101 Books to Read Before You Die discussion

A great memoir from the great beat author/poet & columnist, Charles Bukowski.

Wow was this depressing. It was well written, but there was not a glimmer of hope anywhere. In this time of anxiety around this virus, I need something a bit more uplifting.

Ham on Rye is a depressing, but well-written novel. Personally, I felt it would appeal to men rather than women, due to the pubescent sexual fantasies and details. However, I couldn’t put it down. I was rooting for Henry to rise above his circumstances of abuse, poverty, and loneliness.

The sexual fantasies started to grate on me. They seemed to squirt over every page. I needed to take a shower after spending any time with this book.

I agree with you, Irene. I was describing the book to my husband, who grabbed the book and flipped through five separate sections of the book. On every page he read aloud, the explicit language and sexual details were just thrown out there in the reader’s face. I think that was what Bukowski was trying to do—to shock the reader. His comments about women were also very degrading. But I kept on reading...

Yes, the language toward women was degrading. But, there was this casual violence and disrespect toward everyone. I was shocked at the bullying taking place among 1st graders. It was obvious that violence was pervasive and experienced at home at the earliest age. The narrator's father was a monster. But, it seemed to be everywhere. The little boy who is beaten by his mother after being roughed up by his classmates, the gym teacher who challenges the boys to fight, the teen pissing in the milk carton of his girl friend's family, the disrespect for every other person on the planet seemed to be woven into the fabric of life. Could an entire town be so vulgar and perverse? Were there no good people? Even the one or two caring acts of teachers became sexualized. Talk about a dystopian novel, and this was not presented as some future possibility if we don't take heed, but as a past reality that defined the Greatest Generation.

Do we have an April title?

Irene wrote: "Do we have an April title?"
Sorry, I will get on this today. Strange and busy times!

I just finished Ham on Rye-- it took a while to track down a copy. I have been familiar with Bukowski's poetry for years, but this is the first time reading one of his novels. It was a quick read-- I had trouble putting it down. I liked the rawness and immediacy of the storytelling. It put me into the world of the book in a way that few writers have lately. I want to go on and read the rest of Henry's story.