book review Archives - Ramblin' with Roger

Book review: Mona’s Eyes

“Schlesser’s passion for art is evident.”

My wife gave me the novel Mona’s Eyes by the French art historian Thomas Schlesser for Christmas 2025. A few months later, I asked her why. She thought it sounded interesting; I had not heard of it, honestly. Then, I was obliged to do a book review.

Mona, a ten-year-old schoolgirl – yes, she was named for the da Vinci piece – suddenly experiences a bout of inexplicable blindness. While the episode was temporary, her terrified parents took her to a physician.

The doctor’s examination found no physical cause of the event, so he recommended that Mona see a psychiatrist. Mona’s maternal grandfather, Henry, volunteered for the task. However, the art lover and expert eshewed taking her to the shrink. Instead, Henry takes Mona to various Parisian museums, hoping to help her appreciate the beauty of art, especially if she should become permanently blind.

Every Wednesday for a year, the pair visit a single masterpiece in one of three famed Parisian museums. Mona learns how each artist’s work shaped the world around them, with grandfather and grandchild engaging in what I’d considered a Socratic dialogue.

My initial difficulty with the book was figuring out how to approach the text. After the 20-page introduction, each six-to-eight-page chapter was a, for lack of a better word, a triptych. Part one is a narrative about Mona’s day, usually at school, at her dad’s shop, at the doctor’s office, or at home. The second part is, more or less, a page describing the artwork visited. Finally, the duologue between Mona and Henry.

Seeking an approach

I wondered: should I stop reading and look at the artwork to see how well the description matched? After contemplating looking at the pieces, I opted against it because I thought it would interfere with the flow.

I was very interested in the critical response to “Les Yeux de Mona”/ “Mona’s Eyes.” While it was a #1 bestseller on many lists, I found a lot of backlash against it.

One reviewer called it “an art history book that plays dress up as a novel… It’s too didactic to be entertaining as a story, and the art and discussions around the art are overpowering the plot, flimsy as it is.

“I feel that the plot was an excuse for Schlesser to showcase his knowledge about art… ending with an anticlimactic conclusion.” The ending was a bit predictable.

“What I liked. The concept of the book was enjoyable – short chapters, each focused on a specific piece of art, with Mona and her grandfather analyzing and drawing life lessons from them. Schlesser’s passion for art is evident. The way he describes the paintings and sculptures is vivid and really makes one see, with the mind’s eyes, what most of them look like in real life. The book also includes photographs of the artworks, allowing readers to reference and study them in (more or less) detail after reading the descriptions.

“The art and history lover in me also rejoiced at the trivia that Henry inserts into the conversations – bits and pieces about various artistic movements, about the lives of the artists, and connections between the various artworks in the novel.”

I totally agreed with the positive elements described.

OTOH

The complaints, and there were many, include “the plot felt forced and filled with insignificant details that did nothing to move the story along.” I was less bothered by this than some. Sure, there are threads in Mona’s school life that weren’t resolved. Nor was I bothered by Mona’s preternatural wisdom, if only because I bought into the mystical reason why.

The fact that Henry and Mona were lying to Mona’s parents for nearly a year was addressed, albeit obliquely.

I did have problems, though Mona’s dad was almost certainly an alcoholic, which he seemed to almost magically overcome when some tchotchkes he found at the curiosity shop sold; there’s a backstory about those pieces. And his new project suddenly brightened his outlook. In many ways, Mona’s parents were ciphers.

Here’s a piece from a Reddit feed titled, “Mona’s Eyes” is an outrageously repetitive art history book disguised as fiction (my manifesto).” A key paragraph: “Chapter after chapter after chapter. Don’t believe me? Read it. I can’t take it anymore. The fact that I’m expected to recommend this art history textbook disguised in clumsy fiction drag to innocent customers is crazy. Every time I do, I feel like I’m spitting in their food and picking their pocket.” Barnes & Noble selected the tome as Book of the Year.

