Dr. Wesley Britton Reviews Mel Blanc, "The Man of a Thousand Voices"

Mel Blanc: The Man of a Thousand Voices

Author: Ben Ohmart

Publisher ‏ : ‎ BearManor Media (November 11, 2012)

ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1593937881

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1593937881 

Available on Amazon

 

I admit being a tad behind the curve reviewing this 2012 tome, but I only recently spotted the title in a perusal of the BearManor Media catalogue.  I also admit some might think I’m a tad biased as I’ve known the author, Ben Ohmart, for many years now. Seven of my books were published by his BearManor Media.  And I’ve reviewed a ton of BearManor titles in the past as that little company tends to pump out quality non-fiction explorations of entertainment history.  I’ve loved quite a few, but have pointed out clunkers when I run across them.

 

This time around, Ben gives us a 700 plus page deep dive into all things Mel Blanc. For a refresher, Blanc was the voice of most of the Warner Brothers cartoon characters including Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig,   Sylvester and Tweety bird, Yosemite Sam and all the other favorites you probably remember from your childhood. Beyond the Warner Brothers canon, Blanc occasionally did the Woody Woodpecker laugh, and voiced Barney Rubble and Dino for The Flintstones.    Add in countless characters for radio and television, including a lot of work with his friend Jack Benny, and it’s easy to understand how a serious cataloguing of his legacy would end up in a hefty sized book.

 

Naturally, the book is chock-full of behind-the-scenes  anecdotes revealing how Blanc came up with all those voices.  For example, Blanc didn’t like carrots so he kept a bucket handy whenever he had to do Bugs Bunny chopping on carrots.  Apparently, no other vegetable could duplicate the sound so Blanc would do his chomping and then spit out the remains in the bucket.  In the ‘60s, Blanc was surprised to find his characters singing Beatles and Rolling Stones songs as in Yosemite Sam doing “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.”

 

We get a considerable amount of insight into Blanc’s personal life, especially as one principal source for the book was his son, Noel.  I doubt few readers can read the account of Blanc’s recovery from a near fatal car crash and not be affected by just how resilient Blanc was in getting back to work while still being laid up. In fact, few readers will put down this book without feeling a sense of admiration for the man, his talent, his values, the whole package.

 

If you’re like me and missed this volume when it first came out, it’s never too late to appreciate the life and legacy of a major contributor to many of our childhood hours watching TV and laughing at all those immortal characters Mel Blanc helped bring to life.

More About the Reviewer

 

Dr. Wesley Britton, educator and author, is a regular contributor to #TheNewBookReview blog and well as BookPleasures.com where this review first appeared. Use this blog's search engine to find more of his reviews.

 

https://waa.ai/xn3I

More About #TheNewBookReview Blog

The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read and love. Please see submission guidelines in a tab at the top of this blog's home page or go directly to the submission guidelines at http://bit.ly/ThePlacetoRecycleBookReviews or to the guideline tab at the top of the home page of this blog. Authors and publishers who do not yet have reviews or want more may use Lois W. Stern's "Authors Helping Authors" service for requesting reviews. Find her guidelines in a tab at the top of the home page, too. Carolyn Wilhelm is our IT expert, an award-winning author, a veteran educator and also contributes reviews and posts on other topics related to books. Reviews, interviews, and articles on this blog are indexed by genre, reviewers' names, and review sites so #TheNewBookReview may be used as a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. As an example, writers will find this blog's search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing

The Midnight Sky Film Discussion Questions

The Midnight Sky Film Discussion Questions 

The Midnight Sky film is a post-apocalyptic sci-fi story that stars George Clooney, Felicity Jones, and David Oyelewo. It is a Netflix movie. October would be a good month to watch the film as we are thinking of scary things like the apocalypse anyway. However, this is a thought-provoking and sad movie about how the world might end. 

The Midnight Sky Discussion Questions

1.     Do we know what happened to the earth? What do you think happened?

2.     Who is Augustine Lofthouse?

3.     Why does Lofthouse want to warn the spaceship returning to Earth so it would not return?

4.     The abandoned child appears and does not speak. What happened that may have caused her to not speak?

5.     Describe the crew onboard the Aether.

6.     In the book, Sully was not pregnant. In the film, they built the fact she actually was pregnant into the story. Do you feel it added tension and depth to the story?

