it's still my favorite of the ones I've read), and I was hooked from there. The 4th one came out that summer, and the 5th one wasn't until until 4 years later. And in that one, they killed off Sirius Black, my favorite character in the series. After that, I was kind of over Harry Potter, and I never did read the last two books. So weird...I'd been really into it, and just like that, my interests completely changed. Of course, the last two books are on my "to read" list at this point, so I will get around to them, and I'll probably fall in love with the series all over again.

Anyway, I'd never read any Tolkien before, though I have seen all three of the Lord of the Rings movies (I have not seen The Hobbit). But I figured if I was going to read Tolkien, I'd start at the beginning. And not only did I absolutely adore this book, but I can clearly see how it has influenced fantasy literature since it was published in 1938...especially the Harry Potter series.

I was struck, as I began reading, at how simple the language is. I found myself thinking several times that The Hobbit would be a really fun book to read aloud, either to students or to my own children (if I ever have any). Like J.K. Rowling, Tolkien creates a vibrant magical world full of fascinating imaginary creatures, most of them familiar in some form or another to the reader: elves, dwarves, goblins, wizards. Gandolf is, of course, a prominent character in the text, as he tricks the hobbit Bilbo Baggins into going on a journey with a band of dwarves, led by Thorin Oakenshield, to recover the treasure and their old kingdom that was taken from them long ago.

It is explained in the text that hobbits are homebodies by nature, but Bilbo has a history of adventurers on his mother's side, the Took side of the family, and so that part of him wins out and he goes along on the long adventure. Though he is timid at the start, he soon proves himself to be brave and clever. The turning point would be when he finds the ring (yes, the same ring from the Lord of the Rings trilogy), which allows him to disappear whenever he puts it on. The ring's dark magic is only hinted at with Bilbo's run-in with Gollum, who, in my opinion, is one of the most tragic characters in literature. I read that Tolkien actually rewrote the scene with Gollum for later editions, more strongly establishing the connection between Bilbo's adventure, and the magic ring, and Frodo's adventures in the trilogy. I could tell a difference between the writing style in that scene, particularly with the descriptions of pathetic Gollum, and the more simplistic writing style of the earlier chapters. That chapter is when I really started getting into the book.

Bilbo's story is well known, so here's just a brief run-through of the rest. He and the dwarves encounter many dangers as they journey to the mountains, and make enemies of goblins, wolves, giant spiders (another parallel to Harry Potter!), elves, and men. Thorin, though a brave leader of the dwarves, is very prideful, and often it is his pride and greed that gets him and his crew into trouble (as was the case with the elves). When they finally reach the Lonely Mountain, where the dwarves had once made their home and where their treasure is still hid, they must find a way to battle the evil dragon Smaug, who guards the hoard. Bilbo, with his ring, teases and enrages the dragon, who sets out for vengeance against the town of men nearby. A brave man named Bard kills the dragon, but pride Thorin refuses to share his treasure with the people. Bilbo, who had cleverly gotten hold of the Arkenstone, Thorin's most prized possession among the hoard, gives it to the men and elves, who are holding the mountain under siege until Thorin agrees to negotiate. In the end, the enemies must all band together when the goblins and wolves invade, and in the end they are victorious. Though Thorin and a couple of other dwarves from the original journey die in battle, there is peace in the land, and Bilbo and Gandolf make their way home again. Bilbo has riches of his own from the journey, and the magic ring...which, as well all know, comes into significance again the trilogy.

This is just a charming, well-written, solid fantasy adventure, and it is no wonder that it is a classic and sighted as an influence for so many great stories today. Not only that, but as I read, I found myself marveling at the connections between Tolkien's work and songs by the band Led Zeppelin, which was a favorite of mine in high school (I was embarrassingly dorky). I already got the references in the song "Ramble On," with the lines about Mordor and Gollum, but the song title "Misty Mountain Hop" is a direct reference to the Misty Mountains in the book. Crazy! I read up that other rock bands in the '70s, like Black Sabbath and Rush, produced songs that were inspired by Tolkien's work. You know that something is really influential when it transcends genres and artistic mediums.

I don't know why I don't read more fantasy work. I always get into it and enjoy it. The last of the Harry Potter series has been moved up on my list, for sure, and at some point, I think I'll tick off the entire trilogy for Lord of the Rings all at once. For now, I'm going to keep as much variety in my selections as possible. As far as that goes, I don't think I could be doing a better job!

