I finished "The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel" a few days ago and the more I thought about it the more I figured I better write my review before t I finished "The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel" a few days ago and the more I thought about it the more I figured I better write my review before the rating drops to zero. What a nothing-burger. It's a biography of the inventor of the engine that bears his name who, at the height of his world-wide fame, mysteriously disappears during an ocean voyage. This would really make for a skimpy book except that the author weaves in two parallel biographies of Kaiser Wilhelm and John D. Rockefeller. Kaiser Wilhelm was building a war machine that led up to the Great War and the author asserts that Wilhelm needed Diesel's invention and Diesel himself to help propel his tanks, airplanes, and other instruments of war. Rockefeller, on the other hand, viewed Diesel's invention as a threat to the oil industry and might have ordered a hit on Diesel. Kind of a stretch and, I feel, in the end it's just an attempt to lengthen an already short book.
The book actually gets kind of interesting when the author gets to Diesel's disappearance. On a voyage to London Diesel's overcoat and hat were found at the ship's rail one night. But no Diesel. Did he jump or was he pushed? The author actually raises a third possibility which I thought was really preposterous and which I won't go into so as not to spoil any remaining interest in the mystery. Not having a very scientific background the mystery for me was that the Diesel engine was actually named after a person. I thought Diesel was grade of oil, like kerosene. Alright stop laughing. I'm like on "Friends" when Joey Tribbiani was thinking of changing his stage name to Joseph Stalin. "Turns out there was already a Joseph Stalin! And he was a dictator who slaughtered all these people." Maybe the real mystery is how I'm allowed to walk around and mingle in society. But there is no mystery that "The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel" just conked out on me....more
This is a no-brainer, five stars. My arms are too short to box with God to give "Genesis" less than five. So let's talk about how this important book This is a no-brainer, five stars. My arms are too short to box with God to give "Genesis" less than five. So let's talk about how this important book is at the center of Judeo-Christian teaching. Genesis teaches that God made the universe, the sun, the moon, and the world and everything in it, the sea, the land, plants, animals, and man. He created a paradise for man, then woman with everything they could possibly need. But He warned them not to eat from a certain tree. But evil entered paradise when a serpent told the woman to go ahead and eat from the tree. The serpent explains that God just doesn't want man to know everything He knows. What's the worst that can happen?
The answer is that evil enters the world and when evil enters the world bad things begin to happen. Brothers murder brothers. Man begins to sin in astonishingly creative ways. The world gets so bad that God tells Noah that since he is the only righteous man on earth he should build a big boat to ride out the flood that He is sending to destroy the earth. But God allows mankind a theological Mulligan when He makes a covenant with Abraham (Abram) whereby He will protect Abraham's people if they will follow the path of God. Since Abraham was very old God gave him a son named Isaac in his old age. But to test Abraham He later ordered Isaac to sacrifice His only son which Abraham nearly does until God intervenes. And God was pleased with Abraham's obedience and his faithfulness to the covenant.
Genesis then recounts the story of Isaac and his sons, Esau and Jacob and how Esau sold his birthright to Jacob for a bite to eat. Jacob then sired twelve sons, the youngest being Joseph, he of the technicolor dreamcoat. Joseph must've been quite a brat because the other brothers conspired to kill him but instead sold him into slavery in service to the Pharaoh of Egypt. When Joseph over the years becomes the Pharoah's favorite and a counselor a famine overcame the land which Joseph had warned about. Because the Pharaoh had been warned to plan for the famine accordingly he put Joseph in charge of the government's administration during the country's struggles. Joseph was able to steer the country through the tough times by helping the Pharoah's people. It was during the famine that Joseph's brothers come crawling to the Pharaoh seeking relief. They were directed to see Joseph. While this is the perfect opportunity for Joseph's revenge the opposite happens. Joseph helps his his family, forgives them and is reunited.
Which is the whole point of Genesis, God's forgiveness. We read some pretty racy stories in Genesis; husbands letting their wives sleep with important people, and lots of incest. But for the most part man stays faithful and God always forgives. And in the end Jacob, or Israel, blesses his twelve sons before he dies and pronounces the twelve tribes of Israel. And Judah, the son who was most responsible for setting Jacob's family drama in motion, becomes the son who most redeems himself and begins the family tree that begets David, Solomon, and eventually, Jesus who fulfills the covenant made with Abraham in "Genesis".
Whenever I read a play I always try to find a movie or a recorded production to see how directors and actors handled the material and to see if it ma Whenever I read a play I always try to find a movie or a recorded production to see how directors and actors handled the material and to see if it matches up with own impressions. The best production I could find of Henrik Ibsen's "A Doll's House" was a 1973 movie starring Jane Fonda. Sight unseen I knew this play had feminist overtones and probably created a stir when it was first produced. Not that there's anything wrong with feminist overtones. And yes it did create a stir. "A Doll's House" is a drama about Nora, a pampered wife treated like a kewpie doll by her upwardly mobile husband, Torvald, who has just landed the dream job that will allow him to finally keep Nora in the style to which she has been accustomed. What he doesn't know is that years ago Nora had taken financial matters into her own hands and forged Torvald's signature on loan agreements that gave her money to keep the family afloat. But now the secret is out and Torvald finds that he might be in the power of a disreputable character. He takes the information poorly saying that Nora betrayed him and even declares it a criminal act. But when he gets the loan agreement back he is all forgiveness and sweetness. But in the end Nora will have none of it. She has seen the ingratitude she has received for all she has done to keep the family going and she decides then and there to leave Torvald and her family. She just walks out the door.
