Ten seasoned veterans were furloughed from the Base Hospital for rifle practice at Lance Corporal Jensen's quarters. They told numerous war stories, and make the following comments:
Charlie: Easy grade - the perfect novel: A
Karl: It's pretty clear why All Quiet on the Western Front has been on high school reading lists for over 50 years and
why Bob Dylan, in his acceptance letter to the Nobel Prize committee listed it as one of his three most influential books.
Grade: A
Ron B: I thought it was a good book, posed many questions which are still relevant today: A
Jack F: I read it first when I returned from Vietnam. I appreciated it more at age 32 than I would have at age 18. The second time around, it made a big impact on me. I consider it an important piece of literature - it provides insight into how
wars affect those who fight them and the marks they can leave on an entire generation. The
writing style is straightforward and uncomplicated. Remarque's word choice and sentence
structure never leave any doubt about what he means. A
Mike: I kept looking for things that would bring the grade down - for example, the language of the German troops was cultured, and certainly missing a saltiness found among troops in combat. But as I read on, I admired the way Remarque covered each chapter as a different vignette, with pathos and interest. Well done! A
Keith: I have three comments which have little to do with the book: 1) Van Clausewitz has provided the phrase, "The Fog of War" re dealing with the uncertainly of battle. In "The Things They Carried" we saw that quite a bit. 2) We as a nation always have to be fighting a war. We seem to be only 'happy' if we are engaged in a war. 3) Why are we so interested in war? One out of every three books we read is about war. 4) There are no winners or losers in war, only survivors. I found the book and its subject frustrating. B
Tom G: Pretty much everything has been said. Remarque goes up a notch in my estimation knowing that he had an affair with Hedy Lamar - an actress of little talent but great beauty. Now: what does 'the greatest war novel" mean? The writing didn't blow me away, but he handles the subject matter well, in terms of importance. A
Ken G: I read my wife's copy 10 years ago - it had so many notes in the margin that for the Book Club, I ordered a new clean copy. Ten years ago I found this an eye opener. Reading it for the second time, still an A
Rob E: Very moving, captured my attention. It made me think: how do people survive? I appreciated the humor and the animosity toward the brass above them. I was moved by this book: lots of clever, thought-provoking lines. A
Dick J: I thought it was a great book, extremely well written. I have a copy with numerous comments in the book. Warm peach cobbler for all! A
And hanging on the edge of a shell crater:
I was impressed by the book, although it left me a bit depressed, especially the death of the narrator one month before
the Armistice.
The book is clearly a classic war chronicle.
Harari describes this book as the first great humanist war novel because it accurately portrays war from the soldier’s point
of view in opposition to monarchical or religious fealty.
I apologize for missing the meeting. I have come down with an infection that needs to be diagnosed.
I will miss the comments of war seasoned members about their war experiences in battle.
My grade is A-
- Bob Simon
Thursday, December 20, 2018
Thursday, November 29, 2018
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari
Last Thursday, or about 100,000 years ago, ten ancient Sapiens gathered around the corner of the canyon with their clubs to consider hunting/gathering, and opted instead for the breakfast menu, with a few eggs and some pig's meat. It led to an interesting conversation.
Karl: This book needed to be studied, not read. A good 200 page book, not 415 pages! When the reader was brought into the current era, the author introduced lots of soap box issues - it should have been two books! I liked the history, not the speculation. Grade B
Keith: Sensationalism of war was the dominating theme, as opposed to past history. See poem below (captured on Country Club napkin). Grade: B-
Briefer Future of Humankind
Our Earth is fueled by fear and greed,
And warning signs we seldom heed.
Most rape and pillage Mother Earth,
Exhuming all resources of any worth.
Four sins stand out at this time,
And for each I'll make a rhyme:
We're poor stewards of our spinning sphere,
Spreading our scat both far and near
And our pols say Climate Change ... a big Ho-Ho,
While most science and research says its so.
We treat underlings as a sub-standard class,
Failed humans ... worthless. Alas, alas -
And our #1 human Law: ... Conservation of War.
Finished one? Let's have one more!
Finally, governments tell us what to do -
That ain't Democracy - oh, well, boo-hoo.
In summary, our Planet is rolling pell-mell
Towards the fiery, demonic Gates of Hell.
Tom: I echo Karl's remarks: I liked the history, disliked the speculation. 150 - 200 pages would have worked. I had trouble with Harari calling everything a "myth." There are three forms of humanism defined, but the author does not mention secular humanism, which seems to be omitted. Grade: B+
Ron B: Lots of interesting ideas, worthy of discussion, lots of speculation and wordy: B+
Charlie: I like the book, it raised lots of ideas. Too much speculation even though I agree with it mostly. Still not sorted out the difference between historic facts and speculation. A for ideas, B+ overall.
Bob W: A stream of consciousness, unifying principle as chronology over time. Not original except the way ideas were put together, creatively. I did not learn much new but gained new perspectives. B+
Ken: I would tend to agree - it was interesting, thought provoking; however other sections tended to put me to sleep with the read. B+ is reasonable grade.
Rob E: I vote "Present." I didn't get the book but did get the Executive Summary on Kindle. That was the right length. There is an old canard: Evil Crusaders - that irks me! Christian crusaders kill people. Iris DeMent sang a good summary thought, "Let the Mystery Be":
Let the Mystery Be
Everybody's wonderin' what and where they all came from
Everybody's worryin' 'bout where they're gonna go
When the whole thing's done.
But no one knows for certain
And, so it's all the same to me
I think I'll just let the mystery be
Bob S: I enjoyed it; brings back the story of a hotel in Oslo. A-
Mike: Professor Harari wrote a book based on his desire to tell the history of the world, and then, like many of us writing our own books, decided to add in 'other stuff' he was interested in or passionate about. Should have left those passions out if he wanted a good grade from this bunch of Sapiens. The book could be a B+ or an A-. Since I chose it, and I really love the clever early history: A-
and from well beyond the African homeland:
Granted that was several hundred thousand years ago, but nevertheless mind boggling to me.
Harari obviously did an extensive amount of research and did a good job in organizing a tremendous amount of information and putting it all together in a very readable form. I found his writing style crisp and easy to follow. I appreciated his touch of humor. I was not taken in as much in the last half of the book by his interpretation of history and cultural development. This parting of ways probably reflects my own prejudices and beliefs rather than the strength of Harari's researched arguments about the direction of human development. I am glad I read it. B+
Karl: This book needed to be studied, not read. A good 200 page book, not 415 pages! When the reader was brought into the current era, the author introduced lots of soap box issues - it should have been two books! I liked the history, not the speculation. Grade B
Keith: Sensationalism of war was the dominating theme, as opposed to past history. See poem below (captured on Country Club napkin). Grade: B-
Briefer Future of Humankind
Our Earth is fueled by fear and greed,
And warning signs we seldom heed.
Most rape and pillage Mother Earth,
Exhuming all resources of any worth.
Four sins stand out at this time,
And for each I'll make a rhyme:
We're poor stewards of our spinning sphere,
Spreading our scat both far and near
And our pols say Climate Change ... a big Ho-Ho,
While most science and research says its so.
We treat underlings as a sub-standard class,
Failed humans ... worthless. Alas, alas -
And our #1 human Law: ... Conservation of War.
Finished one? Let's have one more!
Finally, governments tell us what to do -
That ain't Democracy - oh, well, boo-hoo.
In summary, our Planet is rolling pell-mell
Towards the fiery, demonic Gates of Hell.
Tom: I echo Karl's remarks: I liked the history, disliked the speculation. 150 - 200 pages would have worked. I had trouble with Harari calling everything a "myth." There are three forms of humanism defined, but the author does not mention secular humanism, which seems to be omitted. Grade: B+
Ron B: Lots of interesting ideas, worthy of discussion, lots of speculation and wordy: B+
Charlie: I like the book, it raised lots of ideas. Too much speculation even though I agree with it mostly. Still not sorted out the difference between historic facts and speculation. A for ideas, B+ overall.
Bob W: A stream of consciousness, unifying principle as chronology over time. Not original except the way ideas were put together, creatively. I did not learn much new but gained new perspectives. B+
Ken: I would tend to agree - it was interesting, thought provoking; however other sections tended to put me to sleep with the read. B+ is reasonable grade.
Rob E: I vote "Present." I didn't get the book but did get the Executive Summary on Kindle. That was the right length. There is an old canard: Evil Crusaders - that irks me! Christian crusaders kill people. Iris DeMent sang a good summary thought, "Let the Mystery Be":
Let the Mystery Be
Everybody's wonderin' what and where they all came from
Everybody's worryin' 'bout where they're gonna go
When the whole thing's done.
But no one knows for certain
And, so it's all the same to me
I think I'll just let the mystery be
Bob S: I enjoyed it; brings back the story of a hotel in Oslo. A-
Mike: Professor Harari wrote a book based on his desire to tell the history of the world, and then, like many of us writing our own books, decided to add in 'other stuff' he was interested in or passionate about. Should have left those passions out if he wanted a good grade from this bunch of Sapiens. The book could be a B+ or an A-. Since I chose it, and I really love the clever early history: A-
and from well beyond the African homeland:
From: Richard Jensen
Sapiens by
Yuval Noah Harari is a very impressive book. The author has an impressive
knowledge of the history of humankind. The book is well written and I was
particularly impressed with his use of examples to explain his points. I am not
a scientist but he was able to explain science in a way that I could
understand. This is the kind of book that a person could read several times and
learn something new every time. Grade A
Alas I'm
allowing my daydreaming sparked by this book to delay me from sending you my
remarks regarding this month's LTBC selection.
I found the first two parts of Sapiens fascinating,
not knowing, for example, that several distinctive human species existed at the
same time on our planet and that they did not evolve one from another.
Why aren't there more featherless bipeds around? Granted that was several hundred thousand years ago, but nevertheless mind boggling to me.
Harari obviously did an extensive amount of research and did a good job in organizing a tremendous amount of information and putting it all together in a very readable form. I found his writing style crisp and easy to follow. I appreciated his touch of humor. I was not taken in as much in the last half of the book by his interpretation of history and cultural development. This parting of ways probably reflects my own prejudices and beliefs rather than the strength of Harari's researched arguments about the direction of human development. I am glad I read it. B+
Thursday, October 25, 2018
A Summons to Memphis by Peter Taylor
Nine Nashville gentlemen transpired to the Greenside Café for lunch outside of Memphis. A review of
the meal and restaurant is available at eatingwithbobandsuzette. The erudite conversations of the afternoon included the following observations.
Ken: – It took him more than 100 pages to leave for Memphis. At the age of 12 I had to move from Cleveland to California. I remember the bad memories I had until I met new friends, so I sympathize with the family’s move.
