The purpose of this blog is to enable people to provide comments on books being considered by the selection committee. You can also see the comments of the selection committee members. State what you like and dislike about the books listed and whether you think it would be appropriate as the campus reading book and why. Thank you.
Caution: There are spoilers in the comments to the posts.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Art of Racing in the Rain - Book Reviews
The Art of Racing in the Rain is a story told from the perspective of a dying dog.
Please post a comment to leave your review of this book and whether you think it would be a good selection for the SJSU Campus Reading program and why. Thanks.
6 comments:
Scot
said...
Enzo is a dying dog, and the story begins as he reflects back on his life with a race car driver who started a family. Dog as narrator is not necessarily a new idea, but this particular dog is engaging and insightful (he watches a lot of cable TV when home alone, and therefore makes film, history, and court procedure allusions with aplomb). Granted, the good guys are clearly good, the bad guys despicable--there are few gray areas. It's not particularly intellectually challenging, but for a quick read I found it satisfying, and I'll admit it, emotionally moving. It's also the kind of book non-readers will keep reading and appreciate too. For that reason, I'm recommending it for the short list for our all campus book selection for 2011. I see lots of ways to approach this book across disciplines, considering the role of pets in American families, subplots on the art of race car driving and brain cancer, legal battles over child custody, and philosophical speculation concerning what happens to us after we die.
"The Art of Racing in the Rain" is at times a bit hokey (especially the ending), but Enzo's intelligent and loving character makes up for all of that, which makes this tearjerker a satisfying read. I especially liked how Enzo appreciates the ablities we have as humans that we often take for granted (speech, thumbs, etc.) I recommend this book for the short list.
I enjoyed that this book was written from a dog's perspective and liked the family, illness, and court battle parts of the story line. At times I was a little bored by the racing analogies. I do agree that it is light, easy reading and think students would enjoy it. I don't want to recommend it as my favorite book for the program until I've had a chance to review a few of the other suggested books.
I had great hopes for this book as a possible selection. The length, picture of the cute dog on the cover and telling the story from the dog's perspective all sounded intriguing. But at times, it was too hokey. I mean the dog telling us who his favorite movie and TV actors are?! The story was too much of a soap opera for me. Compared to prior selections for the Reading Program of The Color of the Sea and The Kite Runner, I don't think this book is of that quality.
That said, the story will stick with me as it was interesting. There are plenty of things to talk about. I was particularly intrigued by the angle of what makes for a good family. Should people who would take a child from a father because they don't like his profession, and who would support a gross lie to make it happen not be punished in some way?
I think this is an entertaining book, but not of the quality of some of our prior selections.
One more comment ... I really liked the phrase and concept - "That which you manifest is before you" (chapter 8) and that we are the creators of our own destiny. I think these are great messages for college students to ponder.
One more comment ... I really liked the phrase and concept - "That which you manifest is before you" (chapter 8) and that we are the creators of our own destiny. I think these are great messages for college students to ponder.
6 comments:
Enzo is a dying dog, and the story begins as he reflects back on his life with a race car driver who started a family. Dog as narrator is not necessarily a new idea, but this particular dog is engaging and insightful (he watches a lot of cable TV when home alone, and therefore makes film, history, and court procedure allusions with aplomb). Granted, the good guys are clearly good, the bad guys despicable--there are few gray areas. It's not particularly intellectually challenging, but for a quick read I found it satisfying, and I'll admit it, emotionally moving. It's also the kind of book non-readers will keep reading and appreciate too. For that reason, I'm recommending it for the short list for our all campus book selection for 2011. I see lots of ways to approach this book across disciplines, considering the role of pets in American families, subplots on the art of race car driving and brain cancer, legal battles over child custody, and philosophical speculation concerning what happens to us after we die.
I second many of Scot's comments.
"The Art of Racing in the Rain" is at times a bit hokey (especially the ending), but Enzo's intelligent and loving character makes up for all of that, which makes this tearjerker a satisfying read. I especially liked how Enzo appreciates the ablities we have as humans that we often take for granted (speech, thumbs, etc.) I recommend this book for the short list.
I enjoyed that this book was written from a dog's perspective and liked the family, illness, and court battle parts of the story line. At times I was a little bored by the racing analogies. I do agree that it is light, easy reading and think students would enjoy it. I don't want to recommend it as my favorite book for the program until I've had a chance to review a few of the other suggested books.
I had great hopes for this book as a possible selection. The length, picture of the cute dog on the cover and telling the story from the dog's perspective all sounded intriguing. But at times, it was too hokey. I mean the dog telling us who his favorite movie and TV actors are?! The story was too much of a soap opera for me. Compared to prior selections for the Reading Program of The Color of the Sea and The Kite Runner, I don't think this book is of that quality.
That said, the story will stick with me as it was interesting. There are plenty of things to talk about. I was particularly intrigued by the angle of what makes for a good family. Should people who would take a child from a father because they don't like his profession, and who would support a gross lie to make it happen not be punished in some way?
I think this is an entertaining book, but not of the quality of some of our prior selections.
One more comment ... I really liked the phrase and concept - "That which you manifest is before you" (chapter 8) and that we are the creators of our own destiny. I think these are great messages for college students to ponder.
One more comment ... I really liked the phrase and concept - "That which you manifest is before you" (chapter 8) and that we are the creators of our own destiny. I think these are great messages for college students to ponder.
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