The UrbanWire

She says she’s not an author but her book reads perfectly. She writes with expressions so beautifully detailed and packed with meaning and history that they mimic the poetic idioms of the Chinese.

She tells a story of a life fraught with adventure, emotional turmoil and finally peace that she’s found with her 3 children and German husband.

Her name is Jin Xing and Shanghai Tango is her story.

It’s a story about a young boy in the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Dance Troupe who grew up to be a man who couldn’t find himself until he became a woman, a prima ballerina, a mother and a wife. (Read more)

Christmas is just around the corner and if you’re anything like us at UrbanWire you’re pretty broke after devoting the lion’s share of your pocket money on presents for your loved ones.

Because you’ve been really good this year, we’re giving away some very cool book… ideas just so if you plan to host a Book Club meeting at your place, you’ll actually give your guests something to marvel at. (Read more)

Susannah aka Suzie is a “clueless philosophy student” (so she says) who lives in the 1970s and studies at Sussex University. Living with her Jason, her boyfriend who’s a decade older than her, gives her the perfect shelter from the customary students’ campus life. Except, she doesn’t realise that he’s gay.

Suzie indulges in philosophers such as Friedrich Nietzsche, Martin Heidegger and Søren Kierkegaard who speak of male philosophy and are to some extent, misogynists. And it is such philosophy, like Nietzsche’s view of how people should remain unattached that forced her into having an affair with her tutorial partner Rob. That and perhaps the paling sex life between her and her homosexual live-in boyfriend. (Read more)

To some, the word “light” may mean fluorescent or neon illumination. But there are those who perceive “light” as something more, associating it with an epiphany or the knowledge of one’s purpose. And therein lies the beauty of Gary Gibson’s latest work as he creatively meshes cold science, philosophy and spirituality to create a sense of wonder and mystery of the dark oblivion beyond us.

Having written 2 other Science Fiction novels, Angel Stations and Against Gravity, Gibson is no stranger to the genre. He’s an artiste who communicates his ideas through the stars, constantly reminding us of the vastness of space, the frailty of life and the evils of the heart. Gibson has a strange way of making you feel tiny among the magnitude of events that he crafts, almost as if to weave a tinge of despair into the fabric of the text. This, as Gibson has shown, is not entirely a bad thing, for hopelessness can indeed inspire. (Read more)

Care to imagine your grandchildren having green skin, scales and furry feet?

No, this isn’t Sesame Street or a sci-fi book, but freaky descendants are a possible outcome if we believe the handbook’s point no.77, about future generations having to evolve to adapt to hostile future environments because we didn’t prevent global warming.

Remember when the 24-hour-long Live Earth concerts invaded our TV screens on Jul 7? (Read more)

While we may be exposed to the horrors of war and hatred on 30-second news broadcasts, these are blips in our lives that don’t engage us. That’s why this book is a slap in the face.

Ex-prisoner and first-time author Marina Nemat, skillfully tells her horrific story of being a political prisoner in Evin, Iran’s most notorious prison in this unpretentious autobiography. Reading Nemat’s book is like reading the diary of a long-lost friend. Her honesty and her heart came through each sentence so strongly that the story of her life was spell-binding. She criticises herself with as much conviction as the way she defends her beliefs. (Read more)

It’s written with pens rationed by burly jailers, made up of words hidden in envelopes stuffed into black bags with chops of approval from a Korean prison and filled with experiences of convicted criminals. Cullen Thomas’s 1st book, Brother One Cell, recounts his 4 years in Korea’s prisons.

As a restless young man in his raring 20s, he leaves America for exotic South Korea on a teaching job. He meets a nubile young girl by the slightly bizarre name of Rocket and they both travel to the even more exotic Philippines in search of adventure.

Met with the lure of a thrill and insane profit, Thomas smuggles hashish, against Rocket’s and his better judgment, into the conservative Korea. Of course he’s caught and useless lawyers and wily prosecutors have him thrown into jail and he lives out his 20s while straddling the prisons in Taejon and Uijongbu.

