The Boomer's Guide to Story by Roemer McPhee

Roemer McPhee is obviously well-read and has not only seen but analysed with a keen eye hundreds of films significant to American culture, and he has obvious insight into how these films reflect the Baby Boomer’s generation’s views on society. In The Boomer’s Guide to Story, McPhee has collected his essays on approximately 300 books and movies. This is not a book of reviews, not in the least. In fact, McPhee provides an objective opinion of the quality of these films, looking at their message and techniques through the lens of a member of the Baby Boomer generation.

The book begs the reader to dive straight into the middle, picking and choosing movies they have seen and skipping over the ones they have not. Each essay is approximately one page long, though some of the more significant films, such as Apocalypse Now and The Godfather are given much more room. McPhee’s focus on the most moving aspects of these films searches for insight into the mind of a Boomer, which may cause the reader to feel as though some other important aspects of the films have been glanced over or excluded altogether; however, McPhee’s objective has been achieved. In his analysis of the book/film One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, for example, he trains his eye on Nurse Ratched, saying, “An explanation of what in Nurse Ratched’s past might explain her terrible need to dominate and destroy others, particularly men, is a question for a gifted psychologist. One would immediately want to know about Ratched’s relationship with her father and brothers.” A psychological look into the characters in the context of the era to which the audience of these films belongs offers key insight into the Boomers’ societal and cultural viewpoints.

Because the book is organized in alphabetical order, it is easy to navigate, but one simple problem is created with this format. The essays do not link from one to the next, providing no forward momentum through the book. The Boomer’s Guide to Story is more of a reference book where a reader can pick and choose which essays to read and in which order to read them. With no link tying the essays together besides McPhee’s main objective of looking at these films through the Boomers’ lens, some of the overarching themes seem slightly underdeveloped. An epilogue may expand upon the idea, or placing the films in an order that more successfully develops the idea over the course of the book may offer more profound insight, but it certainly would not be as fun of a book to read as it is now.

Any film lovers or critics, not just those of the Baby Boomer generation, will enjoy this book. 

Books Released This Month

Like my monthly “Books I Read This Month” post I write for the last day of each month, I am now beginning another scheduled post, “Books Released This Month,” in which I will list some of the new books being published in the month to come. I’m sure most of them will be novels of the literary persuasion because that is what I read most often, and perhaps most of them will be featured in the “Books I Read This Month” post after they’ve been released, if I read them. Enjoy. :)

The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman 
31 July 2012 - Technically last month, but this sounds like a really good book, so I'm listing it anyway.
Literary Fiction

An ex-soldier takes a job as a lighthouse keeper where he and his wife find an orphaned infant and raise her as their own.

Monster by Dave Zeltserman 
2 August 2012

Thriller 

In 19th century Germany, a man sentenced to death for a murder he did not commit awakes to find himself inside a monstrous body in the lair of Dr. Frankenstein. 

In the Shadow of the Banyan by Vaddey Ratner 
7 August 2012

Literary Fiction

The story of a young girl in during the genocide of Cambodia in the 1970s.

Winter Journal by Paul Auster 
21 August 2012

Memoir 

An unconventional memoir, a meditation on the sensations of the body.

The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin 
21 August 2012

Literary Fiction 

At the turn of the 20th century, a reclusive orchardist risks his life to protect two pregnant young women. 

One Last Thing Before I Go by Jonathan Tropper 
21 August 2012

Fiction

A one-hit-wonder rock star decides to refuse his necessary heart surgery when he learns that his ex-wife is to remarry.

Peace, Aimee

Books I Read This Month - July 2012

A Heart-breaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers

After the death of both his parents from cancer, Dave Eggers, in his early-twenties, was left to take care of his preteen brother. In this memoir, he recounts the trials and joys of being the guardian to a young boy while struggling through the transition into adulthood and writing fame. This book is both hilarious and touching, both scatological and sweet, and written in the goofy, thoughtful, and awkwardly (but at the same time lyrically) thorough voice that marks much of Eggers’ works.

A Good Hard Look by Ann Napolitano

A fictionalization of the last few years of Flannery O’Connor’s life. Debilitated by lupus, the writer returns to her hometown where a newlywed couple, a marijuana-dependent curtain-maker, and her own protective mother become annoyed by Flannery’s collection of 50+ peacocks. This novel is a brilliant homage to Flannery O’Connor’s work, both in writing style and in exploration of characters. Every single character comes to life on the page with distinct emotion, motivation, and occasionally humor. An extraordinary book fit for fans of Flannery O’Connor (and anyone else, really).I enjoyed it thoroughly and hung on every word.

Atonement by Ian McEwan

I first picked up this book two or three years ago, but I had to put it down because I was bored stiff. However, I always feel guilty for starting and not finishing a book, so I had to give it another shot. I must admit, though, that my interest in restarting it was only piqued because of my obsession with the BBC series Sherlock and, incidentally, the actor Benedict Cumberbatch, who plays the antagonist in the film version of this book. I am incredibly glad I returned to this book. It is perhaps one of the best novels I have ever read, though the ending left me feeling a bit empty (due to the darkness of the theme, not in the least due to the plot). It begins with a thirteen-year-old girl who attempts to write a play but quickly becomes discouraged by such childish (as she comes to believe of it) matters when she witnesses her sister’s flirtation with a family friend. A horrendous crime and Briony’s newfound, yet not fully developed, knowledge of the adult world lead to a devastating mistake that haunts Briony for the rest of her life, a mistake for which Briony seeks atonement. I am indebted to my unhealthy obsession with attractive British men for bringing me back to this magnificent novel. I quickly added all of Ian McEwan's works to my to-read list. This book also plays with some of the same themes I am developing in my work-in-progress, so I am planning on re-reading it eventually to see what I can learn from this talented author.

Contact by Carl Sagan

When Ellie Harroway, director of a project searching for radio waves as evidence of life on other planets, confirms communication with extraterrestrials, a machine set for the stars is built following the instructions given to the scientists by the aliens, and a team of five is chosen (Ellie being one) to travel into space to meet them. Ellie is confident and intelligent, these aspects of her character influenced by her father, who died when she was young but who raised her with strong values. This book explores a wide range of themes, especially when it comes to the reaction of humans when encountering foreign species (a rejection of religion by some and an expansion and accentuation of religious beliefs by others). Carl Sagan was scientist first, writer second, as evidenced by the dense jargon and vernacular, though his literary skills were excellently honed. This is both a science-fiction novel exploring religious themes and a feminist work. It can sometimes be a bit difficult to get through the long (though necessary) passages, but the insightful payoff in the end is well worth the read.

BOOKS I REVIEWED THIS MONTH

The 5 Moons of Tiiana by Paul T. Harry

The Wicked Wives by Gus Pelagatti

Between Eden and the Open Road by Philip Gaber

Paris Metro by Carl Malmgren