Robert Plant and Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin. These two nerds were apparently the ones who were influenced by Tolkien. Check out the dragon embroidered on Page's jacket...is it any surprise?

Sir Ian McKellen as Gandalf. He is really great in those movies. Like in the trilogy, Gandalf sort of flints in and out of the action in The Hobbit, though he instigated much of the action. He is certainly wiser than he lets on, and there are snatches of this in the story.

Book #24: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

Book #24: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream by Hunter S. Thompson

June 19, 2013


I would have read this book straight through in one go, but my reading was interrupted by a three-hour shift at one of my jobs. Regardless, Fear and Loathing... was a fast-paced read, and while it kept my interest throughout, I sometimes found myself wondering why Thompson had written this novel. You see, it's pretty clear that this is a somewhat autobiographical work. Thompson, going under the false name "Raoul Duke" (though his real name is revealed a couple of times), and a character that he refers to only as "my attorney" (a big Samoan who is just as insane as he is), spend a few days in Las Vegas having various drug-induced adventures. The overall tone of the novel is described right in the title: fear (drug-induced paranoia) and loathing of all of the people around them, whom they imagine (sometimes with good reason) are "after them." Thompson describes in detail all of the drugs that they brought along for their trip from LA, including mescaline, cocaine, weed, acid, and some crazy-sounding shit that I've never even heard of. From how paranoid and jittery they were, and with all of the crazy hallucinations they were having, it didn't make doing drugs sound very fun.

So I had to wonder: was Thompson trying to send some kind of anti-drug message with this work? I doubt it..."Duke" doesn't have any sort of personal revelations about his dangerous lifestyle as his disastrous trip to Vegas ends and he heads off for more adventures in Colorado (his first time: a pharmacy, where he cons the woman behind the counter into giving him pills). The novel, which many acknowledge as an American classic, presents a slice of American life from the early '70s, a tumultuous time in our country, indeed. Thompson includes snatches of news stories that "Duke" reads at various intervals in the story; whether these were real stories or based on real events, they still tell an important story about what was happening in our country at that time. Lots of stories about drug addicts (one that stood out to me was about a young man from a prominent family who, while tripping on PCP and LSD, tore out his own eyeballs in a holding cell); mentions of Richard Nixon (the Watergate scandal was going on during the time that this novel takes place/was published); more than a few mentions of the Vietnam War and veterans who came back messed up. It makes sense that Thompson would also mention the incident at Altamont with the Hell's Angels attacking an out-of-control crowd, killing one drugged-out young man; Thompson had previously interviewed and written about the Hell's Angels before Fear and Loathing...

I also couldn't help but think that "Duke" and his "attorney" couldn't have been the only ones around them, in LA or Vegas, tripping out as badly as they were, considering the times. Though they were so convinced that everybody was watching them and waiting to bust them, I imagine that many others around them were just as fucked out of their heads. Since the drugs made them so paranoid and crazy, I found myself constantly thinking, "Why take them?" Most of the drugs (except, perhaps, the weed; I will simply say that the arguments for marijuana legalization seem more logical than the arguments against it) that they were taking were extremely dangerous, not anything that people should mess with. And they didn't even like taking them...they were addicts, I'm sure, but besides cocaine (which, admittedly, they actually lost when the "attorney" spilled it in the convertible as they were speeding to Vegas), I guess I don't really know how addictive acid or ether or any of those other drugs really are...

Since the characters were on drugs throughout really the entire novel, this was another case of having unreliable narrators. But there isn't really much of a plot to follow, per se; but, once I got through the first couple of chapters, I found it relatively easy to wade my way through "Duke's" sometimes incoherent storytelling, and could tell the difference between what he was imagining in his drug-addled mind and what was actually happening (at least, I felt like I could...who's to say?). Thompson's writing style is interesting in that way, and I guess it's appropriate for the subject matter.

