1. Home
  2. News
  3. The Story of My Teeth

The Story of My Teeth

Posted by Heidi K on Tuesday, Jun 14, 2016

story of my teeth Looking for a quick addition to your summer reading list? I loved this little book by Valeria Luiselli set in Mexico City because it is quite funny and bursting with originality. If you find yourself gravitating to heavy, serious books and want a pick-me-up or a palette cleanser, this will do the trick. Also, if you like quirky books as a general rule, check this one out! I fell in love with the aesthetics - there are beautiful full page bookplates dividing the different 'books' or chapters within the book. Also of note is that Valeria Luiselli wrote this book in collaboration with employees from Mexico City’s Jumex juice factory. During the book, auctioneer Gustavo “Highway” Sánchez Sánchez tells us about his travels and his beloved tooth collection of the “notorious infamous” (he later admits that the Marilyn Monroe ones are fakes.) There are literary quotes and fortune-cookie fortunes sprinkled throughout like a breadcrumb trail. This book is fun and adventurous, giving one the sense of being on a bizarre yet intriguing mission. I also loved how the final 'book' or chapter is a timeline of Gustavo Highway's adventures in context of other important happenings in Mexican history. There are also photographs to further provide a sense of place. The writing's mood can be contemplative, irreverent, hilarious, or confounding. I can't wait to read more by this author!

Categories

Books and More
Reading Programs

About the Author

Heidi K's picture

Name: Heidi K.
Position at ICPL: Outreach Assistant in Community & Access Services
Where you'll see me at the Library: Bookmobile, Help Desk, or potentially wandering the book stacks.
A little about me:
I am originally from Lincoln, NE but have lived in Iowa City for 15+ years. My interests (outside of libraries and reading) include yoga,... more

Other Posts by Heidi K

See more posts from Heidi K

Heidi K Recommends

  • Shuggie Bain : a novel

    by Douglas Stuart

    FICTION Stuart Douglas
    Historical Fiction, LGBTQ+, Literary Fiction

    "Shuggie Bain is the unforgettable story of young Hugh "Shuggie" Bain, a sweet and lonely boy who spends his 1980s childhood in public housing in Glasgow, Scotland. Thatcher's war on heavy industry has put husbands and sons out of work, and the city's notorious drugs epidemic is waiting in the wings. Shuggie's mother Agnes walks a wayward path: she is Shuggie's guiding light but a burden for his artistic brother and practical sister. She dreams of a house with its own front door while she flicks through the pages of the Freemans catalogue, ordering a little happiness on credit, anything to brighten up her grey life. Married to a "whoremaster" of a husband, Agnes keeps her pride by looking good - her beehive, make-up, and pearly-white false teeth offer a glamourous image of a Glaswegian Elizabeth Taylor. But under the surface, Agnes finds increasing solace in drink, and she drains away the lion's share of each week's benefits - all the family has to live on - on cans of extra-strong lager hidden in handbags and poured into tea mugs. Agnes's older children find their own ways to get a safe distance from their mother, abandoning Shuggie to look after her as she swings between alcoholic binges and sobriety. He is meanwhile doing all he can to somehow become the normal boy he desperately longs to be, but everyone has realized that Shuggie is "no right," and now Agnes's addiction has the power to eclipse everyone close to her-even and especially her beloved Shuggie." --

    hkuchta's picture

    This book received a Kirkus starred review, and it's definitely worth the hype. The book takes place in the working class Scotland of the 1980s. Agnes is a young alcoholic woman who loves her children but is mostly incapacitated by poverty and drink. Shuggie is a young boy who is a bit of a social pariah for being a gay momma's boy - even though for most of the book he has little to no understanding of why he doesn't fit in with the others. He just doesn't. I thought this book was heartbreaking but also just plain beautiful. I won't forget Shuggie or Agnes. -Heidi K
See more recommendations

Recent News

Add new comment