'Zeitoun' by Dave Eggers

Zeitoun is the fascinating story of a Middle Eastern immigrant (named Zeitoun) who was wrongfully arrested during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. A small businessman married to an American woman, he is considered a model citizen by his friends and neighbors. Zeitoun decides to stay in New Orleans during and after the Hurricane to make sure his property is properly looked after. While visiting one of his buildings, Zeitoun and his companions are arrested and imprisoned.

Dave Eggers is known for his journalistic approach to non-fiction writing. The other Eggers books that I have read A Heartbreaking work of Staggering Genius and What is the What were both true stories. I felt that Zeitoun was less entertaining than these other two books because it was of a more journalistic style than his previous works. His other books made an impact because they were touching true stories, but Zeitoun is less moving, I thought. It was an excellent book about true events, but lacking the emotional involvement of his previous work.

‘A Thousand Acres’ By Jane Smiley

In A Thousand Acres, Smiley rewrites Shakespeare’s King Lear setting the story on a 1970’s Iowa farm. An aging father decides to pass his farm on to his three daughters, but only the two daughters who live on the farm accept the offer. The novel tells the story of the family’s ensuing rift and the changes in the relationships of all involved. Even though the setting and circumstances are very different than the play from which it was derived, the story remains remarkably similar.

Even though I have finished this book, I can’t really decide how I feel about it. One reason I feel ambiguous towards A Thousand Acres is the fact that I can’t figure out exactly what Smiley wants to say, if anything. The book seems like it could be feminist, environmentalist, progressive and nostalgic; and I agree with many of the things that Smiley talks about. There is an interesting scene in which the narrator, Ginny, talks to the proprietor of the local antiques store and says something along the lines of “why would anyone want to give up such a treasure?” Maybe that is the whole point of the story: letting go of old things, not holding on to old things that you’re supposed to want just for the sake of holding on. When the rest of the book was over, I was really just left with an anticlimactic sense that nothing matters at all and the point of life is just to get it over with as quickly as possible. But I guess King Lear (and any rewrites) wouldn’t be a tragedy if it were uplifting.

Do you have a few minutes to talk about your future?

By Marriah Kornowa
Admissions Representative
Southwestern College


What are you doing here?
Why are you in school at this point in your life?
Think about it for a second. What is this process worth to you? Are you thinking about it? Or are you still reading? What does your future look like? How are you going to make your vision a reality? Do you think it is going to be easy? Would it really be worth it if it was easy? What is it worth to you? Are you willing to work for it? Distractions are all around us. Obstacles are going to be inevitable. So ask yourself, what is your determination? What are the steps that you are willing to take to reach your goals? How do you get here every day? What happens if that plan breaks down, do you have another idea in place or back up plan to get here? What about time set aside to study? What time are you willing to give up to get the work done? What is the attitude that you take toward the knowledge in which you are about to receive? Are you open to learning new concepts, or do you think you know it all already? What will define who you are when you look back at this time in your life in the years to come? Do you consider yourself open minded or a closed book? Think about the true efforts you are putting forth towards your future right now with your education. What are you willing to sacrifice to reach your goals? New mindsets? Are you willing you give up preconceived notions, your weekend plans?
Look who you started with in school and who remains. What separates you from another? We are all alike, yet all different. How do some of us rise above adversity and why do some of us fall? I don’t know. But it’s your path, your plan. Handle your business. Stop making excuses and get it done. There will always be something that stands in your way. Get over it, that’s life. That’s not to belittle life’s difficulties. Life is hard. However, that is not a newsflash. But you are not alone here. That is the glory of our school. Build a community here. Utilize the resources and Judge ye not people. Work together. Word to the wise, none of us are really any better than another. We have no idea what goes on after hours in someone else’s home. So stop playing games, you don’t need to prove here just how hard you are, that’s not what you are here for. We are here to grow together, learn together, to develop opportunities for our future together. That’s what I’m here for…a j-o-b. Right? Go back to your questions at the beginning and step your game up. Start representing the school as you want it to be remembered by.

Now is your time to stand up and come together as Southwestern College Students and Southwestern Staff and Faculty. Pull together, work together, and let’s make our futures a reality. It is our time to define and create our ever evolving culture here. Every six weeks we bring in new students and every quarter existing students graduate. Continue to set an example for one another. Raise the bar for what we can expect out of one another and what we should expect out of ourselves. You, your families, and as a community; we all depend on our success here. Let’s make it happen!