7.     Lofthouse goes to great lengths almost beyond human endurance to warn the people on the spaceship about the problems on earth. Why?

8.     Lofthouse loses his dialysis equipment in an accident. How did that affect the story?

9.     How does Sully describe K-23 to Lofthouse? When she says her name is Iris, what did that imply?

     Screenwriter Mark L. Smith also co-wrote the Revenant. Previously, we posted discussion questions about the Revenant movie and book. Does this information tell you The Midnight Sky might be serious?

Thank you for reading, Carolyn Wilhelm

Carolyn Wilhelm, Reviewer 

BS Elementary Education, MS Gifted Education, MA K-12 Curriculum and Instruction

Wise Owl Factory LLC

More About #TheNewBookReview Blog The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read and love. Please see submission guidelines in a tab at the top of this blog's home page or go directly to the form at https://www.bit.ly/FinishedReviewSubmissions. Authors and publishers who do not yet have reviews or want more may use Lois W. Stern's "Authors Helping Authors" service for requesting reviews. Find her guidelines in a tab at the top of the home page, too. And know that Carolyn Wilhelm, our IT expert, award-winning author, and veteran educator, makes an award image especially for those who volunteer to write reviews from Lois's review-request list and post them in the spirit of her "Authors Helping Authors" project. Reviews, interviews, and articles on this blog are indexed by genre, reviewers' names, and review sites so #TheNewBookReview may be used as a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. As an example, writers will find this blog's search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing

Carnival Lights by Chris Stark Book Club Discussion Questions

Title: Carnival Lights
By: Chris Stark
Publisher: Modern History Press
Publisher Website: https://www.modernhistorypress.com/
Author Website: https://www.christinestark.com/
ISBN-10: 1615995781
ISBN-13: 978-1615995783
Price: Hardcover $37.95, Paperback $24.95, Kindle $6.95
Page Count: 268
Formats (HC, PB, Kindle)

With good reason, two teens run away from a reservation and get jobs at the Minnesota State Fair. Although the book has a linear story within the pages, it also has a spiraling story going back generations explaining how families pass down their problems. Society also hands down its ills, of course.

"The grief of her people lived within her and was a way of knowing, with or without her conscious understanding."

Stark, Chris. Carnival Lights (p. 221). Modern History Press. Kindle Edition. 

What a read! Oh, my. This book hit me especially hard being a resident of northern Minnesota as well as Minneapolis. I walked exactly where the girls walked, went to the fair, and understand 1969 - the setting of the book. I was about their age in 1969. Of course, I was aware of the poverty in the Native American reservations. However, we attended Pow Wows and visited some people, so that I was unaware of the danger to women and children. I have been to Duluth dozens of times and cannot again pass through there looking at the ships with ignorance. We lived in Grand Marais on Lake Superior and I knew there was trafficking, but thought it was all at the border for some reason. 

10 Discussion Questions for Carnival Lights

Download your free PDF by clicking this link

1. How does Stark set up the first chapters so we are convinced Sher and Kris had no choice but to run away? What are several of the convincing reasons provided? 

2. Did you expect the girls would get to the fair rather quickly and experience problems there? What surprised you about the book with generational stories interwoven with the experience of the girls' bus trip and arrival in Minneapolis?

3. Why did the girls spend several days in downtown Minneapolis? Who did Sher call, thinking they might find help? How did they get food? The Vietnam war protest added drama as well as helped explain the times. How was Kris always going ahead and doing things while Sher wanted to hold back?

4. How do they meet Tricia? Why does she say the following:

“Get this,” the woman said, “a couple of farm girls showing me the city.”

Stark, Chris. Carnival Lights (p. 118). Modern History Press. Kindle Edition. 

5. Why do they decide or were told to leave several of the places they briefly stayed? What was the one place they wanted to stay? Why?

6. When in Minneapolis, Stark again sets up the reasons why the girls do not try to find help. Why would they not reach out to a social worker? Why do you think the church where they sat on the steps asked them to leave, probably knowing they were in trouble? 

