Red Cedar
More apocalypse, less angst
not at all introspective
as a treat to myself finishing my first academic paper since i left university almost 6 years ago….. i decided to pick up some light reading yesterday.
a while back, a friend recommended a series of books by gregory maguire which are takes on the old fairy-tales we know and love. i went yesterday and bought two of those books – Wicked: This Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West and Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister and started Wicked last night.
now this is a really fun read – a fairy tale for grownups premised on telling the wicked witch’s side of the story from the wizard of oz. who knew that oz was a despot, engaged in a secret plot to put down the animal rights movement and subjugate the quadlings for the precious gem deposits hidden deep beneath their marshes. the emerald city and yellow brick road built on the backs of slave labour?
pretty funny and surprisingly political – if you are looking for fun reading – this is worth checking out 🙂
2 Comments on “not at all introspective”
Red Cedar 
I read “Wicked” a few years ago and also found it be a great read. I love the subversive politics that underlie the story, and find it very appropriate, since the original Wiz of Oz was full of all sorts of political allegory that was fairly radical for its time.
i got this book for my birthday from someone who caused me a great deal of sorrow. thus, it has sat untouched and unread on the shelf. but maybe the time has come to dust off the cover and actually read the thing … some other mutual friends of ours gave it great reviews too.