I also have had siblings who have tried to take my inheritance, so I connected with that aspect of the book. I learned new words such as “nonce” that means for the time being or temporarily. I agree with Keith that the book was a little long and I was disappointed with the ending, but was interested in how the book illuminated the problem of older parents and grown children trying to communicate. B+
Charlie: Just another Southern patriarch meddling with his children’s lives. I agree with others that the book was too long. It could have been a good 100 page novella. B
Karl: While reading the book, I found myself frequently stopping to think about what I'd just read. I couldn't decide if it was a work of pure fiction -- in which case I would have rated the work higher -- or autobiographical. I did some checking and found that like the narrator's father, the author's dad was a big man, played football at Vanderbilt, and was an attorney. He and his wife (who's family had the money) were part of Nashville Society and, in fact, his dad had been Speaker of the Tennessee House. His dad did, indeed, move his family from Nashville to Memphis (though to St Louis in between) when the author was in his early teens. The town of Thornton, TN doesn't exist, but there is a Trenton, TN where the author's dad was born and is about 60 miles from Memphis. So, I view the book more as a fictionalized autobiographical work than as pure fiction. In that vein, I didn't see much to recommend it or the characters in it. i also wasn't a fan of the writing style with page-and-a-half long paragraphs. Even so, I thought that it was well written. Grade: B-
Tom: This is an examination of family relationships. He was damaged to some extent when he was taken away from friends in Nashville, especially his girlfriend. The book did not make it clear when the narrator understood the involvement of his father and sisters in the destruction of his relationship with Clara. The ending left me with the theme that his conclusion as it related to family is that you can’t forget or forgive but you can accept. I liked the flow of the prose. I liked the book but was let down by the ending of the story. A
Keith: comments: His father was a Nationalist. The author had no balls, did not take on his father. Instead, he lived a life of suppressed regrets. The book was loquacious, gassy, and windy. The word I learned was windrows – piles of hay before it is bailed.
A Summons to Memphis
The Carver Dysfunctionals … full of regret:
And Patriarch, George, their Chief Martinet.
Three Sibs … Philip, Betsy, and Jo
When each falls in love, Dad says, “Marry? No No!
Each blames Pop, but never marries again.
Cowards this trio … Misfits to the end!
Then when Widower George seeks a Southern Belle’s Hand
His girls sabotage Dad … “Revenge on you, Old Man”!
And Taylor our author, writings so trite,
Windy gloomy, dark … with no light
Me thinks with all his sunless, sorrow and strife
It should be re-titled: My Unrequited Life!!
Yet this “opus” garnered a Pulitzer? … Please!
Well, I award it a jaded “D”, with ease.
Bob Woods: Pass. I did not read the book. To add to your culinary review, be advised that the French (?) Onion Soup was adequate but uninspired. I don't think that the chef is French at all.
Bob Simon: The book held my attention from start to finish. Since the book was partially autobiographical, I shall be autobiographical to explain my understanding of the plot of the book because the plot connected to my life, which I think explains a bit of the book’s plot, such as why none of the siblings ever married.
I used to be married to a member of the social registry, which affiliated me with that social community in Fort Worth from 1976 to 1981. In 1981 I moved to Albuquerque. So I share with Philip an understanding of some of the social rules and pressures of that Junior League/Debutante social set. I also had a very narcissistic father, like Philip. I, like Philip, escaped those two aspects of my life by moving to Albuquerque. If I had stayed, I could see my life circumscribed by pre-ordained social relationships and rules, such as going to parties at the same country clubs with the same 700 persons for my entire life. But I was different. I was born and raised Jewish. I was not born into that social group. In fact, I was particularly sensitive to the prejudices and barriers ingrained into social registry society based upon my father’s experience as a young man.
My father was an NCAA letterman on the TCU golf team in 1929. As a member of the TCU golf team, he played at all the country clubs in Fort Worth and many around the State of Texas. But when he graduated from TCU he was refused admission to the same country clubs he had previously played at as a student athlete because he was Jewish. The year the first Jewish family was admitted to membership in a country club in Fort Worth was 1960. I tell you this to make you aware that there are rules, barriers, and social pressures one faces from simply being born into social registry society. For example, my children are in the Social Register, but I am not. So, I understand why Taylor moved to New York and lived with a Jewish woman. He was escaping the life he was born into, just as I, and many others who chose not to accept that social group’s limitations and benefits, did.
I also understand why Philip did not stand up to his father. Where Keith suggests Philip had no balls, I see that Philip’s decision to acquiesce to their summons was because he wanted to continue his relationship with his family, therefore he could not attack their fixed social rules, perhaps because opposing his family’s rules of their society would have been fruitless and counterproductive. Opposing his family’s social rules would be unlikely to change them, especially as fixed in his Father’s mind, and opposing his family’s social rules would probably have ostracized him from his father and family. Therefore, Philip adopted the historically proven admonition, “Go along to get along.” Like Jim Hightower said when explaining his decision to move back to Texas, “You don’t move back to Texas because you like the people, but because it is comfortable to live where you were raised and because you understand the sons-abitches.”
In law a summons is a court order to appear or respond to a court action. The title Summons to Memphis perfectly explains that Philip was ordered to appear in Memphis, by the rules of the family and society he was born into, not by choice.
A word about Alex. Alex was a person not born into Philip’s social society but who yearned to be associated with it. He sucked up to George and the sisters, to feel a sense of entitlement and association that was really not there. That entitlement can only be gained by birth or marriage (that may be the unspoken real reason why each of the marriages was opposed; because each of the proposed spouses was deemed to not be a good fit in that society or was not a member of that society).
I am reminded of the scene in Downton Abbey that explains this point so well. The daughter, Lady Mary Crawley, is invited to dinner in a posh restaurant in London by a friend after the death of her husband. When a couple arrives at the large table of young persons, a young woman is introduced to Mary by saying, “You know Amelia (or some such name)?” Mary responds, “Oh, yes, we came out together.” Those four words “We came out together” tells you everything you need to know. Mary knew Amelia’s family history and accepted Amelia as being of her social class and as a social equal.
If this sounds like I am asserting the rules of the social registry society, I am. I just want to explain my understanding of how Alex fit into the book’s plot and perhaps a possible reason why all the proposed marriages faltered. Alex’s character’s function in the book was to be the Greek Chorus, to report on what was happening in Philip’s family while not in Philip’s presence. So, in summary it was a well written book that held my attention. A
Jack: At the end Philip came to terms with his feelings and with the help of his NYC girlfriend, Holly, gained peace of mind. Taylor’s objectivity – all fiction is autobiographical followed in his father’s footsteps from revenge against those who wronged you to getting past it. I saw Philip’s leaving Nashville as a loss of place, friendships and family. Taylor did a good job in making me think about one’s relationships with family, siblings and one’s father. Philip was uprooted from his school and friends when young. The book reinforced the role place plays in our lives, especially between Nashville and Memphis. Eudora Welty wrote similarly about coming to terms with family. Laurel’s emotional journey in The Optimist's Daughter comes to mind. Solid A
Rob: I liked the last four chapters. The reconciliation of George with Shackleford was a nice touch. It was different from my life. No one in my family opposed my second marriage. This book made me think about a lot of things. This was Taylor’s first novel. He tells a good story intelligently. Solid A
and from far outside of Memphis:
I was summoned to San Diego for a collegiate classmate celebration and a clash with Notre Dame. My comments:
Prof. Bousek relived "Darktown Strutters Ball" in his memoir, and I found myself with another old classic for Peter Taylor: "You Made Me Love You (I Didn't Want to Do It)." Only my Book Club discipline kept me reading past 50 pages, but then it all started to come together. This book was a well crafted memoir, very easy to accept and believe. The opening line is a classic, and the next four chapters open as pure memoirs. I love the way the full name Lewis Shackleford was used throughout to maintain a strong theme. The father was a strong character, and all the main characters were well presented, fully developed, and captivating in their own way. However ... however ... this love affair could not last. Enough of these conniving sisters already. B-
- Mike
Ken: – It took him more than 100 pages to leave for Memphis. At the age of 12 I had to move from Cleveland to California. I remember the bad memories I had until I met new friends, so I sympathize with the family’s move.
I also have had siblings who have tried to take my inheritance, so I connected with that aspect of the book. I learned new words such as “nonce” that means for the time being or temporarily. I agree with Keith that the book was a little long and I was disappointed with the ending, but was interested in how the book illuminated the problem of older parents and grown children trying to communicate. B+
Charlie: Just another Southern patriarch meddling with his children’s lives. I agree with others that the book was too long. It could have been a good 100 page novella. B
Karl: While reading the book, I found myself frequently stopping to think about what I'd just read. I couldn't decide if it was a work of pure fiction -- in which case I would have rated the work higher -- or autobiographical. I did some checking and found that like the narrator's father, the author's dad was a big man, played football at Vanderbilt, and was an attorney. He and his wife (who's family had the money) were part of Nashville Society and, in fact, his dad had been Speaker of the Tennessee House. His dad did, indeed, move his family from Nashville to Memphis (though to St Louis in between) when the author was in his early teens. The town of Thornton, TN doesn't exist, but there is a Trenton, TN where the author's dad was born and is about 60 miles from Memphis. So, I view the book more as a fictionalized autobiographical work than as pure fiction. In that vein, I didn't see much to recommend it or the characters in it. i also wasn't a fan of the writing style with page-and-a-half long paragraphs. Even so, I thought that it was well written. Grade: B-
Tom: This is an examination of family relationships. He was damaged to some extent when he was taken away from friends in Nashville, especially his girlfriend. The book did not make it clear when the narrator understood the involvement of his father and sisters in the destruction of his relationship with Clara. The ending left me with the theme that his conclusion as it related to family is that you can’t forget or forgive but you can accept. I liked the flow of the prose. I liked the book but was let down by the ending of the story. A
Keith: comments: His father was a Nationalist. The author had no balls, did not take on his father. Instead, he lived a life of suppressed regrets. The book was loquacious, gassy, and windy. The word I learned was windrows – piles of hay before it is bailed.
A Summons to Memphis
The Carver Dysfunctionals … full of regret:
And Patriarch, George, their Chief Martinet.
Three Sibs … Philip, Betsy, and Jo
When each falls in love, Dad says, “Marry? No No!
Each blames Pop, but never marries again.
Cowards this trio … Misfits to the end!
Then when Widower George seeks a Southern Belle’s Hand
His girls sabotage Dad … “Revenge on you, Old Man”!
And Taylor our author, writings so trite,
Windy gloomy, dark … with no light
Me thinks with all his sunless, sorrow and strife
It should be re-titled: My Unrequited Life!!
Yet this “opus” garnered a Pulitzer? … Please!
Well, I award it a jaded “D”, with ease.
Bob Woods: Pass. I did not read the book. To add to your culinary review, be advised that the French (?) Onion Soup was adequate but uninspired. I don't think that the chef is French at all.
Bob Simon: The book held my attention from start to finish. Since the book was partially autobiographical, I shall be autobiographical to explain my understanding of the plot of the book because the plot connected to my life, which I think explains a bit of the book’s plot, such as why none of the siblings ever married.
I used to be married to a member of the social registry, which affiliated me with that social community in Fort Worth from 1976 to 1981. In 1981 I moved to Albuquerque. So I share with Philip an understanding of some of the social rules and pressures of that Junior League/Debutante social set. I also had a very narcissistic father, like Philip. I, like Philip, escaped those two aspects of my life by moving to Albuquerque. If I had stayed, I could see my life circumscribed by pre-ordained social relationships and rules, such as going to parties at the same country clubs with the same 700 persons for my entire life. But I was different. I was born and raised Jewish. I was not born into that social group. In fact, I was particularly sensitive to the prejudices and barriers ingrained into social registry society based upon my father’s experience as a young man.
My father was an NCAA letterman on the TCU golf team in 1929. As a member of the TCU golf team, he played at all the country clubs in Fort Worth and many around the State of Texas. But when he graduated from TCU he was refused admission to the same country clubs he had previously played at as a student athlete because he was Jewish. The year the first Jewish family was admitted to membership in a country club in Fort Worth was 1960. I tell you this to make you aware that there are rules, barriers, and social pressures one faces from simply being born into social registry society. For example, my children are in the Social Register, but I am not. So, I understand why Taylor moved to New York and lived with a Jewish woman. He was escaping the life he was born into, just as I, and many others who chose not to accept that social group’s limitations and benefits, did.
