The Short Story Series #2: Haircut

#2: Haircut by Ring Lardner

A simple day, a simple haircut, a story that will shake the town. Could a death really be more than it was thought to be? Don't think this is a serious, morbid, story - it's not.

What I most enjoyed about "Haircut" was the narrator. In the beginning of the story, I could clearly envision myself sitting down for a haircut and the barber doling out the story of Jim Kendall, the comical, somewhat mischievous, and recently deceased town jokester. It was so easy to get lost in the story, and it was such a quick transition back to reality, with the last line - "Comb it wet or dry?" I also appreciated the normal, somewhat comical life story of Jim. The sudden climax at the end was a bit predictable, but enjoyable nonetheless. The first person narration added a special touch to the story, as it was recalled entirely from the memories of the barber, who was purposely unbiased. 

Point of view serves as the perfect complement to Lardner's "Haircut," mostly because it adds a very realistic touch to the story. First person is usually very simple, but I believe it is slightly more complex in this situation, merely because the entire story is memories not in the form of personal anecdotes, but as accounts of the rude and humorous feats of the deceased Jim Kendall. Symbolism was also present throughout the story, through Jim Kendall. He represented the common man, one who has made mistakes in his life, but takes the days as the come, making the most of them, although not always in the most productive way.

My favorite character would probably be the narrator. That barber could be anyone. But he is merely represented as a common man, just passing the time, telling the new man in town of the recently deceased most popular man in town. He was unbiased, simple, and relatable, and that is what made him so likeable. I certainly would not mind sitting down for a haircut with him because he was the type of person who you could listen to all day. I envisioned him as an old man, full head of white hair, somewhat like Ernest Borgnine. His smile lit up the room, his grandchildren loved him. He was just one of those characters that you could read like the front page of the Sunday times. 

The Short Story Series #1: All Summer in a Day

Well, I feel likes it is time to give to the world a new appreciation for the Short Story, a genre that is often looked over and disregarded. The Short Story Series presents to you ten outstanding short stories that have been recommended to me or ones that I honestly accidentally came across.

#1: All Summer in a Day by Ray Bradbury

Margot once lived on Earth. Now she lives on Venus, where it rains nonstop, save for a couple of hours every seven years. She is depressed and outcast, for no one believes she has seen the beautiful rays of the sun. On the day the Sun is supposed to appear, her life takes a turn for the worst when she is locked inside a dark closet by her classmates.

From the moment the narrator spoke of Margot's previous life on Earth, I realized the story was much more than a fantastical account of what life on Venus could be life. No, I realized that it was about a depressed little girl, bullied because she was different than the others. Outcast because she was labeled as a liar. The entire time the children were outside, thoughts of Margot dwindled in the back of my mind. I understood her, because I too had been bullied and outcast. I knew how she felt, just not to the same extent. I believe that Bradbury was portraying the fact that kids are universally mean when they see differences, on the other hand, he was showing the way people marvel at the wonders of nature. Two totally different messages were wrapped up in this amazing little story. 

The omniscient narrator obviously knew everything, which added this extra passion to the story, especially because it made Margot so much more than a bullied nine-year-old girl. Margot became a symbol for depression, for homesickness, for that longing to belong even though you know you never can. It made her a deep, lovable character, one you couldn't help but feel sorry for, one you just wanted to reach out and help even though she was worlds away.

I think Ray Bradbury purposely made the other characters unlikable, just so readers would feel for Margot even more. If that was his goal, he truly succeeded with me. I loved Margot from the beginning. I felt like I was there, in the classroom with her, upset that I could do nothing to help her for fear of being bullied myself by the other children. As afore mentioned, I could not help but think of her in the back of my mind as I read on. She was just genuinely likeable because she was innocent and misunderstood. 

Overall Rating: 8.5/10

Exclusive Interview with Paul Griffin

As promised, here is an exclusive interview with Paul Griffin, author of Burning Blue! Scroll down for the review!



