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I was panicking because I thought I had missed my chance to see the original scroll of On the Road, by Jack Kerouac.  A call to LZ Nunn, the Director of COOL (Cultural Organization of Lowell) reassured me that the scroll is still in town and will be on display at the Boott Cotton Mills until next Sunday, October 14th.  (The Boott Mills are open from 10-5, daily.) 

Why am I so anxious to see the scroll? First of all, NOT seeing it would be one of those classic examples of neglecting to visit the remarkable sites in your own backyard — like living in Lowell and never going on a mill tour, or if you live in Boston, never going to the top of the Pru’ or walking the Freedom Trail (I have done all of those things, by the way). And with the scroll being here all summer, I was kicking myself for not making the effort to see it and could imagine lining up to see it in some other city someday, when seeing it right here in Lowell will be so much more meaningful. Also, I am a Kerouac fan. I’ve read several of his books since moving to Lowell and I admire his lyrical, passionate writing. According to LZ, the scroll

has drawn tens of thousands of people into the city, and has been an international media event with the BBC, National Public Radio, Danish Television, Italian Vogue and the Rolling Stone all coming to Lowell to capture the energy around this exhibit. 

During this last week, members of the UML English department are planning ‘a stroll to the scroll.’  LZ is hoping that some Lowell High teachers will do the same and not miss this chance for their students to “see a one-of-a-kind literary document and learn about a legendary Lowell High graduate.”  Sounds like a good plan.

I bought Soul Catcher as a perfect gift for my older brother who I never know what to get. I thought he’d like it because he’s interested in the Civil War and the protagonist was the type of manly man who would appeal to him. You know: the gun-touting, fighting kind of tough guy with a double dose of macho and guts. What I didn’t expect was that once I started reading it—just a few pages to determine its flavor—I couldn’t put it down. I actually stayed up one night reading until the wee hours because I got so caught up in the story, I simply had to know what happened next. Of course, now I’m wondering if I can still give the book as a gift since it’s been used. Be that as it may, for more about Soul Catcher by Michael White, check here.

I always wished the Lowell Public Schools would assign books for summer reading.  I think they are doing it now, but as with many of the positive changes in the schools, it happened too late for my family. So, I was excited when my son was assigned a book for summer reading before starting college as a Freshman.  He had to read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon.  I read it as well and rather liked it.  He didn’t seem impressed, perhaps because he felt that the book was geared toward younger readers.  I disagree with him as can be seen by my review of the book.  The college provided a list of readings and other reviews for students to work on before starting school. Here are some links to reviews from the New York Times and an online magazine called Plus.

One of the great joys of reading is the ability to travel the world in books.  I spent the last few days immersed in India, reading The Splendor of Silence by Indu Sundaresan, which was a fascinating tale that opened my eyes to a society I knew little about. The story is a compelling combination of war-torn adventure and forbidden love amid the emerging nationalism and prejudice of colonial India during World War II.  For more on this historical novel, see the Book Review pages.

After reading The Omnivore’s Dilemma (see book review), I am more aware of the social, ethical and personal consequences of our eating choices as well as the value of eating locally.  There is a benefit in supporting local farmers and getting better tasting food, but it is not always the most economically viable choice, as the Globe article “The Localvore’s Dilemma“ points out.  Today, I drove up to Parlee Farm for their fresh strawberries, blueberries, corn and peaches.  I did spend more on gas than I would have if I purchased those items at the more convenient supermarket; but how many times does a supermarket peach disappoint or the berries get moldy within a day? Still, the choice is not as simple as it might seem, especially if one is trying to eat locally in New England in January. (I’m planning to read Barbara Kingsolver’s new book, Animal, Vegetable, Mineral, next to see how her family survives that challenge).  Still, Pollan brings many more factors to bear on the problem that the article mentions.  For instance, there are the ethics of the way big-factory farms treat animals; especially egg-laying hens, and the anti-biotics that have to be pumped into livestock to keep them from falling ill because of their crowded and unsanitary living conditions.  All in all, this is a fascinating topic that is getting more and more attention; whether our eating habits can be changed for the better remains to be seen.

