The Elegance of the Hedgehog

The second book I read (completed 5/26) was The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery. It was very well written (i'm embarassed to admit that I had to pick up the dictionary a few times while reading--something I have not had to do in years). This novel was about a concierge at a snooty apartment building in France and one of the residents, a hyper-intelligent 12-year-old girl. I love reading novels that are written partly in the point of view of children (eg. When Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos). I really enjoyed reading this book but I did not find the parts written from the point of view of the girl believable. It sounded to me like an adult detailing aspects of a child's day, or thoughts they might think a child would have but probably could not articulate. I know the point was that she was really smart, but being extremely intelligent and even very mature does not entirely transform a 12-year-old into a 60-year-old. Most of the book was from the point of view of the concierge. I found some of what the concierge had to say was a bit rambly but overall gave a wonderful depiction of the character. The first half of the book was a bit slow but it picked up considerably by the end. That being said, I was very disappointed by the ending. Still, this book made me think a lot about the mentality of the elite and what defines class and elegance. I'm glad that I read it and recommend it to anyone looking to broaden their vocabulary or think very deeply about social classes and philosophy.

look me in the eye

To start I should explain that this summer, in an effort to broaden my mind and elevate my thoughts, I have elected to read one book each week. I told my friend Steve about this (hi Steve!) and he suggested that I blog about it. I figured, why not? So here I am, reviewing books that I read each week.

The first book that I read (completed 5/22) was Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's, by John Elder Robison. I selected this book because I am hoping to work with children with developmental delays in the future and I thought that it would be informative. I was thrilled when I opened it to discover that not only would it be informative, but Robison is the brother of Augusten Burroughs, author of Running with Scissors (another book I really enjoyed). Lucky me! Robison's style differs from Burroughs, but still proves to be an exhilarating read. I was really impressed by how well Robison was able to convey his emotions. A lot of people assume that if someone has Asperger's, they don't have emotions or know how to speak about them. Robison showed me that while he may not understand why others have certain emotions or react in conventional ways, he certainly had many deeply rooted emotions and spoke about them eloquently. At times I was confused by his style. The beginning of his book, in which Robison is describing his past, is poignant, narrative and heart wrenching. Contrarily, when Robison was describing a current thought process or situation (conversations with his wife, or how he thought about his son's development) I was not sure if he was teasing or serious in his descriptions. Sometimes he was a deeply misunderstood, astute and thoughtful author. At others I felt like a robot was describing how his programming led to certain actions. I was not sure if this was intended to be funny (because it really was) or symptomatic of Asperger's. This observation of his disparity in writing style is not intended as a criticism. The change in voice was engaging and usually hilarious.

Overall, Robison's book was funny, thought provoking and very difficult to put down. Whether you are interested in Asperger's or not, this is a delightful read.