Review: Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

Disturbing, powerful story, well told. Not an easy read due to the racially charged language and incidents but they are central to the telling of the story. The writing speaks a dark truth of circumstance and environment. Definitely a story with impact and will not easily be forgotten. My first Tom Franklin read. Looking forward to reading his other works.

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REVIEW: Mary Shelly (film; 2017)

I know the rating on IMDB is only 6.4 but I absolutely loved it. Elle Fanning's performance was stupendous, as was the rest of this young but talented cast.

Beautiful telling giving the insight into the relationships that brought about the pain she channeled into this writing.

One of my favorite books of all time. They did a spectacular job of portraying it's inspiration and how it all came to life for her. Better than any telling I've seen as yet.

...and to have it come from such young talents gives me hope that her writing won't be forgotten and dismissed as some series of Hollywood tales. That a new generation will see the depth and intensity of the truth behind the story.

Mary Shelley
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3906082/

REVIEW: A Study of Psychology, Ethics, and Morality via Three Identical Strangers

I remember this story all over the news growing up. It fascinated me and had a lot to do with me pursuing my degree in psychology so I was intrigued to see what happened after the initial reunion years... but it takes a dark turn that is heartbreaking, disturbing, maddening, angering.

My focus of study was always what drives human behavior - nature vs nurture, the effects of abuse/neglect/home life during childhood years, addictions, depression, OCD, anxiety, forensics, serial killers, cult followings, racism, semitism/Holocaust, apartheid, etc. - as well as ethics.

Despite how incredibly valuable these nature vs nurture, multiple birth/parenting studies are from a scientific perspective, there is always the questions of intrusion, unintentional, or, at the very least, unrecognized bias due to manipulation of environment to outright insertion of the researcher directly into the study... and, most importantly, of science and morality.

This entire story is unconscionable...the mental gymnastics of those who participated in the orchestration of it, in justifying or excusing their own complicity, duplicity...

If you haven't watched it, it is riveting and powerful but upsetting and disturbing. It has reignited, yet again, all those things that drove my studies so many years ago. We know much more as a result of these of studies but at what a tragic, horrible cost.

I completely blame those involved in their separation so very young with such planned, nefarious purpose for what happened to them as children, in their teen years, and as adults. The damage done by their separation displayed itself dramatically even when they were toddlers (especially in retrospect)..and they owe them explanations and complete access to these studies. Apologies (which they will never receive) don't even begin to touch what they did. I cannot shake the repetitive phrase "by design" as the latter portion of the story is unveiled and knowing those records were deliberately sealed until the youngest of the victimized children are all deceased.

CNN did a beautiful job with this piece (not at all surprising)... and I've had Pulitzer prize winner Lawrence Wright's work on my TBR list for ages. I especially want to read his book "Twins" (as well as the one on Al Qeuda that won him that Pulitzer).

I have to add... this story is made devastatingly more powerful and disturbing in light of the separation of migrant children from their parents and siblings at the US/Mexican border and even beyond, leaving them with little to zero knowledge of their background (depending on age) along with the inherent, devastating initial trauma of their separation and the twisted fabrications and factual distortions used to justify those actions.

It's a shame ... this aspect of human nature.

Three Identical Strangers
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7664504/

Review: Calypso

Calypso by David Sedaris
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Finished this in 2018 but never updated on Goodreads/posted a review.

This was my first foray into the world and writing of David Sedaris. After listening to his interviews on NPR and hearing him read excerpts from this book, I was so excited to dive into his world. Charming, witty, effervescent, and moving, it is all I had heard his writing to be.

The old adage of "I laughed, I cried..." is so true for this book. I truly laughed out loud throughout this book and caught myself anywhere from a lump in my throat to full actual tears a few times as well.

I am so glad to finally have delved into the literary world of Mr. Sedaris...and I have a LOT of catching up to do!

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Review: The Winter Soldier

The Winter Soldier by Daniel Mason
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Actual rating: 4.5

So...I wrote this review and was almost finished when my browser decided to crash. I can't reproduce the original review but I'll try to revisit what I had written.

I spent a couple of months on the waiting list for this book and was so excited when it was my turn. I had heard so much about it and so many comparisons to Doctor Zhivago. My personal take upon finishing? I would peg it as a cross between Doctor Zhivago, Cold Mountain, The Way We Were, and...I'm still struggling for something I just can't place.

The writing is eloquent, the language gorgeous. The imagery of the land, the period, the clothing, the people, the lives are so vivid you can honestly see them. You can practically feel the coldness of the air and smell the snow falling to blanket the ground.

What struck me most is the intimacy. It is rare to feel so close to a character. I don't mean connect. I don't mean identify. I mean physically feel so close. It is almost as though you are a witness, standing literally by their side watching as they struggle to care for their patients, as they face their own insecurities and vulnerabilities. You feel almost as if you are trespassing on their private moments, able to witness what passes between the characters as if you are somehow connected to them mentally, emotionally.

It took me a long time to get through this, by no fault of the story, the author, the language. I just tackled it after a touch life obstacle. I wish I could've delved into it in a more timely fashion to truly savor the flow and the beauty of it in one fell swoop instead of so broken up...but I cannot recommend it enough.

I will close with this. I have only read 2 other books that ended like this. The story unfolds and you are living their lives alongside them. As you near the ending, you are not quite sure where it's going to go. You suspect you do and you keep looking at how many pages you have left and wondering how it will wind down in those final pages...until you reach the last 3 pages, when your heart will swell...and falter...and be crushed...and fill so full the tears fall. When I closed the book, I wanted nothing more than to sit in a corner and cry out all the emotion, good and bad. It is an ending...and a story...I will truly never forget.

...and when someone decides to turn it into a film, I will be standing at the front of the line, praying they keep true to the story and waiting to treasure every minute of it.

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