The furore that adds a bit of spice is that the U.S. Embassy in Korea advises Thomas that the possession of hashish in the United States of America is not as big a deal as it is in South Korea. So the prosecutors look like domineering dictators who forced Thomas to settle into the judicial system of a country whose language he doesn’t even speak.

Thomas grows up in prison, making the transition from irrational, cussing boy to restrained, empathetic man. He does this in the gradual and subtle way that can only be achieved in a biography.

The Hard Part

Unlike Henri Charrière in Papillon, Thomas was imprisoned for a crime he did commit. Besides, he attempted no brave escapes and since there’s also so much you can talk about having to adapt to an oppressive foreign culture, his story is hardly exciting and didn’t seem to justify the 400-odd pages.

Thomas also enjoys painting repulsive and vividly gruesome pictures about his stay in the prisons. He describes Korea as a tumour and highlights the pain from his boils and the stench from his wild “crotch hair” that “permeates the air and hangs” all too enthusiastically. His too pellucid descriptions of opened toilets and growing infections, while necessary when emphasising the grime and squalor of the tiny cells, makes the book disgustingly graphic and a little difficult to stomach.

The Ups

But all is not lost since readers live vicariously, like To-ma-suh (Thomas in a thick Korean accent), through the colourful lives of his prison mates, caring Billy, notorious Tracey, stubborn Costello and certain gang leaders.

These characters seem dodgy. After all, they are convicted criminals but the men are hardly nefarious. They’re as kind as they can be, initiating the young To-ma-suh into the nationalistic, Confucian culture that invades the fortified walls of the prisons.

These characters made Brother One Cell so much more intriguing.

Also, Thomas is delightfully well-read. He quotes T.E. Lawrence, Graham Greene and Shakespeare at the start of some chapters and the paragraphs were suitable humdingers to the gloomy events that followed.

Besides being quite the bookworm, devouring Tolstoy and Thoreau during his sentence and quoting dead writers often, Thomas was also striking in his knowledge of the Korean prison and political system and was able to discuss, quite thoroughly, the adherence to Confucian beliefs even in politics and the tension between the 2 Koreas and its rulers.

Just as Thomas weaves his knowledge of the system into the book, he threads his stay in prison with flashbacks of his childhood. It may have seemed that he was much too fond of them, sprinkling the book with whole chapters of flashbacks, but they became necessary because they told of his love for Tintin and his longing for family trips, making him more human and developing his character a tad more.

Brother One Cell is a difficult book to plough through but hanging through the sentence is definitely worth it. Thomas is reflective in the last chapters and you understand that clawing at something larger won’t fulfill you because sometimes, it’s the things that are at home that will staunch your unending pursuit of so-called happiness.

UrbanWire gives Brother One Cell 4 out of 5 stars.

Brother One Cell is available at all good bookstores.

Never one to waste time reading about girls who fall truly, madly and deeply in love with seemingly dreamy men who show up at an ungodly hour with flowers and candy claiming that it’s a surprise? You Had Me at Halo will be your perfect read.

While the book may be classified as an insubstantial chick lit, it certainly isn’t run of the mill because the heroine is neither needy nor ditzy, and the man who is to be the love of her life is a one of a kind stand-up guy who depends on his brains as much as his brawn.

Even though the mundane cover could easily be overlooked when placed on a shelf smothered in bright pink books faced with skinny girls and crystal martini glasses, You Had Me at Halo is a treasure chest packed with laughs and wonderful irony.

The story of serendipitous and other-worldly meetings begins with our precocious and feisty heroine, Holly Evans, watching her funeral (as most spirits do at some point of their career) from the steel and concrete Level One of heaven.

She is, of course, bemoaning her horribly untimely death and raising hell in what should be Utopia. Extremely displeased at having to leave her handsome and successful almost-fiancé, Holly gets into all sorts of cringe-worthy scraps and is promptly and unceremoniously flung back to earth to make peace with her hefty emotional baggage.