What did I get out of reading this book? It was entertaining, and...I guess that's the extent of it. Perhaps when it was published in 1972, it was innovative in its descriptions of drug usage and in Thompson's writing style...or maybe not. Regardless, as previously stated, it shows a slice of America during an essential time of change. It's certainly a novel of its time. And of course, it was adapted into a film (starring Johnny Depp, a personal friend of Thompson's until his death in 1988, as the main character), which is considered a cult classic. I've never seen it, though I may watch it just to see how "Duke's" drugged-out mind and paranoia are translated to the screen. The line "why are you stopping here? This is bat country" has become famous, as that beginning scene from the book is probably the most recognized of the film, even by those who have never seen it. Personally, I may not watch it, just for the fact that I really don't like Johnny Depp. I don't. I'm so over his shtick; what is the deal with him being cast as Tonto in this new movie version of The Lone Ranger? Aren't there any Indian actors out there who would be able to do the role? I have to wonder what someone like Sherman Alexie would have to say about that...

However, I've very glad that I read this novel. After all, my goal here is to read different authors, to get different perspectives, to be exposed to different styles of writing. This book is an essential part of accomplishing that mission. It would certainly not be one of those books that I would say "if I could only read one book for the rest of my life, this would be it." But when I think about it, I can't really think of any books that I would say that about. I had a conversation with a coworker of mine recently, as she'd brought a book to work to read during her downtime. I said something like, "There's so many good books out there, and I know that in my lifetime, I'll never be able to read all of the ones that I want to read." But if I'm able to spend a day just reading, like I was mostly able to do today, and mark another book off of my list...well, I'm come pretty damn close.

A retouched photo of Hunter S. Thompson, complete with his signature cigarette holder. Okay, he does look pretty damn cool in this picture...but I'd hate to see what his eyes looked like behind those sunglasses.

Fear and Loathing...(especially the film) has a popular following of drug users (every freaking stoner in every freaking college dorm in America probably has a Fear and Loathing... poster with Johnny Depp's annoying face on it), alongside a picture such as the one above, meant to represent an acid trip or something. Being on acid doesn't seem like a bunch of rosy colors and wavy lines, though...hugs not drugs, people.

Book #23: Atlas Shrugged

Book #23: Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

June 18, 2013


Here we go: this one is definitely not a book that I ever planned on reading. For one thing, it is really really long: 1168 pages in the edition that I read, by far the longest book I've ever taken on. I finished it pretty quickly, too, considering how long it took me to read other, not-quite-as-long novels. I have had more free time lately, with summer started. My morning classes prevented me from getting a full-time job this summer, and I'm not working daily at my side jobs (thank God for that end-of-year sub job; haven't even gotten the last paycheck for that one), so that's left quite a bit more reading time in my schedule than before. But also, I kind of just wanted to get this one out of the way.

You see, the length alone wasn't the cause of my hesitation, but rather what my understanding was of the author's political stance. Ayn Rand was discussed a bit during the last round of elections (try and guess who I voted for), as she was cited by Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan as being a major influence, even requiring his staff to read her work. From what I understood, she had endorsed having as little government as possible, and would have been vehemently opposed to the social programs of today. Quite contrary to many of my views. But that's what made me decide to pick it up, I think; I can't really form an argument against something if I don't make an attempt to understand it.

There was a part of me, as I started reading, that wanted to kind of ignore Rand's political views, and just take the story for what it was. But I figured out pretty quickly that Rand's work was a means of communicating her political views. Her "political philosophy" is something called Objectivism, and that's what is promoted through this story. I'll sort of unravel and express my views on my understanding of this philosophy as I go along here. I haven't done any further reading beyond the novel itself, though there is an active institution running today with the goal of spreading her message, I guess. I don't really feel like delving too much more into it; 1168 pages is enough, don't you think?

But behind her political message, there is a very interesting story. It should be understood that the novel is set in some sort of not-too-futuristic America (I found myself thinking of it more as an alternative universe past, since technology had not extended too far beyond what was around in the '50's, besides the fictional innovations from the characters themselves). The world's economy is falling apart; most of the other countries, including all of Europe, have become Communist people's states. Some details are given about the living conditions there; basically, it sounds like what was going on during this time in China, during Mao's "Great Leap Forward"; people being forced to work on communal farms, starving to death, cut off from the rest of the world. America, basically the last country standing, is starting to collapse in on itself. But at the start of the novel (which spans about four years), business is mostly running as usual.

