Monday, June 16, 2008

A couple books I missed

Here are a couple books that never made it to my list on the right, but yet I read last week.  I just felt this need to let you know (and give a little review!).

This book was a tasteful but still haunting account of Elie's time leading up to and spent in Auschwitz.  When I say tasteful, I mean that it still had the "smack you in the face horribleness that was Auschwitz" (how can any book about Auschwitz not have this?) without going into horrible detail.  I found that quite noble, almost as though he was above it.  

I don't want you to assume that I think other books, or movies for that matter, that go into such painful detail aren't right in doing so.  I think it's very necessary to keep what happened as fresh as possible in our memories.  This book just felt different, plain and simple.

Have you ever read A Child Called It?  Running with Scissors has the same flavor, interesting and completely shameless.  

(Just a tidbit, doubts of the authenticity A Child Called It have been raised in recent years... the juries still out for me)

I don't know if I would recommend it, though if you like being shocked, this book is for you!

5 comments:

candacemorris said...

running w/ scissors cracked me up, but it is very over the top, agreed.

rockstars_wife said...

How do you find the books you read, someone suggesting them to you or by random selection? iam in need of a long list of books to read, what would you suggest? Name and Author?

Anonymous said...

The first one is on my to read list, probably. I shy away from books that are too sad, but I've heard this one recommended a few times.

The second one - I haven't heard anything good about it. Everyone I know who read it hated it, so I'll steer clear of it.

Anonymous said...

I enjoyed Running with Scissors A LOT. I hardly read any memoir before, then after I read this book, I couldn't stop and went on reading a bunch of memoir, and all of Augusten Burrough's books (except his novel). I guess since I was a psych major in college, his dysfunctional family/life fascinated me. I also like his writing style.

But I can see why some people don't like it. It's one of those you either love it or hate it books I think.

Another memoir I enjoyed reading (about dysfunctional family again) was a Glass Castle. Not quite as shocking, but still unusual.

Melissa said...

Glass castle is next on my list! My mom highly recommended it!

Either you loved it or hated, or just thought it was okay.