literary update

Although my break this year has been relatively quiet, with usually just one thing scheduled per day to do, one of the things I enjoyed was to get back to reading some good books. At least earlier in the break, as now I have shifted into SPEP preparation mode, which is a story for another time. So what books have I been reading?

1. The In-between World of Vikram Lall by M.G. Vassanji

This is a fiction novel about the story of an Punjabi Indian and his family living in Kenya through the different stages of that country's development, from colonialism to corrupt independence. It was very interesting for me to read about the tensions and challenges faced by those ethnic groups in Kenya and how they were reversed quite quickly with the shifting political situation - not just the whites and the African Kikuyu (and other peoples that I don't remember), but also the Asians (which really means the Indians) there. I learned it through the lens of the Indian family as well, and so it just made the issues of safety, morality and corruption, and interracial marriage (among other issues) that much more real.

2. Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures by Vincent Lam

This is a fiction series of short stories written by a Canadian medical doctor, representing some of his reflections on what it means and entails to be a doctor. My first comment would be that the book is not satisfying to read, as in that it does not provide you with any brilliant insight into what being a doctor should mean or how being a doctor is fulfilling - quite the opposite. Lam presents a series of stories of scenarios that are potentially morally challenging and frustrating - the characters do what they do, and it's up to you to muse about why, about who was right, who was wrong, or whether there is a wrong or a right. I particularly liked the first chapter about "How to get into medical school," in which one of the characters is Asian and very tactical regarding her strategy to get into medical school. It brings up the type of ethical dilemma that I have highlighted in a previous blog post.

3. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

I was captivated by this book. According to Julianna, the author was raped as a child; and in this book, the protagonist was raped and killed as a fourteen-year-old. The story is about her view from her heaven of all the characters in her life - her family, her school friends, and her murderer - and how they react to and try to cope with their loss. What is interesting is that it's still written from the perspective of an intelligent fourteen-year-old who is cheering on her family from up above and extremely good at explaining what she sees. I would say that out of the three books here, this is an absolute must-read.

4. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

Also, quickly, some restaurants I have visited this break for the first time:

-Guu Otokomae

-Kintaro

-Terracotta

-Deer Garden Signatures

-Sushi Garden