Book List

This is a resume of nearly everything I have read since April, 2005. These are not reviews, but very brief synopses with some of my responses. They are not profound, but someone might enjoy flipping through them.

4/11/05

Big Bang: The Origins of the Universe, by Simon Singh.

Excellent. Very clearly written history of the development of cosmology from early myths and Greek astronomers through the final acceptance of the Big Bang explanation for the origins of the universe. Along the way, the best explanations yet of relativity and special relativity, the red shift, other esoterica.

Hope and Honor.

Maj. Gen. Sid Shacknow, Maj. Gen. USA Ret. (and Jann Robbins).

Interesting autobiography of Schaja Shaknowski of Vilnius, Lithuania, who spent 3 years in Kovno concentration camp w/family, escaped, was DP, moved to Salem Mass. w/family, was a scamp, joined army as pvt, joined Special Forces, was Vietnam War hero, rose to become commander of Special Forces, commanded Berlin unit at fall of Berlin Wall. Early parts very involving, later parts not as well written, somewhat disingenuous and not completely candid about experiences in Pentagon, etc.

Joseph Conrad: Sea Stories

The Nigger of the Narcissus; Youth; Typhoon.

He’s interested in deep questions. Writing is opaque, confusing. Motivations not clear. Descriptions of life at sea, seascapes exceptionally vivid and gripping.

The Fly in the Cathedral (author forgotten)

Story of how British scientists at the Cavendish Laboratories, under Rutherford, in Cambridge, win the race to split the atom. Fairly clear writing. Intriguing story with lots of very important figures, including Bethe, Gamow, Einstein, etc.

The Five Books of Moses, trans. Robert Alter

Modern, clear translation of the first books of the Bible, with detailed commentary on literary, historical and linguistic questions, no theology. I needed this.

5/1:

The Winter King/Enemy of God/Excalibur, by Bernard Cornwell. Very good trilogy about Arthur.Takes place around 500 AD. Rome is a fairly strong memory, but the Romans are gone. The Britons are being driven west by invading Saxons, and now have a few kingdoms in the west and south. Uther, king of Cornovia (?), dying---bastard son Arthur in France fighting the Franks; son Mordred killed in battle; grandson Mordred born just as mother is murdered by usurper; Merlin a Druid, Nimue also, friend to Derfel, a Saxon raised as a Briton. Goes on through fighting among Britons, Saxons, intrigue, etc, all touching on the elements of the Arthur legend---Grail is a magic Cauldron, Round Table is just a table used by Arthur to unite the fractious kings, Lancelot is a boastful coward, Arthur elopes w/Guinevere, a priestess of Isis who betrays him w/Lancelot, etc.

The Blooding of the Guns/Sixty Minutes for St. George: first two of novels about Nicholas Everard, officer in Royal Navy, from Jutland forward. Interesting detail of life at sea in small ships, good accounts of the battles, skimpy characters and life onshore.

The Jewish Century, by Yuri Slezkine. Very provocative analysis of Western history from 1800s onward. Argues that the Modern Age is actually a period when the West becomes Jewish. Jews are “Mercurians,” modeled on Hermes, like Gypsies, Parsis, other “outsiders,” who rely on cleverness/trickery, mobility/wandering, intelligence/cunning, adaptability, as opposed to “Apollonians,” modeled on Apollo, “heart, soul, earth, violence, nobility.” As society became mobile, alienated, merit-based, etc., Jews rose to prominence, others forced to adapt. Lots of stats about Jews in Germany, Poland, especially in Russia---huge proportions of Jews among Tsar’s advisers, merchants, bankers, etc. Also explains why Jews became Marxists or Freudians: a way to join a larger community not dependent on geographic nations, a place where all are seen as equals, as brothers. Uses images of Tevye’s daughters: Beilke, who went to America; Chava, who went to Palestine; Hodl, who stayed and became a revolutionary. Ultimately, the revolutionaries discovered they had made a mistake, and it turns out that Beilke made the right choice.

5/17:

Ragtime, E. L. Doctorow. Fast read, 3 plots: WASP Father Mother Brother, boy---well to do, patriotic, explorers. Tateh, Mameh, (girl): Jewish immigrants, mother dies, father abject poverty, works in Lawrence mill, strikes, dev. Career as animator, becomes film mogul as Baron Ashkenazy; Coalhouse Walker Jr., Sarah. Proud self-made Negro musician, Sarah murdered, Coalhouse car vandalized. He sets out for revenge; 3 intertwine. Finally coalhouse killed, father moves away and dies, mother marries Baron. Full of historic figures: Houdini, Evelyn Nesbit, Emma Goldman, Henry Ford, JP Morgan. Fun, dangerous, but feels far too easy, goes down too well. Essentially didactic, with some individual characters. Only Coalhouse, among fictional characters, has full name.

The Adventures of Augie March, Saul Bellow. Very rich, chaotic. Life of Chicago boys, Augie and Simon; Simon ambitious, determined to make it, very controlled; Augie smart, attractive, drifts, does what others want. Is thief, messenger, salesman, goes to Mexico with lover to train eagle to hunt lizards. no individual motivation. Eventually marries one woman, successful actress, himself becomes middleman for wealthy crooked businessman. Huge, sprawling, dense. Sentences full of sententiousness, gradually weight of work develops; characters are impressive, memorable. I find it disturbing because I am not like them. I am so bourgeois, so risk averse, so conservative. One of the books that I dislike/like because it seems an attack on my own life.

Children of the Mind, Orson Scott Card. Final of the Ender quartet. 3 species, humans, pequeninos, hive queens; trying to save Lusitania from destruction, after curing descolada virus. Trying to save Jane the computer. Finally they all work out, Ender dies but moves on to brother Peter’s body. Very wordy, tries to be philosophical, talk talk talk talk, boring. Ender’s Game, the first, the best.

5/23

“Storm Force to Narvik,” Alexander Fullerton. (1979). Marked as Book 1, Nicholas Everard WWII saga. Nicholas returned to Navy as destroyer commander; uncle Hugh, retired admiral, trying to get a commission as a convoy leader, at age 69. Their mutual love, Sarah, now a dried up, angry person. She had a fling w/Nicholas, gave birth to a son, Jack, now conceited snob. Nick also has another son, raised in America, Paul, from a brief marriage to a Russian refugee. Events deal with a couple of weeks at the beginning of the Norway campaign. Nick’s ship is damaged, hides in a Norwegian fjord, contrives to destroy 3 destroyers and a sub, capture an oiler for use in second attack on Narvik. Lots of action, greatly detailed, exciting though nowhere as good as PoB. Best for learning about area of WWII I know little about.

“Under the Banner of Heaven,” Jon Krakauer (2003). History of Mormons, emphasis on bloody violence from the very beginning. Focus is murder of Brenda and Erica Lafferty, slaughtered by two of her brothers in law for being independent, resisting polygamy, refusing to accept unquestioning obedience to them as followers of the word of God. Goes back thru history of Mormons, from Joseph Smith thru Brigham Young, Mountain Meadow massacre of wagon train. Contrasts two elements of Mormonism: integrity, hard work, friendliness, prosperity, with underlying belief in Mormon prophecy, tendency for splinter groups led by men who consider themselves prophets, child and spousal abuse, pedophilia. Religion is fastest growing in world, Krakauer quotes others saying it may become a dominant political force by 2080. Very disturbing.

6/16:

“On Basilisk Station”; “Echoes of Honor”: David Weber. First and another of the science fiction series about space sailor Honor Harrington, supposedly modeled after H. Hornblower. “On BS” is fun, introduction to her character as a young commander, learning her way around crew, fighting opposing forces within her own side as well as the enemy without. Lots of detail about specific space weapons, faster than light travel, history of humans in space, etc. “Echoes” is less satisfying, more like a Tom Clancy with tons of hardware, military jargon, full of politics, uninteresting characters, etc.

“Friday Night Lights,” H G Bissinger. A season with the Permian High School (Odessa, Tex) football team. Intimate picture of life in a gritty, down on its luck, hardscrabble Texas oil town which lives and dies with its football team. Stories of the players, the coach, racial politics, general politics, even some intimations of the rise of the evangelical right in US politics. Intense, well written, superbly reported.

“Whose Bible Is It?” Jaroslav Pelikan. History of the Bible, from earliest versions of the Tanakh, how they interpreted it; then the Pentateuch, the Septuagint, the Vulgate; synopses of the different books, of the Gospels; how Jews and early Christians read it; how the texts evolved; the mistranslations; the return first to Greek then to Hebrew sources; the Reformation, Catholic Reformation forced by reading the text closely; historical criticism; spread of Bible around world. Development of Fundamentalism, inerrancy, etc. Very clearly written, concise, covers huge amount of territory. (even cites PoB in preface).

6/25: "Trawler," by Redmond O'Hanlon. O'Hanlon, a naturalist who has written about treks in the Amazon, the Congo, in Borneo, etc., spends a few days aboard a Scots trawler off the Orkneys in January during storms ranging from Force 9 to Force 12 (hurricane). It's a lunatic adventure---the crew gets literally no sleep for about 10 days. They essentially go nuts, and so does O'Hanlon, who at 52 or so is 20 years older than anyone else on board. And they catch a lot of fish. The writing is a cross between precisely scientific and Ken Kesey. It's all about the unbelievable hardships of life aboard such a trawler, also touching on the lifeboatmen, evolution, creatures below 800 fathoms, how to find the perfect wife, alpha males, extreme seasickness, the writing of doctorates, Congolese aphrodisiacs, etc. British boarders will probably enjoy all the Brit-Scot-Hebridean-Irish etc byplay. I was happy just to read about places with such names as Unst, Yell, Muckle Roe, Thorsno and Cape Wrath. Norlantean, the ship, sails from Scrabster.

6/30: “1940: The Avalanche” by Richard Collier. Good, crisp, week by week account of the state of the war in 1940, including time of phony war, Nazi invasions, Norway campaign, fall of France, Dunkirk, Battle of Britain, development of Lend Lease, FDR’s plight and re-election. Quick, workmanlike.

7/6: “Who We Are: On Being (and not being) a Jewish American Writer,” edited by Derek Rubin.

Extremely provocative. Essays from lions such as Bellow, Roth, Doctorow and Paley through Spiegelman, Jong, young people I’ve never heard of such as Tova Mirvis and Dara Horn. Speaking generally, the older generation emphasizes the universality of literature, Americanism, being part of the mainstream of American civilization. The younger they are, the more they focus on Jewishness, religion, observance, conflicts between Torah beliefs and observance, and one’s own feelings, etc. General thought: they’re all over the place; each one an individual. Will buy this book, read it again.

“Neuromancer,” by William Gibson. A science fiction classic, from 1984. Noir in cyberspace, from the days when no one knew what that was. Protagonist is a “cowboy” who sneaks into secure systems to steal names, passwords, etc. Involves multiple plot levels, attempt by an artificial intelligence to become more than that. Takes place in cyberspace, in real space, full of jargon, very successful evocation of an almost alien human society. Way ahead of its time. Even uses the term “Microsoft,” lower case, to describe some form of software.

7/12:

“Becoming Justice Blackmun”, by Linda Greenhouse. Biography of Harry Blackmun based on the extensive archives and papers he donated to Libe. Of Congress after he died. He began as a small town boy in Minnesota, father unsuccessful, boyhood friend of Warren Burger. Works his way thru Harvard and H. Law, becomes successful lawyer, appointed to bench, goes to Supreme Court in his ‘60s. Roe v. Wade very early in his career, unexpected case. It becomes one of the things that will make him immortal (the other being his ultimate position against the death penalty because it can never be applied fairly). Starting out basically an American conservative, he winds up the most liberal justice on the court; develops great interest in women’s issues, female emancipation, beloved of feminists, hated by anti-abortionists. Always courteous, gentle, candid.

7/18: “Company C: An American’s Life as a citizen-soldier in Israel” by Haim Watzman. Watzman is an American of the late 60s early 70s, raised liberal, bar mitzvahed, who finds himself moving to Israel to try to understand the Israel-Palestine situation, and work as a freelance journalist. He joins the army, serves in the infantry, then continues as an infantry soldier and nco in a combat reserve company for 20 years or so. His reflections on what the service was like, how it changed, how it felt during the first and second intifadas, his relations w/other troops, affect on his life. He is a religious leftist---observant, but convinced that Israel must separate from Palestine, that settlements are not a good idea. Spends time trying to understand how to behave morally as a soldier and an occupier. Eventually his faith in the possibility of ultimate peace is shaken. He sees some Israelis become more radical---one of his comrades approves of Rabin’s assassination---“that was no Jew!” Extremely thoughtful, serious, but very detailed (perhaps a bit too much about the squabbling over assignments and KP, etc., in the company).

7/21: “Shiloh”, by Shelby Foote. Novel by the late Civil War historian. Published 1952. The story of the battle in the eyes of half a dozen participants, 3 from each side; so one gets a view of the fighting from the very limited perspective of individual combatants. The names of famous places are barely noticed, Peach Orchard, Sunken Road, Hornet’s Nest. Mid-level officers, artilleryman, infantry squad, cavalry man, etc. Not as intense as Stephen Crane. Solid, not transcendent.

“A Brilliant Solution: Inventing the American Constitution,” by Carol Berkin. A professor of history at CUNY. Concise (300 pages), clear, direct description of what happened leading up to, during and after the months in Philadelphia when the Constitution was written. Takes advantage of all the most recent scholarship; quick portraits of many individuals, clearly lays out roles of Madison, Hamilton, Franklin, Morris, Pinkney. Makes clear how difficult it was, all the negotiation, how many things changed from what was originally anticipated. Her main point is to show that the role of the president was considered almost incidental; the focus was all on Congress. They almost felt there was no need for a single executive. Touches briefly on how important Washington was in setting precedents as the first President. Appendices include texts of Articles of Confederation and Constitution. The difference is immediately apparent, just from reading the preambles. The first is diffuse, a list, vague. The second is concise, direct, precise, punchy----a good, solid lead. Excellent book.

7/26: “Rebel,” by Bernard Cornwell. First in a series about the Civil War. Protagonist is a Bostonian student, Nathaniel Starbuck, who finds himself in Virginia when war is declared, and ultimately becomes a soldier for the Confederacy. Cornwell puts everything into it: Starbuck’s brother James, stolid and not too smart, for the Union; Washington Faulconer, wealthy and vainglorious, raises a regiment but it’s his brother in law, Major Bird, who is the true soldier; Truslow, deadly backwoodsman and Starbuck’s trusted Sergeant. Excellent account of the first battle of Bull Run.

7/28: “Copperhead,” by B. Cornwell; No. 2 in the Starbuck series. Continues the adventures; he’s suspected of spying; tortured, rescued, sent north for counterespionage; Adam revealed as spy; complications w/Faulconer, etc. all during the runup to the Peninsula Campaign; shows McLennan vain and cowardly, Pinkerton vain and foolish; ends w/death of Johnston, ascent of Lee; Plot turns not very interesting; occasional interesting reflections by characters; good accounts of battles, strategy, tactics.

8/10: “Lost in a Good Book”, by Jasper Fforde. No. 2 in the Thursday Next series, wherein she meets Miss Havisham, husband Landen is eradicated, she first encounters the Library and Jurisfiction, she has encounters with operatives for Goliath, is forced to enter “The Raven” to rescue Jack Schitt and is betrayed, and eventually moves to the old flying boat where she lives for “The Well of Lost Plots.” I still like “The Well” better, perhaps because it was the first I read.

“Patton and Rommel: Men of War in the Twentieth Century,” by Dennis Showalter. A parallel biography, following the two soldiers throughout their careers. Patton, Showalter argues, set out to make himself a hero, larger than life, was a brilliant leader at the corps and army levels, was excellent at training and teaching troops, understood armor tactics better than anyone on the British and American sides. Rommel was brilliant at doing the best with what he had, was a superb tactician and combat leader, was completely at home within the German military system, never sought to make himself out to be great. Patton is more respected by German scholars, and Rommel by Americans. Both died at the right time for them.

11/5:

“Thirteen and a Day,” by Mark Oppenheimer. He goes across country visiting Jewish communities to see what their bar mitzvah ceremonies are like. Remarks that no matter how alienated from Judaism people are, they always want to make a big bar mitzvah. A reform Congregation in Westchester, a progressive one in Connecticut, Florida, a Lubavitcher congregation in Alaska, a tutor in Florida, a barely Jewish one in Arkansas. Where congregations are flourishing, where they barely exist, etc. Whatever it is, it’s become an important element of American Judaism. Not terribly deep, but interesting.

“John Brown, Abolitionist, The Man Who Killed Slavery, Sparked the Civil War, and Seeded Civil Rights, ” by David S. Reynolds. A huge, fascinating biography of Brown, meant to rescue him from irrelevance as a half-mad fanatic. Describes him as a deeply religious, Calvinist, Puritan, with great integrity, who was a complete failure in whatever business he tried, but raised a huge, devoted family, was respected for his integrity. He was non-racist, accepted blacks in friends, colleagues, neighbors, partners. Grew to abominate slavery, but was never a non-violent abolitionist. Always believed in fighting back. Killed a number of violent pro-slavery men in Bloody Kansas (the Ossawatomie Massacre), terrified the south. Was warmly received among Northern abolitionists, especially the Transcendentalists including Emerson and Thoreau. Expected a slave rebellion and guerrilla war as a result of Harper’s Ferry. But won extraordinary fame and respect for his intelligence, integrity and demeanor while awaiting execution. Became a powerful symbol for both North and South, one rallying around him, the other excoriating him.

12/2/05

Lots of catching up. A whole series missed:

Derek Robinson:

War Story: second in his set about aerial combat during WWI. Superbly written, full of fascinating detail. This one is about an early period in the war when the machines were very primitive, didn’t yet shoot thru propellers. Introduction thru a character who turns out to be a conceited, incompetent snob derided by the rest of the squadron.

Piece of Cake: Takes place during the Battle of Britain, deals with one squadron. Novice pilot treated badly, doesn’t know why. Adventures on the ground, terrible problems in the air---little action, shoot down friendly planes, gradual loss of comrades until finally the pilot, one of the few veterans left, acts toward a novice just the way an old-timer treated him. Excellent sense of the gradually building exhaustion---at first, very little action, then finally far too much. You get a glimpse of how close the thing was.

A Good Clean Fight: Aerial and ground action during the Desert War, with reckless but brilliant long-range reconnaissance raiders and their daring exploits behind German lines, the RAF fighting the Luftwaffe, interesting characters on both sides. Generally based on historical events, including Luftwaffe’s sole long-range attack on a British supply line and the ironic end of several primary characters. Excellent.

“The Fugu Plan: the Untold Story of the Japanese and the Jews During World War II,” Marvin Tokayer and Mary Swartz.

In the years leading to WWII, some Japanese mid-level espionage and planning officers thought it might be a good idea to entice Jews to live in Manchuria, and ultimately to win them over to support to Japanese and thus to influence American Jews to influence FDR against hostility to the Japs. They believe the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. Eventually about 19,000 Jews escape from Latvia, Lithuania, given transit visas. Sugihara, a consular agent in Lithuania, issues thousands of them, giving Jews bare hope of escape. They travel thru Russia to Vladivostok, thence to Japan, where small Jewish communities shelter them, Japanese treat them well, resist German efforts to eradicate them. Eventually they are moved to Shanghai, to the larger community there. Journeyman writing, fascinating story of one small but incredible incident during the war.

“The Universal Composer: Beethoven” Edmund Morris. Part of the HarperCollins Eminent Lives short bio series.

Poetic,evocative writing. Assembles all the latest scholarship in a non-technical, eminently readable account of the composer’s life. His three periods, growing mastery, growing illness, paranoia, fame, his difficulty as a human being. Seductive, makes one want to listen to all the music again.

12/18:

“1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus,” Charles C. Mann (Knopf, 2005)

Almost as revelatory as “Guns, Germs and Steel.” Working from recent anthropological, agricultural, archeological, genetic, geologic research, Mann argues that before the arrival of Europeans, the Americas were the most heavily populated continent; that the Mexican Plateau during the Triple Alliance (Aztec) period was the most densely populated place on earth, that Peruvians were building cities at the same time as the first city in Sumer, that American agriculture was equal to if not superior to European, that their technology was excellent. He reports that the New England Indians were taller, healthier, better looking than the European Pilgrims. That the Amazon rainforest in many places is actually the remains of human settlement and cultivation. That the herds of bison and huge flocks of passenger pigeons were the result of the death of the Indians who kept them in check. The Americans were essentially wiped out by European diseases, from smallpox to viral hepatitis. The reason Europeans traveled across empty forests and plains is that most of the Indians were dead, and the remainder barely surviving remnant.

“The Last True Story I’ll Ever Tell; an accidential soldier’s account of the war in Iraq.” John Crawford. (Riverhead, 2005). Crawford was a vet, former paratrooper, in the reserves, newlywed, 2 months from college graduation when he was called up w/Fla. Nat. guard unit and sent to Iraq. His unit stayed in Iraq (Baghdad) for a full year, while the units it was assigned to all were sent home. Clear, powerful, vulgar, angry, apolitical account. Extremely good depiction of men at war, the fear, dirt, disgust, horror, death, heat, pain, dehumanization. Better than “Jarhead.”

12/20/2005

“Auschwitz: A History,” by Sybille Steinbacher (Ecco, HarperCollins, 2005). Brief, cool, dispassionate account of the history of Oswiecem/Auschwitz from its founding in the middle ages through today. Focus, of course, on the concentration/work/death camp: origins, layout, planning, development of town near it, IG Farben. No hesitation in describing what happened as murder, crimes, etc. Tracks fate of many SS and Nazi leaders and underlings who were tried. Makes quick work of the deniers, ending with this about David Irving: “Since the trial it has been permissible to speak in public of Auschwitz-denier Irving as a falsifier of history, an anti-Semite and a racist.”

12/22/05

“A Real Good War,” Sam Halpert (Anchor paperback, 1999, Southern Heritage Press 1997). Excellent autobiographical novel of Buffalo boy’s experience as B-17 navigator mid-1944-early 1945, from training through final mission. Full of detail about the important details, what it felt like physically and emotionally, full of fear, extreme drunkenness and bad behavior when not flying, dangers of closeness, transformation from naïve novice to numb veteran. Very similar in overall feeling to “Piece of Cake,” in evoking the constant fear, the growing numbness, the loss of friends and how that affects a person. Halpert was 77 when he wrote it; previous books dealt with Raymond Carver.

12/24

“Flags of Our Fathers,” James Bradley with Ron Powers (Bantam Hardcover 2000). Bradley’s account of the raising of the flag on Iwo Jima, as the story of the six GIs who did it, including his father, the only one who survived to live a decent life (as a funeral director). Well-written, thoroughly researched, detailed account of the campaign, bios of the soldiers, clears up the myths about Ira Hayes’ life and death, tells of the two photos, what happened to photog Joe Rosenthal, story of the building of the USMC memorial. Good read.