1.) How did you manage to come up with such a unique plot line, especially with all the background information needed to formulate such a complex mystery?
I work as an emergency medical technician with a volunteer ambulance corps in New York City. My ambulance was called to help a man who had been blinded in the subway. He was looking at the train map posted on the wall, someone tapped his shoulder, he turned, and the perpetrator hit him in the eyes with what I think was police-grade pepper spray. The traffic was bad that day, and I was in the back of the ambulance with my patient for a while. He kept blaming himself for being attacked. I tried to convince him this was a random act of violence, that he didn’t do anything to provoke the assault, but he wouldn’t be swayed. He felt the perpetrator had targeted him because s/he smelled weakness in him. I found this very sad, though certainly this was not the first time I had seen someone beat himself up in the wake of an attack. I started writing the book to figure out why we blame ourselves when we’re victimized. I don’t know that I got any closer to understanding self-blame, except to say that living with the story and the characters for a while allowed me to focus on a different aspect of the fallout that comes with self-blame. It kills self-esteem, yes, but it also damages relationships, and this is where the romantic piece of the plot grew from: The two protagonists have been victimized, and their self-blame is a significant obstacle they will have to overcome if they are to befriend each other. The technical stuff about the hacking grew out of a class I took at the NYPD Academy, a 14-week session that covered a wide range of topics from traffic operations to homicide. Cybercrime interested me most. So much of it is perpetrated anonymously. Again, the self-blame element comes into play: We live in a culture that emphasizes blame—we put a lot of energy into pointing fingers—and when we don’t know who hacked/attacked us, there’s an opportunity to turn the blame inward. Doing so is largely irrational, but most of us do it anyway. We think of ourselves as weak in some way, say things like, “I’m an idiot. I didn’t take appropriate precautions, despite all the warnings.” In contrast, taking a more clinical look at the situation, leaving self-blame out of it and instead focusing on accountability can be constructive. If I keep making the same mistake and suffering the same negative outcome, I need to figure out what I’m doing or not doing that’s causing the crummy situation, but just because I was targeted doesn’t make me weak. Jay tries to do this throughout the story, i.e., focus on causal relationships, and when he keeps his attention there, he’s most successful in his relationships with others, especially his father and Nicole.


2.) Can you describe the formation of our two main characters, Nicole and Jay?
Generally the characters grow from the formative people and relationships in my life—my family and friends, neighbors, co-workers, my wife and our marriage. Specifically, Nicole is a combination of several people I admire for many reasons, among these their emphasis on inner beauty as opposed to external. They keep the focus on what they’re doing and why they’re doing it as opposed to how they’re being perceived. Jay is a
combination of several cops and EMTs I’ve met, and I guess some of me is in him too, largely when he’s being an idiot.


3.) Did you have to conduct a bit of scientific research to completely comprehend what you were writing about?
That NYPD class was great for the hacking stuff, and a reread of the laws of thermodynamics section of my trusty college chemistry book/doorstop was definitely helpful in understanding what happened to Nicole. I work two shifts a month on the ambulance, so I don’t get a lot of burn calls, i.e., a full time EMT who works for the fire department will see many more burns than I will. Yet, the few times I’ve worked a burn call have been memorable. A chemical burn is particularly insidious, because unless you clear the scene, your patient and yourself of that chemical, it will keep right on burning everything it touches.


4.) In Burning Blue, a lot of modern teen issues are explored. Did you have any trouble with the same issues Nicole and Jay did?
Definitely. I think when we’re in our teenage years, we have a lot of opportunities to seek solace in alienation. I’m 46, and I still like to be alone. I’ve learned that while we need time for ourselves, we put ourselves at risk if we don’t engage with our environment, particularly the people in it, our friends, families, neighbors, co-workers. Finding that balance, enough “me time” coupled with time for friends, is tricky. Willingly alienating yourself is a form of self-injury. I definitely beat myself up when I was 16. I blamed myself when I didn’t live up to standards I had set for myself. When I fell short, I disengaged and retreated into what I think was too much “me time.” Being alone too much, when you’re not feeling great, only makes you feel worse. I found that getting out and about, focusing on seeing if I could be of help to other people in my life, was energizing. Focusing on helping others to solve their problems more often than not helped me solve mine.


5.) What would you say your favorite scene in the novel is? How did you go about writing it?
I’m happiest when I see people finding comfort in each other’s company, lifting (and lighting) each other up. There’s a scene where the two main characters visit a very sick friend in the hospital. The sick person, a 10-year old girl, doesn’t dwell on her physical weakness. She lets herself be happy, and she makes the two main characters laugh. That moment is a turning point for them. They’ve both been through traumatic events that have left them deeply scarred, but they’re beginning to understand that it’s okay to be happy, and that their happiness might very well grow in spending more time with each other.


6.) If there was one book that could describe you in a nutshell, what would it be? Why?
The book I always go back to is The Alchemist. It’s a spiritual story without being religious, and it’s about not being afraid to look into your heart. I try (and fail and try again and again) to live like Paulo Coelho’s shepherd, seeking the great wealth that comes with living a peaceful, purposeful life. (The other one is The Silence of the Lambs. I love Clarice Starling. She’s a fighter. She makes mistakes, owns them fully, and she never gives up.)


