the book of unknown americans. cristina henriquez. (223)

i first learned about cristina henriquez the book of unknown americans via flavorpill. i thought the title was clever and the cover eye-catching but in all honesty wasn't sure if i wanted to read an immigrant story.  this sounds harsh but living in delano which is a migrant town due to the agriculture i have very conflicting views of immigration.  on the one hand, i am sympathetic toward the need to immigrant however i also disapprove of the financial strain it causes.  as i have mentioned before, living in delano, which is filled with immigrants, i do see the drain it takes on the economy.  but politics aside, since i have addressed this in previous posts, i will simply be discussing the novel.

the book of unknown americans was an enjoyable read with a ending that took me by surprise.  (if you plan on reading this, stop here due to spoilers!)  the novel is told from the perspective of multiple characters but centers around maribel rivera and her family.  maribel rivera and her parents, alma and arturo immigrated, legally, to delaware from mexico so that maribel may attend a specialized school. not shared initially, but it is discovered that  maribel suffered a head injury from an accident at her dad's work site back in mexico.  they immigrated at the recommendation of doctors.  both parents, shared with the reader, the guilt of the accident being their fault.  their experience as immigrants is familiar.  arturo work in the states was inferior to his work in mexico, he worked picking mushrooms which was mindless work and took a toll on his body.  alma stayed at home, and discovered ways for the family to survive on arturo's low wages, primarily dollar tree and oatmeal.  alma also befriended their neighbor, mrs. toro, whose son mayor played a pivotal role. 

mayor was an outcast, not a soccer star like his older brother, who was away at college.  he was initially attracted to maribel.  maribel, as explained by both alma and mayor, was a beauty, so much that she attracted the negative attention of  local hoodlum.  this worried both alma and mayor (the boy also bullied mayor at school.)  mayor realized that maribel was special needs due to the school she attended, however, due to trips to church on sundays and afternoons the families spend together, a romance begins to bloom between maribel and mayor.  mayor, it should be mentioned, being sensitive to maribel's condition due to the accident.  however, they end up having a positive effect on each other, ultimately mayor helping maribel progress.

but they are still teens and not at all innocent.  hormones did get the best of them and they end up making out which results in some drama because a noisy neighbor ratted them out and made it seem more devious than it was.  it was very innocent though mayor did come, but i mean he was a geeky kid making out with the girl he likes, poor guy.  this resulted in their parents forbidding them from seeing each other.

this triggers are series of chain events with a surprise and devastating ending.  mayor and maribel sneak off together.  he helped her sneak out of school and took her to the beach, even though it is winter, he wanted to share with her the happiness his mother felt when she first went there (it was in the winter.)  he even gave maribel, her first taste of mcdonald's french fries.  and the whole time i read about mayor and maribel's adventure, i was waiting for the other shoe to drop.  i expected them to get into an accident or something horrible to occur  to the two of them.  gratefully they were okay, but sadly something did but it was not what i expected.

when maribel went missing, alma assumed it was the hoodlum and told arturo what happened.  arturo sent out to find her . . . and ended up being killed by the hoodlum's father.  i was so surprised and sadden by this ending.  it was completely from left field but not completely unrealistic.  the sad truth is that so many immigrants come to america expecting a better life, but most probably end up in tragedy like this.  they end up not living the american dream but scraping by.  they sacrifice to be here and end up worse off than they began.  i know i said i was going to avoid anything political, but you have to be somewhat sympathetic.  from this ending,  henriquez wants us to see how immigrants usually end up with the short end of the stick and never achieving any sort of better life, so we should not feel threaten by immigration into the states.  and though we view them as anti-american, they are actually pro.  the last narrative of the novel belongs to arturo and he shared his love for america, because he of the opportunity it provided maribel with it.  its a heartbreaking catch-22, come to save your daughter but end up losing your life.   though, the cynic in me, can also see it as advocacy for not immigrating, why risk what you already have to end up with absolutely nothing.

