Manga Collector Jailed

While perusing through my google reader this morning*, I was to led this story:

U.S. Manga Obscenity Conviction Roils Comics World from Wired Online.

Here's the run down-

Thirty-nine year old manga collector, Christopher Handley, has been arrested because of his manga collection imported from Japan which "depicts illustrations of child sex abuse and bestiality".

Evidently the purchase of such manga is a criminal act based on the 2003 Protect Act which "outlaws cartoons, drawings, sculptures or paintings depicting minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct which lack serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value".

Handley was busted by customs back in 2006. No "genuine child pornography" was found.

The maximum sentence is 15 years imprisonment.

My Thoughts:

OK, first and foremost, I personally wouldn't be interested in having these books on my shelves. The thought of the images is actually quite nauseating to me. But see, in my opinion, that's not the point here. The point is this case compromises personal freedoms and promotes censorship.

Can we check out the grey area in this law? "which lack serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value". Um, my biggest question - WHO DECIDES? Seriously, who decides what piece of work has merit to escape the hands of this crazy law? Aren't laws suppose to be black & white? I thought "grey" areas were only for INFJ types like myself.

Handley did not have any "genuine" kiddie porn. The article continues to say that comic fans are freaked out claiming that "jailing someone over manga does not protect children from sexual abuse." How entirely true that statement is.

And this is perhaps where some people might object with my opinion. Some might say eliminating these sorts of images will prevent (?) or eliminate (?) child pornography and abuse. I tend to disagree. This isn't a complicated "which came first the chicken or the egg" dilemma. These illustrations, stories, whatever exit because someone has thought them up. Illustrating those thoughts will not cause people to become pedophiles. **And** (I can almost here some screams at this one) who's to say that these manga books don't help curb some from acting out their desires. I'm just throwing this one out there. I want to reiterate that Handley presents himself as a collector, not as someone using manga as a catharsis for his sexual deviance.

I have some strong opinions about sexual deviance and child sex crimes in particular. I studied under a wonderful prison psychologist and we would candidly discuss these criminal acts and the treatment plans. I'm not going to go into those opinions here because ultimately this doesn't fit the goal of my book blog.

Suffice to say, no children (or animals) were harmed in any way. Personal feelings aside, I don't think that it's right to have any type of law written where someone, on a whim, can stamp "legal" or "illegal" on it.

(The manga referred to in this article is dubbed Lolicon and is huge in Asia. Obviously it's derived from Lolita. Perhaps the court should order the burning of Nabokov's book as a preventative measure of child abuse as well).

________________
* I cannot remember who blogged about this leading me to story. If you did, leave a comment so I can give credit.

A Child Called "It" by David Pelzer

Title: A Child Called "It" - One Child's Courage to Survive
Author: David Pelzer
Pub Date: September 1995
Pages: 195
Genre: Memoir
Rating: ???

This is the story of a young boy, David, who has to endure agonizing abuse at the hand of his drunken mother while his father, his protector, stands by and does nothing. This is the story of David, who goes from having a name, to being referred to as The Boy, and ultimately "It". This is a story of a young boy's despair, a young boy's tragedy, and ultimately, a young boy's conviction to never give up.

I had heard about A Child Called "It" for many years and it's always been a book that I've meant to read. But you know, it's hard to find yourself "in the mood" to pick up a book when you know it's about child abuse. And then, a couple of months ago, I found it at a thrift store. Still, even after purchased, it sat on my shelf, days turning into weeks. I even included it as a book for completing one of my challenges to ensure that it got read.

I finally picked it up on Sunday and finished it that day. Never before have I had such a visceral reaction to a book. There were moments when I found myself holding my breath, chewing on my life, and yes, even stomach turned - full on gagging.

I don't know if this is a book that I would "recommend". I mean, it kind of goes back to the same dilemma that I had when purchasing it. It's a book that should be read, in the sense that these situations do occur, this outrageous behavior is out there, and awareness is one of the best solutions in preventing child abuse and forcing people to step up and become child advocates. But saying people should read the book is quite different than recommending it!

