Angst-O-Rama

Just finished reading Prep, by Curtis Sittenfeld, which i tore through in a mere 24 hours or so instead of grading midterms. The book isn't perfect, but damn, the way it captures the psyche of the adolescent was unbelievable. It brought back all sorts of memories and uncomfortable feelings from the hallways and paths of my prep school (which seems positively plebian compared to Prep's Ault School), and also reminded me in not insignificant ways of my students, far removed from the aristocracy such schools foster. The way they scrutinize each other's clothing, their extreme self-consciousnes, their muttered responses and downturned eyes. All of it is there. And the absolute obsession with cataloging everything about oneself, one's peers, one's world, as if thereby you can have control of it, was equally heartrending to see in print.

Reading a good book leaves a person in pain, in a daze, unready to face even the beautifulest of Spring days! But I must, if only because Tony Soprano awaits me in a mere 4 hours.


Adieu to April!

Ms. Fellow-ette.