The Secret Book of Frida Kahlo: A Novel by F. G. Haghenbeck

When several notebooks were recently discovered among Frida Kahlo’s belongings at her home in Coyoacán, Mexico City, acclaimed Mexican novelist F. G. Haghenbeck was inspired to write this beautifully wrought fictional account of her life. Haghenbeck imagines that, after Frida nearly died when a streetcar’s iron handrail pierced her abdomen during a traffic accident, she received one of the notebooks as a gift from her lover Tina Modotti. Frida called the notebook “The Hierba Santa Book” (The Sacred Herbs Book) and filled it with memories, ideas, and recipes. Haghenbeck takes readers on a magical ride through Frida’s passionate life: her long and tumultuous relationship with Diego Rivera, the development of her art, her complex personality, her hunger for experience, and her ardent feminism. This stunning narrative also details her remarkable relationships with Georgia O’Keeffe, Leon Trotsky, Nelson Rockefeller, Ernest Hemingway, John Dos Passos, Henry Miller, and Salvador Dalí. Combining rich, luscious prose with recipes from “The Hierba Santa Book,” Haghenbeck tells the extraordinary story of a woman whose life was as stunning a creation as her art.

I became interested in Frida Kahlo when I was first introduced to Diego Rivera in an Art History class. I admit, I did not care for Diego's murals as much as I did Frida's honesty. I didn't understand why we didn't go more into Frida as we did Diego. To this day I still do not. I think she was actually the better painter of the two. Her work which has a surreal quality to it, often shows her pain in which she was plagued all of her life.

This book did remind me about the movie made of her life, Frida. So, you know that it kept close to her biography. What it also contained is some recipes. All delicious and tied to the chapter. You not only get authentic Mexican food, but a couple of Italian dishes as well. I can say, I would love to try some of these dishes... now I just need to find someone to cook! Trust me, Frida would throw me out of the kitchen and laugh at my feeble attempts at food. :)

I have to admit, I was hoping for a bit more of her philosophy. She was a woman of contradiction and I was wanting to see this within her head as we traveled with Frida in life. Although we do get a bit of philosophy, we do not go very deep. It skims on the surface of someone who dealt with death, pain, and betrayal on a constant basis and yet still found a zest for life. Still, I found the imagery within interesting and taken from her paintings.

I give this book 3 stars. If you are curious about her this is an interesting work of fiction about her life. I also think that it is worth the recipes within. I showed it to my mom and she just kept saying that everything looked so good. Just don't read it on an empty stomach. :)

  I received this ARC from Atria and no compensation for my review was given.

CrazyLoco Love: A Memoir by Victor Villaseñor

From Shelfari:

From one of America's most beloved writers comes this compelling memoir of his adolescent search for meaning and identity. When Victor Villaseñor turned sixteen, his father's gift of a brand-new, turquoise pick-up truck was accompanied by another gift: words of wisdom that would guide him on his path to manhood. "You are a man now, he said, and to be an hombre, a man must not only know right from wrong, he must also know who he is and who he isn't." In the weeks to come, however, Victor disregards his father's advice. Swayed by his friends ridicule, he has his new truck painted white to cover the vibrant turquoise, once his favorite color. Soon, he realizes his mistake. "I'd done exactly what my dad had told me not to. I'd listened to other people's opinions instead of listening to what I'd felt inside." So begins this poignant and moving account of Villaseñor's coming of age. 

Growing up on his parents ranch in North San Diego County, Victor Villaseñor's teenage years were marked by a painful quest to find a place for himself in a world he didn't fit into. During his search, Victor wrangles with the usual questions of adolescence: Is it normal to think about sex all the time? Do good girls like sex? Is sex before marriage a sin? But Victor struggles with more than just his burgeoning sexual awareness. 

The son of a self-made, successful man, he is different from his peers because of his Mexican heritage, and he experiences both subtle and outright discrimination because of this. Raised in a tight-knit, Catholic family, he questions the tenets of his faith and the restrictions it places on his own developing spirituality and sexuality. After high school, Victor's quest for who he is and who he isn't takes him to Mexico, where he is shocked to learn that Mexicans aside from his father are successful. They are architects, professors, and artists. Most importantly, he meets an older woman who cultivates in him a deeper understanding of his own intellectual capacity and helps him see the world and his place in it in a whole new way. This experience allows him to appreciate his own potential and realize his dreams of making a difference in the world through writing. 

