The Ringmaster’s Daughter

I would say it again… Jostein Gaarder is the master of storytelling! Not only that he crafted a puzzling frame story for this book, but he also “deceived” us on the title. The Ringmaster’s Daughter is NOT at all about the daughter of a circus owner—which for some years made me mistaking this book as a bit childish. It is far away from childish. The Ringmaster’s Daughter is about how traumatic childhood experience can hugely change someone’s life.

Petter “The Spider” was leaving a book expo in haste because he thought his life was in danger. So, we know that he is a bookish man, who has done something that makes other literary people from the expo wanting to kill him. After he arrived safely at a secluded hotel, he forced himself to write his story—as usual with Gaarder: story within story.

Little Petter lived with his mother—his dad has left the house—and he had a unique ability to create stories from…well…everything! His brain is hyperactive, and he couldn’t stop it from inventing plots of stories. Connecting that with the book expo, he should be an over-productive writer, right? But no, Petter doesn’t like to be famous, and he don’t have patience to write novels. He just created plots—a lot of them! Later when his mother died, and he was on his own, he founded Writers Aid, a corporation that helps writers around the world get brilliant plots for their next novels. Suddenly Norway—where The Spider lives—was flooded with new novels; not only that, literary world suddenly getting a booming; all because of this one man, the ghostwriter, Petter. Oh and he got rich from it. But then... as in all things that are built over falsity, the bubble is threatening to blow out.

From there I know there’s something wrong with Petter, but what? And what about the little man with green hat who at first dwells inside Petter’s head, but then becomes real although only Petter can see him? And of course there’s Panina Manina the ringmaster’s daughter who didn’t know his father until it’s too late, which seems to be Petter’s favorite story. Not until the end though, did I get the meaning of them all. Here’s a spoiler…. Petter turns out to have traumatic experience when he’s a kid. Right after that he likes to have those active thinking. It’s just his mechanism to shut his brain from remembering the traumatic thing. So I guess the little man with green hat is his consciousness. At first he’s just a boy with active imagination, and so the little man only appears inside his imagery world. But when he’s grown up and brings the imagery world into reality (Writer’s Aid), the little man too must do his job in the real world. Mystery solved!

As always, Gaarder crafted the story amazingly. I also loved the plots and stories created by Petter. Hey, it feels like reading Italo Calvino’s If a Traveler’s…. stories in a story! Two things that I just realized after reading this are: our existence in the universe (Gaarder taught philosophy for high school anyway), and his love of oranges. Yeah… I think I read about oranges in several of Gaarder’s books; he must love oranges very much! J

For all that…. Four stars for The Ringmaster’s Daughter.

The Tiger Rising

This is the second book I read from Kate DiCamillo, and, like the first one: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, The Tiger Rising also made me weeping. But unlike Edward Tulane, which is more childish, The Tiger Rising appeared to be much deeper. In fact, the conflict is very relevant to our (adult) problems too. That’s why I love this book, because in the simple story lays a deeper value in humanity.

Rob Horton is a boy who has just lost his mother. He keeps all the memories regarding his mother tightly in ‘a-locked-up-suitcase’ deep in his heart, in his effort to press his sorrow and sadness. It only makes him a gloomy, lonely little boy who becomes an easy target for bullying at school. He lives in a motel with his father who works as a cleaning service there. Like Rob, his father also hides his sadness for his late wife deep in heart, that the two ‘men’ lives together almost without the warm of love.

On that special day, two things happened to Rob, two events that would change his life forever. First, he found a tiger—yes, tiger!—caged lonely in a small wood behind the motel. The tiger overwhelmed him, it felt like an enchantment for him. He kept thinking about the mysterious tiger, and these thoughts made him stronger. So, when another troubled kid like Rob—a new girl in school—was bullied, it was Rob, the little skinny Rob, who bravely tried to stop it.

Like Rob, Sistine—yes, the girl was named after the famous chapel!—has also lost her father through a divorce, and was forced to live with her mom, whom she didn’t like. But unlike Rob, Sistine has a ‘bursting’ and impulsive character. They were both disliked by their friends, and found comfort in each other’s presence. And now Sistine insisted to Rob that they must, somehow, let the caged tiger free from its confinement. So, what do you think Rob will do when the owner of the tiger gave him the cage keys? Would he let it free? And what had the tiger has to do with Rob’s problem? In what way will it cure him? You must read the book yourself to get to the bottom of the idea.

One thing’s for sure, this book teaches us to always live the truth, no matter good or bad it is. Yes, it seems a cliché, but let’s admit it, we often tend to run away from the truth in many ways. Sometimes the truth is so hard to face, but we must believe that, not only time, love can also heal—either taken or given.  

Five stars for The Tiger Rising, as although the story is quite simple, it keeps a much deeper reflection. I also love the magical and shrine air of the story (in the tiger, and in the name of ‘Sistine’).

Veronika Decides To Die

Veronika is an ordinary girl in Ljubljana, the capital city of Slovenia. She lives a quiet life at her rented room in a convent, has a job in a library, has a mother who loves her, has friends to hang out on weekends. Is she happy? No. Is she unhappy? No. Well, how is she, then? She isn’t feeling anything, and that is why she decides to die, by swallowing dozens of sleeping pills one night before going to bed. The problem is, the pills didn’t work as she’d expected. Instead of going either to heaven or hell, she ends up at Villete, an asylum which was just opened in Slovenia.