As Murphy’s Law would have it, her foray back to the earthly dimension starts off on a hideously wrong foot when she’s placed in the body of a boring computer geek. Because of a gross miscalculation by her Levi’s-loving heavenly shrink who insists on being called a spiritual re-aligner, Holly finds that the computer geek, Vince Murphy, has yet to vacate the vessel.

Yes, yes, you might be frothing in the mouth right now. It’s neither realistic nor very believable, but if you leave your pedant alter ego behind, you’ll see that the author is startlingly sensitive and insightful. Amanda Ashby’s got her idea of a hero down pat and just as she’s wistful when she writes about Holly, she’s tender when she talks about Vince.

A simple man with simple plans, he’s the man all women should hold out for and all men should strive to be. He holds Holly’s hand (figuratively!) while she “eats funny tasting humble pie” and defends her gallantly against Todd, the philandering scumbag of an almost-fiancé.

With that, you can’t help but feel that perhaps Vince was molded after the author’s father and hero who passed away just 3 weeks before she began the book.

Amanda’s first novel is carefully written and her innate ability to create characters that have such amazing chemistry deserves to be applauded. The exciting banter between all the characters, from Holly’s stepmother to the resident office slut, is so enjoyable that you can potentially go from cover to cover in record time.

The novel stems not from its grandiloquent words and complex plot but from its delicate observations of human behaviour, pitched emotions and simple word play that’s guaranteed to have you giggling like a child.

For the days when you feel so down that your toes have a sense of foreboding so strong they might actually cry, You Had Me at Halo is the perfect prescription. It’s a drop-dead funny pick-me-up with a fiercely determined heroine, a generous dose of laughter and a heap of delicious wit.

If Amanda Ashby will oblige with another equally brilliant book, we’ll all have to say “Halo!” to the new Patricia Scanlan.

UrbanWire gives You Had Me at Halo 4.5 out of 5 stars

You Had Me at Halo is available at all bookstores.

You might remember the closing scene of You’ve Got Mail, when Tom Hanks’ Joe Fox’s dog playfully tugs at him as he finally kisses Meg Ryan’s character. Go beyond courtship and you might find that a blissful marriage is virtually impossible, as newlywed Jenny and John Grogan realise, with a 97-pound [44.0kg] yellow Labrador under the same roof. Add the fact that the dog also suffers from neurotic tendencies like stealing women’s undergarments and separation anxiety, and you have a recipe for disaster.

This witty and entertaining read from John’s point of view, leads you to experience the couple’s tumultuous rollercoaster ride as the parents of 2 boys, 1 girl and a trying dog.

Marley, affectionately named after renowned reggae musician, Bob Marley, is nothing like his laid-back namesake. Picked for his exuberance from a litter of 9 adorable puppies, Marley doesn’t get any less hyperactive even after outgrowing the ‘puppy’ stage, to the Grogans’ shock.

While many might be apprehensive about bringing such a rambunctious dog into the house, John and Jenny managed to see qualities of Marley that no one else paid attention to. Marley’s protective and loyal traits soon surfaced when the gigantic dog gamely took on the role of brother/babysitter/official bodyguard of their first newborn.

Despite his well-meaning demeanour, Marley didn’t take to Obedience School very well and didn’t graduate, unlike most of his breed. You could say he was definitely not a ‘teacher’s pet’.

The book is incredibly well written and you can’t help but laugh out loud at the stunts the loopy Marley pulls. Tales of barging through screen doors, digging holes in concrete walls and gobbling up almost anything– whether edible or not, makes you wonder how Man’s Best Friend could be so nutty.

Marley & Me may be John Grogan’s debut into the publishing scene, but he’s a highly skilled writer having spent years in the journalism field– even helming his own column in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel at the time he brought Marley home. His cynicism and sarcasm is evident in his writing. Such as the part where the writer meets Marley for the first time, he thought “it [referring to Marley] was as though this animal had just seen a ghost—and couldn’t possibly be more tickled about it” allowing readers to paint a hilarious picture in their minds about how Marley really is. So effective is the writing that you feel like you’ve become part of the 6-member, including canine, Grogan clan.