‘Wide Sargasso Sea’ by Jean Rhys

It is hard for me to imagine how Wide Sargasso Sea would be read by a person who isn’t familiar with Jane Eyre. (It’s actually just hard for me to imagine the lives of people who haven’t read Jane Eyre, but that’s another story.) For the most part, I think Wide Sargasso Sea is very accessible to all readers, which is refreshing and unusual for a spin-off book. The book tells the story of Mr. Rochester’s first wife, the crazy woman in the attic. Jane Eyre sympathizes with Mr. Rochester; Wide Sargasso Sea is unforgiving of his treatment of his wife. For the most part I think Wide Sargasso Sea is very accessible to all readers, which is refreshing and unusual for a spin-off book. However, despite the fact that Wide Sargasso Sea stands well on its own, it is even better when the reader is able to make comparisons.

The first thing that strikes me about Wide Sargasso Sea is that the girl, Antoinette Cosway seems to be likened to Jane Eyre. They are both lonely and poor as children with very little care or attention from their parental figures. Both latch on to a kind maid for companionship. Later, both leave home to go to school where they greatly admire the women who work as teachers. This is drastically different than Mr. Rochester’s comparison of Jane and his first wife in Jane Eyre: “This young girl [Jane] who stands so grave and quiet at the mouth of hell, looking collectedly at the gambols of a demon [Antoinette]. I wanted her just as a change after that fierce ragout. Wood and Briggs, look at the difference! Compare these clear eyes with the red balls yonder- this face with that mask-this form with that bulk”. My impression after reading Jane Eyre is that the two women are very different; my impression after reading Wide Sargasso Sea is that they are very much alike.

The other thing that strikes me about the relationships between these books is the difference between the sexuality of the two women. Jane Eyre is the very essence of self-denial while Antoinette is not. Granted, there were 100 years between the two novels, but I think the contrast is significant. Are affectionate, sexual women to be feared and ostracized? Would Mr. Rochester have accepted Antoinette if she had been repulsed by sexuality? These are all interesting questions, and hopefully we’ll all be a little less sympathetic towards Rochester after reading Wide Sargasso Sea.

Newspaper Naming Contest !

HI everyone !

I am taking over the student newspaper!

You may have seen the signs around the school !

We are having a NEWSPAPER NAMING CONTESt
I think with a revamp we should have a new name !

Stop by the library and fill out a sheet of paper with your ideas and your suggestions and place it in the box. The final name will be choosen on the 20th of August and the winner will receive a Southwestern College Goodie bag filled with cool stuff as well as a feature story on the FRONT PAGE.

So for your chance at being front page news stop by the library and see Me ( Heidi) and submitt your Ideas !

Thanks Everyone Have a great weekend !!!!!

-Heidi

Nickel and Dimed -Barbara Ehrenreich

Nickel and Dimed "On (Not) Getting By in America"

-Barbara Ehrenreich

In this book, a fairly well off author and writer, Barbara decides to take on the plight of the working poor. Those workers all over the country working several jobs at minimum wage and more than 40 hours a week to put food on the table and barely getting by. She moves around the country to many different states doing many different jobs and finds just how hard it is to make it on a minimum wage salary.
Ehrenreich's book is writing like a novel but with startling facts interspersed. Ehrenreich gives an honest insight into the sacrifices and the trade-offs of the working class poor.

What I'm Digging This Week

Hello All,

Your friendly librarian here.

I like to share really cool websites and resouces I find and one of the teachers turned me on to this one.

Check out http://www.yelp.com/

Yelp is a site where you can visit to see other people just like yourself who have been places then reviewed them. There are restraunts, bars, parks, stores, museums, amusment parks, and other random places. You yourself can also create a profile very easily and then begin reviewing sites you've been to!

Another that I have found that has fascinated me is http://www.etsy.com/

This is like an art show mixed with a craft show mixed with a garage sale mixed with a flea market. On this website, people post things they have made by hand that you can purchase from the website. There are all sorts of cool things no this website from dog sweaters to paintings and jewelry to custom car decals. It's worth a look around!

I'm eyeing the print at the top of this blog!

Check back soon for more cool sites !

-Your Friendly Librarian - Heidi

About the Southwestern Sentinel...

The Southwestern Sentinel is a student-run, extracurricular activity sponsored by Southwestern College. The current Editor-in-Chief is Aaron Diehr, and all articles are written either by staff members or students, in classes or as volunteers.

