"Poor People" by William T. Vollmann

314 pages

William T. Vollmann has never been poor, but as a journalist he has seen a lot of poor people. This got him thinking, so as he traveled around the world he began asking the impoverished a single question: "Why are you poor?" They responded in shocking different ways. For Buddhists in Thailand, the answer was simple: They had done something wrong in a previous life. Mexicans attributed their ill fortune to the misdoings of the rich; in Yemen, the poor refused to acknowledge their poverty because to do so would show ingratitude to Allah and make it seem like they weren't satisfied with what they had been given. The Japanese also tended to deny being poor, but for a different reason: personal shame. Vollmann's stories shed light on the complex factors that contribute to poverty in different parts of the world, with lots of photographs to illustrate what he's talking about.

This book does a great job of explaining different factors that create poverty and is especially good at humanizing the impoverished people he talked to and got to know. He took the time to get to know them so he could share their stories well, and the photographs also help the subjects feel real. One thing I don't like is that although the entire final section of the book is called "Hope," I really didn't feel hopeful at all at the conclusion of the book. It doesn't seem like any of the people he talked to were making progress toward getting out of poverty, and he doesn't offer any solutions or strategies for helping. I didn't expect him to find the answer, but I guess that the title of the last section got my hopes up for some kind of happy ending. Nevertheless, "Poor People" creates a well-rounded picture of poverty through a combination of in-depth research (Vollmann did LOTS--check out the works cited in the back) and personal anecdotes.

Matched

by Ally Condie
384 pages
2010

In a Utopian society, Cassia Reyes has just turned 17 and is going to the Match Banquet to receive her match assignment, the person that has been chosen for her to marry and procreate with. Unprecedentedly she is matched with her best friend Xander. After the ceremony, once she is home, she views the Xander's biography and another boy's face appears at the end of the video. She knows him too. Now she starts to question the validity of her match to Xander as well as the control the Society has over everything and the rules they enforce.
I found this to be a very quick read, somewhat reminiscent of other young adult, near-future, rebellious teenager novels. Some comparisons can be made between Cassia and Katniss from the Hunger Games novels, though Katniss is far more advanced rebellion-wise. My only complaint is why do so many young adult novels these days have to be set up for an entire series. Sometimes I do want the story to end.

The Age of Innocence

by Edith Wharton, 217 pages 

In New York's Gilded Age, society reigns supreme, and Newland Archer thinks this is how it should be.  He is engaged to the lovely May Welland, has an undemanding job at a law office, and enjoys the conventions of the world in which he lives.  All these comforts are challenged with the arrival of his fiance's scandalous cousin, Countess Ellen Olenska.  In his attempts to keep his civilized world free of scandal, he draws closer to the intriguing Ellen and begins to dream of a different life, one not allowed by society.  This book won the Pulitzer Prize in 1921.

"The Age of Innocence" is a compelling story of a man torn between desire and responsibility.  Wharton's New York backdrop is richly detailed, and her dialog is layered with subtext of a world that doesn't speak about the things that matter.  For me, this book was poignant and thoughtful and maybe a little depressing, but I still really enjoyed it.  I recommend this to anyone interested in history or social issues.

Matched by Ally Condie

“The two desires struggle within me: the desire to be safe, and the desire to know. I cannot tell which one will win.”

Cassia lives in a future society where nothing is left to chance. The Society knows everything, especially what is best for you.  The Society controls everything from where you work, what you eat, who you will marry and even when you die. Cassia believes in the beauty and ease of her world until after her matching ceremony she sees not just her best friend Xander-who was her official match-but also another boy. One that she also knows.

What I liked about Match was the realistic way in which we watch Cassia, for lack of better term, wake up. She starts out naive and trusting in this perfect world where the Society just wants everyone to be happy and equal.  The emotions brought by loss, a gift of something as dangerous as forbidden words and a potential love not foreseen by the Society is enough to bring Cassia into a storm of uncertainty and growth.  The secondary characters are nicely developed and do not conform to where we expect them to go in a typical dystopia. An introspective novel that encourages thought about the directions society can take us if we let it.  Fans of the Hunger Games or the Giver will most likely eat this one up.  2010, 384 pages.