According to thefreediroctorydotcom, asylum is “an institution for the care of people, especially those with physical or mental impairments, who require organized supervision or assistance”. We used to call it a place for mad or insane people. But in the case of Veronika, do you think she’s insane? Before the suicide attempt, I bet her friends would have said that Veronika looked like a normal person; she wasn’t depressed or sad about anything. But all the same, she ends up in Villete, marked as an insane.

As soon as she awakes (the book doesn’t tell us how or who has helped Veronika from the suicide attempt), the doctor tells her that she has a heart disease and can only survive for a week. During that time she learns a lot about what we used to call insanity. She meets Zedka—a woman who is on treatment for depression; Mari—a female lawyer who suffers from panic attack; Eduard—a young man with schizophrenia who loves to listen on Veronika’s piano playing at the hall; and many others with similar condition. Why did they all end up in Villete? It’s not because they have something lose in the head, but because they are different from others, from the world.

People like Veronika used to be normal like us, but they lack the power of being themselves. People or institutions often expect us to be like what others are. The problem occurs when we have ideas that are different with the world BUT don’t have the power or ability to fight others’ expectation. In the end we become someone else. This second ‘me’ is created upon others’ expectation just like a robot. She/he doesn’t feel happy or unhappy. They just do what they are expected to do. In the end there is numbness in their souls, and this condition leads to mental disorder we often call insanity.

Dr. Igor, the Head of Villete is having a research to find the cure for the bitterness which infects most of the asylum, the bitterness which he called Vitriol. Vitriol is the culprit of these insanities. When Veronika arrived in Villete, Dr. Igor knew he must grab the chance to make his final experiment. And indeed, Veronika, along with her own battle has helped Zedka, Mari, and Eduard to rethink about leaving Villete—where they are confined in the safety from having to adapt to the world who ignore them—and finding their own selves, which have been confined under their ‘second’ me’.

It is very interesting to read about psychology thing like this, and Paulo Coelho is indeed a good story teller. But I see the matter a bit differently from Coelho’s perspective (as I gather from this book). I agree that one must be brave to be oneself; as men are created uniquely by God. But that doesn’t give one rights to do or to get what one wants. Life always has a limit. A limit from God—that is consciousness; a limit from government; a limit from others who have authority towards us: parents, boss, etc. One can’t just kick that barriers and do what one wants only under pretext of delivering one’s freedom to be oneself. Sometimes we just have to compromise. We don’t always know what is best for us, nor our parents either.

Let’s take Veronika case: she wanted to be a pianist, but her mother forbade her and asked her to finish school. If she obeys she couldn’t make her dream, but if she disobeys she feels guilty to disappoint the mother who loved her. If I can advise Veronika, I’d tell her to compromise; to change her way of thinking. If it possible, Veronika can still work in the Library (hey…I would love that opportunity very much!), and join a music group or something, so that she can still play piano, while financing her family. Sometimes, we do not know what God planned for us. Maybe, selfish it was, our parents’ wish was what God had wanted us for. Maybe it’s the best way for us to lead a better life.

So, in the end, not getting what we want is not always a defeat; we still have the power—the power to decide what we will do. I wanted to be a dancer when I was in junior high school, but my parents disagreed because it’s not a promising career for me. I then worked as a secretary (until now), and I believe it’s the best decision for my own good. It’s just the way of thinking, to know that I have chosen to let go of my dream because I trusted my parents and loved them. And now I always try to love my job as a secretary, although I can’t say 100% that I love it! :)

