When Gender Roles Change, Does That Change Fiction?

Two consecutive events got me thinking about gender roles and writing: On Nov. 16, my book club discussed Herman Wouk's novel Marjorie Morningstar, and on Nov. 17, Doris Lessing, author of The Golden Notebook, died. The assumptions about gender roles in the two works represent quite different views. Published in the 1950s and set in the 1930s, Marjorie Morningstar tells the story of a young New York Jewish girl who rebels against social expectations and dreams of becoming an actress, only to end up (chastened by lost illusions and lost virginity) as a conventional (but happy) wife and mother. It is a book that reflects the traditional views of my mother. Moving on to the 1960s, The Golden Notebook's protagonist is a writer and single mother, Anna Wulf, whose psychic fragmentation is expressed in the novel's format of story interposed with Anna's notebooks: a black notebook for her youth in Africa, which formed the basis of her one successful novel; a red notebook for Cold War politics and her disillusion with Communism; a yellow notebook for a fictionalized self; and a blue notebook as an intimate diary. Anna seeks to weave together all the pieces of her reality in one "golden notebook." A favorite of feminists at the time, the book deals frankly with female sexuality, work, love, men, marriage and motherhood. It is a book that echoes many of my feelings as a working wife and mother at a time when gender equality was an unrealized dream. Fast forward to the 21st century. "We've come a long way, baby," and the majority of millennial women (which includes my daughter) tell researchers that they believe they live in a world without gender barriers, where they can have both a rewarding professional career and a fulfilling personal life. "Balance" is their mantra, with seven in 10 listing a "work/life balance" as an important quality of the successful female business leader. So successful writing now must create female protagonists who transcend gender roles. But that's actually nothing new. Both Marjorie Morningstar and The Golden Notebook are really about the desire for, and obstacles to, self-realization regardless of gender--which is why the books continue to be read despite some sweeping social changes. To quote Doris Lessing: “What's terrible is to pretend that second-rate is first-rate. To pretend that you don't need love when you do; or you like your work when you know quite well you're capable of better.” Current and future generations still face those issues; gender bias simplified or complicated but did not remove such challenges.

In Disaster Tales, We Seek Guides to Survival

I currently find myself immersed in coverage of the typhoon aftermath in the Philippines. Why is there such a public fascination with disaster, whether natural or man-made? Sure, there is a vicarious thrill from imagined terrors while reassuringly safe on a comfy sofa in a climate-controlled den, but I think it goes deeper. It's really the survivor stories we want to hear. The silent dead and destroyed buildings are only backdrops. We are all vulnerable to unexpected disaster, from a natural catastrophe to a personal crisis like a car crash or cancer, and we want to be survivors, too. There are many great true-story books about disaster and survival to guide us. Just a few that I've read: Isaac's Storm by Erik Larson about the 1900 Galveston hurricane; the classic A Night to Remember by Walter Lord; The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger; Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer; and Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. From these, I would boil disaster survival down to three ingredients: luck (which I can't control), preparedness (which I can purchase with supplies, training and support services) and the right mindset. This last, the psychology of the survivor, is the secret that I think we seek in disaster stories. People who survive seem to stay calm and clear-headed, to take quick appropriate actions, and to remain adaptable and resilient. Why aren't they paralyzed or panicked by fear and hopelessness? The answer seems to be that survivors conquer fear with their faith in a positive outcome. The source of that faith can be religious belief or scientific knowledge or disciplined self-reliance. But, basically, to survive, you often need to believe in your own survival despite the odds. So feed your faith to starve your fears, as the proverb says, and check out some of these inspiring disaster tales on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Best-Disaster-Books/lm/160WDNETXV59H

Meeting the Challenge of Holiday Book Giving

Retailers have replaced the Halloween decorations with Christmas glitter, and I just realized that books, which used to be at the top of my holiday shopping list, have slipped from favor this year. In the past, I had an algorithm for selecting gift reading material: I started with the recipient's personal basics (sex, age, politics, favorite pastimes, etc.) and added in our relationship (close enough for me to know fiction preferences or distant enough that a generic "desserts of the world" was more apropos). Then I divided the sum of factors into the recommended best-sellers and, voila, several potential book gifts were calculated. My selection sometimes missed the mark, but it was often better, or at least no worse, than a sweater in the wrong size and color or an unneeded gadget. This year, I face several complicating factors. Many people now opt for e-books over paper copies, so I need to know not only preferred reading content but preferred reading format. Also, more and more people tell me they don't have the time or inclination to read hours of prose. Scratch them from the book gift list. I'm seeing in my own life that many how-to books (cook books, gardening guides, medical manuals, etc.) have been reduced to clutter now that I can get information as needed from Google search, Pinterest and Wikipedia. How about those beautiful "coffee table" picture books about French chateaus, Picasso or tropical birds? Well, the formal living room where people sat down to converse in front of a coffee table is becoming passé. It's about casual, open-plan living, and parties with the kitchen and a flat-screen TV as focal points; oversized books in that environment are just magnets for wine stains. That said, I assure you that I do have books on my holiday shopping list--just for a smaller and more select group than in the past. A book that opens up worlds of imagination, knowledge and inspiration, in whatever format delivered, is one of the most thoughtful and long-lasting pleasures I have received, and I'm sure others will agree. Of course, Amazon.com offers a trove of recommendations for holiday book gifts, but here is a shorter list from squidoo.com to get your 2013 shopping started: http://www.squidoo.com/top-books-for-christmas