Book 81 - Alan Light "The Holy or the Broken"

Alan Light "The Holy or the Broken: Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley, and the Unlikely Ascent of Hallelujah" (Atria Books)





Can you knock an author down for being just too sincere? Alan Light's biography of the iconic song "Hallelujah", written by Leonard Cohen, enhanced by John Cale, Jeff Buckley, and Rufus Wainwright, and then destroyed by a zillion American Idol contestants, begins with an excellent introduction that could have served as a fine magazine article and that could have ended it. But he proceeds to do a good job, for the most part, of expanding the roles of John Cale and Jeff Buckley in their differing versions and recognition of Leonard Cohen's genius with a melody and with verses rarely if even sung. For those who have not read the riveting biography, "I'm Your Man" by Sylvie Simmons (and you should!), the details of Cohen's exile and late-life triumph are well told here.

The author does a fine job of enhancing our knowledge and appreciation. The KD Lang and Regina Spektor sections are particularly winsome, and Bob Dylan's small but significant role is a treat. But the book is about 3 chapters too long, and I just wish the lesser lights had never been turned on.

Book 82 - James Baldwin "If Beale Street Could Talk"

James Baldwin "If Beale Street Could Talk" (Penguin Books)





This is a harsh indictment of the American criminal justice system, a sad commentary on race relations in the U.S, and a beautiful love story. The novel is told in first person from the point of view of Tish, a 19-year-old woman living in the projects in early 1970’s Harlem. Tish finds she is pregnant with Fonny’s child shortly after he is carted off to jail for a crime he did not commit. The novel jumps back and forth between flashbacks that recount Tish and Fonny’s blossoming romance, and the present day, when Tish and her family are doing everything in their power to get Fonny out of jail, while attempting to manoeuvre in a system where everything is stacked against them– racist cops, crooked judges, expensive and untrustworthy lawyers, etc. While the novel is engaging and powerful (especially towards the end), it is definitely not one of Baldwin’s best. I believe its main flaw is that instead of letting the (very powerful) story do the talking, Tish frequently slips into Baldwin’s voice and pontificates on love, human nature, the American dream, etc. Granted, some of these passages are zingers, but they tend to disrupt the flow of the novel and are clearly coming from Baldwin, rather than the character we are supposed to believe is telling the story. I realize this is a fairly common criticism of Baldwin, but the phenomenon had not bothered me while reading his other novels. However, I found it to be especially pronounced in this one. If you have never read his fiction, please do not make this your first or only James Baldwin novel! It is certainly decent and addresses several very important issues that are still (unfortunately) relevant today.