Jeffrey Eugenides' Middlesex I was surprised with how much I enjoyed this book since my daughter didn't like it and we usually have similar taste in books. I wouldn't say it is the best book ever, but I did find the information about Detroit history and hermaphrodite--ism interesting. The voice of the narrator was compelling. I loved the picture that these particular words painted--"It was the custom in those days for passengers leaving for America to bring balls of yarn on deck. Relatives on the pier held the loose ends. As the Giulia blew its horn and moved away from the dock, a few hundred strings of yarn stretched across the water. People shouted farewells, waved furiously, held up babies for last looks they wouldn't remember. Propellers churned; handkerchiefs fluttered, and, up on deck, the balls of yarn began to spin. Red, yellow, blue, green, they untangled toward the pier, slowly at first, one revolution every ten seconds, then faster and faster as the boat picked up speed. Passengers held the yarn as long as possible, maintaining the connection to the faces disappearing onshore. But finally, one by one, the balls ran out, The strings of yarn flew free, rising on the breeze." page 64