Maus I & Maus II by Art Spiegelman

Title: Maus I My Father Bleeds History
Author: Art Spiegelman
Pub Date: August 1986
Pages: 160

Title: Maus II And Here My Troubles Begin
Author: Art Spiegelman
Pub Date: September 1992
Pages: 144
Genre: Graphic Novel, Memoir(esque?)
Rating: 5/5 (for both)

Summary

Maus I & II are graphic novels that explore the Holocaust experience through not just a survivor, but the survivor’s family. Art Spiegelman has always had a strained relationship with his father, Vladek, which was only exacerbated by the suicide of his mother, Anna. Knowing that his father was getting older and becoming weak and ill, Art realizes that he has little opportunity left to fully discover the stories of his parents experience in Auschwitz. He shares with us the process of the interviewing endeavor and what it meant to him, while engaging the audience in the tale of Vladek, how life seemed perfect in one moment, and the next more horrifying than imaginable.

My Thoughts

What’s unique about these graphic novels is the type of narration. Spiegelman moves between the past and the present, his relationship with his dad and his dad’s relationship with history. All of this is done seamlessly and evokes strong emotions for all parties involved. I found myself getting angry at Spiegelman and his annoyance with his father, but only because I remembered my own irritation with my grandmother, who recently died.

Now you see, the stories are quite different. My grandmother lived in East Germany during WW2, but was never in the camps. Instead, she was one of nine young German children, completely oblivious to the destruction that Hitler was causing. In order to help her poor family out, she moved away from their farm and worked many jobs – including cleaning homes of the German soldiers. My grandmother and I never really saw eye to eye on many issues, and in all honesty, she was one of the most difficult people I’ve ever known. Vladek reminded me so much of my grandmother on many different levels that it saddened me. It made me wish that I kept a journal of the stories that she shared with me: losing her first baby during the war, dealing with her first husband, a German soldier, who ran off to be with a Russian woman, meeting and falling in love with an American soldier (my popa), moving to the states and living on air force bases even though many despised her because she was German. All those stories that are barely lingering in my mind.

I know that I digressed from my thoughts about the story, but you see, that’s why Maus I & II became so special to me. It allowed me to remember a woman that I didn’t necessarily like, but still loved, which I believe to be the hardest relationships to have and accept.

Models Don't Eat Chocolate Cookies by Erin Dionne

Title: Models Don't Eat Chocolate Cookies
Author: Erin Dionne
Pub Date: February 2009
Pages: 243
Genre: Young Adult, Fiction
Rating: 3/5

Summary

Celeste's life has taken a downward spiral. First, she is a bridesmaid in her cousin's wedding and must endure squeezing into this hideous peach lacy dress, that she fondly refers to as the Monstrosity. Then, as if it isn't already painful dealing with popular Lively's fat jokes through out the day, Celeste's best friend, Sandra, goes to the darkside and joins the in-crowd. As if life couldn't get worse, her dear Aunt Doreen, unbeknownst to Celeste, enters her in a model competition - the Husky Peach. Hmmm...can you guess what type of models their looking for?

Celeste is mortified! The last thing she wants to be is a "big girl" model. What if anyone found out? If she thinks she gets ridiculed now, just wait if that news leaked. Thinking quick on her feet, Celeste does the first thing that comes to mind, she diets. Sure she loves her cookies and Aunt Doreen's Butterscotch Apple Crumb Cake, but giving it up for now is for a good cause - what's left of her dignity.

