Thursday, September 22, 2005

Literary Circle Mark II

This week we are recommending Forever by Pete Hamill. A stirring book about Cormac O'Connor, a young immigrant who gets caught up in the fight against slavery in 18th century Manhattan. O'Connor is given a special gift after saving the life of an African holy man. Lets go right to our panel for their comments:

Professor Eugene Levin:
I liked how Hamill managed to balance the spiritual with reality. Hamill's former book Snow in August attempted to do the same thing with Judaism and ended up seeming silly. In this book, Hamill has managed to create a world where the spirituality seems plausible and blends right in. The dialogue is organic, the world rich and vibrant. Wonderful read.

Gemal Watkins:
I liked how Forever demonstated the intelligence that African slaves possessed when getting off the boat and the fierceness with which they fought. Hamill explores the deep world of African spirituality in a deep and understanding way. It also shows a white man fighting for the freedom of black slaves as early as 1730, which is nice to see. This is an excellent read for any culture.

Jerry O'Connell:
I didn't have time to read this because I'm getting married to Rebecca Romijin. Suck it John Stamos.

Steve Smith:
This book makes me embarassed to be English, which to be quite honest I'm already embarassed about for many other reasons. Hamill's retelling of English colonization and the brutal way the Irish were treated is realistic and honest. He is an excellent storyteller. The ending of this book is also worth every page. I've read it twice more since you gave it to me.

Eminent American Historian Howard Ambrose:
As a dead American historian, I know the truth to every event in American history, and I can tell you Hamill portrays some of the most famous American citizens in a compassionate and realistic manner. Now that I'm dead, I know George Washington quite well and he really is quite an asshole. Plus he loves all the attention he gets down on Earth. Historically, this book is very accurate and shows some of the most important events in American history. Well done!

Temperance Lewis:
I enjoy the amount of romance in this book. Cormac is such a sweet guy and very likeable. The ending of this book made me faint and when I woke up I discovered I was also crying.

Brett Evans:
Yeah, I liked it also.

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