LIVE YOUR DREAM: The Taylor Anderson Story

Dear friends currently living in the NY Metropolitan Area,

In Japan in 2011, a large earthquake and tsunami hit the coast. Thousands of people lost their lives that day. There is a film showing next Wednesday evening in Manhattan in memory of one woman in particular, and her father and the director are going to be there. So far, only a handful of tickets have been sold. Can you imagine being the father, seeing how few people show up to honor and remember the life of his daughter and the others who died in the tsunami? It would be devastating. We are hoping to rally some supporters to attend the event and to help raise awareness through friends and connections. We hope that you might consider joining us there, or sharing our post with your friends. All proceeds will be donated to charity. (The film will be in English with Japanese subtitles, some sections in Japanese with English subtitles. It is showing next Wednesday, 10/30, at Columbia University in Manhattan. Show starts at 7. Columbia students go for free. $7 advance tickets, $10 at the door.) Tickets are available here: http://jetaany.org/liveyourdream/

The Help by Kathryn Stockett - a Book Review

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Please note: There are a few spoilers here.  I will be sure to write any spoilers in brackets {} so that you can avoid reading sections that give away parts of the book.

A novel: Published in February, 2009.

One of the books I read during 2011 was The Help.  I was inspired to read it because I saw the movie trailer on trailers.apple.com.  Wanting to see the film when it came out in December, I decided to read the book first.  Usually if I see a film before I read the book I will like it better, and vice versa.  Since it was a novel originally, I decided to start there.

I found that the book was a quick read, partially due to my interest in the subject, but also because it was written in a very simple literary/writing style.  Although Ms. Stockett worked in magazine publishing and marketing prior to writing this book, I found that the writing clearly reflected the fact that it was her first novel.  It was good writing, but simple and easy to understand.  In my opinion, many books that make it into the New York Times Best Seller list tend to have this in common.  They're written in a language that can be read and understood by the masses.

The book is divided into 34 chapters, and every few chapters is narrated by one of the following main characters; Aibileen, Miss Skeeter, or Minny.

I don't usually enjoy reading books which are written in dialect and I was nervous when I started the first chapter narrated by Aibileen, but overall it was very easy to get used to, and I thought it was done well.  Unlike in some cases, it did add to the atmosphere and style of the book.

The Help had a slow start, but picked up pace toward the middle and had me racing to the end.  In general, it left a good impression on me.  I would not name it the best book I've ever read, but I considered it an entertaining read and would recommend it to those interested in American history, racial equality, and civil rights.  I also believe that it is an inspiring story of a young woman who had a passion for writing and followed her dreams depsite the obstacles and social pressures along the way.  I suggest this book to writers who need motivation to pursue their goals.  With three female protagonists, this book may apeal to women more than it would to men, but I think that men should also give it a try.

{One complaint I have about the book is the inclusion of an unnecessary scene in which a deranged man in the nude attacks Minny and Celia Foote.  I wonder if it was added in order to show Celia and Minny's loyalty to one another, as well as the strength and guts that these two characters possessed?  But, the scene seemed like it was added as an afterthought, and was out of character.  I wanted to see how they would portray this scene in the movie however they left it out.}

{I could also tell that I was basically reading about the author's life while I was reading the novel, and I wondered if this was a good or a bad thing.  Ive been told that we're supposed to write about what we know, but is it OK that the reader can easily recognize a biography disguised as fiction?  Then again, many of the great authors have done this, and some of them do it in every novel.}

Now also a major motion picture.

Although I was captivated by the book, I never felt particularly moved.  I may have watched the film on a particularly emotional day, but I found myself choking back and wiping away tears on numerous occasions during the 146 minute rental.  In general, the story narrative was able to keep the same plot as the book more or less, but I think that the actors, especially Viola Davis who played Aibileen, were able to bring a deep emotional side to the story which I found lacking in the novel.  "[Viola Davis'] role has garnered her critical acclaim, and has started buzz for various awards nominations." - Time Magazine, Glen Levy.

{In the film I wish they had delved more in Ms. Phelan's illness, Miss Skeeter's relationship with Stuart Whitworth, Skeeter's rejection from society, the personal stories of the maids, and Celia Foote's miscarriages.  It's understandable that they couldn't get to all of this though, since it's difficult to fit a 464 page novel into a 2.4 hour film.}

Overall, The Help was definitey an enjoyable although not overly intellectually stimulating read.

Please feel free to post your thoughts, comments, and personal reactions to the book or film in the "comments section!"  You do not have to be a blogger member to post.  If you're going to reveal any spoilers, please clearly indicate so.

Happy reading!

Lana

Book image: http://tiny.cc/4wdj1
DVD image: http://tiny.cc/rdtsm

Back from S. Korea! Seoul and Busan

Hello and welcome back!  Happy New Year 2012.  I feel a good one ahead.  Not only because there is a lot in store for me this year, but also because it's the year of the dragon, my personal favorite of the zodiac signs and also my birth year!  Plus, 2012 just feels like such a nice even number, there's bound to be fortune an excitement in store!

My one-week trip to Korea was brief, but very pleasant and a nice change of pace.  Despite having lived in Japan for two and a half years, Korea was immensely difficult to get used to.  I had not one trace of knowledge about the language, and I thought that since Korea was partially the origin of Japan many of their customs and habits would coincide.  I was wrong on many counts, and had a lot of embarrassing moments making cultural etiquette errors and not being able to be easily understood with English.  It was a good experience however, and taught me to be more careful about assuming that English is enough as well as assuming that just because I know a lot about their neighbors, does not mean I know anything at all about them.  Ultimately, I think I was taught to assume less and research more.