Now this seems a little unrealistic and it was done for dramatic effect and for shock value. My question is how bad must it have been for women in the 1800s? Were all men really tyrants? Were women really so powerless? Consider Thomas Hardy's "Tess of the d'Urbervilles". Tess was poor and worked on the d'Urberville estate where she became involved with the scion of the family and bore an illegitimate child which died shortly thereafter. When she later fell in love with another man, Angel Clare, she is reluctant to tell him about her past. But when they later marry Angel confesses that he once had an affair with an older woman and hopes Tess will forgive him. She does but she then makes the mistake of confessing her own affair. At which point Angel wordlessly leaves the room and eventually walks out on her. Men didn't come off real well in 19th Century Lit.
So Ibsen and Hardy would be surprised and pleased to see what has happened to women since their writings. Women's suffrage? Women Prime Ministers? But there is obviously more to be done. Women don't have to be confined to Doll Houses anymore when White Houses can be within their reach. ...more
“Frank and Al” is an interesting book about two New York State governors, Al Smith and Franklin D. Roosevelt, who served back to back terms as govern “Frank and Al” is an interesting book about two New York State governors, Al Smith and Franklin D. Roosevelt, who served back to back terms as governor and as Presidential candidates. The two could not have been more opposite. Al Smith came from very humble beginnings on New York City’s lower east side. Born in 1873 Smith was the last presidential candidate who did not have a high school degree, much less a degree from college. Smith became a product of local politics, falling under the protective wing of the Tammany Hall crowd. By doing small tasks for Tammany he slowly worked his way up the ladder to where he was trusted enough to be given a job in the state legislature. And it was truly a gift because political offices were Tammany’s to give and take. Smith could have held this job for the rest of his career but he was almost ashamed at his lack of ability and understanding of the issues for the first few years he held office. Determined to make more of himself and to do more for the constituents of New York he spent thousands of hours studying the bills that came before him and eventually became the most knowledgeable legislator in the state.
Roosevelt, on the other hand, was born with a silver presidential ticket in his mouth. Raised in a mansion on the banks of the Hudson River. Roosevelt graduated from Harvard and then law school. He worked for a law firm for a few years but when his cousin Theodore became president he was able to use his name to get a position in Woodrow Wilson’s administration and in the Democrat party when the Democrats lost the presidency. His ascendancy was so rapid that when Al Smith became governor of New York and then ran for the presidency, Roosevelt was often called upon for support and even to put Smith’s name in nomination.
The two were close politically, if not socially, until Smith lost the 1928 election. While Smith was losing his presidential election, Roosevelt was winning his for the Governor of New York. When the Stock Market crashed in 1929 and the country went into a depression whoever ran for president against Herbert Hoover in 1932 was certain to win. Smith felt that he should be given a second chance. But the reasons he lost in 1928 were still around in 1932 - Religion and Prohibition. Smith lost the South in 1928 because he was a Catholic running in a an area that saw a rise in the popularity of the Ku Klux Klan. And he lost the Midwest because he was a “wet” who favored the repeal of Prohibition. Roosevelt was neither of these and won the Democrat nomination and the 1932 presidential election handily.
It was probably inevitable that there would be a limit as to how long the two would be friends due to their different backgrounds and their lofty ambitions. It was sad to read about their falling out after 1932. But “Frank and Al” is an entertaining read particularly if you are interested in some of the old time New York characters that pop in and out, like Mayor Jimmy Walker, “Power Broker” Robert Moses, and Frances Perkins who, although she served in FDR’s cabinet, was an Al Smith acolyte. But the Democrat presidential nominees for 1928 and 1932 are by far he two most interesting characters, and two good reasons to read “Frank and Al”. ...more
Virginia Hall was a spymaster. It seems strange to say that about a woman particularly since Hall practiced her craft in World War II. Not a favorabl Virginia Hall was a spymaster. It seems strange to say that about a woman particularly since Hall practiced her craft in World War II. Not a favorable time for women in leadership roles. But in fact she practically invented spy craft. Sonia Purnell's book, "A Woman of No Importance" tells the story of Hall's life. Born in 1905 Hall was a brilliant girl from the upper middle class around Washington D.C. Looking for excitement she landed jobs in the foreign service in our nations capital. Virginia was comfortable with firearms but a hunting accident resulted in the amputation of one of her legs. To be a woman in government in the 1920s was lowly enough; to be a woman with one leg rendered her a woman of no importance.
But Hall was nothing if not resourceful. Being in foreign service she was able to procure an assignment in England, then France as a reporter for the New York Post which she used as a cover for clandestine activities. As a lead up to World War II her reporters credential were perfect for her because, until December 1941 the US were neutral and she could freely report on German activities while European reporters were more constrained. For a number of years she kept her eyes and ears open. When France fell to Germany in June 1940 she set to work setting up a spy ring in Vichy which was only slightly more free than occupied France. Her efforts to grow the organization were constantly thwarted by sloppy spy work by her recruits and moles in the organization. When the Germans advanced south and controlled all of France she had to leave the country.
But she made a triumphant, yet dangerous, return to France to spearhead resistance activities designed to throw sand in the gears of the German operations. She organized weapons and food drops throughout the countryside, armed the resistance, blew up bridges and dismantled railroad tracks to slow down the German march. Her activities allowed the Allies to successfully land on Normandy on D-Day.
