"Memoirs of a Geisha" by Arthur Golden

Memoirs of a geisha was a, more than anything else, a fascinating look into a specific demographic of Japanese society during a turbulent time in history. As an American, I have an idea of what the world was like during the depression and through world war two. I have seen numerous films and television shows portraying the lives of others during these times, from the Grapes of Wrath to Schindler's List and any number of holocaust and Hitler-centric films. As I recall, Empire of the Sun showed us the life a British boy surviving in Japan during the war but Memoirs of a Geisha is the first time I have been given a view into how the people of Japan survived the hard years of the depression and the subsequent fear and sacrifice of the second world war. This story primarily follows the life of Sayuri. She started her life as a humble fisherman's daughter but as her parents' health declined she was sold into apprenticeship to become a geisha. This novel guides us through the ups and downs, the education and discouragement as the young girl is guided toward her destiny. We are drawn into her story as she realized that she'd been sold into a form of slavery, as she meets and is thwarted by a malevolent older geisha and, finally, is given a mentor and the opportunity to achieve her potential. I don't know if this story is historically factual, completely fiction or some blend in between but it read like a true memoir. The prose is impressively poetic. I was drawn into Sayuri's life and, as a reader, was pulling for her and her hopes and dreams. I'd be interested to see what else Golden has written. If he specializes in translating and assisting in writing the memoirs of others or if he writes, exclusively fiction, I'd be compelled to read another of his works.

"World War Z" by Max Brooks

I recently picked up a copy of World War Z at a friends house. They were generous enough to let me borrow it to completion. I held off watching the film version so I wouldn't have a preconceived notion of the story. Boy, am I glad I did. The novel version portrayed the spread of the zombie infection as a slow, years long, unrelenting plague that even the health professionals were unable to pin down. The zombies in the written version move slowly but deliberately, wearing down obstacles and unceasingly pursuing their prey. Whether it be a zombie digging the side of a sand dune for four days until it lost the scent of a mole or the numerous zeds dragging their upper body towards humans even after their bottom half has been blown off. The idea of a swarm of zombies slowly and steadily seeking, not just the death of but the infection and, subsequent, conversion of, all humankind. This novel was written in a clever manner. Composed in a series of interviews, jumping around the planet from all varieties of people, the narrative gives us initial impressions of the zombie epidemic through the preliminary battles and into the victorious years nearing the end of the plague. The expertise of military officials, world health agents and governmental figures was shown in an intelligent, individually crafted way. I enjoyed the different idioms and phrasing used by characters depending on the countries from which they came. The movie was a huge disappointment but this novel was a fun, compelling read.