My Thoughts

This was a whimsical purchase while at the Scholastic Warehouse, and honestly, Model's Don't Eat Chocolate Cookies was a quick and fun, if not a bit predictable read. Celeste is a believable character, and I think relatable. One scene stands out in particular. After just finding out that she's been entered in the Husky Peach, Celeste stumbles upon one of those "drink this wacky mixture" fad diet drinks in her mom's magazine. Home alone, she decides to create the beverage, but she doesn't have all of the ingredients. That of course doesn't stop her. After all, is there really much of a difference between tomato paste and tomato juice? You can see where this leads, right? This awful concoction makes her retch. And it's a good laugh.

Still, I wasn't surprised at any point of the book. It moved along in a reasonable fashion, but the best that I can compare it to would be an episode of Saved by the Bell. The show's fun and cute, you might even giggle when Slater makes a "piggish" joke to Jessi, and sure you'll stick around after the commercial break, but you know that you're not going to really tear up with Zack and Kelly break up. Yup that's it! I liked Models; I just didn't feel any attachment to the characters.

This is Erin Dionne's debut, but from her cute website, it shows that she's in the process of getting another one out. Although this one didn't move mountains for me, I'll definitely give it another go and check out her next book.

[Side Note: I also think it's cool that she lists books that she's just finished on her blog.]

Schooled by Gordon Korman

Title: Schooled
Author: Gordon Korman
Pages: 208
Pub Date: August 2008
Genre: YA, Fiction
Themes: Bullying, School Politics, The Sixties
Rating: 5/5

Summary

Cap has a pretty mellow existence. He lives on an old commune, Garland Farms, with his grandmother, Rain. Rain is everything to Cap - his family, his teacher, his best and only friend. But soon, all of that changes when Rain has an accident and must spend some time in a rehabilitative home. Cap must learn to survive in the "real" world, and even scarier, a middle school.

Claverage Middle School is just like any other great American school. You've got the popular kids and the geeks. Enters Cap and now you've got the freak. Cap grew up with the peace-love-happiness tenets of the sixties, a time period that Rain had a strong affinity for. In fact, Cap's first experience with television, junk food, and physical fights occurs only after he's left Garland Farms.

Soon Cap is the target of all the abuse that middle school students can dish out - he even gets elected President, the legacy for the biggest loser at the school. How does Cap handle to these situations? By being himself, even if that means doing tai chi on the school lawn or meditating in front of his locker.

My Thoughts

Seriously. If you are a YA fan at all, turn the computer off (or log into your favorite online bookstore) and purchase this book.

It was fantabulous. Cap is one of the most endearing characters I have ever experienced. From the first couple of pages, I was hooked into his world - rooting for him when he was the underdog and didn't even know it. I laughed out loud over his oblivious mistakes, and his major ones, well, I was shouting inside my head, "No Cap, I know you mean well, but you just can't behave like that in the real world!!".

On a YA website someone awarded it the best book for illustrating middle school politics; I have to agree. It wasn't over the top or preachy, but yet you still got it, y'know?

And it was hilarious. Almost snort-worthy hilarity ensued. Here's this strange little scrawny kid who has long hippie hair and innocuously starts a tie-dyed tee shirt movement at the middle school. Are you kidding me? What's not to love about Cap?!?

Really. Rush out now. Get this book! And then let me know what you think!

The Woods by Harlan Coben

Title: The Woods
Author: Harlan Coben
Pages: 520
Pub Date: April 1, 2008
Genre: Fiction, Suspense & Thriller
Rating: 4/5

Summary

Paul Copeland has experienced significant loss in his lifetime. His sister, Camille, and three other friends were murdered in the woods at a camp where they all went when he was young. The devastation of losing Camille caused Copeland's mother to run off, never to be seen again, and his father to spend evenings digging through the woods that took his daughter's body that was never found, until his own eventual demise. As if that wasn't bad enough, Copeland, who as an adult became the county prosecutor, loses his wife to a terrible illness and has a very young girl to raise on his own. Pretty crappy life, right?

Well, it only gets worse. A body shows up dead. A body that should have already been dead some twenty odd years ago in the camp slaying. That's right, Paul's friend Gil evidently had been alive all this time. Which makes Paul believe that his sister might still be too.

