The latest episode of the Adapt Me Podcast is up right now. In it, bookstagrammer Alyson Wick and I discuss how we would adapt The Moth Keeper by K. O’Neill into an animated short film. We talk about the book’s illustrations and themes of community and burnout. Also, we discuss the beauty of translating graphic novels into different mediums, especially as a way to get them more exposure. Check it out at this link!
In the meantime, I have a review of the book itself, so check that out too!
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In the last 5-10 years, the entertainment industry has revived successful intellectual properties. These have resulted in sequels, prequels, remakes, retellings, mash-ups, etc, and many are things that the audience didn’t ask for, yet they will see the product in question, which results in money for the companies. As much as people complain about this, there’s one thing to note: this has been an issue in Hollywood for a long time. Since the Disney live-action remake of Snow White is out now, I will take a look at a forgotten 1961 adaptation of the beloved fairytale Snow White and the Three Stooges – a flawed, but delightful film directed by Walter Lang that stars a well-known athlete at the time and a famous comedy group.
This is the part where I describe the plot, but since it’s Snow White, I assume most people know the fairytale. However, I will still list the storyline as told by IMDB:
“Based on the classic fairy tale, Larry, Moe, and Curly Joe (the Three Stooges) substitute for the Seven Dwarfs while the princess Snow White (Olympic figure skating champion Carol Heiss) is forced to flee from her jealous stepmother, the queen (Patricia Medina), who takes drastic steps to insure that Snow White never gains the throne.”
Snow White and the Three Stooges stars a famous athlete, which was a trend in movies from the 1930s to the 1950s. These films would revolve around the sportsperson in question and have scenes for them to demonstrate the sport they excel in. It didn’t matter if they could act, audiences came to see the athlete do their thing. Twentieth Century Fox had a string of hit movies in the late 1930s and early 1940s starring figure skater and Olympic gold medalist Sonja Henie.
Years later, they decided to replicate that success with figure skater and Olympic gold medalist Carol Heiss with this film. I will give credit to the flick. If there was a sport that makes sense to Snow White, it would be figure skating because it’s associated with winter – the season in which she was born, and it exemplifies the beauty of the skater in question. Heiss is wonderful on the ice, and the skating sequences are some of the best scenes in the movie. I only wish that they were more integrated into the plot, for the film simply stops just to show off how talented Heiss is. To be fair, these athlete-starring flicks already have low expectations, so Snow White and the Three Stooges sticks the landing in that regard.
How is it as a Three Stooges film? Well, it’s lame and sanitized, and this is coming from a Three Stooges fan. This is due to the state in which the trio were in. They experienced a level of fame that they never had before after their shorts were released to television in the late 1950s. With great popularity came controversy when parents started complaining about the amount of violence the shorts had. If one hasn’t seen them, let’s just say they put the slap in slapstick. This personally affected the Stooges, who decided to decrease the violence in their act. The lack of slapstick and the amount of screentime the group go are often cited by fans as the reasons why Snow White and the Three Stooges is considered the worst of the feature-length films that they did with third stooge Curly Joe DeRita from the late 1950s to the mid-1960s.
Even as a kid watching this, I thought that what the Stooges did in this film was lame. They were trying too hard to appeal to a child audience. This is ironic because there are some violent scenes like a supporting character who dies after falling into a pot of boiling water and the Queen (disguised as the witch) is killed by crashing into the side of a mountain. In addition, the trio only appear in half the movie. Nonetheless, I will give the movie credit. Casting them as the dwarf substitutes is inspired because Moe, Larry, and Curly Joe are naturally short and would work with foils that were at least a head taller than them. Also, their interruptions of the prologue and the food fight in the castle made me laugh. Despite that, the Stooges are past their prime, and their comedy is too sanitized.
Now, how is it as a Snow White adaptation? Snow White and the Three Stooges does some unique things, but I question others. For starters, even though Carol Heiss is great when skating, her acting leaves a lot to be desired. Now, as I mentioned earlier, there are already low expectations when an athlete stars in a movie. The problem is that she’s portraying a famous fairy tale character, which comes with its own set of standards. Yes, Heiss looks the part of Snow White with her dark wig (she’s a natural blonde) and pale skin and can do the overly dramatic Disney princess pose when it’s called for. However, she has a stone face for a good chunk of the movie. This is especially true when she’s in the prison cell. I swore that she didn’t blink during that sequence while singing “A Place Called Happiness.” On the other hand, Heiss is likable enough, so it’s not a complete bust.
I’m wishing in a cell. Also, what is up with those prison bars?