For next issue, we are looking for volunteer writers to submit articles on anything our student body would find interesting; some examples include movie reviews, concert reviews,

upcoming Toledo festivals, student news, etc. Also if you are willing to cover an upcoming event, such as graduation, and write about it, please let me know.
My email is adiehr@swcollege.net


Keep up the good work, and I’ll see you around.

-Aaron Diehr

A Message From the Dean of Education, Jason Shawberry

I want to take a moment to applaud Aaron and the student staff on developing this campus newspaper. Communication across the student body, faculty, and staff is always a challenge. A forum like this can really bridge that communicative gap. Personally, I look forward

to seeing how this endeavor grows over time. I hope you’re as excited about it as I am.Likewise, we have developed a PowerPoint presentation that can run in any classroom that has a projector and kiosk computer. We’ll use the slide show to get

information out to all of our folks as soon as possible. For the school’s latest updates on campus news and events, be sure to take a look at the presentation anytime you see it scrolling in the classroom.

What is Professionalism?

By: Shirreatha Porter and Rachael Roscoe

What is professionalism? You can define it many ways, but do you really know what it means? Professionalism can be defined as “working for pay,” but if one wants to be professional, one must dress and appear appropriately. Professionalism can also be defined by the way you talk to an individual.
On Friday, May 28, 2010, we talked to Assistant Director of Career Services, Mr. Eric Smith. Mr. Smith graduated from the University of Findlay. He has a Marketing Degree and also over thirteen years in the health care field with Promedica Health and Buckeye Community Health Plan. Mr. Smith Enjoys his interaction with the students in helping them achieve success and better living skills.Eric Smith’s definition of professionalism first starts with appearance. Make sure you show up to an interview neat and clean. Showing up to an interview or job with baggy pants or daisy dukes is not what an employer would like to see from a potential employee. This could also mean wearing one’s hair in a neat style with a natural color. Second is no chewing gum. Chewing gum is disrespectful, and it might fall out of your mouth. Think before you speak; if you have to pause for a second or two, go ahead. Nobody would mind because you’re not saying the first thing that pops into your mind. Lastly, always use correct English. Teachers and employers do not want to hear street slang when you talk to them; save it for home. Presenting yourself with the right confidence and attitude will impress employers.
He states that employers want integrity and dependable, trustorthy and trainable workers; these aspects can also be a part of professionalism. So give employers something to look at and want to hire immediately. You don’t want them saying, “I don’t want to see this person again in my office.” Here at Southwestern, the staff, including Eric Smith, is working on that goal to show students that professionalism does matter. By working on this on a continuous basis, students will have sharp interview skills, good resume skills, and will learn how to research for employment on a daily basis. Eric Smith is always grateful for helping students with any help they may need, so you can have that future dream job. Mr. Smith has enjoyed his three months here at Southwestern. His door is always open, so if you need help with anything, don’t be afraid to stop by and see him in Room 170.

Children's Discovery Center Day Care

Article by : Carla Murray, LaShanna Haney, & Lanita McCullough

There is a new daycare in town and alot of people don't know about it!

It's its called Children's Discovery Center, and it is located on Chenney St. behind the old Southwyck mall. The facility is very warm and inviting. In each class there is an actual teacher and a teacher's aid. This facility supports a wide range of children from infants to age twelve.

The daycare is an ideal facility for the paretns who attend Southwestern College. It is very close to the school, which makes it easy to get to school on time. If there ever happens to be an emergency or accident, the parent can get there in record time, instead of having to go all over the city to a different day care. This is a state rated facility, and they have very dedicated staff members, who love and care for the children who attend.

At the end of each day, the parents get a chance to talk to the teachers about their child. The parents willr eceive a piece of paper called a tattler that tells the parent what their child's dispostition was for that day. They also inform parents what their child at and what time and for how long they took a nap.

The Children's Discovery Center is a wonderful place to take your children and trust that your child will be well cared for. The people who work there are very trustworth, which is why we would recommend it to parents. he staff loves their jobs and they love the kids too!

Meet Your Admisssions Department

Each day you see new people in the halls of your school, checking out the campus and learning about our programs. Each of these individuals is starting a new journey just as you did when you first walked in the door of the Southwestern College Toledo Campus. these people are taking the first step towards their dream and making a change in their life.

