A Winding Road...

Title: Something Fierce: Memoirs of a Revolutionary Daughter

Author: Carmen Aguirre

Genre: Memoir

Length: 277 pgs

First line of the book: “As my mother bit into her Big Mac, her glasses caught the reflection of a purple neon light somewhere behind me.”

Summary: [From inside flaps] On September 11, 1973, a violent coup removed Salvador Allende, the democratically elected socialist president of Chile, from office. Thousands were rounded up, tortured and killed under General Augusto Pinochet’s brutal new regime… Dramatic, moving and darkly comic, Something Fierce takes the reader inside war-ridden Peru, dictatorship-run Bolivia, post-Malvinas Argentina and Pinochet’s Chile in the eventful decade between 1979 and 1989. With passion and remarkable candour, Carmen Aguirre offers a rare first-hand account of revolutionary life. This is a gripping story of love, war and resistance.

How you found the book: Bought at the CBC. This book is one of the five featured as part of Canada Reads.

Opinion: Aguirre’s tale is raw and honest. Page after page shattered the misconceptions I held about revolutionary actions. It is not only the guerilla warfare I’d imagined. Even banging pots and pans was a brave act of resistance. Several times I had to remind myself that this book is not fiction; that this was the reality for many brave men and women. Though I am not Chilean I feel like Aguirre was telling the story of my people. Her narrative invites readers to have conversations about South America and the Caribbean and the potential for an alternative to the status quo. I am so inspired by this story and her strength.

Recommend? YES! Get it now so you’ll be ready for the debates in February. 

Genre: Historical Fiction

Length: 280 pgs

First line of the book: “Scarlet robes were the only sure way to achieve anonymity in public.”

Summary: [From back of the book] The Sky’s Dark Labyrinth follows the stories of Johannes Kepler—a German Lutheran and the first man to distill how stars and planets moved according to mathematical laws—and Galileo Galilei. An Italian Catholic, Galileo will try to claim Kepler’s success for his own Church, but he finds himself enmeshed in a web of intrigue originating from within the Vatican itself. Both men are trapped by human ignorance and irrational terror to the peril of their lives and those of their families in one of the darkest, yet also one of the most enlightening, periods of European history.

How I found the book: This book was sent to me as part of The Sky’s Dark Labyrinth blog tour 

Opinion: The summary does the book a huge disservice. I was afraid it would be a painful anti-Catholic diatribe. Luckily, I was pleasantly surprised. Yes, church institutions play a huge part in the plot but it is set in the 17^th century so that can’t be helped. Overall, the struggle between the Lutheran and Catholic Churches was more political than theological (which I loved) and there was enough diversity within each group to ensure that no sweeping generalizations could be made.

I always say that characterization can make or break a book and this one was no exception. Clark adds depth and dimension to astronomers who had simply been names in my science textbook. Kepler and Galileo were brilliant scientists, but Clark also portrays them as regular people with dreams and insecurities that any reader can relate to. As the their narratives wove together, I found myself saying, “Awwww! Poor Kepler,” (he always seems to draw the short straw) and “GAH! Galileo! Stop talking!” (he has this uncanny ability to make a bad situation worse). Emotional response? Check.

As an added bonus, the science was not intimidating at all. Clark cleverly had the astronomers use wonderful analogies to describe the complex theories to characters who were not scientists. And with the benefit of hindsight, I could even feel smarter than these mathematicians. I mean Tycho’s arrangement of the planets was just silly—not to mention it would have been a pain to make a model of it in grade school.

Recommend? Absolutely! To put it simply, I enjoyed The Sky’s Dark Labyrinth for the same reason I love Philippa Gregory’s Tudor Court novels: it’s got drama, politics, and yes, even a little sex appeal. ;)

• The Return 
• The Hunger Games Trilogy
• The Sky’s Dark Labyrinth 

Title: The No-Nonsense Guide to Tourism

Author: Pamela Nowicka

Genre: Guide

Length: 144 pages

First line of the book: “Being a tourist is easy but tourism is complex.”

Summary: [From back cover] Pamela Nowicka explores the third biggest industry in the world (after oil and narcotics). Taking the reader on a trip through the early days of travel, up to the first package tours and today’s mass tourism, she argues that we in the West could help more by travelling less and being more aware and discerning when we do travel. This compelling and fascinating book will show you the hidden impacts of tourism.

How you found the book: Bought it at the Between the Lines booth at Word on the Street Toronto.

Opinion: Overall I think this is a good book. It feature a lot of graphs and sidebars that explain her points in further detail or demonstrate them by use of anecdotes. I do feel that the rhetoric gets a bit repetitive, especially since I studied this topic before. However it is indeed a great guide.

Recommend? If you have never read analysis about the harmful impact of tourism, then yes, I absolutely recommend this book. If you are already familiar with the subject, I suggest you skip to chapter 7 which provides practical tips on how you can make a difference. 

Working on my review of The Stone Diaries. In the meantime, check out great reviews at the Review Game.