Reported by Ambrea
This
week, Nevermore started their meeting with a look at Dalton Trumbo’s novel Johnny Got His Gun. Set during the horrors of World War I, Johnny Got His Gun tells the story of
Joe Bonham, a young American soldier who one day awakens in the infirmary to
find that he has lost his arms, legs, and most of his face, becoming a prisoner
in his own body. As he struggles to communicate
with the outside world, his mind drifts between reality and fantasy as he
remembers his old life and struggles with the reality of his new
condition. Johnny Got His Gun was a revisit for our Nevermore reader, who
called Trumpo’s novel “frightening [but] so, so important.” She noted this novel has gone out of print,
been banned and challenged, but she said it’s a story that needs saying—it’s a
novel that has impact and deserves to be read.
She highly recommended it as one of the most jarring—and best—books
she’s read.
On
a lighter note, Nevermore took up Hope
Never Dies by Andrew Shaffer. In
this humorous novel—the first ever published work of Obama/Biden
fiction—Shaffer brings back former Vice President Joe Biden and former
President Barack Obama as unexpectedly successful detectives. Our reader picked up Hope Never Dies, because she found the cover amusing, but she
quickly discovered it was actually a very good, very funny novel. She found the mystery suitably intriguing and
the humor spot on; she said it was a quick, easy (and hilarious) read that
served as a great high note amidst some more depressing fare.
Next,
Nevermore shared Like Family: Growing Up in Other People’s Houses by
Paula McLain. Paula and her two sisters
were abandoned by their parents and became wards of the State very early in
their lives, spending the next 14 years in foster homes across California. Her memoir accurately captures the upheaval
and loneliness and distress a life in foster homes can cause, as well as the daily
struggles of trying to hold their remaining “family” together. Our reader said Like Family was a very readable, very well-written memoir that
paints a raw, honest picture of the foster care system. She found McLain’s story to be heartbreaking,
but fascinating and, ultimately, uplifting. She highly recommended it, especially to fans
of The Liar’s Club and The Glass Castle.
Sticking
to the vein of memoirs, Nevermore picked up Andrea Bocelli’s The Music of Silence. Bocelli is a world-famous tenor, a classical
singer who made his name in opera; however, Bocelli’s path to stardom was far
from easy. Although he lost his eyesight
by the age of twelve to glaucoma, he invested himself into his music and, by
1992, he finally reached international acclaim.
Our reader said The Music of
Silence was an interesting book.
While it is labeled as a memoir, Bocelli often speaks in the third
person, which she found a bit jarring.
Regardless, our reader enjoyed Bocelli’s memoir and rated it very highly
as one of the better books she’s read on famous musical personalities.
Last,
Nevermore explored A House for Mr. Biswas
by Nobel Prize-winner V.S. Naipaul.
Mohun Biswas has spent his life trying to find autonomy, struggle to
gain independence from one domineering group or another; however, rather than
finding his own personal peace, he faces a lifetime of trials that ultimately
shape him. Our reader fell in love with
Naipaul’s novel. “[I] love the
expression of language…[and I] really like the hero,” she told Nevermore. She raved that Naipaul’s writing was
wonderful; in fact, she considers him to be “one of the best writers I’ve ever
read.” Although A House for Mr. Biswas flirts with tragedy, she said it was a very
good novel with humor and heart and beauty—and she highly recommended it to her
fellow readers.
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