“Teacher Man,” Frank McCourt (Scribner, 2005). Essentially the third in a trilogy of McCourt’s memoir/autobiography, which began with “Angela’s Ashes,” continued with “’Tis.” Better than the second, not as good as the first. A brilliant paean to the life of a teacher, its difficulties and pleasures. His peregrinations through the NY school system, through various trade and local high schools until his arrival at Valhalla, Stuyvesant. Many amusing anecdotes. One tires of Frank’s constant whining about how insecure and incompetent he is, especially since the frontispiece is a photo of him, looking cute in a dunce cap, from the 1976 Stuyvesant yearbook naming him Teacher of the Year.

All is forgiven: p 183-187 includes a gleaming tribute to Roger Goodman, who hired him at Stuyvesant, made him a creative writing teacher, backed him, encouraged him, took him drinking and helped him blossom.

1/3/06

“Ten Hours Until Dawn: The True Story of Heroism and Tragedy Aboard the ‘Can Do.’ “ Michael J. Tougias (St. Martin’s Press, 2005). Derivative of “The Perfect Storm”, this time about an immense blizzard in 1978 that hit the waters off Gloucester and Salem, Mass. with hurricane force. A tanker runs aground, Coast Guard boats can’t get to her, Frank Quirk takes his pilot boat, “Can Do, “ out to help. Follows a detailed reconstruction of the events, terrors of the storm, hazards, vessels---even a 200-foot cutter has big trouble. Eventually “Can Do” is overwhelmed and sunk, with six aboard. Interesting tale, somewhat overdone.

“The Golden Compass,” vol 1 of “His Dark Material” trilogy. Philip Pullman (Knopf paperback, 1998). Set out as a young adult adventure. Lots of fun---and this time around organized religion is the villain. In a land not exactly like ours (electricity is called anbaric power; no planes, but dirigibles; everyone has a personal daemon, which can change shape until person reaches puberty, when the form eventually becomes fixed). Lyra, 9 or 10, is the rascally protagonist, who sets out to deliver a truth-telling device to a great lord she discovers is her father, while being pursued by powerful forces led by a great lady she discovers is her mother. At end, Lord Asrael opens a portal to another world and ascends into it---Lyra and her daemon, Pantaleon, must follow…..

“Enemy at the Gates: The Battle for Stalingrad,” William Craig (first published 1973, Penguin paperback 2000). Extraordinary account of the Wehrmacht campaign that reached Stalingrad, the terrible, desperate battle, the immense Russian counterattack, the even more desperate German defense while Hitler refuses to let them retreat, and the horrifying aftermath, when tens of thousands died and other POWS formed organized cannibal bands. Based on tons of original research in command and battlefield documents, interviews with survivors on both sides and civilians. Horror that would be unimaginable if it hadn’t happened.

Jan. 9, 2006

“A Brief History of Time, the Updated and Expanded 10^th anniversary edition.” Stephen Hawking (Bantam, 1998).

In which he explains the history of cosmology, the attempt to find the size, origins, future of existence (the universe). He uses simple language but I still find my head whirling with -1/2 spin, 0, -3/2 spin particles, the four forces, negative energy, etc. There are four forces in the universe: strong, weak, electromagnetic and gravity. General relativity says all the laws of physics are the same for everything everywhere. Special r. says all the laws of physics are the same for everything everywhere, including gravity. Uncertainty says we can’t measure a particle’s velocity and location at the same time. Quantum theory: light is emitted in specific packets called quanta. Quantum mechanics is the theory of physics in very small places. The universe probably has no boundary, no beginning and no end, is continually expanding. Black holes are places where, perhaps, time does not exist because gravity is so strong no light can escape. Etc. He says we are hoping to find a theory that will explain everything---when we do, we will be looking at the mind of God. Whew.

Jan. 17, 2006

“Shalimar the Clown.” Salman Rushdie (Random House, 2005).

This is Rushdie’s take on the conflict between the West and whatever it is we’re fighting---terrorism, Islamic fundamentalism, a completely alien world. It is full of his rich, kaleidoscopic vision and apparently vast store of knowledge. The plot twines two worlds: the Muslim/Hindu villages of Kashmir, home of Shalimar the Clown, a dreamy tightrope walker, as they descend from a sort of paradise into the nightmare of internecine war with international complications, and the life of a Holocaust survivor turned wealthy, sophisticated, powerful American diplomat and spy, Maximilian Ophuls. Max seduces Shalimar’s wife and gets her pregnant. Shalimar swears vengeance, becomes an assassin and eventually tracks Max and his wife down. Then he encounters Max and the woman’s daughter, Kashmira/India. Swirling words, immense concepts, but do they mean anything? I don’t know---they don’t mean as much as he intends.

1/28/06

“His Dark Materials”: “The Golden Compass,” “The Subtle Knife,” “The Amber Spyglass,” by Philip Pullman (Laurel Leaf paperbacks, originally mid ‘90s).
A most satisfying trilogy. Young-adult fiction/fantasy on the level of LeGuin, more extravagant, not as spare. In this case, the evil empire which must be defeated is organized religion! The heroes are on the side of the fallen angels, who were driven out first by the first angel, “the Authority,” who was not the creator but said he was, and later but a subordinate who overthrew him. The Church is the enemy. But that does not become apparent until fairly late. It’s an adventure yarn among several parallel worlds, ours, one which resembles ours, and others. Lyra, from the similar world, and Will, from ours, are two youngsters who gradually join a cast including an intrepid ballooneer, a huge armored bear, witches, daemons, beings on wheels, etc., trying to overturn the established system, which is evil and oppressive. Hurrah!

“The End of the Affair,” by Graham Greene (first published 1951). Somber, beautiful story of an affair during WWII, in which the lover, his mistress and her husband become terribly intertwined. Eventually the focus is on the sense of sin, questions about the presence of God---the protagonist declares he will never accept God because of the things He does. I appreciate the richness, but cannot accept the argument about a relationship with a divinity.

“1776,” by David McCullough (Simon and Schuster, 2005). Excellent, clear, very descriptive account of the period from the withdrawal of the British from Boston through the battles of Trenton and Princeton. Superb portraits of Washington and those around him including Greene, Lee, Clinton, Howe. Washington is the central figure, whose tenacity, calm, determination, coolness, dignity, and presence hold the rebellion together despite his failures as a military leader. Similar to “The Crossing,” though covering a wider territory.

2/8/06:

“The Greatest Fight of Our Generation: Louis vs. Schmeling” by Lewis Erenberg (Oxford, 2006). A detailed examination of the lives and careers of Joe Louis and Max Schmeling, including the importance for race relations in the US, Hitler and his opposition. The writing is awkward and plodding, and there seems to be a lot of cut and paste. But Erenberg argues that, among other things, the emergence of Joe Louis as a fighter all Americans could identify with, not just blacks, played a very important if under-acknowledged role in loosening the hold of racism and segregation in the US. With solid, detailed descriptions of the fights, good photos, observations on the importance of Jews in the fight business, the rise and fall and rise of boxing in both the US and Germany.

“Why the Allies Won,” by Richard Overy (Norton, 1995).

Excellent explanation of how WWII turned out the way it did. Overy points out that early in the war an Allied victory was far from obvious. Germany’s economy was far larger than either Britain’s or the USSR’s, it controlled by conquest huge resources natural and industrial, geographically it was central. Britain was barely hanging on, its army inconsequential, navy irrelevant, air force tiny. USSR was completely unprepared, troops badly equipped, leadership demoralized. USA was not involved at all. He goes over essential victories: Stalingrad/Kursk, Battle of the Atlantic, Midway, the bombing campaign. Then he examines the economies: how the USSR reorganized and became an industrial goliath; US armed itself at astonishing speed; while German economy was badly organized, badly led, the German military had too much control, so that Britain produced more with less than Germany, etc. Also leadership: Stalin and Roosevelt picked the right leaders and generally left them alone to fight; Churchill provided inspiration but interfered and made bad military decisions; Hitler thought he was a genius, made all the decisions, micromanaged, drove away or intimidated those with more experience and insight, etc. The Allies also had the moral edge, even with the brutal Stalin, against an unenthusiastic German/Japanese/Italian public fighting an essentially unpopular and immoral war.

2/27/06

“The Ruin of J. Robert Oppenheimer and the birth of the modern arms race.” Priscilla J. McMillan (Viking, 2005).

A remarkable book. From extensive research in recently unclassified archives, unpublished papers, well more than 100 interviews, etc., McMillan describes in excruciating detail Oppenheimer’s crucial role in developing the A bomb, in advancing the science as well as handling much of the politics, until overthrown by a malign combination of events including the Soviet A-bomb, the ambition of Lewis Strauss, the monomaniacal grasping of Edward Teller, McCarthyism, etc. result in a conspiracy among the Air Force, a pair of journalists, Strauss and Teller, as well as Oppenheimer’s own arrogance and pride. The story shows how his opponents lied, distorted events and depended on Oppenheimer himself to keep quiet. McMillan argues that, partly as a result of this conspiracy, the world lost several chances to end the nuclear arms race before it began (though one suspects the Soviets under Stalin would never have accepted any of the proposals).

3/15/06

“Collapse,” by Jared Diamond (Penguin paperback, 2005).

Damn this guy is brilliant: synthesizes tremendous amounts of information, explains it concisely and clearly, acknowledges the reader, and is tremendously humane, generous and even-handed. The story he tells, of course, is horrific. Examining societies from the Maya to Easter Island, the Anasazi, the Greenland Norse, he compiles stories about how human societies destroyed themselves by destroying their environments. Looking at Iceland, Japan, New Guinea, Tikopia, he shows how other societies faced their problems and changed to survive. Then he examines current situations, air, water, mineral, climate change, overpopulation, that threaten global civilization today. He offers hope, noting that we at least know what is happening and there are many signs of organization to combat the impending disaster. But he also says that disaster may occur as soon as 50 years from now. Easy to read, hard to digest.

“Soldiers of the Sun: the Rise and Fall of the Imperial Japanese Army” (Meirion and Susie Harris, Random House, 1991). Fascinating, apparently definitive study of the creation of the Japanese army, its gradual takeover of Japanese society, and its eventual crushing destruction. They use a tremendous wealth of documents, original Japanese documents, diaries, British and other European papers, etc. The overall impression is of a military that was aggressive and brutal, occasionally brilliant, yet remarkably incompetent, unable or unwilling to accept negative information, able to force a nation that ultimately did not have the resources, logistics, industrial base---even the armaments---to engage in gigantic military adventures that had almost no chance of success. Not to mention the constant struggle between army and navy for supremacy, in which they treated one another as enemies almost as dangerous as the Chinese, Russians, British and Americans.

4/10/06

“The Brooklyn Follies,” by Paul Auster (Henry Holt, 2006). A sweet little novel. The narrator, a writer given a year to live, moves to Park Slope. Over the next year he reunites with a nephew, reconciles with his daughter, meets and befriends a man running a bookstore who is a famous embezzler and forger who tries it one more time (this time for a good cause), encounters a nice old man living in Vermont, defeats some bad guys, everyone lives happily ever after. No tragedy. Nicely written. Nothing terribly moving. Pleasant.

“Journey from the Land of No,” by Roya Hakakian (Crown, 2004). Memoir of an Iranian Jewish girl through her early teens in Tehran before, during and after the Khomeini revolution. She herself is almost unbearably cute and smart, a witty, devoted little girl deep in the bosom of a warm, loving, prosperous, respected family. The kids love the idea of the revolution, disdain the shah, welcome Khomeini, go thru an enthusiastic first year or so. Iran is a great place, the Jewish community there is safe, historic, happy. Then the mullahs really take charge, freedom is increasingly restricted, relatives flee or disappear, anti-Semitism resurfaces, they finally have to flee. Interesting, well-written. She is a bit insufferable.

4/17/06

“At Dawn We Slept: The Untold Story of Pearl Harbor” by Gordon W. Prange, with Donald M. Goldstein and Katherine V. Dillon (McGraw Hill, 1981).

A stupendous achievement. Prange spent his life from 1946 until his death in 1980 studying the events that led up to the Pearl Harbor attack, first as a serviceman in Japan during the occupation, then thru the years as civilian and serviceman in Japan and the U. S. He interviewed hundreds of the participants on both sides, reviewed all the accounts in all the investigations, read unpublished diaries and other documents in Japanese, to paint---in indelible oils---the most thorough, painstaking, careful, deeply-reasoned recounting of that episode that will ever be done. His story is day-by-day, hour-by-hour, synchronizing events on both sides, making it clear that war between Japan and the U. S. was inevitable, that it was Yamamoto and no one else who, despite fierce opposition, envisioned and pushed through the attack, that there were failures both in Washington and Hawaii---not so much in figuring out what the target was as in failing to prepare for it. He shows that Adm. Kimmel and Gen. Short share most of the blame for misreading, misunderstanding or refusing to act on all the warnings they were given. He destroys claims by revisionists (mostly Republicans, and Admiral Kimmel one of the most powerful voices) that 1) FDR forced Japan to attack, because he wanted to go to war with Germany; 2) he knew when and where the attack was coming; 3) he and his allies conspired to keep the Pearl commanders in the dark.

At bottom, he says, Pearl Harbor took the US by surprise because Americans didn’t believe the Japanese could or would attack us.

4/27/06

“The Courtier and the Heretic: Leibniz, Spinoza and the Fate of God in the Modern World,” by Matthew Stewart (Norton, 2006). Now I know something about Leibniz and Spinoza, especially Spinoza and why he was thrown out of his synagogue. According to Stewart: Spinoza, with semi-mathematical reasoning, argued that God was in the world, God was Nature, God was everywhere, knew everything, set everything up, follows all the rules and does not participate in the world: God is not the old-time conscious figure that intervened in human affairs. This was the most horrible thing to suggest to God-fearing Christians and Jews; it threatened to destroy the structures of faith. Leibniz, Stewart says, devoted his life and career to refuting Spinoza, by positing a creation of an infinite number of “monads,” each one a discrete entity complete in itself, all existing in time, created by a God which was superior to all of them. And since God was perfect, he could only create perfection, and thus this is the best of all possible worlds. Leibniz met Spinoza for three days some time before Spinoza died, and spent the rest of his life downplaying the meeting. Stewart argues that Leibniz was a Spinozist, in deep denial. Lots of stuff about life in the Netherlands, Paris, the Hanover court in the 17^th Century. Also a good deal of description of the two philosophies, written in a manner so clear I think I almost get it. Written as a semi-page-turning mystery, with even a hint (never actually put into words) that Spinoza’s death was hurried along by one of his disciples.

6/1/06

“Night,” by Elie Wiesel, new translation by XXX Wiesel. Read this many years ago, didn’t remember anything. This time read it straight through in one sitting. Very powerful. Very matter of fact, though not clinical in the least. Particularly struck by descriptions of the infants at the chambers, and the ash underfoot when visiting the camp after it had been dismantled by the Nazis. An essential book. Written to keep the memory alive, and to deny the deniers.

“The Pursuit of Victory: The Life and Achievement of Horatio Nelson,” by Roger Knight (Basic Books, 2005). The definitive biography as of this moment. Uses extraordinary number of primary documents---logbooks for the ships, from captains and masters; letters to and from Nelson; diaries; official records; etc. Deals forcefully with earlier hagiographies, and bios that did not have all this information. Appendices include detailed information on every ship in which Nelson served, including names of officers down to midshipmen. Detached but sympathetic; nothing romanticized. At times it’s day by day, and can get a little tedious that way. But as full, rounded and complete a portrait of the man as could be imagined. He clearly was a tactical and strategic genius, if vain and very concerned with his own reception and image. He was an extraordinary leader who dealt personally with everyone down to the lowest-ranking seamen. Beloved by crews and many fellow officers, though with many powerful enemies as well. The book describes the extreme importance of mentors, patronage, the need to be taken under the wing of important high-ranking officials to be able to rise. His use of intelligence, his ability to lay out plans, make his ideas clear and known to his captains. Also makes clear the overwhelming supremacy of the British navy---the ships may not have been as good, but the crews were very well-trained, the officers by and large were excellent, everyone was experienced, ship-handling was superb. Striking image: the Franco-Spanish fleet sailing out to Trafalgar, watched in silence by the populace of Cadiz---they all knew they were going out to face defeat.

His own personal courage, not to mention an important amount of very good luck—staying healthy at the right time, missing out on disastrous expeditions, etc. His marriage to Frances is shown never to have been terribly passionate; his treatment of her after he meets Emma is disgraceful.

Magnificent work.

“Fire in the Sky: The Air War in the South Pacific,” by Eric M. Bergerud (Westview, 2000). History of the first two years of the war, covering Guadalcanal through the destruction of Rabaul. Tremendous depth of research, including nearly 100 interviews with Americans, Anzacs and Japanese; examination of records such as operational planes, size of air bases, detailed analyses of Japanese and Allied planes, both fighters and bombers. Argues that the crucial fighting in the Pacific were the two commingled campaigns by MacArthur up from Australia and Halsey in the Solomons. Between them they destroyed Japanese air power, and when that was gone defeat was inevitable. Shows how Japanese could not keep up with American advances in quality and quantity of planes, radios, radar, maintenance, spare parts, training, etc. Argues that the Japanese’ best hope would have been an immediate all-out counterattack including the entire Combined Fleet and all its carriers against the Guadalcanal bridgehead Because whoever controlled the air controlled everything. As long as the Yanks had planes on the Canal, the Japanese had no chance.

Examines the planes, the industrial bases, the strategies and tactics, every aspect imaginable.

That said, it’s overwritten and too long; could have used some good editing to tighten up---too many points are made too many times.

6/24/06

“Beyond Band of Brothers: The War Memoirs of Major Dick Winters, with Col. Cole C. Kingseed” (2006, Berkeley Caliber). Winters goes back thru his files after Stephen Ambrose writes “Band of Brothers,” and Spielberg and Hanks make the HOB mini-series about Easy Company, 506^th Parachute Infantry Regiment. It’s the same story with some different anecdotes, but entirely in Winters’ voice. Written very clearly and coolly. Winters seems to be a very, entirely without neurosis, straightforward, honest, doesn’t drink, doesn’t seem to womanize or carry on. Very serious about his job of being a soldier and a leader. He is the epitome of the square. Even in the photos: square jaw, straight-line mouth, thin lips, trace of a smile, always erect, muscular, alert. He wonders about leadership, winds up with a chapter on what makes leaders. Engrossing if not very revealing.

6/25/06

“Dark Voyage” by Alan Furst (2004, Random House). Per Sid’s recommendation, my first Furst. Lovely. Dutch merchant captain in the period between the fall of Europe and the invasion of Russia, made officer in Dutch Navy, sent on clandestine missions around Med, North African coast, finally up to Baltic delivering commandos, secret equipment on his rusty old tramp steamer. Nice, knowledgeable work on ships, seamanship, maritime stuff. Not unpredictable but pleasant. Women, spies, Jewish refugees, secret police, etc.

6/26/06

“The Polish Officer” by Alan Furst (1995, Random House) Furst’s fourth, my second in two days. Fun, fast, engrossing, full of detail about the countries, the people, from the French demimonde to Russian peasants and everyone in between. Episodic, runs from the fall of Warsaw to the winter of 1941, the exploits of Capt. Alexander de Milja, Polish intelligence officer, in various parts of the resistance. A bit of a superman, despite all we are told about his weariness, hopelessness, etc. Gets refugees and Polish gold on a train to Romania; engages in sabotage and spying in France; helps defeat the planned German invasion of England; sent to be with partisans in Russia; etc. etc.; makes love to women everywhere, though he always mourns for his wife. Fun for the adventure, not much character development.

7/4/06

“A Palestine Affair,” by Jonathan Wilson (2003, Anchor Books). A summer in Jerusalem, 1924. The experiences, primarily, of two young British Jews: one a police captain, the other a failed or struggling artist who has come to Palestine with his gentile, American, Zionist wife. A man is murdered---an anti-Zionist who has been reporting back to England; at first it’s made to look as if the killer was an Arab boy, perhaps his lover. As the police officer investigates, he discovers the man was murdered by other Jews who want to foment trouble in Palestine. He has an affair with the wife; the governor of the province becomes the artist’s patron. The protagonists, both of them scarred by World War I, neither religious, discover how they cannot avoid being Jewish here. Beautifully written account of a nebulous period, before the real influx of Zionists and the most violent Arab reaction, when events in Palestine are still hanging in balance.

“Dark Star,” by Alan Furst (1991; 2002 Random House paperback). The first of Furst’s historical spy novels, this one running from 1937 through the fall of France. Andre Szara, a Polish Jew raised in Russia, a Soviet journalist, becomes involved in deadly warfare between top-level Communist factions, the first comprising Jews, Old Bolsheviks, Ukrainians, Poles who are somewhat more open than their rivals, Georgians under Stalin. Szara is given a document that indicates Stalin had been a Czarist spy. He is used by both sides, runs a crucial intelligence source within Germany (who it turns out is controlled by the Gestapo), is induced to trade secrets with the British in return for travel documents to get Jews out of Germany. He barely escapes one side or another time and again; witnesses the invasion of Poland; survives bombings and refugees; finally wins tentative freedom in Switzerland with a beautiful woman, also a spy. The subtleties of espionage, the nuance of language, the despairing courage and heroism, the remarkable portrait of the grimmest of eras.

8/13/06

Alan Furst:

“Night Soldiers” (1988)

“Dark Star” (1991)

“The World at Night” (1996)

“Kingdom of Shadows” (2000)

Taken together, a brilliant exposition of life, love, conspirary and resistance in Europe, starting in 1934 through the end of the War. “Night Soldiers” may be the most profound, perhaps because it was the first and Furst had not developed a formula yet. A Bulgarian teenager watches his younger brother murdered by local fascists; he is later subtly recruited into the NKVD, serves in the Spanish Civil War, where he observes the Stalinist betrayals and flees to Paris. Here are the basics: extreme desperation; tremendous brutality; the haut monde in Paris, full of spies and other dangerous people. Khristo Stoianev is first an effective Soviet spy and killer, later their prey.

“Dark Star”: A Polish Jew is coopted into the NKVD, runs a spy ring in Paris. The life of a Soviet spy. “Kingdom of Shadows” In Paris, a Hungarian who runs a small advertising agency, becomes involved in actions against the Nazis. The antagonists are Nazis, Russians, Croats; he is desperate for the British to protect Czechoslovakia, before the Munich betrayal, etc. ”The World at Night” Paris, 1940; This time the protagonist is a small-time filmmaker who experiences, appalled, France’s collapse; he manages to keep a small business going, work with a German producer; a mission for the British secret service that fails.

Among the patterns: serviceable writing; dense knowledge of European life under occupation; excellent depictions of just how a spy seduces or tricks or traps someone; lots of sex: each of the heroes is apparently irresistible to women.

Perhaps I shouldn’t have read them all at once; they did begin to pall. Not like O’Brian, who was a joy from beginning to end. Fascinating period, nonetheless.

