Journal Entry 1 by busybusybee from Zachary, Louisiana USA on Monday, April 28, 2003

Available for immediate release/trade.
 

Journal Entry 2 by busybusybee at Released via USPS to a fellow book crosser in Sterling Heights, Michigan USA on Monday, April 28, 2003

Release planned for Tuesday, April 29, 2003 at Released via USPS to a fellow book crosser in Sterling Heights, Michigan USA.

Released to GrizzlyGirl as part of a trade. Enjoy and thanks for the trade!! 

Journal Entry 3 by busybusybee from Zachary, Louisiana USA on Thursday, June 12, 2003

I listened to an audio version of this book. I think that if I had read it, that I might have gotten hung up with how the Greek names were supposed to sound in my head as I read. But anyway, this was a gripping account of a person's quest to find their true self and identity in their world. Middlesex went back and forth from present day Berlin to 1920's Greece to 1970's Detroit, but all that wove the fabric of the person our main character was to become. I highly recommend this book!!  

Journal Entry 4 by GrizzlyGirl from Peoria, Arizona USA on Monday, June 16, 2003

I loved this book! Thank you so much for the trade busybusybee. It was so much fun to read a story that was set in Detroit. Eugenides is a wonderful writer, the language was beautiful and the story unique. Awesome book! 

Journal Entry 5 by GrizzlyGirl from Peoria, Arizona USA on Wednesday, June 18, 2003

Will be mailing to fellow bookcrosser, Mozzfan, very soon as part of a trade! Yay! :) 

Journal Entry 6 by mozzfan from Chicago, Illinois USA on Saturday, June 28, 2003

Cool! Recieved in the mail from Ms. GrizzlyGirl in a trade. I can't wait to read it, and pass it along (probably at the next meetup!)
 

Journal Entry 7 by mozzfan from Chicago, Illinois USA on Tuesday, September 30, 2003

It took me quite a while to get through this book - while it was good, and Eugenides is a wonderful writer, I felt like reading this was an obligation more than enjoyment. I think if I had liked it more, I would have finished it a lot faster. And, I can't believe the fact that nobody ever noticed the main character's issue. I also wish we had learned more about Cal's young adult phase instead of some of the other topics. What happened to the Object? Did she ever find out?

I may offer this in a book relay to keep it moving, or bring it to the next Chicago BC meetup. 

Journal Entry 8 by mozzfan at Vagabond Books & Gear - 2010 N. Damen Ave. in Chicago, Illinois USA on Tuesday, October 14, 2003

Released on Tuesday, October 14, 2003 at Vagabond Books & Gear - 2010 N. Damen Ave. in Chicago, Illinois USA.

Hopefully the chain won't be broken - passing on at the meetup tonight. 

Journal Entry 9 by JesseBC from Duluth, Minnesota USA on Tuesday, October 14, 2003

I got this tonight at the Bookcrossing meetup! Thanks! 

Journal Entry 10 by JesseBC from Duluth, Minnesota USA on Thursday, October 16, 2003

To go to fingerart when I'm done. I suppose it could even be a bookray if there's interest. Only requirement with this one, as I understand it, is that it keep moving :-) 

Journal Entry 11 by JesseBC from Duluth, Minnesota USA on Saturday, November 01, 2003

gensparkie also interested in this one (end of bookray?) 

Journal Entry 12 by JesseBC from Duluth, Minnesota USA on Friday, November 14, 2003

Order for the bookray:

killiney
tmtdino30
invertebra <--- currently here
perniciousjules
sylviap
caligula03
livelywriter
Tamster33
pikkewyn
solimano
Caracas
mudaba
RoryG
Neena11
Ramya
SmilingSun
kimsbooks03
gensparkie
luvtink81 

Journal Entry 13 by JesseBC from Duluth, Minnesota USA on Thursday, September 16, 2004

CONTAINS POSSIBLE SPOILERS!

I loved this one as much as Virgin Suicides! It contains the same sharp but subtle insights into American culture, in this case, the American tradition of becoming whatever it is you appear to be. Forced normality because whatever is truly normal and natural is never good enough.

The parallels to Greek mythology are well-placed -- Calliope is the oldest muse, of writing and epic poetry, now telling the epic story of his own family history. In mythology, Calliope had to settle an argument between Aphrodite and Persephone and did so by giving them both equal time.