Virginia Hall's career hit its peak during the war. While her background would make her a shoo-in for a second career in the CIA, naturally her gender came against her in a male dominated organization. Her experience was similar to the returning nurse in Kristin Hannah's "The Women" which I reviewed two months ago. But in Virginia Hall's case truth is stranger than fiction. Not that she needed verification of her abilities but the male brotherhood at the CIA seemed to go out of their way to denigrate her achievements. Fortunately we live in an era where bravery is praised for truly heroic people, even those of no importance. I highly recommend this book....more
Adam Higginbotham has become today's best chronicler of man-made catastrophes. The author of the magnificent "Midnight in Chernobyl" in 2019 has writ Adam Higginbotham has become today's best chronicler of man-made catastrophes. The author of the magnificent "Midnight in Chernobyl" in 2019 has written another winner in "Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space". As in "Chernobyl" the author shows the buildup to the disaster and the following investigations that stresses why, largely due to human error and carelessness, the disasters didn't have to happen.
And there is plenty of blame to go around in the Challenger disaster. NASA's enormously successful Apollo program that landed astronauts on the moon went into a slow decline as the American public yawned at more moon landings. The mission was accomplished, why do we need to keep doing it? As funding dwindled NASA's next big program was the Space Shuttle, a reusable spacecraft that could perform experiments and launch commercial and defense satellites while in space. And flights could be routine, perhaps twice a month. NASA set up an ambitious schedule with a lot of fanfare for each launch. But again the public's interest waned - the death watch for future funding. NASA tried to spur interest; the first woman in space; the first African American in space; the first politician. How about he first civilian? Yeah, that's the ticket! A country-wide search for the perfect candidate was conducted and it was Christa McAuliffe, a teacher from Concord, New Hampshire. Her plan was to conduct a science class in space for her pupils.
But NASA's ambitious number of flights were threatened by bad weather in Cape Canaveral causing delays and a backup in flights. Which brings us to the second villain. The space shuttle had been plagued by problems with O-rings which sealed the joints of the rocket stages that prevented gases from leaking which could potentially destroy the shuttle. The O-rings had been damaged on previous shuttle flights but there was always a second ring for backup. On a previous flight there was significant damage when the shuttle took off in particularly cold weather. It was determined that taking off in temperature below 53 degrees was unsafe. On the morning Challenger launched the temperature was below freezing.
It all came down to a meeting the night before the launch at the offices of Morton Thiokol where the O-rings for the booster rockets were discussed. Many of the engineers implored management to tell NASA not to launch. But NASA was Morton Thiokol's largest customer and management knew that NASA was under the gun to launch and also didn't want to admit that there was a problem with the O-rings. It was a fatal decision not to warn them.
Astronaut Alan Shepard's oft quoted remark that it's sobering to think that an astronaut's safety is being determined by the lowest bidder is always good for a laugh but it's a tragic requiem for the brave souls who perished on the Challenger. This was a terrific book and I will look forward to anything written by Alan Higginbotham. But because of the tragic material of the Chernobyl incident and the Challenger disaster I pray he that doesn't have to....more
I'm really tempted to give "First Lie Wins" five stars on the basis that I turned pages rapidly and finished the book quickly. Signs of a good book. I'm really tempted to give "First Lie Wins" five stars on the basis that I turned pages rapidly and finished the book quickly. Signs of a good book. A few things nag at me though. One is "First" is like "Charlie's Angels" only Mr.Smith is a bad guy using coercion, blackmail and the threat of violence to get his "Angels" to complete their missions. The real Charlie would never threaten Cheryl Ladd to do a job like Mr. Smith does to Lucia/Evie/Helen/etal. Secondly, too many McGuffins. One McGuffin per book should suffice. Or per movie, like the Letters of Transit in "Casablanca". All these characters running around looking for things, trying to beat the other characters to the different goals got a little confusing.
But the last thing that nagged at me (AND THIS IS A HUGE SPOILER ALERT) is whose body was discovered in the hotel fire? I asked another person who read "Fire" and she wasn't sure either. The book all seemed to get neatly wrapped up until I thought about the ending. That's when I had to reread a certain section. And I still didn't get the answer. See what I mean? Confusing. So if anyone can explain who died I would greatly appreciate it. But, all in all, it was an enjoyable read and, unless I miss my guess, there could be a sequel. And despite some confusion in "First Lie Wins" ending, I will gladly read a sequel. And that's no lie....more
It was interesting reading "Brooklyn" because it was similar to my wife's experience when her family emigrated from Ireland in 1960. The president of It was interesting reading "Brooklyn" because it was similar to my wife's experience when her family emigrated from Ireland in 1960. The president of Ireland, Éamon deValera, ran an administration that emphasized the Irish traditions rather than modernizing the country. This didn't bode well for anyone with ambition like my Father-in-law, or Eilis Lacey, the protagonist of "Brooklyn". Those people chose to leave a calcifying Ireland for a better future in the dynamic United States.
So Eilis leaves a small town in Ireland where everyone knows everyone else's business for the United States where there are boundless opportunities for business, education and romance. But for romance the chances are pretty good that the object of one's affection may not possess an Irish background. And just when Eilis is more or less comfortable with her decisions in love, tragedy strikes back home. A return trip to the Emerald Isle makes her question all the decisions she made when she left the country in the first place.
"Brooklyn" is a simple, but likable, book where nothing happens that you don't see coming like a 60 mph fastball. Speaking of which, there is the obligatory trip to Ebbets Field where Eilis is baffled watching a Dodgers game. Any time a writer wants to make a book in Brooklyn more authentic all he has to do is trot out a few of "dem Bums". It works in movies too. Think poor William Bendix hallucinating about who the Dodgers were playing that night while the inhuman Walter Slezak rows unceasingly in Hitchcock's "Lifeboat". Or Jack Lemmon longing for simpler times reciting Dodgers lineups from yesteryear in "Save the Tiger".