I also understand why Philip did not stand up to his father. Where Keith suggests Philip had no balls, I see that Philip’s decision to acquiesce to their summons was because he wanted to continue his relationship with his family, therefore he could not attack their fixed social rules, perhaps because opposing his family’s rules of their society would have been fruitless and counterproductive. Opposing his family’s social rules would be unlikely to change them, especially as fixed in his Father’s mind, and opposing his family’s social rules would probably have ostracized him from his father and family. Therefore, Philip adopted the historically proven admonition, “Go along to get along.” Like Jim Hightower said when explaining his decision to move back to Texas, “You don’t move back to Texas because you like the people, but because it is comfortable to live where you were raised and because you understand the sons-abitches.”
In law a summons is a court order to appear or respond to a court action. The title Summons to Memphis perfectly explains that Philip was ordered to appear in Memphis, by the rules of the family and society he was born into, not by choice.
A word about Alex. Alex was a person not born into Philip’s social society but who yearned to be associated with it. He sucked up to George and the sisters, to feel a sense of entitlement and association that was really not there. That entitlement can only be gained by birth or marriage (that may be the unspoken real reason why each of the marriages was opposed; because each of the proposed spouses was deemed to not be a good fit in that society or was not a member of that society).
I am reminded of the scene in Downton Abbey that explains this point so well. The daughter, Lady Mary Crawley, is invited to dinner in a posh restaurant in London by a friend after the death of her husband. When a couple arrives at the large table of young persons, a young woman is introduced to Mary by saying, “You know Amelia (or some such name)?” Mary responds, “Oh, yes, we came out together.” Those four words “We came out together” tells you everything you need to know. Mary knew Amelia’s family history and accepted Amelia as being of her social class and as a social equal.
If this sounds like I am asserting the rules of the social registry society, I am. I just want to explain my understanding of how Alex fit into the book’s plot and perhaps a possible reason why all the proposed marriages faltered. Alex’s character’s function in the book was to be the Greek Chorus, to report on what was happening in Philip’s family while not in Philip’s presence. So, in summary it was a well written book that held my attention. A
Jack: At the end Philip came to terms with his feelings and with the help of his NYC girlfriend, Holly, gained peace of mind. Taylor’s objectivity – all fiction is autobiographical followed in his father’s footsteps from revenge against those who wronged you to getting past it. I saw Philip’s leaving Nashville as a loss of place, friendships and family. Taylor did a good job in making me think about one’s relationships with family, siblings and one’s father. Philip was uprooted from his school and friends when young. The book reinforced the role place plays in our lives, especially between Nashville and Memphis. Eudora Welty wrote similarly about coming to terms with family. Laurel’s emotional journey in The Optimist's Daughter comes to mind. Solid A
Rob: I liked the last four chapters. The reconciliation of George with Shackleford was a nice touch. It was different from my life. No one in my family opposed my second marriage. This book made me think about a lot of things. This was Taylor’s first novel. He tells a good story intelligently. Solid A
and from far outside of Memphis:
I was summoned to San Diego for a collegiate classmate celebration and a clash with Notre Dame. My comments:
Prof. Bousek relived "Darktown Strutters Ball" in his memoir, and I found myself with another old classic for Peter Taylor: "You Made Me Love You (I Didn't Want to Do It)." Only my Book Club discipline kept me reading past 50 pages, but then it all started to come together. This book was a well crafted memoir, very easy to accept and believe. The opening line is a classic, and the next four chapters open as pure memoirs. I love the way the full name Lewis Shackleford was used throughout to maintain a strong theme. The father was a strong character, and all the main characters were well presented, fully developed, and captivating in their own way. However ... however ... this love affair could not last. Enough of these conniving sisters already. B-
- Mike
Thursday, September 27, 2018
Fair Condition, Some Pages Missing by Last Thursday Book Club
Nine memoirists gathered al fresco on Parkside Circle to determine if Joseph Badal knew what he was talking about. The host and Poet Laureate provided these insights:
... and from far off the bookshelf:
We're experiencing a Rocky Mountain high in Colorado without the assistance of weed, enjoying the hikes and scenery around Frisco (no, not CA), so I won't be able to join in the discussion Thursday. It was a delight to read my fellow club members' memoirs in Fair Condition, Some Pages Missing. Thank you, Keith, for suggesting we do this in celebration of our club's silver anniversary.
Dick Arm's story touched me deeply. It was fun learning more about the backgrounds of each of the club members and how those early days shaped their lives.
For example, I didn't know Gary played tennis and the organ, Keith played bridge against Omar Sharif, and Ron played cornet in a band. Nor did I know how Mike made money to pay for his stamp collecting or how Bob Woods was admitted as a junior to Princeton. All of you led fascinating lives and made extraordinary contribution. It was fun to read about them and I learned a lot. I would give the collection an "A." I'll miss connuing the discussion of your lives on Thursday night.
Warm regards, Jack
... and from far off the bookshelf:
We're experiencing a Rocky Mountain high in Colorado without the assistance of weed, enjoying the hikes and scenery around Frisco (no, not CA), so I won't be able to join in the discussion Thursday. It was a delight to read my fellow club members' memoirs in Fair Condition, Some Pages Missing. Thank you, Keith, for suggesting we do this in celebration of our club's silver anniversary.
Dick Arm's story touched me deeply. It was fun learning more about the backgrounds of each of the club members and how those early days shaped their lives.
For example, I didn't know Gary played tennis and the organ, Keith played bridge against Omar Sharif, and Ron played cornet in a band. Nor did I know how Mike made money to pay for his stamp collecting or how Bob Woods was admitted as a junior to Princeton. All of you led fascinating lives and made extraordinary contribution. It was fun to read about them and I learned a lot. I would give the collection an "A." I'll miss connuing the discussion of your lives on Thursday night.
Warm regards, Jack
Thursday, August 30, 2018
Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann
The entire tribe of Travelers in the Mist strode forth in the late evening of the last Thursday of the August moon past the live oaks and the white oaks and into the humble hogan of Prof. Gillen. We welcomed Prof. Irons, a fellow traveler, for his initial venture into the murkiness. We received our published memoirs for
our September meeting and rendered payments for our headrights thereunto. We considered the entries in the Virtual Cemetery for the Killers of
the Flower Moon and whether their lives as documented by Prof. Grann can bring
meaning to ours. As we passed visual memories of the Tonkawa tribe around the campfire, each traveler spoke in their native tongue.
_______________
Ken: This book came highly recommended by my wife and her book club. It was resurrected history that needed to be told. I found the book hard to put down. If it were not my selection, I would grade it A-, but I vote to give it a solid A.
Charlie: A- The story line moves from bad, to very bad, to very, very bad. I consider this very good journalism, not artistic like Truman Capote's In Cold Blood. But high quality journalism: A-
Ron B: I found the book to provide good intensity for the 36% I have read on my Kindle. That part was well written; the story needed to be told. I found the narration to be a bit tedious as the author told where each character went, what they did in great detail. The part I read was fairly good.
Tom G: I agree with Dick J's comments: a fascinating story and history, but the writing did not pull me in - not like Lansing's Endurance and other non-fiction books which have pulled me in. B
Bob S: Again I find myself overwhelmed with sadness by man's inhumanity and abuse of their fellow men, and women in this case, of members of the Osage Tribe. I tired quickly of who killed who and how they were killed. I was also moved by the injustice to those who had done no harm to anyone, and were only trying to enjoy the benefits of their good fortune to having been shunted to the least favorable land they could be given after being driven from their ancestral homelands by the aggression of white culture's westward expansion.
To me, the book stands as further proof of the horrors inflicted on people by America's disregard for many peoples rights in the name of Manifest Destiny to be a "unified" nation from sea to shining sea. I thought the book was well written. I found it a page turner and read it in four days, a record for me. But at the end it left me depressed and saddened that I had been exposed to yet another example of how our great nation treated many of its citizens, with the only consolation being the creation of another institution of government to prevent criminal predation of one against another. A-
Rob E: I learned a lot from the book. Things I wish could have (would have) been taught in school in the 50s in my home state of Oklahoma. We learned about Indian tribes being relocated to OK; we learned about land rushes. But that’s about it.I hope current and future students learn the ‘rest of the story,’ as illuminated by David Grann.
My feeling about many non-fiction books that we’ve read is that the author does research and puts findings on 3x5 cards, then tries to tape them together to create a book. I did not have that feeling here, perhaps because the author is a journalist, not a historian, or wanna-be historian. It was good reading, as well as eye-opening.
I was interested in the J. Edgar Hoover role. He got his successful showcase trial, then left the scene, which was still littered with unrecognized and unprosecuted murders. It was interesting that Hoover regarded himself as a Progressive. I’ve long thought that if you have to identify as a Progressive, you probably aren’t. Grann says (p. 178) that for J. Edgar, “Progressivism … reflected his own obsession with organization and social control.” He goes on to note that Progressives, like Hoover, "… were so convinced of their own virtuous authority that they disdained democratic procedures.” Sound familiar? Thus, e.g., the Osage interests would be protected by ‘guardians.'
Mentioning disdained democratic procedures makes me think of NYT columnist Tom Friedman who periodically writes on the theme, Why can’t our government be more like the Chinese? To me the Progressive trend has been exemplified in big cities, USA, over the last 50 years, where minorities have been consigned to ‘reservations’ that have poor living conditions, crime, drug trafficking, ineffective schools, joblessness, dysfunctional families, … all analogous to how the Osage were treated. These modern 'tribes' don’t have oil. Their ‘guardians’ only want their votes.
Pardon the side-trip. As an Oklahoman, I really appreciate this book. I give the book an A.
Bob W: I give the book an unequivocal A, and I do not often grade thus. This was a very valuable contribution to the history of the country. Pretty well written, immense amount of research. The last two chapters were more than we needed to know. A
Karl Irons: The story was worth telling -- and should have been told a long time ago -- but it wasn't told very well. There were too many holes and unanswered questions for my liking. I think the last chapter gave a clue as to why in that the author appeared to have been very careful to only report on what he could document through his extensive research. Grade B (A for the story; C for the execution.)
Dick J: Tom and I agree: not well written. I read the book when it first came out, and again with the Club, and both times came away wanting more. I immediately got it our of the library when it was first published and read it. The book could be so much more. I had the same reaction with the second reading. The book came up short. A great story not told in a great manner. B+
Mike: A great book for the first 36%. What a story - how could none of us know anything about this? My personal ignorance continues to amaze me. The author did a beautiful job of drawing you in early by telling the story through the simple plea of Mollie Burkhart: where is my sister Anna? She left my home 3 days ago - where is she? From there, the mystery deepened. Later he got a bit taken up in lionizing Tom White, who deserved to be lionized - but with what amount of detail? And in Part 3, the Trial, the telling was muddled and non-gripping. Finally, I would have loved to have an index in this book. Tonight's discussion by my club members have convinced me: not an A- but a B+
Jack: I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I feel the same as Ken and Ron: a story that needed to be told. I learned so much about transgressions against the Indians, about the FBI, and about Oklahoma. A-
Keith: The author attempted a scholarly work and failed. For this group of retired scientists he should have had a 100 page summary at the end. In the third chapter, he became dramatic and it went downhill but he kept writing. The government found a couple of scapegoats and quit investigating. The book provided more questions than answers.
Osage Indian Murders
_______________
Ken: This book came highly recommended by my wife and her book club. It was resurrected history that needed to be told. I found the book hard to put down. If it were not my selection, I would grade it A-, but I vote to give it a solid A.
Charlie: A- The story line moves from bad, to very bad, to very, very bad. I consider this very good journalism, not artistic like Truman Capote's In Cold Blood. But high quality journalism: A-
Ron B: I found the book to provide good intensity for the 36% I have read on my Kindle. That part was well written; the story needed to be told. I found the narration to be a bit tedious as the author told where each character went, what they did in great detail. The part I read was fairly good.
