The Adventures of Augie March - thru Chap. 12

[Luvrte66]

I briefly stalled on this book, but I'm getting back into it.

So Augie reconnects with Simon, but it seems pretty obvious that Augie
isn't too thrilled with the life Simon seems to be forcing him into.

I knew something had to give, and when Augie helps his neighbor Mimi
when she goes for an abortion, he is spotted, and it all gets back to
Simon and the rich family he's married into, and which he's also
trying to get Augie into. That's the end of that possibility, but I
don't think Augie is all that disappointed.

I think it's interesting here that Augie was trying to do the
honorable thing in helping his friend, but others completely
misunderstood his motivations. I'm starting to think that these small-
time hoods that Augie keeps encountering are more honorable than the
so-called legitimate businessmen. Simon, especially, has turned out to
be a real jerk.

The saga of Mimi's abortion was riveting. Since I was 11 years old,
abortion has been legal. It's hard to imagine the backstreet butchers
described in this passage, and the fear that women like Mimi had to
deal with.

I'm liking Augie more and more as this book goes on.

An earlier passage that I liked very much was describing Grandma
Lausch's losing her memory. "...how many bayous and deadwaters there
must be to the sides of an old varicose channel." I think we've all
had that experience where someone will remind us of a long-forgotten
memory, or a sight or sound will trigger a memory...we say, "Oh my
God, I'd forgotten all about that." It's getting bad enough for me as
it is...I can only imagine how it will be when I'm twice my age now!