Book Talk: The Emperor of All Maladies

The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer is an engrossing profile of one of humanity's greatest and most indefatigable killers. The idea is that profiling cancer is much like profiling a person because of its mercurial and elusive nature; it has evolved and entrenched itself into the international medical psyche and spilled over into the everyday lives of people. Siddhartha Mukherjee's work is personal, passionate and accessible to all readers. In my humble opinion it should be required reading for every person in the medical field and perhaps every person period. Don't worry if you are intimidated or even uninterested in this type of book - I guarantee it will capture your attention and not let go.

Book Talk: Decision Points

Decision Points is the autobiography of George W. Bush's two terms. He highlights major decisions he had to make and tackles them categorically, not necessarily chronologically. It's an interesting read for anyone, no matter your political leanings. I found his references to books and films throughout the book really interesting - he read a lot of presidential biographies that I've been wanting to read, including Theodore Rex and several works by David McCullough.

Book Talk: Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother is a parenting memoir that has created quite the controversy. Author Amy Chua's article in The Wall Street Journal fanned the flames of hype, in what could be one of the most brilliant PR moves ever - or a naive editorial that's unleashed the fury of people everywhere and culminated in death threats for Chua. The eldest Chua daughter, Sophia Chua-Rubenfeld, defended her mother in a letter published by The New York Post, which to many readers' dismay actually defends her mother and agrees with the way she and her sister were raised.

This book speaks to me on several personal levels:

1. Right or wrong, I've totally bought into the model minority identity of Asians in American culture. This is a double-edged sword because I have natural academic (and musical-ish) talents, but I was raised by white people. My mother would never sit and oversee my homework or music practice because she herself didn't have the fortitude - fortitude Chua has in spades. But I still made straight As (which I was paid for) though I'm definitely not good at math or science.

2. This book touches a lot on the "nature versus nurture" debate. Are Chinese mothers superior because they are Chinese genetically or because of the Chinese culture? Where do some of my stringent and bizarre tendencies come from - birth order, Asian heritage or proclivities that would be present even if I were white? Did I excel in school because my mother bought into the model minority idea, too, and therefore expected me to succeed despite her not being a Chinese mother?

3. I am fascinated by the idea that Chua pushed her children so hard - and that they fought so hard - but their relationships were built on mutual love. I tried for decades to be perfect and never fight with my mother; when the fighting finally started our relationship disintegrated. If I had ever screamed at my mother that I hated her she would've a) hated me back and b) never forgiven me. If she had been Chinese could she have handled it?

4. In true Western parent fashion, my mother asked me when I was tiny if I wanted to play the violin. She was prepared to find me a Suzuki teacher and jump in. However, for whatever reason I declined (at the age of four or whatever) and to this day I regret never learning. I was certainly allowed to indulge my interests (ballet, tap, jazz, choir, art) but I was never pushed to try things I was afraid of or didn't have a natural talent for. 

5. Another theme of the book is sacrifice - both of Chua and of her children. Just the other day one of my friends described me as "brilliant, but she'll never reach her true potential because she's not willing to sacrifice that much of herself." It's true. I'm human and weak and I get tired and depressed - something that "real" Asians don't experience (I'm convinced). I probably do have gifts that I'm squandering because I think the cost is too high. But perhaps I'd have more success and direction if I were willing to buckle down a little more - or if my mother had buckled down for me? I found myself thinking as I read this book, "Gee, if I'd been raised Asian I'd be smarter, thinner and more disciplined. I might not be happy but I'd probably have more direction."

I found Battle Hymn to be funny, warm and honest. Much like my reaction to Black Swan, where others saw torture and self-abuse I regretted giving up pointe, Battle Hymn totally made me want to have children. Surely that's a reaction only a Tiger Mother would have...

Book Talk: The Big Short

The Big Short by Michael Lewis chronicles the roots and full bloom of the recent financial crisis based on the subprime mortgage market failure. It's still unbelievable that this even happened and that the American public got so little explanation and so few answers. To read this book is to stand amazed as democracy and hope burn to the ground; to read this book is to become enraged all over again at the antics of Wall Street and the failure and impotent actions of the government to address the real issues. I found myself shaking my head and gasping in sheer disbelief. Lewis's writing is amazingly understandable and I enjoyed the depth of his research and all his footnotes. I think I'm going to read some of his research documents if I can find them.

On a side note, I briefly worked with/for both Bank of America (slash Merrill Lynch) and UBS during the time frame of this book. I was a contracted partner with a separate corporation, but I still remember the feeling of unease as all of this started happening. I didn't realize what was going on at the time though I realize now that know one really knew, and maybe never will.

Booktalk: Bonk

Everyone is doing booktalks, so I decided to jump on the bandwagon. Besides, I recently did something I rarely do now that I'm out of school: I read a non-fiction book, cover to cover, and really enjoyed it. It was also fun to carry around because it's just slightly shocking. Without further ado, Bonk!


Bonk, by Mary Roach, is subtitled The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex, and is a general history of the scientific study of sex. The book is highly informative and really funny, as if the best sex-education teacher ever got sloshed and started dishing on the really interesting stuff. I especially enjoyed the upfront way Roach presented her responses to her research, making a non-fiction book feel more personal. Mary Roach is known for her serious research but lighthearted writing on scientific topics, especially in controversial areas like death and sex.