Category Archives: American Literature

The Civility Solution by PM Forni

American Literature September 8, 2008 Superfast Reader 7 Comments

Synopsis: People are rude–and here’s what you can do about it. Review: I would like to see everyone in the world read The Civility Solution. It always baffles me how much rudeness is out there in the world. When I was pregnant, I was constantly amazed that people would not give me a seat on the subway, for example. Or the ever increasing hordes of cell phone yakkers. As my best friend would say, “The nerve of some people’s children!” I suppose endorsing this book…

Rules for Saying Goodbye by Katherine Taylor

American Literature September 8, 2008 Superfast Reader 3 Comments

Synopsis: An episodic look at the life of a California girl living in New York. Review: I do not like to give negative reviews on this blog so I will just say that I finally gave up on Rules for Saying Goodbye with only 70 pages to go. I did not like that it was a memoir disguised as fiction. I wasn’t crazy about the arch, tinny dialogue. I never cared about the protagonist/author. It was not for me. I will say I did enjoy…

Gilead by Marilynne Robinson

American Literature September 3, 2008 Superfast Reader 1 Comment

Synopsis: An aging minister writes a letter to his young son, telling him all he’ll never have the chance to tell him when his son is a man. Review: “Just now I was listening to a song on the radio, standing there swaying to it a little, I guess, because your mother saw me from the hallway and she said, ‘I could show you how to do that.’ She came and put her arms around me and put her head on my shoulder, and after…

Cycler by Lauren McLaughlin

American Literature August 26, 2008 Superfast Reader 3 Comments

Synopsis: High school senior Jill is “all girl”–except for 4 days out of the month, when she turns into Jack, who happens to be in love with her best friend. Review: Cycler has quite the premise, with Jill literally transforming from girl to boy once a month, right after her period ends. Girly girl Jill wants nothing to do with horny boy’s boy Jack, and has an elaborate ritual to keep memories of his four days at bay. Her mom loathes Jack as well, and…

Grace Based Parenting by Dr. Tim Kimmel

American Literature August 23, 2008 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: A parenting book that looks at the bigger picture of raising adults, not children. Review: Grace Based Parenting really resonated with me. I’ve been a bit frustrated as I read about parenting, because it seems like everything has to be a method, a program, or a way of life. I have really been searching for a framework in which to carve out my own path with Superfast Baby, and this book gave me just that. Dr. Kimmel is a youth pastor, and I have…

Teaser Tuesday–Gilead by Marilynne Robinson

American Literature, On Reading August 12, 2008 Superfast Reader

A fun new meme! TEASER TUESDAYS ask you to: # Grab your current read. # Let the book fall open to a random page. # Share with us two (2) â€œteaserâ€ sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12. # You also need to share the title of the book that youâ€™re getting your â€œteaserâ€ from â€¦ that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser youâ€™ve given! # Please avoid spoilers! From Gilead by Marilynne Robinson. I…

Two Books on Breastfeeding Issues

American Literature August 8, 2008 Superfast Reader 3 Comments

Milk, Money, and Madness by Naomi Baumslag and Dia L. Michels Mother’s Milk by Bernice Hausman I’m researching an essay on breastfeeding practices and ended up reading these two dense and serious tomes that delve into America’s abysmally low breastfeeding rates. The American Association of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding for at least a year, and the World Health Organization recommends at least two. Yet many women opt out of trying, or give up at some point well before a year. Milk, Money and Madness examines the…

Our Babies, Ourselves by Meredith Small

American Literature August 1, 2008 Superfast Reader 6 Comments

Synopsis: An exploration of how parenting styles around the world bring into question our definition of normal infant behavior. Review: I was familiar already with a lot of the content of Our Babies, Ourselves, because Meredith Small’s findings crop up in a lot of literature on attachment parenting. However, it was still well worth reading because she delves so deeply into issues of evolution, natural selection, biology, and human development to demonstrate why parenting styles vary across cultural lines. She looks at tribes like the…

Parenting, Inc by Pamela Paul

American Literature July 31, 2008 Superfast Reader 2 Comments

Synopsis: An overview of the craze for consumption that has overtaken American parents. Review: I would’ve read Parenting, Inc even if I didn’t have a baby, because I find spenders (and hoarders, too) to be endlessly fascinating. I’ve also been interested in child development since I was in high school, and of course as a new mother I was really curious to see what Pamela Paul discovered about the baby industry. Surprise, surprise–people will say anything to make money! And parents are more than willing…

Button, Button by Richard Matheson

American Literature July 28, 2008 Superfast Reader 6 Comments

Synopsis: A collection of short stories by a preeminent contributor to “The Twilight Zone.” Review: Button, Button is an uneven bit of business, purporting to highlight the very best of Richard Matheson’s “Uncanny Stories.” Some are good, one is spectacular, but others have not aged well. First, the good: “Button, Button” exhibits a flawless “Twilight Zone” concept and execution. Apparently a Cameron Diaz movie based on it is coming soon. Seems like a bad idea to me. The genius of the story demands a smallness…

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