Regis Reads

I remember seeing this classic on my mom's bookshelf as a kid, reading about a page, and putting it back, bored to tears. I thought that by now, as an aspiring English student, I would have more appreciation for it, but I may have a ways to go yet...

Check it out on Amazon!

Judge the Cover:

The cover of my particular edition boasts a rather more attractive Hester Prynne, but the basic idea is the same. A dark-haired young woman lost in thought, wearing Puritan clothing and sporting that unmissable letter "A". "What does this all mean?" you are meant to ask, "Who is this woman?"...read on, my friend.

What's Going On:

It begins in 1642 Puritanical Boston, Massachusetts, and beautiful young Hester Prynne is led to the scaffolds for public shaming. Though she is married, her husband has not arrived to meet her in the New World (presumed lost at sea), and now she has born an illegitimate child. The Puritan community judges and scorns her, and demands to know who the father is so that he may be judged also, but Hester refuses to name him. She is labelled with the symbol of an adulterer, and must live out her days in ignominy.
Yet watching in the crowd are two men who have further parts to play in her life: the pious young minister Mr. Dimmesdale, and the stranger who has just arrived in town to see his wife publicly condemned on the scaffolds...

Optimal Reading Scenario: English Class

This book is perhaps best enjoyed when someone who is really passionate about it is pointing out all the best bits to you, ie: that really weird prof who spent years developing their thesis on one obscure sentence of the novel. You may end up reading over it more times than you care for, but at least you'll get something out of it, rather than turning the last page and wondering what you just read.
Not like that happened to me, or anything.

Crack it Open:

"If truth were everywhere to be shown, a scarlet letter would blaze forth on many a bosom..."

I knew the basic premise of the book when I began, and wondered, "what could possibly fill the rest of those pages?"...I'm sorry to report, that there is not much of interest to me here. I'm a reasonably fast reader, and this is not a long book (approx. 250 pages), but it took me months to slog through it. This is partly because of the old-fashioned style of writing, partly a lack of connection to the characters, and partly because I had so many other more interesting things to read!

The Scarlet Letter basically deals with the issue of how people are judged by the faults the world can see, while "hidden" faults go unpunished (...or do they?). I'm sure there are lots of other themes and scholarly insights to be found, I just don't care enough to go into them.

Please don't judge me: I know this is the first classic I'm reviewing here, and I actually really do enjoy the classics. Just not this one. I would love to tell you that my inner nerd enjoyed this, but when it came down to it, I really just glazed over and had to literally force myself to keep reading.

If you want to know the story, and are looking for something a little more, ah, interesting, you could always check out the 1995 remake with Demi Moore and Gary Oldman.
I think they took some liberties if you know what I mean.

Regis Reads Rating: * *

Mischievous Monkey Rating: 0

Unless we're talking about the movie, the only saucy times are a couple holding hands in the woods.

Have you read The Scarlet Letter? What did you think? Am I judging it too harshly? 

Disclaimer: These are my own opinions, and I have not received compensation of any kind in exchange for this review. Dangit!

This was actually an ethnography I had to read for my Cultural Anthropology class this past semester, but it was so fascinating to me that I had to share. Don't think of it as a dry textbook! It is easy to read and very worthwhile. 

Check it out on Amazon!

Judge the Cover:

I was put off by the long title and concerned about the chubby child wearing the funny hat and pencil-drawn clothes. But fear not! That yellow circle means people like it! Lots of people! Smart people! You will like it too!

What's Going On:

This is the True Story (hint: this means it is going to be really interesting!) of a family of immigrants from the Vietnam area, living in California with a baby who has epilepsy. In Hmong culture epilepsy is not considered a life-threatening illness; it is a spiritual distinction and honor called "qua dab peg" which means "The spirit catches you and you fall down", an issue that can be remedied with the right shamanic rituals and sacrifices. The American doctors at the county hospital have a different opinion about how to deal with the situation, and this is the story of how two different perspectives on what is best for little Lia Lee affect her young life.

Optimal Reading Scenario: The Library

Between the extremely long title and odd illustration, you're going to get some funny looks reading this anywhere but the library. The library says, "I'm reading this for a reason" so no one will give you any trouble, the peace and quiet will be necessary for concentration, and if anyone interrupts you to ask you what you are reading, it gives you the added bonus of making you sound scholarly and intelligent which will impress those you wish to impress, and intimidate everyone else. Win-win.

