Rules by Cynthia Lord

When it was time for me to read a new book, I was not sure what to pick. I had to choose one that was engaging and pretty short since I didn’t have much time to read before my next blog post. I searched through the bookshelf in my basement and found Rules by Cynthia Lord. I remember buying it a year ago, but never actually reading it. The cover of Rules drew me in. It shows a fish in water with a rubber toy floating on the surface. Some recurring themes I’ve noticed in this novel are acceptance, diversity, and honesty. Using these themes, Cynthia Lord tells the story of how Catherine, a twelve-year old girl desperate to fit in with her new neighbor, juggles caring for her autistic brother, David, and befriending a boy with a disability named Jason. This story dives into feeling different and finding acceptance in a sensitive and candid way.

 

After the first couple pages, readers learn that Catherine spends a lot of time teaching David various rules in order to head off some of his “embarrassing” behaviors. One engaging aspect of the book is the way Cynthia Lord intertwines David’s rules in the story. Her writing style uses foreshadowing significantly. Each chapter is titled with a rule that foreshadows the events in it. For example, one of the chapters starts with “No Toys in the Fish Tank.” Later in the chapter, David drops another toy in the fish tank. I’ve also noticed that the rules get more complex as the story goes on. For example, the first one is simply “Follow the Rules,” and one of the last is “Solving One Problem Can Create Another.” Without this format, the novel would not be as meaningful.

 

The format of rules foreshadowing events is crucial in understanding the story and thought process of Catherine. It helps readers realize that she longs for a “normal” life with cool friends, and believes David is getting in the way of having that. This is why she is so adamant in giving her brother an abundance of rules and making him follow them. In reality, she learns that she herself needs to change and accept others in order to fit in. While reading, it was saddening to see David have to follow so many rules. However, I understand Catherine’s motives and she later is not so worried about how others perceive her family. It becomes clear that for any of Catherine’s friends to accept David, she first has to accept him and the fact that her family is unique in a beautiful way.

Overall, this book teaches lessons of acceptance through the act of caring and loving. Although it was an easy read and not as complex as books I would usually take on, I believe it is an important story and can be useful for all ages. Especially with everything going on in our world today, everyone needs to find acceptance for diversity and care for others. Cynthia Lord dives into these topics in a careful and understanding way. No matter who you are, I know you will appreciate the characters and moral of Rules.

 

 

 

 

Dear Convenience Store...

The feeling of when you don’t wear pants to a pants-required event, or don’t have a viral meerkat when all of your friends own house pets with 20,000 Instagram followers, or opting out of playing the trendy game of pin-the-tail on the depressed mule is the common feeling of being different from everybody else. It’s said that humans tend to gravitate towards “strength in numbers,” making it more difficult to be the one who stands out. For Keiko Furukura, her whole life has been a struggle of trying to conform to society’s expectations. 

Convenience Store Woman, by Sayaka Murata, is the story of 36-year old Keiko, who has always been perplexed by the world around her, and the world has found her just as confounding. She has been a loyal worker for 18 years at the Japanese convenience store, Smile Mart, where most of the story is set. At a young age, her parents realized their elder daughter was, well, strange. In primary school, for example, two boys had started fighting, and the other kids didn’t know how to stop them, so Keiko got a spade and hit one of them on the head. Her mother was called in, and there was a meeting with the teachers. Keiko couldn’t understand why the adults’ reactions were of shock and bewilderment because to her, her action seemed quite reasonable: it had quickly and efficiently solved the problem. It took Keiko a few more incidents before she realized that she had to go unnoticed and blend into her surroundings. Then, at 18, she began working at Smile Mart, and she finally felt she had found her place. There was a set routine for everything, from greetings, to displaying food, to interacting with customers. Being a convenience store worker helped her feel like a normal person, or as she put it, “a cog in society.”

Author, Sayaka Murata, in a Japanese convenience store

To be completely honest, I did not love this book, but I didn’t hate it either. Rather, I found it a bit unsettling, and dare I say, a little creepy? After first introducing the reader to the convenience store as “a world of sound,” Keiko later expands her depiction of the store: “I couldn’t stop hearing the store telling me the way it wanted to be, what it needed. It was all flowing into me. It wasn’t me speaking. It was the store,” and “The voice of the convenience store won’t stop flowing through me. I was born to hear this voice.” In times like this, when the convenience store becomes more than a place, I felt Keiko’s relationship with the store was a bit disconcerting; her connection to the store had intensified, and it made me uncomfortable.

While Convenience Store Woman is not categorized as an autobiographical work, I have my suspicions that many aspects of the book and Keiko herself are based on Sayuka Murata, the author, who also worked at a convenience store for 18 years. In fact, at the end of the book, she included an essay that she had written in the form of a letter addressed to a convenience store. Her words expressed such amorous feelings towards the store that if she hadn’t started the letter with “Dear Convenience Store,” I would have thought she was writing to her romantic partner. Before having read the letter, I had thought Keiko was only a character of the author’s quirky imagination. After reading the letter, however, I found that it added to the weird factor when I sensed that Keiko’s character was a reflection of the author herself.

