Best 'Morose' Reads of 2012

This picture has nothing to do with anything...just makes me laugh (image: flickr - Bede Jackson)

Selected from the books I read and reviewed in the year 2012. 

Worthy of Mention: The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man

by James Weldon Johnson

Review here.

Chosen for explaining the emotional torment of a man living a lie in order to survive. Its sad yet honest reflection on the question of race sheds light on a dark issue that is rarely acknowledged. 

3. Man Gone Down 

by Michael Thomas

Review here.

Chosen for its gloomy depiction of a broken man in a broken family, trying to make the American Dream. The utter hopelessness in the stream-of-conscious narrative is raw, poetic and intellectual. 

2. Drowning Ruth 

by Christina Schwarz

Review here.

Chosen for its somber portrayal of a family stripped down by shame, secrets and mental illness. The subtle mystery lining the flashbacks reveal imperfect characters that are perfect to read about and relate to. 

1. Coal Black Horse 

by Robert Olmstead

Review here. 

Chosen for its powerful language, and vivid and organic imagery of death. A seemingly impossible journey during a time of war instills unforgettable lessons upon anyone who reads them. 

A Few Morose Pieces of World Literature...I really enjoyed

La familia de Pascual Duarte - The Family of Pascual Duarte
by Camilo Jose Cela (Spain)

I don't know if its been translated to English, but I hope so because I think everyone should read it. For those who like reading banned books, this is a must-read. It reflects rural life in Spain right before the beginning of the Franco regime. Its protagonist is a very religious, young man, who can only express himself through extreme violence...I want to say more, but it's a short book. Sad and disturbing. 

The Good Earth 
by Pearl S. Buck (USA/China)

Yes, I know. Pearl S. Buck is an American writer, but she spent most of her time in China and wrote this amazing book (which won her the Pulitzer and the Nobel Prize in Lit.). It's a beautifully written piece centering around peasant life in China, with a deep and simple story about tradition, change, love and hardship, and the flawed humans that endure through it all. Absolutely love this book. 

Santa maria de las flores negras - Santa Maria of the Black Flowers
by Hernan Rivera Letelier (Chile)

Once again, I'm not sure if this has been translated from Spanish to English...However, its a realistic fictionalization of a horrific happening--the Santa Maria school massacre. It's about nitrate miners going on  strike and coming together to change their poor working conditions. Very sad and true work of historical fiction.

A Few Morose Books...I did not like.

Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
(Description via Goodreads)

This is one of the most depressing books I have ever read and surprisingly, I didn't like it. I read it almost six years ago when I was in high school (this may have influenced my dislike a little). Times were tough. I get it...I didn't cry when I read this. In fact, I know I thought "alright, when's this going to be over"...and the ending was pretty lame, if I remember correctly. 

I'm all for revisiting text and authors--I had to try Hemingway many times before I decided I liked him, but I don't think it will be the case with this McCourt memoir-masterpiece.

The Jungle by Upton Sinclair 

(Description via Goodreads)

I had similar sentiments towards this one as I did with Angela's Ashes. A lot of bad things happen and I lost interest midway.

I'm still not convinced this is a great piece of literature, as it is an interesting piece of propaganda. But it was intriguing to know that this book influenced food safety policy by exposing the meat-packing industry. I always thought Hot dogs were weird items for human consumption. 

Where Sinclair lost me completely was the end. Socialism as the answer to all problems--gone. Point of no return. 

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
(Description via Goodreads)

I'm pretty sure everyone has read this American Classic and almost everyone I know thought it was great. I didn't. 

Like Angela's Ashes, I read it in high school. Unlike Angela's Ashes, I might consider rereading it. I may have judged Steinbeck a little too harshly and prematurely at the age of 14, or whenever I read it.