In the admissions department, we work with people to do just that. So ask yourself, do you have a friend, significant other, parent, neighbor, or sibling that could benefit from training for a career in the medical, business, or computer fields? Please contact an admissions representative today and help them make a change in their life!

Southwestern College admissions team:

Jessica Reed-Director of Admissions
Jamal Jones-Assistant Director of Admissions
Jennifer Fedototszkin-Adminissions Representative
Marriah Kornowa-Admissions Representative
Josh Hotaling-Admissions Representative
Dawn Belzung-Admissions Representative

Don't forget our wonderful support staff!

Dawn Cook-Admissions Coordinator
Tamithat Todd-Receptionist
Kharisma Ewing-Evening Receptionist

‘The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ’ by Phillip Pullman

This book is Pullman’s re-imagination of the story of Jesus’ birth. Rather than a single child, Mary gave birth to twins. There are still mysterious events that take place in this retelling, but not events that are as miraculous as those from the bible. And the reader is certainly not given any reason to believe that either brother is of divine parentage. Jesus seems to do unpredictable things, but has consistently good intentions; he attracts followers and inspires people with his faith. Christ tracks his brother and records his movements and actions for a mysterious third party. He frequently bends the truth in his records to make things seem more miraculous than they actually were.

I’m especially inclined to like anything written by Phillip Pullman, as I enjoyed the His Dark Materials trilogy so much. This was another interesting book, but it represents a departure from the material that Pullman’s readers are familiar with. It is written in shorter bible-like chapters. There are short stories/episodes that represent events of importance. I suspect that this book would be more fun for a person who is more familiar with the bible than I am. I recognize many bible stories that have been altered to fit Pullman’s version of the story, but I’m certainly no expert.

In defense of the brother Christ, he makes some bad decisions, but isn’t the scoundrel that the title lead me to expect. Really, he just seemed like a sad man.

'Don't Sleep There are Snakes' by Daniel Everett

Lately, I’ve been becoming increasingly interested in off-grid living; relying as little as possible on public and government programs and funds to support oneself. With this in mind, reading Don’t Sleep There are Snakes has been enjoyable and thought provoking. Author and linguist Daniel Everett has been regularly spending time with the Pirahã population of the Amazon since the 1970’s. This book, discusses not only the linguistic implications of what has been learned from Everett’s work, but also the lifestyle and values of the people being studied. Of course, the reader will see that the culture of the Pirahã is crucial to the linguistic conclusions that Everett has drawn, but even if it weren’t, it’s just so darn interesting.

Since I’m not an expert in linguistics (and one doesn’t have to be to enjoy this book), I’ll have to take Everett’s word for it when he writes that his conclusions are controversial and unusual. Instead I’m inclined to focus on the lifestyle and the anecdotes that illustrate their personalities. After reading this book, I’m impressed with the comfort and contentedness that the Amazonian people have in their lives. They have certainly achieved something that I can only hope to attain.

A favorite passage from the book:
They [the Pirahãs] have no craving for truth as a transcendental reality. Indeed, the concept has no place in their values. Truth to the Pirahãs is catching a fish, rowing a canoe, laughing with your children, loving your brother, dying of malaria. Does this make them more primitive? Many anthropologists have suggested so, which is why they are so concerned about finding out the Pirahãs’ notions about God, the world, and creation.

But there is an interesting alternative way to think about things. Perhaps it is the presence of these concerns that makes a culture more primitive, and their absence that renders a culture more sophisticated. If that is true, the Pirahãs are a very sophisticated people. Does this sound far-fetched? Let’s ask ourselves if it is more sophisticated to look at the universe with worry, concern, and a belief that we can understand it all, or to enjoy life as it comes, recognizing the likely futility of looking for truth or God?

In Conclusion, it is a wonderful book, one that I certainly recommend.

‘Moby Dick’ by Herman Melville

Obviously, Moby Dick is a great American novel. The obsessed captain Ahab has sworn vengeance on the infamous whale Moby Dick. As many already known from the first line of the book, Ishmael tells the story of the best known whaling voyage of all time (albeit a fictional voyage) from the viewpoint of a member of the ship’s crew.

