I’m trying to get through some shorter books in an attempt to get back on my 26 Books track. You wouldn’t think it would be that hard to read a book every two weeks. But when you read and write and sit at a computer for a living, literature can often the last thing you want to look at when you get off work. But anyway, on to the review.
I’ve never been to Hawaii. Nothing has ever attracted me there. It seems like of an isolated place. But I suppose there could come a time in my life where isolation might seem nice. But they don’t want any more white people there anyway, so it doesn’t matter. We’re like weeds. And so are drugs.
At least, that’s the analogy Johnson tries to draw with this graphic novella, that methamphetamine has invaded the society of Hawaii in much the same way that invasive plant species — brought over by the damn Whites — have taken hold of the islands themselves. The story is beatifully illustrated and the characters move and speak with a depth and resonance that is a wonder considering how few pages they are given to develop.
Overall, it’s an enjoyable short story, and doesn’t try to be any bigger than the TPB that contains it. Bravo.
Next book, Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare
[This article is part of the 26 Books project that I'm doing this year.]
I want to go to Hawaii. It’s not an overwhelming urge, and it’s not so much because of what Hawaii has to offer, although it sounds very photogenic. Part of it is that I love to explore new places. But another part, the part that doesn’t sound that good, is that I want to go because so many people I know have gone.
Now, that may sound like a “me too” reason. But it’s not that I want to be able to say, “I went there too!” It’s so I can understand what people find attractive about it. So I can relate to the stories. Sometimes I read a book or watch a TV show or listen to a song just so I can relate to the people who enjoy it and see why it’s so popular. If something is part of our cultural literacy, I want to understand it.
I think the instinct to go with the herd can be both good and bad. On the one hand, it’s the social glue that allows us to work together, to become part of something greater than we are alone. On the other hand, it can rob us of our individuality. I think a balance of the two is what makes us human.