Tom G: I agree with Dick J's comments: a fascinating story and history, but the writing did not pull me in - not like Lansing's Endurance and other non-fiction books which have pulled me in. B
Bob S: Again I find myself overwhelmed with sadness by man's inhumanity and abuse of their fellow men, and women in this case, of members of the Osage Tribe. I tired quickly of who killed who and how they were killed. I was also moved by the injustice to those who had done no harm to anyone, and were only trying to enjoy the benefits of their good fortune to having been shunted to the least favorable land they could be given after being driven from their ancestral homelands by the aggression of white culture's westward expansion.
To me, the book stands as further proof of the horrors inflicted on people by America's disregard for many peoples rights in the name of Manifest Destiny to be a "unified" nation from sea to shining sea. I thought the book was well written. I found it a page turner and read it in four days, a record for me. But at the end it left me depressed and saddened that I had been exposed to yet another example of how our great nation treated many of its citizens, with the only consolation being the creation of another institution of government to prevent criminal predation of one against another. A-
Rob E: I learned a lot from the book. Things I wish could have (would have) been taught in school in the 50s in my home state of Oklahoma. We learned about Indian tribes being relocated to OK; we learned about land rushes. But that’s about it.I hope current and future students learn the ‘rest of the story,’ as illuminated by David Grann.
My feeling about many non-fiction books that we’ve read is that the author does research and puts findings on 3x5 cards, then tries to tape them together to create a book. I did not have that feeling here, perhaps because the author is a journalist, not a historian, or wanna-be historian. It was good reading, as well as eye-opening.
I was interested in the J. Edgar Hoover role. He got his successful showcase trial, then left the scene, which was still littered with unrecognized and unprosecuted murders. It was interesting that Hoover regarded himself as a Progressive. I’ve long thought that if you have to identify as a Progressive, you probably aren’t. Grann says (p. 178) that for J. Edgar, “Progressivism … reflected his own obsession with organization and social control.” He goes on to note that Progressives, like Hoover, "… were so convinced of their own virtuous authority that they disdained democratic procedures.” Sound familiar? Thus, e.g., the Osage interests would be protected by ‘guardians.'
Mentioning disdained democratic procedures makes me think of NYT columnist Tom Friedman who periodically writes on the theme, Why can’t our government be more like the Chinese? To me the Progressive trend has been exemplified in big cities, USA, over the last 50 years, where minorities have been consigned to ‘reservations’ that have poor living conditions, crime, drug trafficking, ineffective schools, joblessness, dysfunctional families, … all analogous to how the Osage were treated. These modern 'tribes' don’t have oil. Their ‘guardians’ only want their votes.
Pardon the side-trip. As an Oklahoman, I really appreciate this book. I give the book an A.
Bob W: I give the book an unequivocal A, and I do not often grade thus. This was a very valuable contribution to the history of the country. Pretty well written, immense amount of research. The last two chapters were more than we needed to know. A
Karl Irons: The story was worth telling -- and should have been told a long time ago -- but it wasn't told very well. There were too many holes and unanswered questions for my liking. I think the last chapter gave a clue as to why in that the author appeared to have been very careful to only report on what he could document through his extensive research. Grade B (A for the story; C for the execution.)
Dick J: Tom and I agree: not well written. I read the book when it first came out, and again with the Club, and both times came away wanting more. I immediately got it our of the library when it was first published and read it. The book could be so much more. I had the same reaction with the second reading. The book came up short. A great story not told in a great manner. B+
Mike: A great book for the first 36%. What a story - how could none of us know anything about this? My personal ignorance continues to amaze me. The author did a beautiful job of drawing you in early by telling the story through the simple plea of Mollie Burkhart: where is my sister Anna? She left my home 3 days ago - where is she? From there, the mystery deepened. Later he got a bit taken up in lionizing Tom White, who deserved to be lionized - but with what amount of detail? And in Part 3, the Trial, the telling was muddled and non-gripping. Finally, I would have loved to have an index in this book. Tonight's discussion by my club members have convinced me: not an A- but a B+
Jack: I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I feel the same as Ken and Ron: a story that needed to be told. I learned so much about transgressions against the Indians, about the FBI, and about Oklahoma. A-
Keith: The author attempted a scholarly work and failed. For this group of retired scientists he should have had a 100 page summary at the end. In the third chapter, he became dramatic and it went downhill but he kept writing. The government found a couple of scapegoats and quit investigating. The book provided more questions than answers.
Virtual Cemetery
Osage Indian Murders
Thursday, July 26, 2018
The Hi Lo Country by Max Evans
The old cowboys gathered around the campfire at Park Avenue and recollected when they broke broncs with the late great Big Boy Matson in the Hi Lo Country. Some of them spoke up as a herd of hydrophobic bison sauntered through the evening and the embers glowed with remembrance -
Tom G: I did not engage the book, I could not get involved, like Evans’ character could not get involved with any woman. The one time I was engaged was the winter storm part when they were trying to save the cows and got caught in the storm. My favorite Evans books are the middle part of Bluefeather Fellini and The Rounders. This was of a much lesser grade. Grade = C+
Charlie P. – I agree with Tom G. Evans discussion of animals is interesting but not his descriptions of people. Everyone drank to excess and engaged in violence, always fighting. Not very good. I liked The Last Picture Show and it was regionalism but it had relationships and a plot. Bogdanovich directed. Grade = C
Ken G.: Mixed emotions. Some good description of cowboying, lots of weird characters, mostly unfortunates. Josefa was the only likeable person. The plot was predictable. I knew Big Boy would die and the ending was terrible. Grade = C+
Jack F. Entertaining, good descriptive language. Makes a good movie. 42-43 characters, mostly one dimensional, but none were well developed. My main take away was, “Don’t never get me one of them red-assed monkeys.” Grade = C+
Bob W: Pass; did not read because traveling in Norway.
Keith: – I enjoyed the book because it described real cowboys. I worked ranches when young, and spent time in Raton, Cimarron, and Des Moines. It accurately described cowboys, who are basically blue collar workers who worked hard and drank and fought on weekends The menage a trois with a married woman was an unique plot development. Evans is a living legend. I enjoyed the book and story. Grade = B+
Ron B. – did not attend. Stabilizing blood pressure. Grade = B+
Bob S: – I picked this book for three reasons. First, I saw the documentary and realized that Max Evans was an important New Mexico author and I wanted to show the documentary in conjunction with a book. I chose Hi Lo Country.
Second, it describes a part of the world I have been fascinated with most of my life: the Hi Lo country. In Texas where I grew up the Cap Rock is famous. The Staked Plains sits over the Oglala aquifer. It is a huge elevated plateau or mesa, over 250 miles north to south and 150 miles from east to west. In Spanish, it was called the Llano Estacado, translated as staked plains. It is surrounded on three sides by valleys and deep arroyos; on the north by the Canadian River valley and on the West by the Pecos River Valley in New Mexico, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Llano_Estacado. Palo Duro Canyon, southeast of Amarillo, is perhaps its most famous valley. When I was an 8 year old kid, starting around 1954 my family would drive out to Ruidoso in one day every year to spend a month in the cool mountains in the middle of the summer. Every year we would cross the Staked Plains. I remember driving past the western edge of the staked plains in the late afternoon and would begin playing a game to see who could first see the Sacramento Mountains. Later, when I would go to Philmont Scout Ranch, we would drive across the northern part of it to Cimarron.
Third, the book describes New Mexico; its land, weather, and people. In my opinion, that puts it in the category of American regionalism literature. The closest book that we have read that I can think of is Cannery Row by John Steinbeck. I thought the book had strong plots, Evans’ willingness to investigate and expose his emotional feelings for Mona, Big Boy, and his failure as a rancher. The other thing that was evident to me that was exposed by the documentary and just briefly touched upon in the book was Evans’ interest in the spiritual realm.
Grade = B
And from elsewhere in and out of the Hi Lo Country:
I enjoyed the first 25% of the book - in fact, I thought it was a cowboy's version of Querencia (a New Mexico refuge - my favorite NM book). E.g., the coyote hunts in the two books. But the book soon turned to brawling and carousing and that turned me off. Could this have been written by the esteemed author of the Bluefeather Fellini tales? Well, yes, sad to say.
When our hero drew the toughest bronc in the rodeo, I got cynical: thought, Well, of course! Artificial plot thickener. Best line: "When he hit the ground he was a steer." One of the worst: "He sounded like a herd of hydrophobic buffalo tearing through the brush.... there was a splash that sounded as if the moon had rocketed into the Pacific." There were too many such strained allegories.
I wanted to see the movie, for the sake of comparison, but didn't want to buy it at the Ebay price. Sorry I won't be at meeting and hear reports from those who have seen the movie and how the movie compares to the book. I look forward to reading the reviews. Grade: C+
Rob
I will not be able to attend the Book Club meeting tomorrow evening--I simply cannot sit for two hours with my current back problems. I have enclosed my review of The Hi-Lo Country by Max Evans.
I was quite disappointed by The Hi-Lo Country. My disappointment with the book began in the introduction that was written by Max Evans. In that introduction he spent a great deal of time talking about the drinking and fighting that he undertook during the writing the book--one of the incidents led to his being forced to type with his left hand and another led him to being thrown in jail. I found those references strange but once I read the book I could see that he really relished drinking and fighting--the major activities in which the characters of the book engaged.
When I was in graduate school one of my colleagues and I used to look for what we called "Strange Types" on the Indiana University campus. Max Evans also was a great collector of "types" in his book. I found few either interesting or positive characters in the book. I got tired of the narrator and the only person who seemed to be talented enough to rise above his current life was Big Boy who was a talented individual who spent his time trying to be with a married woman who apparently had been a prostitute in her earlier life.
In the end Big Boy is killed by Little Boy, a not particularly impressive individual--by the time he was killed, I really didn't care. The narrator is also hung up on the ex-prostitute and rejects the possibility of marrying one of the few positive characters in the book. She apparently wised up in the end marrying a local boy and moving to California.
I have to admit that I found some of the characters funny but in the end I wanted to get a gunny sack and take them down to the crick (as they say in Utah) and drown them. Evans says he is going to present an image of The Hi-Lo Country. What he really presents is an image of many of the lost souls in The Hi-Lo Country and we really learn little about the residents.
Earlier in the year we read a book which covers a similar area, Plainsong. In that book you really learn about the residents of the area. In the end Plainsong told us about those residents and there were uplifting moments. I had looking forward to reading The Hi-Lo Country and have no desire to read other books by Evans. Plainsong was a solid A. This book was a B- at best.
Dick
Max Evans’ prose is like cowboy poetry: lightly entertaining, but you don’t want to read an entire book of it. The Hi Lo Country hit me like a bad Baxter Black rendition from page 1. Is there a plot here, or are we going to lurch from ‘cutesey’ drunken adventure to overstated drunken mis-adventure? Beyond two friends seeking the affection of the same married woman, it didn’t come together and certainly didn’t capture my affections.
