Highlights of 2006: Books

Let's face it: Chances are that we at Hopkins don't have muchfree time to read books for pleasure. Between class readings, studyingand writing papers -- not to mention the mad dashes to class -- thereisn't all that much time to cuddle up with a book on M-level.

I had reviewed John Updike's novel Terrorist(Knopf, June 6, 2006), at the beginning of the semester; I recommendedit then and I recommend it again now. A tale about the clash of twodifferent cultures, Updike pits an Islamic fundamentalist teenageragainst his family and community. It might not have been the mosthopeful or open-minded book to read, but despite whatever bothersomeaspects of the plot are present, Updike's prose makes reading thisnovel worth it, however unsettling certain sections are. The alarmingreality of the world in which his characters exist adds an element offoreboding to the tale, making the reader see the necessity of theexistence of a writer like Updike who isn't afraid to portray life asit is.

Is there a secret slowly gnawing at your gut? Or are you just interested in the juicy tidbits of other's lives? My Secret: A PostSecret Book by Frank Warren (Regan Books, Oct. 24, 2006) is the answer to your prayers. Sequel to his first book, Postsecret, My Secretoperates on the same model: Strangers mailed the author their deepestsecrets through collages of photographs, postcards and letters. Butthis time around, the souls bared are those of teens and collegestudents. Not lacking in the originality of the first book, My Secretis fascinating to examine with the gravity of serious secrets coupledwith more light-hearted fare. More of a novelty than anything else,this book is an interesting social experiment and a reassuring signthat somebody, somewhere not only has something to say, but someone tolisten.

What happens after we graduate college and end up in the realworld? Hopkins students grapple with this question on a regular basis.Such questions jump-start the action in The Emperor's Children byClaire Messud (Knopf, Aug. 29, 2006), a novel about threethirty-somethings trying to get a clue post-9/11 New York City. MarinaThwaite is the daughter of a successful Vietnam-era journalist, whojust can't seem to finish her own book about children's fashion. As aresult she spends a lot of time doing yoga while living in her parent'slavish Upper West Side apartment. Her two best friends -- one a TVproducer and the other a freelance critic -- fare no better, and thethree of them decide to use sex as a means to aggrandize themselves. Asa snooty cousin comes and tries to assert his views on the correctcourse of action, things for these yuppies, understandably, fall apart.Acclaimed for the author's mastery of the narrative technique, The Emperor's Children provides comic relief while offering satire of the life that all too soon, some of us will live.