Reading is Fundamental!

So I've been really lax in writing this thing everyday. It's really more of a pain in the ass than I thought it would be, but I do enjoy it so I'm going to keep doing it until I no longer enjoy it. I've also been real busy lately, which is also why I haven't had much time for posting.

Anyways, I decided that I'm not going to talk about music today; I'm going to talk about books. Specifically, I'm going to talk about the book I just finished and the book that I'm currently reading. I recommend them both.

So I just finished Brad Listi's debut novel “Attention. Deficit. Disorder.” It's a coming-of-age novel for the 21st century. Responsibility, both to oneself and the world, has taken on a different set of rules for the internet generation. We live in a different world that the previous generations, our upbringing is a more conscience one, we are more aware of our surroundings and of the elements that produce the world that we see. The world today is a place where we require too much stimulation, or at least more than our parents did. Whether you believe that ADD is an actual disease or simply society's way of saying that our brains can't function with an overabundance of stimulation, it's clear that the manner and the need of our coming-of-age has changed. Changed to what is the question.

Listi has devoted his novel to asking this question. With a style that is reminiscing of early Vonnegut, Listi rifles off his story in short sentences and short chapters. He succinctly (thanks Kim for helping me spell) tells his story matter-of-factly, with little emotion involved in the first person account. Not unlike, Camus' "The Stranger", Listi realizes the power that comes with a colorless expression of life. He tells his story of unsatisfying adventures without realizing the growth involved in unsatisfying experiences. Maybe that's a lesson we should all learn, that even when things don't seem to be satisfying, that they really are more beneficial that we think they are.

The other book I recommend is "Sweet and Low: A Family Story" by Rich Cohen. I picked it up on Thursday night and haven't been able to put it down since. "Sweet and Low" tells the true story of Cohen's own family, specifically his Jewish grandparents from Brooklyn who revolutionized the world twice, first by creating the first sugar packing machine and then by producing the first sugar substitute, Sweet'N Low.

Cohen, who has written for Rolling Stone and the New Yorker, paints a loving picture of his tortured family, all the while providing a detailed history lesson along the way. Cohen uses the backdrop of the history lessons to enrich his story. He describes everything, the early immigration of Jews to America, the development of the Brooklyn Ship Yards, the use of sugar throughout history, the accidental creation of Saccharin, the migration of Americans to suburbs, and anything else that he encounters throughout the plotline that'll sweeten his story.

From the beginning of the book (actually from the picture on the front cover) you know the ending, that his parents were disowned from the family fortune. Cohen's book sets out to tell why, what transpired that tore apart the family that was hailed by the New York Times as a model American family business.

It's no surprise that Cohen's sweetness shines through in his writing. His storytelling ability is clear and straight to the point, but not removed from the story. He brings the reader into his family by sharing secrets and explaining nuances that only a family member would be privy to. He provides background and explanations that provide more than just mere information; he includes the reader in the jokes and the fights. In this way, "Sweet and Low" is less a story written in book form, but a story told to grandchildren, complete with pictures and life lessons.