Fresh Ink September 11, 2012

Fresh Ink September 11, 2012 Variety being the spice of life, this is one of the zestiest weeks for new releases this fall. The End of Men: And the Rise of Women by Hanna Rosin (Riverhead) Behind the overly sensational, intentionally controversial title lies a thoughtfulif not entirely fully formedexploration of the variable impacts the latest U.S. recession has had on men and women. Rosin examines the effect of gender roles and socialization on men and womens reactions to the changing shape of the  American workplace and the  American family. She  argues that the soft skills women are encouraged to develop (flexibility, empathy, responsiveness to social cues) have enabled them to bounce back in the postindustrial economy (where brawn is no longer a commodity) more successfully than men, who are bound by crazy-strict definitions of masculinity. Combining outside research with anecdotal evidence and qualitative interviews, Rosin focuses her cultural study on the rise of women. Really, fellas, this is not a book about taking you down. Its about the new landscapes of hook-up culture, family organization, and the corporate world, and the lessons men canand shouldlearn from women if they want to adapt more capably and succeed more consistently in the economy. Not a home run but well worth the read, this one should really just be called The Rise of Women. _________________________ Telegraph Avenue by Michael Chabon (Harper) Its been a while since we had new fiction of Michael ChabonThe Yiddish Policemens Union came out in 2007, followed by Manhood for Amateursessays about marriage, fatherhood, and masculinityin 2009. Anxiously awaited, heavily debated among critics, and weighing in at nearly 500 pages, Telegraph Avenue is a BIG book of 2012 in many senses of the word. Set in Berkeley, CA in 2004, the novel presents the longtime owners of dying independent music store Brokeland Records, who find themselves in a battle against the ubiquitous Big Box. Insert Empire Records or Youve Got Mail reference at your will. Chabon is just as fluent in music culture as he is in literature, and the parallels between Brokelands situation and the circumstances many indie bookstores find themselves in now are obvious and ripe for discussion. Never content to do just one thingand why should he, when hes so adept at spinning multiple platesChabon also tackles issues of race, class, and privilege. Im not all the way through this one yet, but so far its spinning me right round. _________________________ This Is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz (Riverhead) I never regret choosing to take French instead of Spanish in high school as much as I do when I read Junot Diaz. Drums beat behind every sentence. Language is simultaneously conversational and high-art Dominican Spanglish. Pop culture permeates the pages as surely as it permeates the characters lives. Diaz is just a realist like that. And whoa, does he have swagger. In the linked short stories of This Is How You Lose Her, Diaz returns to Yunior, the narrator of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (you neednt have read it to enjoy this collection), and turns the lens on his  relationships both familial and romantic. We see Yunior as a child, an adolescent, and a young man, on the Island and in the States. He is always feeling something, and never quite feeling right. Yunior loses a brother, more than one lover, and occasionally his identity. He loves, he cheats, he learns. He reveals the titular her, but she is a stand-in, one of many. Dont let the title fool youthese pages are filled with tough lessons, but a book about how the half-life of love is forever is ultimately a book about hope. _________________________ The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers (Little, Brown and Company) This debut novel about the Iraq War and wars effect on soldiers and their families takes readers by the collar with its opening line, The war tried to kill us in the spring, and holds them tight for 240 pages. Powers explores the war through the friendship of two young soldiersnarrator John Bartle and his buddy Murphwho meet in training and spend the ten months before Murphs death seeing each other through experiences neither of them is prepared for. The Yellow Birds is about the costs of warphysical, emotional, psychologicaland the lived experiences of young citizens who bear enormous responsibilities. In showing us Bartles struggles in combat and the surreal, disorientating days of his return home, Powers puts a face on and gives a voice to the servicemen and women we hear so much about but so little from.  Pair this novel with Karl Marlantes 2011 memoir What It Is Like to Go to War for a 360-degree examination of what soldiers do and what we should do for them. Sign up to Unusual Suspects to receive news and recommendations for mystery/thriller readers. Thank you for signing up! Keep an eye on your inbox.