recent tracks:

The Sun-Smudged Peach Moon

Of Love and Other Demons Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Recommended without reservation. Garcia Marquez writes of Sierva Maria, a girl lost to neglectful parents in an ailing society, raised by slaves under the auspices of their pagan gods, then bitten by a rabid dog. He also writes of Cayetano Delaura, sent by the local bishop to exorcise the girl's demons, but instead struggling to reconcile his faith and the love he develops for Sierva Maria. Knowing only this, one might find the concept of the book quaint, if given an interesting twist by the exorcism subplot, but as one might better expect from such a great writer as Garcia Marquez, the work is spellbinding. I can't even figure out how to continue commentary without detracting from the work in some way, so I leave it to you to read it.

Boys of Baraka
Fascinating look at a group of boys selected from the slums of Baltimore (where, according to the film, only 25% of black boys graduate from high school) to attend a boarding school run by Americans in Kenya. The theory seems to be that (a) removing the boys from the cycle of poverty and (b) making them realize that they have brains in their heads and, more importantly, the potential to be good and thoughtful people, will bring the best out of the group. The change in these chosen few as they confront their fears and commit to a drastically different lifestyle is remarkable--for some it is gradual (Romesh, who has to be persuaded by his older brother Richard to stay, but ends up making the dean's list), while for others the precise moment seems to be captured on film (Montrey, forced to set up a tent with a fellow student with whom he had been fighting, without instructions, in convincing the other the value of the activity seems to come to his own epiphany; he ends up attending a selective magnet school for math and science after Baraka, scoring first in the city on the exam). While one could just as easily read about such triumphs, perhaps the real value of the film is in watching the boys' transformations as they come to see what more life has to offer them, and the emergence of personalities that might have been suppressed and squeezed dry by life in the projects. Don't expect to go out of the film feeling warm and fuzzy, however, as the school is shut down due to growing violence in the region, and the boys (and their desperate families) must figure out how to cope with their dreams only half-realized.

King Kong
Was probably the most entertaining movie I've ever seen. Some would fault it for this: "audiences found it overmuch: It pounded them with CGI spectacle, until their appetite for its many Jurassic battles did, in fact, sicken and die" ("King Bomb", Slate). Some would find it empty, "essentially a delirious pop fantasy" ("Beasts and Beauties", The New Yorker). But such press had me prepared to be bored by endless dismemberments, or laughing at the absurdity of director Peter Jackson's overindulgence. Thus when I saw--yes, plenty of battles royale, and a fair portion of overindulgence--but more to the point when I saw a movie that captured my attention from the first to the final seconds of its three hour runtime, that did make me laugh from time to time but also did a pretty decent job of dragging my emotions wherever it cared to take them, and that created (or, perhaps, recreated) a stunning fantasy world of oversized everything, well, my expectations were pretty well exceeded. On pure cinematic merit, or artistry, whatever that may be, I'm not sure how I'd rate King Kong, but for entertainment value and pure spectacle (breathtaking landscapes AND breathtaking CGI as exemplified by Kong's expressive face and individually animated hairs), I can honestly say I don't think I've seen better.

I'm now reading A History of the Middle East: Second Edition by Peter Mansfield and Nicolas Pelham, and recognizing just how little I ever learned of the history of that region. Actually, I'm becoming aware of many other gaping defects in my understanding of history--pretty much everything that's not American or Roman. I have the feeling that the more I read, the more I'll come to realize I don't know, and, consequently, the more I'll read. I will say that, with its focus on the most recent two centuries, I'm learning quite a bit about the effects of interventionist policies in Muslim countries--my most recent chapter was on British control of Egypt in the waning days of the Ottoman Empire.

Next up, I'll officially be putting in my time at Rhode Island Legal Services this summer, working in the family law division primarily on child custody issues. Exactly the sort of thing I find absolutely essential but have from time to time questioned my stomach for. From the people I have met in the office, however, I think I will be well-supported.

Hmm what else...I have oral arguments on Wednesday, based on a paper my professor still hasn't returned. He's now in Lebanon picking up a child he and his wife are adopting. So that should be interesting. I also have a collaborative memo due in a week and a half for the affordable housing project, so there's plenty on the plate these days. It's therefore good to have the summer work thing taken care of.

I was going to summarize today but I decided not to. Maybe because I'm tired. It's been fun, though, as any day that begins with Johnny B's must be. Plus I got to mop. That might sound facetious but the floor really needed mopping--I got behind the fridge and everything. Yeah!

I probably owe several of you communications. Maybe tomorrow?

P.S. I got the new Islands record today. The first couple songs are pretty fantastic, and that's all I've yet heard. Can you believe Newbury Comics was out of Revolutionary, Vol. 2 by Immortal Technique??? I can't, especially given that they had four copies of Revolutionary, Vol. 1. I guess it's true what they say: you can't always get what you want. Ha! Goodnight.