Dagny Taggert is the Vice President of Operations at Taggert Transcontinental, the railroad company founded by her ancestor Nat Taggert, whom she admires for the fact that he was a pioneering businessman, an early industrialist who didn't let anything stand in the way of his goals. Being a woman in power, people are respectful but wary of her. Her brother James, who ineptly runs of the company (though it is really his sister who competently runs the show), is very different from her. He is more eager to save face with his business allies and his buddies in Washington than in actually making decisions that will keep his company running smoothly. Dagny, in contrast, is passionate about the railroad, has been since she was a child, and wants to see it continue to progress. Her common sense manner is a stark contrast to her brother's whining excuses, as at the beginning of the novel, they argue over the fact that she has ordered steel for new rails from a reliable supplier, Hank Rearden, whom James has a grudge against...plus, he's afraid of upsetting his friend, another steel manufacturer named Orren Boyle, though his order for steel through Boyle's company has been stalled for over a year. James is prone to passionate fits of anger when he is asked to explain his reasonings, to have any sort of reason at all. His constant cry through the novel is "I can't help it!"

That seems to be the problem with most people in the country. They don't want to take responsibility for anything. In general, they don't want to think or look for answers to questions. A popular bit of slang, in response to a hopeless question, is the response, "Who is John Galt?" (They all soon find out the answer to that one). People like Dagny and Rearden are forced to shoulder the burden...and are often met with scornful resistance at that. Still, for a while, Dagny and Rearden, and others like them, are able to keep things progressing, even as the country is beginning to fall apart.

The love story between Dagny (who hasn't had a lover since Francisco d'Anconia, her childhood friend and the heir of a huge copper mining company, who seemed to have given up his dreams to become a hard-partying playboy...but instead has been trying to lead a doomed America to its final ruin) and Rearden (who is married to Lillian, a conniving bitch who aims to ruin him) drew me in. I like the character Rearden. He, along with Dagny and Francisco, are basically the three main characters of the first two parts of the text. Unlike the other two, Rearden did not inherit a company (though Dagny and Francisco, in their younger years, both tried to "earn" their places in their respective family companies); he began working as a child in a mine in Minnesota, and worked hard with only one purpose: to make money. Nothing wrong with that, though his family (who live off his fortune) have scorned him. I felt bad for him, during the scenes of him at home with his mother, wife, and brother, who are all tearing into him for doing what he loves and making a lot of money doing it (again, while they live off of his generosity). I found myself wondering: a man of so much power and dignity, why would he put up with that in his own home? I felt like he deserved to find love, and I thought that he and Dagny were a good fit. Together, they introduce his innovative Rearden Metal (some alloy that he and his scientists created, literally a super-metal) to a more-than-reluctant market when they lay it out on a new track in Colorado, which is newly bustling with industry. In defiance of people who scorn progress and don't seek answers, Dagny called the new track the John Galt Line (much to Francisco's understandable horror).

As the people in Washington and the businessmen who are in line with them set strict policies and restrictions on various industries, in blind response to the struggling economy in the country (these policies, being very short-sighted, are only to appease the beneficiaries temporarily and to gain public support), various prominent and competent businessmen (and people in other professions) begin disappearing. In fact, while it's been happening for several years already, it really begins to pick up as conditions worsen and the government's hold on businesses tightens. Dagny is frustrated as she sees men that she deals with and admires slipping away, leaving their various industries abandoned and worsening the conditions in the country. She and Rearden struggle on. She is driven by the hope of keeping her railroad running, though her brother seems to be doing everything in his power to stop it, and even as she loses competent men from the inside. The people in power, those that she was opposing, were just so freaking stupid, she was very easy to cheer on. She's also driven by a mission: first, to discover the inventor of a highly innovative motor that she and Rearden find in an abandoned auto factory in Wisconsin; later, to at least find someone with the skills to figure out how the motor works, as it was left without any of its plans, and was basically a pile of junk at that point (though she knew it for what it was). Her struggle is fascinating, as is Rearden's; first, he can't find a market for his  Metal; then, when people finally see how incredible it is, there are so many demands for it that the government makes many attempts to get the rights to it...and finally succeeds by blackmailing Rearden, threatening to expose his affair with Dagny to the public, ruining her reputation. His own scheming wife and Dagny's brother were the ones who gave the government the information.

Dagny is also determined to  find "the destroyer," the person who is behind the disappearances of the most important people in the country. Francisco is in on it, but it is the legendary John Galt himself who is running the show. Part two ends with her in hot pursuit of "the destroyer" (whom she had not yet met) as he takes away the competent young man that she'd hired to figure out the secret of the motor. Her plane crashes in wild Colorado, right in the valley where all these prominent people are living happily and hiding out. That's the start of part three.

