Book Review: Carry On: The Rise and Fall of Simon Snow by Rainbow Rowell (2015)

I clearly enjoyed this book because I finished it in 4 days and felt bereft once I turned that final page. My very first impression was “Ah, published Harry Potter Fanfiction”. And I have to apologize to Rowell and any fans for that first impression because that is absolutely NOT what this book is. Yes, there are a remarkable amount of similar elements to the HP Universe, but the same can be said of the similarities between Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings.

Carry On carries on the traditional hero orphan trope that is a mainstay in fantasy and adventure plotlines. You have Simon, the orphan supercharged mage who is supposed to save the world and end up with the pretty girl-next-door Agatha. Then there is Baz, Simon’s evil roommate who might be a vampire and might be in love with Simon. And then Penny, Simon’s genius best friend who will sacrifice life and limb to keep him safe.

We open up at their last year at the mage school Watford; Rowell does a worthy job at fleshing out seven years worth of relationships, character growth, and history throughout the novel so the reader never truly feels like they are missing something key about a previous adventure.

The antagonist is the Insidious Humdrum, an entity that has been eating up magic and leaving dead spots where mages can’t cast. The magical premise is unique as well. Spells are from popular sayings, meaning Open Sesame really does open doors because that is what popular belief says it is. This allows the reader to connect with the text a bit more than figuring out the Latin root. Rowell bounces perspectives as well: we read chapters from Simon, Baz, Penny, Agatha, and a few other choice characters that tie the plot together as Simon tries to defeat the Humdrum.

Laced within this epic plot are the less fantastical, though no less engaging, relationship stories between the teenage characters. Will Simon stay with Agatha because she is everything he would ever want? Will Baz silently pine after Simon, and perhaps his blood since he is a suspected vampire? Does Agatha want Baz because she thinks he is a vampire? There are times when I find this type of plot droll and redundant but I could not wait to find out the verdict, just as I couldn’t wait to find out what the Insidious Humdrum truly was.

This is a modern adventure story for the modern reader. The anticipation that is built into this novel is gripping. I couldn’t put it down and hearing that Rowell has a sequel coming out September 24, 2019 has me excited to see what will happen next.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5.

Book Review: Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin (1961)

My mother pointed me toward this book as a part of her duty to educate me on my history and culture. Every so often she will give me a book focusing on African Americans. I love them, but it always takes me a while to read them because I get so riled up. They also tend to be long (Richard Wright) or verbose (James Baldwin) but always amazing and always worth it.

Black Like Me is an autobiographical novella by journalist John Howard Griffin. In it, he tells how he became a black man in the year of 1959 in the Deep South for a few weeks. It took me a total of 2 1/2 hours to read it, and during those hours I went through so many emotions. Griffin details the process of darkening his pigmentation (an interesting blend of tanning and ingested pills), becoming just dark enough to “pass” as a black man.

The book is written as a journal, which allows us a very intimate view of Griffins feelings. He meets some friends along the way, as well as some enemies. He expected that there would be difficulties in trying to be a black man in the South, but he never knew how hard. Griffin’s trials don’t only affect him, but is family, and they stick together on a journey in a great time of Civil change.

I definitely recommend this book to anyone and everyone. We all talk about how horrible it would be to in the other person’s shoes, but Griffin actually does it. In the 60s. The language might be disturbing to some (such as the terms to describe certain races) but it is on par with the vernacular of the time. Griffin also writes about his life after he did this experiment, and it is there where I see real growth. He started out as a man who felt sympathetic to the cause, and seemed more excited to dare to be different then anything else. When he turned into a black man, his shock was astounding, and he now realized that there was no going back. When he ran from white college students at night, he felt hopeless and less than human. But it was when he returned to his life and basked in the privileges that he beleived were basic human rights that he truly began to do something.

I honestly love this book, and though I may not agree with all of what Griffin did (he was was very progressive for his time, but he still had a history of racism behind him, much like anyone, myself included, may have slight prejudices against something that is not familiar with us) I think him a very brave man, and very inspirational. I commend him not only on his life changing experience, but his ability to do something with it, and the bravery to write it all down when it could have ruined his career. An American Hero in my book.

Overall rating: 4 out of 5.