REVIEW: A Priest in Hell by R. Radic

Title:  A Priest in Hell

Author:  R. Radic
Genre / Pages:  Nonfiction, Memoir / 333
Publication: ECW Press, 2009
Rating:  2nd Shelf 
Source:  publisher copy
lj's plot in one pot: After embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars, former priest, Radic spends six months in prison; in this text, he shares his awful account of jail life.

This book really appealed to the trashy person hiding deep inside me (and I suspect all of us).  Okay, so the blurb makes a reference to "Cops" and after reading that, I was sold.

However, upon further inspection, I became less than thrilled.  The author used crass and just gross terminology so jarringly that I had to read things aloud to J, to share my disgust (and flush those words out of my brain).  And...anyone who knows me knows that I am not prudish when it comes to language, so if this offended me...then you can be assured that is it BAD.  I also had this feeling the whole time that it was really forced.  Like when your teachers used to try to use slang and it just feels wrong.

That being said, it was kinda neat to hear about the daily in's and (for a select few) out's of prison.  But more enjoyable than that...was knowing that my book was eco-friendly!  I participated in this really cool campaign (see previous post) that united 200 bloggers to help spread the word about Green Books.  Please go to this site for more info about the campaign.

http://www.prlog.org/11043665-200-bloggers-200-books-56-publishers-and-one-hour.html

http://www.ecolibris.net/greenbookscampaign2010.asp

Ooops, I forgot a quote...now this is not safe for work / children / church-goers / most decent humans with a pulse, but I had to show you the reality of most of this book.

"They were 'associates' outside in the real world.  Not friends.  [He] makes a clear distinction between friends and associates.  I am not sure of the separation, but an associate is less than a friend, deficient in some vague way, untrustworthy perhaps.  [His] meager vocabulary, emanating from his decomposing brain, due, of course, to his affaire d'amour with meth, is powerless to supply me with a precise definition." p.161

"Milk is like crystal meth to chomos [child molesters].  In the best Faustian tradition, they will trade their souls for it.  It is not unusual to watch [him] consume four or five milks at a meal.  I don'tknow why they crave it the way vampires crave blood, but they do." p.137

Okay, okay, I caved - I just couldn't have those words on my little site...If you must, drop a comment and I can pass the book along :)

REVIEW: The Complete Persepolis by M. Satrapi

Title:  The Complete Persepolis

Author:  M. Satrapi
Genre / Pages:  Nonfiction, memoir / 341
Publication: Pantheon Books, 2004
Rating:  Bottom shelf 
Source:  Chapter's Indigo
lj's plot in one pot:  This graphic novel features the coming-of-age of Marjane, during the turbulent Islamic Revolution in Iran.

I wanted to like this book...I really did.  Perhaps the graphic aspect made important and tragic events seem trivial, or maybe I'm just super desensitized, but I wasn't moved at all.

The book starts with Marjane as a young child, revealing how Iran used to be, before the Islamic Revolution.  It details her life when she left (for safety and better educational opportunities) for Austria, and her return to Iran.  The author tries to both inform the reader about the Islamic Revolution and give her thoughts about it.  

I'm finding myself with a loss for words (which, if you know me at ALL, indicates a profound moment)...I just simply didn't really like the book.  One redeeming quality was that occasionally, throughout the book, the author/graphic design artist would really let loose and give us a tiny masterpiece (I found these rare gems more moving than any of the text).  This is not the greatest example, but here is one little taste:

 For information on the author / book, click here.