What I’ve Read Lately Vol. IX

I love Mark Twain. I love how much Mark Twain loved Joan of Arc. Therefore, I love Mark Twain’s Joan of Arc. Joan’s story is told by her childhood friend, turned secretary, and it follows her from her young life, to her soldiering days, to her martyrdom. On every page you can feel how much Twain admires Joan and her story is beautifully told. While it’s not quite as humorous as his other works, I did laugh throughout and appreciated the fine use of language Twain is known for. He said he likes Joan of Arc best of all his books, and I’d have to agree.

 

This was a solid novel, with a unique premise (or at least one I haven’t read before). Edward is the sole survivor of a plane crash that kills his parents and brother. At 12 years old, he has to start a new life with his aunt and uncle and figure out how to move forward from his past. Throughout the book Edward grows and changes, but I felt that the surrounding characters didn’t get much development and you didn’t find out much of their stories and how they relate to Edward. Perhaps too much time was spent going back and forth between present day and the hours leading up to the crash. I liked it, but didn’t love it.

 

This is a phenomenal novel of a time period I don’t often read about. Spanning the Spanish Civil War, WWII, the fall of dictatorship in Chile, you get to experience so many life altering events. The story follows an unlikely family and their strength and courage throughout all of their experiences across the world. I was invested, interested, and learned much about events I was previously unfamiliar with.

 

I had never heard of David Chang or Momofuku before picking up this book for book club. This was the perfect blend of interesting stories of the restaurant industry, how your upbringing and mental health influence you work, and humor that make the memoir a delight to read. There were many insightful observations about how work can control you and what is means to be successful. I appreciated that Chang acknowledged his biases and any time his memory may not have been accurate. Definitely recommend this book if your curious to learn about the profession of being a chef and how life can take you to places you never imagined.