“Warlords: An Extraordinary re-creation of WWII through the Eyes and Minds of Hitler, Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin.” By Simon Berton and Joanna Potts. (2006, Da Capo). Description of the thinking and behavior, the interactions of these four men who were the supreme leaders during the war. Hitler’s overconfidence, mistakes, refusal to acknowledge problems, almost insanity toward the end. Churchill, depressive, almost alcoholic, disliked and distrusted by the British government, who is redeemed by indomitable courage and eloquence, clear understanding of the terrible danger Hitler presents; Stalin, dark, ruthless, paranoid, convinced that Hitler would not attack, sure that the warnings from the British are part of a plot, almost destroyed by the Nazi invasion, then great recovery. Roosevelt, willing to give Churchill everything he can short of war, finally forced into it by Hitler’s declaration of war; a master politician, sure he can charm or outwit Stalin. The balance among them changes: Churchill begins as the leader, then Roosevelt takes charge and almost cuts him out; meanwhile, Stalin outwits them all, gets just about everything he wants. Compiled from sensitive selections from diaries, dispatches, memoirs, letters, etc. Nothing really new, but the focus on the four leaders is instructive. Interesting sidelight: much of the observation of Roosevelt comes from his “very good friend Daisy Stuckey,” who seems to be with him constantly. Only one mention of Eleanor, and that is a letter from her.

Aug. 31, 2006

“Alone in the Trenches: My Life as a Gay Man in the NFL” by Esera Tuaolo, with John Rosengren (Sourcebooks Inc, 2006). Tuaolo is a Samoan Hawaiian who played nose tackle in the NFL for nine seasons, with the Packers, Vikings, Falcons, etc. He was the first rookie to start every game of his first season; played in a Super Bowl; sang the Star Spangled Banner at a Super Bowl, etc. He also was molested by an uncle as a child, knew he was gay early on, and was increasingly tormented by fear of discovery. He was often suicidal, drank waaaay too much, etc. The book documents very clearly his constant fear; he wonders if it prevented him from playing his best---he was always worried that, as his photo and name were published and he was seen on TV, someone from a gay club or one-night stand would recognize him. Homosexuality=death in the tremendously macho NFL. Ultimately he found a mate, gave him all sorts of grief before they finally had a marriage ceremony and adopted a boy and girl. A bit too much thanking Jesus for me, but his religion is a tolerant and accepting one, as it has to be.

“Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon” by Daniel C. Dennett (Viking, 2006). For agnostic/atheists like me, this is a great book. Dennett, one of the world’s most aggressive atheists (his books include Darwin’s Dangerous Idea), sets out to demonstrate---or to suggest---that all religion is a natural phenomenon born out of biology, chemistry, evolution, and the universals of human culture. He attempts to use the scientific method, citing study after study (unfortunately including a lot of his own), to build up a case from the simplest elements of life to the most complex, to show how and why humans develop religion. He has no use for “intelligent design” or any system which attempt to prove the existence of God by reason and logic. He depends a lot on the idea of “memes,” cultural behaviors a bit like genes that can spread and mutate. He suggests that there are elements of religion that resemble hypnotism, proposes that religions evolve, modify themselves as a result of competition. Successful religions are those that survive, that pass through the generations. The ones that aren’t attractive enough in some ways become extinct. Belief systems that promise the most also demand the most from their believers, the most sacrifice, refusal to accept the testimony of their own eyes and reason, etc. The tone is alternately coaxing and domineering, defensive and self-congratulatory. He keeps asking that believers and those who disagree with him continue to read, to keep open minds, to follow his reasoning, and if they have reasons to disagree to do so. He decries calls to “mystery,” secrecy, sanctity, anything that would close off reasoned discussion. He asks for continued empirical scientific investigation into religious phenomena, how religions works, how they maintain members and win converts, etc. Very persuasive to a guy like me, though there is little chance any of his proposals for open, balanced education about religions will ever be put into effect.

“Mayflower: A story of courage, community and war,” by Nathaniel Philbrick (2006, Viking). An account of the first 50-75 years of the New England settlements, focusing on Plymouth, and their relations with the natives. Fascinating. A followup, for me, on “1491,” with its accounts of how heavily populated the area was when Europeans first arrived and how the natives were decimated by European diseases. A powerful account how grueling the voyage on the Mayflower actually was; details of the Pilgrims’ landings, first encounters, what the natives thought of them. The natives knew a great deal already, having had fairly long contact with others, including fishermen, French explorers, etc. Detailed, rather than legendary, accounts of Squanto, Massasoit, King Philip, Miles Standish, Bradford, etc. He argues that for the first 50 years or so, while increasing numbers of Englishmen arrived, the natives and Europeans intermingled, worked fairly well together (wampum was the currency for everyone; natives appeared in English courts). Eventually, a combination of population pressure and the fact that Philip’s tribe had sold off all the land it could, led to King Philip’s War, a tremendously bloody conflict that left the Indians devastated and the English in full control. Full of remarkable stories; the natives were healthier and stronger than the English; Samoset, who greeted the Pilgrims, said “Welcome, Englishmen.” The Pilgrims were not the Puritans. Corn Hill really exists. The travels of Plymouth Rock. Most interesting for the resurrection of Benjamin Church, who became the Englishmen’s most successful military leader, but who had essentially been forgotten by American history until now.

“Time and Again,” by Jack Finney (Simon and Schuster, 1970). Probably the best story of time travel I’ve ever read. Some time in the 1960s or early 70s, a young man who has no deep connections becomes involved in a sort of Manhattan Project experiment in time travel, based on a reading of Einstein that somehow suggests that if a person spends time becoming fully immersed in a bygone era, and practices self-hypnosis, he can go back in time. This man goes back to the 1880s, brief visits at first until finally he becomes fully involved. It is a literary book: the descriptions of life in New York at the time are rich and vivid. After a while the plot begins to move and become exciting. There is a police chase, a huge fire, inter-temporal love. You want to believe it could happen. Finney’s depiction of 19^th Century New York is full of energy and life. What fun.

“Unchosen: The Hidden Lives of Hasidic Rebels,” by Hella Winston (2005, Beacon). Derived from work for a doctoral dissertation in sociology, this is a fascinating, quick=reading account of the lives of a handful of people, men and women, who have been trying to leave the warm but smothering confines of Hasidism. It’s well=written and smooth. Winston’s description of this most rigorous of Jewish lives rang many bells for me, especially about the constant attention and demand for proper behavior. Of course, the commands here go far beyond mere academic achievement. These people are brought up in almost complete ignorance of the outside world. And these apostates appear to be very few, though there turn out to be many in the Hasidic communities, especially men, who duck out every once in a while. Winston does not focus on Lubavitch, which is actually a relatively small sect. Instead, she looks more at the Satmars. She finds people who just can’t take the restrictions, or who have tremendous curiosity about the outside world, who are fleeing abuse, etc. One, Yossi, goes through a pretty severe nervous breakdown on the way. Another, Malka Schwartz, apparently has become very active in trying to bring succor to fellow exiles. Very interesting.

“The Accidental Empire: Israel and the Birth of the Settlements, 1967-1977,” by Gershom Gorenberg (2006, Times). (didn’t enter it on time). Describes the situation leading up to and after the 6-Day War. Israeli government divided on what to do with the conquered territory. Legal opinions within government make it clear it is occupied territory that would be illegal to settle or annex. But many figures within the government, including Meir and Dayan, want to put down settlements, at least for defensive purposes. The initial groups are semi-military, left-wing, secular. Various departments don’t know what each other is doing. Some decide to stop, others keep going. At first few people want to join. Gradually religious groups begin to get the idea of moving in---the religious movements pretty much get their start here. The larger Israeli society isn’t even aware these fundamentalist groups exist. Eventually they become dominant. At first the army is sent to remove them, and it’s a sort of joke---they are removed, come back, are removed again. Later it become serious. There are major confrontations, thousands of people come to resist removal. The concept of Judea and Samaria become common.

“The Idiot” by Fyodor Dostoevsky. Prince Myshkin (he’s a very barely related noble, no money), who has been in Switzerland recovering from a disease which is later shown to be epilepsy, returns by train to Russia. On the train he meets various people. He is broke but totally innocent, trusting, and assumes everyone is like him. He becomes enmeshed in society, a nobleman’s beautiful mistress falls in love with him and he, apparently, with her. He lives with an impoverished family whose son, trying to rise, has become a sycophant of a very wealthy family. Over time they are all entwined, with Myshkin like a clean canvas on which others paint their own dreams and nightmares. It ends badly, with death, murder and suicide, and Myshkin, his dreams shattered, withdraws into himself again. Very difficult, confusing, ambivalent and ambiguous.

“Ursula K. LeGuin: Five Complete Novels: “Rocannon’s World” (1966); “Planet of Exile” (1966); “City of Illusions” (1967); “The Left Hand of Darkness” (1969) ; “The Word for World is Forest” (1972). Whew. The anthropologist’s daughter begins her career with five stories about possible human worlds connected by thin threads, a galactic community with slower-than-light ships. In Rocannan’s world, he is an emissary essentially abandoned on a planet with several different human species---one is feudal and warlike, with flying felines; another is troglodytish, industrious, given some technology by the aliens. They are attacked by a non-human species, and Rocannon eventually saves them, though with the loss of himself. Planet of Exile: in a world where winter and summer each last something like 40 years, the inhabitants don’t live long enough to remember more than two cycles, there is also a group of humans from off the planet who were sent as a colony, but are slowly dying because they are becoming infertile. The locals are tribal, barely past the Stone Age; the exiles are post-industrial, but losing their knowledge. Faced by hordes driven south by the approaching winter, they try but fail to unite. A man and woman from each group fall in love, succeed in driving the hordes away from the city, find they are pregnant, which means the exiles have finally changed enough to mate with the locals and the inhabitants may finally begin to advance. City of Illusions---also fighting the invaders, difficult journey over great spaces, a city occupied by blind humanoid insects, the off-world visitor learns how to use telepathy. Left Hand of Darkness: a cold, wintry planet whose humans are neuter 30 days a month, enter estrus for four days, but can be either male or female, father or mother. One society is entrepreneurial, competitive, focused on pride and honor; another is communal, becoming totalitarian, efficient, beginning to create idea of nation-state and war. How this strange sexuality affects people, bonds them in unusual ways. Again, the exile visitor travels from one to the other, there is an epic journey across an immense glacier, finally the otherworlders are brought to land to link the new community. The Word for World Is Forest: a Terran colony lands on a planet completely covered with forest, inhabited by dwarflike creatures which seem to have no society, no language, completely primitive. The humans want the world for its lumber; they are militarized; they begin to clear-cut the land, enslave the natives. But the natives are actually as intelligent as the Terrans. They watch; one escapes after his wife is raped and murdered; he becomes a “god,” meaning that he brings something new. One Terran who befriends him, an anthropologist, explains what the Terrans are doing. The “god” leads a rebellion against the Terrans---the Terrans, with helicopters, guns, explosives, mines, etc, assume they will easily defeat the natives. The natives, with bows and arrows and much better understanding of the planet, overwhelm the Terrans. When victory is almost complete, a group from the galactic network lands, understands and agrees to withdraw from the planet.

Wonderful books---insightful, clever, profound, humane, examine many possible permutations of humanity.

12/7/06

“The War of the World: Twentieth-Century Conflict and the Descent of the West,” by Niall Ferguson (Penguin, 2006). Ferguson intended this as a sequel to “The Pity of War.” He found that he could not write about the interwar period and WWII without going back beyond WWI to discuss the nature of European states in the 19^th Century, the multi-ethnic empires such as Austria-Hungary and Russia. He says that the West was at the peak of its power in 1903; that at the end of WWII the US, the most powerful nation on earth, was less powerful than Europe at the beginning of the century. The wars of the 20^th Century had very strong ethnic components, the fighting was in areas where ethnicities were very mixed (the Pale of Settlement, for example); one of the great results of WWII was to drive ethnic groups apart, to create more areas of one ethnicity and fewer of mixed ethnicities. At the end of the century, Asia, esp. China, is rising while the West is sinking.

12/12/06

“The Foreign Correspondent” by Alan Furst (2006)---see under Libraries/Book Groups

“The Reluctant Mr. Darwin: An Intimate Portrait of Charles Darwin and the Making of His Theory of Evolution” by David Quamman (2006, Atlas). An excellent, highly readable, colloquial (maybe a bit too colloquial) biography of the man starting after his return from the Beagle voyage. Covers his research methods and interests, domestic life, relations with other researchers. The best brief synopsis of “On the Origin of Species” I have yet read. Makes me want to read the real thing.

12/22/06

“The Book of Dave,” by Will Self (Bloomsbury, 2006). This is the kind of book I hate, because it is so unrelentingly gloomy and despairing. On the other hand, it’s brilliantly written.. Takes place in two worlds: London 1992-2003, and a drowned archipelago in Ing, 509-524 AD (year of Dave). In the 500s AD, the Inglish (who speak either Arpee or Mockni) worship Dave, who was a disturbed, angry, miserable London cabbie who, in the earlier time at the height of his madness, wrote a detailed Book of Knowledge that included all the routes London cabbies memorized as well as his own rules for living. Those included keeping men and women completely separate after puberty, with kiddies living with mommies and daddies half the week, women working and kept down by the men. The sun is the foglamp, the sky is the screen, etc. On one isolated island, called Ham (Hampstead) lives a small group of peasants with their motos, semi-human, semi-cattle, with the intelligence of 2 ½ year olds, who are annually slaughtered for their food and oil. One man finds a second Book of Dave which cancels out the first, calling for everyone living together in harmony. That is flying (blasphemy,) he is tortured and sent home, etc, eventually the brutal powers of davinanity take control of Ham. In modern-day London, Dave suffers through an ill-conceived marriage, loses contact with his son, fights fiercely but badly to stay in touch, writes the Book on metal plates and buries it near his ex-wife’s house, finds a woman whom he finally falls in love with and is killed by some loansharks. Language is brilliant. Mokni a form of Cockney; Arpee is Received Pronunciation. Every sentence is sewn with striking images, though it never becomes too much. I don’t find it funny, though the Brits consider it a great satire.

1/12/07

“The Voyage of the Beagle: Journal of Researches into the Natural History and Geology of the Countries Visited During the Voyage of HMS Beagle Round the World,” by Charles Darwin (1839; Modern Library edition). Oh my. Nowhere near as hard to read as I’d thought. Darwin is a clear and complete writer who wants his readers to understand what he is saying. Scientifically, he describes the geology, fauna, flora, natives, customs, what things look, smell and feel like. Absolutely fascinating. There are hints of The Origin---not only in the Galapagos, but elsewhere where he talks about species in ecological niches (not that he uses those terms). Some of it becomes glazingly boring (I couldn’t read more than a few pages at a time). But among other things it’s a wonderful travel book. His descriptions of the people and their ways is invaluable---the Argentines, whose land could be so rich if only they would work, the Maori (not his term) who pick up the English ways, which ones are clean, which filthy. He’s quite proud of being British. He notices class differences, too. It’s obvious that he has long accepted the tremendous age of the earth (speaks only once, that I recall, about “the God of Nature”). He is aware that he does not have the power to fully capture the beauty of what he sees---he talks about that, especially when he gets to Tahiti—but his use of language is so precise. This is what proper English should be, once was, even with the anachronisms. One very surprising thing is his vehemence against slavery: At the very end he describes the horrors he saw in Brazil and elsewhere, people whipped and tortured, families broken up, strong men quailing. He says he is glad he found Brazilians so mean, because there is slavery in Brazil. Deservedly a classic.

1/26/07

“The Fall of France: the Nazi invasion of 1940,” by Julian Jackson (Oxford U. Press, 2003). A close examination of the factors that went into the French collapse in six weeks of spring, 1940, and its repercussions in the decades after. First, an account of the fighting itself, from the tanks and airplanes, the quality of the troops, the strategy and tactics. The French did not use their equipment properly. Many of the troops in the Ardennes were very low quality and fell apart, but many others fought well. The Germans were better equipped at the point of contact, etc, and their strategy, to go through the Ardennes and around the rear of the Allies, took the French by surprise. Then the alliances: France was essentially alone; not even the English got along with them well, and cooperation was very weak. The politicians: French politics was split badly, fear of socialism and communism, admiration for Hitler, lots of infighting, until a government that wanted an armistice was installed. French society was in bad shape, low morale, resignation, not looking forward to the fight, civilians fled; afterward: leading to DeGaulle, who was determined that France should never be dependent on anyone again.

“Six Frigates: The epic history of the founding of the U. S. Navy,” by Ian W. Toll (W. W. Norton, 2006). Wonderful. Detailed history of the navy during the Revolution, the politics of what to build, Humphreys’ unusual design, determination to build heavy frigates of very strong wood, powerful guns. Building of the six: Constitution, President, United States, the 44s; Constellation, Congress, Chesapeake, the 38s. the quasi-war with France. The continuing problem of the Barbary pirates; tribute didn’t work. Adams and Hamilton wanted a strong navy, Jefferson and Madison didn’t. Eventual realization they needed some ships for their own protection. The Tripoli expedition, America shows it can’t be kicked around. Leopard-Chesapeake (Ches. was completely unprepared); growing problem of impressment; British intransigence and arrogance; the effect of war on commerce: Napoleonic wars great for US, which did tremendous amount of business. Country split about war in 1812; South wanted it, New England hated it. Details of the single ship battles (including a long excerpt from The Fortune of War, the capture of Java by Constitution. The blockade works; finally it’s anti-war sentiment in England (Wellington says essentially no way to win in America) that prevails, treaty signed basically for status quo before the war. But US has made a big point, shocked the hell out of the Brits, gave country huge burst of self-confidence, paved the way for Monroe Doctrine: US can fight, it’s growing, better stay away. With interesting discussion of aftermath, writing, TR’s account of the war, begun while he was a senior at Harvard, Great White Fleet. Lots of fun. Well-written. Good illustrations.

“Motherless Brooklyn,” by Jonathan Lethem (Vintage, 1999). The hero has Tourette’s. He’s an orphan living in the St. Vincent’s Home in Brooklyn who, with three others, is picked up by a small-time gangster to handle his small-time fencing. The gangster is murdered by a mysterious Polish giant somehow involved with a Zen temple on the Upper East Side. There are mysterious monks, a pair of mysterious ancient Mafiosi, a mysterious widow. It turns into a pretty good whodunit, and the last third is a real page-turner. The Tourette’s is almost a character in the story, as the hero describes how he is forced to negotiate the world with this barely controlled compulsion. Clever writing. Long exposition, and the murder mystery begins almost as if by chance. Interesting.

“The Color of Water: A Black Man’s Tribute to his White Mother,” by James McBride (Riverhead, 1996). McBride is a journalist and musician who finally persuades his mother to tell her story: she is the daughter of a Polish refugee rabbi who is raised in the South---her father is a sonofabitch, her mother a long-suffering cripple who speaks no English. She runs away from home, marries two black men, becomes a Christian, raises 12 children, all of whom go to college and professional careers. McBride’s story of the creative chaos of his upbringing in Brooklyn is interleaved with her narration of her own story. Questions of identity, of the cleavages in society, of family, of upbringing, of the types of religion. Disturbing, challenging, uplifting (because she survived and raised such a family). He eventually goes back to her hometown and introduces himself as the rabbi’s grandson, to the bemusement and astonishment of her former family and the former neighbors.

2/14/07

“Becoming Charlemagne: Europe, Baghdad and the Empires of AD 800” by Jeff Sypeck (HarperCollins, 2006). Dreadfully padded, full of speculation to fill out a story about which there seems to be very little documentary information. Karl of Francia may have had an agreement with Harun al Rashid in Baghdad, which weakened Empress Irene in Constantinople; Karl arranged with Pope Leo to be crowned Emperor, not just king, of a new Roman Empire. Lots of suppositions, lots of “the peasants must have seen” and the “monks probably thought.” I would have liked more solid history: Karl/Karolus Magnus/Charlemagne built a formidable kingdom in central Europe, was crowned emperor; his empire lasted about 40 years after his death, was split among quarreling grandchildren to become modern day France, Germany and Italy. Much splendor, but a lot of dross. There was a Jew named Isaac among his envoys to Baghdad; interesting sidelight on the origins of the term Ashkenaz, the Jews of Karl’s kingdom. Isaac brought an elephant back to Aachen. Stuff like that. Lots of interesting poetry about the era.

2/26/07

“Muhammad: A Prophet for Our Times,” by Karen Armstrong, (Eminent Lives, Atlas Books, 2006)

An update of her earlier biography, using much recent scholarship and translations. It also is much more aware of the hostilities and difficulties in the world. She goes into great detail about the culture and society of the Arabs before Muhammad, those who believed in one god. She says he fought against the concept of Jahilliyah, an independent, arrogant, hot-tempered, often violent, vengeful tendency among them. She takes pains to show how Islam as it developed under Muhammad acknowledged and respected Christianity and Judaism, how in the beginning there was no requirement that everyone accept Allah, that women had very important roles that only later were repressed. She says there is a story that Moses helped Muhammad talk God into requiring only five prayers a day, not 50. She also makes clear the violence, warfare and political tactics involved in the growth of the religion, of Muhammad as a war leader, of the difficulty he had suppressing the vengefulness and tribalism. Unfortunately, I came away disheartened, since much of what she describes as the behavior of the Arabs before Muhammad seems still to be part of their culture today: vengefulness, violence, factionalism, etc.

“Submarine Admiral: From Battlewagons to Ballistic Missiles” by Admiral I. J. Galantin, USN (Ret.) (U of Illinois Press, 1995). Galantin retired as a vice admiral. He tells the story of his life beginning as an ensign on the battleship New York, eventual transfer to subs in 1936, his WWII service in the Pacific, and then his complicated existence rising in the Navy hierarchy. During the war, commanding USS Halibut, he sank 13 ships, and endured a depth charging so fierce the boat never returned to service. It’s hard to keep track of where and what he was, but apparently he was very important in developing the Polaris, fought with Rickover, etc. Lots of internal bureaucratic detail, but well enough written.

March 8, 2007

“The Ghost Map: The story of London’s most terrifying epidemic----and how it changed science, cities and the modern world,” by Steven Johnson (Riverhead, 2006). In some ways, another in the line of books that focus on some event and try to show it was earth-shattering. But there is great worth here nonetheless, for those of us who don’t know anything about John Snow and the cholera epidemic of 1854. Snow was a classic British scientist-physician, given to painstaking, groundbreaking research. In this case, before anyone knew of germs and microbes, he very carefully and thoroughly proved that the epidemic stemmed from one pump in the Golden Square area of Soho---and therefore that cholera was water-borne, not carried in the air or through smell. He worked with a local minister named Henry Whitehead, who first set out to prove him wrong and eventually became his strongest ally. This was an example of empirical science at its most basic: Snow almost by chance came to realize that Londoners who drank water from certain places were more likely to contract cholera---when the epidemic hit he and Whitehead tracked down everyone who had drunk from one pump to determine whether they had gotten the disease, and found that that was the main connection. Johnson also talks about how the resulting improvements in sanitation enabled huge cities like London to keep growing, resulting in the modern world. One unforgettable element: the stench of the city. People lived in houses with pools of shit in the basement, overflowing into rooms, baking on the roof. Shit---particularly dog shit, called “pure”---was used to help tan hides and make leather. His depiction of the underworld of garbage pickers and collectors is eye-opening.

