ALSO I've been reading Everything is Illuminated, and if you are a book person consider this a recommendation. The "sublimely butchered English" of some of the chapters gets a little annoying, but I think the book is great nevertheless.
It's not ladylike, he said. You look like a little boy when it's so short.
Don't be a fool, she told him.
But it doesn't bother you?
Of course it bothers me when you're a fool.
Your hair, he said.
I think it's very pretty.
Can it be pretty if no one thinks it's pretty?
I think it's pretty.
If you're the only one?
That's pretty pretty.
And what about the boys? Don't you want them to think you're pretty?
I wouldn't want a boy to think I was pretty unless he was the kind of boy who thought I was pretty.
I think it's pretty, he said. I think it's very beautiful.
Say it again and I'll grow it long.
I know, he laughed, kissing her forehead as he pinched her ears between his fingers.
Brod discovered 613 sentences, each perfectly unique, each a singular emotion, no more similar to any other sadness than to anger, ecstasy, guilt, or frustration. Mirror Sadness. Sadness of Domesticated Birds. Sadness of Being Sad in Front of One's Parent. Humor Sadness. Sadness of Love Without Release.
Plus it's about going back to the shtetls of the old country and exploring about for family World War II history, which is what everyone in my (Jewish) family seems to be in to these days. Personal connections much?!?
1 comment:
such a good post- i adore your family and family history :) i'm so jealous you can trace it back too!
slash i'm so glad you're reading 'everything is illuminated'. i'll share with you my favorite quotes from the entire book when you finish (unless you already did).
then read 'a hundred years of solitude.' yay magic realism!
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