A powerful portrait of a young boy on the path to manhood in the shadow of his influential father, Crazy Loco Love adds a new chapter to the grand tradition of coming-of-age books. Destined to become a classic, this new installment in Villaseñor's body of work confirms his place as a leading American writer. Crazy Loco Love will enthrall his many fans and surely win him new ones. 

The book starts out with several quotes. I'll give you one since they were all saying the same thing in a different way:

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." — Marianne Williamson (A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of a Course in Miracles) 

 This is a coming of age book. It showcases how Victor Villaseñor discovered his philosophy for life. For living. It starts with a child emerging from a black and white world in terms of sexuality into the confusing pallet of an adolescent. It is very straightforward and honest in this respect and I imagine some people having a hard time with it. However, if you see it as a rite of passage and a beginning into thinking for himself, you understand why he was so honest. It is one way we are wakened up to the world and he is very honest about it's confusion.

As the book goes on we also see how prejudice can influence your self-image. Words have power only when you let them, but how can you recognize that power when people keep telling you the same thing before you are able to grasp that you can think for yourself? He shows what impact racism had on his life. This is as poignant today as it was in the late 50s early 60s when this book was set.

He also shows how he came to his view on religion, male/female, love, labels, in fact all major aspects of life have been influenced by fear. Fear that was institutionalized by others and especially by ourselves. Basically, to me this is a book that philosophizes how we can free ourselves by freeing ourselves of the fear that holds us back. In fact, I would have loved to see a conversation between him and one of my favorites, Joseph Campbell. I believe that would have been a interesting discussion indeed. :)

How do I rate this book? That is a hard question. I enjoyed the philosophy but the writing was a bit erratic. That could have been purposeful as adolescence does seem very erratic at times. The message still comes through and so because of that I will give it 3 1/2 stars. This is not a book for everyone. Not everyone wants their world questioned. So, bear that in mind.

Below is a short speech by Victor Villaseñor:


I was given this book by the publisher and no compensations was given for my review.

i know i am, but what are you? by Samantha Bee

From Simon and Schuster's website:

Candid, outspoken, laugh-out-loud funny essays from the much-loved Samantha Bee, the Most Senior Correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart . 

Critics have called her "sweet, adorable, and vicious." But there is so much more to be said about Samantha Bee. For one, she's Canadian. Whatever that means. And now, she opens up for the very first time about her checkered Canadian past. With charming candor, she admits to her Lennie from Of Mice and Men–style love of baby animals, her teenage crime spree as one-half of a car-thieving couple (Bonnie and Clyde in Bermuda shorts and braces), and the fact that strangers seem compelled to show her their genitals. She also details her intriguing career history, which includes stints working in a frame store, at a penis clinic, and as a Japanese anime character in a touring children's show.

Samantha delves into all these topics and many more in this thoroughly hilarious, unabashedly frank collection of personal essays. Whether detailing the creepiness that ensues when strangers assume that your mom is your lesbian lover, or recalling her girlhood crush on Jesus (who looked like Kris Kristofferson and sang like Kenny Loggins), Samantha turns the spotlight on her own imperfect yet highly entertaining life as relentlessly as she skewers hapless interview subjects on The Daily Show. She shares her unique point of view on a variety of subjects as wide ranging as her deep affinity for old people, to her hatred of hot ham. It's all here, in irresistible prose that will leave you in stitches and eager for more.

 I have been a fan of "The Daily Show" for a long time and Samantha Bee is one of my favorite "correspondents". It's one of those shows (for those that either do not watch tv *gasp* or don't have cable) that takes your average everyday WTF stance on politics and gives it the proper twist so that you don't feel all alone in your horror and can actually laugh at that horror. So, when I was asked to review this book, I happily said, "yes!"

Gee what do I add to that great description that Simon and Schuster gave? Well, for one, this book is hilarious!  I caught myself laughing on several occasions annoying my sleeping dog (he hates to be waken up during his beauty sleep). It is definitely an adult read and not for the youngsters as you might well guess. And although I am thoroughly convinced that Samantha will go to gerbil/rodent hell in her afterlife I still will say this is one good read. If you like your biography with a large dose of humor, do pick up this book. You won't be disappointed.

I give this book 5 stars. It is exactly what I expected and a bit more.

I'd like to thank Kristin Dwyer at Simon and Schuster for providing me this book for review. No compensation was received for my review.