a Look at a Book

Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey

I read this over Christmas break, given that it was an available audiobook on Libby and I’d heard people enjoyed it.

Mainly, especially at the beginning, I felt like McConaughey was trying to sound philosophical, but it sounded more nonsensical. Either he started to make more sense later on, or I figured out how to understand his manner of speaking.

Most of his philosophical musings seemed to be fairly commonplace to me. There were scant places where I thought, “Oh, that’s a good perspective.” Generally, though, I just got to learn more about his life and worldview by listening to him read his own memoir. I didn’t feel like it added much to my life to listen/read it. It wasn’t exactly a waste of time, but it wasn’t enriching.

Content caveats: he cusses throughout. Don’t listen to the audio with kids around unless you want them learning words like that. He describes some odd wet dreams he had and how they shaped his life, as well as his dating and sleeping around phase of life and some drinking and marijuana-using.

You Can’t Go Wrong By Doing Right by Robert J. Brown

Brown writes about his life and work within civil rights movements in the U.S. and South Africa with a quiet wisdom that comes from years of life.

He has worked with and has known so many powerful people, yet through it all has preferred to remain in the background. He is humble and plain-spoken, and well worth listening to.

He mentions his faith often throughout the book, specifically as he learned it from his grandma, who I wish I could have known. What a wise woman!

One of the aspects of this book that I particularly appreciated was the sense I got for the timeline of the civil rights and anti-apartheid movements. Because he worked so closely with leaders of both, I felt like history clicked into place for me more than any textbook has done.

While not fast-paced, nor a page-turner, I was glad I read this over a period of a few weeks. Some books aren’t meant to be read in one sitting 🙂

Congratulations, the Best is Over by R. Eric Thomas

I wish I could remember why I picked up this book or who recommended it. I can’t [shrug].

It wasn’t my favorite, probably in part because my expectations of this book were different than what it is, but it also wasn’t my least favorite.

First, it says it’s “essays,” so I was expecting the format and content to be different. Rather than essays on different topics, it felt more like a chatty memoir about the last several years of his life, mostly in chronological order, focused on his search to regain his footing and his hope through life changes and depression.

Second, Thomas is very open about his homosexual lifestyle and is married to a (male, obviously) pastor. I didn’t know that before picking up this book. I guess if I’d read his first bestselling book or had looked more closely into review, I probably would have known. That’s on me.

Positives: I appreciated his sense of humor – he made me laugh often – and I could relate to many of the emotions he experienced in moving, settling into new homes, and growing more into adulthood. This book was a good reminder for me of, as Brené Brown says, “people, people, people:” We’re all human, so we all have plenty of ways we can relate to each other, no matter how vast our differences seem.

Flip side: I knew while reading it that, quite simply, I don’t agree with a fair chunk of his worldview, theology, and lifestyle.

A note about reading works where I don’t agree with the authors’ perspective or beliefs:

Does disagreeing with someone’s beliefs stop me from reading their books? Sometimes, yes. Sometimes, no.

With Greenlights above, I didn’t agree with McConaughey’s description of his “spirituality,” his season of dating and sleeping around, nor his attitude about using recreational drugs. I felt a bit conflicted about reading about that, and I still read it. In the case of Congratulations, the Best is Over, I don’t agree that marriage between two men is biblical, and I also don’t think that, based on how he described his faith/religion, Thomas holds to a version of Christianity/religion that the Bible describes as faithful or even that his husband lives by. I still read it.

What I’m trying to say is, as I read books, whether fiction or nonfiction, I have trained my brain to notice and discern what lines up with the truth and what doesn’t. For some authors, I can wholeheartedly agree with >95% of what they say, because their worldview, in general, lines up with the truth.

With others, I can appreciate our shared humanity and learn from their point of view and experiences, knowing that I will be careful to evaluate what they say in light of the truth before I let their words influence my life.

Even if I don’t agree 100% with their worldview – do we ever fully agree? – I’ve found that many people’s experiences provide a “you, too?” moment, or they have some particular insight that does line up with the truth, and I can savor those parts of their work, while not buying into or agreeing with absolutely everything they’re saying.

I hope this helps you understand how I approach books in general, and how I approached these two books in particular. 🙂

When Essie suddenly dies after an operation, her lawyer communicates that Essie’s wish was for Liv to finish her 20th and final book in a series beloved by fans all over the world. And Liv has to keep both the ghost-writing and Essie’s death a secret from everyone, including her own husband, for six months, having no experience writing novels before. {Cue “Dun-dun-dunnnnn” music.}

I got pulled into the mystery surrounding Essie’s choice of hiding away and found myself rooting for Liv as she struggled to put the pieces of the book together for millions of fans, juggle motherhood and marriage, and faithfully stay quiet for the required time. Liv’s decisions made me squirm to listen to, at times – the “ahhhh Don’t do that!! You’re just making it worse!” type of discomfort that readers the world over experience. 🙂 I didn’t love one surprise reveal near the end – it felt too neat/tidy/cliché – but I still enjoyed Liv’s growth and was glad I finished reading it.

One thing I love about books was true here: they allow me to have a glimpse into others’ experiences, even if I can’t relate to them on a personal level – e.g. I’m at the opposite end of parenting (babies) than she is (approaching empty nester) and have only been married months versus years.

Content caveats: drinking, some talk of affairs/cheating, marriage disagreements, death, and I think some expletives as well.

Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple

Ohhh this one. I got this title from The Book Girls’ Guide 2024 Backlist Challenge. There was a point about 60% of the way through where I almost stopped and didn’t finish. I’m glad I didn’t.

This is an epistolary book within a book that retells the events that led up to and followed Bernadette’s disappearance. It has a level of mystery that I enjoyed, while not necessarily being a typical “mystery.”

Bernadette is a used-to-be award-winning architect whose life has been only about her daughter Bee since she was born. Her husband, Elgie, seems to have a great life working for Microsoft, being awesome at his work, and enjoying the bike-riding, outdoorsy, healthy lifestyle that is stereotypical of the Pacific Northwest. They’ve been coasting along for a while, but then things heat up as they prepare for a trip to Antarctica, their neighbor gets all sorts of mad at Bernadette, and Elgie starts to worry big-time about Bernadette’s mental health. And then she disappears…

I loved the creativity of how this book was put together and how the epistolary format keeps you guessing at what really happened since you only have the perspective of one character at a time. The ending was satisfying, though not completely neatly tied up. I’m finding that is a more satisfying ending for me these days because it’s more true to life. Bee’s spunk and courage were refreshing. Some characters were a bit larger-than-life, but it added to the drama in an okay way. Overall, I enjoyed it.

Content caveats: suicidal ideation is mentioned along with depression, marriage troubles, expletives…I’d recommend this more for adults/young adults/mature teens than kids.

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