7. How does the author explain most of Sher's family acceptance and knowledge of her as contrasted with what her mother thought:

"Sher’s mother had admonished Sher for her broad shoulders, her narrow hips, and wearing her brother’s hand-me-downs, as if these oddities sprang from Sher alone, and did not come from the loins of her parents, from her family, from the Creator."

Stark, Chris. Carnival Lights (p. 195). Modern History Press. Kindle Edition. 

8. Were you expecting Sher and Kris would meet different people and find different problems than they did? How were the things that happened to them in Minneapolis worse or better than what you thought? 

9. Why do you think they didn't go home but remembered the good people and things that happened? Their memories helped them cope. Could they have gone home? 

10. The foreshadowing of the ending strongly suggested something terrible would happen. Did you expect what happened or not? How did close calls to people who seemed to think about helping them add to the plot's tension? How was the ending both happy and sad? 

Why do you think Stark wrote this book? What was the overall message? 

Carolyn Wilhelm, Reviewer 

BS Elementary Education, MS Gifted Education, MA K-12 Curriculum and Instruction

Wise Owl Factory LLC

More About #TheNewBookReview Blog The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read and love. Please see submission guidelines in a tab at the top of this blog's home page or go directly to the submission guidelines at http://bit.ly/ThePlacetoRecycleBookReviews or to the guideline tab at the top of the home page of this blog. Authors and publishers who do not yet have reviews or want more may use Lois W. Stern's "Authors Helping Authors" service for requesting reviews. Find her guidelines in a tab at the top of the home page, too. Carolyn Wilhelm is our IT expert, an award-winning author, a veteran educator and also contributes reviews and posts on other topics related to books. Reviews, interviews, and articles on this blog are indexed by genre, reviewers' names, and review sites so #TheNewBookReview may be used as a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. As an example, writers will find this blog's search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing

Nomadland Film and Book Discussion Questions Free Instant Download

TITLE: Nomadland

SUBTITLE: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century

AUTHOR: Jessica Bruder
AUTHOR'S WEBSITE: https://www.jessicabruder.com/bio  
GENRE: Gerontology Social Sciences, Economic Conditions (Books), US Travel Guide 
PAGES: 288
PUBLISHER: Norton
Link to Amazon

Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century was written by Jessica Bruder. Made into an award-winning film, it shows a van-dwelling working nomad named Fern. Fern lost her husband and home when the company town shut down. She started traveling to find work. Written, edited, produced, and directed by Chloé Zhao, it stars Frances McDormand as Fern. I find it so interesting that McDormand also helped produce the film after living in a camper van and interviewing itinerant Americans. I rented it on YouTube, as I don't have Hulu.

Click this link for your free instant PDF download with the questions

The story is loosely based on true events regarding the company town of Empire, Nevada. United States Gypsum closed the mine and the town in 2011. People with children were allowed to stay through the end of the school year. Empire mining bought the company in 2016, reopening part of the operations and homes. I love stories based on real events. 

Film Discussion Questions

Book Discussion Questions

The book was nonfiction. Did it seem like it would be nonfiction if the movie was watched first? Some people may have been surprised. The author, Jessica Bruder, certainly went to great lengths to interview nomads, stayed in the campground with them, and even worked with them. She realized she always had the choice to leave the lifestyle where they did not have such a choice. 

Thank you for reading, Carolyn Wilhelm, Wise Owl Factory LLC

Carolyn Wilhelm is the author and sole owner of The Wise Owl Factory LLC site and blog. She has a BS in Elementary Education, an MS in Gifted Education, an MA in Curriculum and Instruction K-12, and has completed the KHT Montessori 12 month program. She makes mostly free resources for teachers and parents. Her children's books are available on Amazon. She was a public school teacher for 28 years. She writes for The New Book Review and Sharing with Writers and Readers.