7.) Would you ever consider writing a sequel or a spin-off of Burning Blue?
I pitched Burning Blue as the first book in a series featuring Jay Nazzaro, with ideas for four follow-up stories, but Penguin likes me to do one-offs. I’d love to hang out with Jay again, and I hope somehow I get a chance to do that. Jay is a good kid, other-centered, and I like being around that kind of energy. His hacking is fun too, because it’s rooted in deductive reasoning, and that kind of thinking—trying to figure out how things work and why people do what they do—stimulates me.


8.) What do you currently have in the works?
I think the next one might be a crime drama/romance set in Las Vegas. The young woman is the ride attendant at the rollercoaster that’s built on top of one of the hotels, and the young man is on his own after his big brother, a dealer at one of the casinos, is jailed for grand larceny. The girl’s kid brother, who is mentally challenged, is kidnapped, and she and the boy are determined to get the brother back. First they have to figure out who took him and why. I’m working on a couple of middle grade stories too, and an adult mystery/romance.


9.) What would you say to someone who was preparing to read Burning Blue? How would you describe it to them?
I think the short version is: Two broken people realize that while they might not ever be able to put all the pieces back together again, they can be made whole in each other’s company.


10.) What is your advice to aspiring young writers?
Write what you love. Don’t be hard on yourself or other writers. Reading with a critical eye is important, but as a teacher I’ve seen a lot of incredibly talented folks fall into negativity, both about others’ writing and their own, and this makes me really sad. Put your focus on what is working, i.e., what thrills you as you’re reading it. Also, take a break from your story for a bit and dive into someone else’s. Try to get out and do different things, meet different people. Your relationships feed your work, and the stronger they are, the clearer your writing becomes—at least that’s how it feels in my writing. Volunteering can be really helpful, because you’re seeing genuine need for help, and you’re seeing in yourself genuine power to be of help and to make the world a happier, more peaceful place, and that’s a beautiful place to be.

Thank you once again Paul for agreeing to do this interview with me!

Burning Blue

What to say about Burning Blue by Paul Griffin.....

I feel that this story poses a problem for reviewers, being that there are so many aspects to consider. Let me start with a quick plot summary. Basically, all you need to know is that this gorgeous pageant girl, Nicole Castro, is burned by battery acid, thrown on her by a jealous fiend nicknamed the Recluse. (Doesn't this kind of drama occur at your high school everyday? But of course!) And thus our hero, Jay, swoops and uses his intense hacking skills to try and attempt to crack the case.

Now I don't know about you, but I hate those "Who do you think did it?" or "It's up to you." endings. They are totally bogus and not a satisfactory or correct way to end a story. Which is why I wasn't too keen on "The Lady or the Tiger." Don't worry fellow readers, that is not something you have to worry about. But I will say this - it is the absolute last person you think did it. Which, I might add, is totally cliched. Everything nowadays is.

Expressing my true feelings on this would cause me to reveal the mind-shattering ending, and I am definitely not that mean. But saying who did it really doesn't matter because it is a messed up concept anyway.

Lately, I've been finding myself questioning the sanity of authors, and I have brought myself back to that point again with Paul Griffin. Burning Blue has so many different meanings in this story, all of which I cannot tell you, as it would reveal major plot points. (Ugh, just go out and buy it already and spare me the torture.) I have come to a deeper realization though - Paul really talks about major teen issues in this novel, issues that are important to teens today. Jealousy, cutting, inner beauty - all of these points play a major role in the story.

Despite the serious mental....issues.....that erupt from reading this, I found Burning Blue to be extremely well written, enjoyable, and a real page turner. For awhile, I wasn't reading often, but the closer I inched to the end of the book, the more hooked I became. As a person, I never felt myself feeling sorry for Nicole. There was no reason to pity her because, when you really look at it, that's not what she wanted. Nicole needed to come to the realization that she was beautiful, and so did everyone else. Only Jay saw her true beauty, her true self, her true reasons for Burning Blue.

The Book Thief

As part of a summer reading assignment, I came across Markus Zusak's The Book Thief, which is now one of my absolute favorites. Here is a letter to Mr. Zusak, explaining my emotional feelings towards his story. Warning: THERE ARE SOME SPOILERS! Skip over the letter for the review!

Dear Mr. Zusak,

             I came across your book as a summer reading assignment. Contrary to the views of some of my classmates, I did not find the size intimidating - in fact, the large volume was quite inviting. I could not fathom what would await for me inside, I only knew at that point that I was dreading having to read yet another lengthy novel. Being the novelist that your are, you would probably assume that statement to be contradictory to my previous one. Yes, Mr. Zusak, it certainly is. You see, I welcome a lengthy novel - it presents more time to love, to obsess, to lose. But when you have to read four other lengthy novels when there are five others you would rather be reading, you come to dread it. I must say that The Book Thief surprised me. But with a little help from my Literature teacher and my classmates, I was able to delve deeper into its meanings.

