Slaughterhouse-Five

So it goes...This book is an American classic and, as a result, it is quite good. I didn't know what to really expect from Vonnegut. Is it a story about the Holocaust? Is it a battle story? It's not really any of these one facets of WWII because it encompasses so much more. I think the true art behind Slaughterhouse-Five is that the author wrote about grave themes in a somewhat light manner as a dark comedy with a rhythmic cadence that makes the book really enjoyable and easy to read. It's one of those books that I find myself asking, "How the hell did the author pull this off?" I mean, Vonnegut included in his anti-war story a protagonist who jumps through time and meets aliens. And yet, Vonnegut is able to pull it off beautifully and well with credibility.

The quick synopsis is the protagonist, Billy Pilgrim, is an average man who is enlisted and shipped off to Germany to fight in WWII. The character is a captured POW and survives the bombing of Dresden. However, the plot is not a typical war story because the reader gradually becomes exposed to Billy Pilgrim's mind- he time travels, in no particular sequence. For example, in one moment he is with his wife Valencia and then his mind jumps to the large pits of Earth uncovered from the bombing in Dresden. Weaved into these two settings is his belief of being captured by aliens for scientific purposes and is exposed to questions about life. Billy Pilgrim's life unravels as his family, friends, and colleagues lose faith in him because they believe his stories of aliens is outlandish. But, the reader believes Pilgrim's story and feels compassion for the character.

This continuous jumping back and forth without real progress towards an end makes it seem as if there is a never ending cycle for Billy Pilgrim. Just when the war appears to be over, he is jumped back to an earlier time and may have to go through things all over again. Also, the aliens that Billy Pilgrim encounter state at one point that Earth will destruct itself and continuously destruct itself- the aliens are used to humans killing other humans. It is a morbid and sad idea as are the scenes from Dresden. Furthermore, Billy Pilgrim knows when, where, and how he is going to die. He lives going through the motions, ultimately knowing the end and having no large feelings or emotions.

Parts of this story is actually based on the author's true life experiences of the war. In fact, the author explains that Billy Pilgrim is able to survive the bombing of Dresden, in which thousands of civilians perished, because he is kept underground by the Germans in a meat locker. Apparently, this is also true of the author. The bombing of Dresden by British and American forces remains controversial today because a city that was not known for military purposes was completely destroyed despite the Allied forces saying that the target was critical and necessary. The bombing occurred just a few months before V-E Day (Victory in Europe).

Update on The End of Overeating

I keep seeing references to Dr. Kessler's book all over the place. One is in the June issue of Women's Health and another is in NY Times. Here's the link to the NY Times article.

Both of these articles hit the mark and the entire 200+ page book is truly reiterated in these short 2-3 page articles.

Enjoy!

The Dud Avocado

If there was a book in the 1950s that mirrored Carrie Bradshaw in Sex in the City, it is Elaine Dundy's protagonist, Sally Jay Gorce. This semi-autobiographic book is about Sally Jay- the type of character you love despite her quirks, inconsistencies, and stupid mistakes much like Carrie Bradshaw (Did she really have to leave Aidan? I'm mean...COME ON!). I love Sally Jay because she takes Paris by storm at the age of 23 and loves the city for everything I loved the city for when I was the same age. The book brought fond memories, many of which are romanticized in my head and leave me longing for Paris.

Sally Jay goes through a series of self awareness, sexual revelation, and fumbles as she tries to be independent. She is a dreamer and a constant runaway. Despite these faults, she seems to be always honest with herself and with people around her. Sally Jay does not really hide her faults and I found this refreshing. There's the Spaniard, with which she was a mistress for, Jim, one the she should have married, and Larry, the one she should have really run away from. Through these loves, she knows right from wrong, but still seems to go for wrong. I'm not sure if she truly discovered herself at the end of the book. But, then again, the protagonist is only 23 years old and I personally believe every girl is an idiot in their early twenties.

One complaint of the book that I have is that it does get a little slow. In the middle of the book, the reader tends to wait for something big to happen. And, when the same problems keep confronting Sally Jay, the reader gets a bit tired. Despite this, the book is a fun summer read.

Apparently, the book is Dundy's first attempt at a novel, which created much tension with her then-writer/husband and soon-to-be divorced writer/husband because it was incredibly successful. It made the best seller list when the book debuted. Dundy shared that the story is not totally true to Dundy's experience in Europe, but many of the stories do come from similar experiences- going to a Parsian jail, seeing all the sites, and trying to be the American girl in Paris.

The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite

Back in college, I never gained the infamous "Freshmen 15." A main reason was because I was training 4-5 hours a day up to six times a week for field hockey. I was a solid rock. My high school jeans became tight not around my waist, but around my quads and butt because I was pumping the weights and gaining muscle.

This year I turned thirty, and I gained what I'll call the "You Gained What?!?!". For the first time in my life, I really gained a lot of weight over the winter. It all started with Thanksgiving and was just a terrible downward spiral from there. Part of my problem was, and still is, a lack of self-control with food. I tend to eat not out of hunger, but because I'm bored, sad, or tired.

I was very interested in reading Dr. David Kessler's book titled The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite. Kessler is a doctor and former FDA Commission under Bush and Clinton. At one time, Kessler was also obese. He decided to investigate why America has such a high rate of obesity.

The majority of this book is incredibly repetitive. Most of the information could be summed up into just thirty pages. However, I did learn some very important lessons, which I will explain here.
1) America's food industry is out of control- Starting in the 1980s, the food industry discovered that fat, salt, and sugar sells. As a result, the majority of food today is loaded with all three.
2) Fat, salt, and sugar makes people out of control- For many Americans, there is a food addiction to these evil three. Kessler compares food addiction to cocaine addiction. Through studies, he shows that similar areas of the brain are ignited when fatty/salty/sugary foods are ingested and when there is a cocaine intake. This helps explain why I have no control around food some times...I'm just addicted.
3) The national obesity rate rose sharply around the same time the food industry got out of control- Obesity is the number one killer of Americans because it leads to other deadly diseases, such as heart disease.
4) Just say no- I am one of those people who has no will power with food. As a result, I just need to say no. Kessler mentions that the idea of "I'll just take one bite" does not actually work because it is often a slippery slope. One brownie bite tends to lead to eating the whole pan.
5) Chain restaurants and processed foods are evil- Food needs to be viewed as energy instead of a treat. Chicken wings and chips will probably not give me energy. I also did not know how chain restaurants deceivingly increase calories. For example, most fried foods are fried in the kitchen of the restaurant. However, they are also fried and then flash frozen before reaching the restaurant. This means that ALL fried foods have been double fried, which adds even more calories. Also, the nutritional value of the food is probably weakened by the adding of chemicals. Sometimes food chains pump water into chicken to make it appear healthier.

How have I done since the completion of this book? I don't think I've made huge strides, but I need to take it one day at a time. I food a website that helps people monitoring eating and exercises. It is called the Daily Burn. So far, my husband and my brother are my motivators and can monitor my process through my weight loss. We'll see what comes out of this and, perhaps, I'll have a summer that I can call "Hell Yeah I Lost That Weight!!!"