Split decision

I’ve never seen so many one-star reviews with DNF (did not finish). I usually think that a one-star review without finishing the book is unfair, but I get it in this case.

Ultimately, I’m glad I read the book for the discussion of the art, which helped me see it in a fresh way. Incidentally, there is The Mona’s Eyes Reader’s Companion: Week by Week Guide to All 52 Artworks, Life Lessons & Discussion Questions by Claire Beaumont

But Mona’s Eyes is probably not a great NOVEL.

This is the basis of my oral book review at the Albany Public Library on Tuesday, April 14.

Twenty Lessons for Fighting Tyranny

Believe in truth.

tyranny In the book On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century (2017), historian and Andrew Carnegie Fellow Timothy Snyder suggests a score of ways of fighting tyranny, and defending democracy with individual actions. I learned about this on November 18 while attending a book review at the Albany Public Library by Mark Lowery, who retired from the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation in the past year.

Here’s a seven-minute summary. Check out the SparkNotes. Below are the 20, which are explained by Snyder himself here.

Do not obey in advance.
Defend institutions.
Beware the one-party state.
Take responsibility for the face of the world.
Remember professional ethics.
.Be wary of paramilitaries.
Be reflective if you must be armed.
Stand out. Someone has to.
Be kind to our language.
Believe in truth.
Investigate.
Make eye contact and small talk.
Practice corporeal politics.
Establish a private life.
Contribute to good causes.
Learn from peers in other countries.
Listen for dangerous words.
Be calm when the unthinkable arrives.
Be a patriot.
Be as courageous as you can.

Maybe not 2017, but 2025 for sure

You would think that the book was written in 2025. Alas, no. I was interested in the reviews cited by Wikipedia.

“Carlos Lozada of The Washington Post describes the book as ‘clarifying and unnerving,’ ‘a memorable work that is grounded in history yet imbued with the fierce urgency of what now.’

“Daniel W. Drezner, writing for The New York Times, says, ‘For such a small book, Snyder invests On Tyranny with considerable heft,’ but he also describes it as ‘overwrought’ and tending toward hyperbole.” In 2017, perhaps the narrative seemed overly dramatic; not anymore.

“Tim Adams of The Guardian describes the work as ‘a ‘how to’ guide for resisting tyranny,’ concluding, ‘You will read no more relevant field guide to that wisdom than this book.’

“Richard Evans, also in The Guardian, writes that ‘Snyder provokes us to think again about major issues of our time, as well as significant elements of the past, but he seems to have rushed it out rather too quickly.'” This is arguably true, given the short time between writing (November 2016) and publication (February 2017).

The first ones

From the SparkNotes: The first two lessons, “Do not obey in advance” and “Defend institutions,” use examples from the rise of the Nazi Party before World War II. The Nazis were able to destabilize Germany’s existing system of government and laws so that they could create a fascist dictatorship.

Snyder: “Most of the power of authoritarianism is freely given.” See ABC, CBS, several colleges, and law firms, et al. “In times like these, individuals think ahead about what a more repressive government will want, and then offer themselves without being asked.” See the collusion between the techbros and the federal government.

Sparknotes: “The third lesson, ‘Beware the one-party state,’ describes how several different European nations went from electoral democracies to dictatorships. The people in each country were probably unaware that they were voting for the last time. While most of the new regimes did not last, the lapses into dictatorship might have been avoided if citizens had heeded the warning signs. “

Snyder: “The parties that remade states and suppressed rivals were not omnipotent from the start. They exploited a historic moment to make political life impossible for their opponents. So support the multiparty system and defend the rules of democratic elections.”

You should take in all of these descriptions and apply as many as possible. Read Frank S. Robinson’s take on the same book review.

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer

“unlimited growth, an unrestrained cancerous sort of creation”

I was watching JEOPARDY Masters for Tuesday, May 27, probably on the following day, because I don’t watch television in real time. The clue above pops up as a $600 clue. This hit me because, on May 27, I attended a book review at the Albany Public Library of Braiding Sweetgrass, that very book by Robin Wall Kimmerer.