“The Destroyers,” by Douglas Reeman (Putnam, 1974). (Alexander Kent is Reeman’s pseudonym when he wrote the Bolitho series) Reeman has written a line of novels about the RN in WWII, focusing on little known episodes and small ships. The story is very predictable---small force of ancient DDs sent on extremely difficult, almost suicidal missions. The force commander is considered a hero, but there’s a cloud over him. The ship captain, the protagonist, does everything right, and gets the girl. Excellent detail of the ships, their handling, the combat. Not quite formulaic, but doesn’t have the depth or quality of O’Brian (of course). Better than competent.

3/11/2007

“Tales from a Tin Can: The USS Dale from Pearl Harbor to Tokyo Bay,” by Michael Keith Olson (Zenith, 2007). Olson’s father was a sailor on the destroyer. Olson began collecting stories from his father’s war buddies at reunions and such as they grew older and more willing to talk. He combines their recollections with a decent if error-prone history of the Pacific War, along with some good maps. Dale was involved in a lot of the big actions, and missed others by fluke or damage. She never lost a man to enemy action, nor any wounded. The memories are fresh and vigorous, and give a real feeling of the life, especially the humdrum stuff liked scraping boilers in 150 degree heat or chipping ice at 10 below, or being below when the ship is leaning 60 degrees during a huge storm. The story of the Battle of the Kommandorski Islands is one of the best, most vivid naval warfare accounts I’ve ever read. Good book.

March 13, 2007

“Old School,” by Tobias Wolff (Vintage, 2003). Beautifully written novel about boys in a prestigious private school in the early ‘60s, where writing is the most important thing, not sports. The boys compete in writing the best short stories, so they can meet visiting greats: Frost, Ayn Rand, Hemingway. The protagonist is one of the relatively poor kids who, ultimately and almost unconsciously, plagiarizes the story by a girl from another school. He wins the prize, but it’s discovered and he’s expelled. But there’s far more to it. Beautifully written, full of fine observations about people, especially teenage boys. Some excellent portraits of the writers. The picture of Rand is devastating.

“Sea of Thunder: Four Commanders and the last great naval campaign 1941-1945,” by Evan Thomas (Simon and Schuster, 2006). The four commanders are Adm. Kurita and Ugaki, Adm. Halsey and Cdr. Ernest Evans, and their actions during the Battle of Leyte Gulf. Kurita led the Japanese Center Force, Ugaki was his BB commander, Halsey led the powerful Third Fleet and Evans commanded the DD Johnston. Thomas analyzes their characters, within the national character: Kurita cautious, inclined to avoid battle, rises to the top by keeping a low profile. Ugaki the opposite, fiery and combative. At the end of the war, he leads a final kamikaze mission. Halsey the bull, who took his image and almost caricatured it---he made the big mistake of leaving the northern entrance to the gulf unguarded, took the Japanese bait, and missed out on the great battle he had longed for. Evans, an American Indian who thirsted for battle, took his destroyer and charged the enemy singlehanded, torpedoed a cruiser, then headed off an attack by a light cruiser and a bunch of DD before Johnston was sunk and he disappeared. Book starts slowly, covering old ground. But it takes off in the account of the battle, especially describing all the warnings Halsey had about the Japanese coming through San Bernardino Strait.

March 23, 2007

“American Caesar: Douglas MacArthur, 1880-1964,” by William Manchester (Little, Brown, 1978). Huge book about a sprawling man. Manchester presents him as a military genius, brilliant, but also tremendously egotistical. Extraordinarily brave: nine decorations during WWI, for daring expeditions behind enemy lines, for leading attacks, for individual heroism. His grandfather became a judge; his father was a brave, brilliant officer in the Civil War (it was his Wisconsin regiment that led the charge up Missionary Ridge). Written in a style befitting the subject: “He was a great thundering paradox of a man, noble and ignoble, inspiring and outrageous, arrogant and shy, the best of men and the worst of men, the most protean, most ridiculous and most sublime.”

Manchester recounts his failures (unaccountable lack of action after Pearl Harbor), military successes (brilliant fighting retreat to Bataan, extraordinary amphibious campaigns afterward), remarkable work in Japan, where he singlehandedly restored the nation to confidence and built a liberal democracy, through the success and failure of Korea, the paranoia and blindness that led to his dismissal, his political inadequacies. Tremendously detailed, apparently very even-handed, written in a magnificent prose to match the subject.

March 28. 2007

“Halsey’s Typhoon: The True Story of a Fighting Admiral, an Epic Storm, and an Untold Rescue,” by Bob Drury and Tom Clavin (Atlantic Monthly Press, 2007). Frustrating. The detailed story of the typhoon that nearly wrecked the Third Fleet off the Philippines, source for “The Caine Mutiny” (which is the next book on the list). Interviews with many of the survivors, now in their 70s and 80s. Good new information about the investigation, etc. Written for the layman, so a lot of stuff I know more about. The first part, introducing the characters, the ships, the situation, is frustrating: full of errors (31-Knot Burke did not get his nickname for going at flank speed but for going slower), heavily overwritten to impart drama, wrong words, etc. Nuggets of good information, about the different types of ships, how they respond in different seas, the nature of the storm, of forecasting at the time. But when they get into the storm things change and the story becomes truly dramatic, no need for hype. Just the tale is harrowing enough. Here the detail about the ships is very good. I wonder if this part was written by one of the guys and not the other?

March 30, 2007

“The Caine Mutiny,” by Herman Wouk (1951, Readers Digest edition 1992). How nice to slip into a big, well-written, old-fashioned novel. Especially with the background offered by some of the previous books, and in contrast with the crappy writing of some of them, Halsey’s Typhoon in particular. It’s such a pleasure to read a book whose author assumes his readers are literate, know something of world history and literature, and understand language. As for the story itself, apparently there were objections at the time to Wouk’s folding a romance and family history into the story of the typhoon and the mutiny, but it don’t bother me none, middlebrow that I am (and who knows that term any more anyway). His physical descriptions of the people, the ships, the situations are straightforward, not terribly artistic but perfectly acceptable. And the character of Queeg (and Greenwald, to a certain extent) is unforgettable. The movie did the whole thing justice. Recalling the situation w/Commander Marks and the Hull---which did in fact sink probably because the skipper was a martinet who froze in the crisis---only this time with a happy ending.

April 5, 2007

“Fight to the Last Man: Dunkirk,” by Hugh Sebag-Montefiore (Harvard University Press, 2006). Magnificent. Extremely detailed account of the war from the German invasion until the last troops were evacuated from the beaches. The focus is, first, the French army and why and how it collapsed; second, the British troops which fought to keep the escape routes open. Many highly detailed maps; accounts based on many interviews, war diaries, letters, etc. Most from the British, not much from the French, a few from the German. The French were poorly led, badly equipped, ill-trained, had terrible communications and lots of disagreement among the commanders. Some of their tanks were okay, but very short ranged, slow, had important weaknesses. The British planes were completely inadequate. The Brits who defended the corridor were badly outnumbered and also badly equipped, but were rarely outfought. There were hair-raising feats of heroism, just to hold the Germans off for an hour or two. Relations between the French and British were bad to begin with and got far worse. Among the interesting revelations: there were three panzer halts, not just one; and they weren’t Hitler’s idea, but von Runstedt and the commanders’ decisions, in some cases based on surprising British resistance that forced some rethinking of tactics. There were many near-run things. There were at least three massacres in which Germans killed either British POWs or Belgian civilians---in at least one case a German officer was tried and executed after the war for his role. Also, the British cabinet very seriously debated approaching the Germans for an armistice or peace through Mussolini. Only Churchill appears to have rejected this from the start. It was avoided by a combination of combat and diplomatic circumstances and Churchill’s resistance.

April 7, 2007

“Winged Escort,” by Douglas Reeman (G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1976). Another Reeman, this one about the life of the British escort carrier (American-built) Growler from 1943 onwards, told through three characters: fighter pilot Tim Rowan, Capt. Bruce Buchan and Rear Admiral Lionel Chadwick. Adventures include a Murmansk convoy attacked by planes, submarines and a Hipper-class cruiser; Rowan flies a Seafire; the ship also carries Swordfish. Chadwick is a horse’s ass, arrogant, proud, flashes of brilliance and compassion, cruel to his subordinates. Buchan is solid and decent, his career ruined by Chadwick’s failure to support him after his light cruiser is involved in a collision at sea. Rowan is an ace pilot, and lucky. He sinks U-boats, shoots down Me 109, Condors and Zeros, shoots up surface ships. It’s quick, it’s easy, it’s authentic, it’s valuable for the British viewpoint. A bit by-the-numbers, but not annoyingly so. And at the end, even a bit of suspense about who would survive.

April 16, 2007

“Destiny’s Road,” by Larry Niven (Tor, 1997). An interesting way to handle the “long-lost colony.” Starship lands on planet, deposits some colonists and two landers. Mutiny on starship, which leaves and strands colonists. Planet is good but for one thing: lack of potassium means intelligence will decline if no new source found. Source found in a mysterious storm, where “speckles” grow. 250 years later: there’s an experiment: one community, Spiral Town, is left untouched as a control group, isolated. On the rest of the colonized peninsula, following a road laid down by one of the landers, different communities are dropped to see how they do. They are linked by thrice-yearly caravans bringing trade goods, including speckles. One function of the caravans is breeding: the men and women are expected to mate with the locals to help spread the genetic material. On the mainland there is a fully civilized society, which has built orbital spaceships. Teenager from Spiral Town breaks out of community, gradually learns all this, returns home and plants speckles. Not quite as satisfying as a LeGuin community; a bit too confusing, too many questions. How could one community be kept so ignorant of all the others? But a pleasant diversion.

April 17, 2007

“The Battle,” by Patrick Rambaud, translated by from the French by Will Hobson (1997, English 2000, Grove). Rambaud started with the work Honore de Balzac had done. Balzac wanted to but never wrote a novel about the Battle of Aspern-Essling in 1809. Rambaud used Balzac’s notes etc., and did a good bit of research himself. The result is gripping, horribly if sometimes matter-of-factly graphic. Napoleon in Vienna tries to cross the Danube to fight the Archduke Charles. The Danube is in flood. The French get bridges across to Lobau Island and thence to the other side, but the main bridge collapses, is rebuilt, and eventually is destroyed by the Austrians before reinforcements and ammunition can cross. Fighting in the two villages and between them is ferocious and terribly bloody. Finally the French are forced to retreat. The novel has marvelous descriptions of the French leaders, from Napoleon to Massena and the rest, with their quirks, hatred, unhappiness at being brought back to battle. Napoleon’s offhand cruelty, his brilliance but inability to accept criticism or information (which is why the bridges fail). Quick read, engrossing.

4/27/07

“The Alien Years,” by Robert Silverberg (HarperCollins, 1998). Silverberg decides to go Wells one better. In “War of the Worlds,” Wells creates a deus ex machine, the germs that save humanity. Silverberg says, what if there were no germs and the aliens won? Alien beings land all over the world. They are so far beyond humanity no one can communicate, their powers so great we can just sort of survive around them. No one can understand what they want, what they do, how to communicate. What does humanity do? At first civilization collapses. At any sign of resistance the aliens unleash terrible weapons: they destroy electricity; they release exterminating viruses. Even when a small group of humans, with extraordinary, painstaking effort, manage to mount a small strike, it has essentially no effect. Humans manage to get by, many of them acclimate themselves and build lives around the aliens. Then the aliens leave, as mysterious as when they arrived. Much of the book is standard, but the conclusion brings everything out in strong relief.

“The Radical and the Republican: Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, and the Triumph of Antislavery Politics,” by James Oakes. (Norton, 2007). A parallel biography of Douglass and Lincoln, analyzing how they dealt with one another and the fight against slavery. Douglass was the radical who wanted slavery and racism abolished. Lincoln was the politician, who very slowly and subtly developed positions that enabled emancipation. Lincoln played so close to the vest, and so skillfully, Oakes says, that people like Douglass couldn’t figure him out. Eventually, though, Douglass and Lincoln became sort of friends, definitely allies, and Douglass finally, after the assassination, saw that Lincoln was really the great hero. Details of subtle policy shifts, changes in the wording of speeches, articles, conversations, at times too minute for me. But the overall story very interesting. Especially the account of how the white racist South managed to reclaim its powers, to Douglass’ mounting dismay.

“Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln,” by Doris Kearns Goodwin (Simon and Schuster, 2005). First: A biography that almost made me cry. As she approached the inevitable conclusion, moving with exceptional detail and clarity among all the figures involved, I found myself with a lump in my throat. I am more and more drawn to the conclusion that Abraham Lincoln was our greatest president, including Washington and FDR. This book is a multiple biography of the four men who contested for the Republican presidential nomination in 1860: New York Senator William H. Seward, the frontrunner, who thought it was a lock; Ohio Governor Salmon P. Chase, also with good odds; Edward Bates, a judge from St. Louis, a solid chance; and Lincoln, who was almost unknown. Goodwin describes each of them, personally and psychologically, all their strengths and weaknesses. The portrait she paints of Lincoln is of a man with almost psychic powers to determine how others will respond to issues, how the country was changing, how far he could go in terms of abolition, how he handled these strong men (whom he appointed to his cabinet), who had all been greatly disappointed by his victory. This really fills out the picture sketched by James Oakes above. A superb book, perhaps essential reading in American history.

“The Yiddish Policemen’s Union,” by Michael Chabon (Fourth Estate, 2007).

The setting is the Temporary Jewish Preserve of Sitka, Alaska, home to about two million Jews after the Holocaust and the defeat and slaughter of the Zionists in Palestine. The preserve was granted to Jews for 60 years, and is scheduled to revert back to the US in a couple of months. The protagonist is Det. Landsman, an alcoholic, depressed, lonely, divorced cop, who sets out to investigate the apparent suicide of a heroin-addict neighbor, who turns out to be the chess-genius, miracle-working, gay son of the Verbover rabbi, leader of the biggest, most powerful criminal family in Sitka. A noir, Sam Spade police procedural, only the slang is Yiddish and the attitude is echt Jewish. Cops are latkes; guns are sholems; cell phones are shuylers, etc. Wisecracks, aphorisms, wisdom, philosophy, a good whodunit and whydunit. Loads of fun, especially if you have a sense of Yiddish.

“The Pride and the Anguish,” by Douglas Reeman (G. P,. Putnam’s Sons, 1968). The activities of an RN squadron of small coastal gunboats stationed in Singapore in the first months of the war in the Pacific, from just before Pearl Harbor to just after the fall of Singapore. Protagonist Ralph Trewin is an RNR lieutenant who had seen service at Dunkirk, Greece and Crete. The captain is a strange, controlled martinet, with the usual gang of subordinates. Well enough written, good action, insight into the emotions and state of the British as they are driven back and defeated. Our hero, of course, manages to come out all right, and with the love of a beautiful woman. Quick, easy read.

“Infidel,” by Ayaah Hirsi Ali (Free Press, 2007). I hope I remember this book and keep to its message. The autobiography of a woman, born in Somalia, raised in Kenya and Saudi Arabia, fled an arranged marriage, settled in Holland, learned Dutch, earned a masters in political science, became a member of Parliament, and has dedicated her life to freeing women from the oppression of Islam. Along the way she went from being a dedicated, pious girl to fierce questioning of her religion to apostasy and atheism. She documents the torment and torture suffered by women throughout the Muslim world---which she argues is embedded in the essence of Islam. She called Muhammad a pedophile and a tyrant. Theo van Gogh, an iconoclastic Dutch filmmaker, was murdered for making a 10-minute film with her about the perils of submission to Islam, and resistance to it. She spent years under extremely tight security as a result. She argues against multiculturalism when it condones and allows oppression of women. She apparently is also a full libertarian. Now she lives in the US and works at the American Enterprise Institute (no wonder the left is very wary of her). It’s not just that this is a brave book---everything about her life appears to be brave. She apparently is also very headstrong, very intelligent, very stubborn, very articulate.

“The Last Kingdom,” by Bernard Cornwell (HarperCollins, 2005). First in a trilogy about England’s fight against the invading Danes, led ultimately by King Alfred of Wessex. Protagonist begins as Uhtred, a young boy in Northumbria, sees his father defeated and killed, is “adopted” by Danish leader Ragnar the Fearless, becomes virtually a Dane himself. The three northern English kingdoms are defeated, but Alfred manages to stave off destruction. Eventually Uhtred, subtly influenced by Alfred, joins the English side. Well written, decent characterizations, yet another fairly unknown period of English history (the English here are the Angles and Saxon invaders fought by Arthur and the Britons centuries earlier in “The Winter King” trilogy.

“The Pale Horseman,” by Bernard Cornwell (HarperCollins, 2006). Part II, in which Alfred is betrayed and driven into the swamps, where Uhtred figures out how to destroy the Danish fleet and force the Danes to consolidate, Alfred burns the cakes, Uhtred’s son dies, his wife become a nun, he falls for the Briton Iseult but she is killed by the Danes, and he is involved in the English victory over the Danes at Ethandun. Fast, smooth, well-written adventure with history attached.

“Lords of the North,” by Bernard Cornwell (HarperCollins, 2007). Part III. Uhtred returns north with Ragner and Beocca, at Alfred’s behest. There he helps create a Saxon-Dane kingdom led by Guthred, charismatic and idealistic but weak. Guthred betrays Uhtred into slavery, from which he ultimately escapes. Sven, Kjalten and Ivaar are all defeated and dispatched in various gruesome ways. Uthred seems to be united with Gisela, Guthred’s sister. Old feuds are dealt with. Christians and pagans try to coexist. Tremendously bloody. Uhtred is the greatest warrior. It’s all part of some subtle plan by Alfred to win control of all of England. More fun.

7/5/07

“Falling Man,” by Don DeLillo (2007). I am not as enamored of DeLillo as most of the literary classes. Couldn’t get far into “Underworld.” This one is much smaller than his previous work, shorter and (I think) much more opaque. I didn’t know what to think, so looked up some reviews. Two from the Times: Frank Rich loved it, Michiko Kakutani thought it was dismal. In NYReview of books, says, “the current book is merely blank with shock.” That’s it. Everything is numb, no matter what they are doing. It’s a post-9/11 novel. Protagonist Keith survives the crash and collapse and staggers uptown to Lianne, his estranged wife, and their young son. There is a series of vignettes. They sort of fall back together. He encounters a young black woman survivor, from the same tower (he had picked up her briefcase); they have a brief sexual affair. Their connection is the bond of having been through the horror. Gradually he begins to obsess on poker (he and several WTC friends had a poker game; only two of them survive), spending more and more time in Vegas, winning enough to survive. She leads an Alzheimer’s group who are writing memoirs, and gradually disappearing as their minds fade. One of the hijackers is shown also. Rich finds the book tender. I tend to agree. It’s a puzzle---but so is our life after 9/11.

7/24/07

“The Aeniad,” translated by Robert Fagles (Viking, 2006). Very modern, very colloquial, very readable translation. The story is a Roman sequel to Homer, but this story is far more personal and individual. The story of Dido and Aeneas is a powerful, tragic love story, something Homer never considered. The Trojan Horse, destruction of Troy, Laocoon, arrival of the Trojans in Italy, war with the Italians, Aeneas’ victory but then the ultimate union of the two peoples. Very good things, though distant in a way people like DeLillo are not.

“Yoni, Hero of Entebbe,” by Max Hastings (Dial Press, 1979). The story of Yoni Netanyahu, the brilliant, courageous Israeli soldier who led the rescue of the hostages at Entebbe and was the only fatality. Netanyahu is described as a superb soldier and leader, deeply involved with his men, ultimately unable to have a stable domestic life. He was becoming both a territorial extremist, seeking expansion of Israel, and deeply pessimistic about the future of the state, surrounded by what he was beginning to see as totally implacable enemies, perhaps entering a state of perpetual war. No wonder Hastings’ book was unpopular in Israel at the time. His younger brother is Benjamin Netanyahu, the American-sounding extremely hard-line Israeli PM.

“Torpedo Run,” by Douglas Reeman (William Morrow, 1981). Another of Reeman’s adventures in lesser-known theaters of war, this time the Black Sea. Lt. Commander John Devane leads a squadron of MTBS transported to a Soviet base in the Black Sea to help counter German naval efforts in and around the Crimea. Lots of action against E-boats, struggles with unsympathetic superiors, conflicts among the Soviets. Clear, quick, fun.

“Clash of Chariots: the Great Tank Battles, by Tom Donnelly and Sean Naylor (Berkeley Books, 1996). Originally done for Army Times. Account of the development and use of tanks from Cambray to Desert Storm, including the Six-Day and Yom-Kippur wars. . Not terribly technical, nothing completely new to me, but lots of interesting detail about specific campaigns, focusing on the use of armor. Charts of the capabilities of various tanks up to the M1A1. Argues that the tank will continue to have a place. This was before the Iraqis figured out how to really hurt them in the cities.

7/26/07

“Damned Good Show,” by Derek Robinson (Cassell, 2002). Another good one, this time about Bomber Command in the period from the beginning of the war through the Phony War and the Blitz up to just before they went to area bombing. Full of that incredibly funny and heartbreaking black humor of the fliers, the stiff upper lip. But also how awful the flying was, how horribly inaccurate the bombing, how poorly trained the crews, yet how important it was to morale to keep going. The usual unexpected deaths of main characters, always a bit of a surprise. In this case, protagonist Langham, who has been the focus of the first half, is shot down halfway through. The second half goes off on an apparent large tangent, about filming the war and the bombing, before coming back to the main characters again. So one doesn’t feel the impact of loss---it seems too cut and dried. One never becomes attached to anyone, unlike Piece of Cake, which was ultimately devastating, or A Good Clean Fight, which just leaves the reader feeling miserably blank. Still and all, important story well told. None of the impact of the great war novels, of course.

Aug. 3, 2007

“Once Upon a Country: A Palestinian Life,” by Sari Nusseibeh with Anthony David (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007). Nusseibeh’s family in Jerusalem dates back at least to 800 AD, when the Calif Omar, conquering and entering the city for the Muslims, gave his ancestor responsibility for the keys to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a task they carry out to this day. Nusseibeh himself was educated in British-style schools in Jerusalem, then in Oxford and later at Harvard. He is secular, deeply read, knows and appreciates Western literature and philosophy, teaches philosophy, etc. After telling the story of his family, and his father, who was a very prominent figure in Palestine and Jordan, he explains that he himself had never been political. Initially he dreamed of a democratic secular state in Palestine; eventually he came to realize that would never happen, and began arguing for two states, a return to the 1967 borders (with parcels negotiated), end of the settlements, the Palestinians giving up the right of return and forming a demilitarized state. He became an underground leader of the first intifada, describes several negotiations with Israel during the 1980s that were destroyed alternately by Rabin and Arafat, talks of how the Israeli occupation became more and more oppressive, considers the second intifada a hopeless waste, abhors Sharon, has close ties with Peace Now and Israeli peace activists, and tries even today to be optimistic. Clearly much of the book is self-serving, he put glosses over some Palestinian actions though he consistently deplores their violence and says it is terribly counterproductive. Very interesting----Andy exploded at even my brief description of it.