Lies, secrets, family turmoil, fraud, embezzlement, hell, even the KGB are all thrown together in this thriller.

My Thoughts

OK. So I picked this book up a while back from a thrift store. It was a slender paperback (a lot longer than the normal ones) and seemed like the perfect book to take along a summer road trip, a dip in the pool, or just laying around. But, like so many other books that I purchase, I kept putting this one off for some reason or the next. *Then* a couple of posts back, I commented out loud to myself that my reading rarely meshes with my television watching. I generally DVR the Law & Orders, or my newest favorite, Life; but I hardly ever pick up and read thrillers or cop-like books. I mean, I knew why I usually walked away from those genres - I'm very much a character-driven reader rather than plot-driven. Don't get me wrong, I want my books to have plots, but overall I'm more interested in how the characters develop rather than the plot. *shrug* And let's face it, at least in my perusal, most crime novels are held together because of their plot.

Well, well, well, ladies and gents, I have found an exception. I couldn't believe how three-dimensional Paul Copeland was. His life experiences, how he processed those life experiences, the muddle, the growth, the existential crisis. It's all there. (I mean, don't get me wrong, it was still very much a thriller/crime fiction. But there was more depth here than what I was expecting!) On top of that the plot kept me guessing, and new sub plots continued to be introduced. I was hooked from the first chapter. The Woods was such an incredibly fast paced novel, I couldn't believe I was nearing the end when I was. And then the ending. Wow. Like I stress, completely human. Even if the case was solved, the emotions that went along with the case were still tattered. Real. Not a nice neat, case closed and let's wipe our hands of it.

Harlan Coben is a new author for me; I don't know if his other books are as good, but I'm willing to check them out in the future.

Famous in Florida (WG)

This week's Weekly Geeks question asks...

Do you live in a place where a famous author was born? Does your town have any cool literary museums or monuments? Does Stephen King live at the end of your street? Was Twilight set in your hometown

I thought that this was a pretty fun question. Florida is a pretty transient state (most people become shocked when I admit I'm a native, that's pretty unheard of around these parts :P ), so I limited my authors to those that have impacted that state.

Zora Neale Hurston is a fixture in Eatonville, a tiny black community that rests right next to Winter Park, Florida. Many people know Hurston from her work, Their Eyes Were Watching God. (I hate to admit this, but I've never read it). Historically, she is associated with the Harlem Renaissance, and worked closely with Langston Hughes. She was well travelled, exploring the Caribbean and the Southern American States researching African American folklore. Sadly, she died extremely poor, and was buried in an unmarked grave in Fort Pierce.

Every year, Eatonville puts on a Zorafestival which celebrates her life and writing.

Second on my list is Ernest Hemingway. I remember first reading A Farewell to Arms and For Whom the Bell Tolls in 8th grade (maybe 9th?). I had no idea who he was really, but remember being bored at times with the themes of war. Still, I trudged through them. Later in life, I read The Sun Also Rises and some of his short stories. I think that Hemingway (at least for me) falls in the group of "authors who I appreciate after reading up on their biography". Overall, he's not what I'm into, and quite honestly, I couldn't really carry on much of a discussion about any of his books since I read them so, so, SO long ago (and to be even more honest, have no desire to re-read them). *But* I have been to his house in Key West and yup the cats are still roaming. There are approximately sixty. When I first went there in college, I joked that my goal was to grab a "hemingway" cat (six-toed kitty) and take it home as my souvenir. I, of course, did not; but I did play with them through out the tour. (Oh and the cats have a very impressive drinking fountain - a urinal from Sloppy Joe's, the famous bar).

