It's a little exasperating, as well as amusing, to realize that, fifteen chapters and 299 pages in, I've lost all interest in Barack Obama's Dreams from My Father. I'd been flying along, not really caring about the book or its themes but seeing no reason to stop, when the story sagged under the weight of a lengthy treatise on--well, I don't remember exactly, but I think it had to do with the state of blacks in the Chicago projects. I made it safely past that part, with a reasonable effort to contain my frustration, but I didn't quite get over it. It sticks in my mind, not necessarily because it was out of place (which it was) but because of its sheer tedium.

I might blame my lack of interest on my indifference to the book as a whole, but I'm more tempted to blame my mood. I more than halfway through the book--which is essentially the point of no return for me--but last night, for reasons I can't explain, I suddenly found Obama's prose to be irritating. He's often given to overwriting, but he has a calm style that doesn't really draw attention to itself--it's neither good nor bad--and while I've gotten used to the scattershot nature of the story, I found myself wondering when he was going to get to the point.

I suppose, in the end, my patience simply ran out.

With less than 150 pages left, I'd planned on finishing the book by the end of the weekend, but that's becoming less and less likely. I've started Michel Faber's The Crimson Petal and the White--I love the narrator's sarcastic, comic tone--and my four-year-old nephew, whom I haven't seen since he was five months old, is flying in on Saturday night. I know next to nothing about toddlers, but I've already been drafted to keep him entertained on Tuesday. A little voice keeps telling me I'm already in deep shit.

I'm optimistic, though. I may actually survive the experience. I've got Mom on speed-dial and I'm already rehearsing my incessant pleas for help.

Comments

[LK]

Surely someone is flying in with your 4-year-old nephew...? Hopefully there is a science center or a children's museum of some sort near you -- or take him to a zoo. Anything to tire him out, that's the idea.

[Brandon]

LK: My brother is flying to Colorado and they'll fly to Tampa together. And I agree, I'm going to do my best--we all are, actually--to make sure he has lots of fun. He loves Xbox, but we're going to be limiting his video game time. (And the way I see it, I won't be getting a lot of reading done when I'm with him--if I can't have my books, he can't have his Xbox.) I mean, come on! When you're in Florida, the last thing you want to do is sit inside playing video games all day! And he has a birthday coming up soon, so we're planning a big party for him on Memorial Day. I also see his glorious arrival as an opportunity for indoctrination: "Brayden, this is a book. Say the name with me. Leeee-o Tooool-stoy." And so on.

[Stefanie]

Too bad about the Obama book. I'm not sure what to do with toddlers either. maybe you can convince him to go to the bookstore if you buy him a book or two. Have fun!

[Brandon]

Stefanie: Yes, it's unfortunate that the book is disappointing, but I'm not sure what I was expecting. I didn't have high hopes for it, so it's not a complete letdown. But about halfway through, I just wanted it to be over. I kept flipping ahead and counting the pages, like marking days on a calendar: 150 / 145 / 132 pages to go! It just seems like it drags on and on and on. And I'm sure that Brayden and I will have fun. We have a pool here, so he and will likely spend at least some of the day swimming. I'm a little terrified, mostly because of the pool--I think of worst-case scenarios, such as me going to the bathroom and coming out to find him floating facedown in the pool. I just hope I never have kids. I'd stress myself into an ulcer.

[Nonanon]

I so hear you on the Obama book. Although I couldn't get real interested in the first hundred pages either...I don't know why. And don't worry about the toddler; as far as I can tell, they keep themselves pretty busy running, while expecting you to chase. Seems to be my nieces' and nephews' favorite game...

[simon]

One piece of advice - get in the treats bribery works and there is no shame in resorting to it on an hourly basis

[Andi]

Well I am disappointed to hear that Obama's book was a bust. I have it on my immediate pile of "to reads." I enjoyed The Audacity of Hope and wonder if he matured as a writer between his first and second offerings. We'll see!

Enjoy the nephew!