What is the What
by Dave Eggers

The last sentence of the book is very telling of why Eggers chose to fictionalize the story of Valentino Achak Deng. I won’t spoil it for you, but I will say that the novel is worth the pain it takes to get through it. That is not an indictment of the writing, but of the strife in experiencing the story.

Deng and Eggers seem to be kindred spirits, and while each person’s suffering is their own, there is something unique in the voice of these two. Eggers finds a structure that works so well with the book that as you follow along and move back and forth between the present and the past, you become the audience to which Deng addresses throughout. Rather than address you by name, Deng addresses everyone else that crosses his path, with a quiet intensity that Eggers catches fully.

The novel is clear in its portrayal of a distinctly clear Sudanese world view, even though it is written by an American. I can’t say this with complete confidence, since I have little to compare it to, but even just from a historical standpoint, I have a much better understanding of East Africa than I did before reading the book, even just geographically. But more importantly, without getting into the big publicity push that is Darfur, I’m introduced to that of Sudan and the Lost Boys that have traveled from country to country while the government and people disregard them. This notion is captured eloquently in the title of the latest documentary on the Lost Boys, “God Grew Tired of Us.”

What is the What has the classic Eggers irony, reflection and ambivalence in character. While in AHWOSG, Eggers fought with the exploitation he thought of his parents’ death through the writing of his memoir, Deng wrestles with the same ill conscience of his people. The complexity in at once dealing with his pain and that of his people, and blaming them for their own struggles is as frustrating as the persistence God seems to have in making his life miserable.

That is why, though, the book succeeds and shines; because Deng’s character is lucid enough that the clarity and determination of his resolve is never questioned, even when he does it himself.

P! Online is presenting a daily online re-print of Powers, by Brian Michael Bendis. I had gotten the tipoff on this from jonas a long time ago, but never actually got around to buying this until I found it randomly at Rocketship in our neighborhood. Now it’s being presented online as a daily serial, page by page, with storyboarding and extras including the script pages, so you can check it out without having to plop down some cash for it.

I really like the Detective Walker character in this; his whole persona is a little Clark Kent-ian to me, the exterior seems to be really well-played as a more hard-edged guy than he really is. There’s also a lot of unexplored superhero mythology and mystery in regards to origins — and without getting too outlandish and careless. Unlike DMZ, another book I picked up last week, the dialogue is imminently readable and effortless, as well.

I’d wait a few more days if you are the impatient type, since the online version is only on page 4, but it’s really worth the read.

I got McSweeney’s 17 in the mail today. It looked like it came in the mail. There’s some pretty sweet stuff in there, also some very weird things. The bad thing about it looking like it came in the mail is that it looks like it came in the mail, and therefore looks like it should just get thrown away like the rest of the junkmail I get everyday.

Also: remember when I crashed a couple of weeks back? I hit a pothole later that night, and the next day missed my pedal riding and potato chipped my front wheel and bent the fork. It looks like this:

There’s a paint ripple right underneath the stem, too:

Yes, I’m in the market for a new frame, especially since I built a new wheel and everything before I found out how extensive the freaking damage was to the frame. I could get it fixed, but it’s probably not even worth it.

This book was a fast read of interweaving stories from Chicago circa the late 19th Century. The focus is primarily on two people, Daniel Burnham, the head architect of the World’s Columbian Exposition; and H. H. Holmes, a serial killer who lived in a castle he built near the fair.

My overall impression is that the Holmes parts were incomplete and though the two events, the killings and the World’s Fair happened simultaneously, the fair played less of a part in the murders than I’m sure all (including Larson) would have wanted. I had hoped for a historical coincidence that tied the two even closer together, like Holmes was really Burnham’s twin or something. Historical fact be damned, that would make a fine novel even more compelling. Or a great soap opera.

Regardless, the impact of the fair is indelible and remarkable and even edged my interest more so than the gory details about Holmes’s murders, which are surprisingly sparse. Reading about psychopaths is like watching a train wreck, which unfortunately is an all-too-common event these days. However, when reading about The World’s Fair, we’re talking about one of the most influential modern events in world history. The landmark buildings, revolutionary inventions, and corresponding influence of everything stemming from the fair is absolutely astounding. To be able to put into context things like the death of modern American architecture, the sinking of the Titanic, the introduction of the world’s first zipper and most importantly, the name of the best working man’s beer in the world, Pabst Blue Ribbon, is to understand the grand scope of the exposition.

By and by, the inclusion of Holmes and his crimes was a necessity. Saying nothing of the juxtaposition of evil and good during the Gilded Age (the chapters pretty regularly alternated from one subject to the other), it was a welcome break from the endless droll of Olmstead’s (the landscape designer) and other’s complaints about the fair.

Recommended, but especially for those with a hankering to learn when the first stick of Juicy Fruit was introduced to the world. Other facts may also come to light.

i keep watching this scene from charlie’s angels where sabrina’s thumb gets in some guy’s mashed potatoes and she moves them around so as to stop all the gravy from leaking off the mashed potato mountain. it’s making sick.

usage tip of the day: all right vs. alright– All right, usually pronounced as if it were a single word, probably should have followed the same orthographic development as already and altogether. But despite its use by a number of reputable authors, the spelling alright has never been accepted as a standard variant, and the writer who chooses to risk that spelling had best be confident that readers will acknowledge it as a token of willful unconventionality rather than as a mark of ignorance.

harsh words from the dictionary we use at work.

i finally finished fast food nation, which keeps me relatively above water on the resolution front. its a really good read, if you’re so inclined, and poses some very relevant questions about morality of fast food corporations, the republican party, IBP, ConAgra and other agricultural corporations, the development of burger joints in southern california, and other relevant subjects. the points are well-defended, documented, and supported, and the afterword is even full of responses to criticism and errors. it’s always hard to judge the honesty of a writer, but then again, people that are reading have probably already made their mind up about these things.

at lunch this evening i headed over to ralph’s and, like a nerd, brought my m-30 manual with me and actually learned some stuff about my beloved mixing board. it takes phono inputs! i found out why i couldn’t hear the recordings that i made when i was fooling around with it earlier, and really, the most amazing part is that i could follow the directions. jesus, did they have technical writers in the early 80’s or what?