8/9/07

“The Emperor of Ocean Park,” by Stephen L. Carter (Knopf, 2002). Very rich, falls apart after a while. Sociology, portraits of middle and upper class black society with murder mystery as sweetener. The Judge, narrator’s father, was a very powerful man who was nominated for Supreme Court, undone when story came out he had met with Jack Krieger, an even more powerful mobster who was his college roommate. Life in Elm Harbor, which is not New Haven, at a university and law school which is not Yale or its law school. The very complex history of the black family (Carter calls them the darker nation, whites as the paler nation). Judge left clues about an even worse scandal for the son to find; all sorts of shady characters try to find out “the arrangements,” while Talcott (Tal, Misha), has no idea at first what they talking about. His estranged wife, meanwhile, is up for a federal judgeship. Lots of office politics, federal politics. In the last quarter, gets tiresome with all the ins and outs, the machinations seem less and less real. Ultimately, turns out the Judge, upright and stern as he was, was completely corrupt. Talcott loses his wife, finds some faith, his life goes on. Interesting if not as wonderful as I’d heard.

Aug. 13, 2007

“The Most Noble Adventure: the Marshall Plan and the Time when America Helped Save Europe,” by Greg Behrman (Free Press, 2007). Well, now I really know about the Marshall Plan. Behrman starts in 1946-47, when Europe was starving, ruined, prostrate, demoralized. The Americans—especially Gen. George Marshall after meeting in Moscow with Molotov and Stalin---realized the Soviets were not only not going to help, they would do their best to prevent any improvement, and try to extend domination using the powerful Italian, French, Greek etc. Communist Parties. Marshall suggested a plan whereby the US would provide billions of dollars in aid to Western Europe, but using European organizations and mechanisms, and following European requests, so the Europeans would help themselves. Within just a couple of years, with many obstacles, a group of very capable, high-ranking Americans helped develop monetary reform, reductions in tariffs, cooperation between France and Germany, turned the British economy around, etc. etc. etc. By the outbreak of the Korean War, when anti-communism, McCarthyism and Soviet and Chinese aggressiveness made remilitarization almost inevitable, the Marshall Plan had basically created a unified, healthy, stable, confident Western Europe, setting the stage for the steps that led to the European Union.

Very detailed, sometimes overwritten (he suffers from multi-syllabic misuse of vocabulary) but very interesting for someone who knew almost nothing about it.

Aug. 16, 2007

“Red Mutiny: Eight Fateful Days on the Battleship Potemkin,” by Neal Bascomb (Houghton Mifflin, 2007). The full story of the revolt. Nice enough. Full of detail about the tsar’s situation, the terrible conditions in the navy, feeling in the country as the Russo-Japanese War was being lost. Interesting that Lenin sent someone into the country to try to reach the sailors, but missed the ship. Interesting also how confused everything was, how the various revolutionary or reforming movements argued and disagreed and basically got nothing done---Lenin had reasons for advocating a tough, brutal, centralized revolutionary vanguard, and there clearly was nothing in Russia with the power and breadth of the American working and middle classes. Ultimately, I got bored and just wanted to get through with it.

Nov. 17, 2007

“The Coldest Winter: America and the Korean War,” by David Halberstam (Hyperion, 2007). His last book, completed just a few weeks before he was killed in a car crash. Huge. He goes far beyond the details of the war itself, to lay out not just the political background in China and the US, but with lengthy biographical sketches of the key players, particularly MacArthur (who seems to be worse and worse as a person and leader the more I read about him). He also excoriates Gen. Almond, MacArthur’s second, as out of touch, incompetent, etc. The accounts of the fighting are generally familiar to me, although he begins with the Americans’ first contact with the Chinese at Unsan, something I had not know in much detail. He explains in detail what was happening in China and the USSR, especially China: Mao’s position, the military decisions they made as they watched the Americans advance, how Lin Biao refused to take the command, how the Chinese underestimated the Americans’ technological superiority while the Americans fell into the old racist trap of Westerners vs. gooks. He spends a lot of good time on the American political scene, explaining how McCarthy and the China lobby together made it almost impossible for Truman to face MacArthur until it was too late. Good accounts of Gens. Walton and Ridgeway. Interesting accounts of the destruction of the 2^nd Division and the retreat of the Marines from Chosin. Overall, a pretty sad story, with a sense of some what-ifs but mostly a feeling of inevitability. Also, one sees how the creators of American foreign policy have degenerated, from the highly sophisticated, non-ideological thinkers of WWII to the partisan ignorance of today.

12/1/07

“The Day of Battle: The War in Sicily and Italy, 1943-1944,” by Rick Atkinson (Henry Holt, 2007). Second volume of “The Liberation Trilogy,” follows “An Army at Dawn.” Fascinating. Well-written. The debate over Sicily---Yanks still want cross-Channel, Churchill going thru the Med. He’s right, the Allies are not ready to fight the Germans on head on. But there are no real strategies, no plans for what to do after each invasion. The conflicts between Patton and Montgomery, then Clark. The continual failures of preparation and planning, each of which is an important lesson that paves the way for Normandy. Continuous mistakes. The only general who comes off well as a strategist and tactician is Albert Kesselring, who anticipates Allied moves, responds quickly and effectively, positions his troops well. Not even Patton comes off well. He’s got lots of energy and verve, but no interest in logistics, planning, all the detail work essential to a victorious campaign. Ambivalent about Clark. Excellent descriptions of the battles, the maneuvers, the feeling of the men, the absolute horror and misery of the winter fighting in Italy. Lays out the Anzio campaign particularly well---leaves you unsure whether the Americans did right not to advance too far. The sadness that Rome fell on the day of Normandy, so the Italian campaign disappears from Page One. Also, the Italian campaign keeps losing troops and equipment to the Normandy invasion. One question: there seems to be almost no interaction with the Pacific campaign, where the Americans were learning a hell of a lot about amphibious warfare.

Dec. 12, 2007

“15 Stars: Eisenhower, MacArthur, Marshall: three generals who saved the American century,” by Stanley Weintraub (Free Press, 2007). First, the subtitle is very overblown. Weintraub doesn’t talk about the concept at all. Then: the more I read, the more it becomes apparent that 1) MacArthur was arrogant, pompous, vain, probably incompetent, and dangerous; 2) his theater was actually relatively small compared with the European theater, and he split the Pacific with Nimitz. 3) Marshall was the great one. He seems to have been not merely brilliant and a genuine patriot, but astoundingly selfless. He gave up the chance to lead Overlord, the combat command he had yearned for all his life, because FDR discovered that he could not conduct the war without Marshall in Washington---and ultimately everyone else agreed. He literally answered his country’s call: just as he was about to go on a long=desired vacation, he gets a call from Truman and snaps back to work. The Marshall Plan itself was a wondrous creation. Eisenhower is somewhere in between. Weintraub faults him for not defending Marshall from the McCarthyites, for not speaking out against McCarthy for political reasons. Weintraub never shows him being a great leader, an innovative strategist, etc. He was able to get everyone to work together just as long as they had to. Montgomery gets worse and worse the more I read. But he is never as despicable at MacArthur.

Dec. 13, 2007

“The Reluctant Fundamentalist,” by Mohsin Hamid (Harcourt, 2007). A very disturbing book. Extraordinarily quick read---took it out of the library at 3:15, finished it before 6. More like a novella---184 pp, large type. It is in the shape of a first-person narrative: a bearded man sits down by an American in a Lahore restaurant as evening falls, and begins talking to the reader. The narrator is a Pakistani who studied at Princeton, fell in love with a beautiful, rich American who had a tragic love affair (her lover died of lung cancer), and worked for a very powerful American firm that specialized in determining what a company is worth---all in the years just before and soon after 9/11. He is seduced by power and America, but gradually begins to realize his can never be an American and also sees how disgusting America is to---if not the rest of the world, at least the less-powerful world. As the narration continues, he observes that the American is sophisticated, knowledgeable, armed---and speaks of the coming evening as the American becomes more and more concerned at the carnivorous meal being prepared. The conclusion is foregone---but it’s not. It’s the voice of (at least) the Muslim otherword, and probably the entire impoverished, powerless Third World, speaking directly to the US. Profoundly disturbing.

Dec. 23, 2007

“The Canon: A Whirligig Tour of the Beautiful Basics of Science,” by Natalie Angier (Houghton Mifflin, 2007). Combative, comprehensive journey through the sciences and some math, including statistics, proportion, physics, chemistry, evolutionary biology, molecular biology, geology and astronomy. Combative, because she is very aware of some of the controversies, particularly in evolution, where she speaks about the scientific meaning of “theory,” and dissects “intelligent design.” Quite interesting and clear. But the writing can be very annoying: she shows off an awful lot, makes lots of jokes, puns, cultural connections (many of them so au courant that in 10 years they will be close to incomprehensible). Still, a valuable book to have around.

Dec. 25, 2007

“Jerusalem,” by Cecelia Holland (Forge, 1996). Her view of the world is so bleak. Here the story is of the last years of the Christian kingdom of Jerusalem, from the life and death of Baudoin the Leper to the life and failure of his intelligent, ambitious, but unfortunate sister Sybilla. The sad character here is Ranulf Fitzwilliam, a Templar knight, a great fighter, strategist and tactician with a tremendously tortured relationship with God. He is a Templar to fight and repress his violent and lustful nature. The court is surrounded by treacherous, scheming nobles, whose constant conflicts finally result in the destruction of the Frankish army, the slaughter of the Templars, and the impending fall of Jerusalem. Saladin watches, is defeated momentarily, but finally triumphs through the stupidity of his foes. Well-written, vivid characters, but bleak. Holland thrives on pessimism. The human project will never succeed.

Dec. 28, 2007

“Suite Francaise,” by Irene Nemirovsky, translated by Sandra Smith (Vintage International, 2006). Nemirovsky was a Russian Jew who fled with her family to France in 1920, after the Bolshevik Revolution. She became fully French, and during the 1930s was an acclaimed novelist and writer. After the invasion, she and her husband were forced out of the city by anti-Semitic laws, though she was supported and defended by one-time powerful friends. Meanwhile, she planned out a five-part novel about the war, and wrote the first two sections: “Storm,” about the invasion, refugee flight and return to normalcy under occupation; “Dolce,” about life in a peasant village occupied by a German regiment during three months leading up to the invasion of Russia. It’s wonderful. Her writing is full of descriptions: of flowers, the sky, the atmosphere. The weather is gorgeous while the French flee in misery and panic. She follows a number of people: a loving middle-class couple, a high-level artist, a rich fop, several members of the upper bourgeoisie, a few peasant families. The panicked flight, and the rapid loss of civility; the inability of the wealthy to imagine that their lives could change; the banker who is perfectly happy to continue his banking under the Nazis; the boys who run off to fight; the relations between townspeople and soldiers---all the Germans seem to be blond, strong, fair and all-around gorgeous, as well as disciplined and courteous, while the French hate them yet cannot express it. The way the individuals think, how their moods and minds change---profound and thorough. She is fearless in denunciation of cowardice, acceptance of humiliation, clear-eyed about what was happening around her. A remarkable balanced, almost objective account of the events during the period (probably because much of it was based on what she herself experienced).

Nemirovsky died in Auschwitz Aug. 17, 1942. The manuscript was saved by her daughters during their years of hiding. They never even read it until the last few years, because it was too painful.

Dec. 30, 2007

“The Complete Persepolis,” by Marjane Satrapi. A gem. The comic strips in which Satrapi told the story of her life from childhood in a well-to-do Tehran family through the overthrow of the Shah, the coming of the mullahs, her family sending her to Vienna and her miserable life there, return to Tehran and eventual move to France. The illustrations are simple but not naïve; the facial expressions tell all you need to know. Psychologically telling, also: the child enthusiastically mouthing slogans, having conversations with God in her bedroom, etc. She doesn’t ever seem to grow more sophisticated or comfortable with the world---but the world never lets her get comfortable.

Jan. 7, 2008

“Marco Polo: From Venice to Xanadu,” by Laurence Bergreen (Alfred A. Knopf, 2007). The story of his life, which I had never really known. Polo spent more than two decades in the Mongol Empire, and his account of life there, according to Bergreen, had transforming effects on Europe. The Mongols particularly the emperor Kublai Khan, were tolerant of other religions and cultures. KK himself appears to have been eager to know more about the world. The Chinese were centuries ahead of the West: moveable type, gunpowder, bureaucracy, ships with watertight compartments, welfare, supplies of surplus food distributed to the poor. Their cities were huge, well-laid-out and maintained. The Mongols were an occupying force, but relatively benign. Their presence kept trade flowing and communications open. Polo was interested in everything---Bergreen documents his sexual and individual maturity by his increasingly detailed accounts of Chinese and Mongol sexual practices, and his growing tolerance for and appreciation of Buddhism. It makes Venice sound small and tawdry in contrast. Polo’s accounts, which were distributed in more than 100 manuscripts, laid the foundation for other stories of travel to the East, including Mandeville’s---and Polo appears to have been the only one who actually went there. Bergreen says that without Polo there would have been no Renaissance. The writing is sometimes annoying, clichéd, could have used firmer editing. Still….

“Kramer’s War,” by Derek Robinson (Viking, 1977). Robinson’s third novel, and he hadn’t really hit his stride. Either that, or I recognize a formula, or something that kept me from becoming truly engrossed. Plot: An American B-24 bombardier washes ashore on Jersey, a British island that was occupied, peacefully, by the Germans. English and Germans have developed a cautious armistice: the Germans leave the Brits alone, the Brits provide them with food and supplies. The Germans are building huge defenses. Kramer, who seems to be both naïve and a bit stupid, begins some sabotage, which many of the Germans do not even realize is sabotage. Kramer begins to upset the status quo, but just as things are about to collapse, Rommel visits, says the fortifications are a waste, and D-Day happens---somewhere else. Some interesting characters---shell-shocked German vet of Eastern Front, general who is disconcerted by the lack of resistance, Englishmen with varying degrees of response. Neat, interesting, but lacks the punch of the later books.

Jan. 13, 2008

“A Game of Thrones,” by George R. R. Martin (Bantam, 1996). Read on Lee’s recommendation. First volume of what was supposed to be a trilogy but, he says, now has four volumes and counting. Extremely complicated sword and swash story about a feudal world of many kingdoms, warring families, liars, traitors, spies and so forth. After a while it was hard to keep track, or to stay all that interested---the plot turns keep turning and turning. The heroes, such as they are, are the Starks of the northernmost kingdom. The father, Eddard, is a great, virtuous, honest lord; his wife loves him but mistrusts him because he fathered a bastard and won’t tell her who the mother is. He has five children: the oldest,

Robb, who takes over when Eddard goes south to serve as the King’s Hand. There is the bastard, Jon, bitter but loving and would be loyal, who is sent to keep watch on the huge northern wall that keeps the Others out. There are two daughters, one pretty, naïve and romantic; the other is a tomboy with a bad temper; a second son witnesses an incestuous meeting between a queen and her brother, who murdered his uncle and plot to kill Robert, the king, and take over the kingdom. They push him out a window and he is crippled but lives. Then there are a pair of dragonlords in a southern realm populated by nomads (think Mongols). Their father had conquered the northern kingdoms and been defeated and killed by Robert, Eddard and other families. The brother wants to use the nomads to take the kingdom back, and betroths his sister to the nomad chief, who eventually comes to love the chief and, when he dies, gives birth, sort of, to three dragons. Meanwhile, the wicked queen has killed Robert, imprisoned Ned (Eddard) for treason, etc. And north of the wall strange monsters are gathering. Summers last for years in this world. But winter is coming. Sort of fun, but way too long. Greatly overwritten and –plotted, like Stephen King.

“Goshawk Squadron,” by Derek Robinson (1971, XXX) The first one, although, as it turns out, the third in his WWI trilogy. All the ingredients are there: dry, nonstop, mordant humor and wisecracks, big mix of characters, deeply cynical view of the war. Major Woolley beats the crap out of his young pilots to toughen and train them to actually survive in the air. They’re a mixed lot. The fighting involves the last German offensive, and they can’t stop it. This is the formula of “Piece of Cake,” “War Story,” and “Damned Good Show.” His writing about flying is wonderful---he clearly loves flying. The later books are richer and more fully developed, but all the elements are here. “Kramer’s War” apparently was a dead end.

1/22/08

“Blindness,” by Jose Saramago, translated by Giovanni Pontiero (Harcourt, Brace, 1995). Very powerful, very disturbing. Contagious blindness strikes an unnamed, modern city. The disease is spread rapidly from person to person. The second one afflicted is an ophthalmologist. Only his wife can still see, but she keeps it a secret. At first, society tries to handle it medically. Then the government begins quarantines, putting people in an abandoned mental hospital. Society crumbles very quickly. Blindness is terrifying, far worse, it seems, than loss of any other sense and faculty. Within the asylum no one even tries to assert authority, but some levels of distinction begin to emerge, only to be drowned by the continuing deluge of new victims. Eventually all of civilzxation appears to come to an end. At one point, a gang of bandits—blind, too---takes control, with one gun, clubs and unity. They demand more and more, finally begin taking the women. Attempts at rebellion fail. Finally, one woman sets a fire, the building burns down and the survivors go back into the world. There, bands of the blind try to sniff out food. The original group eventually finds the doctor’s home, where there is food and some comfort. Then, suddenly, they can see again. And the doctor’s wife goes blind.

Very intense. Deeply personal and passionate; frightening. How thin is the veneer of civilization, etc.---but even further than that. The question of whether sightless humans can survive at all is not asked, though it is there all along.

“Kingdom of Shadows,” by Alan Furst (Random House, 2000). I missed this one earlier. From the perspective of a Hungarian noble/diplomat/ad exec in Paris. He is slowly drawn into espionage and secret actions by his uncle the count. Adventures in Hungary, Romania, Vienna, Paris. In the year or so leading up to September, 1939. The small countries know what is happening, keep hoping that the powers will stop Hitler, When that fails, an attempt to bring Poland, Hungary, Romania, Yugoslavia together defensively. Nicholas begins to encounter the French, Nazi, British and Russian agencies. He engages in missions to save people, finally to bring out a Jewish-American musician held from ransom in Vienna. As usual, Nicholas is irresistible to women; the love for Paris, for good food and wine, are palpable. Nice enough.

4/7/08

“God’s Crucible: Islam and the Making of Europe, 570-1215,” by David Levering Lewis (Norton, 2008). Fascinating book ruined by bad writing. Lewis argues that things would have been better for Europe if the Muslims had defeated Charles Martel and Pippin, and continued their conquests. The result, he says, would have been a continuation of the golden age of al-Andalus, tolerant under Muslim law, technologically adept, well=administered, relatively free of corruption, far advanced of the primitive, narrow, brutal Christians who dominated the lands that became France, Germany and Italy. He gives a good history of the area, from great civilizations that preceded and in some cases coexisted with Rome, speaks of Zoroastrianism as the first great monotheistic religion, describes the warfare between Byzantium and the eastern states that left them both exhausted and ripe for the picking when the Muslim armies stormed out of Arabia. Good brief bio of Muhammad and description of the problems of the succession, etc. Describes in some detail the Muslim civilization and culture of the Iberian peninsula, and the nascent Christian kingdoms north of the Pyrenees, with interesting discussion of Charlemagne, what he tried to create, and what was lost. Also focuses on what he considers the powerful if unfortunate alliance of church and state---the Pope needed Charlemagne, he needed the Pope, and the civilizations that grew up from there demanded that everyone become Christian or die, which was something the Muslims did not.

But the writing---oh my god. In an attempt to seem clever, he persists in using the wrong words. The editing is awful: “More than 250 years later, 249 years to be exact,” geographical directions that clearly incorrect, etc. The guy won a Pulitzer and a Macarthur grant---it can’t be for this kind of work.

“The Catalans,” by Patrick O’Brian (Norton, 1953). One of his earliest novels, written not too long after he and Mary moved to Colliure. One can hear his voice in the magnificent, painterly descriptions of landscape, scent and taste. He also seems deeply in love with Catalonia, the peasants, the habits, the ethos, even as he sees that it is deeply ignorant, cruel and narrow. The plot concerns a doctor returned from the East because his prominent family is in a tizzy: the family’s leader, the mayor of the town, has fallen for a peasant girl half his age and wants to marry her. This threatens the family’s fortunes, and would ruin the mayor besides. There are lengthy conversations about all this, and how the individuals feel, even philosophical discourses, mildly experimental attempts at dialogue. Some O’Brian themes are here: the effects of brutal parenting, the discomfort with children, the concern about the careful balance of relationships and power. But he draws back from the seeming inevitable tragic conclusion to let the young lovers escape---typical Po’B. Despite his efforts, the characters are interesting, not involving. Without Jack and Stephen, this would be a nice, insignificant novel.

5/24/08

(Sorry; Haven’t been here for a while. I’ll blame the press of classwork.)

So Sad To Fall In Battle: An Account of War Based on General Tadamichi Kuribayashi's Letters from Iwo Jima. Reconstruction of the battle from the Japanese side, using letters from the general, other officers and soldiers, and interview with survivors. The other side of “Flags of Our Fathers.” Kuribayashi was a very talented general who realized he was not going to get any support from the mainland. He developed a different method of defense. Rather than fight on the shoreline, he let the Marines land and move inland, then attacked from intricate, strongly concealed and fortified positions. Took the Yanks by surprise. He held out far longer even than the Japanese had expected. His methods then used at Okinawa, which was just as tough and bitter a fight. Proves, as if it had to be proven, that the other side is human too.

Bleak House, by Charles Dickens. One of his last and perhaps greatest novels. There are many familiar elements: the young orphan raised by a succession of bad and good people; the older guardian who turns out to be the loved one. This time uses the British courts, particularly a long, complicated, endless lawsuit, the will of Jarndyce vs. Jarndyce, a will, to caricature and belittle the system. What a cast of characters. Every single person, even if on stage for one page, is given depth. They change, develop, become richer. Wonderful devices: switching between the first-person narrative of young Esther as she grows, to the general omniscient narrator who is constantly glancing at, winking at, communing with the reader as a partner and companion in observing the story. The old soldier; Mr. and Mrs. Jellyby; Lord and Lady Dedlock (she has a not so surprising secret, he changes from almost brainless snob to surprisingly tragic figure); the wards Ada and Richard; the dread lawyer (and villain) Tulkinghorn. Rich if overall predictable, wonderful writing, description of the filth of London, the lush pleasures of the English countryside.

The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke. Presented, it seems, in chronological order. In the early stories, from the 40s, he is casting around among subjects and voices. By the start of the 50s he’s established: strong science base; witty, amused and bemused English narrator. You can see him positing a situation (how would anti-gravity work? what happens if an alien lands in a typical British town? What would happen if a person was inverted?). The unforgettable stories: the Deep Range; The Star; The Nine Billion Names of God. The prescience: multistage rockets; ever more powerful computers; etc. A bit hard to read too many of them at one sitting, though. Best in short doses.

