Melissa’s Comments (group member since May 27, 2024)

Melissa’s comments from the Big Book Summer Reading Challenge 2024 group.

Finished a total of three Big Books (1,570 pages)! Thanks, Sue, for another fantastic Big Book Summer!

The Deviant's War: The Homosexual vs. the United States of America by Eric Cervini (494 pages) 4 stars

Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation by Michael Pollan (468 pages) 4 stars

What's Next: A Backstage Pass to The West Wing, Its Cast and Crew, and Its Enduring Legacy of Service by Melissa Fitzgerald and Mary McCormack (608 pages) 3.5 stars

Suzan wrote: "Linda wrote: "Just finished What's Next: A Backstage Pass to The West Wing, Its Cast and Crew, and Its Enduring Legacy of Service. I should buy this book so I can refer to it when ..."

I think you would love The West Wing, Suzan! (Also, do we still have all of Labor Day to finish up our books or do we need to have them done by tonight? I probably ask this every year. :) )

Linda wrote: "Just finished What's Next: A Backstage Pass to The West Wing, Its Cast and Crew, and Its Enduring Legacy of Service. I should buy this book so I can refer to it when I re-watch the..."

Oh my goodness, I just posted about this! Currently reading and hoping to finish in time, but we'll see.

Why does Labor Day have to be so early this year? :) I thought I'd be wrapping up the challenge with the last 300 pages of The Overstory by Richard Powers...but then THIS showed up in my library holds!

What's Next: A Backstage Pass to The West Wing, Its Cast and Crew, and Its Enduring Legacy of Service

Been waiting a year for this and thought I could absolutely read this over the weekend since there are photos and a number of pages with just dialogue. Now, however, I'm not sure...but the fun is in the trying, right? :)

Suzan wrote: "Melissa wrote: "Doing a combination read/listen of The Overstory by Richard Powers. Enjoying it so far. Powers is a relatively new favorite for me (loved [book:Bewild..."

Glad to hear you're doing better, Sue! Alas, the audio doesn't have multiple narrators and it would be much better if it did. I couldn't stand the narrator's -- how should I put this? -- voices and accents with certain characters. So I've abandoned the audio but it's just going to take me a little longer with the print version.

Doing a combination read/listen of The Overstory by Richard Powers. Enjoying it so far. Powers is a relatively new favorite for me (loved Bewilderment, which is not a big book).

Sue, if you see this, I hope you're feeling better!

2nd book of the challenge finished --Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation by Michael Pollan (480 pgs).

Equal parts memoir, travelogue, and culinary history, Cooked is an informative and well-researched overview of four elements integral to cooking -- fire, water, air, and earth. Pollan details his quests to master techniques related to each of these (roasting a pig, braising meats, baking bread, fermentation) and his travels to learn from experts.

I like Pollan's writing style; in Cooked, he brings a sense of wonder, curiosity, and joy to each process he's studying, throws in the occasional dad joke, and combines it all with thoughtful reflection and sincere respect for the food, its purveyors, and the culture. Overall, it's an interesting read, albeit with several dry and technical parts that sometimes went over my head, particularly during the section on baking bread. (Perhaps some of this can be attributed to my listening on audio.) A few recipes are included at the book's conclusion.

Some reviewers have commented on how privileged and indulgent this book is, given that the majority of people don't have the means to travel the country to learn the intricacies of bread-baking or barbequing, nor the ability to purchase expensive equipment and ingredients. I think those criticisms are warranted and valid but feel that the book's purpose lies in its subtitle: that cooking can and does transform not only our food but ourselves.

First book completed for the challenge! I read The Deviant's War: The Homosexual vs. the United States of America by Eric Cervini. It's an extensively researched history of the gay rights movement pre-Stonewall told primarily through the life of Frank Kameny.

A brilliant Harvard trained astronomer and military veteran, Kameny, a gay man, had just earned his PhD when he was arrested after an encounter with another man in a bathroom. This incident resulted in Kameny being denied a security clearance, which cost him his anticipated government job. This was in 1957, and because Kameny was classified as a homosexual, he would be banned from most jobs for the rest of his life. Instead, Kameny became one of the most outspoken advocates in the gay rights movement, fighting numerous legal battles on his and others' behalf and founding the Mattachine Society of Washington DC to protest discrimination against homosexuals. (If you've read The Gay Revolution: The Story of the Struggle by Lillian Faderman, Frank's story -- and some, but not all -- of The Deviant's War: The Homosexual vs. the United States of America will be familiar.)

While there were several dense sections (mostly related to the detailed recounting of numerous legal battles and cases), I found Cervini's book incredibly informative and insightful. With the court cases, it was appalling to read the unbelievably invasive and voyeuristic line of questioning endured about sexual preferences and acts.

It was interesting to read how the gay rights movement evolved in tactics and philosophy (Kameny insisted that his protestors wear suits and dresses, and even mandated the number of staples on signs) and took inspiration from the civil rights movement. Perhaps more attention could have been spent on that aspect and how shifting to radical action resulted in more awareness and, ultimately, change.

Altogether, this is a thorough read that draws on many sources, including Kameny's personal papers and correspondence, to present the reader with a comprehensive, in-depth and eye-opening view of LGBTQ history.

Abby wrote: "Just finished my first big book for the challenge. I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai. (435 pages). Despite mixed reviews, I thought I was all in until the end. There was no real endin..."

I loved The Great Believers!

Hi Sue! Realized that I responded on your video (or blog? or both?) but not here...I'm definitely in, as you know. So thrilled to see how this has grown! Love it!