Dr. Bob Rich Reviews Laura Persons New Book of Juvenile Fiction

Title: Lost But Found

Subtitle: A Boy's Story of Grief and Recovery

Publisher:	Loving Healing Press
Author:	Laura Persons
Illustrator	Noah Hrbek
ISBN-13:	PB 978-1-61599-547-9 /
List Price:	PB $ 14.95
Trim:	8.5 x 11 (26 pp)
Audience:	4-6 years
Pub Date:	12/01/2020
Genres:	JUVENILE FICTION/Social Issues/Death & Dying
	JUVENILE FICTION/Concepts/Body*
	JUVENILE FICTION/Family/Parents

Synopsis

Lost But Found: A Boy's Story of Grief and Recoverydeals with one of the toughest issues a parent may ever have to face--explaining to a child that a loved one has died. Often, to protect them, children are left out of the grieving process. This book allows adults to travel with a young boy as he works to make sense of his loss--and, in turn, their own.

I wrote this book to allow children to ask questions, and talk about their fears and feelings. What I have found is that often children have better insights on these hard life questions than the adults in the room!

Reviewed by Dr. Bob Rich

Review:

Lauren Persons is a grandmother who loves all children (one of my mob). One of her sources of distress is empathy for all the kids in the world who have lost loved ones to this devious virus, with little end in sight. So, she has written a book for them.

I have tears in my eyes as I am writing this review.

This is as much thanks to the beautiful illustrations by Noah Hrbek as to the beautiful, simple words of a loving mother and grandmother. This little book is perfect for small children who have suffered the loss of a parent. Sadly, in our world, riddled by COVID, insane gun violence, and the increase in terrible weather events due to climate change, deaths in the family are far more common than they should be.

However, Lost but Found will also be excellent for little children who are not grieving, because it teaches empathy and compassion.

And it is even excellent for old grandfathers like me.

Do yourself a favour and buy a copy for a small child in your life.

More About the Author

Indeed, William Shakespeare was right when he said, “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.” Lauren’s rich and varied roles as actor, director, playwright, teacher, poet, wife, mother, grandmother have all contributed to the role of writer and now author of Lost But Found, a children’s book to help parents and children come to grips with the death of a loved one.

About the Reviewer

Dr. Bob Rich wishes he was a psychopath. It would be SO wonderful to be unaffected by the sufferings of others! Alas, this is not to be, so he does the next best thing and uses his writing to reduce suffering. You can assess his effectiveness at his popular blog, Bobbing Around, which hides at https://bobrich18.wordpress.com

Oh his recent books, “Hit and Run” shows the power of unconditional acceptance in changing a mass murderer into a boy you wouldn’t mind dating your daughter; "From Depression to Contentment: A self-therapy guide” delivers what its title claims; “Sleeper, Awake” shows you our future in 1500 years’ time; “Lifting the Gloom” is a collection of short stories and essays that will make your world a better place; and coming in September is “Maraglindi: Guardian spirit,” which takes you to mid-19th Century Australia through the eyes of a little girl born to make all of us into better people.

More About #TheNewBookReview Blog

 

 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read and love. Please see submission guidelines in a tab at the top of this blog's home page or go directly to the submission guidelines at http://bit.ly/ThePlacetoRecycleBookReviews or to the guideline tab at the top of the home page of this blog. Authors and publishers who do not yet have reviews or want more may use Lois W. Stern's "Authors Helping Authors" service for requesting reviews. Find her guidelines in a tab at the top of the home page, too. Carolyn Wilhelm is our IT expert, an award-winning author, a veteran educator and also contributes reviews and posts on other topics related to books. Reviews, interviews, and articles on this blog are indexed by genre, reviewers' names, and review sites so #TheNewBookReview may be used as a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. As an example, writers will find this blog's search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing

Wesley Britton Review Maria Elena Alonso-Sierra's New Nick Larson Novel

 

 

Hanging Softly in the Night

Subtitle:   A Detective Nick Larson Novel

Maria Elena Alonso-Sierra 

Thrills & Kills Press (November 8, 2020)

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08LQXGCFN

ISBN-13: 978-0-9982574-3-3 

ISBN-10: 0-9982574-3-5 

Available at Amazon

Reviewed by Wesley Britton originally for Book Pleasures

        In this latest edition of Maria Elena Alonso-Sierra’s Lt. Detective Nick Larson series,  readers familiar with such stories will find themselves in comfortable territory encountering many typical mystery story tropes.

