Because I Am Furniture, An Introduction.

     This quarter I have the pleasure of reading over "Because I Am Furniture" by Thalia Chaltas. The book is told from the perspective of Anke, who is a member of a family with an abusive father. All throughout the book Anke watches her brother and sister get beaten and molested by her father. Anke feels as if she is a lesser member of the family because she is the only one who is not assaulted by her father. She finds her solace in her Volleyball playing, and sleeping in her neighbor Jed's basement whilst watching movies. The story is told through an intricate weaving of prose poetry, the fact that the layout of the book is different than that of a regular book makes it much easier to read than any other book I have read this year.
     This book is one of the two that least applied to my daily life as far as the read for a lifetime list, right up there with the novel about the border hopping Latino gentleman falling in love with the most popular girl in the high school, simply due to his massive connections within the cocaine trade. Besides that, this book has received rave reviews from critics everywhere for the powerful emotions it causes within it's readers, those who read it with an open mind or that of a beaten child. Not too terribly much more could be said about the novel without totally spoiling it for anyone out there who was planning on reading it, which I would recommend.