Book Reviews

Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives

Author: David Eagleman

4.5/5 Stars

Emily Johnson | 13 March 2015 | 30 N Staff

Have you ever wondered what happens after you die? Author David Eagleman wrestles with this same question in his book Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives. In this collection of essays published in 2009 Eagleman writes forty short essays, each describing a different afterlife that could exist after we die. While reading the book I was completely enthralled.

It is a great book for a reader who might not want to follow one story from beginning to end. You can jump around, or read it cover to cover. It is a short read at only 110 pages. Each version of an afterlife is only a couple of pages long so it is great for someone who might not have time to commit to a full chapter of a different story. Also, each story is different. One might think that after reading forty different stories, they might start to sound the same. On the contrary, each tale is completely different. Some are a bit dark whereas others are funny. For example in one of the stories, a person becomes a horse in the afterlife. In another Eagleman paints the picture that God is a married couple. There is no shortage to the creativity that colors each story. There is something different for everyone. No matter what a person may believe now, there is at least one story that they can find comfort in.

Eagleman convinces the reader that the afterlife can be whatever they so choose. They can create their own afterlife. There is some comfort in that realization, but there is also a completely different type of power. We can control out living life, as well as our afterlife.

Eagleman is a unique writer because he got a Bachelor’s degree in Literature; however, he is currently a neuroscientist. What a switch! He studies time perception, synesthesia among other things in his own lab. None of the essays are particularly scientific. Though some are logical, but some are based completely in fantasy. Eagleman used this book as a way to explore forty unheard of theories of the afterlife. Each story is more believable than the next. I highly recommend Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives David Eagleman

Now there’s a new question to ask ourselves: which afterlife do we want to go to? Check out Sum to find out.

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A Gate at the Stairs

Author: Lorrie Moore

4/5 Stars

Stephanie Passialis | 06 March 2015 | 30 N Staff

I was first introduced to this fascinating read by one of my English professors for a course on theory. The novel, written by Lorrie Moore, follows the life of her narrator Tassie Keltjin, a twenty-year-old college student who pursues a baby-sitting job for an odd, white couple who adopts a biracial baby at the wake of 9/11 (and, clearly, problems ensue). Simultaneously troublesome and riveting in its tale, the story provides extraordinary commentary on race, politics, sexuality, love and war in the midst of the American tragedy. Perhaps more captivating is Lorrie Moore’s astounding writing abilities. As a stylist, she utilizes each and every word of her prose to some end-game, and it shows. Every line reads like poetry, forcing the reader to slow down and grasp the meaning and lyricism of her words. Provocative and telling, A Gate at the Stairs is certainly a must-read for any writer hoping to improve his or her own style in writing.

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Hint Fiction: An Anthology of Stories in 25 Words or Fewer

Edited by: Robert Swartwood

5/5 Stars

Katie Draves | 20 February 2015 | 30 N Staff

This book was recommended to me by a librarian at Oesterle Library, and I wasn’t disappointed. I was pretty curious as I opened the first page. What effect can a very, very, very short story have? Apparently, a big one. The idea was inspired by Ernest Hemingway, who created the first “six-word story” (For sale: baby shoes, never worn). The purpose of the stories is to evoke enough thought to finish a much larger story in the reader’s brain. I can honestly say every single story in this book grabbed my attention, pulled my heartstrings, and really made me think. There are also some famous writers featured such as Joyce Carol Oates, Peter Straub, and Stephen Dunn. All in all, this was very satisfying reading experience and I highly recommend it to the curious reader.