No wonder the deterioration of Marley’s health towards the end of his life combined with his ‘never-say-die’ wacky attitude make you laugh and cry at the same time. All in all, despite his shortcomings, the Labrador’s constant loyalty and commitment to the family sees him through a memorable life ending at the ripe age of 13 (91 in dog years).

Marley & Me is a worthwhile read for anyone looking for a pet or who already has one. While Quill, the Japanese documentary was about a guide dog who was also about a Labrador Retriever, it had the usual storyline whereby human and dog share an almost perfect relationship, just like My Dog Skip, written by Willie Morris. Marley and Me, however, presents a different twist on the relationship between man and dog. It shows how even plant-killers can become the best owners and how the worst dog can turn out to truly be Man’s Best Friend. This certainly takes the cake in showing how much animal lovers are willing to compromise for their beloved pets. Who knows? There might be a Marley out there waiting to inspire you as well.

UrbanWire gives Marley & Me 4 out of 5 stars.

If writing was an art, then first-time novelist, Phil LaMarche, has painted a rather elegant portrait. With his debut effort, American Youth , in which he shines light on one of the many struggles youths stomach, Phil has produced a considerably outstanding breakthrough piece in writing.

American Youth revolves around Teddy LeClare – mostly known in the book as “the boy” – a 15-year-old living in New England town. The story takes place at a turning point of the town’s culture where a social change is evident in the population and an unfortunate divide among the people is made. This results in a series of hostile events, the key one being a shooting, which leaves a friend of Teddy’s dead. What follows form the central story of the book – Teddy’s enthralling teenage journey encapsulated by a gun, a firearms accident, a sinister gang of boys who call themselves ‘American Youth’, a girl, and a dreadful moral dilemma, among other elements that make for an absolutely captivating read.

There’s much in the book to be obsessed with. The continuous flow of gripping events that keep occurring with every few flips of the page – especially in the first few chapters – is one example. The attention given to detail in each of these events is another. Phil nails the specifics with every suspense-filled scene, giving readers enough to fully understand Teddy’s struggle – his thoughts, his feelings, and his perspective of and response to the happenings around him, all written to a profound degree. The story is so compelling and the plot so intense and intriguing that there’s hardly a mundane portion within the pages.

The dialogue was another element in the book that stood out, as it rightfully should have, considering the importance and impact of dialogues in a book which deals with teenage struggle like this one does, and how it naturally plays an important role in bringing about for the reader a sense of relation and a higher level of understanding towards the characters and their story. In American Youth, the dialogue isn’t powerful or fierce throughout. Most of the time, it’s melodramatic, short and straightforward – as these youths typically are – and readers will find that with the subtle impact found in each line of the dialogue, a strong impression of the characters is collectively brought about.

Phil’s general writing style in American Youth is interestingly one element in the book that could go both ways in terms of appealing to the readers. Though his flair as a novelist is revealed in his ability to craft more than 200 pages’ worth of intensity, drama, and action through a well-established storyline, the lack of variety in the language and the creative concept of the writing may become a tad bit infuriating by the fourth or fifth chapter for readers who fancy diversity. A clear example is the idea of addressing a main character as “the boy”, which may initially come across as unique and maybe even refreshing as a concept, but will ultimately test the patience of these readers. It’s evident that this particular writing style was meant to portray the alienation of the character, but there are other less painful ways of doing that. In fact, the story itself caters to that very well.

What works for this particular writing style, however, and the reason why it could also appeal to readers, is that it makes the read a personal one, with a clear illustration of the boy’s point of view in the various aspects of his life. It’s a type of writing that somehow eliminates opportunities of connecting with the other characters in the book, because of the fact that they’re not exclusively referred to as “the girl” or “the gangster”. The focus is forced upon Teddy, even in situations, which he doesn’t play a huge part in. It’s such an addictive perspective that you can’t help but draw a strong bond with the character.

