To further lower myself in the minds of some people–the only reason I picked up this book was because Oprah mentioned that Cooper talks about his time in Sarajevo in it.
I don’t watch CNN (seven channels, man–what can you do?), and I had never known anything about Anderson Cooper aside from the fact that he was, indeed, a Vanderbilt “heir” of sorts. Aside from that, I knew nothing about the man. I thought he was probably just one of those spoiled bastards one hears about who’s too rich for his own good and so thinks he can play God by “going to the fronts.” Honestly, I still kind of feel that way about him–mainly because I’ve seen him on television.
However, Cooper is able to express himself intelligently and make some very astute observations concerning the nature of the human condition. And also manages to move people while he’s at it. This book was a pretty good read–ESPECIALLY when one considers how short it is (212 pages–I believe that’s shorter even than The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn).
Ultimately, the novel follows Cooper through his own journey of self-discovery (covering briefly his moments as a child and a teenager–also reporting the suicide of his brother) as he travels from one war-torn, disaster-stricken place to the next. Cooper talks of his reports on Sri Lanka and India (after the tsunami), Iraq (and, as a slight aside, Bosnia and Herzegovina), Niger (and in the process, of other genocides on which he’s reported), and New Orleans after it was struck by Hurrican Katrina. And, throughout each section of the novel, Cooper manages to share the various lessons he’s learned in his travels in a clear, concise manner.
Which is why I like this book–though he certainly uses the pain and suffering in each place to illustrate what he’s learned for the reader, Cooper states outright what he’s learned. Not necessarily because he thinks the reader is too stupid to figure it out for him- or herself (well, maybe), but because it gives a sense of closure, a conclusion, if you will, and in a way (I find) incites the reader to want to learn more about the incidents on which Cooper has reported and (perhaps) do something about them. Personally, when Cooper started on his chapter of Niger, I was so deeply affected by what he had presented me that I promptly started to shake with the weight of what he had to say. It was impossible not to–his words, very simple, yet poetic in their way, were that powerful.
Honestly, if I could, I would give the book a 5 out of 5 rating. The only real problem I have with it is that I didn’t feel he fully explained his own trauma well enough for me to be satisfied. He went into great detail dissecting each reporting event in his life, but I found that–though I do understand suicide is a painful topic to broach, and even to analyse–he didn’t seem to… want to understand why he acts the way he does–going off to the most dangerous places in the world in an attempt to forget his own pain. I just didn’t feel he explored his own personal pain enough–in fact, he seemed somewhat detached when making reference to his brother…
Either way, though–the novel is very moving and very powerful. I liked it enough that I brought it to work with me to finish it.
Favourite Quotation:
“In movies, people drown peacefully, giving in to the pull of the water, taken by the tug of the tide. These pictures tell a different story. There is no dignity in drowning, no silent succumbing to the water’s ebb and flow. It’s violent, and painful, a shock to the heart. Everyone drowns alone. Even in death, their corpses scream.” (24) – The first time I read this paragraph, I actually did a double-take and read it again, so pronounced was the feeling it evoked in my mind…
Has anyone noticed (I don’t know if this is only in Canada or not) the seeming exodus of Asian people now on television? I mean, first it was Sandra Oh on Grey’s Anatomy, and honestly, I was excited she was on that show, because she’s a really good actress and I so enjoyed watching her getting into trouble at the hospital every Sunday night.
But then, on countless celebrity gossip shows (read: eTalk) and even news programs (ABC was the one I had noticed, I think), I’m seeing an almost insane number of Korean people, who are clearly Korean thanks to names like Sook-yoo, and Eun-lee, and Chae-rin. What I’m wondering is: why are there so many? There are definitely not so many Korean people in Canada and the United States that they would be considered the majoral representatives of the minority populations in North America. For example, in the United States at least, shouldn’t they be choosing an African-American or a Hispano-American for that representation? Why all the Koreans?
I understand that everyone loves Sandra Oh on Grey’s Anatomy and all, and I get the fact that before now minorities were grossly misrepresented on television, but I don’t see why they are now only portrayed by people with the last names of Kim or Pak or Jang. Why not throw a Brown in there? Or an Ortiz? I mean, why is Hollywood now being so seemingly… prejudiced when it presents America with its minorities? I don’t get it at all…
Television, you stink.