Week 12 Prompt Response

The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown

Where is the book on the narrative continuum?

A mix

What is the subject of the book?

The US Olympic Rowing Team that won the 1936 Berlin Olympics and to a lesser extent the building of the Olympic facilities in Germany in anticipation of the Olympics

What type of book is it?

Historical reporting, focusing on the personalities, German and American, who played roles in the build-up to the crew competitions of 1936, and an examination of the sport of rowing as a whole

Articulate Appeal

What is the pacing of the book?

The book feels “measured” in its pacing, much like the discipline of a crew, with its sequential build-up of victories and milestones for the University of Washington crew and its regular departures into German activity of the time and treatises on rowing.  Some of these details might lead to an overall leisurely pace but for that the story benefits from a boost in its pacing by communicating a very clear idea of where its going in the subtitle concerning the 1936 Olympics.  (Wyatt, 2007)

Describe the characters of the book:

The book has a “large-cast” feel with some standout secondary characters like Leni Riefenstahl (Wyatt, 2007).  The fairly rapid character development and the action-oriented nature of the descriptions of the members of the crew also quickens the pace of the book while giving readers many personalities to look back on (Wyatt, 2007).

How does the story feel?

But for the tangents of boat-building and boat-handling along with bits of philosophy, the book has a strong narrative, providing a clearly “mapped” plot for readers to follow (Wyatt, 2007).

What is the intent of the author?

The author’s intent seems to be to “educate” readers about the art of rowing and to “report” about a significant moment in the history of crew and the world on the brink of war (Wyatt, 2007).

What is the focus of the story?

The book does not have a “sole-focus,” but its several foci come together narratively quite seamlessly (Wyatt, 2007).  Focusing on the techniques of rowing, the history of rowing in the U.S. and Britain, the landscape of rowing competition in the U.S., the construction of the Olympic facilities in Germany, the individuals who came together in all of these areas, and the 1936 event itself, the book covers much ground but at a clip that is noteworthy.

Does the language matter?

The language matters a great deal in this book.  The highly descriptive and  lyric nature of the language goes a long way in communicating the complexity and beauty of the sport of rowing into something the reader can understand and feel significant empathy for (Wyatt, 2007).

Is the setting important and well described?

The often rural setting juxtaposed against the militarism and propaganda of Germany, the harsh training conditions that the rowers experience; these elements are important to the story.  Also, the boat itself as setting becomes a centerpiece of the story and is highly described and contextualized for readers.

Are there details and, if so, of what?

There is quite a bit of detail in the book concerning boat design and construction, training methods, rowing methodology, rowing philosophy, and the backstories of characters.  The amount detail lends itself quite well to the author’s intent of “education” (Wyatt, 2007).

Are there sufficient charts and other graphic materials?  Are they useful and clear?

There are no charts or graphs in the book, though there are some pictures that capture the youth and unpresumptuous nature of the crew.

Does the book stress moments of learning, understanding, or experience?

Though the book is highly narrative and through a combination of choices surprisingly fast-paced for all of the detail, it does seem to spend a lot of effort in creating moments to engender learning and understanding of the sport and craft of rowing.

Why would a reader enjoy this book (rank appeal)?

1. The measured pace of this historical narrative makes for an accessible reading experience.

2. The hodgepodge of characters and their ultimate coming together to overcome fuels the narrative to a large degree.

3. The lyric nature of the language is a pleasure to read and seems to capture the spirit of the sport of rowing.

Work Cited:

Wyatt, N. (2007). The Readers' Advisory Guide to NonFiction. Chicago: American Library Association.

Week 11 Prompt Response

For me ebooks and audiobooks are utilitarian.  Ebooks are convenient and audiobooks are an efficient way to ingest books I don’t feel I have time for otherwise.  I am even pretty comfortable listening at 1.5 times the original speed of the recording.  However, I have a friend who mostly only reads audiobooks and seems to have strongly formed opinions about narrators.  I’m not sure what all of his appeal factors might be but there is something about Mediatore’s “audible presentation” appeal factor at work here (2003).  
  
This new appeal factor specific to audiobooks is kind of fascinating, though for me, really hard to quantify.  If a reader really likes a narrator it’s pretty easy to set them up with other books read by that narrator, but how do you find read-alikes?  Maybe it works to identify the level of celebrity a narrator possesses.  Some readers enjoy and some stories might be invigorated by a famous personality.  For example, I really want Morgan Freeman to continue to be able to give me directions on the Waze app (but I think that feature has been discontinued), but if Morgan Freeman tried to read a Thomas Mann book to me it might take me out of it too much.  Some stories benefit perhaps from a lower profile celebrity or sometime performer with talent in the area of performance but with less unique flair that might distract from what the author is trying to accomplish.  But “audible presentation” isn’t just about the narrator and their ability to “characterize” and capture the tone of the book with their voice, it includes musical flourishes, sound quality, and track length among other aspects (Mediatore, 2003).  These unique aspects of audiobooks are all suddenly production details that add in to the variability of a reader’s experience of a text that we used to think of as mainly the author’s.  Suddenly we can’t think just about the textual appeal factors that we’ve relied on, we’ve got to think about this new appeal factor, audible presentation, too.  

