Two for the Show

Kurt Vonnegut: Cat's Cradle

Halfway through this book, I was ready to officially convert to Bokononism. All of the central tenets make a certain perverse sense, including and especially the paradoxical exhortation that Bokononism itself is foma (lies). Aside from being great fun to consider, it actually explains something that has intruiged me for years: why do certain people keep appearing in my life in wildly different contexts? Bokonon's answer: they are part of my Karass, meant to accomplish something jointly with me during our lives. Kelly Palmblad, even though we barely know each other, is clearly a member of my Karass, and probably Kim Templin as well.

By the end of the book, however, I feel that Vonnegut had emasculated my support for Bokononism. Others of his masterpieces, Slaughterhouse Five and Breakfast of Champions, to name a few, are hopelessly convoluted, but are framed as non-fiction in that they could conceivably have taken place in our own universe. This is not necessarily what makes them great, but it is what makes them wonderful; the reader walks away saying to him or herself, "I can picture this happening." Cat's Cradle, as it ends with the ersatz end of the world, does not evoke that response. As much as I wanted to be a Bokononist, by the end of the book it was impossible. Bokononism didn't exist in this universe.

This is neither a mistake or an accident on Vonnegut's part, of course. Even the epigraph should have preapred me for such a thing: "Nothing in this book is true." It evens serves to add a level to the allegorical religion: just like all other religions, it is fictional and ultimately disappointing. If the book had inspired a generation of nerds running around declaring themselves Bokononists, as I no doubt would have, they no doubt would have missed the point. I may do it anyway, just out of rebellion . . .

Francisco Jimenez: Breaking Through

I read this to see if it was suitable for my students, rather than for pleasure. I decided it would be a good choice for the classroom for a few reasons:

The Latino backdrop of the book would be familiar to them

The coming of age story matches their current path

The conflict with the Dad and friction with traditional values might be especially relevant

It's written at an appropriate and accessible level

I therefore proceeded to teach it to them, and found that they didn't agree with me at all. they especially hated the ending. In their minds, going to college was a dumb ending for the story, one they couldn't wrap their brains around. It didn't make sense to them at all that the protagonist would end up that way. They loved it, up until the last chapter. I see their point, not from a social perspective, but from a literary one. The end did feel a bit sudden and arbitrary somehow, even though it was clearly set up from very early in the book. Still, their reaction surprised me.