Despite my minor discomfort towards the book, there were some aspects that I did like. There is a part in the book where Keiko attempts to become a more “normal” 36-year-old and gets together with a former convenience store worker, Shiraha (a surly, lazy man). Shiraha was facing the same problems as Keiko. According to society’s rules for men, he should have been married by now, yet he was a single, middle-aged man without a steady job. Keiko and Shiraha agreed to live together because it was beneficial for both of them: Keiko having a “boyfriend” made her friends and sister happy, and Shiraha had a place to stay that was isolated from the judgmental eyes of the world. They had an odd relationship that wasn’t really a relationship at all. I mean, Shiraha essentially lived in Keiko’s bathtub for most of the time, and Keiko thought of feeding Shiraha as feeding a dog...But I found their relationship not only peculiar but also understandable as to why they chose to get together; they were stronger with each other when facing society.

I would still recommend Convenience Store Woman even though I didn’t love it. I think the concepts are presented in an unusual and unique way, which can expand your experience as a reader. I would encourage you to give it a try. 

Becoming: By Michelle Obama

 

                                                        

I’m only one chunk of the way through Becoming by Michelle Obama. However, I am already blown away and buried in the memoir. It is remarkable how she went from having very little as a child, to working her way up to becoming a successful attorney, author, and former First Lady. Her story is inspiring to all, as she had a fairly humble beginning but worked hard and achieved greatly. I’m already enjoying this book more than I have most. I recommend it to anyone who wants to feel some inspiration and encouragement from an extremely successful, smart, and hardworking woman.

One structural aspect of Becoming that makes it interesting to read is the way Michelle Obama splits up parts of her life. To tell her story, the book is divided into 3 parts: “Becoming Me,” “Becoming Us,” and “Becoming More.” She starts from the very beginning. “Becoming Me” describes her early childhood life living in the South Side of Chicago. It continues through her education at Princeton and Harvard. The last bit of this section touches on her career as a lawyer at the law firm Sidley Austin, where she met Barack Obama. “Becoming Us” starts from the beginning of their relationship and follows their marriage. It shares how Michelle Obama balanced her motherly duties, marital commitments, and position as First Lady. Lastly, “Becoming More” dives into Barack Obama’s presidency, Michelle Obama’s role as a mom to their daughters, and aspects of their life when they were the First Family. Combined, these three parts do an outstanding job of portraying Obama’s development as a person.

In my opinion, the way the book is split up into three parts helps readers fully understand all aspects of Obama’s life. At first, I was mainly intrigued by her life as the former First Lady. Now I am in awe of her more deeply because I know how many sacrifices and efforts it took her to get this successful. “Becoming Me” is my favorite piece, as I am amazed at every experience she had in her early childhood. It shows readers how valuable hard work is. We as readers learn that Michelle Obama did not get anything handed to her. For example, she was usually one of the only Black students in classes. She had to work and study hard to achieve her dreams. Although not everyone always believed in her, she knew she could do anything she put her mind to. In each section, the experiences and hardships she goes through get more intense, but we see how she comes back stronger from them.

I recommend Becoming to anyone who wants to get inspired by one of the most successful women in our country. I always thought I knew a ton about Michelle Obama, but I really did not. I learned more about her family, education, morals, and where she grew up. This book inspires me to work harder and not put limits on my potential. In Becoming, Obama shows the importance of education
and that it is possible for you to become whatever you aspire to be. Michelle Obama is one of my biggest role models, and even if she is not one of yours, there is so much to be learned from her. 

Legend: A Thrilling Dystopian Adventure

 

    In Los Angeles, California, 100 years in the future, America as anything but a bustling Western Democracy which is familiar to us today. After a series of catastrophes, the United States has collapsed into the totalitarian regime of the Republic of America, which is perpetually at war with another successor state by the name of the Colonies of America. Escaping from the Republic's clutches after failing a life-or-death exam, a skilled criminal by the name of Day is seeking to protect his family from an oppressive government and a plague epidemic, while obstructing the Republic's war effort. Everything seems somewhat fine, until one fateful evening, when Republic doctors diagnose someone in Day's family with the dreaded plague.

    This grim alternate world is brought to life in Marie Lu's novel titled Legend. However, the reason the book is so engaging is not simply because of the convincing setting, but also the relatable characters and the important lessons shown throughout the story.

    As one of the two main characters in the novel, Day's numerous actions, crimes, and blunders are all driven by his undying love of his family. For the first few chapters of the novel, every action Day does is done to help his family. Whether it's stealing medicine to help his infected brother, or committing petty theft to rapidly accumulate money, it is clear that Day is doing this all for his family. This fact is obvious enough for his pursuers to use that against him. In the words of another narrator in the story, "I've taken advantage of Day's greatest weakness. He doesn't hesitate, doesn't stop to question what I say...He trusts me - truly, stupidly, wholeheartedly trusts me" (Page 146). This trait makes Day incredibly relatable, and reminds us even more of the humanity of what the Republic views as a heinous criminal.

