On Writing (Stephen King)

Another book by prolific writer Stephen King . . . thinking blood, gore, creepy crawly, and just plain scary stuff? Not quite. Although it holds surprises to be sure; King's own life is its own roller coaster ride for one, which I never would have imagined, considering his fame and fortune. Yet, reading this book made this reader wide-eyed with fan-struck awe--with that same sense of glee and giddiness felt when a real-live star or published author makes an appearance. As if in that moment, there is a person, a real person. Maybe that's why the advice to the burgeoning writer to write the same clear, concise, "adverb-free" prose comes like a gift, a pearl of sorts. Or maybe it's because the book is a story of the man as much as it is a the story of how to write. And one knows a book is good, if it inspires.

Enrique's Journey (Sonia Nazario)

I've got Sonia Nazario's Enrique's Journey in my bag today, destined to go back to the library, finally after a second checkout. And that's not because I had trouble getting through it, it's because I couldn't bear to return it without finishing this very sad, sad tale of a boy's journey from Guatemala on the trains to find his mother who'd gone north to the U.S. work (and feed her son and daughter) when they were very, very young. What's so sad about this story is that it is not unique. Thousands upon thousands of mothers in Central America leave their children with families to find work and send money home. If they don't, then they watch their children suffer, starve, and never get an education that could get them out of the poverty they were born into. Yet, Enrique's journey, too, is not unique. Many young children attempt to go north to find their mother, and because they do, many are beaten up, lose limbs, raped, or are murdered. Nazario spins the tale as if she is with Enrique the whole time, on every attempt (he tried 6 times and was deported back to Guatemala, only reaching the U.S. on his seventh attempt), and that's because Nazario, a Los Angeles Times reporter has done some excellent investigative reporting. She writes that it took her five years to complete the book, which is based on a series that appeared first in the newspaper. What she also does so well is convince the reader that this is not just Central America's problem. It is ours, too, in the U.S. And even as we ratchet up more officers and fences along the Mexican border, more and more illegal immigrants like Enrique are still trying, despite the risks. Because the alternative is also suffering, just of another kind.

A Death in Belmont (Sebastian Junger)

I'm also on a non-fiction diet. This one was gripping . . . in the way that only books about serial murders can be. As in, how long is it going to take before they catch the guy. What makes this "hit home" is that the author--Sebastian Junger, who is also a journalist--had met the man who was finally arrested for the murders in Boston. In fact, the man had helped build an art studio for his mother, and so he was often on their property and in their house. And when the neighbor woman was killed, and if this same man did it, he would have killed the woman during his lunch hour. C-r-e-e-p-y. But that's not all. A black man (who had been hired that same day to help clean the house and was supposedly the last person to see the woman alive) was accused (and convicted) of the murder of that neighbor--a murder that seemed very much like the murders that the serial murderer committed and admitted to. So, how much the racial issues of the time tainted the verdict is debated by Junger in this book. As is the history of Boston and of the death of President Kennedy--who is murdered on the eve of the conviction. Junger is also the author of "The Perfect Storm." So, if anyone has a knack for suspense, he certainly leads the pack in "terrific."