Patricia Medina as the Queen is fabulous. Many actresses playing that character would often emphasize her powerful nature. Medina does that, but she channels the truly petty side. After all, the Queen wants to kill Snow White because her step-daughter is more beautiful than her. I can’t think of anything more deranged that came out of something so trivial (at least to modern viewers). Medina has a commanding presence without being too cartoonish while showing off her gorgeous wardrobe.
Edson Stroll as Quarto aka Prince Charming is great. He gets along with the Stooges well and has a good chemistry with Heiss, which helps because they do have plenty of scenes together. Above all, he’s handsome and well…charming. Also, in this adaptation, Charming doesn’t know that he’s a prince because he was raised by the Stooges after they rescued him from being murdered by the huntsman when he was seven. This is a weird choice, but it stands out from other Snow White versions.
Another unique aspect that Snow White and the Three Stooges has is the character of Count Olga. He’s the advisor to the Queen (and definitely her full-time lover). Count Olga is the one who helps her plan to kill Snow White. Guy Rolfe plays him as astute and ruthless when needed. Most importantly, Count Olga carries a sword that grants three wishes to anyone who holds it. Why? I’m not entirely sure. It eventually gets into the hands of the Stooges, and it made me ask a bunch of questions about the limitations.
The biggest problem with the movie is the pacing. It trots along with scenes that didn’t really need to be there. People more than likely know the story beats in Snow White. In this adaptation, it takes a long time to get to them. The live action version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas has a similar problem. When Snow White and the Three Stooges does get to those beats, they are underwhelming and sometimes awkward. For example, when Snow White runs through the forest after the huntsman tells her about the Queen’s plot to kill her, it’s trying so hard to be like the similar scene in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs except it’s not scary at all. This is especially true with how Heiss awkwardly handles the tree branches. Lang should have known better about the pacing since he directed the 1956 movie version of the musical The King and I. And yet, this would be the last film he ever made.
How does the Snow White aspect of this movie play into corporate synergy? Well, during the 1950s, there were plenty of fairy tale adaptations that were done in Cinemascope to make them look more epic. These included The Glass Slipper (1955) and the Disney animated Sleeping Beauty (1959). Producer Charles Z. Wick – who would later head the United States Information Agency during the Reagan Administration – and Lang had plenty of faith in this film that its budget was $3.5 million ($36,908,143.81 in today’s money). This resulted in a production design that was decently lavish, especially with the castle and the ice skating sequences. Moreover, it has a nice score even though the songs sound all the same (except for “Because I’m in Love” since that’s partially sung by Mel Blanc as Quinto – Charming’s puppet – in his Bugs Bunny voice).
Snow White and the Three Stooges is perfectly fine. It works decently as a flick starring an athlete due to low expectations and how Heiss is a great figure skater. As a Three Stooges film, it’s not as bad as fans make it out to be, yet it could’ve worked better if the trio were making this in their prime and not so concerned about the slapstick. As a Snow White adaptation, it’s mostly ok due to the acting, the weird choices, and pacing. I would only recommend it to curious diehard Carol Heiss, Three Stooges, and Snow White fans. While it doesn’t reach the heights of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, I still want to watch this movie over the newly-released live-action Snow White anyday. You can even see it at this link.
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I’m not going to lie and say that I haven’t experienced burnout while working on this website. I read many books at once, and I have to balance that out with my full-time job as an archivist, doing my share of the chores at my home, and raising three cats. Sometimes, it can be lonesome. Luckily, I came across a book that spoke to me about that. It’s called The Moth Keeper by K. O’Neill, and it’s a fantastic middle-grade graphic novel with its beautiful illustrations, memorable characters, and the themes of burnout and community.
The Moth Keeper is about a newly-appointed Moth Keeper who wants to see the sun for the first time. Anya is finally a Moth Keeper – the protector of the lunar moths that allow the Night-Lily flower to bloom once a year. It’s a position that holds great responsibility and honor. Her village needs the flower to continue thriving, and she is excited to prove her worth and give thanks to her community. However, being a Moth Keeper isn’t exactly what Anya thought it would be. It involves long nights in the cold desert, and the moths reside far from the village. She is isolated and lonely. Despite her dedication, Anya wonders what it would be like to live in the sun and bask in its warmth. She increasingly obsesses over it, and when she takes a chance to stay up to see the daylight, her village and lunar moths are left to deal with the consequences.
The illustrations are a key part of any graphic novel since they bring the story visually to life, and the ones in The Moth Keeper do just that. It utilizes a lot of warm colors like orange, blue, pink, purple, and gray for both daytime and nighttime scenes, but they are the most striking in the latter. I was also amazed by how many scenes where there’s little to no dialogue. O’Neill clearly knew that the visuals were strong in both the backgrounds and the characters. I could feel the isolation and anxiety Anya feels whenever she has to perform her job as well as the worry and support from people like her friend Estell and her mentor Yeolen.