    Born into the privileged elite of the Republic, June is proven to be extraordinarily gifted, and a prodigy in the eyes of the upper class. Even though June comes from an entirely different background as compared to Day, June still shares a love for her family, especially her brother Metias. After Metias was murdered, and Day pinned as the primary suspect, a grieving June is assigned to track him down. In this way, June's actions are also driven by her love for her family, and June seeks to deal justice to whoever killed her brother.

Together, Day and June's love for their respective families weave together a chain of events that develops the plot of the entire story.

Yet the most important aspects of Legend are the lessons which the story tells us, especially regarding the struggles of the poor. The impoverished in Legend are clearly segregated in every aspect of life. There's a stark distinction between the rich "gem" sectors in a city, and the poor "slum" sectors, shown in quality of life, lighting, cleanliness, and even the general atmosphere of the sector in its portrayal. The rich and the poor are separated when they receive government services together, and in one scene, Day claims that if he was wealthy he'd be "admitted without charge. Or they'd send a doctor for free straight up to where [Day] live[s]" (Page 26). While this segregation is clearly reprehensible, the nail in the coffin for the Republic's poor is the Trial system and its consequences. In the Trial, all of the Republic's children are tested for intelligence and physical ability at age 10. Then, they receive special privileges and career/education assignments based on their capabilities. On paper, a meritocratic system based on a test doesn't seem that bad. That is, it isn't bad until those who perform poorly are denied the right to a good education, and the most under-performing are sent straight their deaths. However, the worst part of the Trial is that it amplifies the problems of equality of opportunity to a stunning extent. When you do poorly on the Trial, you are condemned to a life within the impoverished masses, completely ending any chance of upward mobility. But the problem doesn't stop when you die. Your children are born into a poor family, and they start off automatically at a disadvantage. They don't have competent tutors, good schools, or stable communities. The poor children are left to fend for themselves educationally. So as a result, when Trial day arrives, there is absolutely no surprise that "it's always the slum-sector kids who fail" (Page 7). At the end of the day, one of the most important reasons for success and failure is the sector in which you were born into.

This grim outlook for the poor doesn't simply apply to the people of some fictional novel in some fictional nation. It applies here, in our own communities, in our own nation. While the problems highlighted in the story are clearly supposed to show the worst case scenario, in which almost everything that could go wrong did go wrong, our reality also falls victim to the same problems (albeit on a lesser scale). This novel is only so engaging because everything that happens in that universe is a reflection of the problems faced in our world. 

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I highly recommend that you read Legend, so you can learn about the characters, the setting, and the themes on your own. There's no way I could cover everything about the novel, and every aspect of every character's personality. Some rather important topics were left out, for the sake of conciseness. The best way to enjoy a book you like is to read it yourself. Read it once, twice, three times, or however many times you need. I also suggest you check out the sequel books. For all the reasons stated before, this book (and the whole series) is too good to miss.

Where the Crawdads Sing

    Where the Crawdads Sing, by Delia Owens, is not an action-packed chase story nor is it a chipper fairytale that makes you want to eat glitter. Where the Crawdads Sing is more of a  subdued book, yet it can still pull you in, which I think is a sign of a good book. 

One of the features of this book that I really liked was that the author intertwined two stories. One about the main character, Kya, and her life growing up in the marsh from childhood to young adulthood, and the other, a murder mystery of a well-known town resident--his body found floating face up in the murky waters of the swamp. The story begins in the year 1952, when Kya is just six years old. Kya has lived in the marsh all her life and even though there is a small town right next to it, the marsh is still this secluded area where there are very few residents besides the animals and plants that also live there. Throughout the book, the birds, the water, and all of the other nature the marsh holds has been the most stable thing in Kya’s life. Her family had left her one by one to escape from her violent, alcoholic dad. With no other close relatives or friends besides her father who wasn’t reliable, she looked to nature as a sort of guidance and support, and isolation and survival became what she knew best. From then on, we, the readers, grow up with Kya and experience her hardships as an abandoned young girl in the marsh. That is, until the year of 1969, which is when the two stories merge. When investigating the possible manslaughter, Kya becomes the main suspect. 

While we are reading about Kya’s lone survival, the author has also interspersed chapters of the unexplainable murder. As the stories get closer and closer to each other, the author adds more chapters of the 1969 event. Weaving the stories not only adds an extra element to the book, but it also kept me in suspense because at the end of a murder chapter, I wanted to know what more the donut-eating police officers had discovered. But then, the author would switch back to Kya’s story, which just as easily pulled me in. 

When I thought about Kya's isolation and her main goal being survival, it reminded me a lot of our situation now, with COVID-19. What is different, however, was that Kya tries to escape the feeling of loneliness by immersing herself in the outdoors and creates this deep connection with nature and her surroundings. Unlike Kya, we try to stay inside as much as possible because for some, they find it comforting, but for most, it’s because they are forced to. I found it interesting how our situations have similar restrictions and motives, but our modern obstacle is what makes it also different. 

I think this is a book that many different readers can relate to. The reader is not only just reading about a survival story, it also feels like an experience, and I was sad to put it down. I would highly recommend it.

                                    Author, Delia Owens, when she was younger: