To read or not to read

My first reaction to this article in the New York Times was shock, then disappointment, to think that a university literature professor in Paris would write a book about how to pretend that you've read a book so you can talk about it with others or fake it in a class. Being an avid reader, I've never been able to understand why people do this. I had a brother-in-law who thought Reader's Digest Condensed Books were the best thing going for a businessman on an airplane; at least he was actually reading the books. But as I wondered about faking it for social purposes, it occurred to me that this could spawn a whole new generation of readers: people who buy books so they can pretend they read them, and then get interested in them while they're scanning for talk points or in a conversation about a book that takes them back to the book to see what it's really about. Maybe this professor is on to something. His book, “How to Talk About Books You Haven’t Read,” is a bestseller in France and will no doubt be available in translation in the near future.

Happiness 101

This article on positive psychology in the New York Times is long, but worth reading from beginning to end. It seems that this trend is appearing in scientific and educational studies and not simply in self-help circles. Read it through and tell me what you think.

Fiction or nonfiction?

Maybe you've read about the flap over James Frey's memoir, A Million Little Pieces. I haven't read the book, but I've read several reviews on blogs and one in print in the Wall Street Journal. If you haven't come across it yet, it seems that Frey has apparently made up most of the story, based on some true episodes in his life, and is passing the story off as nonfiction. The publishers are saying the book reflects his perceptions, etc., so it qualifies as memoir, but a few people have checked the facts and they appear to be distorted beyond recognition or possibly even made up. That sounds like fiction to me. The buzz is that the book is an inspiring story of rehabilitation. Maybe it wouldn't seem so inspiring if it were presented as fiction--and more importantly, maybe it wouldn't sell as well. Sounds to me like deficiencies in writer's and publisher's ethics. If a story isn't true, it's fiction....isn't it?

Here's something from the New York Times: Writer Says He Made Up Some Details. I'm interested to see what the Author's Guild has to say about it.

Art and Alzheimer's

Read The Pablo Picasso Alzheimer's Therapy in the New York Times. The implications of this article are thrilling. Several different programs suggest that Alzheimer's patients become more responsive and vital after visiting museums and looking at art. Some talk about it; others are entertained by it. These are people who show little interest or response to most other stimuli, although they are not yet lost to the devastating destruction of the mind that Alzheimer's causes.

My mother had severe senile dementia. For several years she lived in a controlled facility for the memory-disabled, including many with mid-stage Alzheimer's. Several times while she lived there I made collages with a small group of residents. The first time, I was told they wouldn't last twenty minutes, but they were with me for an hour and a half. I had selected pages from magazines I thought they might like. They loved the antique dolls, country kitchens, baby animals and food, oohing and aahing as they picked out images for their pictures. They had no problems with tearing out the images and arranging them on the page, but when some tried to use the glue stick, they couldn't remember what it was for. Once I started their hands in motion, they could do it. Every one of the eight completed a picture and was thrilled with it. A few couldn't remember their names to sign on the picture. On Valentine's Day we decorated big red hearts with doilies, which they all remembered doing as children. On another occasion we played with rubber stamps. Each time they became immersed in the task, talking about the images in their pictures and the colors, occasionally bringing up an old memory stirred up by an image. A visitor looking in wouldn't have suspected that these "artists" had memory problems.

If you'd like to do this when you visit an elderly relative or friend, here are some suggestions. First, speak to the activities director and set a time so they can have space set up for you. You might feel more comfortable for the first time working with fully functional elderly folks. Start with four people if you're by yourself, or eight if you have someone to help you. All you need is a stack of colorful pictures for them to tear up, non-toxic glue sticks and colored construction paper or white copy paper. Other embellishments, such as ribbon, yarn and stickers are fun, too.