Blink by Malcolm Gladwell

All Malcolm Gladwell fans, please step forward.

I just finished Blink: The Power of Thinking without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell. Gladwell has one of those global, sprawling minds that combs the universe for interesting fragments of information and weaves it all into wild, technicolor, socially holistic discussions that normal, moderately educated people can follow. He's just so cool, I can't stand it. His 'fro, his perky face. Everything. I love him.

I don't normally do this, but I am going to quote from the back of the book to give you a synopsis of the book's content. It's as thorough as anything I'd come up with:

"This book is all about those moments when we 'know' something without knowing why. Here Malcolm Gladwell, one of the world's most original thinkers, explores the phenomenon of 'blink', showing how a snap judgement can be far more effective than a cautious decision. By trusting your instincts, he reveals, you'll never think about thinking in the same way again."

I would add that Gladwell also explores the contexts in which snap decisions are likely to run amok--conditions in which our gut reactions will screw us over, so to speak. Gladwell scoops together research and examples from across the spectrum of human experiences: marriage, professional sports, art collection, professional taste testing, police protocol, you name it.

Highly recommended if you are interested in non-fiction topics such as social psychology, cultural criticism, brain function, and improved productivity. Don't let that list throw you off--the book is compulsively readable. Fast and fun.

Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby

My friend Natalie lent me Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby on my Nook. Lending books on Nooks is super duper fun. Not only is the lending process streamlined and effortless, there is no chance that I will have the shame of returning the book to its owner in a-little-more-worser condition than I received it, which is the fate of all inanimate objects that spend any appreciable time in my home. (Thanks, kids). Also, I won't accidentally keep the book for two years. The exchange is strictly cyber, and the book returns itself. I'm glad something takes responsibility for itself around here. Be quiet, Home Girl's subconscious! You think people can't hear you??

What were we talking about? Oh yes. Nick Hornby. On the Nook.

In the novel, a middle-aged ex-rock star, Tucker Crowe, confronts the reasons behind a fifteen year jag of creative silence after re-releasing a stripped down, unedited version of his most lauded record. When Annie, a-nearing-forty-year-old fan whose life is also stuck on "pause" for other reasons, posts an unflattering, probing critique of his new (old) material online, both of them find themselves staring at the stripped down, unedited truth about their lives.

The book is full of searing hilarity and wit. Hornby digs into the minds of a washed-up 80's rock star and a stalled, single woman trapped in a Nothing Job with a cocktail of sensitivity and self-deprecation. We end up defending them, rooting for them, forgiving them, understanding them, and--yes--laughing at them. Juliet, Naked is a thoughtful, pleasantly neurotic tale of risks and ruts, creativity and complacency. I read it as I lounged by the pool, drinking diet tonic water and answering my splashing children's questions with vague, one-word answers. The book was a perfect fit.

Rascal by Sterling North

My children and I just finished Sterling North's boyhood memoir, Rascal. In it, he recalls his adventures raising an orphaned raccoon kit near Lake Koshkonong in the backwoods of Wisconsin during World War I. The narrative unfolds organically, winding along the months of one calendar year. North's impish raccoon, Rascal, is the source of many charming and funny anecdotes; however, the book's themes broaden, touching on naturalism, death (both private death, as Sterling processes the loss of his mother and national bereavement, as he matures against the backdrop of war), loyalty, abandonment, and love.

North describes his affection for Rascal with aching detail. The warmth and furor that mark North's allegiance to Rascal contrast with the diplomatic detachment he shows when describing his father's benign neglect and intellectual absorption. We see North stumbling toward adulthood, clinging to the companionship of a wild animal, as his father leaves him alone for weeks at a time. As spring approaches and Rascal begins to grow discontent with captivity, we see the fruit of North's stout, selfless love and his tender rationality.

The language in the book is rich, stately, and evocative. We read it slowly, pausing to supply definitions and to marinate in the spare imagery. I appreciated North's cheerful tenacity as a boy. He set a good example for taking joy in hard, creative work. Also, the World War I references are colorful and illustrative of the period. My nine year old made several historical connections as we read. I highly recommend dusting off this 1964 Newberry Winner.

Anybody read it?