red and blue

Blogs seem to have become the diary of today- though a diary intended for a public audience. But the art of the diary is not gone. Highlighted for you today are 2 books that explore the theme of the diary.

The Red Leather Diary is a work of non-fiction written when a NY Times journalist discovers a discarded old diary, and embarks on a journey with the woman Florence Wolfson. A stunning picture of the 1930's New York.

The Blue Notebook is a work of fiction written by James Levine. It is the story of Batuk, an Indian girl who is taken to Mumbai from the countryside and sold into prostitution by her father; the blue notebook is her diary, in which she recalls her early childhood, records her life on the Common Street. I have not read this yet, but ordered some copies in for the store as it just released this July.
Who knows, maybe blogs will be this little picture of our culture and lives, though I am not sure if they look quite as cool as a neat old red or blue journal tucked away or left behind that we discover years later. If you are a bit nostalgic like me, you might just pick up a journal to start. i recommend the book Note to Self by O'Shea Samara if you embark on that journey!