The Lay of the Land by Richard Ford

This novel shows you America through the eyes of a realtor, a man who buys, sells, and rents houses. He is a decent, honest man, 55 years of age, who is comfortable living in the suburbs of New Jersey.

The author plays with language. The book is highly slang-y and you will need to look up many words in a good dictionary. Why should you bother? Because you will gain insight into the social classes of natives and immigrants in America from the angle of the houses people buy, the cars they drive, and the sorts of communities they live in.  

The Poacher's Son by Paul Doiron

I don't usually read crime novels, but this one is exceptionally good. It is very well-written and would be excellent for Intermediate ESL students.

I also recommend Trespasser by the same author.

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

Kathy, the narrator, is a clone. She was created to die being a donor of her own internal organs to those who wish to live longer lives. A whole class of such clones is posited by this novel, as Kathy reminisces about her childhood growing up in a boarding school in the British countryside. Ordinary people recoil from the clones, yet everything about Kathy’s narration shows her to be intelligent and extraordinarily kind. 

In this book, the clones have souls and fall in love just as the rest of humanity does. Kathy and her lover Tommy wish to defer for three or four years the onset of the medical operations that will eventually kill them, but there is nary one shout or one tear when they learn this is not possible. This, I think, is the author’s point. The docile victims do not seem to be aware that the whole system is unethical and horrific, and so they make no protest. 

Kazuo Ishiguro is perhaps best known for Remains of the Day, another work that takes as its subject social inequality.

Falling Leaves by Adeline Yen Mah

The author was considered bad luck in her Chinese family because her mother died giving birth to her. The family was wealthy and feared the Communists, but family members feared their stepmother more than any external force. This memoir is gripping, a real page turner, as we want to know what happens to this unwanted, abused child.

There is a lot of material about Adeline Yen Mah on the internet. She has written a number of books and started a foundation to promote East-West relations. You can see her being interviewed about this book on YouTube. Writing and speaking out about the abuses she suffered gave her the backbone to triumph over her oppressive family.

Aromatherapy

Cedarwood—gives us the will to hold firm in difficult circumstances.

Chamomile—allows us to let go of tension.

Clary Sage—clarifies confusion.

Eucalyptus—for feeling suffocated or hemmed in.

Fennel—enhances verbal communication.

Frankincense—stills the mind.

Geranium—for overwork; both chronic and acute anxiety.

Grapefruit—to counter “comfort eating.”

Hyssop—protects those who absorb the problems of others.

Jasmine—eases depression, restlessness, and nervous anxiety.

Juniper—boosts self-confidence.

Lavender— eases panic and hysteria.

Lemon—for feeling bogged down by burdens and obstacles.

Melissa—replaces intensity of feeling with serenity.

Myrrh—heals wounds and eases the grief of loss or rejection.

Orange—for anger and frustration

Peppermint—aids in the digestion of new ideas.

Pine—for blame and self-blame.

Rose—for deep anxiety.

Rosemary—sharpens the mind and the concentration.

Spikenard—allows one to surrender to difficult circumstances.

Thyme—before going into battle.

Yarrow—for the easily offended.

Ylang Ylang—to cool down.

For intense apprehension or the feeling of not knowing where to turn, lavender and melissa are the best.  Lavender is also good for feelings of annoyance and frustration. Citrus oils like sweet orange are good for angry states of mind.

Essential oils are sold in small bottles, typically 5ml or .5 fluid ounces. Some oils can be dabbed directly on the skin. To fill a room with healing scent you will need an aromatherapy diffuser that disperses the oil into the air. Diffusers come in a variety of types and price ranges.

Aromatherapy for Healing the Spirit by Gabriel Mojay published by Healing Arts Press in 1997 is an excellent and comprehensive book on this subject.

Copyright © 2014     Barbara A. English     All rights reserved.

Margaret Mead: Coming of Age in Samoa

This book is a classic. Margaret Mead (1901-1978) was one of the most influential women of our time. In this book she puts forth the idea that adolescence does not have to be a stormy time of rebellion against authority. She describes how the culture of Samoa at that time (around 1928) allowed the young women to experiment socially, how they therefore took a more casual attitude toward sex, and how they were not neurotic. It sounds like paradise! 

Some people in later generations have insisted that Samoans were never that permissive, but this book is probably describing a transitional state of affairs that did not last long in Samoan history. Margaret Mead happened to go there at the right time to make some remarkable discoveries about culture and psychology.

The Goldfinch by Donna Tart

In this work of fiction, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City is bombed by 'cultural terrorists.' A young boy stumbles out of the wreckage with a masterpiece concealed in a plain bag. I should have known this book was going to be both dark and sad. The book is 771 pages long. I gave up on page 288.