Before You Know Kindness

 Before You Know Kindness by Chris Bohjalian

Summary:  Bohjalian’s new novel begins with a literal bang: a bullet from a hunting rifle accidentally strikes Spencer McCullough, an extreme advocate for animal rights, leaving him seriously wounded. The weapon—owned by his brother-in-law, John, and shot by his 12-year-old daughter, Charlotte—becomes the center of a lawsuit and media circus led by Spencer’s employer, FERAL (Federation for Animal Liberation), a dead ringer for PETA. The many-faceted satire Bohjalian (Midwives, etc.) crafts out of these events revolves around Spencer and Jon’s families, but also involves a host of secondary figures. Bohjalian excels at getting inside each character’s head with shifts of diction and perspective, though he makes it difficult for readers to connect with any one in particular. This is in part because his portraits are often unsympathetic; the characters are allowed to hoist themselves on their own petards. While some are credibly flawed—Spencer is both a loving father and an obnoxious activist—others are cartoonishly mocked with their own thoughts, like high-powered attorney Paige, who mourns the loss of her leather chairs and briefcases, hidden away for as long as FERAL is a lucrative client. If there is a grounded center to this work, it is 10-year-old Willow, Spencer’s niece, who distinguishes herself from this baggy ensemble by always trying to do the right thing. She alone is spared the narrator’s irony, and it is Willow, years after the accident, who has the last word. Bohjalian’s skewering of the animal rights movement gets the better of his domestic drama, but his skillful storytelling will engage readers.

My thoughts:

Bohjalian is an author I truly enjoy.  He has such a gift for painting pictures of realistic characters, who are flawed but so incredibly lovable (kinda like real people) that you can’t help but rationalize everything they do wrong.  He actually reminds me of another author I love to death, Jodi Picoult, and any fans of hers I think would love Bohjalian’s books as well.  This story was packed with rich and interesting characters just like the other two books of Bohjalian’s I have read.  The nice thing about this book is that there are several “main” characters – 7 in all – but when you’re finished reading it you really feel like you understand each and every one of those individuals.  Not only do you understand them, but by the end of the book you’ve formed an opinion on what exactly you think happened, and which characters’ personalities you liked and which ones you did not.  That is the true genius of his books – not that the stories are amazingly suspenseful and intriguing, but that the characters are so rich and truthful and lifelike that you feel like you are living the story along with them.

Another one of Bohjalian’s books that I’d strongly suggest is Midwives.  I read this a long time ago, but it’s still up there as one of my favorites, and so far is my favorite book that he’s written.

Dude, Where’s My Country

Dude, Where’s My Country? by Michael Moore

Summary:  In case anyone in Washington hasn’t noticed, Americans are fed up with the status quo. In this, the first shot fired over the bow of the 2004 Presidential election, Michael Moore aims to unseat the man who slithered into the White House on tracks built by the bloody hands of Enron and greased with the oil of his daddy. As if an unelected, semi-literate president weren’t problem enough, America’s Democrats have managed to take the liberty out of “liberal,” signing on with the G.O.P. for dirty corporate money and the ill-gotten gains of globalization. The “left” is just as satisfied as the right to stand idly by as the chasm between the haves and the have-nots grows wider and wider. Thank god for Michael Moore because DUDE, WHERE’S MY COUNTRY tells us precisely what went wrong, and, more importantly, how to fix things. In a voice that is fearless, funny, and furious, Moore takes readers to the edge of righteous laughter and divine revenge. Tapping into the collective and widespread discontent of everyday Americans, DUDE, WHERE’S MY COUNTRY provides an incisive look at Republicans, Democrats, and the robber barons of corporate America as it maps out what regular citizens can do to storm the halls of power and reclaim their stolen country.

My thoughts:

So I’m a little behind the times on this one.  This book was actually written right after 9/11, before the 2004 election, but I am just getting to it now.  Generally, I am a fan of Michael Moore.  I think his methods are a little crazy at times, and he tends to do things on purpose to piss a lot of people off (which I don’t enjoy), but I agree with 98% of his politics and 95% of the points he makes in explaining his politics.  This book was no different.  Although some of the avenues he used to explain his beliefs were a little odd to me, I think what he had to say was right on pointe.  Unfortunately, it is kind of pointless to discuss this book in the present because most of the things he talked about aren’t even applicable now – at least half of the book was about how messed up the Bush administration is and how important it is to get them out of office (in 2004).  As he obviously got reelected, and as he can only serve 2 terms and will be finished in 2008, that is kind of a moot point right now.  However, a lot of what Moore talked about in the book can still be applied today – such as the whole “terror threat” situation.  He talked a lot about how pointless and counterproductive it is to spread these threats of terrorist attacks around – how it just causes people to have more hatred, and doesn’t actually help us solve any problems associated with terrorism.  He also went into extensive detail into what he believes are the main reasons for war with Iraq – since the Bush family has extensive ties with the Saudi royal family, and with the Bin Ladens Moore makes the conclusion that the war is mostly about oil… not a new belief.  Although most of the stuff in this book is old news, at the time it was written it was really groundbreaking, radical ideas, and for that I think it’s a valuable addition to the political dialogue of the time.