What will Eilis do, stay in Ireland or go back to Brooklyn? Knowing Colm Tóibín just published a sequel entitled "Long Island" was a dead giveaway. Will I read it? As the long suffering Dodgers' fans used to say, "Wait'll next year!"...more
So I read Colm Tóibín's book "Brooklyn" in June and gave it a fairly tepid review. Likable but meh. Still, I was open to reading his sequel, the recenSo I read Colm Tóibín's book "Brooklyn" in June and gave it a fairly tepid review. Likable but meh. Still, I was open to reading his sequel, the recently published "Long Island". I don't feel the need to be so kind this time around. The two books combined have the feel of a miniseries with a 5.0 rating on IMDb. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if that is what Tóibín has in mind. The problem is there was no ending in "Brooklyn" and there is no ending in "Long Island". What there is is an episodic saga of a young girl whose every life decision never seems to be her final decision. Should she stay in Ireland with her new found boyfriend at the end of "Brooklyn" or go back to the guy she married in the states? And, annoyingly, she's faced with the same dilemma in "Long Island". It's like listening to the same song but at a different speed. Only "Long Island's" speed is slower. Like getting stuck in traffic on the Throgs Neck Bridge only to get entirely stopped in traffic on the world's largest parking lot, the Long Island Expressway. Very long scenes that get extended while each character's every utterance reveals what the character was really thinking. if they do make a miniseries of it maybe Michael Cimino of "Heaven's Gate" can direct it. He's great at long, boring scenes. Hey I better end this review now before I drop my rating to one star. Or Colm Tóbín decides to add another dull sequel to an already excruciatingly uninteresting series....more
Shame on me for not knowing much about Captain James Cook. Oh I had heard of him, of course. But could I name any of his accomplishments? Not without Shame on me for not knowing much about Captain James Cook. Oh I had heard of him, of course. But could I name any of his accomplishments? Not without consulting Wikipedia. Another more enjoyable alternative however would be to read "The Wide Wide Sea" by the always reliable Hampton Sides. Cook was arguably the most famous explorer of the 18th century. He was a noted cartographer whose efforts mapping the entrance to the St Lawrence River during the Seven Years War (AKA, the French and Indian War in America) were rewarded with the commission to explore and map the Pacific Ocean. This he did through three voyages on the ship, HMS Endeavour. During the first two he was able to reach the eastern coast of Australia and to map New Zealand and many smaller islands.
Intending to retire and complete his memoirs once he ended his second voyage it didn't take much arm twisting for him to pursue a third. This was to be his crowning achievement: to locate a Northwest passage to link up the Pacific Ocean with the Atlantic, the Lost Ark for 18th century explorers. But his crew noticed a change in him on this voyage, a change to the darker side. He took many unusual and dangerous chances with his vessel and he was unnecessarily harsh on the men. The first assignment was to deliver a young man, Mai, who was brought to London from Tahiti back to his native land. Bearing gifts he had been given while in London as well as a menagerie of animals from King George himself, Mai got off to a bad start with the Tahitians who thought he was putting on airs in front of a pretty leaned-back population.
With that out of the way the Endeavour, and its companion ship Resolution, left tropical Tahiti headed north to colder climes to find a Northwest passage. On the way Cook stumbles on the Hawaiian Islands which had heretofore been uncharted. What a find! The crew spends many days there enjoying the scenery, the food, and the girls. With great reluctance on the part of the crew, but not Cook, the Endeavour continued its journey to Alaska and points north. After many false starts, cul-de-sacs, and dead ends the ships make the long trek back to Hawaii to make repairs, get supplies, and get some R & R before taking one last stab for the Northwest Passage. But like Benjamin Franklin's saying that "guests, like fish begin to smell after three days" it isn't long before the crew wears out its welcome in Hawaii and Cook's temper gets the better of him. Don't forget that the book's title lets the cat out of the bag by indicating that this is the "Fateful Final Voyage of Captain Cook". Cook's voyage ends in tragedy but you're in for a terrific voyage if you read "The Wide Wide Sea'....more
"Killing the Rising Sun" is an entertaining read by the always reliable historian, Bill O'Reilly. Part of his "Killing" series it talks about the war "Killing the Rising Sun" is an entertaining read by the always reliable historian, Bill O'Reilly. Part of his "Killing" series it talks about the war waged on the United States by Japan in World War II beginning with Japan's cowardly attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, four years of fierce fighting, and the decision to end the war with the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. O'Reilly covers a lot of war in surprisingly few pages by mostly ignoring the war in Europe and concentrating on the under reported war in the Pacific. These were two entirely different wars with the action in the Pacific bordering on, at times, the barbaric. Because the Americans fought the war in the Pacific by taking island after island leading up to Japan it included some of the most ferocious fighting ever by a determined American force pitted against an army that refused to surrender, determined to fight to the death. Peleliu, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa to students of World War II are code words for heroism by Americans and barbarism by the Japanese.
But "Killing" is one of O'Reilly's most important books because it leads to the discussion of the morality of the use of atomic weapons. O'Reilly lays out the reasons President Truman dropped atomic bombs on Japan. After the war in Europe ended the United States under General Douglas MacArthur was gearing up for ground invasion of Japan. It was estimated that such an invasion, waged against a country determined to fight to the death could result in deaths of anywhere between 500,000 to one million Americans. After 4 years of fighting Americans were war weary and did not relish the idea of more casualties. The US had been working on an atomic bomb that it hoped would be available to finish the war in Europe. But it was available to use in the Pacific and it was used to shorten the war and prevent further casualties. I agree with the decision as it was used at the time but totally understand the opposition for it to be used ever again. The US have never used it to start a war. I hope the same can be said of other countries who have atomic capabilities....more
"The League" was an interesting read about the founders of the National Football League, George Halas, Tim Mara, Art Rooney, Bert Bell and George Mar "The League" was an interesting read about the founders of the National Football League, George Halas, Tim Mara, Art Rooney, Bert Bell and George Marshall. If all you know about the NFL begins with the first Super Bowl, when the league was already 47 years old, then you should read this book.. It was a good chronology of the NFL but, unfortunately, there weren't many anecdotes about the individuals. Fortunately, your reviewer had an inside seat to some of the early days of the NFL. My dad worked for the NY Giants from 1947 to 1993 so I knew Tim Mara and met Art Rooney. Dad was part of the Giants inner circle and went to lunch every day with Tim, and his sons Jack and Wellington. I will give two anecdotes about Tim Mara.
One morning Tim was reaming my dad out over some mistake he made. Dad stood in front of Tim's desk while he harangued him mercilessly. Finally, dad had taken as much as he was going to take. He turned on his heels and walked out of the office in mid rant. He went back to his own office and sulked all morning feeling pretty low. Lunchtime arrived and dad heard footsteps coming down the hall and Tim appeared at his door pulling on his coat. "Well, are you coming to lunch, or not?" he growled. Dad said that was the closest to an apology he ever got from Tim Mara.
The Giants were not always a sellout so they did everything they could to sell tickets. In 1957 Defensive End Andy Robustelli sold tickets out of his sporting goods store in Stamford, Connecticut. The Monday following home game he would bring the proceeds to dad in White Plains, New York and dad would bring it to work the next day. One week he brought $12,000 to the house in a manila envelope. The next day dad boarded the train to Grand Central and inexplicably fell asleep. When he awoke in Grand Central he bounded out of the car and was halfway across the terminal headed to the Giants offices, at the time on 42nd Street, before he realized he forgot the manila envelope. He ran back through the terminal to the gate. Only to discover the train was gone. Frantic, he ran and found a porter and asked where he could find the train. "Well if it just got in it might still be down in the tunnel underneath where we are standing.", he explained. Dad ran back and looked down the tunnel and could barely make out the outline of his train. He jumped down on the tracks and ran down the tunnel to his train, climbed aboard and found the envelope right where he had been sitting.
I was aghast. "Dad, you could have been electrocuted." He just looked at me and said, "You know what? I would rather face death on the third rail than to have to tell Tim Mara I lost $12,000". "The League" is a fun read about five guys fighting for the survival of their teams, and the league.
"Travels With Charley" by John Steinbeck is a reread - I read it when it was first published in the 1962. I remembered kind of liking the book then bu"Travels With Charley" by John Steinbeck is a reread - I read it when it was first published in the 1962. I remembered kind of liking the book then but the years have not been kind to it. The idea that you could drive across country and rediscover the America you grew up in40-50 years before, listen to the various dialects, invite strangers into your camper for some coffee with a "drop", even pick up hitchhikers is as gone with the wind as the book title with the same name. The book is not fast paced and reading it was like trying to travel nowadays on Route 66 - I kept starting and stopping because that America doesn't exist any longer. It was more like an amusing curiosity. Until Steinbeck got to New Orleans. Then it all became all too familiar. And unpleasant. In New Orleans Steinbeck stands on the outskirts of a crowd that was jeering a little African American girl who was trying to secure her rights as an American citizen simply by attending a school that heretofore had been open only to white children. Obviously there was nothing one man could do to assist the little girl but just reporting on it was like the ghouls with cell phones today recording a beat down in the streets, a theft of cosmetics in a Walgreens, or the burning of a police station in Wisconsin. If he were to update "Travels With Charley" Steinbeck would be appalled to see how our society has disintegrated since 1962. He would drive through a steady stream of New Orleans-type situations all across the continent - January 6 protests in Washington, anti-Israel protests at Columbia University, Pro-Life/Pro choice protests, pro-Hamas protests in Chicago and Michigan, George Floyd and anti-police protests a few years ago in Portland. The hatred we have seen in the last few years makes the hatred directed at a little African American look like a love-in. We have had a shocking loss of our humanity in 62 years. I shudder to think what "Travels With Charley 2086" would look like....more
"James" by Percival Everett is a version of Mark Twain's "Huckleberry Finn" told from the point of view of Jim, the runaway slave who shares a raft o "James" by Percival Everett is a version of Mark Twain's "Huckleberry Finn" told from the point of view of Jim, the runaway slave who shares a raft on the Mississippi River with Huck, also a runaway, but from an abusive father. For a while the two books can almost be read in parallel. Jim runs away in each book because he hears that he is to be sold downriver and separated from his wife and daughter. Huck runs away after one too many beatings by his no-good father. They meet by chance on an island in the Mississippi and join forces to sail away to a place where Huck can be free of his father and Jim can earn money to buy his family's freedom. It doesn't take too long in either book to realize that while Huck's dream is slightly plausible, Jim's is next to impossible.
While both books are good "Buddy" books, the stories diverge, appropriately, on the Mississippi River where no two journeys are ever the same. Twain's telling while startling, at the time, in its sympathy for the plight of the slave and endorsement of their emancipation, pulls its punches in indicting slaveowners and the institution itself. But before we get too critical of Twain his was one of the first books to show any criticism of slavery at all coming, as it did, only about a decade after the end of slavery. The country was still very much divided ten years following the Civil War. And let's not forget that African Americans weren't even allowed to play Major League baseball until 1947, about 75 years after "Huckleberry Finn" was published. Remnants of division continue even until today.
"James" however, pulls no punches. The Jim in this story is a good and decent man whose noble moral compass belies the many wrong turns he makes on his journey. But the forces of slavery Jim is up against are shown in all their arrogance and cruelty and the few scant victories he is allowed can only be greeted with cheering and relief.
"James" is wonderfully written by Percival Everett. It is a brutal book but not without its light moments. But I hope everyone who reads it takes the time to reflect on what an evil slavery was, what a blot on our country it represented, and how any remaining vestiges should be exterminated wherever it exists. I would be remiss if I didn't mention that I listened to it on Audible with entertaining narration by Dominic Hoffman who also did a spectacular job narrating "The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store". I think I might have to select future Audible books not by the author but by narrators, with Dominic Hoffman at the top of the list. But "James" is five stars with or without narration....more
"Horse" had me at the title. As a devotee of the race track, any race track, I was doubly enthusiastic to read "Horse" because it included a subplot o"Horse" had me at the title. As a devotee of the race track, any race track, I was doubly enthusiastic to read "Horse" because it included a subplot of art history - finding the provenance of an antebellum painting of a racehorse and groom. "Horse" relates the history of Lexington, the most successful racehorse and stud of the 19th century. Told by the fictional groom Jarrett, a slave just before the start of the Civil War, "Horse" reviews the indignities endured by a professional groom at the top of his game who is not allowed to rise because of the color of his skin. Although Lexington won six of the seven races he ran and was the equivalent of a Secretariat of the 20th century, in a subplot his fame did not spill over to his African American handler. This 19th century subplot provided a segue to the 21st century subplot of tracing the history of a painting of the horse discovered in a trashcan in the Georgetown section of Washington D.C. This was of wide-eyed interest to an art geek like me because the search for its provenance included references to Jackson Pollock, Lee Krasner, and even Paul and Bunny Mellon of the 20th century.
And this subplot is where the book fell down for me because it traced the injustices perpetrated on the African American community to continued injustices in the 21st century. That injustice continues today is evident. I'm just tired of being blamed for them and having white privilege rubbed in my face every day. There. I said it. A less accusatory book is "Wink: The Incredible Life and Epic Journey of Jimmy Winkfield" by Edward Hotaling, which I reviewed in 2018. "Wink" tells the story "Horse" hints at about the success of African American jockeys whose victories caused white owners and jockeys to blackball them. Wink left racing in the US and became enormously successful riding in Paris where he was treated with great respect. Note to Ms. Brooks: readers enjoy a book more when they can root for the underdog, a long-shot if you will, rather than feeling guilt ridden when the book is ended....more
I liked "The Passenger" a lot. I gave it three stars. But...but. Yes, there were parts I really hated. "The Passenger" is a study of a dysfunctional fI liked "The Passenger" a lot. I gave it three stars. But...but. Yes, there were parts I really hated. "The Passenger" is a study of a dysfunctional family with two pretty fouled up siblings, Billy and Alicia Western. They are the children of a physicist who worked at Los Alamos with Robert Oppenheimer producing The Bomb. Like Oppenheimer and just about anyone who worked at Los Alamos the father is riddled with self loathing and guilt both of which seem to be handed down to his children. When we first meet Billy he is a salvage diver examining a plane that is submerged in the Gulf. When some goons from a nebulous government agency, question him about the wreckage they tell Western that a passenger and the plane's black box are missing from the plane. Western has no idea if this is real or not. What he does know is that after the interview his bank account become frozen, and his automobile impounded. He begins a life on the run and in hiding, mostly spending time in New Orleans trying to get money, a new identity, and some meaning as to what happened to his life. This part of the book I liked. His questioning as to what happened to his life leads to introspection about his personal background and his feelings toward his sister who passed away some time previously. Alicia is the true genius of the family but when we read her story she is in a mental institution being badgered by a group of rollicking dwarves who are figments of her imagination. This is the part of the book I hated. It didn't help that I listened to the book on Audible and the actor's reading of Alicia's sections was extraordinarily annoying. An interesting subtext of the book however is that Billy was also in love with Alicia. This was mentioned a couple of times but never fleshed out. There is a sequel to "The Passenger", "Stella Maris" which is the mental institution that Alicia is confined to. This is due to be released any day now. Despite my schizo review of "The Passenger" I plan on reading, or listening to, "Stella Maris". First of all there is much I hope gets explained in the sequel. Like Billy, and Alicia too, I guess, I find it difficult to know what is real and what isn't. But secondly, I plan on being a passenger for anything written by Cormac McCarthy who, at age 89, still has it.