the book is titled the book of unknown americans and "the unknown americans" in the novel also include the other immigrants that lived in the complex building where maribel and her family resided. there are breaks between the narratives of alma and mayor, in which the other immigrants share their experience.  these narratives are to demonstrate that there is not just one kind of immigrant, or one kind of story.  though it should be noted that all of the immigrant narratives did share the common goal of providing a better life for their children.  and though i would probably end up debating with him if he existed in real life "micho alvearez" narrative had some very interesting points.  

the whole thing is very, very complicated.  i mean, does anyone ever talk about why people are crossing?  i can promise you it's not with some grand ambition to come here and ruin everything from the gingo chingaos.  people are so desperate, man.  we're talking about people who cant' even get a toilet that works, that the government is so corrupt that when they have money, instead of sharing it, instead of using it in ways that help their own citizens, they hold on to it and encourage people to go north instead.  what choice do people have in face of that?  

i understand his points.  but i counter with, america has its own problems, we are no longer the great powerful nation we once were.  i feel that our government is so corrupt that it takes the money it has and instead of sharing it with its upright citizens, end up using it to aid illegal immigrants, house criminals in prison, and reward those who do not want to work (see: welfare and unemployment.)  if the financial situation in california was not so bad, i would be okay with helping our fellow man but at the end of the day, i would rather have my tax dollars returned to me than funneled somewhere else.

okay, i am done with my rant, sorry if i offended you.

but an interesting read none the less and you should check it out regardless of your stance on immigration.

lupita mañana. patricia beatty. (183)

after reading esperanza rising, i was inspired to read lupita mañana, the story of a girl who also immigrated illegally to the united states and works in the fields.  i read it in jr. high and figured, it would be a nice reread. i do have to admit that prior to my rereading, i did not recall any details from the story.  the only memory i had was how "lupita mañana" became a slang word for my high school friends and i, a new term we used instead of "wetbacks".  i know its so horribly racist but you have to give us credit for being so clever and for our literary slang.  and in our defense, i am sure the girls we called "lupita mañana" probably called us horrible names behind our backs as well, it was high school.

oh and before i go on, there was some debate as to when our teachers assigned this book.  i thought i had read it in jr. high, but when i posted it as a #literarythrowback on my instagram, some people said it was high school.  i am going to claim jr. high because from what i can recall, it was jr. high because we had to explain who lupita mañana was to our friend mona, who did not go to jr. high with us.  also i can't imagine being assigned lupita mañana and great expectations, in the same year, which would have happened if i did read it in high school.

but back to the story.  lupita mañana opened the same as esperanza rising, with the death of a father.  however, unlike esperanza, lupita's family was poor.  despite the class difference, both girls had hearts of gold, throughout the novel i was impressed by lupita's devotion to providing for her family.  i could not imagine myself being that selfless (probably because i am not).  since luptia's family was poor, the mother decided to send lupita and her older brother, salvador, to indio (all of my treks out to coachella helped me visualize the setting for the book.  also i must add my grandfather also worked in the fields in indio as well) to live with her rich sister in america.  due to their poverty, the family was unprepared to send lupita and salvador to america, they could not afford a coyote or the forged paper to help them across.  they didn't even have a car to drive them to tijuana (where they would cross the border into united states) instead they walked from ensenada (which after googling, i discovered is 89.3 miles!!!).  they travelled with only a few pesos, eggs, tortillas and bottles of water . . . and they actually made it to america.  i didn't think it would happen because it seemed impossible, especially since they were so young and inexperienced but they both were clever and by the grace of god (lupita did pray alot) they made it across the border.  it was even more of a miracle that they actually found their aunt.  today was are so reliant upon gps that i could not imagine just being pointed in a direction and told to find someone., it would be like finding a needle in a haystack, impossible, partially because it is.  

