If you've never read The Bloggess before, go to this site now. I'm serious. Now.
Did you go?
Good.
Jenny Lawson is one of the funniest authors I have ever read. If you're easily offended, you might not like her humor, but she is pee-in-your-pants hilarious. So just read it. She wrote her "mostly true" autobiography/memoir, Let's Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir and published it last year. I wanted to get it for months because I knew it was going to be HIGHlarious, but waited until this past month to get it. I definitely should have picked it up sooner. It's so freakin' funny. It is at times crude, a little cuss happy, and vulgar, but SO FUNNY. She is so amazingly honest with her struggles and past, but spices them with pinches of humor that make them truly remarkable. I love her wit, her incredible strength, and her outlook on life. She's dealt with anxiety and depression, but makes you feel like you can overcome your troubles. I adore her, her blog, and now her incredible book.
I actually quoted her a few blogs back in my "quotes of the week". Here it is again:
"Because you are defined not by life's imperfect moments, but by your reaction to them. And because there is joy in embracing - rather than running screaming from - the utter absurdity of life."
Love.
I have been given the amazing opportunity to teach a new class next year. In doing so, I've been reading up on books and trying to come up with a stellar book list for my kiddies and the class. The difficult challenge has been having to find non-fiction novels that I think will appeal to my students. As I was talking to a good friend about the class, she suggested I read The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls. I am so glad I did.
This book goes into my top 20 lifetime reads. If you know me, you know that 20 is a big deal. This book was absolutely stunning. I couldn't put it down, though at times it was like watching a train wreck. Gut-wrenchingly powerful material. I instantly knew I had to teach this, and I had to tell everyone how awesome this book is. Walls tells her memoir in such an honest way that you're constantly having to ask yourself if what you're reading is real. How can things like that happen to a child and family? Walls' family grows up poor, but the most powerful thing is how she still finds the love and compassion to describe her tale. As a reader, you have such conflicting emotions about her parents - especially her dad - that you don't know who to hate or love or just feel sorry for. The most incredible thing is how she got out of her life situation, along with one of her sisters and brother. Beautifully powerful. I think every teacher should read this. I love this quote:
"One time I saw a tiny Joshua tree sapling growing not too far from the old tree. I wanted to dig it up and replant it near our house. I told Mom that I would protect it from the wind and water it every day so that it could grow nice and tall and straight. Mom frowned at me. "You'd be destroying what makes it special," she said. "It's the Joshua tree's struggle that gives it its beauty."
For so many reasons, that sums up the book. Go read it, you won't be disappointed.
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