August reads

Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks

Caleb's Crossing markets itself as a fictional account of the life of Caleb Cheeshahteaumauk, the first Native American to graduate from Harvard College. The book, however, is misnamed it doesn't quite fulfill its promise of exploring Caleb's struggle between two worlds while he lives in Cambridge. Instead, Brooks focuses more on the life of the (completely fictional) narrator, Bethia Mayfield, the daughter of a minister who grows up with Caleb on Martha's Vineyard and struggles against her own barriers as a highly intellectual female living in 17th-century Massachusetts. Bethia's story as a frustrated scholar is compelling, but I'm surprised that Brooks chose to give Bethia a love interest while practically turning Caleb into an ascetic, despite the strong bond between the two characters. I was also struck by how 17th-century Puritan scholars could see the divine truths in the pagan works of Greeks and Romans, but not in Native American culture - it reminded me of the Western Civilization debates in college.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Dates: 12-15 Aug 2012

*****

Howard's End by E.M. Forster

I prefer this book to Room with a View, but it may be because I haven't seen the movie version. As others have said, this book can be summed up in the phrase, "only connect," which is the lesson the idealistic Margaret hopes to impart to her materialistic husband. This book is all about the connections attempted by people of different genders and classes. How do the dynamics between men and women change upon marriage? What is the best way to help people who have less money? And on a completely different topic, what constitutes a home? Forster masterfully treats these and other issues through his precise prose and sometimes nonlinear narrative structure (i.e., he gives you a hint into the future). I can definitely see myself rereading this book.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Dates: 17-31 Aug 2012

*****

The New Yorker

• Rediscovered story by F. Scott Fitzgerald
• Atul Gawande's essay on what the health care industry can learn from the Cheesecake Factory
• Profile of violinist Christian Tetzlaff (requires subscription)