Middlesex

It’s been a long while since my pen (keyboard?) has touched the sacred grounds of booksnotbombs. For this I apologize…as one of the founding members of the club I should indeed be more diligent; however, I have definitely enjoyed reading the recent posts and have been inspired to rejoin the discussion in a sincere way. I hope those who haven’t been involved in awhile will choose to do the same. That said…

Presently I am in the middle of reading “Middlesex” by Jeffrey Eugenides. This is a fantastic piece of work. I thoroughly enjoy Eugenides’ writing style and the story is exceptional. The instant I picked up the novel and began reading I thought that it would be one of the best books I’ve ever read…it has not disappointed. I love this book not only because of the great writing and great story, but also because weaved throughout are historical insights into very important contemporary social issues, such as race relations, economic hardship, definitions of gender, global conflict, and, perhaps most pertinent today, the immigration debate.

I have always vaguely known of the hardships that circa 1900 European immigrants faced upon arriving in the US; however, I failed to realize the extent of their hardships and the stark similarities between their plight and that of present day immigrants. Eugenides magically depicts the desperation of a Greek brother and sister as they are forced to flee their hometown due to war. He then shows the life of fear and compromise the family balances as they are pushed into dangerous, low-income jobs in factories and pushing illegal booze during prohibition. The Stephanides family endures isolation, mixed assimilation, depression, homesickness, racism, discrimination and poverty. If you have been paying attention to who picks your food, makes your clothes, kills and chops up your meat, cleans your bathroom at work, and performs countless other invisible duties that make our society run, it’s clear that if Eugenides were to write a similar story about a Mexican family in today’s USA a very familiar picture would be painted.

Literature can provide an incredible lens into our past and, if we pay attention, teach us lessons applicable to our contemporary world. “Middlesex” has the rare ability to draw the reader into a past life and seamlessly throw them back into reality with a clearer idea of how to make sense of the present day world.

Peace and Action,
Joe