Ebooks experience a similar effect in the ability of the reader to change aspects of the textual experience they’re having, though since these are solely under the control of the user and their device it’s even harder to track.  Things like font size can affect pacing, font color can affect tone, not to mention the lack of a tactile experience of the progress one has made in a book through the heft and visual thickness of each half of the book and how that affects the sense of pace (Dunneback, 2011).  For example, I used to predict the “perp” in Law & Order based on how far through the episode we had progressed.  (It’s never the suspect that’s brought forth in the first twenty minutes, they spring it on you in the last few minutes.)  This is an aspect of the genre and because I have a wall clock and the show starts on the hour I can adjust my expectations of the plot.  This is much less so when the consistent variable of start time and the measurement device of a wall clock are compromised or taken away completely.  This is also true of the physical feel of a book.  I’ve totally sat and looked at the last third of pages I’ve yet to begin in a book and surmised, “Hmm.  The third act…”  These sorts of orienting tactics within a plot or genre are part of the comfort and craft of genre fiction.  Ebooks take much of this away and for this reason may work for different genres better than others.  I wonder if it’s less fun to read a plot-bound Mystery as an ebook with few physical reminders of your progress than it is to read a Fantasy as an ebook that simply keeps spawning the “landscape” you’re interested in at the touch of your finger (Saricks, 2009).

Works Cited:

Dunneback, K. (2011). E-books and Readers' Advisory. Reference & User Services Quarterly, (4), 325.

Mediatore, Kaite. (2003). Reading with Your Ears: Readers' Advisory and Audio Books. Reference & User Services Quarterly, (4), 318.

Saricks, J. (2009). The Readers' Advisory Guide to Genre Fiction. Chicago, IL: American Library Association.

Book Annotation-Fantasy

Author: Ursula K. LeGuin

Title: A Wizard of Earthsea

Genre: Fantasy

Publication Date: 1968

Number of Pages: 182

Geographical Setting: The Archipelago, Earthsea (fictional place)

Time Period: NA

Series: The Earthsea Cycle, Book 1

Subject Headings: Fantasy, Magic, Wizards, Fiction

Appeal Terms: Classics, Fantasy fiction, High fantasy, Flawed, Introspective, World-building, Atmospheric, Suspenseful, Compelling, Richly detailed

Plot Summary:

Sparrowhawk, whose true name is Ged, is born the youngest child of a bronze smith in the northern reaches of the world of Earthsea.  Early on Sparrowhawk shows a natural ability for wizardry and works a fantastic feat of magic that saves his village from armed invaders when only 12 years of age.  Later Sparrowhawk is sent to be educated on the Isle of the Wise and there, in pride and hatred of a schoolfellow, uses his as yet immature abilities to work a spell that nearly costs him his life and allows a creature from the land of the dead to cross over to Earthsea.  Through a series of adventures Sparrowhawk comes to realize he must face the creature or be turned to its evil will, becoming a force for destruction and death in the world.

LeGuin’s book exhibits many aspects of the fantasy genre.  Central to the story is the power of magic, which is Saricks’ main defining feature of any fantasy story (2009).  This is revealed in the title and even the first few lines of the book that speak of wizards and magical creatures like dragons.  Beyond that, though, there are several other aspects found in A Wizard of Earthsea that root it in the Fantasy tradition. 

The book speaks at length about the idea of balance and equilibrium in the world and establishes through these discussions the “relational” nature of the story’s main character, Sparrowhawk, and his magical abilities to everything else in the world (Saricks, 2009).  LeGuin also gives us a complex character with flaws in Sparrowhawk, but also one that is assuredly “good” versus other forces that are assuredly “evil,” another hallmark of Fantasy (Saricks, 2009).  Lastly, LeGuin’s book has an “affirming” ending set in a world that “never could be,” while supplying details of the setting that “ground the story” while also “world-building” around a core of magical powers (Saricks, 2009).   

Fiction Read-Alikes:

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

For those interested in Fantasy Classics, Tolkien’s book, much like LeGuin’s, is a must-read.  Sharing a similar quest-like story line and appeal factors relating to the Fantasy genre as well as World-Building, Bilbo Baggins, the reluctant adventurer, serves as a nice counterpoint to Sparrowhawk, the over-eager young wizard.

Flyte by Angie Sage, Septimus Heap, Book 2

A story of friendship and danger revolving around the use of magic and the young wizard’s apprentice, Septimus Heap, Sage’s book shares themes of facing one’s fears and qualifying oneself for one’s destiny with LeGuin’s book.  Flyte also shares the appeal factors of Fantasy Fiction, High Fantasy, World-building, and Suspenseful with A Wizard of Earthsea.  Though with more of a sense of humor than LeGuin, Sage’s series promises a long immersion in a world apart from our own seen from multiple perspectives much like LeGuin’s Earthsea Cycle.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter, Book 6

Another classic of Fantasy, though more modern, the story of a young wizard discovering more and more of his ability while operating under a heavy doom ties this book closely to LeGuin’s.  Sharing the appeal factors of Fantasy fiction, World-building, Suspenseful, and Compelling the plot of Rowling’s book weaves tragedy, self-discovery, and action/adventure around a core of magical spells, creatures, and schoolmasters not unlike LeGuin’s 9 Masters of Roke and the Archmage.

Nonfiction Read-Alike:

Merlin: the Prophet and his History by Geoffrey Ashe

Ashe’s book delves into the magical stories of the medieval world, cataloging and organizing folklore about Merlin, the Arthurian wizard.  The book also follows the thread of the real life of Myrddin Emrys, the Welsh prophet, upon whom many of the stories of Merlin seem to be based.  This anthropological work, though concerned with facts and myths from an objective outside view, promises to open up another world of thought and history much like Fantasy does in the fiction realm.

Work Cited:

Saricks, J. (2009). The Readers' Advisory Guide to Genre Fiction. Chicago, IL: American Library Association.