Two favorite summer reads so far...

Rather early in the summer, I read Paula McClain's The Paris Wife. I tend to like books where literary figures are actual characters, and I like historical fiction, so this one was a win-win for me. I don't know that I'd say it was supremely well written or anything like that, but it was interesting to learn a bit more about Hemingway, and I did rather love the way it was done in the voice of his first wife. (Though I am sure I could find reasons to think this was problematic if I thought about it too much....so I'm trying not to over-think it here!) Mainly, I loved reading about 1920s Paris and the crazy expatriate writers. It's a really quick read--effective for vacation or poolside.

Then, surprisingly, I was also really smitten with a book I assigned for my summer course. I was only able to read it about a week before the course started (I'm a terrible teacher...), so thank goodness I found it so awesome and fitting. (And my students have liked it, too.) I'm teaching Intro to Disability Studies, and I try to do one literary text that focuses on disability. In the past, I've done a play (The Elephant Man), but I just needed to change it up to keep things interesting. So a friend recommended the novel The Speed of Dark, by Elizabeth Moon. It's set in the near future--I'm guessing in 50-70 years, though Moon doesn't specify. It focuses on a man named Lou, who is a high-functioning autistic. The premise of the book is largely that an experimental cure for autism exists, and Lou's company is pressuring him and his autistic colleagues to take this new treatment. The book raises all sorts of issues that are great for discussion and writing in a disability studies class--it debates medical vs. social perspectives on disability; touches heavily on discrimination; deals with accommodations/accessibility; and considers how disability frequently forms an integral part of individuals' identities. Anyway, it's a really interesting read--much more complex and political, I think, than the more well-known book The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime. In addition to being complex and great for a class like the one I'm teaching, I think it's also just a generally good (even fun?) read for almost anyone, though it might be particularly appealing if you have an interest in disability-related issues.


So those are my summer hits for the moment. Now I've been reading books about how to take care of babies, which seem less compelling to share about. And what I REALLY need to be doing is focusing on my dissertation...more writing and less reading! Nonetheless, I look forward to seeing what other folks share, as I always like to have a "for fun" book going on.