The subject of struggles among youths in this book may be familiar, mirroring that of American History X (1998) and The Freedom Writers Diary (1999). It may even be a book one can easily foresee adapted into a movie. But unlike The Freedom Writers Diary, this book does not require a film version or any visuals to convey the powerful message intended. Phil zooms into the life of Teddy so deeply through his writing and makes it so gut wrenchingly relatable that the experience as a reader, being able to understand this intriguing character so fully, is almost magical.

American Youth is not just another book making use of the cliché subject of the struggles youths experience as its focus. It’s a brilliantly crafted novel that gets you hooked effortlessly. It feels like a love potion has been splashed across each page that you find yourself lured deeper into the book and begging for more with every flip.

UrbanWire gives American Youth  4 out of 5 stars.

Ah, what would Singapore be without our unique brand of English, or Singlish as it is more commonly, and affectionately, known? This aberration of the English language, complete with an amalgamation of the Malay language and the Cantonese and Hokkien dialect, has been such an integral part of our lives so much that it has become part of our national identity and heritage.

It is hard to imagine getting by a day without hearing any lahslors being uttered on the streets. Anyone who happens to be heard or overheard speaking the Queen’s English is readily dismissed as ‘chiak kantang’, which according to TalkingCock.com, refers to a “ or pejorative expression used to describe an Asian who speaks with a Western accent” and which “literally means ‘eating potatoes’”.

While it is good to be proud of who we are (right down to the very last Singaporean colloquialism), it is also easy to see why the government is so insistent on us speaking better English. Singlish is very colourful and interesting, no doubt, but it is peppered with so many grammatical inaccuracies that it really doesn’t reflect well on us at all in the international arena. And so, the Speak Good English Movement (SGEM) was born.

This year, to coincide with the launch of the SGEM 2007, The Straits Times has put together a book titled English As It Is Broken, a compilation of the weekly columns of the same name (as found in The Sunday Times), which sees English language specialists from the Ministry of Education answer queries from the public with regards to the language.

The book is split into 3 sections, namely the Usage, Grammar and Vocabulary sections, each dealing with that specific aspect of the Language. The selection of questions and answers are very entertaining, in addition to being educational, and it sure drew more than a few laughs from me as I made my way through the book.

Particularly entertaining are the pictures of grammatically incorrect signs that readers have spotted in and around Singapore. For example, one said “Out of bounce to students” and another that says “Dead Slow Live Children”, whatever that means. It is hard to imagine that our standard of English is really that poor, but there you have it, with all the nasty evidence pointing to it.

What I really like about the book is the fact that it’s not too wordy, making it easy for the average layman to digest the useful bite-sized pieces of information. Unlike other language books, the tone used is not condescending and the entertainment factor is definitely a huge draw not only for Singaporeans seeking to improve their mastery of the language, but also for people just out for a good read.

And in just 3 weeks after its launch, English As It Is Broken has become the best selling book in Singapore, replacing The Secret by Rhonda Byrne in the top spot, a testament indeed to the appeal of this particular book.

All in all, a handy book to have if you are concerned with the finer points of the English language.

My only grouse? The inside of the book would have looked much better if it was printed in colour, not to mention more stimulating to the eye. Other than that, at just $7.50, this book is a steal.

UrbanWire gives English As It Is Broken  4 out of 5 stars.

Proceeds for the sale of English As It Is Broken will go towards The Straits Times Pocket Money Fund to help needy students pay for food in schools.

If you’re not bleary-eyed from reading the final installment of the 10-year Harry Potter phenom that has made author J.K. Rowling the richest woman in the UK, this review is for you.

Harry Potter, the Chosen Boy Who Lived, must face the Dark Lord Voldemort for the last time. After so many close shaves, the Good must now face the most Evil and prove that love in this world conquers all. Only this time, Harry must fight Voldemort alone.