Merged review:
I liked "The Passenger" a lot. I gave it three stars. But...but. Yes, there were parts I really hated. "The Passenger" is a study of a dysfunctional family with two pretty fouled up siblings, Billy and Alicia Western. They are the children of a physicist who worked at Los Alamos with Robert Oppenheimer producing The Bomb. Like Oppenheimer and just about anyone who worked at Los Alamos the father is riddled with self loathing and guilt both of which seem to be handed down to his children. When we first meet Billy he is a salvage diver examining a plane that is submerged in the Gulf. When some goons from a nebulous government agency, question him about the wreckage they tell Western that a passenger and the plane's black box are missing from the plane. Western has no idea if this is real or not. What he does know is that after the interview his bank account become frozen, and his automobile impounded. He begins a life on the run and in hiding, mostly spending time in New Orleans trying to get money, a new identity, and some meaning as to what happened to his life. This part of the book I liked. His questioning as to what happened to his life leads to introspection about his personal background and his feelings toward his sister who passed away some time previously. Alicia is the true genius of the family but when we read her story she is in a mental institution being badgered by a group of rollicking dwarves who are figments of her imagination. This is the part of the book I hated. It didn't help that I listened to the book on Audible and the actor's reading of Alicia's sections was extraordinarily annoying. An interesting subtext of the book however is that Billy was also in love with Alicia. This was mentioned a couple of times but never fleshed out. There is a sequel to "The Passenger", "Stella Maris" which is the mental institution that Alicia is confined to. This is due to be released any day now. Despite my schizo review of "The Passenger" I plan on reading, or listening to, "Stella Maris". First of all there is much I hope gets explained in the sequel. Like Billy, and Alicia too, I guess, I find it difficult to know what is real and what isn't. But secondly, I plan on being a passenger for anything written by Cormac McCarthy who, at age 89, still has it.
Merged review:
I liked "The Passenger" a lot. I gave it three stars. But...but. Yes, there were parts I really hated. "The Passenger" is a study of a dysfunctional family with two pretty fouled up siblings, Billy and Alicia Western. They are the children of a physicist who worked at Los Alamos with Robert Oppenheimer producing The Bomb. Like Oppenheimer and just about anyone who worked at Los Alamos the father is riddled with self loathing and guilt both of which seem to be handed down to his children. When we first meet Billy he is a salvage diver examining a plane that is submerged in the Gulf. When some goons from a nebulous government agency, question him about the wreckage they tell Western that a passenger and the plane's black box are missing from the plane. Western has no idea if this is real or not. What he does know is that after the interview his bank account become frozen, and his automobile impounded. He begins a life on the run and in hiding, mostly spending time in New Orleans trying to get money, a new identity, and some meaning as to what happened to his life. This part of the book I liked. His questioning as to what happened to his life leads to introspection about his personal background and his feelings toward his sister who passed away some time previously. Alicia is the true genius of the family but when we read her story she is in a mental institution being badgered by a group of rollicking dwarves who are figments of her imagination. This is the part of the book I hated. It didn't help that I listened to the book on Audible and the actor's reading of Alicia's sections was extraordinarily annoying. An interesting subtext of the book however is that Billy was also in love with Alicia. This was mentioned a couple of times but never fleshed out. There is a sequel to "The Passenger", "Stella Maris" which is the mental institution that Alicia is confined to. This is due to be released any day now. Despite my schizo review of "The Passenger" I plan on reading, or listening to, "Stella Maris". First of all there is much I hope gets explained in the sequel. Like Billy, and Alicia too, I guess, I find it difficult to know what is real and what isn't. But secondly, I plan on being a passenger for anything written by Cormac McCarthy who, at age 89, still has it....more
Frankie McGrath is a good girl; a Catholic, a country clubber from a wealthy family studying to be a nurse. She would never deviate from the straight Frankie McGrath is a good girl; a Catholic, a country clubber from a wealthy family studying to be a nurse. She would never deviate from the straight line path her parents dreamed and groomed her for. That is until her older brother from the Naval Academy dies in Vietnam. Like the thousands of men and women who joined the military after 9/11 her brother's death galvanizes Frankie to do something worthwhile with her life - she joins the military to serve as a nurse in Vietnam, against her horrified parents' wishes.
Frankie's story about her nursing experience in Vietnam, and author Kristin Hannah's storytelling, is about as harrowing as any war novel ever written. As a nurse in a war zone she assists for hours on end in all manner of surgeries and amputations. As one of few women in a war zone she establishes a number of relationships, all of them of short duration. Oddly, she loves what she is doing and accomplishing, so much so that she re-enlists for another tour of duty.
Bad move. There have been a number of books written about how fouled up the Vietnam War made many of the returning veterans. The effect of two years of being a medic in a Vietnam war zone, constant patients with horrific, if not fatal, war wounds, unending shelling, prevalent drugs and alcohol, can have on one of a handful of nurses can be devastating. It was for Frankie.
Readjusting to life stateside for a woman was in many ways worse than for a man. Like all returning Vietnam vets Frankie was treated with scorn and contempt. Even worse, her service was looked down upon because hers wasn't considered combat even though she treated the injured in combat zones. Like many other returning vets she became reliant on drugs and alcohol. And after two years of bombing she had PTSD which hadn't been clearly identified as a veteran's illness until years after the war. Throw in some tragic love affairs and Frankie McGrath returns a very broken figure although outwardly appearing fine.
Kristin Hannah always takes on women's issues, like spousal abuse, and discusses the long lasting damages to the women's cause if allowed to continue. "The Women" is great book praising a group of women who did so much, not just in Vietnam but in all wars, and have never been properly acknowledged. ...more
To review "The Demon of Unrest" by Erik Larson I can't get away from comparing it to the great "The Day of the Jackal". "Jackal", of course, was the To review "The Demon of Unrest" by Erik Larson I can't get away from comparing it to the great "The Day of the Jackal". "Jackal", of course, was the great thriller by Frederick Forsyth about a fictional plot to assassinate French President Charles deGaulle. Before you even pick up the book you know the plot will fail. Leaving it that and not reading the book would deprive the reader of one of the greatest thrillers ever. The same is true of "The Demon of Unrest". "Demon" covers the period from the election of Abraham Lincoln in November 1860 until the bombing of Fort Sumter on April 14, 1861. It is a period when nothing happened and everything happened. But you know how that interval will end.
