"Honolulu"

 

Sometimes I think we forget what a tapestry or quilt our country is made from. Different people, different cultures, just different. And yet, all human beings. All looking for a piece of the American dream.

In a lot of what I’ve been reading, I’ve been gravitating toward injustices. Perhaps it is because of the political climate at this time. Or, perhaps, my sensibilities have shifted. Either way, here are a few parts of the novel that stood out to me.

“...prominent members of Congress, were looking at the number of Japanese immigrants in Hawai’i - and other parts of the western United States - with mounting alarm about something they called ‘Oriental colonization.’ It was not a matter of race, they claimed, but of culture…America’s culture and values had to be preserved against this invasion from outside its borders.” (304)

“Hawai’i was ruled by a privileged elite who felt themselves above the law, and those of us with darker skin or a different cast to our eyes were merely second-class citizens. We had been brought here to do the hard manual labor that haoles would not stoop to perform, and that was what we always would be in their eyes: common laborers, who were simply not to be accorded the same rights as they.” (377)

Sounds rather familiar doesn’t it? The American dream. But for who?

"Moloka'i"

How does one navigate the world when torn from their family at age seven?How do you make sense of a disease that brings so much pain and suffering? How do you fashion a future while trapped on an island?

Un-clean. Misinformation. Stigma. Shame. Hate. Resilient. Hope. 

When the rules conspire to work against you, what do you do to be happy? Where are the joys we all take for granted? How can a community survive? How can one person survive and, perhaps, thrive?

Hope.

Perhaps, hope is enough to guarantee a future that has a “happily-ever-after” ending.

“Sasquatch and Sally”

Paranormal Romance. Okay…

There are so many things that cannot be explained. So many things beyond our understanding. What if being in touch with nature and the earth puts you in an alternate reality you can’t explain? That no-one can understand? What if in that reality you fall in love?

Who’s to say there isn’t more to the world than what we see with our eyes? More to hear? More to feel? What if we could walk into the woods and find that alternate reality? Would we exploit it? Protect it? Ignore it?

What risk would we take to understand that perhaps, this is part of the world we live in? Who could we trust? What lengths would we go to, to shelter the ones we love…whether here in our reality or in theirs?

“The Arsenic Eater’s Wife”

The title kinda draws you in, doesn’t it? Arsenic used as a sexual stimulate, sounds crazy, right?

Murder. Lies. Infidelity. Greed. Revenge. Truth. Trapped. Complicated. Manipulation.

The idea that a court could be so easily manipulated by lies…How could a woman have so few rights? How can she defend herself when no-one believes her story? Evidence is swept away. The outcome destroys her. 

Can there be a happily-ever-after ending? Or will revenge be her end game?

“The Moon Could Only Weep”

I stumbled across this book at a local writers book event. I was hooked by the description almost immediately.This novel is the first in a series…and although it definitely lays the groundwork, it felt like it was dragging on in spots. With that said, I found this “interlude” to be interesting and somehow relevant to our world today.

“The Reality of Demons

A thought occurred to us

On demons.

We have not had the pleasure of discussing their true nature.

Nor that we’ll divulge all their secrets.

Where’s the joy in that?

Unfading as their presence is.

It is crucial your consider their potential.

Extinction can never truly become them,

For even a fleeting thought, is existence enough.

Demons are rife with lust for fear and trickery.

They want you to question if you’ve dared cross paths.

The demons know.

They’ve taken diabolical delight…in toying with emotions.

Leaving you wondering…while they revel in the knowledge of knowing.

It would be foolish to not entertain the reality of demons.

Civilizations have shriveled dry for assuming less.

Rest assured…they are alive and unwell.

Watching.

Waiting.

And wanting.”

(179-180)

“The Fortunes”

Hooked me with the Chinese building the Transcontinental Railroad. Educated me about Chinese Americans in the film industry. Frustrated me with a senseless hate crime. Then completely confused me with an adoption.

Coming from immigrant stock, I could empathize with some of what the characters were dealing with. The idea that America is a melting pot - where you give away your heritage to blend in. When really, we are more of a quilt, made of many beautiful pieces sewn together. 

History has taught us that identity is paramount. Who are you? How does your heritage align with mine? What is your value to society? Immigrants taking stock in who they are - their identity as human beings, not a color or country. Living in two worlds. Working, as we all do, towards the American dream. But, at what cost?

History has also shown that your value in society is provisional. Build a railroad…great. Done? You have no value in our community. Go back to where you came from. Provisional. Not unlike today. A throw away society. If you’re no longer needed, you’re thrown out like the trash. 

Diversity is our strength. The many patches of the quilt create unity, understanding and respect. One patch dependent on the others to build a strong vibrant fabric, that is the United States of America.

“Project Hail Mary”

Now that the movie has come out, I’m not sure there is a lot to say about the book.

I do have a couple of thoughts…

If not for all the re-runs of “The Big Bang Theory” I’ve watched I would be lost. Science is not my strong suit.

Friendship. Survival. Something we can all relate to. 

Humor is always the “best medicine.” I did actually laugh out loud a couple of times…just sayin’.

”Happily-ever-after” ending? Sort of.

Would I read more of Weir’s books? Perhaps.