Big Questions

Two birds are scavenging for food; one of them has a tendency to go off on philosophical tangents. Nearby, their friends are waiting for the old lady and her intellectually disabled grandson to come sprinkle crumbs of food in the usual spot. It’s a typical day until a giant egg falls from the sky and leaves the birds befuddled. The egg is actually a bomb that didn’t detonate, but they can hear something ticking inside. Some of the birds believe they should sit with the egg until it hatches, while others feel something terrible is going to happen. Not long after, a giant featherless bird crashes down from the sky and lands on the old lady’s house. Out pops a featherless hatchling, and the birds come to the conclusion that they should try to care for it until it can fend for itself.

Big Question is a graphic novel based on a very simple plot, but the book turns into a beautiful metaphysical fable about life and human (and animal?) nature. Once the initial chain of events is set into motion, the birds will bear witness to violence, death, the afterlife, and life’s small wonders. It’s funny and sad, and there’s never really any closure, but I found it positively marvelous. I don’t want to go into much detail because uncovering all the little subplots is a major part of the experience, so I’ll just show you some of the illustrations (click on the image to make it larger):

Quickies: Shortcomings & Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk

Shortcomings by Adrian Tomine

Publisher/Year: Drawn and Quarterly, 2007
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 104
Source: Library

What it is: A graphic novel that explores the sticky issues of cultural identity. Ben Tanaka is a 30-year-old Japanese American who runs a movie house in Berkeley. His longtime girlfriend is Miko, who is also a Japanese American but embraces her culture way more than Ben does. Ben is a sarcastic pessimist who generally tends to “think white,” and all of this has driven a wedge in his relationship with Miko. Their relationship is left on shaky ground when Miko leaves for an extended period to New York, and Ben’s world is further thrown into a tailspin when his only friend, Alice, moves to New York as well.

Why I read to it: The book has been recommended in tons of places.

What I thought: It was my first Tomine encounter, and I immediately went and requested another of his books from the library. The black and white drawings are understated but powerful; there are moments in the book where the panels don’t have any dialogue, but the pictures speak volumes. (To get an idea: you know that recent Hurricane Sandy New Yorker cover? Tomine drew it). The book is split into three “chapters” that explore various — often uncomfortable — aspects of the role race plays in Ben’s romantic interests. As a whole the book is realistic and brutally honest, but it’s not without its humor. I loved it.

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Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk by Ben Fountain

Publisher/Year: Harper Audio, 2012
Format: Audiobook
Length: 11 hours, 39 minutes
Narrated by: Oliver Wyman
Source: Library, though I also received a printed ARC from the publisher

What it is: When Fox News films the Bravo Squad in action, bravely fighting Iraqi insurgents, the eight survivors become overnight heroes. Suddenly they’re a hot commodity: a film might be made about them, people stop them wherever they go, and they’re the guests of honor at the Dallas Cowboys’ Thanksgiving game, where they’re scheduled to make a special appearance with Destiny’s Child. Flashbacks aside, the events of the book all take place on that one day, told through the conflicted point of view of 19-year-old Specialist William Lynn.

Why I read it: The book had steadily built momentum through word of mouth. Then it was nominated for a National Book Award.

What I thought: This book has sat on my shelf pretty much all year, and I went back and forth on it — even with all the buzz — because contemporary war novels don’t really call out to me. Fountain ups the irony and dark humor to portray the circus-like theatrics of it all: the heroes (anti-heroes?) of the story get consumed by the military propaganda, media frenzy, and football madness of it all. It’s a story about a group of soldiers, yes, but the more important thing is the story it reflects about society. It’s not a bad book and I can see why people love it, but it’s not really my thing. I definitely recommend going the print route rather than the audiobook route, though.

Getting Married and Other Mistakes

Jo has made a name for herself as a freelance wedding photographer; women flock to her for her artistic black-and-white bridal portraits. But as Jo lies in bed looking at her wedding portrait, she reflects on the inner turmoil she felt before saying her own vows seven years ago. Lately, she has been wallowing in bed, depressed over her broken marriage and the recent revelations of her husband’s infidelity.

When she’s not strolling down her painful memory lane or being pushed into socializing with her friends, Jo has her bevy of “sad brides” to keep her company: bridal portraits she has taken of women who look sad rather than happy on their special day. Jo spreads these photographs out on her bed and imagines the sad stories behind these fellow sad women (while fully acknowledging how insane she probably looks).

Considering the subject matter — Jo’s problems goes way back — Barbara Slate’s graphic novel, Getting Married and Other Mistakes, is equal parts humorous, neurotic, and introspective. Pushed by her friends to work through her depression, Jo agrees to start going to therapy. She tries three different therapists in search of the right one, and in doing so begins to see how decisions and events from her past have lead her to where she is now. Told in flashbacks, Jo reflects on how she was raised — her marriage-obsessed mother put catching a man above all other accomplishments — but she doesn’t make the real connection as to why her life is a mess until the end of the book.

The Influencing Machine: Brooke Gladstone on the Media

I think I first came across Brooke Gladstone’s The Influencing Machine via her appearance on The Colbert Report. As a popular radio host on NPR’s On the Media, Gladstone is known for her thoughtful discussions. My ears immediately perked up: a complex analysis of media distortions? In comic book form?! Sign me up!

When I finally got my hands on a copy, I couldn’t have been more pleased. Illustrated by Josh Neufeld, The Influencing Machine turned out to be so much more brilliant and fun to read than I had expected. Gladstone eases readers into her key argument: the media is a reflection of society, and we’re stuck looking into a distorted mirror. As such, she throws the concept of the media controlling what people think — e.g., the “influencing machine” — out the window. She writes:

We’ve been here before: the incivility, the inanities, the obsessions, ad the broken business models. In fact, it’s been far worse and the Republic survives.

The irony is that the more people participate in the media, the more they hate the media. The greater the participation, the greater the paranoia that the media are in control…There is no conspiracy…The American media do not control you. They pander to you.

That doesn’t mean the media is devoid of any bias. On the contrary: Gladstone even lists about seven different types of media bias that people should worry about. Drawing on historical documents and events, and quoting everyone from philosophers to former U.S. presidents, she shows that attempts to manipulate and control journalists have been around for as long as journalism has existed.