Of course the language was the first immediate difference.  Much like Japanese, the written language of Korea was once borrowed from China.  Eventually however, King Sejong the great created a new alphabet called Hangul, which suited the Korean language much better than borrowed Chinese characters.  Japanese continued to use the mixed Chinese characters in addition to their adapted alphabet, or syllabary.  I could not read Hangul, and I also had a hard time wrapping my mind around all of the new sounds that exist in Korean.  The combination of vowels and varying consonants are closer to Chinese, which I have never studied.  I felt inadequate trying to ask for anything, or even use the guidebook to say simple phrases.  I couldn't figure out how to pronounce anything by the romanized spelling, and went back to relying on English.  We intentionally did not use Japanese because of the animosity between the two countries.  We bought a simple Korean language book and have looked at it since returning to Japan. If only I had done a minimal amount of research before I left!

Other differences that I wasn't really expecting included everyday etiquette like how to eat a meal, speaking and eating on subways, and a more pushy and less artificially friendly atmosphere.  They were much more outgoing, and honest on the surface.  Perhaps it's because it's not an island?  Also, I think that their proximity to China gives them more Chinese mannerisms, while Japan is a secluded island nation and developed it's own culture and customs apart from the rest of the world.

Other than a few embarrassing mess-ups, it was a really great trip!  I was more interested in Korean culture than I thought I would be, and enjoyed seeing the sites and trying all of the local foods.  My favorite things to eat there were kimchi, bibimbap, and a fried dough pastry with cinnamon sugar inside called hottoek.

We started our trip with four days in Seoul, up in northern South Korea, and then took a bullet train down to the most southern tip and spent three days in the slower city of Busan.  We were able to meet up with some fellow Denison graduates who are teaching English there, much like we are doing in Japan.  Unfortunately the first full day we spent in Seoul we ended up walking around the city, through palaces and temples, and encountered many hills.  I sprained my foot this first day and was left limping for the rest of the trip.  I think it slowed our pace and limited us on a few of our journeys, but all in all it was a wonderful experience and I'm looking forward to going back some day.  Here is a slide show with pictures of the places we visited!

Thanks for reading and check back again soon!

Merry Christmas 2011 and Happy New Year 2012!

Hello!  Sorry for my recent absence.  End of the year grading, card sending and Christmas gifting has kept me behind!  Actually, I am going to South Korea tomorrow morning, and it will be at least another week or so before I actually post a real entry.  I just wanted to let you know that I'll be posting about my trip when I come back, and I hope you're looking forward to seeing some pictures and hearing about it!

I also wanted to wish everyone a  

MERRY CHRISTMAS 

and a

HAPPY NEW YEAR 

before I left.

Happy holidays, and take care during the cold winter season!  If you're in the southern hemisphere, then I hope you're enjoying the summer!  Any surfing Santas?

Sincerely,

Lana

The End of NaNoWriMo 2011

NaNoWriMo has officially ended in Japan!  How did you all do?  Did you finish?  Will you try to edit and publish your new masterpiece?

To all of those who participated; whether you made the 50,000 words or not, congratulations on such an incredible accomplishment! I'm proud of everyone who took part, and I hope you'll join me again next year! Good job and good luck!  To those of you who didn't participate but are considering it for the future, perhaps you'll join us in 2012?

-Lana

P.S. Happy December 1st!

Jane Eyre - Book Review

Please note: There may be spoilers here.  I will be sure to write any spoilers in PURPLE with brackets { } so that you can avoid reading sections that may give away parts of the book.

I have recently finished reading Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë.  I was inspired to read it for three reasons.  The first reason is that I always hear this book mentioned in popular culture such as on TV or in movies, and as I was not required to read it in school I always wondered what it was like.  The second reason is that it seems people who have read it either really like it, or really hate it and I wanted to know first-hand the causes of this split.  The last reason is that recently I've been thinking I should read some of the "classic books" and discover for myself their greatness.  It is funny too, that so many of the classics mention other classics and famous authors within them!  The more I read, the more I want to read!

I've read a few books written in older English, and they are usually very difficult for me to understand.  I thought that this book was going to be similar, but I was happily surprised to find that the English used in Jane Eyre is actually quite simple and easy to follow.  The book is long however, and may be a deterrent for some hoping to read it.

I saw the recent Jane Eyre film before I read the book, but I wouldn't recommend doing so.  Actually, I wouldn't recommend it for any book.  If you see the movie first, I think you'll be less likely to enjoy the book.  You already know what happens, and you already have the director's interpretation of the story and characters in your mind.

{Just by viewing the trailer, I thought it would be a ghost story of sorts.  Towards the end we figure out that it is not a ghost story and ends up being a classic love story; the tales of one girl's life.  I enjoyed reading about the time period and learning about the story and characters in more detail, but it might have been a better experience to go into it with a blank slate.}

All in all, I thought it was an pleasurable read.  Towards the middle the plot lagged a little bit and it took me some time to read through it, but it's no wonder that the classic has remained popular and withstood the test of time.  If you have a lot of time and are interested in reading some old literature, I would recommend this book.  If you're looking for a light and quick novel that can be finished in a matter of days, save this one for a different occasion.

Happy reading!

Next up is The Help by Kathryn Stockett.  Check the "Read Read Read" tab for the next book review, coming soon.