Speaking of the characters, O’Neill does a great job with developing them, physically and mentally. Each is designed to look like a combination of a human and an animal. For example, Anya appears to be a regular human being, but she has fox ears. I understand that this is a trademark of O’Neill’s illustrations. I enjoy that because every character has a unique look with different animal body parts, a variety of skin colors, and are sometimes in same-sex relationships. They also do a fantastic job with fleshing out each player in the story. Anya wants to be the best moth keeper not only to give back to the village that helped her through hard times, but also to try to overcome her fear of the dark because her mother left her alone in the middle of the night. In addition, Yeolen – the previous moth keeper – knows how taxing the job is, so he attempts to offer assistance to Anya while respecting her independence. His partner Aimoss doesn’t always understand what Yeolen went through, but he’s always there for him.
The strongest aspect of this graphic novel are its themes of burnout and community. Right from the start, I knew what kind of environment they were in, and it’s one that I wanted to be in. They were supportive of what Anya was doing. Each villager, especially Yeolen and Estell, attempt to assist her in making sure she doesn’t get burnt out. She didn’t always ask for help, so it could be hard for them to know if she needed it or not. When something goes awry with the lunar moths, each of them expresses sadness as Anya passes by, yet they don’t blame her. As Yeolen said, “We all let you down.”
The Moth Keeper made a great argument for the need for community in combating burnout. Yes, I know that this is technically meant for a young audience, but even children can feel overworked. Burnout affects all ages.
If I had one nitpick, it would be that it takes about half the book to get the plot, as in Anya wanting to know what it’s like to be in the daytime. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the world building with the origin story of the moon spirit and of the girl who could only be happy when the moon was full. However, I think the author could have gotten to the main conflict quicker.
The Moth Keeper by K. O’Neill is a great graphic novel that tackles burnout and community. The illustrations are wonderful to look at, especially how it utilizes a warm color palette to tell the story. The characters have unique designs and clear motivations. The best thing about it is how it handles burnout and community by making everyone an active participant in ensuring that Anya wasn’t feeling too stressed out. I love that each person is all for the collective as opposed to about themselves. I would recommend it to readers of all ages, especially those who love graphic novels, moths, animal-human hybrid characters, and community-focused stories. If you know someone who might be experiencing burnout, give The Moth Keeper to them. It might be able to help them out.
Before I go, I want to let everyone know that I have recorded the latest episode of the Adapt Me Podcast. Returning guest Alyson Wick and I talk about how we would adapt this novel into an animated short film. Keep an eye out for the link.
Subscribe below to get notified when I post new updates. Also feel free to email me here for any review suggestions, ideas, or new titles!
Full disclosure: I was given a free advance reader copy of this book by Books Forward in exchange for an honest review.
Content warning: this review mentions sex and BDSM.
I’ve mentioned in the past that I’ve read strange novels. Many of these are bizarre in a variety of ways, but today’s book is not that at all. It’s simply different because of how it tackles the plot. I’ve never read a novel like it at all. What title am I talking about? It’s Golda’s Hutch by Robert Steven Goldstein – a good novel about desire, politics, and power in late 1990s San Francisco.
Golda’s Hutch is about an executive of a technology firm and how certain people try to oust him. Craig Schumacher is not your average boss. He’s a gentle spirit, a vegetarian, does yoga with a rabbit named Golda, and values connection over competition. However, beneath his calm exterior lies a secret that he works to keep hidden. Enter Byron Dorn – Craig’s employee and chaos incarnate. Crude, impulsive, and driven by envy, Byron is excited when he and his wife Adele stumble upon something that could possibly bring Craig down. But when Byron enlists another couple into his schemes, things get more complicated. Yet, Craig isn’t the only one with secrets. As the stakes rise, everyone will have to decide what they’re willing to sacrifice to get what they want and when they’re willing to walk away.
When reading Golda’s Hutch, one of my first thoughts was how much it reminded me of Macbeth. That play and this book involve ousting a person in a high position and tackle the same themes of desire, politics, and power with similar gusto. The main differences are the locations and the pacing. The play takes place in medieval Scotland, while the novel is in late 1990s San Francisco. In terms of pacing, Macbeth moves fairly quickly with the main character killing the king early in the second act. Meanwhile, Golda’s Hutch proceeds at the same pace as Hamlet, where it takes the entire play for the protagonist to murder the monarch/his uncle/stepfather. The final difference between them is that the play is plot-driven, while the book is a character study of six different people.