Then the Minotaur was the half-man, half-beast creature born of the unwise mating of Pasiphae and the white bull. So Minos locks up the monster in the Labyrinth. Minos, who goes nuts when his son is murdered, starts wreaking havoc on Athens and demands that every 9 years 7 boys and 7 girls must be sacrified to the Minotaur locked up in the Labyrinth in exchange for peace. This continues until the hero, Theseus, gets wind of it. He takes pity on the families of the sacrified children and vows he will go in with them and bring them all out alive. He does this first by bringing in some girls dressed as boys and boys dressed as girls in order to confuse the Minotaur. Then Minos' daughter, Ariadne, gives him a ball of string to trace his way into and back out of the Labyrinth. Theseus goes into the center, kills the Minotaur, and emerges victorious. I've always loved this story. Partly because I think the Minotaur gets a bad rap and I've always wondered what happened inside the Labyrinth when Theseus kills him. That part of the story is never told.

I bet someone could write a whole separate book on the use of Greek mythology in Middlesex.... There's Antigone, played by the Obscure Object, the first anarchist of the Greek stage who defies the state by burying her brother's body. For this, she is imprisoned in a cave. Teiresias, the part played by Callie in the book, warns the ruler of Thebes that the gods are on Antigone's side.

There probably *is* fodder here for a whole separate book analyzing Eugenide's use of this stuff. There's also the Oracle at Delphi and Androgeus, which I'm sure meant something, but I don't know much about their stories. He seems to have picked the running themes of fate, hubris, and being only half-something and half-something-else (which I guess about covers Greek mythology, huh? :-)

At first, I was a little bored by the whole story of Desdemona and Lefty and then Milton and Tessie. I knew what it was getting to (the inbreeding causing Cal's syndrome, blah, blah), but I was getting a little impatient at that point. It did make me wonder though: if we could wipe out all other manipulation such as media conditioning and so forth, how much of attraction could be based on genetics? Do our bodies communicate genetics in such a way that potentially our attractions could be based on one person's genes having compatibility with another person's genes and the mind perceiving this as sexy and attractive?

Once the Obscure Object came into the picture, I thought the book got much more interesting. I wonder if girls create such deep emotional bonds in early adolescence as a form of rebellion against the power they sense boys already have? Like without even knowing they’re doing it, they’re standing together. Or almost falling in love with each other because they know other girls will understand them in a way they suspect boys won’t and that makes other girls safer..

The whole gender exploration completely fascinated me. I mean, I knew there were more than two genders, but I’d never really thought about it like this. I’ve always had this theory that we’re all bisexual, because gender is much more ambiguous than most societies allow. I mean, where’s the line? We’re obsessed with the genital determination of gender and sex, but it doesn’t seem to be very helpful.

Then I got to wondering: is feminism too limited? Is the real problem beyond the oppression of women and really that we suppress multiple sexualities and gender identities and misogyny is only one piece, or one symptom, of this? Will feminism ultimately stagnate unless it embraces the GLBT movement for this reason? 

Journal Entry 14 by JesseBC at on Wednesday, September 29, 2004

RELEASE NOTES:

Off to begin its bookray journey in Oregon! 

Journal Entry 15 by JesseBC at on Monday, October 04, 2004

Released 7 yrs ago (10/4/2004 UTC) at

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

RELEASE NOTES:

Off to begin its bookray journey in Oregon! 

Journal Entry 16 by killiney from Portland, Oregon USA on Monday, November 15, 2004

I received this book today, and I can't wait to get started on it! 

Journal Entry 17 by killiney from Portland, Oregon USA on Friday, December 31, 2004

It took me awhile to get into this book, but once I did, I didn't want to put it down. Eugenides is a gifted writer, and I enjoyed this one even more than "The Virgin Suicides." I highly recommend it! Now it's off to gensparkie... 

Journal Entry 18 by tmtdino30 from Nanticoke, Pennsylvania USA on Thursday, January 13, 2005

Bookray Reading right now, will send it out when finished Thanks Emailing next person on list. I am having a hard time reading it.Emailed the next to people,no anwser,emailed invertabra and sending out on Thursday.Thanks Teresa 2/24/2005 I sent it out today sorry for the delay. Having trouble financially. Thanks for waiting Again i am sorry. 

Journal Entry 19 by invertebra from Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro Brazil on Friday, May 06, 2005

the book just got in rio de janeiro.

he seems to be enjoying the weather