There is a great deal that distinguishes P.G. Wodehouse and “Right Ho, Jeeves” from Max Evans and his work. I love to get to the next chapter of Wodehouse, and I dread picking up Evans again. The similes throughout are certainly unique but way overwrought. I’ve eaten at Vick’s Vittles, spent some time on a ranch, lusted after married women, watched my mother-in-law castrate calves, ridden a bit and got kicked by a horse … but it didn’t make me a Max Evans fan. The last third of the book brought a plot into the collection, but the awkward date-rape scene (“she didn’t give me the satisfaction of resisting”) and having Little Boy shoot the superhero pushed the book well down into my “can’t recommend” category. C
- Mike
Tom G: I did not engage the book, I could not get involved, like Evans’ character could not get involved with any woman. The one time I was engaged was the winter storm part when they were trying to save the cows and got caught in the storm. My favorite Evans books are the middle part of Bluefeather Fellini and The Rounders. This was of a much lesser grade. Grade = C+
Charlie P. – I agree with Tom G. Evans discussion of animals is interesting but not his descriptions of people. Everyone drank to excess and engaged in violence, always fighting. Not very good. I liked The Last Picture Show and it was regionalism but it had relationships and a plot. Bogdanovich directed. Grade = C
Ken G.: Mixed emotions. Some good description of cowboying, lots of weird characters, mostly unfortunates. Josefa was the only likeable person. The plot was predictable. I knew Big Boy would die and the ending was terrible. Grade = C+
Jack F. Entertaining, good descriptive language. Makes a good movie. 42-43 characters, mostly one dimensional, but none were well developed. My main take away was, “Don’t never get me one of them red-assed monkeys.” Grade = C+
Bob W: Pass; did not read because traveling in Norway.
Keith: – I enjoyed the book because it described real cowboys. I worked ranches when young, and spent time in Raton, Cimarron, and Des Moines. It accurately described cowboys, who are basically blue collar workers who worked hard and drank and fought on weekends The menage a trois with a married woman was an unique plot development. Evans is a living legend. I enjoyed the book and story. Grade = B+
Ron B. – did not attend. Stabilizing blood pressure. Grade = B+
Bob S: – I picked this book for three reasons. First, I saw the documentary and realized that Max Evans was an important New Mexico author and I wanted to show the documentary in conjunction with a book. I chose Hi Lo Country.
Second, it describes a part of the world I have been fascinated with most of my life: the Hi Lo country. In Texas where I grew up the Cap Rock is famous. The Staked Plains sits over the Oglala aquifer. It is a huge elevated plateau or mesa, over 250 miles north to south and 150 miles from east to west. In Spanish, it was called the Llano Estacado, translated as staked plains. It is surrounded on three sides by valleys and deep arroyos; on the north by the Canadian River valley and on the West by the Pecos River Valley in New Mexico, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Llano_Estacado. Palo Duro Canyon, southeast of Amarillo, is perhaps its most famous valley. When I was an 8 year old kid, starting around 1954 my family would drive out to Ruidoso in one day every year to spend a month in the cool mountains in the middle of the summer. Every year we would cross the Staked Plains. I remember driving past the western edge of the staked plains in the late afternoon and would begin playing a game to see who could first see the Sacramento Mountains. Later, when I would go to Philmont Scout Ranch, we would drive across the northern part of it to Cimarron.
Third, the book describes New Mexico; its land, weather, and people. In my opinion, that puts it in the category of American regionalism literature. The closest book that we have read that I can think of is Cannery Row by John Steinbeck. I thought the book had strong plots, Evans’ willingness to investigate and expose his emotional feelings for Mona, Big Boy, and his failure as a rancher. The other thing that was evident to me that was exposed by the documentary and just briefly touched upon in the book was Evans’ interest in the spiritual realm.
Grade = B
And from elsewhere in and out of the Hi Lo Country:
I enjoyed the first 25% of the book - in fact, I thought it was a cowboy's version of Querencia (a New Mexico refuge - my favorite NM book). E.g., the coyote hunts in the two books. But the book soon turned to brawling and carousing and that turned me off. Could this have been written by the esteemed author of the Bluefeather Fellini tales? Well, yes, sad to say.
When our hero drew the toughest bronc in the rodeo, I got cynical: thought, Well, of course! Artificial plot thickener. Best line: "When he hit the ground he was a steer." One of the worst: "He sounded like a herd of hydrophobic buffalo tearing through the brush.... there was a splash that sounded as if the moon had rocketed into the Pacific." There were too many such strained allegories.
I wanted to see the movie, for the sake of comparison, but didn't want to buy it at the Ebay price. Sorry I won't be at meeting and hear reports from those who have seen the movie and how the movie compares to the book. I look forward to reading the reviews. Grade: C+
Rob
I will not be able to attend the Book Club meeting tomorrow evening--I simply cannot sit for two hours with my current back problems. I have enclosed my review of The Hi-Lo Country by Max Evans.
I was quite disappointed by The Hi-Lo Country. My disappointment with the book began in the introduction that was written by Max Evans. In that introduction he spent a great deal of time talking about the drinking and fighting that he undertook during the writing the book--one of the incidents led to his being forced to type with his left hand and another led him to being thrown in jail. I found those references strange but once I read the book I could see that he really relished drinking and fighting--the major activities in which the characters of the book engaged.
When I was in graduate school one of my colleagues and I used to look for what we called "Strange Types" on the Indiana University campus. Max Evans also was a great collector of "types" in his book. I found few either interesting or positive characters in the book. I got tired of the narrator and the only person who seemed to be talented enough to rise above his current life was Big Boy who was a talented individual who spent his time trying to be with a married woman who apparently had been a prostitute in her earlier life.
In the end Big Boy is killed by Little Boy, a not particularly impressive individual--by the time he was killed, I really didn't care. The narrator is also hung up on the ex-prostitute and rejects the possibility of marrying one of the few positive characters in the book. She apparently wised up in the end marrying a local boy and moving to California.
I have to admit that I found some of the characters funny but in the end I wanted to get a gunny sack and take them down to the crick (as they say in Utah) and drown them. Evans says he is going to present an image of The Hi-Lo Country. What he really presents is an image of many of the lost souls in The Hi-Lo Country and we really learn little about the residents.
Earlier in the year we read a book which covers a similar area, Plainsong. In that book you really learn about the residents of the area. In the end Plainsong told us about those residents and there were uplifting moments. I had looking forward to reading The Hi-Lo Country and have no desire to read other books by Evans. Plainsong was a solid A. This book was a B- at best.
Dick
Max Evans’ prose is like cowboy poetry: lightly entertaining, but you don’t want to read an entire book of it. The Hi Lo Country hit me like a bad Baxter Black rendition from page 1. Is there a plot here, or are we going to lurch from ‘cutesey’ drunken adventure to overstated drunken mis-adventure? Beyond two friends seeking the affection of the same married woman, it didn’t come together and certainly didn’t capture my affections.
There is a great deal that distinguishes P.G. Wodehouse and “Right Ho, Jeeves” from Max Evans and his work. I love to get to the next chapter of Wodehouse, and I dread picking up Evans again. The similes throughout are certainly unique but way overwrought. I’ve eaten at Vick’s Vittles, spent some time on a ranch, lusted after married women, watched my mother-in-law castrate calves, ridden a bit and got kicked by a horse … but it didn’t make me a Max Evans fan. The last third of the book brought a plot into the collection, but the awkward date-rape scene (“she didn’t give me the satisfaction of resisting”) and having Little Boy shoot the superhero pushed the book well down into my “can’t recommend” category. C
- Mike
Thursday, June 28, 2018
Tuxedo Park by Jennet Conant
The leading powers in the scientific and literary establishments met in the Park Avenue offices of Dr. Charles Palmer on the last Thursday
of June 1940 to discuss the giant cyclotron and urologists. Included were (left to right)
Ernest Simon, Arthur Gilbert, Vannevar Palmer, Manette Easterling, James B. Blackledge, Karl Bousek, and
Alfred Jensen. Prof Gillen and his vastly overpaid grad students
(Genoni, Ferrell, and Woods) were not present, but provided comments. Those present offered the following:
Mike: I had often wondered why a great physicist like Ernest Lawrence was not recruited for The Manhattan Project. This book answered that question in spades: Lawrence & Loomis were a Dynamic Duo that started their work well before Pearl Harbor and continued past V-J Day.
Was Tuxedo Park the best name? Alternate titles: The Science of WW II; Loomis, Lawrence, and The Rad Lab. From Bonds to Bombs. From Rad to Rand.
The writing was cleanly crafted but did not capture the humanity and humor that Conant provided in 109 East Palace. I felt it was not necessary to start with Richards suicide, and that the middle of the book dragged with details best confined to an Appendix. B+
Bob S: Fascinating American history that I loved. I get inspired by people like Loomis: demonstrating the ability to drive a difficult project to conclusion. So impressive with the history, the war effort, how it all got started: radar, fission. It was riveting - "You need a scientist? We'll call this guy! Let's send them all to MIT for the summer!" A story of making consequential decisions and backing them up with cash. A-
Keith: Concision is the key word: this would have been a great 170 page book. Review: "Ode to A. Loomis" B
Dick J: I agree that it dragged in places. My connection: when Loomis during WW I was at Aberdeen Proving Grounds: my brilliant younger brother has been there for 35 years, no thought of retiring. I did enjoy it, and will send it on to my nephew in Utah. A-
Ron Bousek: It could have been shorter for the general reader, but I felt she was trying to document the era. I give it an A.
Rob E: I read it for the last three days - it was difficult for me to obtain - and am impressed with what I have read. I have critiqued a lot of histories and have a mental image of the author collecting all their facts and material on 3" x 5" cards, then trying to organize the results. I didn't feel that here. She was telling a story - the radar story. I now realize it was so integral to the British to solve the German bombing situation. I give it an A as I am impressed.
Charlie: I chose this book after viewing The American Experience: The Secrets of Tuxedo Park, which had numerous interview comments by Jennet Conant, who I appreciated when we read 109 East Palace. Consider that Loomis took up science at the age of 47 - what energy and drive he demonstrated. It was kinda slow getting to the the Rad Lab. Conant had lots of research she wanted to get in. I give it an A.
And from outside radar range of Orange County:
Although I found Tuxedo Park a little slow at first, it later became a page-turner that I had trouble putting down - fascinating discussions of radar development and its impact on the war. A
- Ken
Dear Charlie,
Still stuck in Utah. My comments follow:
Much like my experience with Jennet Conant’s 109 East Palace, I got bogged down sometimes with the detail she brought to the story; however, similar to her history of Los Alamos, Conant describes a fascinating period of our history and a fascinating personality about whom I knew nothing. I was literally left breathless reading and learning about the breakneck speed at which Loomis was able to garner financial and scientific support for his projects and ultimately carry out the development and productions of the systems. It was fortunate for our country and Great Britain that Alfred Loomis was there at that time in our history. Conant’s family connection to that time and her curiosity about it seem to feed her desire to research every angle and then writes about it in such a style that puts you at the scene. A-
Regards, Jack
___________
Mike: I had often wondered why a great physicist like Ernest Lawrence was not recruited for The Manhattan Project. This book answered that question in spades: Lawrence & Loomis were a Dynamic Duo that started their work well before Pearl Harbor and continued past V-J Day.
Was Tuxedo Park the best name? Alternate titles: The Science of WW II; Loomis, Lawrence, and The Rad Lab. From Bonds to Bombs. From Rad to Rand.
The writing was cleanly crafted but did not capture the humanity and humor that Conant provided in 109 East Palace. I felt it was not necessary to start with Richards suicide, and that the middle of the book dragged with details best confined to an Appendix. B+
Bob S: Fascinating American history that I loved. I get inspired by people like Loomis: demonstrating the ability to drive a difficult project to conclusion. So impressive with the history, the war effort, how it all got started: radar, fission. It was riveting - "You need a scientist? We'll call this guy! Let's send them all to MIT for the summer!" A story of making consequential decisions and backing them up with cash. A-
Keith: Concision is the key word: this would have been a great 170 page book. Review: "Ode to A. Loomis" B
Dick J: I agree that it dragged in places. My connection: when Loomis during WW I was at Aberdeen Proving Grounds: my brilliant younger brother has been there for 35 years, no thought of retiring. I did enjoy it, and will send it on to my nephew in Utah. A-
Ron Bousek: It could have been shorter for the general reader, but I felt she was trying to document the era. I give it an A.