reading this as an adult, i had a lot more anxiety about lupita and salvador's traveling than i did when i was in jr. high.  the violence that did occur was appalling, the men trying to rob them in mexico, and the gringos shooting at them on their way to indio, but i was constantly worried something worse was going to happen.  even though this book is a children's book, i was scared of lupita and salvador becoming victims of sexual violence.  there were so many situations in which that could have occurred.  lupita mañana was written in 1981, when tj was still "safe" (i have family in chula vista and we would go all the time to tj when i was a kid), but today there are so many stories of violence in that city since it is a border town.  i saw every man lupita and salvador encountered as a predator.  if this book was rewritten for today, i am sure that this would have been an issue.  though i know it was not occured, i was worried lupita would be attacked at the park when she waited for salvador.  even when they arrived in colton and the man befriended them, i was sure it was to have them as part of a sex slave ring i know it could never occur in a kid's book, but still i worried.  

i even got a weird vibe from lucky.  i got the impression he wanted to be salvador's novio.  my gaydar went off with him but again that could never happen in a kid's book.

this is really horrible but i also worried about lupita falling victim to her aunt's husband.  with his alcoholism and resentment towards lupita as another person in the home, i was scared of him abusing her.  i kept on waiting for him to come into the room when she was sleeping and being inappropriate.  i know it sounds weird for me to be that paranoid but i am sure sexual abuse is an untold experience of immigration especially, illegal immigration to america.

back to the story.  i could not believe how salvador abandoned his sister and family like he did.  beatty did foreshadow his immaturity, incompetence, and disoloyalty but i hoped his behavior in mexico was to be a foil to how he rose to the occasion in america.  this did not happen.  though i guess salvador's irresponsibility acted as a foil lupita's hard work and dedication to her family.  i was impressed how she even supplemented salvador's contribution to her mother.  it was horrible how salvador wasted his money on his novia and clothes instead of helping out his family.  i know this may sound harsh but i was happy that salvador got caught by la migra and deported.  instant karma for his poor behavior.  (i must add this book also added la migra to my vocabulary.)  i also enjoyed lupita telling off lucky! 

i loved the ending, lupita understanding the importance of learning english despite the others telling her it was unnecessary.  it melted my heart that irela decided to teach her.  it was a very sweet ending to the book and demonstrated how lupita mañana's optimism helped her survive in america.  on the topic of optimism, i find it interesting how both girls esperanza and lupita mañana both had hopeful names.  esperanza meaning hope and mañana was lupita's nickname because she always believed that tomorrow, mañana, things would be better.  mañana also reminded me of the quote from on the road, 

sure baby, mañana.  it was always mañana.  for the next few weeks that was all i heard--mañana a lovely word and one that probably means heaven.

before i go on, i have to add that learning english is very important for immigrants to the united states.  i don't understand why americans are viewed as racist for expecting immigrants to learn our language.  if i immigrated to paris, i would need to learn french, or japanese, if i moved to tokyo.  learning the language of my new home is not an intrusion upon my ethnic identity but a necessity so that i can function in my new country.  people should learn the language so that they may have the best quality of life, which is why i admired lupita for her desire to learn.  living in delano, i deal with people that make no attempt to learn english and then hold me in contempt for not understanding spanish.  last time i checked, i lived in america was english was the primary language.  majority of these times, these people that expect me to speak in spanish for them, speak english and/or at least understand it.  i understand that english is a difficult language to learn, i have worked with early readers, teaching them phonetic sounds and rules and grammar rules are confusing for so many, but there is not a single good excuse for not learning the language of the country you live in.  how do you speak to 911 when you have an emergency if you don't know the language?  how do you help your child's education if you don't understand the language they are being taught in?  working in the school system, i think this should be the number one reason that an immigrant learns a language.  before i go on, i have to clarify that i am am not advocating english as the only language.  i think children should learn english while maintaining their parents' language.  i hate how my family lost my grandfather's language and my grandma lost her parents' language.  however, i do think that if you are in america, you need to speak english, and i think we need to stop catering to the needs of those who can't.  it is one thing to help them with learning the language, its a completely different thing to have a society in which knowing the english language is not a requirement.  