While at the library with my daughter earlier this summer, I decided to get a book for my son from the LHS freshmen summer reading list. He took one look at the title, The Secret Life of Bees, read the jacket, and promptly announced it was “a girl book” and he wasn’t reading it. His snap judgment annoyed me. Why is it a girl book simply because the protagonist is a girl? I admit, I found the story compelling, but I guess it does sort of focus on forgiveness, acceptance, and inner healing, and some folks might see that as girlish. But there is also the matter of the mother’s death involving a gun, which the daughter struggles to recall throughout the novel, as well as the tension of being set in the South during the civil rights movement. Full disclosure: Okay, everyone I asked agreed with his assessment, but most had not actually read the book. Regardless of gender, this is a wonderful read, and I highly recommend it—even if you’re not a girl or a freshman. (See book review page for details.) Also note: At his request, I have since bought the latest Harry Potter book, which he is reading happily. 

My son has been nagging me for days to get him the new Harry Potter book, so while I was downtown today, I got it at Lowell’s own Barnes & Noble book store. Most folks might not think about our book store downtown, heading up to Nashua instead where they have mega book stores along busy Daniel Webster Highway. There are a lot of reasons to stay local when doing your shopping—books or otherwise—and here’s just a few of them: First, our B&N offers Lowell Public School employees a 20% discount on purchases. Second, our B&N discounts New York Times’ bestsellers (30% hardcover, 20% paperback) which Nashua B&N doesn’t. And third, even though our B&N is smaller, it boasts an expert reading staff that will advise you on the best cooking, romance, horror (you name it) books. That personal touch by knowledgeable people, such as Manya Callahan, the helpful bookseller I spoke with today, makes the whole experience more enjoyable. Also, the city now reserves three-hour-parking spots on the first floors of both Market and John Street garages, which are a short walk to the downtown area. And here’s an added plus: when you shop downtown Lowell, you get a walking experience with choices that include great cafes, restaurants, spas, boutiques, specialty stores, museums, history tours (by foot, canal or trolley) and the most stunning library in the state. It sure beats driving to Nashua and sitting at endless lights on DW Highway.

It’s summer and who isn’t thinking about what books they will bring to the beach, the mountains or even to the hammock in the backyard?  I am at the lake right now, on our third day of rain and clouds; oh, well!  It’s still peaceful and beautiful, and one can always lie on the couch and read if the beach or hammock are sopping wet.  I always love to hear what others are planning for their summer reading, so I’ll share my list (warning – the rest of the post is rather long): more »

Kerouac’s Last Call by New York journalist and playwright Patrick Fenton was performed as a staged reading last night by Lowell’s Image Theatre. This was the first time the local group that specializes in producing work by local playwright’s has gone out of New England for a play, but given the subject of Fenton’s work and the current excitement surrounding Kerouac’s legacy and the coming to town of the scroll of On the Road, it seems more than fitting.

 Stage set by local artist, Robert Bryan

Patrick Fenton, who was on hand to answer questions and share his thoughts and memories of Kerouac, started writing about Kerouac in 1964, when the author was really down. The fame of On the Road had died away, critics were dismissive of his talents and he had lost contact with the friends of his youth. He was living in Northport, Long Island with his mother and drinking at a bar called Gunther’s, which is where he held a farewell party for himself before moving to Florida. Someone made an audiotape of the evening which was the catalyst for Fenton’s play.  Jerry Bisantz, founder of the Image Theatre, read the part of Kerouac, backed by actors playing characters from the author’s memory, including his parents, best friend Neal Cassady and daughter Jan.  The playwright (and actor Bisantz) did a great job of catching Kerouac’s unique voice in some of the monologues, the way he could string words along rhythmically, riffing like a jazz musician or even as a kind of precursor to rap music. He also captured his end-of-life angst, the voices from his past, his ambivalence at being called “the king of the beats,” his ambivalence over his daughter and other relationships. The best line was when his father tries to get him to get a real job, asking him, “how many famous writers do you know from Lowell?”  At the end, each of the back-up characters tells a bit about Kerouac’s life, ending with the playwright’s claim that Kerouac belongs with America’s greatest authors of this century, with F. Scott Fitzgerald, John Steinbeck and Ernest Hemingway. 

We love to read, when we have time, so we we are launching a new book review section.  These will be brief posts that will direct those who are interested to the Book Review page (review might be too formal a word, but we’ll see).  I want to start out talking about a book I read last summer, that has been on my mind because of the One Lowell World Cup soccer tournament this summer.  I know I seem strangely obsessed with soccer, but as I mentioned in a previous post, visiting Europe during the 2006 World Cup got me interested in soccer as a cultural phenomenom.   When I returned, I picked up a book of essays called The Thinking Fan’s Guide to the World Cup.  While I still don’t know or understand much about the game of soccer, the book gave a lot of information about how the game fits into different cultures and why it is so important to some people.  It was also fun to read.