Rob E: I read it for the last three days - it was difficult for me to obtain - and am impressed with what I have read. I have critiqued a lot of histories and have a mental image of the author collecting all their facts and material on 3" x 5" cards, then trying to organize the results. I didn't feel that here. She was telling a story - the radar story. I now realize it was so integral to the British to solve the German bombing situation. I give it an A as I am impressed.
Charlie: I chose this book after viewing The American Experience: The Secrets of Tuxedo Park, which had numerous interview comments by Jennet Conant, who I appreciated when we read 109 East Palace. Consider that Loomis took up science at the age of 47 - what energy and drive he demonstrated. It was kinda slow getting to the the Rad Lab. Conant had lots of research she wanted to get in. I give it an A.
And from outside radar range of Orange County:
Although I found Tuxedo Park a little slow at first, it later became a page-turner that I had trouble putting down - fascinating discussions of radar development and its impact on the war. A
- Ken
Dear Charlie,
Still stuck in Utah. My comments follow:
Much like my experience with Jennet Conant’s 109 East Palace, I got bogged down sometimes with the detail she brought to the story; however, similar to her history of Los Alamos, Conant describes a fascinating period of our history and a fascinating personality about whom I knew nothing. I was literally left breathless reading and learning about the breakneck speed at which Loomis was able to garner financial and scientific support for his projects and ultimately carry out the development and productions of the systems. It was fortunate for our country and Great Britain that Alfred Loomis was there at that time in our history. Conant’s family connection to that time and her curiosity about it seem to feed her desire to research every angle and then writes about it in such a style that puts you at the scene. A-
Regards, Jack
___________
Thursday, May 31, 2018
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
Naturally, like many of us, I have a reluctance to change too many of the old ways. Thus it was that the last Thursday of the month, and indeed the last day of May, caused several of us in the service to gather around the fire in the servants hall at the residence of Sir Robert Woods in Oxfordshire. As it should be, it occurred at the traditional time, 7 o'clock in the evening.
Now for a great many people, the evening is the most enjoyable part of the day. Perhaps, then, there is something to your advice that I should cease looking back so much, that I should adopt a more positive outlook and try to make the best of what remains of my day. After all, what can we ever gain in forever looking back and blaming ourselves if our lives have not turned out quite as we might have wished? What, indeed, is our Legacy? The best we can hope for is to capture and publish a series of memorials and memoirs.
As you may surmise, Miss Kenton and I will not be in attendance at this Thursday's meeting, as we have run away for a fourth time from her marriage and are nesting in the Sangre de Cristos. I have taken the Ford of my former employer, and it is currently abandoned on a side road. Furthermore, Lord Ferrell is traversing the depths of what is now called the Irish Republic, or perhaps the Wilds of Scotland, and Surgeon Palmer is hosting revolutionaries from Boston and the Colonies. We requested Councilor Simon to collect the summary comments at the gathering of sympathizers and near-converts and provide them posthaste to myself or Miss Kenton. Those aforementioned comments appear below.
Ken – a bit slow but
memorable, unusually well written, eye opening,
I enjoyed it Grade: A-
Tom – sympathize with
Keith. I have a similar dislike for long
paragraphs.
I liked the care Stevens took
with language. For me it was a
page-turner, I could not put it down. I
felt for Stevens. Grade: firm A
Rob - I was
disappointed. I remember the movie and I
liked it better, I was put off by the long sections devoted to bantering
I liked Upstairs/Downstairs
better. I did not like the excessive use
of double negatives, like “he was not unperturbed.” Grade: B -
Ron – I like the book better
than I thought I would when I got into his mind set.
I liked the descriptions of
England, perhaps because I have traveled in England.
I enjoyed the documentation
of a past era. The excesses in language
were part of the atmosphere of the book,
Grade: A
Bob – painted a believable
picture of an individual, but I had a feeling that there was lots missing. Much was hinted at that should be in there
but is not. Within the walls of the
novel he established, he did a good job.
Grade: A –
Keith – lack of
concision. I can reduce the entire book
to two words, “garrulously gassy” with
lots of loquaciousness stilted language.
I did not enjoy the butler talk.
Specialized. If you can speak
until you die, this is an example.
Lots of words, not much
content. Overly wordy, unlike poetry
Grade: B –
Robert S – I found it hard to
engage with because it was so slow moving.
Also, Steven’s personality
was a bit off putting.
I found it an excellent
explication of the times and station of a between the Wars butler. Set in the 50’s but described the 20’s and
30’s as the big house culture was ending.
Grade: B+
And from well outside of Moscombe:
Dear Bob,
Sorry I won't be able to attend the LTBC meeting you're hosting on Thursday. We're not experiencing any social or cultural revolution, but we have been enjoying the music of the late 18th and early 19th century in Vienna and Salzburg as we roam around Mozart’s, Strauss’ and Beethoven’s old stomping grounds.
I can't say I enjoyed THE REMAINS OF THE DAY, but I am glad I read it. It gave me insight into a different era and culture for which I had little appreciation. I found the story sad if not downright tragic, which as a student of German literature I can relate to. I could also empathize with the situation the servant class found itself in at this turning point in British history; however, I had little compassion for Mr. Stevens particularly when it came to his relationship with his father at the end of the latter’s career and life. Additionally, his relationship with Miss Kenton often seemed unreal and his actions uncaring if not cruel. I did enjoy Ishiguro’s writing style and would like to read another of his novels in the hope of finding a more compassionate character. B
Regards,
Jack
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
Comments by M.A. Blackledge, 30 May 2018
This was a fascinating book to me for several reasons.
Having seen the movie by the same name, my reading vision was full of Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson. I will watch the movie again after reading the book, but the memory I came away with from the movie was all about unrequited love; my vision was of love offered and never accepted. Most depressing.
The book was so much more, so very much more. To begin with, the writing, the prose was captivating, beautifully drawing the reader into the well orchestrated view of the butler. It reminded me once again of how some of our most excellent English writing is by English-as-a-second-language authors: Nabokov, Conrad, and here Ishiguro. (Here I can envision Genoni reminding us that Nabokov claims his nanny taught him English prior to his learning Russian, but we all know Russian was his ‘true’ language.)
Then I loved how I was carried along, and it took me awhile before I realized we were in the presence of an unreliable narrator – something introduced to me by Nabokov, and done so cleverly here. We actually get ‘alternative memories’ as our protagonist Stevens admits, “now that I think about it, that’s not the way it happened – here is what happened.” This is first hinted when we see Stevens lies, he denies that he worked for Lord Darlington in the early days. It was a bit of a shock, but he explains it away. Twice he denies Lord Darlington in discussions with strangers, and thrice, like Peter disowning Jesus, before the tale is told. On the car trip as he allows the simple people of Moscombe to go on being awed by this great man with the fancy Ford who has had Winston Churchill to his house.
The Nazi sympathizers of the mid 1930s; the English countryside; the heroic image of his father, head down, kneeling before his serving cart (hopefully this is the image I will keep from the book); the people and the servants and the Lords – all beautifully woven together in such well crafted prose. And when at the very end, when Stevens actually admits his heart was breaking, my heart broke just a bit as we finally get a glimpse inside, that there are after all feelings within the costume, indeed within the English armor of a career pretender. Solid A.
- Lord Halifax
Edward Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax
REMAINS OF THE DAY
This was a beautiful book. While it initially seems to be slow moving and a bit too restrained, it develops into a novel with an extraordinary emotional content, with its story of of wasted lives, emotional dis-connectedness, lost love, and misplaced loyalty. The writing is consistently wonderful. Nothing to criticize here – a solid A.
CHP
I really enjoyed The Remains of the Day both times I read it. I liked it even more the second time.
This is a great book for people in our age group--many of us are looking back at our past and trying to enjoy the days remaining in our lives.
I found the characters in the book to be interesting, the book had a great plot, and it was extremely well written.
I watched the movie but liked the book much more than the movie.
I would give the book an A.
Dick
______________________________
Thursday, April 26, 2018
Plainsong by Kent Haruf
Here was this man Tom Genoni in Holt standing at the back window in the kitchen of his house smoking
cigarettes and looking out over the back lot where the sun was just setting. The book club was gathered as it was the last Thursday of the month, at the sundown hour.
This ain't going to be no goddamn Sunday school picnic, he said, to no one in particular. They think writing their memoirs is hard? This is gonna be harder. Most of these fellers never even raised a daughter. They have no idea. A girl is different. They want things. They need things on a regular schedule. Why, a girl's got purposes you and me can't even imagine. They got ideas in their heads you and me can't even suppose.
Ain't going to be no goddamn Sunday school picnic, he repeated. He looked out over the back lot and watched the wind whip the leaves around. The air was turning sharp, with a fall feeling of loneliness coming. Something unaccountable pending in the air. What would they say?
Dick J: I won't take long. I loved this book. I read it twice and I read the trilogy. It's an A.
Keith G: I enjoyed the small town connection - in Pagosa Springs, in Jemez, everyone knows everyone. They don't care how you are dressed, I can leave my key with a neighbor and they will walk my dog while I'm gone. A
Mike B: The loving, captivating, unisonous voice of Kent Haruf immerses the reader into a year in the Life of the small drama of small town America. Would Ike and Bobby grow up to be like the McPherons? That would not be all bad. The first fourth of the book was dark, despair, depression. Haruf pulled the characters and the reader slowly along, until he brought us all together at the end. A
Kenny G: There wasn't a lot of plot. It was a pleasant and heartwarming tale of how people live their lives. I will remember this book and I strongly recommend it. A
Charlie: This may well be one of the top 20 books we have read. I couldn't find anything wrong with this book. A
Bob S: A wonderful book. If it lacked anything, it was the arc of a classic. People were having trouble in their lives but he brought them together nicely. A-
Rob E: I felt it was a superficial look at rural America. I got side-tracked by the bachelor brothers and couldn't get Garrison Keillor out of my mind. I remember in my senior year of high school, one of the popular girls got pregnant by a guy who was a thug, our version of Russell Beckman. I didn't get into it or find it as moving as I heard tonight. A-
Tom G: Solid A. Best - what do we mean by that? Enjoyable and had an impact on me, the best we've read since Shane. I had a hard time putting it down, and then a hard time picking it up again as I worried that something bad was going to happen. Just inside the front cover, six of the blurbs on the two pages of Aclaim for Kent Haruf's Plainsong use the word "spare."
... and from well outside of Holt:
Dear Tom,
I am sorry I won't be at the LTBC meeting you are hosting. I'll be in the sky somewhere between ABQ and BWI on my way to Cork, Ireland. It should be a great discussion. Thank you for choosing the book. I loved it. My comments follow:
Kent Haruf's Plainsong is one of the best books I have read. I could not put it down. Coming from a small town I could easily relate to Holt and to the characters who populate it. Haruf's prose is simple and straightforward. The plain language he uses and the barren landscapes he paints create an atmosphere that helps drive the plot, which is an excellent example of how form affects content. In spite of the difficult circumstances some of the characters find themselves in, I believe the story resonates with hope. The generosity and love of the McPheron brothers, for example, far outweigh the cruelty bestowed upon Victoria Roubideaux. I highly recommend the book. A
Regards,
Jack
This ain't going to be no goddamn Sunday school picnic, he said, to no one in particular. They think writing their memoirs is hard? This is gonna be harder. Most of these fellers never even raised a daughter. They have no idea. A girl is different. They want things. They need things on a regular schedule. Why, a girl's got purposes you and me can't even imagine. They got ideas in their heads you and me can't even suppose.