So many people, including many English majors that I have known, haven’t been able to push themselves through Moby Dick, and understandably so. It is a dense and complex book that few feel compelled to read if they aren’t assigned to do so by a professor. I won’t deny that the book is difficult, or imply that I fully comprehend every obscure reference that Melville has made, but on the whole, I’m glad to be familiar with the book. In truth, I may have benefitted from the graphic descriptions of the processes of whaling more than the narrative, and my final opinion of the novel may be that the work is of greater importance as a historical reference than entertainment fiction. Of course, I grew up playing the ‘Save the Whales’ board game, so it’s hard to imagine how Melville would feel about my perspective.

Even though the reader grows attached to some of the characters on the ship, I think my final sympathy lies with Moby Dick. The sailors think of him as a ruthless beast, but he is really just famous for preventing people from murdering him. I don’t think I’d mind having a reputation for not letting people kill me either.

Wolf to the Slaughter by Ruth Rendell

Recently I heard someone complaining about a book, saying after reading and enjoying it they still weren’t really sure about the title. That is kind of the way I feel about this story. Usually, titles have some sort of tie-in with the actual story, at least in a vague way. This is a murder mystery, and the concept of a wolf being slaughtered sort of ties in with that, but it is otherwise a pretty obscure connection.

Ruth Rendell has written several Wexford mysteries; stories that focus around the investigations of the police station that is overseen by Detective Wexford. A young woman has disappeared and the team of detectives attempt to discover what has happened with only a missing person report and an anonymous note to go on. I have read Ruth Rendell stories before and I consistently enjoy them very much; well written and oh so British.

Middlesex By Jeffrey Eugenides

This book was surprising to me; I didn’t know what to expect and had heard very little about it. Apparently, I am in the minority, as it has been a selection for Oprah’s Book Club in the past and won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

Middlesex is the story of three generations of a Greek-American family living in Detroit as told by Calliope or Cal. Calliope, later Cal is of the youngest generation in the story, raised as a girl, but becoming masculine as an adolescent. Cal is the product of frequent genetic mutations of a close-knit Greek community that hails from a very small town. In 2010, it is no surprise to us that inbred communities tend to have abnormal genetic traits, but of course, Cal’s ancestors had no way of knowing that this would be the case.

As I read this story, I’m tormented not by how unusual and painful Calliope’s puberty is, but how normal and painful it is. How different am I really from Cal? The feeling of alienness in one’s own body, the shame of being imperfect and different from other girls- I don’t think any of this is so unique. Perhaps that is the point; interesex individuals and hermaphrodites aren’t really so different from those of us who only exhibit characteristics of one sex.

The book feels like a cross between Forrest Gump and Lolita, the single male narrator that covers several decades in history while trying to explain a sexual situation that is foreign to most. The book is a startling contrast of the tragic and the comic, and Eugenides himself points out, but that seems to be the case with most things.

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

This is a difficult book to review, because aspects of the plot are quite mysterious for long periods of time, and I would be doing the reader a great disservice by revealing many details. The protagonist of the novel is Kathy who is now 31 years old. Never Let Me Go is written as a memoir might be; the bulk of the novel tells of her childhood and her friendships at Hailsham. Though the children’s lives could be described as sheltered and idyllic, the reader is aware that this is simply a façade.

In many ways, this is a science fiction novel; the students of Hailsham exist in a world that differs from our own, even though the similarities are abundant. I might refer to this as “light science-fiction” – more than anything it is a relationship/friendship drama. I think that this is all for the better; there are many, many, many books that talk about the conflicts of relationships and friendships (almost every book). Ishiguro’s book introduces another element to this fiction equation, but without making the story unrelatable.

Though this is a side note, I am always impressed with authors who choose to write novels with protagonists of the opposite sex. In this case, Ishiguro is a male with a female narrator. (The Harry Potter series is another excellent example of this phenomenon) My point in mentioning this is that I think Ishiguro does an excellent job. The attitude of the narrator seemed plausible and natural.

I based my selection of this book on the fact that I really enjoyed Ishiguro’s Remains of the Day, and I didn’t really know what to expect. In many ways, the books are similar, personal dramas with disturbing back stories (Remains of the Day’s protagonist was employed by a Nazi/Nazi sympathizer). And more importantly, both books are touching, well written novels that readers will enjoy.

(Also, I didn't realize until I finished this book, but it is being made into a movie. I want to see it, but knowing me, I'll wait until it comes out on DVD)

Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier

This novel begins in Monte Carlo when our unnamed heroine meets Max DeWinter (Maxim), a handsome widower. Rebecca is his recently deceased wife. The two marry after a very brief courtship and they return to his elegant estate, Manderley. Rebecca’s presence is still very strong in the house, and our heroine gradually learns more about her predecessor and her husband’s past. It is easy to relate to the awkwardness that the heroine must feel, constantly being compared to the graceful, beautiful Rebecca.