like esperanza rising, this book is loosely based on real people.  beatty heard the story of the real lupita and salvador from their older brother, victorio and then wrote this story as to what could have happened to them.  in the author's note at the end, does explain the immigration situation to make it digestable for kids.  again i am torn on the issues that beatty addressed.  on the one hand, being the grandchild of an illegal immigrant, i see illegal immigration as a means for a better life.  i mean i would not be here today if my grandfather did not come to america.  however, i see in delano, how illegal immigrants abuse the welfare programs that are put into place to help citizens.  i hear stories of illegals using fake social security cards to collect welfare or to collect welfare using multiple names, or qualifying for food stamps for their kids.   in the novel, we see lupita's aunt worried about losing her welfare check and not being honest in her reporting so that she does not jeopardize her check.  my frustration with this abuse of welfare programs is that these people on these programs do not contribute to the pot from which they take.  most illegals are paid in cash since they are illegal which means their money does not get taxed like the rest of us, so they do not contribute to the programs that they benefit from.  it all may seem contradictory but my grandfather though illegal never went on welfare, he slaved away in the fields to provide for his family.    i know that this might sound contradictory, but i am okay with illegal immigrants who come and do the menial work that most americans would not do, but i do have issue with illegal immigrants who come to america and abuse the welfare programs that we have.  i understand there would be no america without immigration but everyone should contribute to the country versus taking away from it.  i am sorry if this little rant offended anyone and if i come across as a racist or an insensitive bigot, but i also come from a community where i see immigrants draining our society instead of helping to lift it up.

back to the novel, i am glad i reread lupita mañana, it was an interesting contrast to the experience i had read about in esperanza rising.  hopefully schools will have students read both books to allow for two different perspectives of the immigrant experience.

native speaker. chang-rae lee. (177)

i picked up native son because gary shteyngart praised it i. his memoir, little failure.  chang-rae lee was shteyngart mentor and helped shteyngart get his book deal.  i also decided to check it out because lee's latest book, on such a full sea, has been receiving a lot of press and good reviews.  i figured i should read his first novel before reading his latest.

i must admit, i was a little bit weary at first.  there is no denying that lee is a great writer.  i read the book with such ease, yet the book covered very complex issues about culture, language, love, family.  the ease with which i read is a testament to lee's skillfulness as a writer.  it was deep without being too heavy.  this novel was well-written, but given it's emphasis on language and communication, it had to be.

what made weary was henry's occupation in the book; henry was a spy.  i understand henry's occupation was a device to help is examine his korean upbringing.  his culture provided him with the tools to be an ideal spy, but a spy story was not something i was expecting or could see myself invested in.  i did enjoy reading about henry's experience with dr. luzan because we were allowed an intimate view of henry.  however, i was not up for all of the double talk that came with his interactions with his co-workers and having to be suspicious of everyone.  furthermore, i was not interested in henry's assignment being politician, john kwang.  i am not one for politics, everyone involved is always corrupt, right?  in the end, i did become invested in this story line, i mean, there was a bombing, those korean clubs were you can rent women to be your companion (which i have been told of but never experienced), an affair and a drunk driving accident.  utilizing kwang as a mirror by which henry was able to reevaulate his father was interesting and allowed for henry and the reader a better understanding of henry's father and the korean culture.  it also allowed us to examine how immigrants struggle to maintain their culture while trying to manage in a new country.

what made this novel for me was the story of henry's marriage.  i think native speaker would have been a better novel if this story line was the main focus.  i think lee could have utilized lelia's upbringing and "americaness" more as a foil to henry's father, resulting in the downplay of kwang and that storyline.

the novel opened with a list of labels and descriptions created by lelia, about and for henry.  it was malicious but allowed for henry to reflect on how cold and distant a person he had became in his marriage.  from henry, we learn how they met and fell in love.  we also discovered the great tragedy they suffered which caused the distance between them.   their son mitt died in a freak accident, he suffocated being at the bottom of a dog pile of boys at his birthday party.  henry being the silent type does not seem to the suffer the same as lelia.  communication of their feelings is what lelia needed for comfort but due to his culture, henry was unable to provide her with that.  i must admit that i was sadden by the story he shared after mitt's death in which lelia created a little house out of sticks and rocks which he destroyed.  henry destroying the house seemed like a show he put on for lelia to prove he was suffering, as opposed to being able to have an open conversation with his wife.  thankfully, they were able to work through their communication problems and get back together.

