Tufts Blogs

College has so far been a period of wide experimentation and change for me, especially in regards to what type of art, stories, and music I consume. Not only am I daily humbled with my lack of knowledge both in and outside of class, but I am also far more open-minded and willing to experiment than I was before. As such, I thought I’d give you a brief peek into what I’m reading, watching, and listening to.

Reading

Little Women 

I know, it’s odd to see a 19-year-old boy reading Little Women. Trust me, I’m shocked as well. In high school, my books of choice were by brooding postmodern men that commented on the hollowness of upper-middle-class America (David Foster Wallace, Paul Auster, Jonathan Franzen, etc). While these are some of my favorite books, they represent one voice commenting on a particular issue. Little Women, with its focus on the role of women in a hyper-patriarchal society, is a breath of fresh air when compared to my tempestuous postmodern men. Historically, the book is fascinating considering that an idyllic story centered on four poor girls was the best selling book in America just three years after the Civil War. It’s also just an intriguing plot that you will quickly become enraptured with if you give it a chance. This book is the exact opposite of what I’d normally read, and I’m glad I listened to my friends and gave it a chance.

Listening

Three World Winds by Allen Vizzutti 

My gosh do I love this piece! I heard it in person when I was at Interlochen as a junior in high school, but I forgot the name until recently. I’m not sure how I’d categorize Three World Winds, other than to say that this is my favorite kind of music. It embodies an ethereal, distinctly wind ensemble tonality that is just pure joy to my ears. Others might categorize the sound as akin to 20th Century Japanese Classical, but I’d just call it floaty, nostalgic, and beautiful. This type of sound is always hard to find, and I wish more pieces were like Three World Winds. There’s some crazy virtuosic trumpet as well, which is always fun. 

Watching 

The Half of It directed by Alice Wu

I’d normally never give this movie a chance, which is why I’m so glad I had to watch it for my Asian American writers class. The premise is a modern-day Cyrano de Bergerac set in an American conservative small town, with an Asian American high school girl as the main character. Going in, I was concerned about the pitfalls of the YA and teen romance drama genres, but was soon surprised by a beautiful and intelligent movie. While The Half of It touches on topics ranging from the struggles of being a minority, to the expectations of class, to questions of sexual identity, it is fundamentally about platonic love. In most movies there’s pressure, or even an expectation, to force romance between the male and female lead, and The Half of Its emphasis on platonic over romantic love makes it endearing and human. Additionally, what made me respect the movie the most is its refusal to villainize any perspective. The problems of the town are never a result of a blameable figure, rather the problems arise from the overarching systemic issues of our society. Please watch this movie. Not enough people give it a chance and it is truly beautiful. 

The French Dispatch and Dune

I saw both of these recently with friends at the Somerville Theatre in Davis Square, which is a cute indie theater within walking distance of campus (or you can take the free shuttle there). My thoughts on these could fill up two more blog posts, so I’ll keep it brief. The French Dispatch is stylistically hilarious, and perhaps Wes Anderson at his best, and Dune is really fun eye candy with one of the most innovative and brilliant scores I’ve heard in a long time. After a year and a half of streaming movies on my laptop, both of these reminded me how much I love the experience of actually going to the movies. 

I hope I gave you something new to try out, or at least showed you how Tufts has opened my mind to trying new things! It’s really fun to randomly try something new, and you might end up with a new favorite movie/book/song that you normally would’ve never given a chance. Worst case scenario you start something new and then drop it if you don’t like it!