For as long as I can remember, awkward situations in television, movies and books have embarrassed me. There were scenes in the first half Rebecca that just made me want to cringe; Du Maurier’s heroine is so naïve and innocent that her actions just seem foolish. I am embarrassed for her. I had to stop multiple times to remind myself that it is fiction.

Without going into too much detail, I felt conflicted near the end of the book. I’m of the opinion that domestic violence is never okay and people never “deserve it.” Yet it is written in a way that portrays this in a sympathetic light. Other popular books that are out now (for example the Twilight saga) also seem to be sympathetic to people who are moderately aggressive in relationships, and I wonder if I only hold this opinion because I’ve recently been thinking about the effect of abuse in literature. I would be curious to hear whether others who have read Rebecca are similarly conflicted.

Review: The Believers

The back cover of The Believers by Zoe Heller introduces the book thus: “When a stroke fells radical New York lawyer Joel Litvinoff, a secret is revealed that forces Audrey, his wife, to reexamine everything she believed about their forty year marriage.” I was able to guess from reading this description what his secret was – I bet you can too. Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite so obvious from reading the beginning of the book that something was going on, so I think that the fact that this was included on the book’s cover is a bit of a disappointment. There is potential for the family’s revelation to be a big surprise, and some crafty re-wording could have prevented this giveaway.

But I don’t want to dwell too much on my qualms here, because it didn’t really detract from my enjoyment of the novel, and it is at least quite descriptive of the plot. Though Joel’s wife Audrey does little to continue her life as Joel lingers in a coma, their children do move forward. By the end of the novel, the family isn’t really revolving around their absent father anymore; rather, each child has been subtly influenced by his illness.

Based on the title, I mistakenly believed that this book would be more about the religious beliefs of the family. While that does play a part in the story, I have since interpreted The Believers as referring to a much broader kind of belief. The characters reconsider their beliefs on family, lifestyle, love, death, and yes, religion.

Audrey spends most of the novel acting angry and cruel, with rare moments of affection and sympathy bestowed upon her loved ones. Even though her outbursts are often shocking, I think this is how I prefer her to act. After all that happens in the course of the book, if Audrey isn’t a little bit justified in acting like a jerk, I don’t know who is. If her nasty remarks make me uncomfortable, it’s probably just because I’m a little jealous that she can get away with it. Near the end of the story, she seems to regret her harsh past, but I don’t.

Everything Matters! by Ron Currie Jr.

The review of this book that I read said something like “this book is good enough to forgive the exclamation point in the title” (I’m paraphrasing here, but I don’t remember where this review was published). I’m inclined to agree. I don’t know if I would have thought much about the punctuation if it hadn’t been pointed out, but I agree that it was an insightful and engaging book.

The book is about Junior Thibodeau, who hears voices starting when he is a fetus. Among other things, the voices tell Junior that the world is going to end when it collides with a comet when he is 36 years old. Knowing this, Junior frequently wonders whether anything he does will really matter. Of course, if you read the title of the book, you’ll get a general idea of where Currie is going with the story.

Of course, any human could apply this dark outlook to life. We know that the world will end someday; we know that we will all die someday, and we know that everyone else that we know will also die. Why is it remarkable that Junior asks himself about the meaning of life, if all people could potentially ask themselves the same questions? Most people are far enough removed from the eventual apocalypse that it doesn’t really occupy much of their time (and those who constantly think about it are a subject of concern in the mental health field). Junior is not so lucky, he knows that the world will end in the relatively near future, and a voice is available to remind him regularly.

I can usually measure the success of a book by how emotionally involved I feel with the characters, if it makes me cry, that’s even better. Some of the instances of drug abuse and neglect that take place during the childhoods of Junior and his brother, Rodney make me feel a little sick to my stomach. This is one of my markers of good storytelling. Currie succeeds in creating a group of characters that I love because of all their flaws and prejudices and anger.

Mostly due to speculations about a possible apocalypse in the year 2012, the end of the world is getting a lot of attention right now. Hopefully, this won’t affect your decision to read this book one way or the other, as it is not related to these speculations. It’s really just a good book about the ways that your decisions and relationships can either improve or destroy your life.