Moreover, it was reviewed by Elaine Garrett, who had appeared on JEOPARDY in 2011. I had met her, likely at a Capital District JEOPARDY gathering.

Robin’s father, Robert Wall, was from the Potawatomi tribe in the Midwest. But he was shipped to the infamous Carlisle Federal Indian Boarding School, which “opened in 1879 and operated for nearly 30 years with a mission to ‘kill the Indian’ to ‘save the Man.’ This philosophy meant administrators forced students to speak English, wear Anglo-American clothing, and act according to U.S. values and culture.”

He eventually moved to the Syracuse, NY, area and married Patricia. That’s where Robin was born in 1953. Robin attended the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, where she received a bachelor’s degree in botany in 1975. She later attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison, earning her master’s degree in botany there in 1979, followed by her PhD in plant ecology in 1983.

Science or spirituality?

But Robin got some pushback. She was told to pick a lane, either science or natural methods, essentially. But she opted for both/and. As Jane Goodall wrote about Braiding Sweetgrass: “Robin Wall Kimmerer has written an extraordinary book, showing how the factual, objective approach of science can be enriched by the ancient knowledge of the indigenous people. It is the way she captures beauty that I love the most—the images of giant cedars and wild strawberries, a forest in the rain, and the meadow of fragrant sweetgrass will stay with you long after you read the last page.”

One of Elaine Garrett’s slides described The Sacred and the Superfund about Nanabozho’s twin, who is “committed to imbalance. He had learned the interplay of creation and destruction and rocked it like a boat on a choppy sea to keep people out of balance. He found the arrogance of power could be used to unleash unlimited growth, an unrestrained cancerous sort of creation that would lead to destruction.” The sacred Onondaga Lake is one of nine polluted Superfund sites in the Syracuse area.

Elaine said reading the book changed her tremendously, emotionally and spiritually. Elizabeth Gilbert wrote of the book: “Robin Wall Kimmerer is a writer of rare grace. She writes about the natural world from a place of such abundant passion that one can never quite see the world in the same way after having seen it through Kimmerer’s eyes. In Braiding Sweetgrass, she takes us on a journey that is every bit as mythic as it is scientific, as sacred as it is historical, as clever as it is wise. She is a great teacher, and her words are a hymn of love to the world.”

I need to add it to my never-ending pile of books.

Roger: another book review and giving blood

solar lantern

Sometimes, it IS all about me.

ITEM: At 2 p.m. on June 3, Roger will conduct another book review in the large meeting room at the Washington Avenue branch of the Albany Public Library.

June 3 | Book Review | 60 Songs That Explain the 90’s by Rob Harvilla. Reviewer: Roger Green, business librarian, retired from the NY Small Business Development Center.

You’ll find the other reviews for June below.

ITEM: The APL library budget passed! And the candidates I supported won! Also, the City School budget was approved.

ITEM: Speaking of the Albany schools, Albany High School sponsored another American Red Cross Blood Drive. Last Monday, I noted that I had not donated blood in 2025, so I checked the Red Cross calendar. Sure enough, there was a drive at AHS, only 0.7 mile away, on Wednesday, May 21.

In recent years, they have been giving away T-shirts. I now have a lot of tees. But I could “get an exclusive American Red Cross solar lantern when you come to give blood May 19-31, while supplies last.” So I opted for that gift, though I would have donated without an incentive. They told me it’s time #183; my donation time was six minutes, ten seconds. It probably took that long because the scar makes it more challenging to get to the vein.

My buddy Alicia, the school librarian, coordinated the drive and got the photographer to take the picture above. A friend saw it on the school district’s Facebook page and forwarded it to me, which I have purloined.

ITEM: I got to sing at two funerals on successive Saturdays this month, for Christy on May 3 and Don on May 10. Both were great events but exhausting. Going to the Greek Festival the following weekend was a pleasant diversion.