Despite Golda’s Hutch’s thin plot, there was a lot to admire about the book. The characters were memorable in their own ways. Craig is not like most business executives, yet he doesn’t brag about it. Byron is the complete opposite by being an alcoholic and, wait for it, a meat lover! The supporting characters are just as wonderful. My favorite was Justine, whose husband Nigel gets roped into Byron’s schemes. She works as an embalmer and forms connections with the corpses she treats. Justine was quirky in a way that felt natural.
While all the characters have unique traits, they have two things in common. The first is their love of food. They’re eating all the time from pepperoni to eggplant bruschettas. In fact, each chapter is named after a food that the characters consume. I was on the hunt finding when those edibles were going to be mentioned. It added to the uniqueness of the novel.
The second is that they all hold secrets. Craig’s is the one everybody focuses on, but there’s another one he has. His wife Shosanna is a dominatrix. While he is comfortable with the lifestyle she has, he doesn’t like that she has sex with another male client on occasion. She encourages him to have other partners although it’s clear that he doesn’t want to. Others have demons as well. Byron has panic attacks whenever he thinks of the choices he made and didn’t make. This humanizes him to some degree. Each one has a hutch that they want to keep shut.
Even though it’s a good book, I have two complaints. The first one involves the plot itself. I’ve already mentioned how thin it could be, but let me explain more. Not much happens on the page despite it being a story about bringing down a so-called powerful man. Like Hamlet, Byron likes to take his sweet time formulating his scheme. It also doesn’t help that major developments sometimes happened off the page. I forgave these because of how good the character work was. It was more interesting seeing Craig, Soshanna, Byron, Adele, Nigel, and Justine interact with each other and other people.
The other problem I had with it was the ending. Some reviewers have pointed out how it didn’t end with a bang, and I agree. Everything prior seems to indicate that readers were in for a big climax. Technically, something highly dramatic happens, but not to the character one would expect. It was less of a bang and more of a “Oh!”
But, these are only nitpicks.
Golda’s Hutch by Robert Steven Goldstein is an interesting novel. It evokes Shakespeare with how elevated the situation is without making it too obvious. The best thing about it was the characters, who were clearly defined, and despite how different they were from each other, Goldstein was able to bring out their similarities like their love for food and their secrets. I would recommend this to readers who like books that take place in San Francisco, heavily utilize food, involve overthrowing people in power, and the BDSM community. Golda’s Hutch will be out tomorrow, March 11, so go check it out wherever you get your novels.
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When I started at my first librarian job in Clarkston, Michigan, I discovered that some of the patrons were Deaf. Some knew American Sign Language (ASL) more than others, and I wanted to learn that. Since then, I’ve taken two ASL and one Deaf culture class. I also take the time to read about those who identify as Deaf/deaf whenever I can, so I can gain a more thorough understanding of that community. Why am I telling you all of this? Simple, it’s because I read El Deafo by Cece Bell. It’s a humorous graphic novel memoir about the author’s life as a deaf child.
El Deafo is about Cece and her life growing up as hearing impaired. At age 4, she lost her hearing due to meningitis. At first, things were good as she was enrolled in a school, in which every kid in her class was deaf. However, when her family moves to a different town, she’s sent to a hearing school. It doesn’t help that she has to carry around a giant hearing aid strapped to her chest. Cece thinks that people are staring at her Phonic Ear – the powerful aid that will help her hear her teacher. It also repels potential friends. Soon, she discovers that her Phonic Ear can hear the teacher anywhere in the school. With this superpower, she soon becomes El Deafo! At the same time, this makes her feel even more different and lonely. Can Cece channel her powers into finding the thing she wants most, a true friend?
There are many things that I adore about this graphic novel. One of them is how funny it can be. For example, whenever Cece is in a difficult situation, she imagines herself as a superhero fighting off various villains. At one point, she’s at a sign language class that her mom made her go to. As she’s imagining fighting her motherly nemesis, she actually kicks her parent in real life.
I also like how others’ reactions to Cece are handled. Throughout the novel, she comes across people who react to her in different ways. One friend Ginny talks extremely loud and slow even after Cece tells her not to do that. Another potential pal starts doing sign language when she notices Cece’s hearing aid, yet Cece herself never really learned it. (Side note: the real Cece Bell admitted that she’s not a part of the Deaf community for a variety of reasons. Since she’s not a part of that culture, that’s why I refer to her as the lower case deaf as opposed to the upper case Deaf.) When Cece actually obtains a true friend with Martha, a tree branch wacks into the former’s eye. The latter, thinking that she was responsible for the injury and making Cece blind, avoids her deaf friend. A lot of these people have good intentions, but their preconceived notions about disabled people only makes things more difficult for Cece to make a true friend.