Crack it Open:

"Our view of reality is only a view, not reality itself." -Anne Fadiman

The book is written in first person from the author's perspective, which gives a great sense of "being there". Anne Fadiman goes into the situation as a journalist knowing absolutely nothing about Hmong culture or the anthropology behind cultural views of health and illness, and I think this is why it makes it such a great book. She is able to take the reader along her journey of discovery in a way that is completely accessible, interesting, and emotionally captivating. The chapters alternate between the development of Lia's story, and some history of the Hmong people that sheds light on why her parents do the things they do, and what they are thinking.

Despite the seriousness of the subject matter, the author is able to inject a lot of humor into the universally relatable topic of cultural misunderstandings. She has a dry wit that seems to come out of nowhere to catch you off guard and unexpectedly tickle your funnybone. Nevertheless, Fadiman obviously has great respect for the people she writes about, and she never points fingers or lays blame. She simply tells the story and uses it as a tool to help people understand why it is important not to judge, but to always strive for understanding, especially where cultural differences are concerned.

The history sections felt a bit tedious at times, but they were necessary and enlightening. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Spirit, and recommend it to anyone interested in culture, North American medicine, or true stories. This is an amazing work on a little-known subject that sheds light not only on foreign cultures, but our own.

Regis Reads Rating: * * * *

Mischievous Monkey Rating: 0

Have you ever read an ethnography before? Have you ever thought of North American medicine as having a "culture" surrounding it?

Disclaimer: These are my own opinions; I am not getting compensation of any kind for reviewing this book. Dangit.

The long-awaited finale to the Divergent Trilogy is here!
Because of exams and other claims on my time, there has been a significant gap between when I read this book and when I am writing the review. I will do my best to remember it accurately :)

Check it out on Amazon!

Judge the Cover:

This symbol is new, and to be honest I don't get it. But it looks exciting and tidal wave-y.
Plus, an airport...

What's Going On:

(SPOILER ALERT! Make sure you're up to date on all things Divergent/Insurgent before you read on!)

The saga continues with Allegiant taking place just days after the shocking conclusion of Insurgent. The city has swapped Jeanine Matthew's serum-induced regime for Evelyn Johnson's factionless tyranny that forbids anyone to act on the new knowledge of their world. Tris and Tobias join the Allegiant resistance movement, and escape beyond the fence to uncover more truth and lies about their existence than you ever thought possible! Duh duh duh duuuuuuh....

Optimal Reading Scenario: In-flight Entertainment

This is the book you should pick up in that over-priced airport convenience store. Its fast-paced enough to keep you turning pages for the duration of that excruciatingly long flight or layover, and it won't require a lot of brainpower.
Bonus: its a trilogy, so pick up the other two and read them all!

Crack It Open:

"You don't believe things because they make your life better, you believe them because they are true." 

Things get interesting in Allegiant. For one thing, there is a new POV: we get to see things from Tobias's perspective about 50% of the time. While this is necessary for the plot, I found it a little disorientating at times.

As far as characters go, I've come to accept that this is just not the trilogy for me. Sure Tris and Tobias grow up a little (I was finally starting to warm up to Tris, and then the book ended...geez), but I'm just not impressed with the supporting cast who remain pretty stagnant throughout. I tried to wrap my brain around Caleb, and Peter, but their characters are just a bit too much of a stretch for me.

But exploring beyond the fence...! This is what I have been waiting for you guys! What is going on out there? Where the heck did this society come from? How are the Divergent supposed to help? All the fundamental questions that have been pushed to the sidelines because of more pressing matters are finally getting their time in the spotlight. The pace is a little slower in this book than the others, but it worked for me, because there was so much to develop and take in. It made the final chapters seem more climactic by contrast, which is important for the end result. There are a lot of political themes presented in this book, and overall I thought it was thought-provoking, and ended on a strong note...and what a note!

Well done Ms Roth. I heard you wrote this series while in university, and I am a little bit in awe of you!

Regis Reads Rating: * * *

Mischievous Monkey Rating: 1.5

Death, violence, explosions, tragedy...extra hot sauce...you know what's on the menu by now!

Well, that's it for the Divergent trilogy! It was a good run. What's the next Young Adult series I should read?

Disclaimer: These are my own opinions, I am not getting compensation of any kind for reviewing this book. Dangit.