ITEM: It happens a lot: two First Friday events, one at my church (see above) and a new Art at APL Exhibit opening at the Pine Hills branch, both on June 6. Cloning is not an option.

APL Book reviews, Tuesday at 2pm

At the blood drive, I talked to school librarian Kristen, who works at several districts, about getting speakers for the FFAPL Tuesday talks. If you’re interested in doing a book review or an author talk, please let me know. They are all on Tuesdays at 2 p.m. at the Washington Avenue branch of the Albany Public Library, 161 Washington Avenue.

May 27 | Book Review | Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer. Reviewer: Elaine Garrett, BFA, MA, STEM Outreach and Workforce Development, SUNY Research Foundation at NY Creates and the NYS Center of Excellence in Nanoelectronics and Nanotechnology, UAlbany.

June 10 | Book Review | Jane Austen Education: How Six Novels Taught Me about Love, Friendship, and the Things That Really Matter. By William Deresiewicz. Reviewer: Gene Damm, former president, Friends of APL.

June 17 | Book Review | He, Leo: The Life and Poetry of Lew Welch by Ewan Clark. Reviewer: Dan Wilcox, noted local poet & peace activist.

June 24 | Book Review | Germinal by Émile Zola. Reviewer: Carl Strock, author & award-winning journalist.

ITEM: I’m having some dental pain. My dentist referred me to an oral surgeon, whom I won’t see until late June. Meanwhile, I need to set up an appointment for my foot ailment.

Movie review: The Wild Robot

say important things

Based on good word-of-mouth, I attended a Tuesday afternoon matinee showing of the animated film The Wild Robot at the Spectrum Theatre in Albany.

I didn’t know it was based on a children’s book until I saw the movie. The story begins with robots that are shipwrecked on the shore. One robot is stymied by the fact that our heroine has no people to serve.

(Hmm. Can robots HAVE gender? This and many other questions are addressed in author Peter Brown’s reflections on the writing of this book.)

Initially, Roz (voiced by Lupita Nyong’o) confounds or terrifies the wildlife she sees. When she figures out the language of the woodland creatures, she, to her surprise, is not welcome. She inadvertently ends up parenting an orphaned baby goose, Brightbill (Kit Connor), assisted by a conflicted fox, Fink (Pedro Pascal).

I loved this movie. First, the DreamWorks film looks marvelous. But more importantly, it has a compelling storyline about making one’s way in a strange land. Some have compared it favorably with the movies E.T., the Iron Giant, and WALL-E, and I suppose there are hints of those.

“stunning visual feast but also a moving meditation”

However, I found it more reflective and deep about the complexities of life, yet it is still accessible to children. Several reviews (97% positive on Rotten Tomatoes) glommed onto the complexities of being a parent. Yet, at times, it was hysterically LOL funny.

Leonard Maltin wrote: “The Wild Robot is a genuinely beautiful movie, in every sense of that adjective. Its physical production is impressive, to say the least, but there are no weak links in its chain, from character design to its exquisitely rendered environment.” Other critics used terms such as “unexpected emotional rollercoaster, “and “a moving meditation on life, friendship, and survival in an unforgiving environment,”

Some reviewers were even more taken by it. Courtney Lanning of Arkansas Public Radio wrote: “Everyone who watches ‘The Wild Robot’ can come away connecting with something, whether it’s an urge to help others, even if they’ve hurt you in the past, or learning to say important things to loved ones because you never know when it’ll be too late.” Hmm. She’s not wrong.

Right before the film, I attended a book review of The Eye of the Master: A Social History of Artificial Intelligence by Matteo Pasquinelli, reviewed by Lex Bhagat, former Executive Director of FFAPL, and currently a business librarian at NY SBDC, where I used to work. Two days later, I saw an episode of Law & Order: The founder of an AI-infused dating app is murdered. These got me thinking again about the nature of technology and how “real” Roz was. No answers, just musings.