And finally, someone more current - Stephen King. Stephen King is a seasonal resident in Florida, living in Sarasota during the winter months. (His daughter, a permanent Floridian, ministers at a Unitarian Universalist Church in Plantation, Florida with her girlfriend, who is also a Reverend.) I first began reading Stephen King in the third grade. I remember picking up Skeleton Crew (a collection of short stories) and reading it at the laundry mat. A stranger commented on my choice, but I didn't see the big deal. Then, at school during our scheduled silent reading time, I took it out. My teacher was shocked, made me stop reading the novel and sent home a note to my mom asking if she was aware of her child's choice in books. My mom, a little annoyed because I think her parental controls were being questioned, wrote back and suggested the teacher pay attention to my reading level instead. In middle school, I devoured Stephen King novels. I remember buddies and I having competitions to see who could finish his lengthier works first: The Stand, It, Tommyknockers. I generally always won.

To be fair, I haven't picked up a Stephen King book since my middle school years. I do have The Stand (I remember it was my favorite and want to re-read it) and On Writing on my shelf. I'd like to get around to that soon. Also, I'll probably check out Duma Key since its location is a fictionalized island off of Sarasota. King places the main character in many restaurants and places in Sarasota. I get a kick out of traveling to places that show up in books. Might be a fun read.

My Lobotomy by Howard Dully

Title: My Lobotomy
Author: Howard Dully (and Charles Fleming)
Pub Date: 2007
Pages: 286
Genre: NonFiction, Memoir, Psychology
Rating: 4.5/5

Summary:

My Lobotomy is the heart wrenching story of a young boy who, at age 12, is loosely diagnosed with "schizophrenia" and assigned a frontal lobotomy as his treatment plan. But you see, the memoir is much more than Howard Dully's brain surgery under the ice pick held by the famous Dr. Freeman. It's a story of sickening proportions - a young boy who lost his mother at age five; a manipulative and cruel step-mother convinced that her stepson was a monster; an angry father who wipes his hands clean of the problem; and a group of brothers who fear for the safety of themselves and their brother. And yet, it's also a story of love and compassion; of overcoming obstacles; of growth and self discovery; and most importantly of perseverance.

Howard Dully at the age of 12 (to the right) could never have imagined that his visit to the hospital would change his life forever. In fact, as a young man, he felt a bit excited by the visit. He would be able to watch whatever he wanted on the TV, he would be doting on by the nurses, and he might even get jello for dessert. What was there to fear? He knew that he wasn't sick. Howard liked and trusted his doctor, Dr. Freeman. The hospital would be a break from school, his dad, and even better, his awful stepmom - Lou.

What he didn't realize was that Lou had been conspiring against him with Dr. Freeman. Howard had entered the hospital to have a frontal lobotomy performed on him. Was he crazy? Was he unstable? From all indications, it didn't appear so. Then why was he subjected to this horrifying surgery? My Lobotomy is Howard's quest to figure out that question.

My Thoughts:

Initially, I found that the memoir was difficult to get into. The first couple of chapters were filled with family lineage and background information. I found that my mind began to wander a bit. Still, I was interested in the premise of the book and decided the continue. I'm really glad that I did. The remaining 200 pages I read quickly and voraciously.

Dully shares his memories of living with his stepmom, Lou, and I am aghast at the behavior of this woman. For one reason or the next, she had it out for Howard Dully, her new stepson. She despised him, and spent countless hours seeking ways to get rid of him. The thing is, his behavior, although at times a bit troublesome, was never pathological. In actuality, he was a boy potentially acting out because the death of his mom at age five and then living in a volatile home environment. At the very most, I could see how a psychiatrist might have diagnosed Howard with H, but even that would be hard to determine based on the accounts shared in the memoir and his tumultuous life.

After hearing many doctors tell Lou that Howard wasn't the problem, and in fact, perhaps she needed to seek help, she finally found relief in Dr. Freeman. Now here's a man who has ulterior motives. After a few sessions, Dr. Freeman agrees to perform a lobotomy. The thing that is eerie about this is, I don't really think that Dr. Freeman was this evil experimenter; I truly believe that he believed in his own surgeries. Which sort of makes it scarier.

Howard Dully does a great job introducing Dr. Freeman in the memoir, devoting a whole chapter to his prior performances and the field in psychology and services that were offered in the 1950's. Scary crazy stuff. But it proves to question what we will think about our current treatment plans seeing as lobotomies were not held in basements out of the public eye. Nope, they were getting props in magazines that the public devoured.

While in graduate school, I was extremely interested in the field of neuropsychology. There were so many cool things coming into play as we began to understand more and more about the brain and what it's capable of. As a class we would get into heated discussions about the use of psychoactive drugs in children and teens since they're brains were still developing. We still don't know what the brain is capable of, how it heals itself, or how we can damage it. Sure we're smarter than we were 50 years ago (thankfully, scrambling someone's frontal lob with an ice pick is no longer considered 'smart practices') but how much smarter are we going to be 50 years from now?

Howard Dully is an incredibly generous man for sharing his story. I highly recommend this memoir.

Some links of interest:

Howard Dully on NPR Guardian Article Howard Dully's Blog

Friday Night Fun

This has been an extremely emotional week at school. Each day I found myself coming home drained a bit more than the previous. I usually expect this sort of thing - the last month students usually begin to let loose and get a little crazy. With some breathing exercises and humor, I'm usually pretty emotionally limber. This week though I've had some tough cases that have left me feeling pretty grey. (I racked my brain for the appropriate descriptor and the color is the only thing that came up).

So, I'm home now, getting reading to fix a drink and sink into the cushions of my sofa. I have a take out menu by my side, a book, and the movie Persepolis. Oh and tons of DVR'd Law & Order: SVU shows to watch.

I'm at a loss as to which I should dive into. I'm currently reading My Lobotomy by Howard Dully, which is a memoir of a man who, you guessed it, had an "ice pick" lobotomy. I purchased this book last month because I haven't read many psych based books since earning my degrees and deciding to stay in the classroom. The story is heartbreaking, there are moments of such emotionally volatile abuse that I what to scream at these parents. Unfortunately the writing is not so good.

Persepolis is another option, but I don't know if I'm in the write mind set to truly appreciate the film version. I might be missing out because I'm in such a different zone.

So, my guess is I'm going to resort to doing nothing literary and watch SVU. You know, I notice that my favorite sorts of tele shows are centered around crime/cops, yet I never read any types of law/cops/crime novels. In fact I usually don't enjoy them that much when I do. (I know many people are fans of Lisa Jackon, and although I read a couple, I found myself to be pretty bored!)

Do your television or even movie-watching tastes differ dramatically from your book reads?

PSA - Book

Enjoy your Friday!

Fly On the Wall

Title: Fly on the Wall
Author: E. Lockhart
Pub Date: 2006

Pages: 182Genre: YA (high school) Fiction

Challenges: YA, 100 +

Rating: 5/5

Summary:
Teenager, Gretchen Yee, is one of the few privileged to attend a fine arts school in Manhattan her high school years. At least that's how it was marketed to her - a privilege. She didn't realize that she would be too odd even for the Art Rats. Gretchen just doesn't understand them, and although she's pretty envious over their friendship with one and another, she prefers sitting by herself during lunch drawing her Spider-Man comics. Her life begins to unravel when she finds out her parents are separating, her best friend (Katya) is hanging out with the Art Rats more, and she just doesn't understand her boy crush, Titus. Oh, not to mention they're stuck reading Kafka's Metamorphosis, which totally does not interest her and she finds it difficult to keep up with the reading. In exasperation she wishes that she could be a fly on the wall in the boys locker room.

My thoughts:

This book rocked my world. It was a quick read, mainly because it captivated me so quickly. I stayed up way past my bedtime (on a school night, even!) to finish it.

The book is divided up into three parts: part one, Gretchen being a normal angsty teenager; part two, Gretchen as (you guessed it) a fly on the wall; and part three, Gretchen with a new perspective on life. I was also keen on the idea that the author had Gretchen reading Metamorphosis prior to her transition into the fly world. Maybe a little obvious, but how neat if some 9th grader picks up Kafka because of this.