Additionally, the illustrations and speech bubbles emphasize certain aspects of being deaf. For starters, the panels often rely on close ups to focus on the reactions of Cece and other characters. This makes sense as she was taught to lip read from an early age. With the speech bubbles, they reinforce the difficulty that Cece faces while communicating with others. When she initially loses her hearing, the words begin to fade. When she’s getting tested, the speech bubbles have no text in them. When she’s not wearing her big hearing aid, the words look gibberish.
Moreover, I like how it’s a story about acceptance. Cece struggles to believe that being deaf is anything else besides different. She has a hard time making friends because of her belief that people will stare at her giant hearing aid. It also doesn’t help that when she did, they didn’t always treat her as the pals she deserved. By the end, when she applies her superhero imaginations to real life, she realizes that being different can be a good thing.
Most importantly, I found Bell’s decision to portray everyone as rabbits wonderfully inspired. The body parts that’s most associated with that animal are the ears. By highlighting those, Bell efficiently persuades readers to understand why she felt so self conscious while wearing her Phonic Ear in school.
I will admit there was one scene that was a little tough to get through. It was when Cece is at the sleepover, and the girls try to put makeup on her. Her refusal made me want to yell, “Tell them no!”
Instead, she tells them that the makeup would mess with her hearing aid. I know that this is in the part of the book, where she’s still lying to others to avoid prejudice, yet it still made me feel slightly uncomfortable.
If I had one complaint about the novel, it’s when Cece wins over her class with the powerful Phonic Ear. She puts it to use when some of the kids want to party before the teacher gets back in the classroom. It reminded me of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer television special, in which the other reindeer make fun of the title character’s nose, and yet, they want to include him in everything once Santa decides to use him for the trip. The difference is that the book establishes that some of the kids, i.e. her crush Mike, like her for who she is.
El Deafo by Cece Bell is a great graphic novel memoir. It’s a heartfelt and funny look at growing up deaf. It’s a little sad and hard to get through at times, but it’s worth the read. I would recommend it to both kids and adults, especially to those who have disabilities, know people who are Deaf/deaf, had to stay extensively at a hospital, and love graphic novels. Everyone has a superpower; we need to embrace them.
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The latest episode of the Adapt Me Podcast is up right now. In it, guest Amy Thomasson from the Women InSession Podcast and I talk about how we would adapt The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison into an opera. We discuss the gorgeous prose and how it would be difficult to translate it to a different medium while retaining it spirit. I also introduce a new rule as to how books are picked for future episodes. Check it out at this link!
In the meantime, I have a review of the book itself, so check that out too!
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Content warning: this review discusses racism and sexual assault.
I have read books by many famous authors, but there has been one that has eluded me until now: Toni Morrison. She is one of the most prolific African-American authors and wrote some of the most well-known titles in the late twentieth century. These include Sula, Song of Solomon, and her most beloved work aptly named Beloved. I’ve always wanted to read her stories, so what better way to do it than to look at her 1970 debut novel The Bluest Eye during Black History Month. It’s the most beautifully depressing book I’ve ever read.
The Bluest Eye is about a black girl who longs for blue eyes. Set in Lorain, Ohio, eleven-year-old Pecola Breedlove prays for blue eyes, so she can see only beautiful things in life. In fall of 1941, the marigolds in the Breedloves’s garden didn’t bloom. Pecola’s life changes in painful, devastating ways.
Before I get into my thoughts, I have to address The Bluest Eye’s legacy as a banned book. Since its publication, it has consistently appeared on the American Library Association’s list of most challenged books. According to The Guardian, nearly three weeks ago, publishers sued the State of Idaho for their book banning law that prohibits anyone under the age of 18 from accessing titles deemed “harmful to minors” in schools and public libraries. Unsurprisingly, The Bluest Eye was one of the titles listed. Its depictions of racism and sexual assault made it an easy target for those wanting to ban it.
However, not every novel is not made to please everybody, and The Bluest Eye is a great example since it covers topics that are prominent in the black community. It discusses why many black people have insecurities when it comes to their looks, and it squarely blames it on society’s focus on white beauty standards, especially the blond hair and blue eyes. In addition, the scenes involving Pecola’s rape are uncomfortable to read. At the same time, there have been children who have been sexually abused. Although books like The Bluest Eye are not meant to be read by children, they would assure people that they are not alone and empower them to tell their stories. The most powerful tales are not always comforting.