For one thing, our main hero, New York police detective Nick Larson is an experienced investigator with a big personal problem.   After his ex-wife committed suicide, he’s on restricted duty while he works out his pain. At first glance, he might not have been the best choice to lead an investigation of an apparent suicide by hanging.   Naturally, this death is followed by other suspicious hangings that might be related murders. Larson, along with his trusty partner, Detective Vic Sacco, along with other tried and true NYPD associates like Tish Ramos, Steve Pensig,  and  Josh Carpenter, spend most of the book trying to connect the ever-increasing accumulation of dots that should reveal, sooner or later,  the motives for the crime spree. 

The second plot is a carry-over from a previous Nick Larson story (“Mirror, Mirror”)  in which two twins are locked in a  psychopathic sibling rivalry. Creative baker Laura Howard is the good twin trying to protect herself, and ignite a relationship with Larson, while brilliant and manipulative evil twin Sandra Ward does everything she can to destroy her sister, even while incarcerated.

Distinguishing attributes of Alonso-Sierra’s story telling include a very descriptive eye,   especially for the ever-widening cast of supporting characters and vivid city settings during a cold and harsh winter. On every page, the reader feels like we’ve been taken into city dwellings, shops, office buildings, everywhere Larson has to go to investigate leads, dead-ends and witnesses from every strata of New York life. The author demonstrates a deep well of research into police procedures and medical analysis, as demonstrated by the list of acronyms at the beginning of the book. Adding to the verisimilitude, a fast, energetic pace keeps the reader engaged from beginning to end.

If you’re like me, you’ll not only get involved with the developing relationships between the leads,  you’ll want to continue the ride in the next volume of the Nick Larson saga. Without providing spoilers, not everything is resolved in Hanging Softly. We got more surprises coming and I can’t wait for the next chapters.

More About the Reviewer

Wesley Britton writes Sci-Fi. He is also a frequent reviewer for this blog, #TheNewBookReview, and BookPleasures.com. 

 

How Authors, Publishers, Professional Reviewers, and Readers Can Benefit from The New Book Review

 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read and love. Please see submission guidelines in a tab at the top of this blog's home page or go directly to the submission guidelines at http://bit.ly/ThePlacetoRecycleBookReviews or to the guideline tab at the top of the home page of this blog. Authors and publishers who do not yet have reviews or want more may use Lois W. Stern's "Authors Helping Authors" service for requesting reviews. Find her guidelines in a tab at the top of the home page, too. Carolyn Wilhelm is our IT expert, an award-winning author, a veteran educator and also contributes reviews and posts on other topics related to books. Reviews, interviews, and articles on this blog are indexed by genre, reviewers' names, and review sites so #TheNewBookReview may be used as a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. As an example, writers will find this blog's search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing

Linnea Gradin Reviews Japanese Novel (in Translation!)

 

TITLE: Heaven

AUTHOR: Mieko Kawakami (Translated from Japanese by Sam Bett and David Boyd)

GENRE: Literary Fiction

AGE / INTEREST LEVEL: Adult 

ISBN: 1609456211 (ISBN13: 9781609456214)

PAGE #: 192

PUBLISHER: Europa Editions

A LINK TO WHERE THE BOOK MAY BE PURCHASED: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1609456211?tag=reedwebs-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1 

Reviewed by Linnea Gradin originally for Goodreads

Mieko Kawakami’s Heaven is a short novel with a deceptively simple set-up. Following an unnamed 14-year-old narrator maliciously nicknamed Eyes because of his lazy eye, Kawakami’s second novel (or third including the novella Ms Ice Sandwich) to be translated into English is an account of cruel and senseless bullying. It’s a complete shift in both theme and scene from her hugely successful Breast and Eggs, but just as thought-provoking and unflinching in its execution.

 

Heaven opens with the narrator receiving an anonymous note in school. Upon reading “we should be friends” he is suspicious, yet hopeful — instantly introducing the reader to the narrator’s inner world and the psychological effects of abuse. It turns out that the note is from Kojima, his female classmate who, like him, is a victim of bullying. Leaving each other notes and eventually working up the courage to meet in person, the two form a bond based on their shared struggles and a mutual longing for human connection. Throughout, I desperately wished for this to be the start of a beautiful friendship, but was left uncomfortably waiting for the other shoe to drop.