Six Armies in Normandy, by John Keegan (Viking, 1982). Only Keegan’s second book. Sort of a warmup. He examines the campaign in northern Europe from D-Day to the liberation of Paris. by looking at the actions of individual units. 82^nd Airborne for the paratroops; Canadian 3d Division for the main landings; the 51^st Highlands Division for fending off the German panzer counterattack the British armor in Operation Goodwood, around Caen: the defeated German counterattack around Mortain; the 1^st Polish Armoured Division closing the Falaise Gap; the French Second Armored Division liberating Paris. Through this he weaves all the thread leading up to the opening of the second front, including lessons learned at Dieppe, etc. Solid. Maps okay; interesting photos.

American Sphinx: the character of Thomas Jefferson, by Joseph Ellis (Knopf, 1997). Not a biography, not a psychobiography, but an attempt to find the elements of character in the man. His shyness, weakness in speaking, great strength in writing. His wish to remain in the background, to have others do things for him, to remain aloof. His emphasis on ideals without compromise, unwillingness to compromise or to recognize practical difficulties. Above all, his belief in a vague, non-specific world where men cooperated and lived together in harmony, opposed to any attempt by any sort of government to coerce or, basically, to govern. He and John Adams, the North and South Poles of the Revolution. He the very first anti-government figure in the US. His movement away from abolition as he realized the economic difficulty of removing slavery from the south. His ability to think great thoughts and take enormous chances---the Louisiana Purchase. His constant battle with John Marshall, who represented all the governmental forces he despised. Not only are the origins of the anti-government forces of the recent right found here, but I also detect elements of Stephen Goodman’s ideal of anarchism, though Stephen doesn’t know Jefferson and resists any attempt to define the ideal anarchist community.

Constantinople, Capital of Byzantium, by Jonathan Harris (Hambledon Continuum, 2007). Essentially, a brief history of the Byzantine Empire told through the history of the city. Harris starts by asking what made the city special, and examines its many elements: how it was created by Constantine and the myths about that. Why it was so nearly impregnable: the excellent location on a peninsula protected by rapid tidal currents and a thick double layer of walls, ditch and moat. The system of immense underground cisterns to supply water. The palaces, how the emperors built immense palaces and the incessant infighting, intrigues, palace coups, etc. The deep involvement in religion: the many magnificent churches, hundreds of holy relics, a sense that the city was blessed by God. Its wealth, mostly accumulated through taxes on the trade that flowed through from east and west. The city was huge and fabulously wealthy, full of shrines covered with gold, silver and precious stones, the exclusive purple garments, etc. Beneath the turbulence of the emperors, who killed one another, blinded one another, brother against brother, cousins against cousins,etc---a complex, sophisticated, efficient bureaucracy to run the place. And then it all started to come undone, gradually losing land to the Muslims. The beginning of the end was the Fourth Crusade, when one ousted emperor invited the French and Venetians to conquer the city. They did, to everyone’s surprise, and sacked it terribly (thousands of Byzantine treasures found their way throughout western Europe. By 1300 the city was almost ruined. When the Ottomans finally penetrated the walls (they used cannon), the place was a shell of itself.

“The House of Mirth,” by Edith Wharton. Written in 1905, described as her masterpiece. Between Henry James and Fitzgerald. The story of a beautiful, intelligent, educated, poor young woman who must marry a rich man or be ruined. But the wealthy men are shallow boors. The only man who attracts her, and who is attracted to her, is a relatively poor young fellow, independent, an insider who sees from the outside. She can barely acknowledge her feelings for him. She travels among the extremely wealthy, living for months with one or another, being entertaining and amusing, famous for being herself. But she always manages to throw off the marriage chance. Finally, destitute, disinherited, unable to work, she kills herself. The writing is keen, strong, clearer than James but with the same sharp eye---this time with much more understanding of the woman. These are the Gatsby people---no, these are the old money who the Gatsby people would love to become. I didn’t realize until close to the end what was going to happen. I kept waiting for the happy ending. No. This is too honest a book.

“The World on Fire: 1919 and the Battle with Bolshevism,” by Anthony Read (2008, Norton). I learned a lot. The year after the end of World War One was anything but peaceful. Europe and the United States were wracked by strikes and rebellions. The Bolsheviks took control of Russia, and began ruthlessly to eradicate the upper and middle classes, and anyone else Lenin and Trotsky considered a threat. They also tried as hard as they could to create revolutions elsewhere in Europe. Meanwhile, the Whites, supported (sort of) by Americans, British and French, fought to overthrow the Reds. Socialists, anarchists, union organizers, proto-fascists, racist of every kind battled for supremacy in Germany, France, Poland, Hungary, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Romania. Powerful strikes almost brought Britain to her knees. Many of the same forces were at work in the United States, along with fear of immigrants such as Jews, Russians, Italians, you name it. Read spends time in every country, recounting the nature and types of struggles. For me, history in the US is especially powerful. While there were forces trying to establish soviet-style systems, and a series of very serious, well-planned bombing and assassination attempts, by far the great majority of strikes and other actions were by patriotic workers just trying to get---48-hour weeks, one day off a week, small raises in pay, etc. But the forces of capital, nativism and fear---Morgan, Hoover, Palmer---combined again and again to defeat the strikers. They were supported by the press, which was definitely controlled by the ruling class. There are great similarities with today: the mass arrests with no charge, attempts at deportation, violations of habeas corpus, etc. But at that time, at least, the courts were strong enough and principled enough to throw out most of the charges. Except for Actors Equity, the unions, strong and united as they were, lost almost every fight. This book helped explain a lot of 20^th Century American history to me.

7/9/08

“The Ministry of Special Cases,” by Nathan Englander (2007, Knopf.) Englander, who is not Argentine but (I assume) is Jewish, imagines the world in Buenos Aires after the generals’ coup when the military began “disappearing” thousands of people. Most of the time, the government would not even confirm that these people, many of them students or young, existed or had been taken. Kaddish Poznan, the son of a whore; his wife Lillian; their son Pato. Poznan is a very small-time crook. His kinds, the pimps, gamblers, whores, etc., are ostracized by the legitimate Jewish community, the doctors, lawyers, engineers, etc who are their children. Poznan makes a living by chiseling the names off the gravestones of embarrassing elders. His wife works for a lawyer who handles wealthy clients. Pato is feckless, a kid, who doesn’t particularly want to do what his father does. After the coup, Pato is picked up after a series of tiny blunders---he didn’t have his ID car; he was in a club that was raided; he owned some apparently subversive books. Kaddish and Lillian each go crazy in their own ways trying to get him back, to discover his fate. The Ministry of Special Cases is the Kafka-esque agency where Lillian goes, to discover nothing. Finally, Kaddish decides Pato is dead, but he can’t have a funeral because there is no proof of death. Lillian decides he is alive. We learn that he has indeed been killed. A hallucinatory novel.

July 16, 2008

“Retribution: The Battle for Japan, 1944-45,” by Max Hastings (2008, Knopf).

‘[Japan] is guilty of a collective rejection of historical fact.” Next to last paragraph of the book. It’s a companion to “Armageddon,” his account of the end of the war with Germany (which I thought I’d read, but it hasn’t been documented). At first I thought it would just be covering ground I was familiar with. It does, but almost always with a fresh eye and interesting details. But, even better, it covers little-known territory: the British-Indian battles over Burma, Gen. Bill Slim’s brilliant campaign to reconquer the country. He calls Slim Britain’s greatest general. His contempt for MacArthur is bottomless. The only thing Mac did right was his speech on the Japanese surrender, and the nobility and generosity of his treatment during the occupation. Otherwise he is incompetent, arrogant, insubordinate, completely self-involved, concerned almost entirely with PR; not one of his campaigns gets good marks. Then again, very few general officers merit praise: Halsey was clearly fooled; Spruance was wiser, Nimitz did a superb job but got very little credit. The Japanese do not do well: inflexible, individually brave but the higher officers and the strategy and tactics are woeful—starting with the decision to go to war with the US in the first place. Also, the Japanese campaign in China, with interviews of Japanese and Chinese soldiers and civilians; the battles in the Philippines, not just Leyte Gulf; the Soviet invasion of Manchuria; The bombing and firebombing of Japan. He examines all the arguments criticizing the American decision to drop The Bomb, and concludes that while there are some elements that might have been done differently, ultimately it was necessary. It ended the war sooner, saved hundreds of thousands if not millions of lives, was a natural continuation of the brutality that had gone before. The first firebombing of Tokyo killed more people; the bombings would have gone on. Tens of thousands would have starved; etc. Great detail on the brutality of the Japanese from long before Pearl Harbor. Condemnation of the Japanese refusal even to acknowledge their savagery. Interesting notes on the failure of the British Pacific Fleet: planes not sturdy enough, refueling methods slow and primitive, ships not on a par with the Americans, heavy losses for not much accomplished. Now I have to read “Armageddon.”

7/25/08

“Old Filth,” by Jane Gardam (2004, Europa). The life of a Raj Orphan, born in Malaya—mother died in childbirth---raised until 4 by a Malayan woman, then sent to England (Home), raised by a foster parent w/two distant cousins, then to public schools, eventually to a legendary career as a London solicitor. Called Old Filth because he coined the term “Failed in London, Try Hong Kong.” Told in two ways: he the aged figure, essentially unaware of who he has become, sturdy, private; flashbacks to previous incidents. Others say of him, nothing ever happened to him. But in fact much did, including service as the Queen Mother’s bodyguard during WWII, the loss of his dearest friends; sent to Singapore to be with his father to escape the Blitz, but “fortunately” doesn’t arrive till after the fall. The women who loved him, and he didn’t really know it. Beautifully written---restrained, simple, much implied.

Aug. 4, 2008

“Armageddon: The Battle for Germany, 1944-1945,” by Max Hastings (2004, Knopf). More powerful, more critical than “Retribution,” about the Pacific War. He pulls no punches: Montgomery could do set-piece battles, little else, was arrogant, tone-deaf, almost incompetent. Eisenhower’s great strength was his ability to keep the Allies together; Otherwise, no particular gifts as a war-fighting general. The Allies produced no great generals, though Patton might have been if he’d been a Nazi or a Russian. The Allies produced some good corps commanders. The Wehrmacht was unquestionably the greatest army of World War II, from imaginative, bold, resourceful generals down to the lowliest individual soldier. They held off the huge, overwhelming Allied and Russian armies through brilliance, doggedness, courage, spirit, etc. the Russian generals were very good, mostly because they did not care about casualties and were more afraid of Stalin than of anything else. Allied soldiers were generally not good fighters, because they were civilians, not bred to fight, not brutal, unwilling to get themselves killed. Their tactics were not very good, they were too worried about their flanks, went to ground under fire, waited for artillery and air support to do the work. The war in the West should have been won in September, 1944, but the Allied command became complacent, lost its boldness, dithered, wasted time, lost the opportunity. Montgomery’s Arnhem assault was a bad idea from beginning to end. The American paratroops fought well; the British airborne were slow, poorly organized, had lousy communications, and were too lightly armed. The British army was slow; stopped for tea; would not fight at night; did not push through with any urgency. And lots more descriptions of campaigns like that. Also excellent accounts of the fighting on the Soviet and German sides. The starvation of Holland. The Warsaw rising, which the West should have discouraged. Very tough on the Germans---they kept fighting even when it was hopeless. If they had given up early, much less damage would have been done. If they’d even let the Western Allies in more easily; if they hadn’t insisted on killing everyone they could get their hands on, in the camps, among prisoners, etc. The brutality of the Russians, except it was a natural response to what the Germans had done to them. Roosevelt snookered by Stalin almost till the end, by which time FDR was too ill to do much about it. Not that there was much to do---the Russians kept what they controlled. Whew.

Aug. 10. 2008

“Quartered Safe Out Here,” by George MacDonald Fraser (Skyhorse, 2007---originally 1999, England). Here Fraser, famous for the Flashman series, tells of his six months or so with a section of Cumbrian soldiers in the 17^th Indian Division during the end of the war in Burma. This was after Gen. Slim’s 14^th Army had defeated the Japanese at Imphal and Kohima, and was engaged in a massive offensive that wound up destroying three Japanese armies and throwing them out of Burma. It’s a very personal account of the very small war the individual soldier sees. Dirty, frightening, confusing, in which the only things one can hold onto are the men in your small section (guess it would be a squad in US Army). These soldiers don’t appear to be draftees---they’re older, hard-bitten, not the sort of guys you’d want to meet in a dark alley but the best sort to be with in a fight like this. Fraser describes the fear and the filth, but his manner is sparkling and a bit wise-ass, so one is not left with a sense of horror, foreboding, deep cynicism as in the Americans Mailer, Heller or Jones. He also spends time settling accounts, arguing against the soft “political correctness” of the late 20^th Century. These soldiers don’t feel guilt or shame about what they did. They had no choice. They did what they did because that’s what war is about. The battles he describes don’t seem anywhere as intense as the island fighting of the Pacific war, or the European fronts. The army he is facing is on its last legs, but is still very dangerous. Should the US have dropped the bomb? Hell yes, says GMF and his muckers. Oh—his use of dialect is priceless, and his portraits of the men are deft and (though he wouldn’t like to hear it) tender.

8/19/08

“Worlds at War: The 2,500-year Struggle Between East and West,” by Anthony Pagden (2008, Random House). Fascinating if flawed and contentious. He says the root of the conflict, which has gone on since the Greeks and Persians, stems from a Greek description: the Greeks (and their western heirs) value the individual and freedom, no matter the poverty and misery in which they find themselves. The Persians (and by extension easterners) may be brave, bold, intelligent, sophisticated, but they are subservient and willingly accept mastery and even slavery. Note: He is only concerned with the relations between West as in western Europe, and what we would call the Mideast: the Arabs, Turks, Persians, Egyptians, etc. No concern with China or India or any Asian cultures.

With lots of anecdotes, discussions of philosophy and religion, he follows relations from the Persian wars through Rome (when there was no distinction between East and West, they were all part of the empire), the rise of Christianity, decline of Rome, Byzantium, rise of Islam, reign in Spain, the Mamluks, Napoleon, the Ottomans, till today. Major argument: Christianity allowed the rise of the modern secular state when Jesus said “render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s,” thereby separating church and state (crudely put). Islam, on the other hand, is expressly political: whatever government there is must be acceptable under Sharia and the Koran. Ultimately, he says, there will probably always be conflict because Islam, even under fairly moderate circumstances, requires a constant struggle between believers in the house of Islam and non-believers, in the house of war. Contemporary fundamentalists, Osama etc., tracked back to Qutb, Wahabbism, etc. He sees Israel as a spear in the side of the Ulema. He remarks that Islam allows truces and ceasefires with non-believers, but never full peace. Heavily influenced by Bernard Lewis, of the “clash of civilizations.” Said is dismissed in one or two pages. He argues that “Orientalists” were not merely imperialist, but were engaged, sympathetic, curious, relatively unbiased.

Engagingly written, but marred by continual factual errors even I can see, such as confusing west for east in the direction of prayer, or saying that Syria’s military, not Egypt’s, was wiped out in the Six-Day War.

8/20/08

“Flashman and the Mountain of Light,” by George MacDonald Fraser (1991, Knopf). My first Flashman, encouraged first by the PoB folks, then by the “Quartered Safe Out Here.” Sharpe with sex. Flashman considers himself a coward, a cheat, a scoundrel, who wants nothing more than to drink and make love with just about every woman he sees. Somehow, though, he keeps finding himself in extraordinary situations and being seen as a hero. All during interesting periods of the British Raj, also the American Civil War, Custer’s Last Stand, etc. This time he’s in India at the time of the First Sikh War, when the Sikhs’ magnificent army, the Khalsa, egged on perhaps by their nymphomiac majarani, crosses the Sutlej River in the Punjab and somehow is met and defeated, finally destroyed, by an outnumbered, outgunned and exhausted East India Company army. Flashy beds everyone, including the queen; spies, conspires, is betrayed, captured, escapes, etc. etc etc. Finally comes out the hero who enables the Brits, aided by the queen (who really wants to destroy the Khalsa), to win and maintain peace on the Northwest Frontier. Fun. Great characters (the book is full of footnotes explaining events, some of which may be real, some not), lots of tweaking noses, etc. e tracwith l

9/01/08

“The Cave,” by Jose Saramago, translated from the Portuguese by Margaret Jill Costa (2000, Harcourt). I really have no words to adequately describe the book or the writer. Brief plot: Cipriano Algo, elderly potter (62!), a widower, makes pottery in ancient kiln used by father, grandfather. One day the Center, the ultra-modern, all-encompassing mall-cum-world that is slowly swallowing the city and country, says it doesn’t want the pots anymore; plastic ones are cheaper and sell better. Subplots: Son-in-law trying to get promotion to resident security guard at center; daughter is pregnant; lost dog wanders into family; youngish widow may be a new mate for potter. The writing: not stream of consciousness, but run-on sentences, no breaks to indicate who is speaking, narrator breaks in to comment and give info, all sorts of wonderful ruminations on life, love, meaning, reality, etc. The surprise: the Center, excavating for more expansion, makes a discovery. Top secret. Cipriano, bored with life at the Center (he has moved in w/daughter and son-in-law), sneaks down to see what it is. He finds, at end of long, dark cave, six mummified bodies: three men, three women, held with ropes at neck and feet so they cannot move, facing wall, and huge area of scorched earth behind them. He decides to leave the area; so does son-in-law and daughter; they are reunited with the widow, Fausta, and all move away. The Center advertises: COMING SOON, THE PUBLIC OPENING OF PLATO’S CAVE, AN EXCLUSIVE ATTRACTION, BUY YOUR TICKET NOW. Marvelous.

“Compromising Positions,” by Judith Isaacs (1978, Berkley paperback). Isaacs’ first novel, the one that made her famous. Murder of a successful periodontist in a wealthy community very like Great Neck. Judith Singer, bored but smart housewife-narrator, becomes interest, starts to investigate on her own. Turns out the guy was screwing all sorts of women, was involved in porn, was being investigated. Singer gets all sorted of involved; lots of dirty talk from women (obviously scandalous at the time); lots of dirt; lots of nasty remarks about rich and upper middle class. She falls for the detective lieutenant (her husband ignores her). They start an affair and solve the case. Fun, fast, the template for dozens of novels since.

10/3/08

“Flashman and the Angel of the Lord,” by George MacDonald Fraser (1995, Knopf) in which our hero---much against his will, of course---finds himself shanghaied and forced by all sides---Abolitionists, slaveowners, federal government---into working with John Brown and taking part in the raid on Harper’s Ferry. The usual fun and games, ladies can’t resist him nor he them, lots of reflections on how venal, stupid, ridiculous are humans and all their follies. Yet ultimately Flashman seems to respect and even admire Brown, as a steadfast, intelligent, brave, consistent foe of slavery, even if he didn’t know what to do once he’d captured the town and really didn’t have any plans for a slave rebellion. Well-grounded in historical fact, as usual.

10/25/08

“The Spies of Warsaw,” by Alan Furst ( 2008, Random House). This time it’s Warsaw from 1937 through 1938. The protagonist is a French lt. colonial, Mercier. He is, as usual, a dashing dog. His chief victim is a hapless German senior engineer at an ironworks, who has been blackmailed through love/lust into delivering blueprints to Merciier. As things progress, Mercier makes his way into Germany to observe armored maneuvers in the forest, and to gather invaluable strategic documents. He encounters and eventually rescues a husband and wife Soviet espionage team who fall afoul of Stalin’s purgers. Lots of evocative scenery, and especially good about the sense of a looming war---no fear, almost resignation. Mercier and his superior become convinced the Germans are going to invade through the Ardennes. But the high command won’t listen---they’ve got their own plan and they’re sticking to it. Quick, easy, fun, with the undertone of melancholy.

11/07/08

“Palestine Inside Out: An Everyday Occupation,” by Saree Makdisi (Norton, 2008). Makdisi was born in Washington, raised in Beirut and educated in the US. This is a distressingly detailed account of the daily effect the Israeli occupation is having on Palestinian residents of the West Bank and Gaza. It describes the tortured, convoluted paths people must travel to get from one place to another, for farmers to go from home to field, to get medical assistance, to shop for food. It talks of the often-arbitrary, sometimes cruel behavior of the Israeli soldiers, border guards and officials. It presents maps of the area, showing exactly how Israeli settlements, roads, roadblocks etc. have broken the West Bank into tiny sections, with the Palestinians sandwiched uncomfortably among them. Its account of a visit to Hebron is wrenching: the gradual disappearance of life in the Arab areas the closer one comes to the center and the settlement; how netting is placed over the streets to hold back the filth and garbage Israelis fling at Palestinian. It documents the vicious behavior of the settlers toward their Palestinian neighbors. Etc. Much of the account is based on documents from the UN and outside observers. No wonder Israelis mistrust the UN, but the facts and figures are there. It’s shameful. I don’t see how I can ever visit Israel. No matter how lovely, friendly, historic and vibrant Israeli life and culture are, they exist on the surface, above a noxious, toxic situation that is rotting Israel from the inside (not that the Palestinians have not contributed to their own situation). At this point I think it will even be difficult to have conversations with my friends about the situation.

11/17/08

“The War of the Flowers,” by Tad Williams (Daw Books, 2003). This was recommended by Lee. Good choice. Big fantasy about Faerie, a parallel world with occasional contacts with the human world. Its inhabitants call “magic” “science.” There are goblins, dwarves, sprites, nymphs, fairies. The top of the heap are the Flower families. The Big Seven rule the world in a feudal fashion. Since the death of the king and queen, they make power by forcing other creatures to become power generators. Their world is very like ours, but the creatures look different and have powers. Plot: Theo Vilmos, lost young musician, is taken into the other world. Some Flower lords have sent a creature to capture him. Accompanied by a sprite named Applecore (of the Apple clan), he learns his way around, and discovers he is actually a fairy lord sent to the human world to keep him safe from the power-hungry Flower lords. Not just an interesting world, but some actual character development. And although you know things will turn out well, you don’t know how. Fun.

12/2/08

“Picasso: A Biography,” by Patrick O’Brian (Putnam, 1976). Didn’t finish it. Started very well, beautifully written, great detail and observation, PoB writing. But gradually became bored. No illustrations. Too much novelizing, too much character development. Somehow it began to seem more about the writing than the story. Although things would have been a lot better with illustrations, since he spends so much time describing them and giving antecedents, progression, etc. Disappointing. Maybe I found Picasso’s life to be boring.

“The Fortress of Solitude,” by Jonathan Lethem (Doubleday, 2003). Wonderful. Best novel I’ve read in a long time. Story of two boys, Dylan Ebdus (white) and Mingus Rude (black) growing up on the same block in Boerum Hill/Gowanus in the desperate 70s. It’s a black/Latino neighborhood with a smattering of white gentrifiers. Dylan is the protagonist, and it’s a growing up/coming of age story. Starts when he’s around 5-6, not comprehending, just aware that as a white boy he is going to be attacked constantly. Mingus has had a smattering of middle-class education, and takes Dylan under his wing for no clear reason. They grow up together, navigating very treacherous territory of school and street. Eventually Dylan makes his way into a stable world, while Mingus falls into the land of drugs and crime. Among the joyous things here, for me: It’s about a Brooklyn that I recognize: I know the streets, the landmarks, the games: stoop baseball, skelly (called scully), hopscotch (which I knew as potsy). It’s a very different place from mine, much tougher and more dangerous, at a time when the city itself was ragged and scared. Would I have made it, or would I have been the other white kid, starting out in a private school, sheltered and bright, forced into a public school by divorce, gradually falling away and turning into a lost street person? Solid, satisfying, memorable.