Now, let’s get to the novel itself. Every praise that The Bluest Eye has received in the last 55 years is earned, and that’s primarily due to the gorgeous prose. Even the copy I got from the library underlined certain lines and passages from the book. I should be mad about that since I work at a library, yet this is an attest to how wonderful the writing is. I could list every possible example of Morrison’s beautiful prose, but we would be here all day. So, I’m going to give my favorite passage, which is from the following:
“You looked at them and wondered why they were so ugly; you looked closely and could not find the source. Then you realized that it came from conviction, their conviction. It was as though some mysterious all-knowing master had given each one a cloak of ugliness to wear, and they had each accepted it without question.” (p. 35).
It’s societal racism in a nutshell.
In addition, I love how each character, no matter how big or small their role is, is given a backstory. This ranges from the pastor, who Pecola turns to get her blue eyes, to her father Cholly, who rapes her. These would go on for pages, but I didn’t mind because the writing was that good. It made them three-dimensional.
Finally, for a simple story about a black girl wanting blue eyes, it’s told in an ambitious manner. The narrator is mostly Claudia – Pecola’s schoolmate and friend, but it jumps from first to third person in various parts. Additionally, it has a dream-like framework with the references to the Dick and Jane primers. Each chapter echoes sentences found in said primers, but they’re smooshed together as if someone is about to lose their mind while reading them. However, these aspirations get in the way of telling a cohesive story. It would be discussing Pecola and her dreams, and then suddenly, it goes into a backstory of another character. This is mostly present in the second half of the novel. It’s not the first time I’ve read an ambitious debut novel( There There by Tommy Orange comes to mind). In this case, I’m not sure what changes can be made. Even from the earliest parts of her career, Morrison knew exactly what she was doing. Regardless, lack of cohesion did lose the book’s shimmer a bit.
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison is a great novel and deserves to be remembered as a classic. The writing is wonderful, and the characters, no matter how big or small, are fleshed out to the highest degree. It’s not an easy read due to its subject matter, but not every title is lollipops and rainbows, and it handles the topics with a sense of care. I would recommend it to any reader, especially those who are looking to read more banned books and stories by BIPOC authors. I will keep looking at stories like The Bluest Eye no matter how uncomfortable they are and how much people try to restrict them.
Before I go, I want to let everyone know that I recorded the latest episode of the Adapt Me Podcast soon. Returning guest Amy Thomasson – co-host of the Women In-Session Podcast – and I talk about how we would adapt this novel. Keep an eye out for the link.
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Full disclosure: I was given a free copy of this book by one of the authors in exchange for an honest review.
Today, I’m looking at another car book, but it’s not just any car book. It’s one about Ford F-Series pickup trucks. These vehicles are not only the best selling trucks in their segment, but until recently, were also the best-selling vehicle of any category in the United States, cars included. Jim Dinsmore and James Halderman made a comprehensive history about the truck in their book Ford F-Series Trucks: 1948-Present. While I’m not a car enthusiast, I enjoyed learning about its story and seeing the photographs even if the technical jargon flew over my head at times.
Ford F-Series Trucks: 1948-Present dissects the history of Ford F-Series trucks from a technical viewpoint. When Henry Ford first started manufacturing Model Ts over 100 years ago, he didn’t really have a truck configuration in mind. However, when people were modifying those early chassis for commercial use, he realized that there was demand for a truck application of the Model T. Soon, Ford was making their own configurations for similar use, first through third parties and later, Ford itself with the Model TT. From these beginnings, Ford stumbled onto the foundation of the most popular vehicles ever – the Ford F-Series pickup truck. Dinsmore and Halderman explore every generation of the truck from its 1st generation (1948-1952) to what is now the 14th. They also cover all the options, chassis specifications, running changes, and the evolution of these pickups as they transformed from postwar utilitarian vehicles to the today’s best-selling luxury family cruisers.
Before I express my thoughts, I must state my relationship with the truck in question. I like the Ford F-Series. They are comfortable to ride in, while getting the job, no matter how big or small, done. I have some fond memories while being in them. I remember going to Jimmy John’s Field in Utica for a baseball game in a 13th generation F-450, and it took up about two parking spaces just for it to fit in. Later on, when my boyfriend, now husband, and I went to the Armada State Fair, we took that same truck and managed to get good parking because of it.
The book includes photographs taken by various people including author Jim Halderman (cousin of Gale Halderman who rendered the Ford Mustang) and the Ford Motor Company. They look like they were taken by average people compared to the ones shot for the Rolls-Royce Motor Car: Making a Legend book by Simon Van Booy and Harvey Briggs, but this is not a problem. They are of good quality and show the distinctions of trucks from every generation (here’s a game: take a drink every time the book mentions the word notice in the picture captions). The appeal of the truck is how rugged, affordable, and durable they are. They have a trim level for everybody. My only complaint about these is that there were too many of them in the beginning, but the balance between text and photos became more even as the book progressed.