Ain't going to be no goddamn Sunday school picnic, he repeated. He looked out over the back lot and watched the wind whip the leaves around. The air was turning sharp, with a fall feeling of loneliness coming. Something unaccountable pending in the air. What would they say?
Dick J: I won't take long. I loved this book. I read it twice and I read the trilogy. It's an A.
Keith G: I enjoyed the small town connection - in Pagosa Springs, in Jemez, everyone knows everyone. They don't care how you are dressed, I can leave my key with a neighbor and they will walk my dog while I'm gone. A
Mike B: The loving, captivating, unisonous voice of Kent Haruf immerses the reader into a year in the Life of the small drama of small town America. Would Ike and Bobby grow up to be like the McPherons? That would not be all bad. The first fourth of the book was dark, despair, depression. Haruf pulled the characters and the reader slowly along, until he brought us all together at the end. A
Kenny G: There wasn't a lot of plot. It was a pleasant and heartwarming tale of how people live their lives. I will remember this book and I strongly recommend it. A
Charlie: This may well be one of the top 20 books we have read. I couldn't find anything wrong with this book. A
Bob S: A wonderful book. If it lacked anything, it was the arc of a classic. People were having trouble in their lives but he brought them together nicely. A-
Rob E: I felt it was a superficial look at rural America. I got side-tracked by the bachelor brothers and couldn't get Garrison Keillor out of my mind. I remember in my senior year of high school, one of the popular girls got pregnant by a guy who was a thug, our version of Russell Beckman. I didn't get into it or find it as moving as I heard tonight. A-
Tom G: Solid A. Best - what do we mean by that? Enjoyable and had an impact on me, the best we've read since Shane. I had a hard time putting it down, and then a hard time picking it up again as I worried that something bad was going to happen. Just inside the front cover, six of the blurbs on the two pages of Aclaim for Kent Haruf's Plainsong use the word "spare."
... and from well outside of Holt:
Dear Tom,
I am sorry I won't be at the LTBC meeting you are hosting. I'll be in the sky somewhere between ABQ and BWI on my way to Cork, Ireland. It should be a great discussion. Thank you for choosing the book. I loved it. My comments follow:
Kent Haruf's Plainsong is one of the best books I have read. I could not put it down. Coming from a small town I could easily relate to Holt and to the characters who populate it. Haruf's prose is simple and straightforward. The plain language he uses and the barren landscapes he paints create an atmosphere that helps drive the plot, which is an excellent example of how form affects content. In spite of the difficult circumstances some of the characters find themselves in, I believe the story resonates with hope. The generosity and love of the McPheron brothers, for example, far outweigh the cruelty bestowed upon Victoria Roubideaux. I highly recommend the book. A
Regards,
Jack
Brothers of the Book-- Sorry to say due to unforeseen scheduling conflict I'll miss the meeting.
I enjoyed the book. Liked the style and story line. Good pick, Tom. A -- Ron
Thursday, March 29, 2018
"In Memoriam R.W.A."
Sleep Well, Sir Richard
by Keith Gilbert, LTBC Poet Laureate
A man of Letters, Sir Richard Arms
Also Market Technician with Wizardly Charms
Dick penned five books, and loved to fish
His opus "Tackle Box" fulfilled that wish.
Like "Old Ike," a monster trout
With whom Dick's bud Jim, had a lifetime bout
Yea, many times Jim had hooked his prey,
Only to have "Old Ike" get away.
Then one bright morn Dick snags this beast,
And his first thought: "Man, what a feast!"
But as Dick reels "Ike" to the shore
He casts a reflexion on his good friend's lore -
And then Dick, acting on wisdom and whim
Does a "catch and release" in honor of Jim.
To our Book Club Dick sprinkled wisdom and insight
And his droll sense of humor added radiant light.
In summary, Dick's impact no one can replace,
He blended charm and wit with a golden grace!
So goodbye, Brother Dick, you've brought us much pleasure
And sleep well, Richard, our consummate treasure.
by Keith Gilbert, LTBC Poet Laureate
A man of Letters, Sir Richard Arms
Also Market Technician with Wizardly Charms
Dick penned five books, and loved to fish
His opus "Tackle Box" fulfilled that wish.
Like "Old Ike," a monster trout
With whom Dick's bud Jim, had a lifetime bout
Yea, many times Jim had hooked his prey,
Only to have "Old Ike" get away.
Then one bright morn Dick snags this beast,
And his first thought: "Man, what a feast!"
But as Dick reels "Ike" to the shore
He casts a reflexion on his good friend's lore -
And then Dick, acting on wisdom and whim
Does a "catch and release" in honor of Jim.
To our Book Club Dick sprinkled wisdom and insight
And his droll sense of humor added radiant light.
In summary, Dick's impact no one can replace,
He blended charm and wit with a golden grace!
So goodbye, Brother Dick, you've brought us much pleasure
And sleep well, Richard, our consummate treasure.
The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson
Ten American aggressors met at high noon on the last Thursday in March at the Placitas Café
to enjoy some bison burgers, as Commander John was out of yak. Additionally, neither
millet soup nor kimchi were on the menu, even though it is well known that a desire for meat was the prime motivation
behind Shin Dong Hyuk's escape from Camp 14. The Pubyok thus needed little incentive to obtain the following confessions:
Dick J: I was all the way into the trip to Texas before I realized I had read this book before. I felt there was a great deal of it that was unrealistic. I was concerned about the ending and the dialogue throughout, but it did provide a great deal of information about the North Korean society. I felt it was not deserving of a Pulitzer Prize, unlike All The Light We Cannot See. B
Ron B: I have read 3/4 of the book; I liked the first Part. The 2nd half became surreal, very dark. I will not submit a grade.
Mike B: Literature, as an art, should invoke some feeling in the reader. I appreciate literature that is both informative and educational, and this book captured that intersection well. Harold Bloom tells us that it took him three attempts to get through Blood Meridian, because it is so dark, so tortuous for the reader - but he considers that book one of the masterpieces of English literature. Reading the interview of Johnson with his editor (at the end of the paperback edition) exemplified and validated for me that interaction. I was amazed to see so many incidents in the book were actually captured from experience, right down to the removal of the tattoo, which for me was most horrific. A
Kenny G: I read the book quickly over the past three days, mostly late at night. I found it a bit too long, tedious, hard to follow, time-challenged plot. I looked it up, found much of it true, but I was hoping for more from a Pulitzer Prize winner. B
Charlie P: What was good for me was learning about North Korea. I did not like that it was so long - it could have been half the length. The plot was too complex, too convoluted. B
Bob S: Many thoughts come to mind - the book was not cheery. I almost put the book down, especially at the point where they performed the lobotomies by going through the eye socket with a poker. I enjoy literature of the human condition, but this was grotesque and horrific. Living in fear does not convey the culture. I have lived in Sweden and Denmark; Denmark is among the highest culture, because of the homogeneous population in which the government takes care of education, everything, and everyone is left alone. Young people don't agree with this culture, yet they are pushed in as part of the homogeneous culture. I can dig that. What is the objective of the North Korean life that inflicts upon the people pain and suffering, with no choices. My grade is a C; I would not recommend this book and I won't have us read Lincoln in the Bardo which is about dead people talking.
Rob E: In parallel with TOMS, I was re-reading Bluefeather Fellini in the Sacred Realm. Both these books are unpleasant. In this ending, Ga grabs the leading edge of the wing of the departing airplane, then drops off over the American aircraft carrier, very Freudian. Dennis Rodman was not recognized by the author: B
Bob W: I got the impression that something profound went under me. I was not impressed. The vernacular sounded too American. The afterword was genuinely surreal. The true beauty escapes me. C
Keith G: I attack the book as a real lack of critical thinking. The author took a 5-day trip to North Korea. I took a three week trip to Communist China in the 70s. We saw gifted children playing the violin; it was all totally contrived. Also the author interviewed defectors. What would any statistician tell you? The data would be complete skewed in a negative direction, as defectors are people who hate the country. The book is not about North Korea; it is popular because Americans are dumb - but the book is well written. Writing: B, Book: D; overall: C-
Jack F: I agree with Mike: A matter of taste. I like to read things that are not necessarily beautiful - maybe it is the Kafka in me. I believe Adam Johnson provides insight into a culture where the people need to provide protective language, even with their parents. The book provides insight into the strength of the human condition to survive which should speak to us all. It is Denmark on its head. It's not a beautiful depiction of life. Brutality exists in this world and Johnson puts it in front of us so it is difficult to ignore; however, even under the worst of circumstances, one can still see acts of compassion. A
Dick J: I was all the way into the trip to Texas before I realized I had read this book before. I felt there was a great deal of it that was unrealistic. I was concerned about the ending and the dialogue throughout, but it did provide a great deal of information about the North Korean society. I felt it was not deserving of a Pulitzer Prize, unlike All The Light We Cannot See. B
Ron B: I have read 3/4 of the book; I liked the first Part. The 2nd half became surreal, very dark. I will not submit a grade.
Mike B: Literature, as an art, should invoke some feeling in the reader. I appreciate literature that is both informative and educational, and this book captured that intersection well. Harold Bloom tells us that it took him three attempts to get through Blood Meridian, because it is so dark, so tortuous for the reader - but he considers that book one of the masterpieces of English literature. Reading the interview of Johnson with his editor (at the end of the paperback edition) exemplified and validated for me that interaction. I was amazed to see so many incidents in the book were actually captured from experience, right down to the removal of the tattoo, which for me was most horrific. A
Kenny G: I read the book quickly over the past three days, mostly late at night. I found it a bit too long, tedious, hard to follow, time-challenged plot. I looked it up, found much of it true, but I was hoping for more from a Pulitzer Prize winner. B
Charlie P: What was good for me was learning about North Korea. I did not like that it was so long - it could have been half the length. The plot was too complex, too convoluted. B
Bob S: Many thoughts come to mind - the book was not cheery. I almost put the book down, especially at the point where they performed the lobotomies by going through the eye socket with a poker. I enjoy literature of the human condition, but this was grotesque and horrific. Living in fear does not convey the culture. I have lived in Sweden and Denmark; Denmark is among the highest culture, because of the homogeneous population in which the government takes care of education, everything, and everyone is left alone. Young people don't agree with this culture, yet they are pushed in as part of the homogeneous culture. I can dig that. What is the objective of the North Korean life that inflicts upon the people pain and suffering, with no choices. My grade is a C; I would not recommend this book and I won't have us read Lincoln in the Bardo which is about dead people talking.
Rob E: In parallel with TOMS, I was re-reading Bluefeather Fellini in the Sacred Realm. Both these books are unpleasant. In this ending, Ga grabs the leading edge of the wing of the departing airplane, then drops off over the American aircraft carrier, very Freudian. Dennis Rodman was not recognized by the author: B
Bob W: I got the impression that something profound went under me. I was not impressed. The vernacular sounded too American. The afterword was genuinely surreal. The true beauty escapes me. C
Keith G: I attack the book as a real lack of critical thinking. The author took a 5-day trip to North Korea. I took a three week trip to Communist China in the 70s. We saw gifted children playing the violin; it was all totally contrived. Also the author interviewed defectors. What would any statistician tell you? The data would be complete skewed in a negative direction, as defectors are people who hate the country. The book is not about North Korea; it is popular because Americans are dumb - but the book is well written. Writing: B, Book: D; overall: C-
Jack F: I agree with Mike: A matter of taste. I like to read things that are not necessarily beautiful - maybe it is the Kafka in me. I believe Adam Johnson provides insight into a culture where the people need to provide protective language, even with their parents. The book provides insight into the strength of the human condition to survive which should speak to us all. It is Denmark on its head. It's not a beautiful depiction of life. Brutality exists in this world and Johnson puts it in front of us so it is difficult to ignore; however, even under the worst of circumstances, one can still see acts of compassion. A
Friday, February 23, 2018
Deadly Cure by Lawrence Goldstone
Eleven denizens of Old Brooklyn gathered down at the Precinct to interrogate Sgt McCloskey and pop a few aspirins - who knew?