before i go on i must say that i, like lelia, was disappointed by henry never knowing the woman that raised him.  i understand that both were acting in accordance with the standards set by korean culture but i can not imagine being raised by someone and not even knowing his/her name.  henry was not to blame in this situation because he went by the rules established in his home and by korean society.  also the woman did not want to be known.  this was demonstrated by the woman's resistance to lelia's attempts to get to know that her that she did not want to be none.  i, just like lelia (i am assuming this was cause for her reaction to the situation), imagined myself in her situation, to be alone in a strange country, not knowing the language or anyone, and having to raise someone's else child.  i don't know if i could survive it, but then again i do not have the same sense of duty that she did.

native speaker is an excellent account of the experience of second generation immigrants in america.  though i am fourth generation on my mother's side, lee's work allowed me a look into a different aspect of the american experience.   i was able to see the alienation of being second generation, not wanting to live according to the culture of your parents in attempt to become "american" yet not being full accepted by american society.  as edward james olmos' character "abraham" in "selena" (so maybe it was actually selena's dad) summed up this paradox best with his line "we have to be more mexican than the mexicans and more american than the americans, all that the same time!  it's exhausting!"  i am sure lee would agree with his sentiment since we saw henry struggle with this problem.  for example, henry explained how he was placed in a class to help him learn english as a child yet as an adult he is embarrassed when he mispronounced korean words.  being an immigrant to america is a challenge due to this but being second generation is even more challenging because you of the duality that comes with it, you have to be able to both your ethnic identity and american.  i guess in that sense using the hyphenation as idenfication ie korean-american, really is the best label because individuals truly are both.

another issue that is brought up within this book is multiculturalism.  race relations was a major issue for kwang's political agenda.  in the novel, korean stores are the center of the race issue, korean owners and black customers not getting along, peruvian and latino employees wanting better working conditions, jewish customers feeling entitled.  with so much diversity, how can a city like new york every be an all encompassing community especially since each ethnic group has their own set of demands for the city.  furthermore, each group blamed the other for the issues that existed.  the hate crimes in the novel (though lee never employed this term) demonstrated that perhaps the best solution was for each ethnic group to remain their own separate community.  in the end, it is demonstrated that celebrating cultural diversity is a means to a better future.  henry started to help lelia with her work as a speech therapist, she taught english as second language classes.  in these classes, henry recognized the beauty of diversity by observing the students.  he saw that by celebrating our difference instead of ignoring them, there could be peace and better race relations.

 native speaker is important novel in terms of sharing the experience of second generation immigrants, i just wish that a spy story was utilized to share it.  a good book and i look forward to reading on such a full sea.

esperanza rising. pam muñoz ryan.

i had seen esperanza rising while skimming the book racks in the kids section of the library but never thought of checking it out.  one day, mary, a teacher i sub for, recommended that i read it.  the next week while on campus subbing, the whole third grade team was shocked i hadn't read it, so gina lent me her class copy.

and what can i say other than, i am so happy they got me to read it because it is a great book.  it reminded me of one of my favorite books as a kid, a little princess (which i know plan on rereading.) it was also great to see the region that i grew up in featured.  it reminded me of grapes of wrath as well.

the book is about a young girl named, esperanza.  she is the only daughter of a wealthy ranchero in mexico.  she lived a life of luxury and privilege and was fully aware of class distinction.  she told her playmate and son of workers on her parents ranch, miguel, that they could never marry because they were on two sides of a river.  she could not marry someone beneath her.

one day, all of this changed, when her father was murdered by bandits. my theory is that her uncle's were behind it because they showed up with his belt buckle before miguel and his father appeared with his body.  in her father's will, esperanza's mother was left the house but since a woman can not land, the land was given to her tio.  this tio's planned to run for governor and proposed to esperanza's mother, because he needed a respectable wife.  esperanza's mother was insulted by the offer and refused, as a result, the tio burned down their home!  furthermore, the tio owned the bank, and esperanza's mother was unable to access her money. to avoid marriage, esperanza's mother decided to immigrate to america with miguel's parents (her servants but also friends).  since abuelita was injured in the fire, they leave her with her sisters in a nunnery until she recovered.