Ford F-Series Trucks: 1948-Present wastes no time by telling the story of that truck in less than 200 pages. It condenses what information Dinsmore and Halderman want to get across. Each chapter discusses the historical background in which each generation was created, major features like the types of engines, trim levels, and the big changes the truck went through every year. They also end with spreadsheets discussing engines, transmissions, colors, and prices. On occasion, they would dedicate a section to important aspects of the Ford F-Series history like Henry Ford II, the competition, the Little Louie, and the EcoBoost engine. I learned so much about the F-Series, especially how the company improved the truck to capitalize on the camping craze in the 1960s. Did I mention that this book is less than 200 pages?
I mentioned this before in past reviews about car books, and I will say this again: I’m not a car/truck enthusiast. As much as I enjoyed learning about the truck and how the authors structured the book, I didn’t get into it as much as I should because of the technical jargon they employ throughout. I understood most of it thanks to the books I previously read, my husband the car journalist, and the way the authors explain it, but there were times that I was tripped up. For example, when discussing the 1961 Ford truck, the authors mention this:
“From a mechanical standpoint, little was changed on the 1961 F-100. There was a 223-ci 6-cylinder engine. The 262-ci V8 was the preferred option, which had a rating of 172 hp. The 3-speed manual was still the standard transmission, while a 4-speed manual and the Ford-O-Matic automatic transmission were popular options” (p. 48).
Ford F-Series Trucks: 1948-Present by Jim Dinsmore and James Halderman is a really good book about the history of the Ford F-Series trucks. Although I’m not a truck enthusiast, I enjoyed looking at the pictures and absorbing the information about the vehicle in question. I would recommend this for truck aficionados and collectors as well as anyone who’s interested in learning more about the most famous pickup in Ford history. I can’t wait to see how the Ford F-Series evolves.
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About a week ago, I had the opportunity to watch Dog Man the film at a nearby movie theater. Ever since I heard about the adaptation, I wanted to watch it even though I’ve only read the first book in the series by Dav Pilkey. That graphic novel was so good that I put it on my best list years ago. So, how was the movie? It was fantastic because it captures the spirit of the series with its animation, performances, and pacing.
Dog Man is about the titular character – part dog, part human – and his adventures in fighting crime as a canine cop, especially those committed by his nemesis Petey the cat, and his relationship with Petey’s clone Li’l Petey
The film version of Dog Man is not a faithful adaptation of the book of the same name. Instead, it combines plot points from several titles from the series. For example, the origin story of how Dog Man came to be stems from the first one. For another, Li’l Petey, who plays an important part in the flick, doesn’t show up until the third book aptly titled A Tale of Two Kitties. I’m sure “Dog Man” fans will come up with more instances. Regardless, the movie is still fantastic.
For starters, the animation is great. It emulates the illustrations in the graphic novel to a tee. Now, it’s common for an adaptation of that medium to retain the visuals found in the source material, but it’s more than that. Animators have to understand what makes the visuals special, and the ones for the Dog Man movie absolutely did. One of the big strengths of the graphic novel was how everything looked like it was drawn by a seven- or eight-year-old from the characters to the buildings. The animators brought those two-dimensional drawings into a three-dimensional environment. I understand that it’s hard to do, but they were able to pull it off beautifully because they retained the visual spirit of the graphic novel series.
Additionally, the performances were superb. Every actor feels like they are having the time of their lives while voicing the characters fans have come to love. Now, of course, I have to single out two performances. The obvious one is Pete Davidson, who voices Petey the cat. I don’t know if Davidson was cast because he shares the same name as the foul feline, but he does a great job with the character. Davidson hit the obviously evil notes, yet what’s more astounding is how he’s able to play the emotional bits just as well. This is especially true when Petey the cat deals with abandonment issues after he clones himself. I couldn’t believe that this is the same person who was briefly engaged to Ariana Grande and dated Kim Kardashian.
The best performance goes to Peter Hastings – who voices the titular character and his owner Officer Knight. Hastings gives Dog Man his optimism and sadness all through dog noises. What makes this even more remarkable is that Hastings directed the film and wrote the screenplay. It must have been hard to do all three, but he’s able to pull it off with no problem.
Finally, the biggest strength of the flick is the pacing. At about 90 minutes, it moves pretty fast. The jokes fly by, so some movie goers might not catch them right away, because after one, it launches into another, but they will be rewarded with repeated viewings. My personal favorite gag is when Dog Man is searching for Li’l Petey, he encounters a bunch of stores, including an Indifferent Store which everybody who works there is apathetic. Another aspect of the pacing that I loved is how it’s not afraid to slow down and have quiet moments. For example, there’s a montage of Dog Man and Li’l Petey bonding in the former’s house, and it’s all framed with them playing the piano together. Not every kids’ movie needs to have flashy and colorful images all the time. The best ones have deep emotional cores as well, and the “Dog Man” series has some, especially with the bond between Dog Man and Li’l Petey. I’m glad the film was able to balance the serious and the silly with its pacing.