Three and a half stars for Veronika and Coelho.

~~~~~~~~

I read Indonesian translation from KPG (Gramedia Group)

*This book is counted as:*

11^th book for 2013 TBR Pile Challenge

17^th book for What’s In A Name Reading Challenge 2013

1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die

Outliers

Apa yang membuat Bill Gates dan The Beatles sukses? IQ tinggi? Bakat bawaan? Banyak orang yang IQ-nya tinggi, mungkin bahkan lebih tinggi dari Bill Gates. Banyak vokalis yang bersuara lebih bagus daripada John Lennon atau Paul McCartney. Tapi mengapa mereka jauh meninggalkan yang lain? Kesuksesan telah membuat mereka berada jauh, terpisah, di luar lingkaran sesamanya, atau yang kita sebut "outlier" (outlier is one that appears to deviate markedly from other members of the sample in which it occurs ~wikipedia).

Lewat buku ini Malcolm Gladwell akan membawa kita, aku dan anda, untuk menelusuri faktor-faktor yang melatarbelakangi kesuksesan seseorang. Tak seperti buku-buku motivasi lain yang hanya berisi tips dan trik serta teori-teori, Gladwell bercerita. Ia bercerita tentang orang-orang yang ia temui, ia wawancarai. Ia bercerita tentang riset yang pernah dilakukan orang. Pendeknya, membaca buku ini bak membaca memoar beberapa orang atau bahkan kisah thriller. Bedanya, di akhir cerita Gladwell akan memaparkan kesimpulannya tentang outlier. Menarik!

Ia mengawali dengan liga hoki di sekolah menengah Kanada. Observasi mengungkapkan bahwa mayoritas atlit hoki yang menanjak karirnya hingga ke liga utama adalah mereka yang lahir antara bulan Januari hingga Maret. Menarik bukan? Apakah ini omong-kosong tentang horoskop? Sama sekali bukan. Gladwell akan memaparkan betapa logisnya kesimpulan yang dapat diambil mengenai kesuksesan para pemain hoki itu.

Di bab selanjutnya, Gladwell mulai bercerita tentang orang-orang terkenal, seperti Bill Gates dan The Beatles. Menarik juga membaca bagaimana awal mula Gates dan The Beatles hingga menjadi amat sukses. Ternyata tak ada sulap atau mukjijat sama sekali. Seperti yang sedari dulu kita ketahui, bakat berpadu dengan banyak latihan akan membuahkan sukses. Practice makes perfect. Tapi, banyak anak yang sedari kecil berlatih, mereka juga tak kunjung menjadi sukses, mengapa?

Gladwell pun mengungkap sebuah prinsip kunci: 10.000 jam. Mengapa 10.000 jam? 10.000 jam untuk apa? Apakah 10.000 itu berlaku untuk semua bidang? Semuanya diceritakan dengan menarik oleh Gladwell. Namun di luar itu, ada lagi hal-hal yang jauh lebih penting daripada bakat dan 10.000 jam.

Kesempatan dan kebudayaan. Masih menggunakan contoh Bill Gates dan The Beatles, Gladwell akan menunjukkan bagaimana kesempatan memegang peranan penting akan sukses tidaknya kita. Konon di tahun berapa kita lahir amat mempengaruhi nasib masa depan kita. Bukankah kapan kita dilahirkan, tak mungkin kita ubah? Memang. Itulah menariknya, jadi…teruslah membaca...

Hal paling menarik di buku ini adalah ketika Gladwell memberikan contoh-contoh di mana warisan kebudayaan yang kita anut juga menentukan kesuksesan kita. Pernahkah anda mendengar tentang Korean Air? Tahukah anda bahwa dulu waktu bernama Korean Airlines, maskapai penerbangan ini pernah dinobatkan sebagai maskapai yang paling banyak "menjatuhkan" pesawat udaranya? Bukan prestasi yang bisa dibanggakan, bukan? Lalu bagaimana maskapai itu bisa berubah dengan drastis?

Di sini Gladwell dengan amat detail mengisahkan kronologi sebuah kecelakaan pesawat tertentu milik Korean Air. Membaca kisah Gladwell membuat kita merasa seolah menonton film tentang pesawat udara, atau bahkan seolah ikut berada di kokpit bersama pilot dan kru-nya. Untuk apa Gladwell susah-susah bercerita tentang kecelakaan pesawat udara? Tak lain dan tak bukan, ia ingin menunjukkan pada kita bagaimana sebuah warisan kebudayaan akan membuat hidup kita sangat berbeda.

Untuk menutup buku ini, Gladwell telah menyiapkan sebuah kejutan. Kejutan manis yang memberikan sentuhan personal pada sebuah buku psikologi. Gladwell akan membuat anda mulai berpikir tentang kehidupan anda. Anda akan mulai mendata semua fakta kehidupan anda, dan bagaimana semua peristiwa yang pernah terjadi, telah atau tidak atau akan mempengaruhi hidup anda. Namun yang jelas, pikiran anda akan lebih terbuka mengenai kesuksesan.

Kesuksesan ternyata bukanlah mitos. Tak ada orang yang dilahirkan begitu saja untuk menjadi sukses, bagaikan sulap. Ada banyak faktor yang akhirnya menghantarkannya menjadi sukses. Faktor-faktor itu bisa berasal dari dirinya sendiri, dari nenek moyangnya, atau dari hal-hal di luar seseorang yang tak ada hubungannya sama sekali dengan dirinya.

Karena banyaknya faktor itu, kita bisa agak berbesar hati. Karena, itu berarti kalau kita tak memenuhi sebuah persyaratan, kita mungkin memiliki persyaratan lainnya, atau kita mampu menciptakannya sesuai kebutuhan kita. Nampaknya begitu mudah, padahal tidak.

Lalu pertanyaan terpentingnya... Bagaimana untuk menjadi sukses? Yang jelas, pertama-tama anda harus membaca buku ini dulu!

Yang jelas, Malcolm Gladwell telah berhasil mengajak pembacanya memandang suatu hal dengan cara pandang yang berbeda. Caranya menjabarkan tentang kesuksesan tak terkesan menggurui, dan dengan mengambil kasus-kasus kehidupan orang lain, membuat buku ini enak dibaca. Empat bintang untuk Malcolm Gladwell! Dan aku ingin segera membaca buku-bukunya yang lain…

Judul: Outliers: Rahasia Di Balik Sukses

Penulis: Malcolm Gladwell

Penerbit: PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama

Terbit: September 2009

Tebal: 339 hlm