they immigrated to america, luckily with papers from the nuns.  esperanza experienced a culture shock, having to adjust to life as a peasant.  she looked down upon those traveling on the train not realizing that she was now their equal.  i have to admit that i was just as judgmental as esperanza was about the peasant girl wanting to play with her doll. i would have reacted the same way now as an adult.  it was the last gift her father gave her, she should preserve it.  i was even sad when she gave it away at the end of the story, though it was framed as a nobel action.

life in america was hard since they are farm workers, though it was harder for esperanza because she was not used to working, being part of the gentry.  thanks to miguel's father's brother they had work and a camp to live in (as i learned in grapes of wrath that they had the best living conditions.) esperanza helped out at the camp, but had to learn simple things likes how to sweep.  she also took care of the babies at home.  everything was going well until one day her mom got valley fever (which i swear i had gotten two years ago because i was bed ridden for a week) due to a dust storm.  to help pay for her mother's hospital bills, esperanza began to work in the fields.  

in the fields, esperanza encountered the socioeconomic issues of the field work, which was also demonstrated in grapes of wrath and which i also encountered first hand growing up in delano.  though they help feed america, farmer worker do have the worse working conditions.  they are paid almost nothing and the living conditions (outside of camps) were often inhabitable.  esperanza encountered a girl, marta, who had first mocked esperanza for her previous wealth and was at the forefront of the protestors' movement.  she wanted the workers to strike for better living conditions and pay.  marta is a complex character, on the one hand she is a foil to esperanza, the rebellious, illegal lower class immigrant that attempts to stir up trouble for her own people, but from a humane point-of-view, you can't help but sympathize with her, she simply wanted a better life for the workers.  though they are working for betterment, protestors often put the collective group at risk of job lost and deportation, so it some ways the protestors have a positive effect and/or a negative effect.  this paradox is something that esperanza faced.  she decided that it is better for her to work, she needs to provide for her mother, but towards the end of the story she is overwhelmed by the racism and discrimination she and those close to her encounter.  it's interesting because i recently had a discussion with my cousin erin about our grandfather encountering this in real life.  my grandfather was a foreman during the times of cesar chavez, but he was not active in the movement.  i assume because he saw that it was better that he worked and provide for his family.  when i interviewed him about it once for school, he did mention that they did ask him to join the movement but left him alone because he had a large family (he had 8 kids to support in addition to my grandma's brother's being in the household as well.)  though my grandfather knew it was unfair, he worked because his main priority was providing for his family.  my mother told me that though he was not active in the movement, he was grateful for the changes that was brought about by cesar chavez.  

as mentioned before, esperanza became overwhelmed by the discrimination that she and others encountered.  this combined with her mother not getting better and her abuelita's absence, esperanza gave up hope.  however, miguel saved the day!  he took esperanza's money she had saved (she at first thought he stole it) and went to bring her abuelita to america!  i was so happy reading this part that i started crying, imaging what relieve and comfort her abuelita brought to esperanza  (i also still miss my grandma bea terribly).  from that point on, things began to improve for her mother and for eserpanza.

and let's go back to miguel for a minute.  what a sweet sweet boy!  i had a total book crush on him.  he was so cute with his addressing esperanza as his reina.  he was also brave and courageous, i didn't mention it but earlier, he saved abuelita in the fire too!  he was caring and patient, he taught esperanza how to sweep!  seriously the sweetest character in this book! i really hope that he and espernza marry one day and live happily ever after!

in the author's note, ryan shared with us that esperanza was based on her grandmother, esperanza ortega.  her grandmother told her about her wealthy life in mexico and then her struggle in america.  some of the points in the story parallel her grandmother's real life, but she decided to create a fictional story of why her grandmother immigrated and what occurred to her here in america.  i thought it was great how she based this novel on her family history.  i also appreciated the setting of the story for it took place in the region that i grew up (as mentioned before) and the story is not one that i know first hand but is a story that many in this area can identify with.  and if you are from delano, please take the time to pick up this book!

