There There

I won a print copy of There There  by Tommy Orange in a Goodreads Giveaway.

I'll probably get hammered for this review, depending on how many people see it. 

I started reading There There hoping I was getting an uplifting story of breaking historical bonds and prospering in a hostile world. What I got was a tired rehash of victimology, poor little us, we have been so mistreated there is no way we can be successful. The author even admonishes the reader to not say "get over it" "move on". 

No doubt Indians (the author uses this term so I guess it's okay for me) were horribly mistreated historically, so were Africans, the Irish, Chinese, Japanese, Germans (yes Germans, my father was beaten daily as a school kid during WWII). If you go far enough back in history you'll find most if not all ethnic groups were abused and exploited at some time. The common denominator? They got over it and moved on and became a group to be reckoned with. 

I was starting to have a good reaction to the book when the author inserted his "Interlude". I'm not sure of the intention for including it, but it made me angry. I have great compassion for people who have been victimized, but that compassion quickly fades when people choose to wallow in their victimhood. I dealt with many such people in my years as a therapist. Sadly there are people who do not want to improve their situation, they choose victimhood.

There There became for me the consolation of an adult patting a whining child on the head. A child who can't have their way so they're going to throw a tantrum. 

To not be totally negative, I did find some of the characters sympathetic and I was interested in their well being. The author did provide well developed characters and painted a vivid picture of the community the story is placed in. No complaints about his ability to write. It was just the under current that got to me. It could have been so much more.

So, take this review with however many grains of salt you see fit. There There has been well received by many other readers.

Mike