In the 7th book, Harry’s ability to read Voldemort’s mind better becomes the key to the rest of the Horcruxes which his principal Dumbledore had instructed Harry to destroy in the previous book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

In the opening scene, instead of Harry being driven up the wall by Dudley and being miraculously rescued from his room in the attic, Harry parts ways with the Dursleys (be ready for a great surprise from Dudley!) and followed the Order to a safer hideout. Being 17 means a great deal to this wizard- the protection bestowed upon Harry by his parents (James and Lily Potter), who died saving him from He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, is lifted. Shortly after his departure planned precisely to every last detail, Harry and the Order face a tough battle with the Death Eaters who were desperate to bring Harry back to Voldemort alive. While Harry managed to cheat death again, many from the Order are hurt (one even dies).

From there, Harry, Hermione and Ron are in for difficult times searching for the other Horcruxes in order to kill the nemesis. With the help of the 3 items Dumbledore left for them in his will, the trio must hunt down the rest of Voldemort’s souls with no clues and lots of traps along the way. Harry has to break into a place he barely entered in the Sorcerer’s Stone to hunt down one of the clues leading up to one of Voldemort’s  Horcruxes.

As if they haven’t got enough on their hands, Harry must decide between following Dumbledore’s orders or his new discovery- the Deathly Hallows. Rumour has it that the owner of all 3 Hallows will be the master of Death. If he gets hold of them all, maybe then he can stand a chance against Lord Voldemort…

Harry must go with his heart and make many difficult decisions. Granted, some might not be the smartest but he learns quickly from his mistakes knowing everyone is counting on him. A normal teenager at heart, Harry yearns to be free and normal. Many times in the book Harry would throw the usual tantrums and think of giving up this battle and running away into the sunset with Ginny. However, he always manages to snap back into reality- escaping from the world slowly being overtaken by the Dark Lord and garnering enough energy to give one last fight.

Rowling has cleverly injected many anecdotes along the way to bring readers back in time and retrace the steps Harry took since he survived Lord Voldemort’s Avada Kedavra (Killing) curse. Here is when all the doubts in Harry’s minds will slowly be answered, all the loose strings finally tied. A series of intertwined truths will be revealed one after the other; Dumbledore’s death and shocking family background, his own family history and where his parents were buried.

Like it isn’t enough to lose his parents, Godfather (Sirius Black) and mentor Professor Albus Dumbledore, Harry will lose at least 6 other major companions who shaped him into this selfless teenage boy. You may find yourself crying with Harry through the dark moments, but laugh harder with Ron. You must really give this to his loyal friend- he can make even the gloomiest moments cheery with one or two of his silly jokes.

Shadowy introductions to some important characters previously will be made more complex in this final showdown. People we’ve come to hate will become heroes in Harry’s life, while heroic ones we respect and hold high on pedestals turn out not as noble as we thought.

At the final showdown in Hogwarts, almost every character mentioned in all the previous books returns for the cataclysmic epic battle. Some gave into their desires and joined the Dark Side; many were touched by the sincerity and selflessness of Harry and stayed with him till their last breaths.

As if she had not taken enough literary risks since the birth of Harry in 1996, Rowling makes an attempt to add on to the complicated storyline nearing the end of book 7. With one final and definitely biggest twist, Harry must make his choice; for, as the prophecy about him and Voldemort goes, “neither can live while the other survives”.

Through the entire 607 pages, one can only expect an emotional roller-coaster ride piled with lots of back-to-back hard-hitting action.

And the ending? Well, let’s just say after the controversial twists Harry Potter took along the way, Rowling stayed true to the old-fashioned closure one would find in any other children’s book.

One thing’s for sure, those who have treated rumours of hearsay among web communities seriously, prepare to be terribly disappointed.

I can’t wait to see how Director David Yates will pull this one off.

5/5 stars

If you’re not bleary-eyed from reading the final installment of the 10-year Harry Potter phenom that has made author J.K. Rowling the richest woman in the UK, this review is for you.

