Something Like a Book Review

Last week I finished reading a book called Unwind by Neal Shusterman. The story starts with Connor, a somewhat troubled youth who just found out his parents are going to have him unwound. What is unwinding you might ask? Basically a child is taken apart bit by bit. Every single part of that child is used for those in need of transplants, new limbs etc, but said child does not die. The child’s consciousness is still there, in all the pieces that are taken there is still a bit of that child in those pieces. How could such a practice come about? From the Heartland War, a war between pro life and pro choice supporters. A compromise was reached in unwinding. Abortion was made illegal, however after 13 years a parent can choose to have their child unwound for almost any reason. It’s problematic because 13 is the age when many kids start to get snarky and annoying.

To add another level to the book is the concept of tithing. It’s the same as tithing 10% of all you own, only with your children. So a child is born and told from a very young age that they will be tithed and that it’s a good thing, they are holy and somehow more special then regular children. They are also told that they are totally different from regular “unwinds” and by different they mean better.

This book was an amazing read. It was challenging without being preachy and I found it hard to tell if the author was pro life or pro choice. I mention that only because in a book of this nature, where a commentary on society and beliefs are being made, it would be really easy to fall into the trap of propaganda and the book didn’t read that way at all. There were times I found myself thinking “Of course Mr. Shusterman is pro choice,” but then a few paragraphs later I would second guess that assumption.

Unwind By: Neal Shusterman

The pace of the story is excellent. It’s a tale of survival and hiding which could be very boring in places. The story is told from the point of view of three major characters. Occasionally another character or group of characters will get a chapter or two, but the three main characters Connor, Risa and Lev are the narrators the majority of the time. I think that helped a lot with keeping the pace moving forward. When the action started to lag with one character their chapter would end and another would begin. Writing the chapters this way also let us delve deep into each character.

The characters in this book were so well developed, by the end of the book I felt like I’d made new friends. Connor, Risa and Lev all change dramatically in the book. By the end they are completely different from the people they were at the beginning of the story. The changes come gradually and make sense because Mr. Shusterman shows us their journey. We see the choices they have to make and we understand their thought process. It’s not as if the characters change overnight, which can be a problem with a lot of books.

Overall this book has become one of my favorites. It’s one I’d like to put on my shelf and read over and over. I think you’d find something new and compelling in it every time. It really challenged me and I like that.

In a time when abortion, rape culture and women’s rights are on the tip of everyone’s tongues, this book fits right in. But I can’t decide if it takes any sort of real stand. Maybe that’s what makes it such a fantastic book. Both ideas are represented and each person can take from that what they will.

Sun Worshipers

The sun has been out a lot this week. So instead of actually working on a post and I decided to turn off my brain and fry it in the sun for a bit. It’s been nice. Jack and I are total sun worshipers  even though it’s burned me to a crisp once or twice. That’s why we are sun worshipers of the sunscreen denomination. Enough boring prattle, more reading in the sun.

Only As Old As You Feel

(Here’s a little mini post since I missed last Friday.)

There are a few things that tend to make me feel a little bit old. One is seeing my favorite shows popping up on Nick at Nite. Nick at Nite is supposed to be full of stuff like Bewitched and Dick Van Dyke, not The Wonder Years and Full House! The other thing that makes me start feeling like a grown up is the concerts at casinos.

There was a time when casino concerts were for my parents. There were performers like Earth, Wind and Fire, and Three Dog Night. Bands I had heard of because my parents listened to them. However, today as I drove home from my sister in laws wedding weekend I heard an ad on the radio for Gin Blossoms. I love Gin Blossoms…they’re performing at a casino in Washington in June…and I sort of want to go. Now I know I’m a “real grown up.” I wonder when I’ll start to feel like one.

Have a Coffee

No post today, because my head is hazy from this weird cold/allergy/sinus thing in my brain. Since there’s not post here is a picture of me with my new hair color and my early Mother’s Day present to myself.

Coffee mug from the Diesel Sweeties Store.

Get A Life!

At Emerald City Comicon this year there was a floor with some really intricate and amazing Lego stuff. By Lego stuff I mean the Hogwarts Castle & Grounds made of Legos, the Shire from Lord of Rings along with a bunch of other equally amazing things all made of Legos. I looked at all of them, the detail was fantastic and I found myself admiring the people who took the time to put these creations together. Then I heard someone behind me say “Wow, someone has no life.” Then they walked away. That really bummed me out and made me kind of mad. Why? Because many of the creators were sitting right behind the displays, and because it was Comicon! A place where many people who are told on a regular basis to “get a life” can be themselves and love the things love without fear of judgement. And then some yahoo comes in and says that?!

I didn’t let that one comment ruin my experience though. I enjoyed the rest of the Lego displays and the rest of the con. But I still think about that comment now and then. I think there is a ridiculous double standard with that comment.

If you think about it, the people who enjoy “nerdy things” like comic books, building with Legos, LARPing, D&D (etcetra, etcetra) are told on a regular basis to “get a life.” But people who dedicate their lives to “regular things” like athletics, academia, art or work are not told to “get a life.” So where is the distinction? Why is someone who enjoys playing D&D regularly told they have no life when someone who plays basketball all the time isn’t? What’s more why are things like sports and “regular hobbies” encouraged while LARPing and “nerdy hobbies” generally not?

