2011: Book #35

The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin

272 pages

Completed 4/7/11

Written in letter form, this novel is written from the vantage point of almost-adult Matt to his baby sister Emmy, in hopes that she will understand why things are the way they are. Living for years in South Boston under the rule of their seemingly-psychotic mother and never-ending roatation of her boyfriends, Matt involves a man in their lives that he believes will help them out of their perilous situation. But when Murdoch realizes just how off the deep end Nikki really is, he scuttles out, leaving an adolescent Matt to not only survive himself, but care for his two younger sisters.

Defintely written at a young adult level, this book nonetheless was intriguing and offered a good story. While perhaps not necessarily challenging, the emotion itself is a force to be reckoned with.

2011: Book 32

Juicy: Confessions of a Former Baseball Wife by Jessica Canseco


256 pages

Completed 3/27/11

This book was not great; I should've put it down two chapters in, but I just could not stop reading it. Is that not the case of all trashy reads? Canseco tells the tale of how at 19, working at Hooters, she falls for MLB great Jose Canseco. With woes of a terrible sex life, his countless affairs, plastic surgery, steroid abuse, and the code of silence upheld by the baseball wives and girlfriends, this was an interesting, if terrible, read.

I couldn't help but feel for Canseco throughout the first half of the book; with her emotionally absent parents throughout her childhood, Jose didn't seem so bad. But after filing for divorce what seemed like 25 times, and yet still returning to his abusive, belittling, and disrespectful ways, I found myself just annoyed. After she brings a child into this odd union, I lost all respect. This was one of the rare memoirs I read and had no desire to research the author further.

2011: Book 28

One Child by Torey Hayden


336 pages

Completed 3/21/11

The tale of a special education teacher whose classroom is upended when six-year-old Sheila, awaiting placement in a state ward after kidnapping and burning a three--year-old, arrives. Prone to violent outbursts, refusing to do work, and arriving day after day filthy and stinking, Sheila is a challenge for Hayden. Slowly but surely, she breaks through Sheila's walls, and discovers the child is gifted in more ways than one.

After suffering a trauma, Hayden expects Sheila to revert to her old ways, but the child is resilient. But the looming state commitment drives all around her to question whether that is the best option for this young child. I enjoyed this read; Hayden's feelings towards "her" children are heartfelt and true. While researching post-reading to see where Sheila is today, I found that Hayden wrote a follow-up to this book, which is on my PBS wish-list.

2011: Book 15

Even Dogs Go Home to Die: A Memoir by Linda St. John


272 pages

Completed 2/19/11

An oddly written memoir - chapters are no more than three pages - St. John delves into her childhood when faced with her alcoholic father's impending death. With a mother who speaks awful English, two sisters and a brother, St. John reveals the abuse and poverty they suffered as children, the retribution they dished out in their adult years, and their reactions to their father's downward spiral.

Annoyingly enough, St. John writes exactly how her mother speaks ("dies ees enuf Landa"), and instead of juxtaposing this with her educated self, the rest of the book is written in slang and in odd ways. The title of the book, briefly mentioned towards the end, could have been expounded upon, in my opinion. Despite it's oddities, St. John's memoir did a wonderful job synopsizing her family.

2011: Book 14

How to Make Love Like a Porn Star: A Cautionary Tale by Jenna Jameson


592 pages

Completed 2/18/11

As expected from a stripper turned porn star turned mogul, this was a raunchy tell-all with photos along the way. Venturing into her abusive relationships with men, her drug addictions, love affairs with women, unhealthy familial relationships, and a troubled adolescence, Jameson doesn't reveal much that isn't accessible on her IMDB page, other than the nitty gritty details of her sexual escapades. Surprisingly, her writing isn't half bad, and she actually came off more intelligent that you'd expect.

The last few chapters, about husband Jay and her quest to get pregnant, annoyed me, if only because I know that marriage dissolved in 2006 when she then went on to have children with her current husband. I also found myself wanting to erase my Google history, as I was curious about a lot of the people she mentioned throughout the book. Overall, an interesting read, but nothing to rave about.

LIZ: Book #37

The Good Eater: The True Story of One Man's Struggle With Binge Eating Disorder by Ron Saxen

252 pages

Completed 9/26/10

This memoir takes you from abused, chubby little Ron to unhealthy-habitted model Ron, to self-destructive Ron. And the whole while, you want to feel for this guy, but I found that you just can't. It took me quite some time to get through this one; not because it was dull or didn't interest me, but because I honestly just wanted to smack the character through the book.

Binge eating, which affects millions of Americans, was the focus of this book; but not really addressed. Yes, it was clear as Saxen shoveled multiple Big Macs and one pound bags of candy followed by entire loaves of fried bread that this was unhealthy binging at it's finest. But the author seems to have used this book to connect his feelings to the food (which I know is the reasoning behind binge eating, but not the reasoning behind this book); if he was unhealthy, unhappy, tired, wary, scared, uneasy, pleased, or overwhelmed - in went the food. Skyrocketing from 204 lbs. to almost 300 in an unbelievably short amount of time, Saxen was just hard to feel for.

Yes, the short peek into the male modeling world and crazy dieting ideas Saxen tries was entertaining, albeit sad, but towards the end of the book, I found myself completely uninspired. Instead of addressing his clear binge eating disorder, Saxen chooses to close the book out by introducing his new love interest and simply summing it all up by saying "I am happy now." For this to be the explanation behind why he doesn't binge eat anymore is absurd. For people looking to this book for advice or reaching out for help, Saxen addressed BED terribly, especially connecting his happiness with healthiness and leaving it at that.

LIZ: BOOK #23

Crazy Love by Leslie Morgan Steiner

336 pages

Completed 5/6/10

The memoir of Steiner's fast-tracked relationship and subsequent marriage to the man of her dreams - who was physically abusive. Eloquently written and with the gift of retrospect, this book made me feel for the author. An intelligent, educated woman who ignored the signs of, and then the blatant domestic abuse at the hands of her husband until a near-death encounter made her leave.

The complicated relationship with her parents was not explained enough, in my opinion. Especially towards the end of the book, when a unthinkable betrayal occurs. Despite the horrific encounters with her battering spouse, I didn't feel very emotional until something unrelated to the troubled couple occurs.

This well-written account of abuse and subsequent escape is a good book for teens, in my opinion. Yes, a bit advanced and unrelatable to most teenagers (grad school rather than high school), but an account of things she missed, friends who betrayed, family who didn't understand, and strength in getting out would be indispensable for girls getting into new relationships.