Thursday, January 29, 2009
Fathers, Sons, and Brothas (expanded)
I am beginning this memoir, Fathers, Sons, and Brothers, with optimism and an open mind. So far it seems pretty good and easier to read than The Liar's Club. Brett Lott makes much smoother and more obvious transitions between time periods than Mary Karr did in her novel. I thought the whole garage scene to start the book was kind of weird, in the sense that I don't think many people would have gone in this direction with their writing. However it did reveal a lot about the past and was very symbolic and a dominant institution in his life. He was able to set the entire exposition of the book around garages. It was something that gave continuity to his writing even when he would jump around in time. Whether he was in California or Arizona or Carolina, the garage was always a part of it, and I think this helped to pull everything together. It also shows how big of a role the garage played in his life. Lott even goes as far as suggesting that the reason for him and his brothers growing apart was because of the lack of a garage (pg 5). I believe I may be able to relate to this book more than the last one. Like Brett, I also have two brothers and can already understand some of the things he is writing about. As I read the second section, I found myself relating to it more and more. One part in particular was with all of the fighting that took place. I liked where he talked about his older brother giving him titty-whistlers, which led to him beating up on his younger brother, which in return got him beat up again by his older brother. This is definitely something that has happened time and time again at my house. These similarities are compared to the The Liar's Club where I didn't have a lot of relation to an eight-year-old girl growing up in Texas beyond the experiences that every eight-year-old has. Even though California and Arizona are not like my home of Pittsburgh, they are more similar to it than the area of Texas where the last memoir took place. Another thing that stood out to me was the casualness of how they decided to move. One day the dad just comes in and says "how bout Arizona" and the next thing you know they are in AZ. This is way different than my two experiences with moving in the past. The first time I moved there was huge planning, debate, and argument, and I was only moving 15 minutes away. The second time I moved there was just as much thought put into it, and this time I moved within my neighborhood. So I don't understand how such a decision could be made with that little discussion or planning. These are just some initial hopes and thoughts from the first (and second) section of Fathers, Sons, and Brothers.
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First things first: This isn't a novel. That word applies only to fiction.
ReplyDeleteWhat does the garage scene reveal? What was weird about it?
I like what you're seeing here. Try to bring us to specific spots in the text. Analyze the qualities of the writing. That will get us to a place we want to be in discussion.
I reject as false your claim that you have 0% relation to an 8-year-old girl. Are you only able to relate to 18-year old men? Hmm.
I do agree that it's harder to cross the bridge to people who are less like us, but childhood woes and wise-assisms are things we can recognize. We've gotta see parts of ourselves in other people or else we're in trouble.
Glad you're liking FSB. I hope it reminds you of some things you'll be able to write about in your own family.
Bill,
ReplyDeleteAn improvement, but I still want you to teach us something about the book that we wouldn't know from just reading it.
What you bring up about "titty-whistlers" could be the beginning of a talk about how Lott uses informal language and that that informal language contributes to his presentation of an authentic childhood. Or, that he's really getting into the mind of a kid when he uses those sorts of words. You might find two or three others instances where he does this, quote them, and have an interpretive moment.
Push yourself past the mundane summary of events.
I do like your personal connections though. If you include these, make them specific enough to warrant the space you're giving them. Tell a story, but remember that that story should be helping us better understand the book.
Grade: 7.5/10