What's happening!

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. Being poor is hard; it's challenging. Francie, the main character, manages to survive and to have hope. She survives the demeaning statements of the doctor who immunizes the poor children before statrting school. She survives the meaniness of the neighborhood school and her choice to walk more than a mile to attend a better schol. Francie survives her mother's decision to allow Neely, Francie's younger brother, to attend school while expecting Francie to work to help support the family. Through all that occurs with her nuclear family and her aunts, she retains a steely core and has hope--sustaining hope. A nice coming-of-age story.

An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser. This book marked a temporary return to the Time 100 Best Novels list. I love the true crime shows on cable tv, and I loved this book! Written like one of the best true crime stories, but with the collateral stories that exist in a work of nonfiction. Clyde Griffiths, raised by non-ordained Christian ministers that run a"mission" and can barely take care of themselves, wants more. He wants the material goods that he sees other 12-year olds have. He wants to hang out with friends, especially girls, like other teens, as time progresses. He wants the American dream. As is the case in real life, often, the first bit of freedom spells trouble for a boy who is ill-prepared to deal with the temptations of the world.

As the novel unfolds, a chance meeting with the beautiful daughter of a wealthy family coupled with an unplanned pregnancy with a working class girl spells doom for Clyde. At points during the story, I felt bad for Clyde because of his treatment by the wealthier branch of his family. Later, I hated Clyde--he had no redeeming characteristics. By the end, I felt bad because of Clyde's wasted life. Masterful story-telling, for sure.

The Believing Brain by Michael Shermer. I guess it's accurate to say that I'm in my brain stage. Back-to-back audio books on the brain is the evidence. This book focused on how beliefs form--the patternicity and agenticity--and why the scientific method is a superior method for testing beliefs. I mostly enjoyed it, especially the chapters on religious beliefs and alien abductions, which, according to Shermer, can be explained based on the physiology of the brain. On the other hand, like Incognito, at times it digressed into other areas, that I'm not sure I understood why they were there or where they fitted. There's a lengthy discussion of the origin of the universe. I understand why that may raise questions about the belief in god, but it went into the kind of detail that was more appropriate for A Short History of Nearly Everything. It was a good review, but not necessary. Nonetheless, I suppose I've become more of a skeptic, which in some ways, is a bit troubling, but that's a discussion for another time.

Reading: The Dark End of the Street.
Listening: Sex at Dawn