[NON-FICTION] All the Fishes Come Home to Roost
All the Fishes Come Home to Roost: an American Misfit in India, by Rachel Manija Brown (rachelmanija). First reading.
I've been looking forward to reading this book for a long time--I've been reading rachelmanija's LJ with interest since I first came across it, and all the references to this memoir (her first book) were intriguing. Trouble was, my library took until now to buy a copy, which was a bit of a problem, since between the weight (yes, I read while I eat) and the price I generally have no interest at all in buying hardcovers.
So there was a fair bit of anticipation built up by the time I finally laid hands on a copy, and it was worth it. ^^ All the Fishes is Rachel's* memoir of spending several years of her childhood on an ashram in India, after her parents decided to relocate from the US and live as part of the main community of Meher Baba's devotees. As she was only seven years old at the time, Rachel wasn't consulted about the decision, and found herself growing up as the only skeptic on the compound. The book details her experiences among the regular residents of the community, the pilgrims who pass through, and the teachers and students at the (rather psychotic) Catholic school she attends.
Not surprisingly, this upbringing gave her a lot of material to write about. The events she recounts run the gamut from deeply horrifying to endearing, and are all described in ways that show the humor in even the most upsetting situations. That sense of humor is certainly a mechanism for making things bearable, but it's also crisp and genuine. The book also illustrates the "truth is stranger than fiction" adage; several times I found myself almost forgetting that it's a memoir rather than a novel, which struck me as particularly strange since Rachel is someone I see around on LJ. I was about two thirds of the way through when I finally realized that I was probably 'forgetting' as a way of detaching myself from the idea that this had really happened to someone whose away-from-the-book existence is a more immediate thing for me than that of most authors I read. There are enough truly upsetting moments in the book that I frequently found myself tearing up.
For all that, it's far from a depressing read--not only because of Rachel's knack for frequently making me laugh *while* I was tearing up, but also because she conveys the wonder of the good things that she encountered there . . . and because, even while reading about incidents that tore her down brutally, her 'voice' is strong and intense. This isn't a book written by someone permanently victimized by her childhood, or unable to get past it. There's certainly a sense of catharsis, but not a hint of wallowing.
In many ways, the dedication is as good a summary as the one on the inside flap:If you're opening this book for the first time, it isn't dedicated to anyone yet.
But if you've already finished reading it and you've turned back to the beginning, feeling a little less lonely, a little less strange, or a little more cheered than you did when you began, then you will know: I wrote it for you.
*Usually I refer to authors by their surname, but it feels more than a little strange after reading a blog for a long time. [see also: "Neil" (Neil Gaiman) ^^] In this case, it also has to do with a line towards the end of the book, when Rachel finally decided to start writing it after contacting the author of a memoir she'd read--she mentions that she felt that some of the personal knowledge she'd acquired from reading his story put them on a first-name basis.
Also, there's the fact that she chose to name herself "Rachel" ("Manija" was her first name as a child) after Rachel Summers in X-Men (among other reasons), who was one of my favorite characters when I was a kid. I feel no shame about the fact that I grinned like a mad thing when I read that. *^^*
All the Fishes Come Home to Roost is slated for paperback release in October. I'm so there. ^_^
Bonus rec: Rachel is also the author of the manga Project Blue Rose, illustrated by Stephanie Folse (telophase, the weekly manga columnist for Tokyopop). The first print run is sold out, but AFAIK there're plans for a second run; meanwhile, there's information on the book here (the release info is outdated--it's an old post--but the rest of the info is the same, AFAIK).
I've been looking forward to reading this book for a long time--I've been reading rachelmanija's LJ with interest since I first came across it, and all the references to this memoir (her first book) were intriguing. Trouble was, my library took until now to buy a copy, which was a bit of a problem, since between the weight (yes, I read while I eat) and the price I generally have no interest at all in buying hardcovers.
So there was a fair bit of anticipation built up by the time I finally laid hands on a copy, and it was worth it. ^^ All the Fishes is Rachel's* memoir of spending several years of her childhood on an ashram in India, after her parents decided to relocate from the US and live as part of the main community of Meher Baba's devotees. As she was only seven years old at the time, Rachel wasn't consulted about the decision, and found herself growing up as the only skeptic on the compound. The book details her experiences among the regular residents of the community, the pilgrims who pass through, and the teachers and students at the (rather psychotic) Catholic school she attends.
Not surprisingly, this upbringing gave her a lot of material to write about. The events she recounts run the gamut from deeply horrifying to endearing, and are all described in ways that show the humor in even the most upsetting situations. That sense of humor is certainly a mechanism for making things bearable, but it's also crisp and genuine. The book also illustrates the "truth is stranger than fiction" adage; several times I found myself almost forgetting that it's a memoir rather than a novel, which struck me as particularly strange since Rachel is someone I see around on LJ. I was about two thirds of the way through when I finally realized that I was probably 'forgetting' as a way of detaching myself from the idea that this had really happened to someone whose away-from-the-book existence is a more immediate thing for me than that of most authors I read. There are enough truly upsetting moments in the book that I frequently found myself tearing up.
For all that, it's far from a depressing read--not only because of Rachel's knack for frequently making me laugh *while* I was tearing up, but also because she conveys the wonder of the good things that she encountered there . . . and because, even while reading about incidents that tore her down brutally, her 'voice' is strong and intense. This isn't a book written by someone permanently victimized by her childhood, or unable to get past it. There's certainly a sense of catharsis, but not a hint of wallowing.
In many ways, the dedication is as good a summary as the one on the inside flap:If you're opening this book for the first time, it isn't dedicated to anyone yet.
But if you've already finished reading it and you've turned back to the beginning, feeling a little less lonely, a little less strange, or a little more cheered than you did when you began, then you will know: I wrote it for you.
*Usually I refer to authors by their surname, but it feels more than a little strange after reading a blog for a long time. [see also: "Neil" (Neil Gaiman) ^^] In this case, it also has to do with a line towards the end of the book, when Rachel finally decided to start writing it after contacting the author of a memoir she'd read--she mentions that she felt that some of the personal knowledge she'd acquired from reading his story put them on a first-name basis.
Also, there's the fact that she chose to name herself "Rachel" ("Manija" was her first name as a child) after Rachel Summers in X-Men (among other reasons), who was one of my favorite characters when I was a kid. I feel no shame about the fact that I grinned like a mad thing when I read that. *^^*
All the Fishes Come Home to Roost is slated for paperback release in October. I'm so there. ^_^
Bonus rec: Rachel is also the author of the manga Project Blue Rose, illustrated by Stephanie Folse (telophase, the weekly manga columnist for Tokyopop). The first print run is sold out, but AFAIK there're plans for a second run; meanwhile, there's information on the book here (the release info is outdated--it's an old post--but the rest of the info is the same, AFAIK).