Harry Potter, the Chosen Boy Who Lived, must face the Dark Lord Voldemort for the last time. After so many close shaves, the Good must now face the most Evil and prove that love in this world conquers all. Only this time, Harry must fight Voldemort alone.

In the 7th book, Harry’s ability to read Voldemort’s mind better becomes the key to the rest of the Horcruxes which his principal Dumbledore had instructed Harry to destroy in the previous book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

In the opening scene, instead of Harry being driven up the wall by Dudley and being miraculously rescued from his room in the attic, Harry parts ways with the Dursleys (be ready for a great surprise from Dudley!) and followed the Order to a safer hideout. Being 17 means a great deal to this wizard- the protection bestowed upon Harry by his parents (James and Lily Potter), who died saving him from He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, is lifted. Shortly after his departure planned precisely to every last detail, Harry and the Order face a tough battle with the Death Eaters who were desperate to bring Harry back to Voldemort alive. While Harry managed to cheat death again, many from the Order are hurt (one even dies).

From there, Harry, Hermione and Ron are in for difficult times searching for the other Horcruxes in order to kill the nemesis. With the help of the 3 items Dumbledore left for them in his will, the trio must hunt down the rest of Voldemort’s souls with no clues and lots of traps along the way. Harry has to break into a place he barely entered in the Sorcerer’s Stone to hunt down one of the clues leading up to one of Voldemort’s Horcruxes.

As if they haven’t got enough on their hands, Harry must decide between following Dumbledore’s orders or his new discovery- the Deathly Hallows. Rumour has it that the owner of all 3 Hallows will be the master of Death. If he gets hold of them all, maybe then he can stand a chance against Lord Voldemort…

Harry must go with his heart and make many difficult decisions. Granted, some might not be the smartest but he learns quickly from his mistakes knowing everyone is counting on him. A normal teenager at heart, Harry yearns to be free and normal. Many times in the book Harry would throw the usual tantrums and think of giving up this battle and running away into the sunset with Ginny. However, he always manages to snap back into reality- escaping from the world slowly being overtaken by the Dark Lord and garnering enough energy to give one last fight.

Rowling has cleverly injected many anecdotes along the way to bring readers back in time and retrace the steps Harry took since he survived Lord Voldemort’s Avada Kedavra (Killing) curse. Here is when all the doubts in Harry’s minds will slowly be answered, all the loose strings finally tied. A series of intertwined truths will be revealed one after the other; Dumbledore’s death and shocking family background, his own family history and where his parents were buried.

Like it isn’t enough to lose his parents, Godfather (Sirius Black) and mentor Professor Albus Dumbledore, Harry will lose at least 6 other major companions who shaped him into this selfless teenage boy. You may find yourself crying with Harry through the dark moments, but laugh harder with Ron. You must really give this to his loyal friend- he can make even the gloomiest moments cheery with one or two of his silly jokes.

Shadowy introductions to some important characters previously will be made more complex in this final showdown. People we’ve come to hate will become heroes in Harry’s life, while heroic ones we respect and hold high on pedestals turn out not as noble as we thought.

At the final showdown in Hogwarts, almost every character mentioned in all the previous books returns for the cataclysmic epic battle. Some gave into their desires and joined the Dark Side; many were touched by the sincerity and selflessness of Harry and stayed with him till their last breaths.

As if she had not taken enough literary risks since the birth of Harry in 1996, Rowling makes an attempt to add on to the complicated storyline nearing the end of book 7. With one final and definitely biggest twist, Harry must make his choice; for, as the prophecy about him and Voldemort goes, “neither can live while the other survives”.

Through the entire 607 pages, one can only expect an emotional roller-coaster ride piled with lots of back-to-back hard-hitting action.

And the ending? Well, let’s just say after the controversial twists Harry Potter took along the way, Rowling stayed true to the old-fashioned closure one would find in any other children’s book.

One thing’s for sure, those who have treated rumours of hearsay among web communities seriously, prepare to be terribly disappointed.

We at UrbanWire can’t wait to see how Director David Yates will pull this one off.