Now, that's when things get a bit strange in this novel. Up to that point, I was rooting on Dagny and Rearden. Then, John Galt comes onto the scene. Now, I could see for a mile that he was Eddie Willer's silent friend in the terminal cafeteria, and that he was the one who built that miraculous motor. What I was not expecting was Dagny's reaction to meeting him, and I found myself getting very pissed off (to the point that I even gritted my teeth and shook my Kindle Fire as I cried, "What about Hank???"). Here's basically how the whole love-square between Dagny and these men plays out as of part three:

Dagny: John Galt? Whoa...my sworn enemy, but...damn, he's gorgeous! And so smart...baby, you are the man of my dreams. I want to fuck you so bad, I can't even sleep at night knowing you're in the next room. Hank who?

Galt: I've been stalking you for the last decade, Dagny.

Dagny: That's hot.

Galt: But I can't sleep with you until you agree to join our cause. Oh, wait, never mind, let' s just have sex under the Taggert Terminal, I know you like it kinky.

Francisco: Yeah, she does. Oh, yeah, even though I've been wanting Dagny back for the last twelve years and never even slept with any of those other women, I'm gonna let John take this one.

Rearden: By the way, I'm totally cool with this, too. John Galt is damn sexy. Besides, Francisco and I are totally gay for each other.

Francisco: He's the only man I've ever loved.

So Rearden and Francisco aren't exactly gay (that could be interpreted, but Rand was pretty homophobic, so that probably wasn't her intention...unless it was subconscious, of course...), but the rest of it sums it up pretty accurately. I didn't like Dagny very much after that, as she went through the rest of the novel all moony-eyed over Galt. When she returns to New York from the hidden valley of self-righteous greed, she does make attempts to run the railroad (though conditions have gotten extremely bad at this point...so much so that the opposing side looks dangerously ridiculous), but is mostly obsessed with getting back with Galt, though she's not quite ready to join their strike. Galt makes a speech over the airwaves of the country...a fucking speech that goes on for 60+ pages. Yeah, 60+ pages of one guy talking. I can sum up those sixty pages here: Every social view that you've ever been taught in your life is wrong. You are a human being, so you need to use your brain. Don't live off of others; make your own way. And don't let others take advantage of you.

Galt's speech sends the country into chaos. Violence erupts everywhere. The leaders, including the Head of State Mr. Thompson (there is no President mentioned in the novel...also, this "Mr. Thompson" is never given a first name), are eager to get in touch with Galt and have him fix the problems that they have created. Horny Dagny leads them right to his front door, and he is taken prisoner. In the luxurious hotel suite where he is held captive, he refuses to help the country's leaders. They finally resort to torture, but he is saved by Dagny, Franscico, Rearden, and Ragnar Danneskjold (who became an infamous pirate rather than use his brain to serve an oppressive country), and they all flee to the hidden valley to watch the country destroy itself...before returning to rebuild it, their way.

So Rand uses this extreme dystopian setting to get her political points across. And while the ideas of her characters make sense (even though these "Objectivists" do tend to go on and on...I thought Francisco himself was a windbag until I got to that John Galt speech), this is in contrast to their opponents, who contradict themselves constantly, who fly into fits of rage at the drop of a hat (while the Objectivists are always cool, calm, and collected), and who are usually described as being physically ugly (fat, or hunched over, or greasy...what have you; the women on this side are either "tasteless," or fatties without properly supportive bras); on the other hand, those cool Objectivists always get their point across (even if they go on and on and on in doing so...there's something to be said about being succinct), and they're also extremely good-looking. Dagny is beautiful, of course, while her brother is a balding, hunched-over mess; John Galt is literally described as being a bronze-haired Greek god, while Orren Boyle is a big fat turd. It's so simple in Rand's world; what about when the enemy has a handsome face, and when he is a good talker? What then?

That aside, there were points that Rand brought up that I agree with, not just in a political sense, but in a personal sense as well. There was also plenty that I did not agree with. Here's a list of the points valued by Rand, that I happen to agree with:

-People need to be competent in their professions. That's pretty common-sense stuff right there. If you have a job, DO IT.

-Don't spend (or consume) more than you have! That's how debt is created...a major problem in America today.

-The mixing of private industry and politics is dirty business. It was so in the novel, and what scared me most about it was that those sort of dirty dealings are going on constantly in our government today...and none of it means good news for me, I know that much.

-Irresponsible lending (whether by banks or institutions, or from one individual to another) leads to trouble. We saw that very clearly with these bank bail-outs of just a few years ago (and again, this idea that a company is "too big to fail"...says who?). Those kind of bail-outs reminded me exactly of the kind of desperate policy-making going on in the novel. That really spoke to me, for sure.

-Nobody owes you anything. It is each person's responsibility to go out and make his or her own way. That's been a driving idea in my personal life.

-Own up to your responsibilities and your actions! People in the novel were afraid of making important decisions, because they did not want to suffer the consequences. Dagny was not one such person; she was always willing to take the fall, as long as she could get done what needed to be done. I feel like a lot of people today are afraid in this same way; if they act, they'll have to be held responsible for those actions, and wouldn't it be safer just to NOT act and let others take the fall? That's a very dangerous attitude...

-You have a brain...USE IT!

-Be up-front with people. I agreed with that and admired that trait in the protagonists, and found the way that the antagonists avoided actually answering any straight questions to be more than annoying.

-It is moral and necessary for the societies and institutions of man to progress.

But there are just as many things that I do not agree with Rand on:

-Rand's views on public education, as expressed in the novel, are very negative. As an educator, I certainly don't look at education being an evil institution poisoning the minds of youth. I do think that education needs to be reformed, in a progressive way; make the learning in the classrooms, and the way that classrooms are run, reflect the real expectations of the outside world. I feel like traditional classrooms really aren't preparing our children for the 21st century, and major budget cuts on education (which Rand would definitely support, as she was in favor of completely eliminating income taxes) aren't helping in that regard. But evil? That's very extreme.

-As I just mentioned, Rand did not believe in income taxes. She believed that government should be stripped down to courts, police, and army...and that's basically it (as proposed by Galt in the novel). Um...and where did she suppose the money would come from to pay these employees? And what about the other services that the government provides...like road maintenance? She certainly would want to dismantle all other public institutions, like welfare, and would be staunchly opposed to public health care, which, as I wrote in a previous posting, I support. I don't mind putting in my share to make sure I have these things...because I need them! Because I use the roads, and if I'm paying in to public health care, I know that I'll get what I'm paying for when I need it (again, if Canada can make it work...). Her views in this regard was very simplistic, and not even in Galt's 60+ page rant did he explain why this would be a viable form of government.

-Galt and the others on his side support looking out for one's own best interest. I agree, but I also think that we do need to look out for our fellow man. Charity is important, just so long as people remember that charity begins in the home, and that they aren't sacrificing themselves in order to help others...which is what Galt and his friends are really against, anyway.

-Rand's theory seems to simple: if you work hard enough, you'll be as successful as you deserve to be. The people who don't succeed are just whiny little bitches, anyway (and the failures in this novel certainly are). Again, very simplistic. What about minority races (who are not even mentioned in this novel, not at all)? There are many complex sociological factors that keep Indians on the rez, or blacks in the ghetto. What about them? It's not so simple when you stack up her ideas against the real world.

There were times, especially as the Objectivist characters went on and on, that I wanted to roll my eyes and tell them to just shut up. But for the most part, I enjoyed the story (though Part Three got pretty ridiculous). I don't feel that this book was a waste of my time; I'm glad that I read it, but I'm glad that I'm done with it, too. Rand got to be a bit much at times, and I was overloading myself on reading almost every day just to get done with it. A couple of "fun" books are in order...

The famous Atlas statue in New York. It is often used as a symbol for people who embrace the philosophy of Objectivism. Francisco's explanation of the novel's title was entirely unnecessary, by the way...

I don't think that the person who created this silly Valentine quite got the essence of Rand's ideas, but it's still silly.

Book #22: The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon

Book #22: The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King

June 1, 2013


I'll admit that I felt like I was "cheating" a bit when I picked this book up at the library. After all, with this whole book-reading challenge thing, I'm supposed to be reading authors and genres that I don't typically delve into. And I've actually read quite a bit of Stephen King. He's one of my favorite authors, in fact. Horror isn't my favorite genre in the least, but I love his writing. He creates these characters who seem so real and are so fascinating, especially as he shows them in some of their darkest or most frightening and vulnerable moments. At times I've been disappointed with how he's ending his books (Needful Things, for example, was a very tense story full of interesting characters, and I just was not satisfied with the ending in the least), but overall I appreciate those characters and their personal stories, perhaps even more than the main plot.

In this story, he weaves those pretty well. Trisha is a 9-year-old girl, kind of a "tom-boy," you might say, who is dealing with a lot of family shit. Nothing too unusual in itself; her parents have split up and her mom moved her and her dorky (but nice) older brother to her hometown. Her father drinks a lot (too much). The cause of the parents' split isn't clearly defined, probably because Trisha isn't totally aware of it herself, but perhaps the dad's drinking was a big factor in it. Her mom and brother fight constantly; he's a computer nerd, and in suburban Boston, that wasn't so much of an issue...in more back-woodsy New Hampshire, it is, and  he's bullied at school. Trisha's own issues seem to stem from dealing with her family's troubles; mostly, she's a cheerful, bright but not exceptional kid, who loves baseball...and has a crush on Red Sox pitcher Tom Gordon (see his picture below...he was a good-looking guy back in 1998 for sure).

One Saturday in June, Trisha and her bickering mom and brother are taking a hike in Maine. She wanders off the path to pee, and loses her way. Her initial mistakes are irritating; she ought to know that, the second you realize you're lost, you stay put, right? But as the story went on, and she wanders helplessly, staying alive but desperately looking for a way out while she is being hunted by some deadly creature, it got harder to judge her decisions as I sat comfortably on my couch. I admired her bravery in the situation, lost in the woods for nine freaking days, knowing that she was being hunted by some kind of unearthly creature (it finally manifests itself in the form of a bear, but not quite a bear; I found this ending to be somewhat appropriate, not a huge disappointment). In the end, she stood her ground and fought for her life; she did not run away. She had the guiding spirit of an imagined Tom Gordon to advise her.

Her Walkman radio, and the idea of Gordon getting to play, kept her going during the difficult, frightening, and disgusting days in the New England wilderness. That was all that she had with her, after her little Gameboy busted when she had a hard roll down a rocky slope. Though this story is fairly modern (published in 1999, one of the newer King works I've read), nowadays it wouldn't happen; a kid Trisha's age would have a Smartphone or something, and would probably get enough of a signal to be able to call for help, or use GPS, or whatever. Pretty amazing how technology has changed that much in even 15 years.

I cannot help but compare myself to Trisha. Nine years old in 1998 would make her only a year younger than I was then. Would I have been as brave as she was? Shit, I probably wouldn't be that brave even now. Then again, a person does what she has to do in order to survive, right? The book mentions at one point (I think as Trisha is wading, in her stocking feet, through a nasty muddy swamp) that human beings can adapt to anything, and I've heard that before. And I guess its true.

As far as Stephen King books go, this one is probably the shortest I've ever read. It would have been nice if he'd lengthened it out just a little bit, maybe with just a small bit to show whether or not the parents get back together (they briefly reunited the night that their daughter went missing), but overall I felt like the length was appropriate. Then again, I've breezed through some hefty ones before. He writes stories of all sorts of lengths; some of his best work are his short stories and novellas (I absolutely love the collection Different Seasons, I even used a couple of the stories from that with my seniors at my last teaching job). Even though the character in this story is so young, I still think that it's mostly meant for adults, maybe young adults as well (as there is some mention of 'fucking' a child, as the police receive a false tip about Trisha being picked up by a child molester). This wasn't my favorite King novel, not by a long shot, but overall it was a pretty satisfying read. So I may have cheated a bit in the challenge, but I was craving a little Stephen King (especially after the weeks of plowing through Tolstoy). I'm still reading, and I'm still posting about it for anybody who may want to read about it (for God knows what reason), so I guess that's what matters, right?

Tom Gordon, when he played for the Red Sox. Trisha was in love with his eyes, and his "stillness" on the pitcher's mound. He did not play for Boston very long, and jumped around teams (including the Yankees, the Cubs, and the D-Backs) until his retirement in 2009.

This is how I picture a forest in New England. I guess Trisha's forest would have looked like this (without the colors, as it was late spring), lovely but deceptively treacherous.