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THE OPEN BOOK continued THE OPEN BOOK con't. next column THE OPEN BOOK con't. next column THE OPEN BOOK continued Penguin Little Black Classics Series byVarious Review by Shannon Derespino In praise of the classics… First: a word of warning. I am an English nerd, and this review may be my nerdiest yet. My status as one such nerd may have already been apparent due to the fact that I have been contributing book reviews to the Gazette since 2012, and I consider books to be the greatest art form there is, but this particular review may make things plainer than usual. I love the history of literature. I have a Bachelor’s Degree in English, and in February, I will earn my Master’s Degree in English and Creative Writing. I have completed a great many literature courses in my life, and I find the history of the classical canon to be fascinating. I know, not everyone who reads is necessarily interested in reading the classics. There is no “correct” way to be a reader, and someone who only reads new releases or genre fiction is just as much a book lover as I myself am. But let me try to make a small case for exploring the classics. When you read works from centuries past, you are not only discovering interesting stories and characters; you are being exposed to the languages, cultures and ideas of humanity throughout history. You are one part of an incredible story stretching back thousands of years. So many people have lived and died and loved and worked and written before you, capturing the world as they saw it and telling stories that mattered to them. When you read the classics, you aren’t just reading a book. You are tapping into your own humanity. If you have ever journeyed to a bookstore or taken an English course, chances are that you have seen a Penguin classic. Penguin is one of the largest publishing houses in the world, and they have been publishing affordable versions of history’s great works for decades. Penguin classics are often easily recognizable by their black spines and illustrated covers. In 2015, Penguin celebrated their 80th anniversary, and they created a new series called the Penguin Little Black Classics. These were 80 slim pocket-sized volumes, each running for roughly 50 pages, which sold for 80 pence each in England. They are now available in an attractive and modestly priced box set (less than $1 per book) on Amazon. Reading a Little Black Classic will take the average reader less than an hour. Penguin took great pains to make the set a representative sampling of the great works of humanity. When you crack open a Little Black Classic, you may find poetry collections, essays, stories, lectures or letters. You will find works crossing the centuries and covering the vast continents of the earth. If you read the entire set, you are guaranteed to read and discover things you may never have heard of before or previously thought you had no interest in. I would like to provide a few examples to stress these points. Book #1 in the set is entitled Mrs. Rosie and the Priest, a set of four stories from Giovanni Boccaccio’s 14th century Florentine masterpiece The Decameron. Book #18 is the classical story Jason and Medea from the Ancient Greek Apollonius of Rhodes. Book #51, My Dearest Father is a collection of the personal letters of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. #61, The Night is Darkening Round Me is a set of Emily Bronte’s stormy Victorian poetry. Also included are Viking folktales, Japanese poetry, and even a copy of the Communist Manifesto. There are political writings, romantic poetry, scary stories, and excerpts from classical texts by men like Dante and Homer. Working my way through the volumes has been a pleasure and a joy—a chance to dip my toes into the waters of so many different countries and time periods. This year, Penguin added an additional 46 volumes to the set (a reference to 1946, the founding year of Penguin), which expand the world even further. These are truly a book nerd’s dream, and I highly recommend that any lover of the classics check out the Little Black Classics. Whether you sample a few or go on the rollicking adventure of reading them all, I am sure that you will find yourself enriched by the experience. I suggest taking a look at the complete list and seeing what strikes your fancy—always keeping in mind that you might be surprised to find that you love quite a few of the ones you’ve never heard of in your life! This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen, 2002 / Young Adult I am fully aware of the fact that a large portion of my readership won’t have any interest in reading 14th century Italian farce. That’s fine! Trust me, there are still hundreds of excellent books published far more recently that I can happily discuss and recommend to you. Today I have a wonderful young adult novel to recommend. During my time in graduate school (taking part in classes full of readers and writers) I have been surprised and pleased to see just how many adults there are out there who love to read YA fiction. These novels aren’t just for teenagers. In fact, the very best of YA tends to tap into something universal. We may not all be teenagers, but we once were teenagers and that’s an experience most of us aren’t likely to forget. Sarah Dessen is a local author, the daughter of two professors at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. She still lives in the Chapel Hill area and has commented on more than one occasion that she can often be spotted shopping at the Chapel Hill Whole Foods. Dessen specializes in realistic contemporary fiction about teenage girls coming of age, falling in love and dealing with family issues. She’s a very talented writer with a keen eye for detail and a great knack for writing believable characters. I think she is especially skilled at creating realistic parent/child relationships. Her books may seem light, but there is always much more going on underneath the surface than expected. My favorite Sarah Dessen novel is her 2002 work This Lullaby. The novel caught my attention instantly because it features music as an important backdrop, and I love music. It tells the story of Remy, a recent high school graduate who can’t wait to get to college in the fall but has to make it through her last summer at home first. Her mother is a famous and successful romance novelist who has just wed her fourth husband. Remy is smart and tough. She’s never been in love because she is terrified of depending on anyone. Her father was a musician who wrote one classic song, “This Lullaby”—a song about his fears that he would let his then infant daughter down—before he died. Remy hates the song and all that it implies. Everyone will always let her down, no matter how much they care. Enter Dexter. Dexter is one of my favorite YA male love interests because he is so against type. He isn’t a dark and angst-ridden loner. He’s a complete goofball, a klutz in a terrible band who charms the jaded Remy completely despite her attempts to brush him off. The relationship between Dexter and Remy is sweet and thoughtful, underscored by some very real pathos regarding our need for people we can depend on. The characters are beautifully drawn and even the more minor supporting characters positively sing on the page. Dessen’s knack for building a world is truly something to behold. This is the kind of novel I can journey back to time and time again. I love the characters and they feel like friends to me now. It’s one of my favorite young adult novels and a great example of the potential of this style of writing. The fact that it is set right here in North Carolina certainly doesn’t hurt. ���� Shannon DeRespino lives in Sanford with her husband and their two black cats, Cam and Raven. She holds a BA in English from Wake Forest University and is set to earn her MA in English & Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University in February 2017. She has been contributing book reviews to the Pinehurst Gazette since 2012. No. 124 The Pinehurst Gazette, Inc. p.31


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