Wednesday, March 3, 2004

True To Da Game

So glad that everyone made the journey eastward last night to see the new Jefe digs! There were even enough chairs for all. We started off the evening with a very European vibe-- prosciutto, melon, and bocconcini skewers-- and then headed to Philly for some comfort food, BBQ spare ribs and mac n' cheese, topping off that light and dietetic meal with lemon chiffon pie-parfait. Seriously blue. Unfortunately, the book didn't live up to the cuisine. It got the lowest score in BC history: a ONE, the blow being delivered by Red (who incidentally, also gave BC's first 10 to Confederacy of Dunces. Plus, for another piece of BC folklore, the second lowest in our history was the Doctor's 2 on Day of the Locust/Miss Lonleyhearts). The overall rating on the book was a 3.6. Since there's not a whole lot in the book that people liked, let's run through some of the low points: the cheesy poems, Gena's money-grubbing attitude, the cliché' gangsta scenes from the late '80's, the fact that no character redeemed his or herself at the end of the book. We did have some discussion of the general literary value of the book. It has been described as a pioneer in the increasingly popular area of "ghetto lit," and apparently has something going for it since it's reached a wide enough audience to include 9 white girls from west (and east) L.A. That being said, no one had quite enough sympathy for the author--who has been in jail and probably is writing from first hand experience--as to overcome the crappy writing. Some positive notes were that it was entertaining enough in a trashy sort of way, and at least the author was able to put a storyline together.


With the democratic primaries in full swing, everyone was in the mood for a political book this time around. We'll be reading The 2% Solution: Fixing America's Problems in ways Liberals and Conservatives Can Love, by Matthew Miller. This was a totally impromptu suggestion without knowing any background on the book, and as it turns out it's hardcover. :( However, we're going to keep it since it's the right length and everyone was pretty enthusiastic...