Cane

First published in 1923, Jean Toomer's Cane is an innovative literary work-part drama, part poetry, part fiction-powerfully evoking black life in the South. Rich in imagery, Toomer's impressionistic, sometimes surrealistic sketches of Southern rural and urban life are permeated by visions of smoke, sugarcane, dusk, and fire; the northern world is pictured as a harsher reality of asphalt streets. This iconic work of American literature is published with a new afterword by Rudolph Byrd of Emory University and Henry Louis Gates Jr. of Harvard University, who provide groundbreaking biographical information on Toomer, place his writing within the context of American modernism and the Harlem Renaissance, and examine his shifting claims about his own race and his pioneering critique of race as a scientific or biological concept.

*May Contain Spoilers*

Cane by Jean Toomer is a book unlike anything I've ever read before. This piece of literary modernism combines prose, poetry, song, and drama into a whole that is held together by theme. Though none of the characters in the novel are present all the way through, often only included in one chapter, Toomer presents them with reasons to like them, hate them, understand them, pity them, and even hope for them. In this way, the novel is almost like a set of introductions from which meaning can be taken only after meeting everyone present. 

The vignettes that Toomer offers are interesting, heartbreaking, and include themes of racial tensions, discrimination, magical realism, allusions to the bible, framed with beautiful imagery. After reading this book it's obvious why Toomer was called a writer before his time as his experimentation with style is incredibly unique and was probably a put off in the 1920s for most readers. Though this book does not have a unifying plot, the entire piece can be taken as a study of the way people treat people in the 1920s. I would highly recommend this book to those who enjoy reading something they've never read before, but are not afraid of controversial topics and historical viewpoints.

Rating: 3/5 Cups

Panic in a Suitcase

In this account of two decades in the life of an immigrant household, the fall of communism and the rise of globalization are artfully reflected in the experience of a single family. Ironies, subtle and glaring, are revealed: the Nasmertovs left Odessa for Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, with a huge sense of finality, only to find that the divide between the old world and the new is not nearly as clear-cut as they thought. The dissolution of the Soviet Union makes returning just a matter of a plane ticket, and the Russian-owned shops in their adopted neighborhood stock even the most obscure comforts of home. Pursuing the American Dream once meant giving up everything, but does the dream still work if the past is always within reach?

If the Nasmertov parents can afford only to look forward, learning the rules of aspiration, the family’s youngest, Frida, can only look back.

In striking, arresting prose loaded with fresh and inventive turns of phrase, Yelena Akhtiorskaya has written the first great novel of Brighton Beach: a searing portrait of hope and ambition, and a profound exploration of the power and limits of language itself, its ability to make connections across cultures and generations.

*May Contain Spoilers*

Yelena Akhtiorskaya shares a prose novel full of humor, irony, and misshapen characters with Panic in a Suitcase. Divided into two parts, 1993 and 2008, Akhtiorskaya focuses on two members of the Nasmertov family: Frida and Pasha. As readers come to know the family, these two, an uncle and his niece, stand out as the ones who create familial panic with their physical and emotional suitcases. 

Pasha is a poet. He's the only original Nasmertov family member who hasn't immigrated from Odessa to Brighton Beach. (I'm not counting his wife and son as they are never included in the immigration discussion) Pasha lives in a world of writing built by ignoring others and procrastination. With his visit to the United States, readers will find an odd sense of humor in Pasha, as if he were a joke without a punchline. You're supposed to laugh but you never know where or when exactly. 

Frida takes the stage in part two, 2008, as she is older and attending medical school. She's always been bratty, quick to anger and stubborn as hell. But she's trying to find her own way in life without any helpful direction. She becomes the equal opposite of Pasha as she travels to Odessa from Brighton Beach, giving the novel a beautiful balance with various definitions of 'home.' Readers will struggle to understand Frida in a way that they feel a bond with her. Standing at the cusp of adulthood and adult decisions. 

Akhtiorskaya writes her characters in such an unforgiving and honest way that readers will revel in her descriptions and analogies. She sees the world in objects and compares life, people, and relationships in terms of material. Her prose is a gorgeous ride of the imagination with twists and outbursts, only sometimes appropriate. 

The novel, as stated previously, is divided into two parts. Part one focuses on Pasha and his family attempting to convince him to immigrate to Brighton Beach with them. His family is there and they are happier (though it may seem false and overdone). His mother, Esther, is also fighting cancer and the family believes Pasha should be there to help. Part two switches focus to Frida, who has just finished her first year in medical school. She returns to Brighton Beach to spend the break with her family. When she learns that her cousin, Sanya, is getting married in Odessa, Frida insists that she travel back home for the wedding. Climatically speaking, not much happens in this book. There's definitely a story arc but it's focused on feelings, reactions, and situational anxiety of the family. Readers who enjoy prose and the beauty found in a perfect turn of phrase will enjoy Panic in a Suitcase, though the characters may be too elusive for connections.

Rating: 2.5/5 Cups

Becoming: The Life and Musings of a Girl Poet

Becoming is a rousing composition of poems about utilizing your God-given talents and gifts in such a way that leads to a life of fulfillment.

**

Becoming is a wonderful compilation of poetry and prose by Nadia Brown. She writes of connections, questions the way of life, takes notice of the world around her, and revels in the details. Her poetry is inspirational and contemplative. Brown's style flows through each poem yet she varies the visual, including random rhyme and open-ended questions. The diversity of how each poem is presented illustrates the various topics she covers. 

Lovers of poetry will enjoy Brown's collection, though they may not agree with her perspective. She seems to focus on the details of life and religion, desire and hope. Regardless of whether or not readers agree with her words, they do bring focus and elicit internal contemplation. Though I can't include a rating because there's no main character for readers to connect with, I did enjoy Brown's poetry and felt the inspiration her words hold. The prose didn't resonate with me in the same way. I felt like it was more focused on motivation, as if I was signing up for a community presentation. I would have enjoyed them more if they were developed deeper with an essay style.