PRINTReading your rites
Forget the obvious when going through life changes
May 22, 2008 | 12:00 a.m. CST
Graduation, marriage, having a child, midlife crises and retirement are all common rites of passage, and although every experience is distinct, everyone could use a little extra knowledge when going through such milestones. But the old reference books are so clichéd. Vox tells which books can help get you through these watershed moments.
1. Graduation
:
ENTERING REAL LIFE
The Old Option: Oh, the Places You’ll Go!
The New Read: An Incomplete Education: 3,684 Things You Should Have Learned but Probably Didn’t — $35
By Judy Jones and William Wilson, this reference book is as amusing as it is informative. Included are the sections “How to be a Film Savant” and “How to Remember That Forgotten Philosophy.” The book is a good alternative to Dr. Seuss’ typical read for recent grads. If creating a more cultured citizen is the goal, then An Incomplete Education succeeds. At minimum, it provides fodder for cocktail chatter.
Inside Look: Not an expert on the British Romantics? Read a few lines from “How to tell Keats from Shelley.”
Marriage:
MAKING THE COMMITMENT
The Old Option: The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate
The New Read: The Namesake — $14
Like most books that have been made into movies, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jhumpa Lahiri’s novel is richer than its cinematic counterpart. It’s also a more personal tale than any marriage guide. The importance of family identity is addressed through Gogol Ganguli, a boy who grows up frustrated by his unusual name. Gogol’s name is neither Indian nor American, and he goes through life trying to be the right amount of both. This family saga is a fast and dramatic read for couples bound for the journey of marriage, and it is much more effective than New York Times’ best-seller The Five Love Languages. Lahiri’s latest work, Unaccustomed Earth, was published earlier this year and includes short stories about a variety of relationships.
Inside Look: The author includes snippets of Indian culture throughout the novel, and Gogol’s mother shares her thoughts on the second page: “Like a kiss or caress in a Hindi movie, a husband’s name is something intimate and therefore unspoken … .”
Having children:
EXTENDING THE FAMILY
The Old Option: Everyone Poops
The New Read: Doodles: A Really Giant Coloring and Doodling Book — $19.95
Japanese illustrator Taro Gomi might be most widely appreciated for Everyone Poops, but his enormous coloring books are also pretty entertaining. Gomi’s Doodles: A Really Giant Coloring and Doodling Book allows kids of all ages not only to color but also draw and create with their imagination. Ignore the recommended age range — this would be a great stress reliever for parents-to-be. While prepping the baby room, couples could frame pages from Gomi’s book and still have plenty of pages left over for their child ... once he or she can hold a crayon.
Inside Look: Doodles has nearly 370 pages.
Midlife crisis:
LOOKING BACK
The Old Option: The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment
The New Read: Learning to Love You More — $19.95
Artist Harrell Fletcher and writer Miranda July, filmmaker of Me and You and Everyone We Know, hand picked a selection of art and personal vignettes from their Web site, learningtoloveyoumore.com, to compile into a bound work. The book has a long list of projects that will add excitement to participants’ lives. Silly assignments include making a child’s outfit in an adult size and wearing it as much as possible. But the sincere suggestions range from writing your life story within a day to spending time with a dying person.
Inside Look: Fletcher and July reason that it is “sometimes a relief to be told what to do.”
Retirement:
TIME TO SPARE
The Old Option: The New York Times Supersized Book of Sunday Crosswords
The New Read: 101 Things to do Before You’re Old and Boring — $9.95
With age comes wisdom, or so we’re told. But authors Richard Horne and Helen Szirtes don’t want the mature in life, no matter the age, to be, as the title says, old and boring. This is a good alternative to crosswords or word finds. Horne’s book has suggestions to keep people entertained and avoid dull moments. They even want readers to conquer their fears and offer tips for such activities as allowing bugs to crawl on your body. The book includes options for less-daring individuals as well.
Inside Look: Ever envied Ferris Bueller’s skills? The 50th suggestion explains how to “pretend to be sick convincingly.”
I would like to see regular book reviews on VOX
Posted by Grant Venable on May 22, 2008 at 10:23 p.m. (Report Comment)