Curtis > Recent Status Updates

Decent but very introductory, pop-oriented. Left out a lot that I just didn't understand (Schools of Love? Adult education programs etc?). Would've liked it better if it were my first taste of civil rights history, but knowing as much as I do, I can't see why this won a Pulitzer aside from the declassified FBI material & unreleased interview material he used, but it's in service of an overall lukewarm MLK biography.

Strengths: focus on MLK's relationship to women, including decent section on Coretta--though cheating saga overlong. Traditional views on women explored too. Also new documents relating to FBI taps, full interview excerpt on views of Malcolm X which Playboy edited to seem more contentious than MLK really was. Flaws: misses critical info/context, minimal insight, with some exceptions. Decent but short of expectations.

Captures Selma protests very well. Wondering how the book will approach the last 3 years of MLK's life--a very busy, complex time--with just over 100 pages to go. Worried it will be a very conventional look instead of dissection of his increasing radicalism. Malcolm X section done well; edited interview sheds new light on MLK's thoughts on him. Shocked how Kwame Ture not even mentioned yet. Hope end done well!

Weird approach to March on Washington: very briefly goes through it without background, then backtracks and goes over it again but in much more detail with behind-the-scenes. Kind of showing what most people know about it first, then going over it again with lesser-known info. Unnsecessary to do it like that. Author seems to like LBJ better than JFK. Too much time again spent on cheating, incl. unverified 'rape tape'

Solid, but feels cursory in places. Meticulous domestic depictions, breaking down what outfits everyone was wearing, the meals, anecdotes of MLK's kids etc. Yet misses key details about movement & its figures: nothing about Lawson's 'school of love' which trained protesters' discipline, or Septima Clark's freedom schools which taught adults literacy & civics--key parts of the movement. Good intro but not difinitive.

Solid, but not best use of space. Verbatim convos & addressing contrarian complaints about MLK leave things like political/strategic insights simplified. Very much a pop biography. Still learning new things; MLK's advice column interesting, especially views on women. Narrative moments like bus boycott or NAACP/MLK tensions well told. Novel-style approach keeps things easy/engaging. Just 'simpler' than expected.

Bit worried by how long its taking to get to MLK jumping into civil rights movement--its about to happen 1/4 through book. The rest must be truncated in order to fit. Too much time spent on plagiarism habit & dating history IMO. But high hopes for political aspects; Eig does fantastic job setting up segregation, specifically schooling & buses, contextualizing latter as most public humiliation site under segregation.

Original sources are highlight: recordings of MLK Sr, childhood friends, etc, bring early years to life. Eager to see how Eig integrates declassified FBI docs and broadens MLK. Mostly refresher so far, as I've read bios on him before, including Branch's mammoth trilogy. Still happy with this 'theatrical cut.' Strong narrative trajectory & defined characters. Learned some about MLK's grandparents too. Excited!

Solid, but never reaches the emotional heights it should; author keeps reader at arm's length. Ironically, most sympathetic moments involve side characters. Use of art history interesting, using David's paintings to illustrate Gamelin as student of his both literally and thematically. Humour & suspense, slice of life. Prose poetic at times but often dry--translation issue? Good but feel it missed its full potential.

Gamelin's hypocrisy exposed by change in material condition--rising through the ranks as a revolutionary patriot puts him into an upper class he would have loathed under the monarchy, but he buys the veneer of being morally deserving. Humour: having his card idea refused, love near an execution. Interesting art theory moments like with Elodie's embroidery or women's clothing. Gamelin still principled; he saves a man.

Slice of life, character-driven. Revolution provides backdrop for philosophical discussions w/ characters. Well-researched in terms of culture, art, political intersections, but speaks also to time of publication with rising tensions and World War on horizon. Ruminations on God/nature & whether they're caring or brutal connect to crituque/trust of power. Overly explains character motives. Good, but not gripped yet.

Kind of a flat ending. Barely a climax which is immediately resolved, 2 pages worth of kidnapping, man saves the day, Sarah chooses between her love triangle rather than coming to an unexpected choice. A very easy trite way of ending. Still fun in parts, coming of age themes, sister drama, etc. Okay.

Interesting how stakes feel lower in this one. More mature with its town politics/corruption stuff. Major hints of this dropped in book 1 but more the focus here. Hints for kids--easy to work out things in advance as adult reader. Romance aspect also much more on forefront than before--reminds me of unpleasant years of high school love triangles; tries to caution audience how to navigate those situations.

Susannah adds lots to dynamic! Story more focused on love quadrangle now, showing two approaches to coming-of-age aimed at teen girls about 'growing too much too fast' versus taking things in stride. Danger closing in from sidelines; curious to see how Nixon resolves threads from last book & coming of age themes. Pedestrian prose, simple characters, but easy & fun.

Hokey but fun, something I definitely would have been more into as a kid! I have the sequel so will read that to get a full feel since this novel ends very abruptly before promoting the sequel. Interested to see how it resolves.