Lockhart truly captures the curiosity of a sophomore girl in the boys locker room, free from accountability. You can guess what interests Gretchen the most as the boys start strolling in. It takes her a moment to realize it, but they're eventually going to be nude! Gretchen spends the first day inspecting (purely out of adolescent curiosity, of course) all of the boys' gherkins (which her and her friends fondly call the male part). She makes an offhand remark days later that she's seen all types of gherkins now and does not understand why they're so impressive.

Fly on the Wall is not one of those books that I necessarily feel showed me a different perspective; it's not original in the coming of age discoveries. Still, it's told so well that I couldn't help but give it a 5 out of 5.

I've seen Lockhart's name mentioned a couple of times in the book blogging world and I kept overlooking her works. I only read this one because it was given to me from a teaching store for free. Unfortunately I'm not going to be able to put it on my bookshelves in the classroom because the discussion of 'gherkins' is just a bit too detailed for my 7th graders. I will, however, be passing it along to some high school colleagues. (Oh, and check out her bio - how cute, she lists 21 things about herself beyond her web page biography). And her blog can be found here.

I'm excited about reading Lockhart's other works. Have you? And if so what'd ya read?

A Long Way Down

Title: A Long Way Down
Author: Nick Hornby
Pub Date: 2005
Pages: 333
Genre: Fiction
Challenges: 100+
Rating: 4.5/5

Summary:

Four people meet on top of a building New Year’s Eve night planning to plummet to their death.

The characters in six words:

• JJ: Depressed musician who’ll never be famous
• Martin: Newscaster likes young girls; marriage over.
• Maureen: Dowdy mom cares for vegetable son.
• Jess: Borderline Personality who’s sister goes missing.
  

The NYT’s says: “At its heart, [it] isn’t really about suicide itself, anyway…it’s more about what happens when you don’t kill yourself…”

I couldn’t have said it better.

My thoughts:

This is the second Nick Horby book I’ve read. The first one was How to be Good, and truthfully, I don’t remember being all that impressed with it. (At least not impressed enough to read anything more from him at the time). I’m really glad that I gave this one a chance.

Hornby writes his novel from the point over view of each character, alternating personalities every couple of pages. Generally I find this style to be annoying and confusing. Jodi Picoult does this frequently and often I’m jarred out of the story. Hornby has a gift, because not only does the novel flow, I moved from character voice to character voice flawlessly in my head. I believe ultimately it’s because each character has such a distinctive voice. Take Jess for example. Whether Hornby planned it this way or not, I couldn’t believe how case study “borderline” she was. I thought back to my psych classes and words of wisdom from professors when seeing clients with BPD and want to send them each this book to use Jess to illustrate their lectures when studying personality disorders.

There are many aspects that I liked about A Long Way Down. There was nothing grandiose about the plot or character developments which only added to its realism. The four find each other and they form a pact rather unwillingly. But they don’t really like each other much. They don’t have this near-death moment and become fast friends. In fact, Martin often struggles because the three other pact members are *so* not his type; he wouldn’t normally be caught dead with the lot of them. Their friendship isn’t about warm fuzzies. Many of the statements that they share to one and another are rude, cruel, and fierce. But it works.

Also, the ending isn’t all neatly tied up with a pretty bow. The foursome doesn’t all of a sudden find this new appreciation for life, this new drive to change the world. They just find hope. A glimmer of hope, even: “hard is trying to rebuild yourself, piece by piece, with no instruction book, and no clue as to where all the important bits are supposed to go.” (322).

Important Side Note: Johnny Depp bought the rights to the movie and he hired the same writer who wrote the adaptation for High Fidelity to handle this screenplay. (I stress this as an important side note because, really, no one else is more dreamy than Johnny Depp! Just a little eye candy for the blog. LOL).