Books

When We Were Romans by Matthew Kneale is a book written from the perspective of the 9-year-old son (spelling, grammar and all) of a paranoid schizophrenic mother who is convinced that her ex-husband is not only stalking them (including a younger sister) but all-out trying to kill them. They flee from their home in England to Italy where the mother used to live. Little money. Little food. Little know-how.

It's not the greatest novel but it was interesting because the boy went from trying to protect his young sister from his mother's behavior to trying to protect his mother. It was kind of sweetly tragic.

I just finished reading The Snakehead by Patrick Radden Keefe. The cover sums it up well: An epic tale of the Chinatown underworld and the American dream. I knew nothing about this subject going in and I was like a deer in headlights. Keep in mind that this was in the 80s/90s - not recent. It talks about the Chinese gangs, human smuggling (the heads of the smuggling operations are called "Snakeheads"), money laundering, murders and all things vile. It was well written and thoroughly researched. Could have been 50 pages shorter.

What I really liked about this book is the discussion on immigration, especially illegal immigration. Obviously a hot topic right now. There is a fair discussion for both sides. To whom do you grant asylum? It took a look at policies over the years that the government thought would help when in reality it only exacerbated the problem. If you read this, definitely read the epilogue because the author's personal viewpoint is worthwhile.