            Let me begin with the conclusion, or near-conclusion of the novel. I must implore you - was it honestly necessary to murder every character that I had come to love? Mr. Zusak, I truly appreciated your work, because it was an exceptional one. But was there any obvious reason for you to take a world I had come to respect, take the characters I had lived with, and simply smash them into oblivion? I would very much like to learn your reasons behind doing so. If I may, I would like to make a small comparison to John Green's The Fault in Our Stars. Everything was going so well in the story, well, as well as things can go for a couple that has one half living with cancer that is likely terminal. It was all somewhat sunshine and daisies until Green takes it upon himself to give the other half of the couple highly-terminal cancer. And yes, Mr. Zusak, that half does perish before the story's end. So again I reiterate  - why is there a reason to crush the hopes and dreams of one very intrigued reader? Nonetheless, there is another aspect of this tragic ending that I greatly appreciated. The conclusion was real and true. I have often told myself that one day I would write a story in which nothing had a happy ending. I do not find that to be a morbid thought, and I believe that you would understand why. Too many stories end with a happy ending. I believe we have Walt Disney to thank for that. You comprehend that not everything in life is rainbows and butterflies, and it was evident in the way you presented the ending of the story.

            In addition, I would like to hone in on your narrator. I found it brilliant that you used the being of Death to present the story. To me, Death had a story. I asked myself, "What if Death is Liesel Meminger?" Now, at this point you probably think I am going way too deep into this, which I probably am. But if you think about it, in some twisted, parallel universe, it could be true. Imagine this: years ago Death began to get tired of its monotonous life. So, it went on a journey to find an identity. Death came across a story of a girl named Liesel Meminger. It became so consumed in the girl's story, the story of her life that she herself had penned, that Death assumed the life of the girl. So in that sense, Death could truly have been Liesel. Now, in a more realistic sense, Death was the shadowy figure of a teenage boy. That was probably much easier to comprehend. I truly believe that the story would have been utterly different if Death had been removed as the narrator, but not as a character. Death's insights caused you to look at life in a different way. Life has struggles that must be endured, but none can be as difficult as the life lived by Death. Death had courage in the sense that he took things as they came, despite the fact that he wanted nothing more than to escape his personal monotonous circle of hell.

            Furthermore, I would like to discuss with you the importance of books. Obviously as an author, you can greatly appreciated and truly comprehend the wonders of books. Mr. Zusak, if I may, were you ever in a position as a child where you needed an escape from reality? I can honestly say that I found myself in that position often. Subconsciously, I believe I used books as an outlet of escape. Sometimes, I feel I immerse myself so much into a story that it becomes a bit unhealthy. I believe the term "fangirling" would apply? I know this is certainly something I can lecture to you about, free of judgment. I hope you can agree with me in saying that words have much power. I recently delved into a bit of that power in Theology class. But that is besides the point. Words can have a wide affect on people, especially in a book. You proved that with your use of Mein Kamp in the novel. But words not only have the power to control, but they have the power to enlighten and to scare. Many people discourage themselves from books due to the fact that they see many words and feel fear. They tell themselves, "It would just be easier to watch the movie." But we both know, they are the ones who lose the joy that a number of pieces of paper, all bundled together, can bring.

            Above all, Mr. Zusak, I would like to commend you on your overall fabulous novel. It was nothing like I had read before, and the new spin on a popular topic in historical fiction was exceptional. I never could have thought that Death could be such an adored narrator. Even though I have read many a novel in which characters I came to love were lost, I never experienced such emotional distress as I did with The Book Thief. I sincerely hope that there will come a day that I will you will share with me the unknown wonders of your novel, for it was truly one that I will remember and recommend for quite some time. Congratulations, Mr. Zusak, on a job well done.

_________________________________________________________

The Book Thief brings more meaning to the little things in life. Liesel was stripped of her family and shipped of to a new one, where she spent a life poor in material things, but rich in love. She had her best friend Rudy, her new parents Ilsa and Hans, and she had the books which brought her joy and importantly, freedom in a time when it was scarce. Our narrator, Death, opens our eyes through his little "gems" which offer advice on life's littlest and biggest issues. So let me just say that 

The Book Thief will cause you great emotional distress, it will cause you to fall in love with it, and it will teach you how to open your eyes to the little things that matter. Most importantly, it will teach you that the world is much bigger than you. The world is a story - your's is just a few pages.