Dick Jensen: I actually enjoyed reading it although it was not great literature. I learned quite a bit about the history of medicine in this country. I thought the ending was totally unbelievable. B-
Tom G: I liked the dialogue; I've read most of the Jane Austen books, and she uses the formal dialogue of the time. Despite all the negative things that have been said about the book, i enjoyed reading ti. B
Jack F: Like the others, I appreciated the enlightened look at the Pharmacological industry. But there were too many typos; too many characters (46); too predictable and too contrived. C+
Keith: Too many terrible toos: too many characters, too many innocent children, and no one brought to justice. C-
Kenny G: I enjoyed this history more than my history class in the 8th grade. This was a page-turner. There were too many characters, and I didn't enjoy the ending. A worthwhile read for the history of the pharmaceutical companies. B
Bob Woods: I was underwhelmed. No driving plot mechanism; the dialogue was awkward. B
Ron B: At first, the dialogue bothered me, then I thought: "Ah! An historical piece!" I didn't know the history of Aspirin, Heroin, and the context of the times. Recommended not as great history. Overall, an interesting read. B+
Charlie: How to judge 'fun' fiction with fiction by Phillip Roth, Ian McEwan? So what is the criteria for 'fun' fiction - that you would give it to your wife? Yes, this passed that test, and it provides an escape for a couple of hours, so: B+
Rob E: "His hands were muscular; his fingernails were like Theodore Roosevelt's." - Say, what? And the ending: a real bodice ripper - but a grown man's novel. I struggled through it: B-
Bob Simon: I would go with Charlie and Tom: I found the book to be a page-turner and enjoyable: we had a cast of muckrakers, communists, anarchists. Plus interesting history, enjoyable dialogue, in fact, lots of wonderful dialogue. B+
For Classic novels of the time, we had two great writers: Charles Dickens and Mark Twain who were both social novelists. Then there were real muckrakers: Sinclair Lewis, exposing the ills of society. Interesting and well written. I read it quickly, in 3 to 4 days, not my usual 2 weeks.
Mike B: I imagined the author trying to work this 1899 time period in Brooklyn, his hometown: "Martha, look at these great ads from 1899, I can create a good page-turner around that. Let's see, all this patent medicine was still available when aspirin and heroin were being touted together. Oh, Dewey was in town? Oh, yes, a boat race to intercept Dewey's celebratory flotilla! Perfect! I can add an anarchist to blow up the sexy girlfriend just as our hero reaches her office! Yes! Yes!" No. C
for further study:
Adm. George Dewey, USNA '58, the one and only Admiral of the US Navy
The Mock Battle of Manilla
And then, just two days after Spain conceded the Philippines to the US, you'd never guess what started: The Philippine-American War, 1899-1902
which included The Balangiga Massacre
With US support, the Philipines became a Commonwealth in 1935 and achieved full independence following WWII: July 4, 1946.
(historical contributions by Prof Bousek and Solicitor Simon)
Dick Jensen: I actually enjoyed reading it although it was not great literature. I learned quite a bit about the history of medicine in this country. I thought the ending was totally unbelievable. B-
Tom G: I liked the dialogue; I've read most of the Jane Austen books, and she uses the formal dialogue of the time. Despite all the negative things that have been said about the book, i enjoyed reading ti. B
Jack F: Like the others, I appreciated the enlightened look at the Pharmacological industry. But there were too many typos; too many characters (46); too predictable and too contrived. C+
Keith: Too many terrible toos: too many characters, too many innocent children, and no one brought to justice. C-
Kenny G: I enjoyed this history more than my history class in the 8th grade. This was a page-turner. There were too many characters, and I didn't enjoy the ending. A worthwhile read for the history of the pharmaceutical companies. B
Bob Woods: I was underwhelmed. No driving plot mechanism; the dialogue was awkward. B
Ron B: At first, the dialogue bothered me, then I thought: "Ah! An historical piece!" I didn't know the history of Aspirin, Heroin, and the context of the times. Recommended not as great history. Overall, an interesting read. B+
Charlie: How to judge 'fun' fiction with fiction by Phillip Roth, Ian McEwan? So what is the criteria for 'fun' fiction - that you would give it to your wife? Yes, this passed that test, and it provides an escape for a couple of hours, so: B+
Rob E: "His hands were muscular; his fingernails were like Theodore Roosevelt's." - Say, what? And the ending: a real bodice ripper - but a grown man's novel. I struggled through it: B-
Bob Simon: I would go with Charlie and Tom: I found the book to be a page-turner and enjoyable: we had a cast of muckrakers, communists, anarchists. Plus interesting history, enjoyable dialogue, in fact, lots of wonderful dialogue. B+
For Classic novels of the time, we had two great writers: Charles Dickens and Mark Twain who were both social novelists. Then there were real muckrakers: Sinclair Lewis, exposing the ills of society. Interesting and well written. I read it quickly, in 3 to 4 days, not my usual 2 weeks.Mike B: I imagined the author trying to work this 1899 time period in Brooklyn, his hometown: "Martha, look at these great ads from 1899, I can create a good page-turner around that. Let's see, all this patent medicine was still available when aspirin and heroin were being touted together. Oh, Dewey was in town? Oh, yes, a boat race to intercept Dewey's celebratory flotilla! Perfect! I can add an anarchist to blow up the sexy girlfriend just as our hero reaches her office! Yes! Yes!" No. C
for further study:
Adm. George Dewey, USNA '58, the one and only Admiral of the US Navy
The Mock Battle of Manilla
And then, just two days after Spain conceded the Philippines to the US, you'd never guess what started: The Philippine-American War, 1899-1902
which included The Balangiga Massacre
With US support, the Philipines became a Commonwealth in 1935 and achieved full independence following WWII: July 4, 1946.
(historical contributions by Prof Bousek and Solicitor Simon)
Thursday, January 25, 2018
A MAN CALLED OVE by Fredrik Backman
Ove looked at his calendar. It was the last Thursday. Any fool could see that. The meetings always occurred on the last Thursday of the month at 7 pm. Mountain Time. That's the way it had always been for 25 bloody years and that's the way it should be. Even a January had a last Thursday. Even the suits knew that, damn it. Ove looked over his crowded bookshelves. He chose a book to take to the meeting for the yearly book exchange. Some of those suits will probably try to pass off a book about benders. The exchange was supposed to be in December, damn it, and here it was January. What is wrong with these people? Rune and Genoni will not be at the meeting. Neither will Sonja but she was never allowed to attend the meeting. And no Cat Annoyance. And now they want pictures. Of when Ove was a cute little boy. He was never a cute little boy; they'll be lucky to get any pictures. Certainly not in color. And no one drove a SAAB so why listen to their comments?
Ron B: I give the book a solid A; the author's/narrator's similes were inventive. The book had a good storyline. I would recommend the book to anyone, and I think almost anyone would enjoy it at some level.
Keith G: The book was written in medias res - from the inside out. However, after reading it a bit I decided I shouldn't worry about timelines. I thought 5 to 6 suicide attempts were too much. Ove was an excellent curmudgeon and should be an honorary member of the Book Club. He personifies a piece of each of us, and he died a compassionate man. I feel I knew him. Solid A
Charlie: I thought the characters were one-dimensional, cardboard figures. Also, Ove's neighbors kept coming over, and I would think that they hated him. I give it a B+
Mike: The story of a curmudgeon being won over by a child's love is not a new concept - recall the NBC broadcast of Heidi and her isolated grandfather. But Backman has accomplished several unique approaches in his story. One is the narrator - is it Sonja? is it Ove's alter ego? Is it Parnaveh? the narration is clever, incorporating much of the humor of the book through the outlandish metaphors and the 'thinking of the Cat Annoyance.' Ove may be overdrawn, almost autistic, and his friends and neighbors are certainly over Pollyanna-ish - but it works. A-
Ken: I recall taking my eldest daughter out for driving lessons, much like Parnaveh. She had taken the McGinnis Training but they had neglected left turns - probably because they are more accident prone.
Overall, I felt the book was worthwhile but a bit depressing - how many times can a suicide attempt be thwarted? A
Bob W: Pretend I'm not here, as I read the wrong book: All Quiet on the Western Front.
Jack: I loved this book. Provided insight to me on me. I found this guy reflected universal views. Excellent job with the narrator. I thought the book invoked leitmotiv with the hands in the pockets. I liked the language, easy to follow. The development of Ove brought me to tears by the end of the book. A
Dick Arms: I found the book delightful - one of the best we've read. I liked the fact that each chapter revealed more and more. Each chapter ended with something about the guy. Good literature is about change - how the characters change during the telling of the story. Throughout the whole book, I found myself saying, "Gosh. I wish I had the ability to write like this." Solid A
Rob E: I liked it a lot -but some of it made me uncomfortable, such as the wife dies and the suicide attempts. Parts were excellent. A-
Bob S: Grade: A Three or four things impressed me: the sequential disclosure of facts about Ove and Sonja; the 300 people who showed up at her funeral. The curmudgeon part was just a foil for three other plots: his relationship with Sonja; his growth as a character. Like a Thomas Hardy plot where everything jells at the end. Plus the narrator was excellent. This book ranks up there with the other great books that Prof Jensen has chosen: Cry the Beloved Country and How Green Was My Valley.
Dick J: I liked Jack's comment about emotion. The movie I got me all choked up when he died at the end and hundreds showed up. Most towns have a curmudgeon where everyone says, "Hey, that's the way he is. Leave him alone." A
Ken: I recall taking my eldest daughter out for driving lessons, much like Parnaveh. She had taken the McGinnis Training but they had neglected left turns - probably because they are more accident prone.
Overall, I felt the book was worthwhile but a bit depressing - how many times can a suicide attempt be thwarted? A
Bob W: Pretend I'm not here, as I read the wrong book: All Quiet on the Western Front.
Jack: I loved this book. Provided insight to me on me. I found this guy reflected universal views. Excellent job with the narrator. I thought the book invoked leitmotiv with the hands in the pockets. I liked the language, easy to follow. The development of Ove brought me to tears by the end of the book. A
Dick Arms: I found the book delightful - one of the best we've read. I liked the fact that each chapter revealed more and more. Each chapter ended with something about the guy. Good literature is about change - how the characters change during the telling of the story. Throughout the whole book, I found myself saying, "Gosh. I wish I had the ability to write like this." Solid A
Rob E: I liked it a lot -but some of it made me uncomfortable, such as the wife dies and the suicide attempts. Parts were excellent. A-
Bob S: Grade: A Three or four things impressed me: the sequential disclosure of facts about Ove and Sonja; the 300 people who showed up at her funeral. The curmudgeon part was just a foil for three other plots: his relationship with Sonja; his growth as a character. Like a Thomas Hardy plot where everything jells at the end. Plus the narrator was excellent. This book ranks up there with the other great books that Prof Jensen has chosen: Cry the Beloved Country and How Green Was My Valley.
Dick J: I liked Jack's comment about emotion. The movie I got me all choked up when he died at the end and hundreds showed up. Most towns have a curmudgeon where everyone says, "Hey, that's the way he is. Leave him alone." A
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