Book Review: Art and Madness by Anne Roiphe

  Anne Roiphe is the National Book Award Finalist for Fruitful a Memoir.Her first book Digging Out(Memoir)  came out 3 years after her  rock marriage to Jack Richardson ended in 1963.Before writing 18 more books she was still living vicarously through other writers  such as Doc Humes, George Plimpton, and William  Styron.  This memoir Art and Madness covers those years where women were not
supposed to want anything beyond a home and family.  In the 1950's a career was not something you aspired to.
An respectable girl didn't aspire to a career.Anyone who has ever feel in love with pen and paper knows it's
an insatiable and unexplainable need.  I am not  rationalizing the affairs with the married writers but I do understand the need.Two things that struck me as odd one that girls were allowed to knit socks for their boyfriends in their college classes and two that so many wanted to knit socks for their boyfriends/fiancees.  They couldn't just go buy the  socks from the store? College education ain't cheap I think I would've wanted my money's worth! Seriously before I go off on a tangent the other thing I found interesting about the author in general was the fact  that it wasn't until 1978 article that she wrote about how her family displayed their Christmas tree setting
off a whirlwind of  criticism within the Jewish community ,that the author started to explore more Jewish themes  in her writing and would later receive the Jewish Cultural Achievement Award for the Literary Awards from the National Foundation for Jewish culture in June 7 2004.

My overall impression: reading this book was like trying to have an intelligent conversation with someone on a bumper car ride.  As soon as I was  getting interested in a certain year the author would suddenly jump back to 1953 or fast forward to 1961 making difficult  to stay with the story and knocking me off balance just like a bumper car ride would.  Her writing was exquisite,but hard to enjoy.  I don't have a problem with the author  exploring different years, but  unlike Running the Books by Mr. Stienberg it just didn't have that flow. I gave the book 3 and 1/2 stars out of 5.  
FTC DISCLOSURE    I would like to thank Doubleday for giving me the opportunity to review this book.
I dont  get any money from them but I am an Amazon Associate


.

Clenched soul by Pablo Neuruda

We have lost even this twilight

Noone saw us this evening hand in hand

while the blue  night dropped on the world

I have seen from my window

the fiesta of sunset in 

the distant mountain tops

Sometimes a  piece of sun

burned like a coin in my hand

I remembered you with

my soul clenched

in that sadness of mine that you know

Where were you then?

Who else was there?

 Saying what?

 Why will the whole of love come on me suddenly

When I am sad and feel you are far away?

The book fell that always closed at twilight and my blue sweater rolled like

a hurt dog at my feet.

Always , always you recede through the evenings

toward the twilight erasing statues

Book Review:Working It out By Abby Rike

Abby Rike lost her husband Rick, 5 year old Macy and their infant son Caleb in a terrible car accident.How does one find the will to go on?  How do you go forward in life when you feel like your reason to live has been so cruelly and so quickly snatched away?  I must confess early on that I am  not a fan of "The Biggest Loser" tv show.  Something about losing weight as a competitive sport just doesn't appeal to me at all.  So
I had no idea of  who Abby Rike was or her story.  You don't have to be a fan of the show ti admire the strength, determination and courage it took to begin to overcome a horrific loss.  I was deeply moved by the author's simple and yet profound way she shared her story.  I would encourage anyone who is grieving the loss of someone they loved or if you are just wondering to yourself"Can God use Me? then this is the story for you. I personally believe that God can use anyone.     Sometimes it's because of someone's unfortunate situation that we learn how to grow in grace  or see how someone can survive what seems to be the insurmountable.  I think that there is someone out there who is grieving a terrible loss ,thinking that it's only happening to them or not getting enough support that would benefit from seeing this greiving process up close
no sugar coating.  I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars.

Ftc disclosure:  I would like to take this time to thank Faithwords for allowing me the cance to review this book.  Iusually come away feeling encouraged and no I don't recieve money to review this book, but I am an Amazon associate.