Perhaps it’s the amount of enthusiasm our interests seem to generate. When a nerd loves something, hot damn, do we LOVE it. We allow ourselves to get sucked into whatever we’re doing and that’s part of why we love it. As a D&D player I totally get this.

For a couple hours each week I get to pretend I’m not a single mom, but a stealthy Eladrin rogue capable to dealing out massive damage to monsters and enemies. It’s fun to lose myself for a couple hours with friends and after it’s over I go back to real life. I know there are some that have a hard time slipping back to reality. I’ve heard some really tragic stories of some people who became so obsessed with whatever their hobby was they simply couldn’t separate it from real life.

So there is a dark side to these “nerdy hobbies.” But I think there also is a dark side to “regular hobbies” as well. The most obvious of these can be work. Ok, so I guess work isn’t really a hobby. The way I look at working is that it’s a means to do the things you love. Unless you’re lucky enough to have a job you love, then it would be like me getting paid to read books and comics all day. Oh if only!

With work it’s very easy to find the dark side. We’ve all heard of workaholics. Those folks who can’t separate their work life from their home life. Their children are ignored. A spouse neglected, friends lost simply because they can’t manage to leave work at work. So why is a workaholic not told to get a life? In many situations the obsession with work is rewarded with promotions or praise for work ethic. Why is this?

I think society has a lot to do with it. I think we’re taught from a young age what is “normal” and what is “weird” and a lot of what falls into the “weird” category are these nerdy things. Things like sports are easy to understand, it’s a game of athletics. Something like Role Playing Games can be really difficult to understand unless you’re in that world. A lot of people are not in that world because it’s “odd” maybe even “uncool.” But just because it’s odd doesn’t make it bad and it certainly doesn’t rob the participant of a life.

I met this guy while I was in Vegas a couple years ago. We started talking about Star Wars. He told me how much he loved it. The more we talked about it, the more I could see he was sort of geeking out about it. Then he told me normally, he would never talk about this stuff. I asked if his friends would be uncool about it and he said no, it’s just not something he should be into. He was also a wrestler, going to school to become a cop and doing the “normal person thing.”

Personally I don’t feel abnormal because I enjoy reading comics, watching anime and playing D&D. They’re just things I enjoy and I’m not going to be ashamed of them. Just because I like those things doesn’t mean I don’t have a life, on the contrary I think it helps me to have a life. By allowing myself to escape into the pages of a comic, the scenes of a show, or the person of my D&D character I can come back from those things refreshed. I feel more ready to take on real life if I have an escape every now and then.

Unfortunately, I doubt something like this will change any time soon. The stereotypes that surround these types of hobbies will continue to endure and those who enjoy said activities may have to learn to grow a tough skin. Because there’s always going to be someone with a raised eyebrow muttering in our direction, “Geez, get a life.”

Let it Go George!

I finally got around to watching The People Vs. George Lucas this week. It’s been lurking on my instant queue for months now. I was avoiding it because I thought maybe it would be biased and mean. I thought it might demonize George Lucas and turn him into some sort of villain. It didn’t do that and I’m glad. I did have a lot of mixed feelings as I watched the film though. A LOT! I found myself flip flopping on a lot of issues that many Star Wars fans feel very strongly about. I’m going to go ahead and talk about some of the issues I have with Mr. Lucas. But first let me say something.

I am not a George Lucas scholar. I haven’t read any of his books. I haven’t read any books about him. I’ve seen THX (which I thought was fuckin’ weird), American Graffiti (which I thought was kinda boring), the Star Wars movies and the Indiana Jones movies, but I don’t assume that seeing those films makes me any kind of expert on a man I know absolutely nothing about. So please don’t assume that I’m saying that at all. What follows are merely my thoughts on things as a fan and an artist/writer/creator. So don’t be a dick if you happen to disagree with anything I write.

Issue #1: Han shot first, PERIOD!

This is a big one among Star Wars fans. In the original release of A New Hope it’s very obvious that Han shoots Greedo without any warning. When Han shoots we see that he is, in fact, a dangerous smuggler with very low moral standards. He has no problem shooting Greedo under the table and never mentions it again. You could argue that later on in the story, after he falls in love with Leia he becomes a different man. Sure I’ll give you that. BUT, at the beginning of his story in A New Hope he is a “scruffy nerf herder” with very little motivation aside from his own safety and money.

When George Lucas re-released A New Hope Greedo shoots first. Not only does he shoot first, but he shoots first really, really badly. How does a trained, experienced bounty hunter like Greedo end up missing a shot from two feet away? Seriously. Two. Feet. Away. It was discussed at length in The People Vs. George Lucas. The biggest problem with this change is how it morphs the character of Han from ruthless to…something else. We know he’s supposed to be dangerous and we saw him get his gun out, but now he’s shooting in self defense? It’s confusing. It doesn’t jive with the fact that he hasn’t been caught yet even though he’s wanted by a powerful big wig. It makes him seem less badass, which is a problem.

