Hi! Thank you so much for agreeing to this virtual interview. Before we begin, how are things so far, and what have you been doing?
Honestly, it has been a hard time for me as it has been for so many others. But I have also had some really great moments this summer. Due to an illness in the family, my husband, son, and I traveled home to the US this summer. While things were challenging at times, we spent so many wonderful days at the beach (distanced from others) and with our families. My son Jack just turned two, which was a momentous occasion for our little family.
Are there any books you've been reading lately that might relate with the theme, 'silences'?
I began the summer with a devastating read. As many of you know, I love sad art; things that make me cry and feel. It is my practice to begin the summer with a very long book that I have been meaning to read for a long time. This summer, the book I chose is called 'A Little Life', a novel, by Hanya Yanagihara. It is nearly 900 pages and a truly horrifying tale (fictional, of course) of abuse and love and trauma and coming of age. It broke my heart into pieces and was a wonderful, moving reading experience.
The other book I read this summer is a work of nonfiction written by a Medical Doctor, a surgeon, named Atul Gawande. The basic premise of the book is that modern medicine extends our lives to a great degree beyond the lifespan that most humans used to have. Dr. Gawande's contention is that we need to find ways to avoid overly medicalizing the end of our lives. We need to find alternative ways, he suggests, to live out the rest of our days beyond just the medical default: extending life through the use of medical technology and equipment even at the risk of losing some of our quality of life. He advocates for alternative forms of end of life care such as home and palliative care. It was fascinating and a very good read.
Other books I've read recently are 'On Earth We Were Briefly Gorgeous' -- a memoir by a gay, Vietnamese-American boy reflecting on his relationship with his sexuality. He writes it in the form of a letter to his mother. It is beautiful. Also about abuse and trauma. I haven't been reading "light" lately. :)
Finally, I really enjoyed 'Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982' by Cho Nam-Joo which is a novel that explores women's roles in modern Korean society. It is a slim novel...a novella really. Very good. I would love to hear from any of you out there who have read it -- perhaps in Korean. Each one of these works connects easily to the theme of silence -- silence about sexual and physical abuse, silence about the subject of death and one's wishes after dying, silence about one's sexuality, silences that women often have to maintain about their pregnancies, relationships, and domestic struggles in the workplace (in Korea and elsewhere). What a perfect topic. It's like I framed my summer reading around it!
Wow, that all sounds fascinating! Anything besides that?
I became obsessed with the show GLOW on Netflix this past school year. It is about an all-female wrestling show set in the 1980's. Cast, costumes, writing, acting -- all amazing. I watched the filmed version of Hamilton 3x this summer. I got Disney Plus just so I could see it. I know all the music by heart, but I haven't been able to see the show. It was as incredible as I expected it to be. As for pods, I've discovered a new show called Code Switch on NPR that deals with issues of race.
As always, I'm listening to my two favorite pods: The Slate Political Gabfest and The Slate Culture Gabfest. When either one of those shows stops running, just know I will be curled up in the fetal position on the floor of my apartment for at least a week in mourning. Gimlet's Reply All is also a favorite. It's about the internet. None of these have much to do with silence, but then again, I'm sure they can connect in some way. (The truth is, I didn't read the question completely before I started to dive in. They say the worst students make the best teachers...wink!).
Bahahaha! That's alright. Any connections you can find to 'Silences' in any of the books you've read?
'A Little Life' might as well be branded as "the big book about the man who was silent". I'm sort of kidding. But the central character's main conflict is his inability to express his trauma and to retell his past to anyone. Even to the people he loves most in all the world. It's very heartbreaking.
And who would you recommend 'A Little Life' to?
Anyone who is in an emotionally stable place and is here for a 900 pager. Truly, it is the saddest book I've ever read. I would highly recommend 'Kim-Jiyoung, Born 1984' to all of the readers of this fine publication. It is an easy read, but packs in a lot of social commentary about Korea and women and work. It's very of the moment and thought-provoking.
Alright, thank you so much for agreeing to this interview, and see you again when school starts!
Thanks. This was fun!