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A review by blearywitch
Refresh, Refresh by Benjamin Percy
4.0
Birthday book #2/13 in 2019; "Boyhood" theme
Refresh, refresh
Some boys pass time by fighting each other to get strong, and to prepare themselves against bullies especially after being a victim of bullying at school. They really hurt each other too - hit the kidney and peed blood, hit the arm and can't lift it all week. I thought this admirable - find a solution to your problem. Their description of incapable men - "men who rarely shave and watched daytime tv in their once-white underpants. Men who lived in trailers and filled their shopping carts with Busch Light, summer sausage, Oreo cookies." I like these boys! These two boys are still in school but they go hunting with rifles, just the two of them. I find that impressive. I wonder if I'll feel comfortable letting my boy go hunting with a friend when he is high school? I suppose it depends on how he turns out - if he is trustworthy, careful, and is well-practiced in handling weapons. Anger consumes them both at the news of their Marine fathers' death and the way they took out their anger seems more violent than how I imagine girls would. Maybe in a sense it's better to be like a boy because girls tend to internalize things and drive ourselves crazy, while boys let the steam off and get it out of their system. Immediately afterwards some are able to function and make decisions again like wanting to make their dead fathers proud.
The Caves of Oregon
Kevin is a good man, and a good husband. He works hard, he tries really hard to understand his wife and keep the peace, and he understands her grief. Men get over sadness and disappointment so differently, and a good man will always be the rock for the woman to hold on to in her grief. I hope my boy will grow up to be good in all ways.
The Woods
Twelve: old enough to shoot a gunn young enough to fear the dark.
"Don't be a pantywaist." said his dad. - I'm going to use this phrase when I get the chance.
Sometimes you think you're teaching them a lesson, a skill, to take opportunity of a situation, or to be brave but it turns out traumatizing them and they end up hating the very thing you desired them to excel at, and they also hate you. Parenting is such a precarious position!
The Killing
"A boy ought to go fishing."
Yes, I think my girls and boy ought to go!
The rest of the stories are interesting. Some borderline horror, some just thrilling, while some are just stories and didn't really hit me with anything. All the stories were vividly descriptive, and I'm impressed with Percy's ability to detail everything especially the characters featured in each story, as they are very different from each other, as well as the seasons, or surroundings. No story is predictable, and no storyline is similar to the other. Great storyteller!
Refresh, refresh
Some boys pass time by fighting each other to get strong, and to prepare themselves against bullies especially after being a victim of bullying at school. They really hurt each other too - hit the kidney and peed blood, hit the arm and can't lift it all week. I thought this admirable - find a solution to your problem. Their description of incapable men - "men who rarely shave and watched daytime tv in their once-white underpants. Men who lived in trailers and filled their shopping carts with Busch Light, summer sausage, Oreo cookies." I like these boys! These two boys are still in school but they go hunting with rifles, just the two of them. I find that impressive. I wonder if I'll feel comfortable letting my boy go hunting with a friend when he is high school? I suppose it depends on how he turns out - if he is trustworthy, careful, and is well-practiced in handling weapons. Anger consumes them both at the news of their Marine fathers' death and the way they took out their anger seems more violent than how I imagine girls would. Maybe in a sense it's better to be like a boy because girls tend to internalize things and drive ourselves crazy, while boys let the steam off and get it out of their system. Immediately afterwards some are able to function and make decisions again like wanting to make their dead fathers proud.
The Caves of Oregon
Kevin is a good man, and a good husband. He works hard, he tries really hard to understand his wife and keep the peace, and he understands her grief. Men get over sadness and disappointment so differently, and a good man will always be the rock for the woman to hold on to in her grief. I hope my boy will grow up to be good in all ways.
The Woods
Twelve: old enough to shoot a gunn young enough to fear the dark.
"Don't be a pantywaist." said his dad. - I'm going to use this phrase when I get the chance.
Sometimes you think you're teaching them a lesson, a skill, to take opportunity of a situation, or to be brave but it turns out traumatizing them and they end up hating the very thing you desired them to excel at, and they also hate you. Parenting is such a precarious position!
The Killing
"A boy ought to go fishing."
Yes, I think my girls and boy ought to go!
The rest of the stories are interesting. Some borderline horror, some just thrilling, while some are just stories and didn't really hit me with anything. All the stories were vividly descriptive, and I'm impressed with Percy's ability to detail everything especially the characters featured in each story, as they are very different from each other, as well as the seasons, or surroundings. No story is predictable, and no storyline is similar to the other. Great storyteller!