Fly Girl
by Ann Hood
“The job gave me things I never could have imagined: the ability to talk in front of a couple of hundred people and navigate the subways and streets of foreign cities with ease. It taught me to listen, to be kind and helpful and compassionate. For every love story I heard, there was a tale of cruelty, or a broken heart. I learned there are misogynists in the world, sure, but that most people are pretty wonderful.”
Memories of walking in high heels over a million miles, knowing how to deliver a new born baby, handling both amorous and irate customers with aplomb, and seeing the world as a flight attendant – or as they were known then, a stewardess – Ann Hood realized her lifelong goal to become a stewardess. In her charming and enlightening memoir, she addresses the negative experiences she encountered, such as sexism, the restrictions and demands of the job, and the positive, thrilling experiences, such as romantic interests, travel opportunities to exotic lands, meeting inspiring passengers, learning “to laugh at human foibles,” and “to stop taking small things too seriously.” In the “golden age” of travel during the 1970-1980’s, the passengers dressed up to fly and stewardesses were considered the epitome of glamour.
Hood also discusses the airline industry during that time and how and why it changed, including the devastating airline bankruptcies. I thoroughly enjoyed this delightful, informative book.
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly: A Memoir of
Life in Death
by Jean-Dominique Bauby
In 1995, 44-year-old Jean-Dominique Bauby was the editor-in-chief of the legendary French “Elle” magazine. A bon vivant and father of two young children, he was admired for his savoir faire and passion for life. Sadly, he suffered a stroke causing him to be capable of communicating only by blinking his left eyelid. He was diagnosed as suffering from the rare condition called “Locked-in Syndrome,” unable to breathe, swallow, or eat without assistance.
The medical staff created a special alphabet with the understanding that Bauby would blink at letters he wanted written down. Repeating the process resulted in words, sentences, and entire discussions. With the help of a special nurse, Claude Mendibil, and friends, he was able to write his book, using only his ability to blink at the most frequently used letters of the alphabet: E, S, A, R, I, N, T, etc., while Mendibil or a friend pointed to them on a screen: one blink for “yes,” two blinks for “no.”
Demonstrating incredible spirit and resoluteness, Bauby’s profound memoir, with its beautiful poetic prose, is a moving testament to the human spirit. Somewhat reminiscent of the brilliant memoir, “When Life Becomes Breath” by Paul Kalanithi, it’s one of the most extraordinary, memorable, and affecting books I’ve ever read. Yes, it’s a poignant book, but full of insight and humor. Bauby doesn’t focus on his condition, instead he pokes fun at it, and his creative self soars to imaginings of sharing time with his family, being transported to his favorite haunts, and savoring his favorite foods (he was fed via a feeding tube and drooled incessantly).
Metaphorically, the book title imagines an immobile deep-sea diver weighed down in an old-fashioned diving helmet and suit and Bauby’s mind, moving like a butterfly from letter to letter, to ultimately write a 100-page masterpiece. Bauby died two days after the publication of his book in France on March 9, 1997.
Admirably, while bedridden, Bauby created the first association in the world for people suffering from Locked-In Syndrome: ALIS (Association du Locked-In Syndrome) and became its first president, stating his objectives thus: “To collect all the present information about the syndrome, to allow sufferers to communicate better with one another, to create means of breaking the solitude and isolation, and to make them true citizens of the 21st century.” I originally watched the movie based on the book, “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly: A Memoir of Life in Death,” in French with subtitles many years ago and was utterly entranced by it. I later read the book. Not bleak by any means, it’s a testament to one man’s incredible accomplishment and courage.
A Great Country
by Shilpi Somaya Gowda
The Shah family has relocated from a lovely, middle-class city in Southern California to Pacific Hills, a wealthy (fictional) enclave (think Newport Coast in Orange County, California) where their lives are “turned upside down.” The three teenagers in the family are not thrilled about the move, since they will miss their friends from the old neighborhood, while the parents are extremely pleased that they achieved the “American Dream,” and can afford to live in such a prestigious neighborhood. Arriving in the U.S. from India 20 years ago, through hard work and determination, they believe they have reached the apex of their lives. Unbeknownst to them, they didn’t consider the social challenges they encounter.
After twelve-year-old Ajay is erroneously arrested, the family is shocked and confused at the treatment both they and Ajay receive by the judicial system. They don’t know whether or not their treatment is based on being immigrants. And then to make matters worse, the neighbors demonstrate conflicting behavior as they witness police cars visiting the Shah’s new palatial home.
A worthy read, it delves into numerous aspects of life and examines how each one affects the family: cultural differences, success, ambition, class division, family dynamics, prejudice, and social status. What I particularly appreciated were the many questions and excellent points the author raised regarding the challenges immigrants face in their lives. Gowda is an extraordinary writer and I look forward to reading her future books.
Gowda “holds an MBA from Stanford University, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she was a Morehead-Cain scholar. She has served on the Advisory Board of the Children’s Defense Fund, and is a Patron of Childhaven International, the organization for which she volunteered in India.”
Adult book reviews are by Susanne Dominguez.