“Royal Flash,” by George MacDonald Fraser (Plume paper, originally 1970) The second of the bunch, in which he angers the young Bismark, and is enveigled into Germany in a convoluted plot to pretend he is a Danish crown prince pledged to marry a German duchess, having to do with Danish and Prussian designs on the duchy of Strackenz. He is trapped, escapes, engages in a battle of wits and weapons with Bismark and his allies, beds the duchess and Lola Montez (who is actually an Irish pretender), among others. Much about the politics of German Europe as well as England of the 1840s. An interesting side note about British boxing, in which a retired 60-year-old champion easily defeats the younger, stronger Bismark, who is humiliated and swears revenge on Flashy.

“Flashman at the Charge,” by George MacDonald Fraser (Borzoi, 1973). Flashy goes to the Crimea, participates in all the famous events of Balaclava, including the charge—farting and terrified, where he is captured heroically while trying to run away. Keeps having heroic adventures when all he wants to do is escape. Discovers a Russian plan to invade Afhanistan, escapes, recaptured, freed by tribesmen, takes part in defense of their land against Russians, returns a hero again. Beds all sorts of women, throws one of them to the wolves from troika, etc. Very nicely written, witty, clever.

12/16/08

“Lincoln and His Admirals,” by Craig L. Symonds (Oxford, 2008). Symonds is a naval historian, professor emeritus at Annapolis. Here he focuses on the interactions between Lincoln and the navy, mostly in the context of how the president learned how to handle and work with the individuals involved. There is not too much on the battles, more on the strategy and tactics, most on the politics and personal relationships. One of his objectives is to show how Lincoln grew into an executive who knew how to handle so many fractious, ambitious individuals. He writes of the conflicts between Seward and Welles, the navy secretary; the difficulties first of creating a navy almost from scratch to the point it was probably the largest in the world (if focused mostly on coastal and riverine warfare; the beginnings of combined army-navy operations and how hard it was to get the two services to cooperate. It’s also fascinating how quickly Grant was able to take charge once he was made general in chief---Lincoln was secure that he knew what to do, and let him do it. Before that, the president was giving orders almost to the battlefield, since his generals and admirals weren’t doing a good job. The conclusion is poignant: On April 14, 1865, after lunch he went to the Navy Yard, as he always enjoyed doing. He toured the monitor Montauk, was very happy, and spontaneously invited everyone to join him that evening to watch “Our American Cousin” at Ford’s Theater. The end.

12/23/08

“Infinite Jest,” by David Foster Wallace (Back Bay Books, 1996). Well, Dave Eggers has it right when he talks about Pynchon and Gaddis in connection with this thing: huge books by immensely clever, smart, inventive, creative people which after a while become terrible, aggravating bores because their authors are so pleased with how immensely clever, smart, inventive, creative people they are that they just keep going and going and going. I got to P. 207 of a 1,079 page book and had not yet discovered a plot. There were plenty of characters: a talented, nerdy young tennis player at a Massachusetts tennis academy; his NFL star older brother who can punt the ball farther than anyone in history; both accomplished drug users; their younger, “developmentally disabled” younger brother; various other druggies in and out of a Massachusetts rehab facility; their father, an alchoholic former tennis prodigy who made dense, virtually incomprehensible movies. Lots and lots and lots of writing far more brilliant than you or I could ever accomplish. Hundreds of pages of footnotes. Taking place in a near future (post Subsidization) in which, apparently, the calendar and everything else have been bought by advertisers (Part of it takes place in the Year of the Depend Adult Undergarment). Something has happened to the US, some sort of geological or geographical upheaval. As you can see, it’s full of wonderful ideas. I just didn’t feel like reading more than a thousand pages of wonderful ideas. That’s why I can’t read Pynchon any more, and have no interest in Gaddis.

“Flashman and the Tiger,” by George MacDonald Fraser (Knopf, 2000). A trio of novellas about Flashman. In the first, the longest, ”The Road to Charing Cross Station,” he is seduced Bismark’s agents into insinuating his way into the Austrian Kaiser’s retreat in an attempt to stop an assassination which would cause World War I much too soon. He is trapped by a vengeful, deadly killer and saved by a beautiful, deadly damsel. The next: “The Subtleties of Baccarat,” he tries to suppress a cheating scandal that would have stained the Prince of Wales. Finally, “Flashman and the Tiger,” he is stalked by a vengeful, deadly soldier who is methodically murdering a group of men, including Flashy, who sold him into slavery many years before. During this we get his account of Islandwana and Rorke’s Drift. Also, while disguised as a better, he encounters a detective much like Sherlock Holmes who deduces many things about him, all of them wrong. Fun. Fast. Somewhat educational. Boy, he and the ladies sure love each other.

1/4/09

“The Best of All Possible Worlds: A story of philosophers, God and evil,” by Steven Nadler (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2008). The philosophers: Gottfried Leibniz, Nicolas Malebranche, Antoine Arnauld. Their debate, running through the second half of the Seventeenth Century has to do with the nature of God. He is omnipotent, omniscient, creator of all. But does he have choices? If this is the best of all possible worlds, per Leibniz, could God have chosen a different one? Is this the only possible world? If God consults his wisdom before creating the world, that means one part of him is superior to another. Are there limits to his power? Must he use reason to guide him, or is the concept of reason limiting? Is God a rational being, like humans but far superior? Is he far beyond any comprehension? If his decisions and actions are not bound by reason, they are arbitrary and incomprehensible. Then why be good? If God is benevolent, how explain evil and bad things? Because, says Leibniz, we can only see a small part of the picture. If we could see the whole thing, we would understand. Are good and evil concepts in the being of God? The three philosophers—two of them priests, Leibniz a courtier and polymath---argue with one another with increasing vehemence. Arnauld’s concept of God is of a being beyond reason. Leibniz and Malebranche disagree mostly about whether God chose to create this world or whether his own actions are limited in some way. Also, are there concepts that not even God can affect: will 1 and 1 always be 2; will the three sides of a triangle always add up to 180 degrees? Etc. If that is so, then there are limits to God’s power. But perhaps God can create a universe where contradictions exist, where math has different results?

And as they argue, there is always the specter of Spinoza, who said that God and Nature are one, that one cannot speak of God acting in any way.

Very clear, simply written. My head spun, but not so badly as to be sent away uncomprehending.

5/22/09

(I can’t believe I have been away so long---I missed the entire semester and I’ve forgotten much of what I read)

“Special Topics in Calamity Physics,” by Marisha Pessl (Viking, 2006). For the first third of so, this is a female version of the adolescent coming-of-age tale. Brilliant, pampered by her also brilliant father, who is a wandering professor specializing in left-wing revolutionary parties and events. They settle in one small town, she enters a snotty private school, encounters the leaders of the pack who are in thrall to a mysterious woman named Hannah Schneider. Each chapter is the name of a classic novel; the narration is full of annotations and references to works and movies, most of which are false. I kept reading just to see where the hell it was going. Was becoming very tiresome, when suddenly it turned into a murder mystery which was fun. Who killed Hannah Schneider? Who was Hannah Schneider? Ultimately, it becomes who is the girl’s father really? He turns out of be a revolutionary leader, one with Hannah and other conspirators. At which point the damn thing disintegrates again. The clever, witty, so-smart writing that I hate. Although you do feel a bit for the girl, Blue van Meer. Maybe I’ll read it again some time, just to make sure.

5/29/09

“The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao,” by Junot Diaz (Riverhead, 2007). This is an antidote to “Special Topics.” In only 335 pages, a vibrant account of life in Dominican New Jersey/NY and the Dominican Republic. Along the way, history of the DR under Trujillo and after. Plot: focus on three or four generations (hard to keep straight) of a Dominican family, from the erudite, sophisticated physician who eventually runs afoul of Trujillo, his third and only surviving daughter, and her children, Oscar (actually Huascar) and Lola. Very funny, very clever, full of sex and some violence. From narrator Yunior’s perspective, the Domincans’ life is dominated by sex. But Oscar---fat, pimpled, nerdy, deep into commix and Dungeons and Dragons---can’t get laid, can’t even get a kiss. While Lola is the bright, beautiful one. And her mother, also bright and gorgeous, who barely gets out of the DR. Quick, easy reading. Footnotes here too, but they add to the story; they’re not just flourishes. The writing is extremely erudite, moving easily between English and Spanish, references to all sort of literature from Moby Dick to Lord of the Rings to D&D, etc. I will look up his first book, “Drown.”

6/5/09

“1948: The First Arab-Israeli War,” by Benny Morris (Yale University Press, 2008). Morris is one of the original “revisionist” Israeli historians. Decades ago he began writing books based on the actual military records of the IDF and others, demolishing many of the myths of the founding of the nation: that the Israelis (the Yishuv) were actually better prepared for the fighting than either the Palestinian Arabs or the Arab armies; better armed, better organized, and by the end they outnumbered the Arabs. He documented Israeli atrocities; Israelis forcing Arabs to flee, not the Arabs being encouraged to leave by their own side. This volume may be the culmination of all that, and it seems to be far better balanced. He traces the beginnings of Zionism, the first settlers/colonists, the fact that the Arabs resisted from the very beginning. Before he gets to the fighting itself, he shows how the Palestinian Arabs often hit first, but that there was conflict on both sides. The Zionists knew what they were doing: Ben Gurion said that if he were an Arab he would fight back too. Then he gets into the war, in great detail. First there was a civil war, he says, between Zionists and Palestinian Arabs—instigated by the Arabs, who struck first and who often mutilated and slaughtered captured Jews. The Haganah and Palmach held the Arabs off, then went on the offensive and destroyed the Palestinian militias and in the process destroyed Palestinian society. Then the Arab armies attacked; the Israelis held each of them off. The Arab armies, much larger than the Israeli forces, were also not well trained, often poorly equipped and badly led. Jordan was the toughest, made the greatest inroads, and had the least desire to fight. Egypt had the largest army, with the most materiel and strongest air force. But it was incompetent and not highly motivated. Ditto with Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. In just about every case, the UN and the western nations only stepped in when the Israelis were about to wipe out the other forces. He documents significant and continuous animosity toward Israel within the US State Department and in the UN. But he also shows that the members of the UN were not all American toadies; the US had to work hard to get them to vote to support Israel. He also finds that there are very strong, deep strains of anti-Jewish feeling going way back in the Arab Muslim world, with roots in the Koran. He does accept that the Arabs never would consider the slightest compromise, never would accept any possibility other than eliminating all Jews from the land. As for refugees: he shows that the first refugees went for various reasons, to escape the fighting. The Palestinian leadership tried to get them to stay, not to flee; soon the Israelis realized that the departure of the Arabs would be a good thing, and began to encourage and force them out. There were atrocities on both sides, Israelis killing prisoners, women and children, too. There are fewer instances of that from the Arabs mostly because they didn’t capture many Jewish settlements. Seems like a reasonable, balanced book, but I suppose it raises lots of hackles, especially among Jews who don’t’ want to hear anything bad about their side.

“Rainbow Mars,” by Larry Niven (Tor, 1999). I didn’t realize until more than halfway through that this is a collection of novellas and short stories written from the early 70s through 1999. They all are about time travelers coming back from a far distant future, when all non-human animals are extinct, the atmosphere is so poisoned that humans going back in time can’t breathe our air. The largest work, “Rainbow Mars,” involves an expedition to Mars to a time when there was life there. The explorers find half a dozen species fighting one another and the human; a huge tree hanging from space, which turns out to be draining Mars of all its water. The tree arrives on Earth and begins doing the same. A lot of the story is confusing at first; there are jokes: the time travelers appear to be gods because their air-filter helmets look like halos; a Portuguese conquistador named Jack begins climbing the tree, which they call a Beanstalk, and the humans change silver into gold for him; a horse is really a unicorn; a gila monster is really a dragon; they visit a time when the sentient beings evolved from wolves; a ghost tries to kill Svetz the traveler. Fun, clever, quick.

6/8/09

“Fighter: The True Story of the Battle of Britain,” by Len Deighton ( Castle, 2000). Probably the best non-academic account of the conflict. Details of the history of flight explained in terms of the need for power in engines, developments in understanding of aerodynamics, design, tactics and strategy. Good explanations of the aircraft involved, though he does assume that the reader already knows some of the issues---especially when talking of the Bf 110, its flaws and advantages. History of English and German flying training, development of radar, organization of the opposing forces. Quick studies of the individuals involved, their rivalries and failings. He has high praise for Hugh Dowding, whose fighter strategy and tactics, his husbanding of fighter strength and assignment of planes, he says, essentially won the battle; he eviscerates Trafford Leigh-Mallory, for his wrong-headed “big wing” idea and his scheming to overthrow Dowding---who was forced out of the RAF and completely ignored in the early official histories. Similarly, he doesn’t think much of Milch on the German side, etc. All in all, however, Deighton makes it clear this was a very near-run thing. Any one of several decisions the Germans made would have won for them. He sees them mostly as bunglers, the British as determined to do whatever was needed to win.

“We Look Like the Enemy: The Hidden History of Israel’s Jews from Arab Lands,” by Rachel Shabi (2009, Walker and Co.). Shabi was born in Israel of Iraqi Jewish parents and was raised in England. From the photo, she looks like a European woman. Thus, perhaps, was she able to get so deeply into the story, and present it with some balance. Essentially, it’s a tragedy: Iraq’s Jews were fully functioning parts of the society, as were Jews in most of the other Arab states. They in some cases were tricked (by Zionists) and almost forced to move to Israel. She makes it clear that Zionism was a European phenomenon. Also, that the Mideastern Jews (known as Mizrahis) were and still are treated as second-class citizens, inferior to the Ashkenazim, culturally backward, stupid, illiterate, dirty, all the traits visited on the inferior “race.” Didn’t matter that they had their own deep, long, rich history, music, food, etc. They suffered great discrimination, in land distributions, resources, education, etc. etc. Partly as a result, she says, they became ardently patriotic, anti-Arab, supporters of Likud when it portrayed itself as the champion of the poor and oppressed. Very good work on the pre-Israel and early parts of post-independence days. Seems to get more tendentious when trying to explain the thinking of Mizrahi today. Another sobering account, this time from inside Israel.

“Vicksburg 1863,” by Winston Groom (2009, Knopf). Starts a bit clichéd, but soon becomes gripping, detailed, powerful account of the campaign on the Mississippi culminating in the fighting around Vicksburg and the siege. Written by a southerner, so there is a bit more negativity about the Northern forces. But well-balanced nevertheless. Clear-eyed accounts of the generals: Pemberton, who held Grant off for months and months, emerges the undervalued Confederate hero. Groom is a member of the Grant-the-drunkard school, though his quotations from eyewitnesses seems pretty strong. He shows Grant as learning on the job, trying gambit after gambit, failures by the Navy and the Army, until he finally gets on the right side of the Mississippi below the city and then defeats Confederate forces again and again to cut the city off and finally strangle her. Joseph Johnston comes off very badly, same with McClernand on the Union side. Thorough, readable.

7/3/09

“K Blows Top: A Cold War Comic Interlude, starring Nikita Khrushchev, America’s Most Unlikely Tourist,” by Peter Carlson (2009, Public Affairs). Carlson was a writer for the Washington Post and People. He got interested in Khrushchev’s trip to the US in 1959, and wrote engagingly about a strange, amusing, frightening episode in US-Soviet relations. He recounts the kitchen debate in Moscow, complete with Bill Safire’s role. Khrushchev is shown as a very smart, brutal, clever, curious, indomitable Cold Warrior, and the Americans puzzled, bemused, amused, confused at what goes on. Eisenhower is tough and smart, but he can’t outmaneuver the old Commie. Nixon is clever but as nasty as always. The trip is full of odd incidents---K in a supermarket, in San Francisco, touring LA, on a farm. There are occasions when the right wing---sounding not different today from then---sabotages everything by intemperate speeches and undiplomatic behavior. Thank goodness there were a lot of reporters in those days---Carlson goes far beyond the mere NYTimes accounts. He gives a good sample of Murray Kempton. K goes home exhilarated, maybe even a bit looser---but then comes U-2, Gary Powers, and the whole thing blows up. Well-written, amusing, interesting, unusual bit of history.

“A Blue Sea of Blood: Deciphering the Mysterious Fate of the USS Edsall,” by Donald M. Kehn Jr. (2008, Zenith Press). The Edsall was an old four-piper destroyer of the US Asiatic Fleet, among the dregs of the Navy in the Pacific, part of the bedraggled fleet that was wiped out by the Japanese in the first few months of WW II. But Edsall’s fate had been a mystery: she sailed off and was never heard from again by US forces. Turns out, through Kehn’s extraordinary research and tenacity, including some astounding interviews with Japanese survivors, that Edsall ran into almost the whole Kido Butai, the striking force. The battleships and cruisers were all faster and more heavily armed than she. But she ran them ragged for more than two hours, until finally they had to send the planes to get her. According to the account Kehn pieces together, there was a handful of survivors picked up by the cruiser Chikuma and then landed at the base of Kendari in Java, where they were all beheaded and buried in unmarked graves. Kehn gives a history of the Asiatic fleet, accounts of some of its final battles, an account of the tremendous confusion, disorganization and panic it experienced. He has done lots of research (much of it based on resources now available on the web), and has no hesitation expressing his opinions. He has nothing but contempt for MacArthur, thinks the Japanese did pretty badly themselves despite their triumphs. Many of the problems they encountered---poor gunnery, bad communications, confused chains of command and even ship misidentification---continued and helped defeat them as the war continued. Fascinating book.

“The Witches of Eastwick,” by John Updike (audiobook). This is not the movie I remember. The three women are all divorced and having affairs with different married men in Eastwick. They are catty, gossipy, casting little spells here and there. When along comes Darryl van Horn, a clumsy, arrogant, vulgar, aggressive New Yorker with a lot of money who buys a grand old mansion on a little island in the bay. He seduces them all---one by encouraging her sculpture, another with her music, a third by her curiosity. They become a quartet, screwing in his hot tub and laughing at everyone else. But with his presence they grow meaner. They cast spells to kill a neighbor dog. They drive the newspaper editor to murder his nasty wife and shoot himself. Another man runs off with a little radical and blows himself up. The children of the editor arrive, and the daughter, of all people, marries Darryl. The women are furious; they cast a spell to kill her. Appalled, two try to reverse it but can’t. Another coven of witches arises, as powerful and a bit nicer than they. Ultimately, Darryl leaves followed by scandal, and each of the three women finds a husband. Beautifully written and observed. Updike is a magnificent writer. Perhaps this is a tale of the power of women and what happens when they are thrust out of control by divorce. Not a comedy at all.

“Robert Frost, a life,” by Jay Parini (1999, Henry Holt). Wonderful book. Combines scrupulous, detailed, careful reconstruction of the poet’s life with brilliant exegesis of the poetry. He was the greatest American poet of the 20^th Century. Parini shows how he constructed his work, how careful, how deeply educated he was despite never having completed college, how rigorous in his language. Also, his love for his wife Elinor, their travails, the woes of their children, physical and mental, his own continuing ill-health over the years. His competitiveness, his determination to succeed as a poet, his many contradictions: the individualist who needed to be among people, the solitary soul who needed company. His wit, his wisdom, everything. Not to mention that to me he becomes even more the essence of the New England Yankee, flinty, tough, shrewd, wary, smart. He is the poet of labor, of the farmer and laborer, yet he is among the most sophisticated men of his age. I read poems I’d never seen, got more insights into familiar ones. Parini also takes an interesting, critical look at previous biographies, the way their view of Frost changed, especially the Lawrance Thompson three-volume biography: Thompson was one of Frost’s closest companions, but he became bitter and angry at the poet and portrayed him as a brutal, callous monster. Parini spends a lot of time proving Thompson wrong. Fine with me.

“Gates of Fire,” by Steven Pressfield (Doubleday, 1998). An account from the Spartan side of the Battle of Thermopylae. The conceit is that this is the account of a survivor, found after the battle and brought to tell his tale to Xerxes. The Greek is an orphan raised in Sparta, and his story is a detailed account of the life of the Spartans and the Hellenes, full of detail about the food, clothes, training, weapons, military drill, tactics, etc. There are examples of philosophical discussion, such as the meaning of fear and a search for the opposite of fear (which is love, not courage). The descriptions are graphic and gut-wrenching. The events take place about 10 years after the battle of Marathon. Turns out there were more than 300 Spartans at the Gates: these were the selected Peers and Knights of the realm, but they had squires, attendants, and others; there was also a significant force of allies. At the end, though, only the Spartans (and the Thespaians) stayed for the last day. Pressfield’s writing is generally workmanlike and dramatic, but toward the end he assays some Homeric metaphor and simile, which works fine. The book is historically accurate, based on apparently lengthy and scrupulous research, which does not weigh the story down at all. Impressive. The picture one gets of Sparta is not of the bleak, humorless soldiers---Pressfield tells of the sources of their military prowess.

Aug. 3, 2009

“Mars,” by Ben Bova (1992, Bantam Spectra). Perhaps first I’ve read by Bova. Won’t be the last. Initially worried that it would be dull. It’s not. And it is pure, genuine science fiction, thoroughly grounded in fact and possibilities. Even the characters get interesting. Expedition to Mars. Two teams, two landers. They explore. One geologist, who is lucky to be aboard, is half American Indian, bit of a maverick, forces team to go where he wants---which is a huge canyon, at the bottom of which there seems to be water. And they finally find life---microscopic organisms, true, but actual life. All done with mounting suspense---politics at home threatens project, rivalries on Mars, gradual, mysterious illness which turns out to be scurvy caused when meteorites puncture the dome station, station atmosphere pure oxygen for a while, which leaches the vitamin C from their pills, and they gradually become sick. The canyon expedition almost dies. Decent writing, superb plotting to hold the science, or vice versa.

“The Virtues of War,” by Steven Pressfield (2004, Doubleday). This time Pressfield does Alexander. The device: As his army plans to cross the Hydaspes to fight Porus in India, Alexander narrates his life story to a young soldier. History from the time of Philip. Excellent description of the strategies and tactics of the great battles, from Chaeronea through the Issus, Gaugamela, etc. Plus the interactions among the leaders, Alexander’s change from brilliant youth to transcendant conqueror, as his men change too, the Macedonians, his ability to win them over whenever they waver. With some of those Greek discourses, this time on maintaining balance while growing godlike. The remarkable affect on them all of the glimpses of Eastern philosophy. Not as profound as “Gates of Fire,” more tactical stuff, lots of description of the awfulness of war. Deals with the virtues that come from war. Also includes a set of Alexander’s principles of warfare.

