Potpourri

I tried reading Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell but only made it half way through. I'm not sure exactly what to say about the book other than that it didn't capture my attention. Maybe I'll revisit it in a few months. I'm presently reading one of the recent Star Wars novels, Dark Nest: Unseen Queen.

My science fiction/fantasy media class is going well. At the halfway point we've watched and analyzed:

The Thing From Another World
The Day the Earth Stood Still
War of the Worlds
Forbidden Planet
T2: Judgment Day
The Matrix
Ghost in the Shell
Ella Enchanted

The students seem to enjoy the class. I think I already have a title for next year's class: Kryptonite, Cowls, and Caped Crusaders: Superheroes & Superheroines as Equipment for Living. The entire class will focus on various incarnations, and the critique of, superpowered characters in television & film. Who knows, maybe I'll have them read a graphic novel, too.

Anyone who hasn't been living under a rock now knows that James Frey's substance abuse/recovery memoir, A Million Little Pieces, isn't really an authentic piece of non-fiction. Frey took a bit of artistic license and exaggerated key components in his story.* From what I've read, and I haven't spent a ton of time following this story, he spiced up a handful of his drinking stories and made his bottom look lower than it really was. If his book helps other people get and stay sober, who cares if Frey took a bit of artistic license. I sure don't. What I am concerned about is Frey's personal program of recovery. When I first started down the road to recovery, my sponsor demanded honesty. By his way of thinking, we told half-truths and lies for most of our drinking/drugging careers. When we decided to get sober, we made the decision to not only quit drinking but to start being truthful with ourselves and others. This is one of the fundamental principles of most recovery programs. Maybe Frey's program of recovery doesn't require rigorous honesty. To each their own. Still, since learning of Frey's exaggerations I've wondered how many other parts of his story he doctored. I've even asked myself, "Is he really sober?" I hope he is.

*In recovery talk, your "story" is the series of events leading up to your decision to get sober. A good story talks about a person's bottom but, more importantly, tells the tale of getting and living sober. All too often, people get wrapped up in their "drunkalog" and forget to share about staying sober. That's the important part, folks. Drinking/drugging is the easy part; getting sober and staying that way is the part that takes courage, strength, and determination.