I think I wouldn’t have such a problem with this change if he would just make the damn original releases available on DVD. I have the originals on VHS but who know how long those will last? Which brings me to my next issue.

Issue #2: Stop Hoarding All Your Story!

This is one thing I didn’t know about before watching The People Vs. George Lucas. I thought the originals were available to own on DVD. But they are not! It’s all the re-releases. What’s more, George Lucas has no plans to release the original versions ever. EVER! He says that it’s because when the movies were originally released he had to cut out a lot and not do several scenes for financial or technological reasons. Now he has the money and technology to make his movies exactly how he wanted them to be. Great! Do your thing George, but let us keep what we love. (And really if Greedo was supposed to shoot first from the very beginning he could have done that. One extra blaster shot in a movie full of them? Come one now. You will never convince me that you didn’t have the money or technology to put that in to begin with. That is the frivolous change of an old man thinking his character is too harsh or whatever.) The fact that he won’t release the originals is really annoying to me.

Look, as a fellow creative type I get it. I’m sure there are a great many authors, filmmakers, artists that have put out creations that they look back on and cringe. I’m sure so many wish they’d been able to make something absolutely perfect before sending it out into the world. But he put it out there and even though it wasn’t perfect for him, it was for someone else. That’s why Star Wars has such a gigantic following! It changed people’s lives, it inspired many people to become what they are! Heck, it made me want to write stories and it made me believe that I could! So why, oh why would you snatch it back, make a bunch of changes but not let us keep what touched many us so deeply? It’s mean and selfish. I realize the story belongs to George Lucas and he has the power to do what he wants to it, but…if you know it upsets so many people why do it? But then I flip flop to my creator side and think ‘well you can’t please all the people all the time.’ Then I flip flop back to fan mode and think ‘true, but he put it out there! And it’s not just one little fan, it’s millions of people! MILLIONS!’ And so I sit here torn, wondering what to think of these little changes that somehow make George’s movie perfect in his eyes and less so in the eyes of his fans.

Issue #3: What’s the deal with the prequels?

It’s alright fangirl, just stare at me through the whole film. Yeeesss, this is the movie you were looking for!

Alright, so I actually don’t hate these movies as much as some fans do. The Phantom Menace was horrible in that it was boring, introduced Jar Jar Binks, and turned something as mysterious as the force into something you can explain with science. (Please don’t get me wrong, I think science is neat, I just hate that it tore down something I found so fascinating and mysterious as a kid.) Midi-chlorians are the dumbest idea ever. But Ewan McGregor is hot and Darth Maul is a badass so I guess it was alright.

Heeey awkward town!

Attack of the Clones was a bit better, but the blossoming romance between Anakin and Padme…ugh, I dunno it was distracting and seemed super forced. Maybe it was the acting, maybe the writing. I don’t know who to blame here, but again Ewan McGregor is a hottie and Yoda does some wicked awesome lightsaber fighting in this one, so that was nice.

Revenge of the Sith I actually liked. I think because Anakin is getting all evil and whiny. And then half his body gets burned off in an epic battle between him and Obi-Wan. So great! I know lots of people don’t like it, but I loooove the “NOOOOOOOO!” at the very end of the movie. It makes me laugh, even though I’m pretty sure that’s not the reaction they were going for.

I’ve got one tiny little problem with the prequels (aside from all the other stuff I just wrote about) and it’s that it seems that George doesn’t know his own story. Guy needed to sit down, watch 4-6, take a bunch of notes then start writing. What I’m about to say is super nit-picky so excuse me for a moment. In Return of the Jedi Luke asks Leia if she remembers her mother. And Leia says she does. But um, yeah Padme dies right after childbirth so how can Leia remember her mother?! Especially how sad she always looked?! How?! As a storyteller, this bugs the hell out of me! Know your story dammit! KNOW IT!

Ok, rant over.

All that to say, I feel bad for George. People can get really pushy. They make outrageous claims like “George Lucas raped my childhood.” Really folks? Really? Just because he made a few changes to his story your childhood is now ruined? It’s not as if he went back in time and changed your experience of the movie. Your memory remains the same.

I feel bad for George not just because of the really irritating fans but also because I don’t think he ever wanted to be the head of a gigantic corporation. He was a dreamer film student who wanted to make movies. He happened to make one that so many people loved it took over his life. I don’t think he set out to change the world. I think he just wanted to tell stories.

 

Creative Energy

I have spent most of my creative energy this week on drawing and thinking about blog posts. But alas I can’t seem to get out any more than a couple sentences. Here are some examples of the sentences I’ve come up with that have not blossomed into actual blog post.

Deadpool is awesome. I love him and his snarky snarkiness.

Why would someone “troll” their friends? Trolling is annoying.

Oh man, Fox is such a dick! I can’t believe they’re claiming the Jayne hat after years, YEARS!

I sure like my dragon claw ring.

I wonder if I could turn Jude & the Zombies into a webcomic by myself…probably not. 

Jurassic Park 3D was pretty wicked awesome!

Hold crap, manga hands are HUGE!!

So yeah, I don’t have a post, sorry. I have no excuses. Except that I’m lazy.