2005 - Let the Lists Begin!

Books I Read in 2005 That Actually Came Out in 2005
What can I say? I'm still trying to catch up on last year...


Blink by Malcolm Gladwell
Gladwell's previous book, The Tipping Point, had one major advantage over Blink: when I read it I was still blissfully unaware of the sheer obnoxiousness of Gladwell's hair. With Blink, I had to approach everything he said knowing that it was coming from a guy who decided that '"hey everyone! look at my rebellious head!" should be the central aspect of his public persona. And while I tried not to let the hair ruin my perception of the book, it was difficult. Because Blink is dull. I hate to say it because I loved the Tipping Point, and Blink could have been an even better book. It just seemed to get bogged down in providing endless examples of people making brilliant snap judgements. Also, isn't the idea that experts with experience and knowledge will usually make better decisions than the uninformed, kind of, I don't know... obvious?

I'm Not the New Me by Wendy McClure
Wendy McClure is the woman behind the wonderful blog at Poundy.com. Her writing there was awesome enough to make me want to buy the book. It's hard to explain how out of character this is for me, considering that the main focus of her blog is weight loss, and more specifically, Weight Watchers. The only reason that I'm not running away screaming is that McClure finds writing about dieting to be just as repulsive as I do. It's hard to describe this book, because it covers a lot of the same territory as women's magazines, yet not for a second does it remind me of any of the crap I've read before. There are no tips. I did not learn to love myself. I like that we had the same approach to Weight Watchers: hold your nose and dive in. But I swear, I like it because it's a funny, mean and honest book. Point-counting experience is not required to enjoy it.

Under the Bridge by Rebecca Godfrey
Everyone in Canada knows about the murder of Reena Virk. She was only 14, and her attackers all around the same age. I was barely in my 20s when it happened, but already I couldn't understand. Like everyone else, I wondering what was wrong with kids today. Teenage life is based on subtle signs and differences - the ability to recognize them and to send back the right messages. It seems like we lose that ability as soon as we leave that stage in our lives. We forget the feelings and suddenly we can't speak the language and we get shut out. Rebecca Godfrey never forgot. She is the only writer I know of that truly understands teenagers. She's like an articulate and convincing interpretor, making the secret language comprehensible again. To me, the most amazing part of the book was that she made me remember how important and real everything is when you're young. Like the whole idea of gangs in small Canadian cities. I mean, it's insane. These little 13-year-olds can't really think baggy pants and the right color baseball cap makes them gangsters, can they? Or that rap lyrics are talking to them? But they do, and, in a way, they are. It might be too limiting to say that Rebecca Godfrey understands teenagers, because she seems to understand everyone. Every person in this book is a believable character, and no one is painted as entirely sympathetic or not. I hope this book doesn't end up in the true crime section in the States, because it is much more than that.

My Faith So Far by Patton Dodd
Okay, I'm cheating with this one. It actually came out in late 2004, but I read in it early 2005, so I figure it's close enough. This is another out-of-character one for me. It's an autobiography of a man who changed from a borderline, disinterested, sort of Christian and became an evangelical Christian in his late teens. He was so determined to fulfill the role of a committed evangelicist that he enrolled at Oral Roberts University and spent a year studying there. This book is so much more interesting than the typical 'undercover reporter goes to religious school to look for nutcases' story I've read a dozen times. Because, rather than looking for things to point and laugh at, Dodd really meant it. He wanted to believe and he wanted to learn how to be a good Christian. I have to admit that suspicion towards Christians is a long-standing prejudice of mine. And really, it's one of the few prejudices that it is totally okay to admit to. Bunch of freaking fundies and their freaking family values. So, and I was kind of sad to realize this, I was really, really shocked to realize you could be a hard-core Christian and still have a brain. No, seriously, it never occurred to me before. Not only that, but be a full person, with doubts and anger and all that other stuff. I identified with his desire to find something spiritual in his life and his belief that faith could make him complete. I never felt driven to chase faith like he did, but it was amazing to watch.