Poem :So Many Feathers by Jayne Cortez

                                                    Jayne cortez

You danced a magnetic dance
in your rhinestone and satin banana g-string
It was you who cut the river
with your pink diamond tongue
did the limbo on your back
straight from the history of southern flames
onto the stage where your body
covered in metallic flint
under black and green feathers strutted
wings of a vulture  paradise on your head
strutted among the birds
until you became terror woman of all feathers
of such terrible beauty
of such fire

such flames
all feathers Josephine
This Josephine
exploding red marble eyes in new york
this  Josephine
breaking color bars in miami
this Joshephine
mother of orphans
legion of honor
rosette of resistance
this Josephine before
splitting the solidarity of beautiful feathers

Feather-woman of terror
such feathers so beautiful
Josephine
with your frosted mouth half-open
why spilt your flamingos
with the death white boers in durban south africa
Woman with magnificent face of Ife mask
why all the teeth for the death white boers in durban
Josephine you had every eyelash in the forest
every feather flying
why give your beaded snake-hips
to the death white boers in durban
Josephine didn't you know about the torture chambers
made of black flesh and feathers
made by the death white boers  in durban
Josephine terror -woman of terrible beauty of such feathers
I want to understand why dance
the dance of the honorary white
for the death white boers in durban

After all Josphine
I saw you in your turquoise headdress
with royal blue sequins pasted on your lips
your fantastic legs studded with emerals
as you kicked as you bumped as you leaped in the air
then froze
your body breaking lighting  inf fish net
and Josephine  Josephine
what a night in harlem
what electricity
such trembling
such goose pimples
so many feathers
Josphine
dancer of the magnetic dancers
fo the orange flint pelvis of the ruby navel
of the purple throat
of  the feet pointting  both ways
of  feathers now gone
Josphine Josephine
I remember you rosette of resistance
southern flames
Josephine of the bird heads, ostrich plumes
bananas and sparkling G-strings
Josephine of the double-jointed fingers
double jointed hips doubling
into a double squat like a double star into a giant double snake
with the double heartbeats of a young girl
doubling into woman-hood
and grinding into an emulsified double spirit
Josephine of such conflicts i remember
Josephine of such floating i remember
Josephine
of so many heights i remember
Josephine
of so many transformations i remember
Josphine of such beauty i remember
Josephine of such fire i remember
Josephine of such sheen i remember
Josephine
so many feathers  i remember
Josephine Josephine

Congradulations SidneYou won

I apologize for taking so long to get to this I hurt my back at the gym well anyway
email me at
clsherrard(dot)bookaddict(at)gmail(dot)com

Crazy-for-books Book Hop

Hello it's that time of the week were we link up with other book bloggers.  The question for the week is
What book blogger would you like to meet in real life?  I would love to meet the ladies over at the blue bookcase They host the Literary Hop every other week.  So you may want to stop by there next week to check it out. I love all the blogs I have discovered at those hops and I imagine they would have alot of interesting conversations, or atleast I think they would.

New contest!"Twice A spy" by Keith Thomson

 Hello my favorite fellow book addicts I have a new contest  I am giving away 2 copies  of this book
the rules are as follows.
1.  You must be a follower
2. U. S residents only (sorry Canada nothing personal this is a different publisher)
3. Leave your email in the comment section of this and click the like button in the sidebar.
Deadline May 10th
Poco Kat you won a copy of Working it Out please email your address to clsherrard(dot)bookaddict(at)gmail(dot) com

Black Woman by Naomi long Madgett

My hair is springy like the forest grasses
That cushion the feet of squirrels
Crinkled and blown in a south breeze
Like the small leaves of native bushes.
My black eyes are coals burning
Like a low, full, jungle moon
Through the darknewss of being.
In a clear pool I see my face.
Know my knowing.

My hands move pianissimo
Over the music of the night:
Gentle birds fluttering through leaves and grasses
They have not always loved,
Nesting, finding home.

Where are my lovers?
Where are my tall, my lovely princes
Dancing slow in grace
Toward knowledge of my beauty?
Where
Are my beautiful
Black men?