The movie version of Dog Man is wonderful. It captures the spirit of the Dav Pilkey series in multiple ways. These include the animation that understands what made the illustrations stand out as well as the performances and pacing, which strikes a great balance between the silly and serious. I would recommend it to everybody regardless of age, especially to those who love the “Dog Man” graphic novel series and want to see an animated version of RoboCop. I hope that DreamWorks makes more sequels to Dog Man.
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Full disclosure: I was given an ARC of this book from SparkPoint Studio in exchange for an honest review.
Content warning: this review discusses suicide, trauma, and grief.
Ever since I read Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng, I became intrigued by stories of how families deal with losing a loved one. However, that bookwas so good that I put it on my best list last year. It would be a tough act to follow. The Pale Flesh of Wood by Elizabeth A. Tucker tries to fill that void with exploring how a daughter grieves her father after his death and contains tree-life metaphors, but the structure doesn’t fully work.
Normally, I would summarize the plot, but I wanted to use the one that Goodreads had. The Pale Flesh of Wood is about a family dealing with a sudden loss. “1953. WWII veteran Charles Hawkins sweet-talks his daughter, Lyla, into climbing the family’s oak tree and hanging the rope for their tire swing. Eager, Lyla crawls along the branch and ties off a bowline, following her father’s careful instructions, becoming elated when he playfully tests the rope and declares the knot to be ‘strong enough to hold the weight of a grown man. Easy.’
But when her father walks out back one November night and hangs himself from the rope, Lyla becomes haunted by the belief that his death is her fault, a torment amplified by her grief-stricken mother, who sneaks up to the attic and finds comfort in the arms of her dead husband’s sweaters, and a formidable grandmother, who seemingly punishes Lyla by locking her outside, leaving her to stare down the enormous tree rooted at the epicenter of her family’s loss.
Set among the fault-prone landscape of Northern California, The Pale Flesh of Wood is told by three generations of the Hawkins family. Each narrative explores the effects of trauma after the ground shifts beneath their feet and how they must come to terms with their own sense of guilt in order to forgive and carry on.”
Now do you see why I was intrigued by The Pale Flesh of Wood? I was under the assumption that it would explore how each family member grapples with Charles’s death. But, that didn’t really happen. One does get the mom Louise’s and grandmother Caroline’s points of views, yet it’s mainly from Lyla’s, which I liked. I’ll explain why later on. In addition, when I started reading it, I noticed a huge problem. It takes a third of the novel before we get to the part where Charles takes his life. On top of that, the chapters prior would hint at that incident, and I was like, “We know what’s going to happen!”
The Pale Flesh of Wood would have benefited from a different structure. It’s mostly told in a chronological way, but the framework is wonky because of what I mentioned earlier. It could have used a structure similar to that of Everything I Never Told You. In that one, the very first sentence mentions Lydia’s death. The family soon becomes aware of it and comes to terms with it over the course of the book. Or, The Pale Flesh of Wood could have used the conflict of Lyla wanting to remove the tree as the main framework as she flashes back to what happened with her dad and how she tries to move on.
Another issue I came across while reading this novel is that even though it’s set in the past (specifically from the 1930s to the 1980s), there’s not much that indicates as such. The only thing that I can think of is that Charles and his brother David are World War II veterans. Everything else could have happened in a different time period, and things would have remained the same. Historical fiction needs to be informed by the time period in which it’s set in.
Even though there are clear problems with the book, I still found some good things. For starters, I enjoyed reading the parts that contain the metaphor of trees and life. They were well done because they reflect Lyla’s growth and how she came to terms with her dad’s suicide. Speaking of Lyla, she’s the best part of this novel. I enjoyed reading about her journey to forgiveness. She’s not a perfect person, for she makes some stupid decisions. Also, she had a complicated relationship with her dad since he was neglectful and insensitive. This makes her ability to move on from his death more difficult.
The Pale Flesh of Wood by Elizabeth A. Tucker is a decent novel. It contains a good metaphor of trees with life, and the main character Lyla and her conflict is multifaceted. However, my biggest gripe with the book is the framework. Even the synopsis is better structured than the actual novel. I would only recommend this to writers looking to create stories about family tragedies. Reading flawed books like The Pale Flesh of Wood can make them appreciate the better ones like Everything I Never Told You.
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Book Reviews by a Chick Who Reads Everything 