“The Enemy at the Gate, Habsburgs, Ottomans and the Battle for Europe” by Andrew Wheatcroft (2008, Basic Books). The struggle between Catholic Habsburgs of the Holy Roman Empire and Muslim Ottomans under the sultans, in the 15^th and 16^th centuries. Wheatcroft argues that it was not so much a religious conflict as one between two competing empires. Includes the history leading up to the siege of Vienna in 1683, such as the history and eventual destruction of the Kingdom of Hungary, the Ottoman armies and tactics, the Tartar light cavalry which swept all before it on the open plain. The Habsburgs at all times were disorganized, fractious, facing wars on two borders (with France under Henry XIV in the west). The Ottomans were superbly organized, relatively efficient, excellent at logistics and planning. But their armies were run from the top; when the leader was killed or fled, the army disintegrated. The siege of Vienna: The emperor fled---Habsburgs taken almost completely by surprise. But a tremendous defensive effort; Ottomans gradually gaining ground, until they in turn were surprised by the appearance of a relief army under Habsburg general Charles, Duke of Lorrain, and Polish John III Sobieski. The battle of Sept. 12, 1683 resulted in the Turks’ utter rout. Habsburgs victorious for about 60 years after, then fall into weakness again. Ottomans were not declining at this point. Ultimately the two empires declined together in the face of Britain, France, Germany and Russia. Wheatcroft argues that contemporary misunderstandings of what actually happened at that time contribute to the false idea of a conflict of civilizations today. He also talks about how the histories were written, the myths vs. the realities. One also understands now the deep animosities and fears in the Balkans: Slavs, Catholics, Turks, Hungarians, etc etc. There was tremendous cruelty on both sides. There is a powerful historic memory here.

Aug. 12, 2009

· “Disgrace,” by J.M. Coetzee (Viking, 1999). David Lurie, 56, very tired professor in South Africa, not a good teacher, more interested in research, Romantic poetry, bored. Sex seems to be his preoccupation. First, weekly meetings with a prostitute he thinks likes him; but he sees her with her children; kills the relationship. Then, against his reason and better judgment, he begins an affair with a 19-old-student. It’s just barely not rape. Of course, a complaint is lodged. He does not defend himself, exasperating and frustrating the school. He goes to live with his farmer daughter, Lucy, who takes care of broken down dogs and raises flowers and vegetables, helped by Petrus, a black African. She is attacked, robbed and raped, he is beaten by three black Africans. She tries to hold on to her life. He does not know how to respond; anger, despair, revenge. He swirls down deeper into something he doesn’t understand. She becomes pregnant, will keep the child, accepts an arrangement in which she becomes Petrus’ third wife, deeds him the land, in return for his protection, since she does not want to leave. Lurie tries to write a chamber opera about Byron and his mistress Teresa. At last, Lurie works helping euthanize dogs and taking them to the crematorium. Somehow this is an exhausted form of love. The novel is seen as a statement about South Africa, the changing positions of whites and blacks, the complex, painful, barely understood metamorphosis of master and man. Spare, tough, brutal and frank. Whew.

“The Peasant Prince: Thaddeus Kosciuszko and the Age of Revolution,” by Alex Storozynski (St. Martin’s, 2009). Turns out, according to this, that Kosciuszko was a Zelig of the revolutionary era. Trained as an officer in Poland, suffered through the partitions, went to America as an engineer: designed and built the fortifications for West Point---the plans Benedict Arnold tried to give to the British. Made West Point and the chain across the Hudson an impenetrable barrier to the British. Designed the defenses and strategy for the battles at Saratoga, although Arnold was seen as the hero there. Fought through the entire war, was highly trusted and valued, seen as humble and self-effacing. Returned to Europe, led Poland in failed uprisings against the Russians, Prussians and Austrians, finally badly wounded and captured. Eventually was seen by all sides as one of the great leaders and fighters for freedom in Europe and the U.S. Grew wealthy on the lands and money eventually given to him by the Congress. Fascinating. Poorly written, though. Cliches, overuse of adjectives, etc. Needed a good editor.

“People of the Book,” by Geraldine Brooks (Penguin, 2008). The book is the Sarajevo Haggadah, a mysterious volume saved by Muslim curators from the Nazis and from the Bosnia wars. Story is an Australian book conservator’s quest to learn how it was written: illuminated when Jews did not illustrate books; with an African at the seder table; with mysterious stains, missing clasps, etc. Ultimately: illustrated by a black Muslim slave, saved from the Inquisition, passes through hands of Christians, conversos, many strange combinations. Superbly written, wonderful characters. Relationship between the conservator and her mother, a brilliant, mean neurologist. Turns out the conservator’s previously unknown father was an equally brilliant Jewish painter who died of a stroke before she was born, and the mother kept the fact of her parentage hidden from the child.

9/18/09

“Kipling Sahib: India and the Making of Rudyard Kipling,” by Charles Allen (2009, Pegasus). Biography of Kipling focuses on his life in and around, and relationship with India, British India and England. His experiences in England (cold parents, frightening relatives) and India (weather alternately beastly and pleasant, raised by servants). Kipling himself grew from small, weak fellow, always inquisitive, self-confident, brilliant writer, who traveled deeper and deeper into Indian society, grew sympathic and understanding of the people. His writing was always remarkable. He was both an imperialist and understanding of the occupied people. Lots of detail about British life in India, the geography, the social life, the hill stations, all the sex and adultery. Kipling himself appears to have spent a lot of time with women. But he was essentially written and burned out by his mid-30s, and wrote almost nothing of value after that. “Kim” is his masterpiece, subtle, beautifully observed, accounts of the “Great Game” between England and Russia in Afghanistan and the man’s eventual acceptance of a somewhat Buddhist existence. For someone who virtually memorized the Jungle Books, read most of the rest, fascinating and revealing.

“World War One, a short history,” by Norman Stone (2009, Basic Books). He means it: 213 pages, including the notes. Very fast, very readable, uses all the most recent information. Wonderful stuff, about the origins of the war---not because of Russian mobilization, but the Germans pushed the Austrians into it. One fascinating element: from his perspective, Germany was by far the superior nation, not just in efficiency, but in culture, science, learning, economy. The situation in Europe today, he says, is similar to what would have happened had Germany won out. The battles: brief, with one or two telling details. He gives the Russians a lot of credit, has little but contempt for Lenin, credit too to the Turks. The British and French learned very slowly, the Germans much faster. Almost as in WWII, the Germans were better prepared in every way, but they made enough mistakes to lose.

10/5/09

“The Telling,” by Ursula K. LeGuin (2000, Harcourt). A novel of the Hain and the Ekumen. This time a Terran observer is on Aka, which was visited by the Ekumen about 100 years previously and has since gotten onto the technological fast track. The government has wiped out all previous knowledge to focus on joining the interstellar civilization. Sutty, the observer, herself experienced theological persecution at home when a religion called the Unists tried to kill anyone who didn’t follow its creed. She goes into the interior to find traces of the previous culture. Turns out the culture is based on endless telling of stories, almost pointless but encyclopedic, the history of the world. Its followers have hidden all the remaining books and wisdom in caves high in a mountain. Needless to say, this wisdom is more valuable than the new culture, which in fact was created by a secret visit from the Unists. Nice enough, but formulaic after her previous work.

10/6/09

“A Fisherman of the Inland Sea,” by Ursula K. LeGuin (1994, HarperPrism). A collection of stories, from 1983 through 1994, some of which are just on their own, some of which have to do with the Hain and the Ekumen. Two are a touch funny---the oldest, “The Ascent of the North Face,” a straight-faced account of some creatures climbing up the side of a house written as a mountaineering event, and “The First Contact with the Gorgonids,” about a pair of feckless American tourists who encounter aliens in the Australian desert. One is sadly disturbing---“Newton’s Sleep,” about humans’ attempt to leave a dying earth, and what happens when they try to adhere strictly to reason. The rest examine questions of faster-than-light travel, and the various elements involved in developing the tales of the ansible and other elements of the Hain stories. Pleasant.

“Ulysses,” by James Joyce (Naxos Audiobooks, unabridged, read by Jim Norton, with Marcella Riordan as Molly). Yes. At last. I couldn’t read it, but listening was wonderful. This is indeed the glorious book of the world. It’s funny, mordant, wickedly observant, extraordinarily realistic. As my father says, Joyce must have had so much fun writing this. He plays with language, fools around with all sort of literary types and traditions, mocks literary styles and clichés while using them to great effect. I don’t really see all the parallels with the Odyssey, but apparently there are several books which make the relationships apparent in detail. Poor Bloom---but not really, his life is rich, he is doing relatively well, he has come to terms with his wife’s infidelities (and he has had one or two himself). It’s as encyclopedic as “Moby Dick,” but done with far more grace and imagination. I’m so glad to have “read” it.

“Lush Life,” by Richard Price (audio book, don’t have it with me.) Excellent, gripping. A deep novel in the form of a police procedural. A promising young man is shot, almost accidentally, during a botched street robbery on the now hot Lower East Side. A companion flees, is suspected by the cops, tormented in interrogation, finally freed when another companion gets out of a coma and confirms his story. (so many threads and details I don’t want to get into all of them). The language is street New York, perfect in tone, accent, slang, everything. The center is a cop named Matty, who tries to solve this against all sorts of higher-up interference and incompetence, the father who goes sort of crazy with grief, the wife whom Matty falls for, his own sons, one a cop caught selling drugs, the witness who ran who falls lower and lower and almost is destroyed but is offered a helping hand by a boss whom he didn’t realize liked him. The gunman is caught, the threads are tied up---not really, everything is left sort of in medias res except for this one case. And then another one starts. Wow.

“A.D. 381: Heretics, Pagans and the Dawn of the Monotheistic State,” by Charles Freeman (2009, The Overlook Press). Freeman, a non-academic scholar—as in not affiliated with any university---argues that in 381 AD, the Roman emperor Theodosius ruled that the Nicene Creed of Christianity was the only acceptable Christian belief. That when that happened, the many other flourishing concepts, full of discussion about the nature of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, whether they were all one, were separate, whether Jesus was subordinate to the Father, etc etc., were thrown out. They became heresies, their bishops and adherents first thrown out of their churches, then their cities. That there were active, violent campaigns against other Christians, against pagans. That free speech and free thought, which had flourished from the Greeks even into the late Roman Empire, were banished, and the Catholic Church became narrow, intolerant and persecutorial. A closely reasoned, heavily sourced yet accessible account of theological debates and a historic period of which I knew essentially nothing. He implies that the enforcement of the Nicene Creed was a monumental tragedy which doomed the West to intellectual stagnation for centuries to come. Hoo hah!

“Indignation,” by Philip Roth (Houghton Mifflin, 2008). Short (233 pages); quick read—I read it in a few hours Friday night. The cast is familiar---young man in Newark, athletic, from a solid, normal Jewish family. Father a butcher, mother a rock of support, boy learns everything from dad. Boy goes to Robert Treat College in Newark, life is planned out. One day dad starts to get overprotective, begins to drive the boy crazy. To get out, boy goes to a small Christian college in Winesburg, Ohio. Tries to work hard, stick to books. One roommate, also Jewish, bugs him; he moves to another room. Second roommate, Christian, is as quiet as he. (always looming is the Korean War---everyone is afraid of being drafted). He meets the perfect girl, who gives him a blow job to his consternation. Becomes more complicated; he mostly just wants to be left alone. He won’t join any fraternity; meets a godlike Jewish boy who wants to befriend him, and tells him the girl is nuts. She has attempted suicide. Eventually he is thrown out of school, winds up in Korea, is killed. This is narrated by him after death. Solid, thought-provoking, workmanlike. Roth just can’t stop writing.

(I’ve since learned that he is working on a quartet of short novels; this is the third.)

“The Lost Cellos of Lev Aronson,” by Frances Brett (Atlas and Co, 2009). Aronson was principal cello of the Dallas Symphony for many years, and an important teacher whose students included Lynn Harrell and Ralph Kirshbaum. But he was a Latvian Jew raised in lower-middle-class family, whose dream was the play the cello. He was about to begin his career when Hitler stepped in; he lost his beloved cello, much of his family, spent time in concentration camps, etc. This book is a series of vignettes about his life, garnered from dozens of interviews and documents, and from a set of papers describing his life that was found after his death. It’s brief, sober, tender. Beyond the unfortunately familiar stories of life under the Nazis, it paints a wonderful, impressionist picture of the cultural life of Germany and northern Europe---the constant music, lectures, literature, performances. Piatigorsky was his friend and teacher. Aronson and colleagues would play under the worst possible circumstances. Vignettes: Einstein in a quartet: couldn’t keep pitch or tempo, terrible musician.

11/24/09

“American Creation: Triumphs and Tragedies at the Founding of the American Republic,” by Joseph J. Ellis (Alfred A. Knopf, 2007). Ellis examines key moments in the founding, from Valley Forge, when officers and men developed a bond and Washington realized that he could win if he kept away from the battlefield, through the writing of the declaration, the debates over the Constitution, the inevitable development of political parties, and tragedies including especially Washington’s failed attempt to preserve the Indians east of the Mississippi. That is very interesting, an essentially unknown period around 1790 when the US and the Creeks under Alexander McGillivray (Western educated, Scots, French and only one-quarter Creek) signed the Treaty of New York, recognizing the natives as independent, sovereign states. Except that the federal government was not strong enough to keep the white settlers, abetted by greedy Georgians, from overrunning the western frontier. Demographics did the Indians in. He concludes with the Louisiana Purchase and Jefferson’s prescient vision of the expansion of the country. Another tragedy touched on is slavery, and how almost from the beginning it was recognized that this hypocritical horror might lead to the undoing of the United States. These are not twice-told tales.

12/8/09

“The Education of a British-Protected Child,” by Chinua Achebe (Knopf, 2009). A collection of essays by the author of Things Fall Apart, which for some reason I read back in or just after college. These are various lectures or articles he had given over the past 20 years or so. They all deal with being African in a western-dominated world. Not bitter, but clear-eyed, penetrating and unflinching. European racism and its origin in the beginning of the slave trade (how could you sell people unless they were not people); the racism of Conrad and how it reflects the white imperial position (not just Heart of Darkness, but mostly); reflections on the Biafran war, and how it was a colonial war---Britain supporting the central government; some of the failures of Africa and Nigeria and the need for leadership; relations between African-American writers, esp. Baldwin, and Africa; some history. Nothing about what seems to be the sorry state of Nigeria today, although what he writes describes the path that has been taken. Nothing brilliant, but good to read.

12/18/09

“Monstrous Regiment,” by Terry Pratchett (HarperCollins, 2003). My first Pratchett. A lulu. Polly Perks, innkeeperess of the Duchess in Borogravia, disguises herself as a young man to go to war to find her brother Paul. The whole thing is wonderfully ridiculous: the religion of Nuggan, which is impossible, Borogravia, which makes war on everyone for no reasonable reason, etc. With all sort of silly adventures. Turns out that all the soldiers in Polly’s unit are women in disguise. That’s the Monstrous Regiment. Which winds up winning the war. Part of Pratchett’s Discworld series. Guess I’ll have to read some more.

“Death Traps: The survival of an American Armored Division in World War II,” by Belton Y. Cooper (Presidio, 1998). Cooper was a lieutenant in a maintenance unit of the Third Armored (Spearhead). He recounts the division’s war, from the breakout at St. Lo through the Falaise Pocket, the fight in Belgium, the Bulge and on into Germany. Lots of interesting detail about how an armored division functions---very heavily dependent on close cooperation between the maintenance mechanics and the tank crews. He’s ruthless on the inferiority of the Sherman to German tanks, and blames Patton for refusing to approve the M-26 Pershing, which he says would have been at least a match. He was a lieutenant, so he saw the small war; doesn’t get much into why the Falaise pocket wasn’t closed, doesn’t talk about how American planes almost destroyed the St. Lo breakout, stays away from Montgomery, etc. etc. The maps are atrocious, full of misspellings, etc. Not well edited or that well-written, but very interesting nonetheless.

“Tried by War,” by James M. McPherson, narrated by George Guidall (2008). Looks at Lincoln for his development as a war leader: his growth in understanding of tactics, strategy, politics, logistics, as he finds he has to maneuver around his generals and administration, studies military history, and finally finds a general who will fight the way he wants---Grant. More about the unconscionable McLellan, the maneuvering to keep the Copperheads from winning the 1864 election, the timing of announcements, etc. Good, solid, I learned even in areas I’ve read a good bit about already.

“The Devil in the White City: Murder, magic and madness at the fair that changed America,” by Erik Larson (Random House, 2003). Very fast, fascinating read. Parallel stories: how Chicago became the site for the World’s Columbian Exposition---beating out New York, and attempting to outdo the French for their fair which included the Eiffel Tower---at the same time it was the home of H. H. Holmes, a truly depraved serial killer who apparently murdered young women by the dozen, suffocating them in specially built vaults, watching them die, then either cremating them or selling their corpses for medical use. The story of how architect Daniel Burnham got the contract, drove the creation of the fair against time and tremendous opposition, how the fair turned into an astonishing display of American engineering and industrial strength (George Washington Ferris invented his wheel for it, a gigantic machine which had never even been conceived, let alone done before); shredded wheat; cracker jack,etc. While Holmes kept finding vulnerable women, conning them and many merchants and tradesmen, and was not found out until an insurance company went after him for fraud. The writing is clear if not brilliant, the stories very well told, the subtitle not a stretch. Good stuff.

“Patton, Montgomery, Rommel: Masters of War,” by Perry Brighton (2008, Crown). At first I thought this would be a rehash of many previous books, but no. Brighton follows each of the three biographically, pointing out the different early training and combat experiences each had. Rommel was a brave, brilliant young tactician on the Italian front in WWI; Montgomery had some front-line experience, but did a lot of staff work and came to see that planning and staffing made the difference, not the fighting itself; Patton was always the cowboy---during the Pancho Villa expedition he took on a bunch of Mexican bandits in a shootout. Of the three, Brighton shows Rommel as by far the superior in the field, in mobile combat. Montgomery was superb in planning and running a set-piece battle such as Alamein---although, Rommel seems even greater considering how much he was outnumbered, outgunned and outtanked. Patton was a great, charismatic leader, and his movement after the breakout at St. Lo was a masterpiece. Rommel is a tragic figure---almost toward the end he had faith in Hitler, and he probably did not know his friends planned an assassination. Montgomery continues to seem the smaller man, stubborn, blind, capable of outright lying to make himself look better. Patton would have been a disaster in the postwar world.

”A Private Revenge,” by Richard Woodman (1989, St. Martin’s). One of the series about Nathaniel Drinkwater, one of the PoB surrogates and still not as good. Entirely plot-driven. Drinkwater keeps getting into trouble and out, fails, but not terribly interesting. This one is about a frigate in China in the early 1800s, dealing with the East India Company, the Chinese government, South Sea Pirates, etc. Writing is workmanlike. Characters are okay. Better than a lot, but not PoB.

“Polk: The Man Who Transformed the Presidency and America,” by Walter R. Borneman (2008, Random House). Borneman argues that Polk, who was considered the first “dark horse” president and served only one term, was one of the most important presidents, a man who accomplished all he set out to do. During Polk’s term, the US annexed Texas, went to war with Mexico and conquered or bought California and the Southwest and settled the Oregon border with Great Britain. Polk was a consummate politician, who set out to be president years before and patiently, shrewdly built a support team. He was Andrew Jackson’s protégé. A slaveholder, he managed to keep the issue of slavery relatively quiet, although it was very close to boiling over. The book (I heard it on tape) is all about politics: alliances made and broken, favors given and returned, etc. etc. The parties were the Whigs (more anti-slave and against expansion) and the Democrats (Polk—more pro-slavery and for expansion). During his term political sides began to divide much more sectionally and on the issue of slavery. Borneman quotes prolifically from Polk’s diaries and letters. He gives good, brief synopses of various military actions, including the strange case of the Californios, the gall and incompetence of John C. Fremont, the energy of Gen. Kearney going west, the mistrust of Zachary Taylor and Winfield Scott, two Whig generals who won the war. The writing is workmanlike. A lot of the detail is deadly dull. Interesting time.

“The Best Military Science Fiction,” edited by Harry Turtledove with Martin H. Greenberg (2001, Del Ray) Stories by Anderson, Dick, Clarke, Card, Cordwainer Smith, McCaffrey. Some good ones. I don’t feel like going into detail on each one. Book serves its purpose. Now I know some authors to maybe seek out.

1/11/10

“Israel and Palestine,” by Avi Shlaim (2009, Verso). Shlaim, an Israeli veteran of the IDF and a professor at Oxford. This is a collection of essays and reviews dealing with the history of Israel and the Palestinians, beginning with an analysis of the Balfour Doctrine, which he considers to have been a disaster. He declares himself a “revisionist” historian, along with the now-apostate Benny Morris. He is unequivocally and unashamedly opposed to and angry about Israeli behavior since before the foundation of the state. He documents example after example of Israeli intransigence and betrayal. He argues that Israel has rejected many opportunities to settle the issue, rejected offer after offer. He has little but contempt for Golda Meir, absolutely loathes Ariel Sharon, considers Shamir little more than an ignorant thug, etc. The main problem I have with his arguments is that he continually argues in favor of returning to the pre-1967 borders, which were militarily indefensible. But he makes it easier for me to argue now against Israeli positions, the settlements, the treatment of the Palestinians, etc. Whew.

“The Vikins: a History,” by Robert Ferguson (2009, Viking/Penguin). Because they were essentially illiterate, the history of the Vikings of Denmark, Sweden and Norway is very hard to assemble. Ferguson uses evidence from archeology, geology, the dendritic clues from tree rings, the sagas, accounts from Byzantines, Arabs, English, etc etc. , trying to figure out which of them are essentially factual. They were very violent---every account has them raping, burning, killing. Their footprint is all over Northern and Western Europe, especially in England and Ireland, as well as France. They may have been the originally Russians---sources describe a Viking group known as the Rus, who went across the Baltic into Russia, and down the rivers to Constantinople, which was attacked several times. They were the Normans. Etc. Eventually they were Christianized, became more peaceful and ceased being Vikings. Dense, readable. I didn’t finish it before it had to be returned.

“The Good Soldiers,” by David Finkel (2009, Sarah Crichton Books). Finkel, a reporter for the Washington Post, spent eight months in Iraq with the Second Battalion, 16^th Infantry, Fourth Brigade, 1^st Infantry Division, between January, 2007 and June, 2008. The battalion was one of those sent to Iraq as part of the “surge” using a counterinsurgency plan developed by Gen. David Petreus. Each chamber is headed by a statement from President Bush, about how well things were going, how we were kicking ass, how the purpose of the fighting was to bring stability to Iraq. But this is an unflinching look at the men who did the actual fighting, what it smelled and looked and felt like, how the casualties were torn apart, how the men slowly cracked or didn’t, how they arrived feeling confident and optimistic, and left feeling as if the whole thing was a terrible waste. This will be one of the great books to come from this horrible war. The writing is sometimes direct, sometimes almost poetic. Finkel did not make anything up.