UrbanWire gives Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 5 out of 5 stars

In a nondescript room far away from the bustling streets of Maryland, USA, a man sits amongst his secrets.

He tediously sieves through his ever-growing pile and every Sunday, he releases 20 of them to the world.

Many have seen these secrets and a few even recognise them as their own. Some weep for those who have suffered pain and a handful laugh at the quirks of others.

The secrets are not the man’s own but of those who needed to share, in the form of postcards. These postcards, so lovingly decorated and heart-wrenchingly honest, were sent to him who is regarded as the secret keeper. There are plenty who call him “the best” because never has he once revealed the names behind those clandestine writings shown for the world to see. Instead, he respects the inner desire that many of us occasionally have of sharing our dirty laundry with others, but cannot do so most of the time because of embarrassing consequences.

When the Sunday has passed, the secret keeper, who fancies himself as Frank Warren, leaves the sanctuary of many, to a blog that goes by the appellation PostSecret, and continues with striking up exhibitions or readying auction pieces from his collection of written whispers to raise money for 1800-SUICIDE (a community crisis centre in the United States).

Frank’s site of secrets has had a whopping 100 million visitors the past 3 years and his pile of secret-laden postcards has grown to more than 1,000 a week.

Never one to rest on his laurels, the secret keeper decided that a new book was called for. The 4th and perhaps most eclectic book in his collection, A Lifetime of Secrets is stashed with secrets drenched in longing and regret, with revelations of false bravado and grown-ups yearning to be children again.

Like Frank’s previous books, PostSecret: Extraordinary Confessions from Ordinary Lives, My Secret: A PostSecret Book and The Secret Lives of Men and Women, the new book is beautifully designed, with its cover tied with twine and splashed with some of his many postcards – a design that’s lovely and so very nostalgic.

A Lifetime of Secrets is heavy with the secrets we’ve all been collecting and is less naughty than The Secret Lives of Men and Women but very much more appealing since overt confessions of sexual escapades can be a bit too much to bare. More substantial than the former books, A Lifetime of Secrets is as much a confession as it is a presentation of artwork.

Frank has written nothing, yet he’s the very essence of the book that is almost an archive of human emotions. Words are at the minimum, yet it’s hard not to cry and you’ll lose yourself in the book and find that everyone hauls secrets behind them. If we take the time to understand, allow and comfort, we might live in a world where feelings are not relegated to postcards sent to a stranger.

It might seem a little absurd to pay for A Lifetime of Secrets, beautiful as it is, to assuage what must be an innate curiosity in all of us. After all, the PostSecret website has new secrets every week. But really, who can resist having a semblance of ownership in something as phenomenal as this.

UrbanWire gives A Lifetime of Secrets 4.5 out of 5 stars

His previous book, My Secret: A PostSecret Book, is now available in Singapore and pre-orders for A Lifetime of Secrets can be made at amazon.com.

Author Jeannette Walls creates a heartfelt retelling of her childhood in her latest book, The Glass Castle, when she and her three siblings led a nomadic life. Like something out of adventure clips from the National Geographic Channel, they pitched tents in the mountains and slept underneath the skies as they made their way through the desert towns of the American Southwest.

Walls and her siblings were brought up by unconventional parents whose values and ideals were too idealistic for practical living. Mother, Rose Mary, would paint, and read Shakespeare aloud as she justified her hatred for domestic chores. Rex, her father, was no prize either. An ingenious liar and a hopeless alcoholic, he blamed his inability to keep a job on his claims that mobsters were running the corrupted electrician’s union.

The Glass Castle is filled with hilarious but dubious moments. Rose Mary encouraged her children to do toe-touches as she believed better circulation lifts a person’s outlook. It’s a touching real life page-turner of this gossip columnist to 24-hour news channel MSNBC that sheds a heartwarming light on family ties. - BY HAJAR MANAF

Available at Books Kinokuniya at $47.41. Also available at amazon.com for US$16.01 (S$26.90). Shipping costs not included.