"Demon" is a thriller from end to end. Will, President-elect Lincoln travel safely from Springfield, Illinois to Washington D.C. despite numerous death threats. And how? With Lincoln elected what becomes of States who have threatened to secede? And what happens to Federal property in Southern states? Specifically, what happens to Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina?
And Fort Sumter is the focus of the story and gives rise to unparalleled heroism and despicable villainy. The most heroic figure of the story is Major Robert Anderson. A slave owner from Kentucky in the Union army guarding a fort in Charleston Harbor, Anderson was caught between a rock and a hard place - performing his duty by protecting the fort or surrendering to the growing dissension sweeping the south. Anderson's force was completely shut off in Charleston but he knew his original location at Fort Moultrie was indefensible. In the dead of night he moved his force to the more defensible Fort Sumter and that's where the odds of war mounted. With only a few months of food and supplies Fort Sumter's position deteriorated rapidly as the newly forming Confederacy sent warships into the harbor and the Governor of South Carolina cut off supplies.
The villains of the book are the fire eating Southerners, particularly South Carolinians, who stoked the fires of secession. Revolutionaries like Edmund Ruffin and politicians like James Hammond stirred up fellow slave owners withe grandiose visions of heroism. But the true villain of the book is President Buchanan who acted with caution bordering on cowardice, dithered in resupplying Fort Sumter, and did everything possible to pass the secession problem along to the next administration. Fortunately, the next administration was Abraham Lincoln's and "The Demon of Unrest" is another great book that shows the enormity of our country's15th President....more
FDR is said to have taken Winston Churchill on a ride through the Maryland countryside on one of Churchill's visits to the States during WWII. Upon paFDR is said to have taken Winston Churchill on a ride through the Maryland countryside on one of Churchill's visits to the States during WWII. Upon passing the home of Barbara Fritchie FDR thought he could impress Churchill by quoting John Greenleaf Whittier's poem about her with the line, "Shoot if you must this old gray head. But spare your country's flag, she said." Churchill, whose mother was American, recited the entire poem to FDR who, I'm sure, was sorry he brought the damn thing up.
I bring this up because Churchill's "Their Finest Hour" shows Churchill in his finest hour taking the full reins of government at the possibly the lowest point in English history. Drawing on his years of experience, numerous contacts, his indefatigability, and his inexhaustible knowledge on virtually any topic, he singlehandedly led the resistance to Hitler's drive for European domination. Almost immediately upon taking office as Prime Minister he was faced with the debacle at Dunkirk but was able to save the bulk of the British army by organizing a rescue armada of mostly private boats. As the last democracy standing he was able to strengthen the British navy to make his island almost impenetrable by sea. By increasing airplane construction and by developing radar capabilities he was able to achieve air supremacy over Germany.
With his incredible knowledge of world geography he was able to identify the world's pressure points, such as the Mediterranean, the Suez Canal, the waters north of England, and the whole map of Europe. He was an integral part of war planning during the Great War and knew what worked once but might not work again. He worked tirelessly to streamline production on armaments and made sure that the best people were in charge. At the start of his tenure he knew exactly who to put in charge of every office.
But most of all he knew that England could not go it alone for the long haul and worked to keep FDR in the loop and to slowly bring the US into the war. Again this goes back to his "Rolodex" that went back over 40 years and his having made Roosevelt's acquaintance during the Great War. No one was more prepared to take over the office of Prime Minister during a crisis than Churchill. "Their Finest Hour" shows Churchill at his finest. It lays out all the crises he faced in his first year in office and how he responded to them. The backup Churchill provides for each decision he made is extraordinary (sometimes too extraordinary). But as the first hand account of Churchill's management of the office of Prime Minister during World War II there is no finer account....more
I studied Crypto currencies for quite a while and determined that I would never invest. There was just nothing underpinning it. So naturally when the I studied Crypto currencies for quite a while and determined that I would never invest. There was just nothing underpinning it. So naturally when the price got into the upper stratosphere, I caved. Lost my freakin' shirt. Something about the Greater Fool theory? Anyway, when I saw that Michael Lewis wrote a book about Sam Bankman-Fried and I thought: Lewis will clear up Crypto for me. Wrong! I am still as clueless as I was before I started reading "Going Infinite".
Not that "Going Infinite" doesn't have entertainment value. Reading about what an oddball SBF was interesting. What an empty suit or, should I say, empty cargo shorts and wrinkled T-shirt! The scary part of the story is the mindset of Effective Altruists, EAs, who go to Wall Street to make tons of money only to donate it to progressive causes. All well and good but in earning that money EAs work an incredible number of hours and live Spartan lives. They work to give their money away. So you have a number of wealthy individuals with limited social skills and graces distanced from society. SBF was basically emotionless, showed no empathy toward coworkers, didn't know whom he had hired or even who was working for him. What a waste of skin.
I loved Lewis's "Moneyball" and "The Big Short" but I couldn't believe someone could write a screenplay from such material. A screenwriter would have difficult time with "Going Infinite" too. The characters, particularly SBF, were so wooden, one-dimensional, and unlikeable that it would be hard to find a character to root for. But maybe a well-written screenplay would clear up many of the questions I have about Crypto. And it wouldn't hurt to find a part for Selena Gomez too. Just sayin'. ...more
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