 

The narrator is shackled by a profound and frustrating sense of powerlessness but Kojima, in an attempt to rationalize their experiences, has devised a philosophy of her own: “I bet we could make them stop. But we're not just playing by their rules. This is our will. We let them do this. It's almost like we chose this.” She desperately clings to the idea of agency and their victimhood as a “sign” of a higher understanding of pain. This notion sets her on a path of self-destructive martyrdom. As both the narrator and Kojima search for answers where there are no satisfying ones to be found, your heart breaks for them. 

 

Through the narrator’s interaction with Kojima and, later in the novel, one of his bullies, Kawakami manages to make these discussions feel true to the characters’ age, while deftly exploring several perspectives on bullying and cruelty. Their exchanges range from the trivial and banal, to the deeply meaningful. At times, I found that Kawakami has sacrificed believability in order to fully explore these contrasting philosophies and ideas, delivered in ladened dialogue. Despite this, the bullying and its effects never feel anything but horrifyingly real and true to life. Leaving sentimentality behind, Heaven is a perfect example of how creative writing can make suffering intelligible to others, expertly capturing the savage cruelty children are capable of. The use of the lazy eye as a metaphor is also quite apt, as the narrator observes his surroundings but lacks some necessary depth of perception. As he contemplates the opposing notions that Kojima and his bully represent, he asks himself whether his lazy eye is central to who he is, or whether it ultimately makes little difference to his bullies in a world which favors the strong.

 

In the end, it is Eyes who must decide which philosophy speaks to him more — whether to follow the self-destructive path that Kojima is walking or whether he can find solace in the utter meaningless of it all. Excavating the many layers of bullying, Kawakami lets him make his choice in the last few pages of the novel and boldly suggests that liberation might perhaps be best found in the absence of meaning and fate. It is, in many ways, a perfectly imperfect ending.

 

Despite the age of the protagonists, this novel is not published for children. It offers very little hope for goodness in the face of everyday evil, and the descriptions of both physical and emotional violence are disturbing. While ruminating on the meaning of the pain of adolescence, Kawakami doesn’t offer any easy or comfortable answers, making this far from a pleasure to read. There’s no empowering message about how the brutal antagonism the characters face will ultimately make them stronger, nor does it harp on the virtues of empathy. Instead, Kawakami excels at presenting countering arguments without picking sides, staying faithful to the voice of the narrator and simply but powerfully depicting his despair.  Like most great authors, she knows how to make something small and invisible shift inside you without you even noticing. The writing is confrontational and bleak, and though Kawakami’s voice is not as defined as in Breasts and Eggs, Heaven is sure to leave just as lasting an impression on its readers.

 

⭐⭐⭐⭐

More About the Reviewer

 

NAME OF REVIEWER: Linnea Gradin

ORIGINAL PLACE THE REVIEW WAS PUBLISHED:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3958173318 

 

Linnea Gradin is a writer for Reedsy, a UK-based company in the self-publishing sector connecting authors with freelancing publishing professionals. She has a Masters of Philosophy in Sociology from the University of Cambridge, and is working towards a second degree in Publishing Studies at Lund University. Needless to say, she has a passion for everything reading but is especially interested in translated literature.

 

Twitter: @_linneagradin

 

EMAIL: linnea@reedsy.com

More About #TheNewBookReview 

Blog The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read and love. Please see submission guidelines in a tab at the top of this blog's home page or go directly to the submission guidelines at http://bit.ly/ThePlacetoRecycleBookReviews or to the guideline tab at the top of the home page of this blog. Authors and publishers who do not yet have reviews or want more may use Lois W. Stern's "Authors Helping Authors" service for requesting reviews. Find her guidelines in a tab at the top of the home page, too. Carolyn Wilhelm is our IT expert, an award-winning author, a veteran educator and also contributes reviews and posts on other topics related to books. Reviews, interviews, and articles on this blog are indexed by genre, reviewers' names, and review sites so #TheNewBookReview may be used as a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. As an example, writers will find this blog's search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing