Book #4 in the Big Book Read

I borrowed a stack of books recently from my friend Lisa. She is usually my source for a good read, and I have to confess, all 3 of my thus-far postings for the Big Book Read have been books from her; number 4 is one as well. But I'm wondering how she ended up with these books that are, I now see, geared for the younger reader?!? Not that they aren't really good books! Many of my most favorite books ever are those written for a younger audience: for example, "Walk Two Moons," by Sharon Creech --- if you haven't read it, do. It's awesome. I may just have to re-read it so I can write about it here!

Book number 4 in the Big Book Read marathon is "Freaky Green Eyes," by Joyce Carol Oates, published in 2003. It's another story about a family with a secret, and this secret is so huge that even the people closest to it keep it a secret from themselves.

As an adult myself, it's easy for me to be aware that all kinds of people can be in major denial about the things going on in their lives, in their families. In my work, I have learned that children often love and cling to those who may be abusing them, feeling that this is all they know, and that this is all they have. I also know that adults, especially women, often behave the same way toward an abuser.
In "Freaky Green Eyes," Francesca "Franky" Pierson, 15 years old, tells us, in a first person narrative, the story of her family: her dynamic, charismatic father; submissive, artistic mother; timid 10-year-old sister Samantha; college football-playing brother Todd. And Franky herself, who discovers at age 14 another voice inside her head, strong and not a little scary, a voice that tells the truth. She names this "other" -- "Freaky Green Eyes." And it is Freaky that finally helps Franky see what has been going on in her life, in her family.
As Franky narrates her story, we, her audience, begin to see very clearly what it is that Franky and her siblings can't - or won't. A father who is a celebrity, former pro football star now sportscaster, for whom image matters a great deal, for whom family matters a great deal. A disciplinarian who maintains order in this family through psychological manipulation, physical punishment, and terror. A mother desperate, frightened - and stuck. A younger sister so suppressed her true feelings can only come out in nightmares. And an older brother so inured to the situation, he believes all is well, all is right, and who is on a path that will only create a monster like his own father in himself sooner rather than later.
The tension in this story builds and builds to a terrible event, and we wonder if Franky will listen to the voice of Freaky in time to save any of them.

Joyce Carol Oates has a deserved reputation as a writer, and "Freaky Green Eyes" will stick in your head.

Book 3

Book #3: "Departures" by Lorna J. Cook. The main characters in "Departures" are two teens, brother and sister, and the narrative shifts back and forth between their perspectives. Suzan VanderZee is seventeen; her story is a fairly typical coming-of-age tale: she feels misunderstood, is impatient and critical of the rest of her family, at odds with her mother. She lives in her head, and her head is full of the Brontes, Tess of the D'Urbervilles, The Secret Garden. She dreams of fleeing the confines, the constraints, of home. And she has a secret.
Brother Evan is fifteen, and is struggling with typical 15-year-old boy issues: girls. One girl in particular. He, too, dreams of escape from family, from small town life. But all families have secrets and complexities and tensions and vulnerabilities, and the VanderZees are no exception. How their lives play out over the course of this telling, a space of several months, demonstrates well that what appears to be an average American family is, like most, anything but average.

While I enjoyed the book overall, I occasionally felt that the main characters were a little too, shall we say, insufferably self-aware for a couple of youngsters. At times I couldn't decide who the intended audience was for this story, whether it was directed more toward young adults than the more mature variety. Either way, it was a relatively quick read, and had a few twists that kept it interesting.

Book 1

Book #1: “Middlesex” by Jeffrey Eugenides. Multi-generational tale of a Greek family emigrating to the U.S. in the 1920's, settling in Detroit. The narrator and protagonist of the story is Cal Stephanides, born Calliope, 3rd generation; born a girl in 1960, this is the story of how a "wayward gene" makes its way through the family to her, with some seriously complex results. Eugenides, who also wrote “The Virgin Suicides,” draws a vivid picture of life for an immigrant family in twentieth century America, specifically in the Detroit area (his hometown). An enjoyable read: great characters, historical context, and a medical mystery of sorts.

Book #2 in the Big Book Read 2010

Book 2: "Still Alice" by Lisa Genova. If you are fifty years old, or close to it, this book will FREAK YOU OUT! Have you ever walked into the next room only to ask yourself, "Why did I come in here?" Or headed out to the car, only to think, "Wait. Where am I going?" Ah, the tricks of memory...
"Still Alice" is the story of 50 year old Alice Howland, a brilliant and accomplished professor of cognitive psychology at Harvard -- who develops early onset Alzheimer's Disease. Genova, in her first novel, draws on her background as a neuroscientist to paint a vivid and disturbing portrait as the first signs of this terrible disease appear in Alice's life; we watch as Alice comes to realize quickly that something is very wrong, seeks help, and is hit with that unexpected diagnosis. This story is her journey into a pretty dark place, from which there is no return; it is also the story of the impact on family, friends, and colleagues. Well written and informative. 'Nuff said. Wait. What was I talking about????.......