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Read All Over celebrates the bookworm in all of us, showcasing readers in Vancouver and the books they love most. |
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| Chen Lizra is a dancer, artist, author and entrepreneur. Her self-published book My Seductive Cuba won an Independent Publisher Book Award and was a finalist for an International Book Award. She teaches dance and workshops as well as leading tours to Cuba. |
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| Recently announced as one of the speakers at this year's at TEDxVancouver Conference, Chen will be featured in an upcoming VBC 'Views. |
What are you currently reading?
Honestly, right now I have no time to read. I have a stack of books that I'm dying to get to. One of them is The Midas Touch which is about business and entrepreneurship by the author of Rich Dad Poor Dad (Richard Kiyosaki) and Donald Trump. That book I love because of the way they talk about entrepreneurship and what you need to be a successful entrepreneur and what happens when things fall apart. They have some great insights there.
It's one of a number of books that I started reading but haven't gotten back to. Another one is The 4-Hour Work Week.
What was the last book you read?
I read every Harry Potter book possible. Those are my favourite books. When Dumbledore died I was so shocked I cried. I felt like my grandfather died. I was so involved in the stories. Every time a new book would come out I would buy it and then go "When do I have two days or three days when I don't have to work or something because I know I'm going to get so involved that I won't want to leave it. I'd be like "No one talk to me" and I would read, read, read.
What books have changed your life?
When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chödrön. My life fell apart when my mum died of cancer and I was having a really hard time coping with it. Because I was back home (in Israel) and it was so warm in the culture, everybody envelopes you and they make sure you have people around you so that you are never alone. And then I came here and the culture doesn't allow you to mourn on the outside. You're supposed to stay at home. And that's the opposite of the way we are. I couldn't handle it, and I just fell apart emotionally. So I went to a Buddhist retreat to pick up the pieces and to meditate. I needed compassion and I couldn't find compassion around me. When I was there the Lama came to me one day, after we had sat and talked, and she gave me this book. I asked "Why are you giving me this?" and she said "Because that's where you are." And I read the book and it changed my life. It showed me how to be with the groundlessness of that situation and how to be with that raw feeling and how to just keep moving every day and to be okay with that until I really got okay.
How do you like your books served up best – audio books, graphic novels, used paperbacks, library loaner, e-reader…?
So far I'm still in paper. I've experiemented a little bit with e-books and the flipping and scrolling. The e-book version of My Seductive Cuba, especially the iTunes one, is so cool because there are so much graphics in there. So I had to experiment with books to do that. E-books are an interesting thing. I think the features are very appealing. The ability to search for things and jump and mark things.
The one book you always recommend is…
Harry Potter.
It also depends on what the person is looking for.
Favourite Vancouver/Lower Mainland writer?
I don't ever look for specifically local. I look for what interests me. I do know several authors. For example a friend of mine, Farhana Dhalla, wrote a book called Thank You For Leaving Me, which is a beautiful book about how her marriage fell apart and how she realized her life is so much better now.
Where is your favourite place to crack open a book in Vancouver?
Where I feel the most comfy. I need to be in my pajamas or sweat pants, laying down and immersed in it, a squishy chair. Sometimes on vacation when you're in the sun, on the sand on a towel, that's comfortable.
What book or story impressed you as a child? Were you obsessed with any particular ones?
Yes, although you wouldn't know them because they're from Israel. There are a couple of different books that are classics in Israel and I love their message. They're simple, they're cute. I have them at home, actually. I bought them and I brought them here to always have them as a reminder. And it's funny because when my Israeli friends come to visit me they're always "Oh my god, oh my god! I can't believe you have these books!" They have such great memories.
One of them is about these two animals, a lion and a giraffe, and they're trying to figure out who lives in this house. And they're always hiding. So they hide behind a bush and the giraffe sticks up. They hide behind a tree and the lion sticks out. And every time he comes out we see a part of the animal who lives in the house. And eventually we find out it is a rabbit. It's quite funny but the literal translation of his name is "Raspberry Juice." I don't know why. It's actually a name of a drink for kids. Everybody knows him. He's the rabbit, Mitz Petel, Rasperry Juice.
Another one is about renting a house (A Flat for Rent by Lea Goldberg). It's very interesting in the message it gives. It's important who comes to visit them. Different animals come to try live there and there are comments like "I don't want to be with you because you're fat and you're like this." And things like that. And eventually someone comes along who likes them all. There is that sense of Israel and the warmth and the community.
You don't really think about the message (in these stories) until you grow up. It's really ingrained from a young age.
What is the most cherished item in your library?
You're going to laugh. The Illusion of Life. I was an animator for eight years and when you come to my house you see a library and at the top there is animation, and then creative, business, languages, Hebrew. It's kind of interesting when you see the variety because it's not what you'd expect to see together. It kind of reflects my life, what I am. And one of the most amazing books I got to read, to own, is what we call in the animation industry "The Animation Bible." It was written at Disney about the theory of drawing and how to do things like stretch and squash. It's become the animation bible for every animator around the world. It's one of those precious gems.
If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
Elizabeth Gilbert. When I read Eat, Pray, Love I thought her style was completely exposed. When she wrote she didn't care what other people thought about her. I really admired her courage. Plus she was entertaining. She made me laugh, she made me cry. She took me on a journey that inspired me. That's why I say My Seductive Cuba is "Eat, Pray, Love meets Lonely Planet" because I think the stories are in that kind of way of thinking. You go into these stories that really grab you, that sometimes make you laugh and sometimes cry but they bring something very human to it that really ties your heart to it.
Your life story is published tomorrow. What’s the title?
I can't tell you because that's the third book in my plan. And you'd be surprised because it's not what you would think.
Chen Lizra will be making a special dance appearance this Saturday at the El Grupo Cubano (Brisas del Palmar) show at the Vogue Theatre as well as signing copies of her book My Seductive Cuba. She also leads Afro-Cuban dance workshops on Thursdays.
