Reading In Crisis
Why do I willingly subject myself to such depressing reading material!
Here is my pretty significant life problem right now— my husband of eight years, father to my three children, my best friend- Mark Hollett, is currently laying in ICU in critical but stable condition. He is 34 years old. What. The. Hell. I am slightly freaked out, to say the least.
And yet, in the midst of this very big, important, scary journey that we find ourselves on, I feel the need to stay busy. To keep accomplishing things. To keep reading, because I love to read. To keep writing, because I love to write.
But seriously. I suppose I do it to myself. I could just abandon the book. Unfortunately I am not a quitter. Maybe I will learn my lesson, but I doubt it.
My two main written torments:
The People In the Trees by Hanya Yanagihara
Forty Acres by Dwayne Alexander Smith
The People In the Trees is about a Doctor Scientist who is accused of molesting his adopted son. It is written in the form of a memoir, but it is actually a novel. It is very loosely based on the true life story of Dr. D. Carleton Gajdusek. So vivid, powerful and depressing! I have a lot to say about this book, so expect to hear about it in future.
One of the best books of 2013, according to Publishers Weekly, which I would tend to agree with, but my goodness, very intense.
Forty Acres is about a group of powerful African American men who are full of anger over the wrongs committed to their people through slavery. The way they deal with their anger is completely horrifying, devastating, and yes, for my current state of vulnerability, quite depressing.
This one comes out on July 1st, and I am quite sure will cause quite a ruckus in the literary world. The book isn’t perfect by any means, but the subject matter is just mind-boggling. More to come from me soon on this one.
Word to the wise: when going through a major traumatic life event, don’t try to get down and dirty with your literary adventures. Stick to the short, sweet and humorous.
Now if only I could follow my own advice…
Book Musings 
I agree with your advise. My husband wad in icu for nine days, during which I read Agatha Christie. Have not picked up another one since. Good luck with your traumatic event. Suggestion … write a journal to keep up with your feelings. That can get away from you. Writing them down means you don’t have to keep tabs on them, they will be there for you to examine any time you need. There for they are easier to manage. This is scary times for you and your kids.
GREAT idea! Thank you. I will do that.
I’m glad you could decipher what my Android said I said. Keep strong