The Given by Vicki Pettersson

The Given by Vicki Pettersson: It is not very often that I get the pleasure to read a book the day it is released to the public. To add to the joy of waking up to a new book in my Kindle account, I had the luxury of meeting with the beautiful and witty Vicki herself that evening (5/27). As luck would have it, my schedule aligned perfectly to allow me to finish by Wednesday afternoon.

            As always, I relished in the detail of the descriptions of even seemingly trivial items. As a reader, I appreciate when the author takes the time to consider all the senses of the characters. This affects my senses as well. I especially appreciate the intimacy between Kit and Griff, but also between Kit and Frank. With the strength and resilience of Kit and Griff’s relationship, I wonder if Vicki draws on personal experience. I hope I do not lean too heavily on woman’s intuition when I opine that she enjoys a healthy, supportive marriage.

            Getting back to the book: I like how everything comes full-circle, back to the beginning, back to the end. All the loose ends are tied. All the questions are answered. In so doing, the last nail is hammered in the coffin of this series…almost (eyebrow raised). If I know Vicki (which I can only hope to) she will find a way, if she so chooses.

            I will search for her previous offering to read when I have a few more minutes between semesters, and I am definitely looking forward to her next release J

That’s how I understand things,

Laura

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

            For a few weeks, I am between semesters. This means I am able to search for books that interest me, not just books that fill an educational need. With this in mind, I browsed through the David R. Parks Lending Library at The Center, looking for a good book about Intersex people. I checked out Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides. The synopsis on the back of the book states that Callie is not like other girls because of “the astonishing genetic history that turns Callie into Cal.” I believe in judging a book by the cover, at least by the synopsis on the cover. Based on the synopsis on the cover of this book, I decided to take it home.

            Callie is raised as a girl, and finds out at the age of fourteen that she is actually a male. He changes his name to Cal, changes his clothing, the way he walks, the way he talks, and his mannerisms. In short, everything about himself. Without ruining the storyline, this is not as easy as I make it sound. Additionally, the book is not really about this transformation. Three quarters of the book is really about the family dynamics for two generations prior to Cal. I did appreciate the personal perspective of the emotional changes Cal went through. Additionally, I found it poignant that people in the story think they have Cal pegged as a certain type of person, and "knew it all along", even though they have no idea. Cal takes this all in stride, but I feel this is typical of certain people. This story is obviously fictionalized, but reads as if it is based on a true story.

            I enjoyed the perspectives provided by Eugenides, and I hope you will too.

That’s how I understand things,

Laura

Semester Work Spring 2014 (2)

Here is an update, for all of you waiting with baited breath for the updated essay concerning business ethics

IDS 804: Ethics in Corporate Practice
This is almost completely re-written, and will look and read much differently than the original. I hope I receive a good grade on both of these essays, as I obviously put a lot of research and writing time and effort into both of them.

I will keep my readers posted on my progress.

That is how I understand things,
Laura