Corny but fast paced and fun; definitely for kids/teens, definitely written in the 90s. Figured something low impact and easy would be a good pallette cleanser after the listless pedantry of the last novel I tried, & a fun way to start the year! Characters simple, I like how the younger sister has all the attitude & brains & older sister is the helpless damsel clumsy girl. Just hope the younger sister comes back lol

Really interesting premise & world I love seeing more of--incredible architectural/setting art & villain design; atmospheric & bleak. Story/characters very weak--story more to 'tell' setting instead of other way round. Each time I think it's getting narrative thrust it shifts to something else. Like a series of short stories on journey to bigger quest. Would've been much stronger with outline. Still curious to go on!

Wow Pynchon is adamant about not advancing the plot. Just now did they start on the Mason-Dixon line, after a very ramblind double-dialogue with Washington & his wife. Having a hard time going with the flow of tangent upon tangent, even though by now I know the book isn't about forward momentum. I keep thinking 'style over substance' when reading this, because even characterization seems surface level.

Still not super keen on it; seems to have flashes that I really enjoy, but lots of moments that are free floating and prose-focused. Segmented storytelling similar to Wind Up Bird Chronicles, other surrealist novels. Only titular characters stand out, plus quirky characters that never come back again after short appearances. Pynchon can build a sentence but isn't as strong with plots.

Went through very rough patch where lack of inciting incident, minimal characterization, loose story structure began to irk. Now seems things picking up with needed insight into Mason's character, conflict at home, call to action. Trying to go with flow of post-modern/surreal variety of events that seem unconnected (the ear in a jar etc). Not easy read, unnaounced time jumping a bit frustrating. Willing to continue.

Might be a bit episodic in plot, with M&D getting into various separate adventures in each location? Slow paced, but not bloated. Transit of Venus beautifully done, wonders of science, esp. for the time, well communicated. Contrasted against ugly colonial backdrop of slavery, human auctions, girls sexualized (in way I thought a bit dicey from the author; creepy territory). Hope more characterizing M&D. Overall good!

Prose difficult at first; eased up as I went. Still demands more attention than usual to parse out, especially since speakers not clearly/repeatedly stated so you need to keep track. Wonderfully written once over initial hurdle; atmospheric & poetic. Quirky without being twee; fantasy elements mostly from character's superstitions. Strong incidental humour. Not super gripped yet, encouraged / intimidated. Promising!

MW folds culture of manners into argument: women can't live up to inherent virtues (motherhood, grace etc) without education & opportunity. Product of its time in ways (against reading too many novels, equates fashion/dress with lack of intelligence, women apt to cheat or be bad moms if not focused) but overall feels radical for its time, esp. when reading excerpts of others' views on women. Repetitive but strong!

After more repitition, ch 10 ends with impassioned appeal to women realizing their potential. 11 & 12 enters education, including radical change (day school, unisex, kids setting own discipline etc). Far ahead of its time. Arbitrary power demonstrated as bad for all; derisively connected to Catholicism. Advocates for boys/men; society benefits when all are raised up. Essentialism re: motherhood. Very good though!

Massive chapter taking down other writers, incl. long excerpts of their work. Overlong, but interesting insights into the cultural norms of MW's time. Disturbing seeing ultra-sexism written as wisdom by the people around her. Her takedowns exacting, passionate, even funny sometimes. Also props up rare positive sentiments showing people starting to question women's second class status. Still enjoying!

Repetitive, making the same/similar points, but slight elaboration. Impression she wrote this in sequence as she went. Sometimes says 'I have a tangent but it occured to me now so I should get it out.' But enjoy her logic/arguments, using contemporary rhetoric to illustrate hypocrisy of discourses only applying to men, showing why sexism damages all society, why patriarchy should be challenged like monarchy. Tough.

MW lays out worldview: what elevates us from animals & one another--reason & morality. How our bad tendencies may be from a bad system which we should improve, like we strive for self-improvement. Uses ongoing moment of fighting for rights, extends the logic to women. Proceeds to women's current status, saying it leads to bad morals. Many arguments remain relevant, others aged. Orientalist, mild misogyny. Interested!

Good intro: explains how women's liberties had been reduced over last century; how increased industrialization led to women's roles in commerce being eroded in favour of faceless factory work, or filled by etiquette rules that emulated aristocrats. Wollstonecraft also responding to enlightenment's rights of man, applying them to women & unapologetically broadening earlier attempts to address women's inequality.

Lots of fun to revisit--remembered the broad strokes/big events but had forgotten a lot re: pacing, time spent on certain things, less humourous than I recalled. Odysseus' manipulation, references to other Greek stories, themes of manhood, hospitality, etc stood out much clearer. Definitely worth revisiting now that I have more familiarity with ancient Greek literature!

Odysseus doesn't live up to the positive image we've been getting so far: egotistical, tactless in his past after Troy. But seems much less a danger after Calypso? Only tells minor lie to preserve woman's honour. Not pious; wonder why Athena looks out for him. Things picking up! Cyclops story, soon will be Sirens/Scilla. Enjoying it even more than before because I know the myths better than in 2019. Eager for more!