little failure. gary schteyngart. (171)

when i read the flavorpill post recommending little failure as a must read for january, i hadn't read anything by gary shteynart, (i still haven't read anything by him other than this, my plan to read super sad true love story prior to this was spoiled because this book was due last tuesday.  yup, it cost me about $3.50 to read this book!) but with that cute cover and clever title, i decided to check it out.

even with my lack of familiarity with shteyngart's works, i was still able to enjoy his memoir.  plus it still revealed to me the not so shocking truth that shteyngart's fiction is primarily made up of his life (like all authors). since i have read a couple chapters of super sad true love story, i have to admit i did become confused between what i had read about lenny's parents and shteyngart's actual parents, which make sense because they are one and the same.  it was interesting to see that eunice was based on the korean school girls of his youth, prior to learning this i found her an odd character.  and now with this new background knowledge, i do look forward to reading the rest of shteynart's work, knowing who some of the characters are based on. 

the book was entertaining, it might be as flavorpill claimed, the best memoir i read this year but mostly because i might not read any other memoirs this year.  shteyngart is a great storyteller, very funny and witty.  for those of you that are unfamiliar with his background, shteynart is russian and jewish and immigrated to america with his family at a young age.  his memoir shares: his family history, his memories of russia, his education (from jewish grade school to a prestigious math and science academy to oberlin college), his works, how he became an writer and a family trip back to russia.  i enjoyed the stories of his youth more than i did his tales from college and breaking into the literary world.  i have to admit that he truly was horrible during his return to saturn phrase (but than again who isn't) but i can not believe how one-sided his relationship with his best friend john was, i mean to be honest, i guess i can because i have been the gary in friendships, but imagine my contributions being worth more than my demands.

but back to his childhood, i loved the story of his grandma galya motivating him to write a novel as a child, giving him a piece of cheese for every page written.  i also loved his teacher ms. s who had him read his novel to his class.  it was adorable how excited his class about his novel.  also the subject matter, sci-fi story on one level but a discussion of race relations on another, was quite advance for a child.  also it was interesting to see how his stories as an adult are not that different from his stories as a child.

i also enjoyed seeing the world filtered through his russian immigrant mindset especially pop culture.  for example wondering about "the origins of the white slave alice" on the brady bunch or "is it really possible that a country as powerful as the united states would not be able to locate two of its best citizens lost at sea" in gilligan's island.  the book is filled with gems like this not only of pop culture but american life in general.

and maybe it's because i miss my grandma so much, but i loved reading about his grandmas.  my grandma bea always encouraged me to write and draw pictures like his grandma galya.  my grandma was just like his grandma polya provided my sister and i with the best desserts and snacks.  however, her providing must have came with limits for her.  but two amazing grandmas that reminded me of my one exceptional one!

i also enjoyed reading about his family's trip back home to russia.  his father opening up to him about his time in a psychiatric ward.  in that light, i read his father's comment about his wish that shteyngart was gay instead of seeing a psychoanalyst, as him worried that his son would be mistreated as he was in russia.  also partially because his father must have partly blamed his genetics for his son needing help.  it was crazy to hear how cruel his parents were to him but it was a tough love, something they did to help him survive.  also anger was an expression of love from his parents which shteyngart learned to deal with thanks to his psychoanalysis.

oh and one last thing, that story about his ex that stabbed her ex with a hammer!! that was insane!

all in all, it was an enjoyable read. i wouldn't call it a must read but it's good book to check out, if you like his work.  it has inspired to read the all of shteygnart.  it also inspired me to read nils and the wild geese and the boy from ufo, two books he loved as a child.  i also look forward to reading chang-rae lee's book, native speaker, because he aided shteyngart in getting his book deal (also because his new book has been mentioned everywhere.) and last but not least i have been inspired to one day visit the chesme church, which was a focal point of this memoir and thus shteyngart's life.  it's a truly lovely building: