Category: NonFiction

Gardner, Chris. The Pursuit of Happyness. New York: Harper Collins. 2006.

Given to me as a gift, I wasn’t sure what to make of The Pursuit of Happyness. The misspelling of happiness drove me crazy and I was wary of words on the cover like, “soon to be a major motion picture starring Will Smith” and “advance reader’s edition – not for sale.” So, I did what any hesitant reader would do. I kept the cover closed and tried to read other things. Remember American Tragedy? I had to give up on that one (due date came up and I didn’t have the heart to renew so,  AT got an “attempted” tag on librarything).  Meanwhile, I read more cookbooks, more young adult fiction – blowing through Here’s to You Rachel Robinson until finally, finally I revisited Pursuit.
About Pursuit. I’m 122 pages into it. Just up to “Part Two” and counting. I’m impressed with it’s tell-it-like-it-is first person voice (it is a true story, nonfiction after all). Gardner is honest about his upbringing. He doesn’t sugarcoat abuse, rape, theft, poverty, jealousy, lust and hate. Although the premise of the book is tell Gardner’s rags to riches story, it’s a social commentary on attitudes towards domestic abuse as well. In heart-wrenching detail Gardner’s mother is beaten by her husband in plain view of her community. A crowd gathers but no one tries to intervene. In the 1960s women were to obey their husbands…at all costs. I have more to say about “fighting back” but that’s for another time. In Part Two Gardner is about to join the navy so I’m sure there will be a snapshot of how the military is viewed in a country still raw from the horrors of the Vietnam War. I’ll keep you posted.

UPDATE: 11/17/06
I was wrong. Chris managed to avoid real confrontation so we sort of flew over his military career. I just finished the book in it’s entirety. Here’s my takeaway: anything is possible. It doesn’t matter where you are from, where you’ve been, or even if you’re not sure where you’re going. Anything is possible. Chris is a perfect example of someone who didn’t have the best while growing up but still managed to grow up to be the best he could be. Millionaire, Father of the Year, Humanitarian. You can’t beat that.

Shulman, Martha Rose. Culinary Boot Camp: five days of basic training with the Culinary Institute of America. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2006.

Aside from the recipes I thought this was a real read-it-once kind of book. Not something I would want to own for myself. I enjoyed holding the glossy book as much as reading Rose’s diary-like account of her experience(s) with the CIA (she actually went twice). My favorite sections were about different procedures: knife handling and water cooking. I learned something about testing the “doneness” of meat by feel. My least favorite part of the book were the photographs. Most of the photos were blurred to indicate “action shots”: cooks plating, students sitting in lecture, a chef chopping, students stirring and so forth.
Another reason for the read-it-once philosphy: I doubt I will make any of the recipes. At the end, a little less than half of the book,  are recipes mentioned elsewhere. I know I will never need a brown veal stock and Rose admits as much, too.