A Scary and Sad Memoir, Comically Written

While Augusten recounts his . . . unconventional ? . . . life in this hilarious, entertaining book, the reality is that it was a dangerous life, indeed. His brother (of Look Me in the Eye fame) claims that Augusten exaggerates everything, and maybe so. There is more than a hint of the dramatic in his narrative. But even if you ratchet it down 90%, this kid was hanging on by a thread. Whether he was with his mom or his adoptive family, there was, unfortunately, no safe place for him and no one committed to keeping him safe. How astounding and wonderful that he landed on his feet and found his calling, and furthermore, happiness. A raunchy, readable book.

A Toothy Novel

Zadie is a great writer who takes us on a ride through this thoroughly unique story. Part generational saga, part mystery, part comedy, it's hard to nail down exactly what genre to which it belongs. I continually flashed back to Confederacy of Dunces as a similar reading experience, but am not sure why. It's a little floaty in parts, but there is resolution at the end. Plus, there's the fun game of finding the references to teeth tucked in here and there. And there are many. She makes it work. This book reminded me that I'll never be a writer, but I can sure appreciate one.

Should Be Commandment #11

What a timely book. Written in 2020, our country (and maybe the world?) was/is in need of a serious courtesy reset. Eugene Cho, a pastor who apparently sees jerkishness as a growing problem of late, tackles the issue head-on. Some of his advice is pretty lofty, and something to aspire to (at least for me), and some of it just delivers that punch straight to the gut. He's honest with his audience about his own shortcomings and expects us all to be imperfect, but to want to try harder to be nice. Like the real commandments, harder to achieve than to read, but it's all about the journey, right?