Book Impressions

Schuyler's Monster by Rob Rummel-Hudson
Interesting, but kind of whiny. I feel for him and his family having to deal with such a tough situation, but I couldn't get behind some of the things that he did in response to the situation. Having worked closely with many special needs kids through teaching and nannying, I am always interested in personal stories about dealing with people going through things.He did do a good job of describing how heartbreaking his situation is, but then he just reiterated it over and over and over.

Nothing to Envy Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick
I have a huge fascination with North Korea--partly because of the mystery surrounding it, partly because of what I learned about it in my Asian Studies class when I studied in Japan. This book did not disappoint at all, and I have a feeling that the people whose lives I read about will stick with me for a very long time. Also, I almost always think about North Korea whenever people complain about America. Seriously, with all of our imperfections, we have it DAMN GOOD here.

Escape from Camp 14
An amazing story about a boy who was born, raised, and then escaped from a North Korean Labor Camp. In many ways this book is sadder than "Nothing to Envy," but in other ways, more amazing.

The Wilder Life
While I enjoyed the tidbits about Laura Ingalls Wilder's life that I learned without having to do the actual research myself, the book itself kind of fell flat. Not as dramatic or funny as I had hoped to find it. 

The Chocolate Money
I got this from the library after seeing a review of it, and it pretty much was what I expected. Not nearly as shocking or interesting as it could have been, and the main character was a little too Holden Caulfield for me.

The Year of Magical Thinking
Kind of boring and a little too Lit-fic and not enough memoir for me. However, I see this being incredibly good for anyone who is dealing with the loss of a spouse or adult child, or who is familiar with Joan Didion's other writings. For me though, it just made it harder to sleep at night for fear of my husband or baby suddenly dying.