Disappointment and Dirigible Delight

Tonight was the night of my friend Jordan's father's reading at the bookstore where I work. Our events are not always well attended. Part of this has to do with the fact that our events are not publicised as well as they could be. Part of this is due to the fact that there is little or no convenient parking around our store. Part of this is due to the fact that book readings are not the most hip pasttime in this day and age. Let's be honest...if it isn't Harry Potter or Oprah, books are a tough sell nowadays.

But this book I really believed in. I put up online ads for the reading, sold a good amount at our store on the strength of my personal recommendation. I plastered the city of Chicago as much as I could with flyers for the reading. Though I am no PR genius, I did what I could. Other than investing my own money in making up shot glasses or matchbooks and handing them out on street corners, I don't know what I could have done.

I could take comfort in the fact that there have been much larger authors who are backed by much larger publishing companies who have given readings at our store and drawn a crowd of only one. I could take comfort in the fact that it began raining only 30 minutes prior to the scheduled reading time, thus deterring the people who had thought about attending the event. I could take comfort in the fact that a book about the holocaust not writen by Levi or Wiesel or Frank is an extremely hard sell.

But dammit, I wanted someone to come in.

I at least wanted five people. And I put a lot of work into getting people...anyone to come.

No one. No one... We laugh at these events usually. We laugh at the authors or more often at the dents and dings in our events coordination.

But this time I wanted to cry.

I am thankful that Mathias B. Freese is aware of every little factor and fidgety reader out there. As a result of no one showing up for the reading, the author, his son (my friend) Jordan and I sat around and talked about not only his book, but other books, other life events, other endeavors, other philosophies of life. And it turns out that Matt is a huge fan of Harlan Ellison, just like yours truly. And it was a great time. I no longer have to refer to Mathias B. Freese as my friend Jordan's father, but as my friend.

I still want to cry because I really wanted people to come to this event.

Like I said, it is an important book. An important collection of four books to be precise. Not an easy book to digest by any means, as no decent book about a human atrocity such as the holocaust should be, but an important one. Important in its lack of special-effects romanticism of hope or Spielburgian girls with pink scarves running around. This book is not force fed to you. This book gets inside of you on a very primal level and puts you inside of a Death Camp prisoner, a Nazi Guard, and a Nazi Guard's unknowing son on an even deeper level. This book examines the heart of what it means to be human and slaps you in the face with what we are all capable of, good and bad. This book examines what it means to confront our history and realize that we can learn from it...if we don't forget it first.

Like I said, this is an important book.

No, Mathias B. Freese is not Primo Levi. He is not Eli Wiesel. The Human experience in all of its horror and glory does not end with a handful of names we are exposed to in school or by Hollywood.

You should have been there. I'm glad I was. Even if no one else showed up. As the author said to me as he departed. The night was a success. I'm so glad he feels that way. Because even though the disappointment lingers, I feel the same way.

-

My previous review of the book can be seen here

You can (and should) purchase a copy of the book here

If you would like to purchase a signed copy, please let me know and I will get you one for a fair price.