The History Book Club discussion

Bentley's thread:

Our Required Format:

JANUARY

1. by Winston S. Churchill
Finish date: January 2017
Genre: (whatever genre the book happens to be)
Rating: A
Review: You can add text from a review you have written but no links to any review elsewhere even goodreads. And that is about it. Just make sure to number consecutively and just add the months.

FEBRUARY

1. by James Joyce
Finish date: February 2017 (a reread)
Genre: Classic/Shortstory/Historical Fiction
Rating: A++
Review: All of the short stories had a "longing" in them of "what might have been"!

There is a "negative epiphany" within the main characters who ultimately realize at a pivotal moment in each story that a hope, dream or longing has been dashed to bits and replaced by the sheer reality of their Irish existence. The Irish forces which the characters are pitted against are some of Joyce's "greatest hits" - the Catholic church, the priests, nationalism, paralysis, poverty, family, religious animosities, alcohol, - just to name a few.

Despite the basic sadness of the stories - the exquisiteness of the language and style of Joyce cannot be denied. Out of all the stories - the one that will "punch you in the stomach" is The Dead. How well do you ever know anybody?

"A few light taps upon the pane made him turn to the window. It had begun to snow again. He watched sleepily the flakes, silver and dark, falling obliquely against the lamplight. The time had come for him to set out on his journey westward. Yes, the newspapers were right: snow was general all over Ireland. It was falling on every part of the dark central plain, on the treeless hills, falling softly upon the Bog of Allen and, farther westward, softly falling into the dark mutinous Shannon waves. It was falling, too, upon every part of the lonely churchyard on the hill where Michael Furey lay buried. It lay thickly drifted on the crooked crosses and headstones, on the spears of the little gate, on the barren thorns. His soul swooned slowly as he heard the snow falling faintly through the universe and faintly falling, like the descent of their last end, upon all the living and the dead" --The Dead by James Joyce from The Dubliners

That's a great review and interpretation of the book. I agree with you about the story "The Dead". What a punch it left and such a descriptive ending.

Thank you Helga - it was good to have a reason to read all of the stories. But that last story had so many powerful themes running together. Really his best one.

MARCH

2. by Wm. Paul Young
Finish date: March - 2107
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: F
Review: Pure unadulterated drivel - sorry but this was unredeeming. The plot was nonsense, the writing was deficient, the storyline was not believable, it was cheesy and was absolutely boring. Why this is on the New York Times Bestsellers List - I have no idea. There are obviously going to be many folks out there who disagree with me and that is OK. This book was not for me. FYI: if you are looking for a murder mystery - look elsewhere.

Bentley, thank you. I totally agree. I read this several years ago and wondered what I was missing. It is a bad book on just about every level.

Lorna - when I read it - I thought that I must be from another planet because I thought it was absolutely horrendous - especially considering the raves. I have no idea. It just did not appeal to me and did not stir any religious feelings in me either (although I was in for a bit of a surprise because I was looking for a mystery/thriller). I thought I was reading a whodunit and I did not even get through Chapter One when it drove me to distraction. It is built up to be a certain kind of book but I think it would only appeal to some who are inclined towards that sort of book which like I said is OK - but this is not my cup of tea. I guess it is a good yardstick - if Bentley did not like it and you loved it - you should look elsewhere for book recommendations (lol).

Bentley, I agree. I don't know what the rave was about this book. I read it a few years ago when it came out and couldn't get into it either. I found it boring and not inspirational. Drivel is a good term for it.

Well then we are a group of three because it is number one on the Combined Print and E-Book Fiction category (New York Times Best Sellers) - I absolutely could not fathom why.

. . . and I am happy to be counted in this group of three!

Welcome! (smile) I plan to miss the movie in the spring.

Oh no, there is a movie???

The author's biography (my apologies to Canada - do not like being this critical of any effort) stated:

"The Shack was one of the top-selling fiction books of 2008 and will be a major motion picture in Spring 2017."

Here is the trailer - https://youtu.be/CL0yUbSS5Eg
Guess what it may be out now - March 3rd.

I will not be seeing this movie. A waste of time.

(smile)

Yes Sandy I noticed - but he has a Canadian heart (smile). I admit that I did not know that it had been rejected by all "known publishers" (they probably got a migraine from trying to get through it like I did) - I will pop a glass of bubbly tonight in honor of those publishers who were spot on and tried to save mankind from suffering.

And in terms of your last sentence - you can have the author back if that helps (smile). There is a lesson in all of this - even if everybody turns you down - if you believe in yourself - you can become a great success and see your book become a movie.

As awful as this was for most of us or in my case (me) - there is a whole group of folks who are "believers" in this work.

I salute the author on his success even though I absolutely dreaded the experience myself of reading it. So rarely have I ever given this kind of rating but it happens.

PS: I will never look at an old shack in the same way - traumatized for life - lol

Thank you and better days ahead (lol)

APRIL

3. by by Joby Warrick
Finish date: April 2017
Genre: Non fiction
Rating: A
Review: Gripping and exceptionally well written - a non fiction book that reads like a novel; but is extremely well researched. One can understand how it won the Pulitzer Prize.

4. by H.W. Brands
Finish date: April 2017
Genre: Biography (Duo)
Rating: A
Review: Vintage Brands, excellent historian and this book is terrific. My personal feeling about Douglas MacArthur is that he was outrageously brilliant, an excellent strategist and tactician.

He had an enormous and well grounded understanding and knowledge of Korea, the Philippines, Japan and Asia/Southeast Asia.

He won every medal, ribbon and award that was offered by the US and he was courageous beyond belief. We owe a lot to Douglas MacArthur.

Great men and great women are all difficult - they all have bigger than life egos. MacArthur had one too and he had his quirks - no doubt about it. He also had a problem with authority.

Truman on the other hand was plain spoken, not well educated and MacArthur's polar opposite - but despite his admiring MacArthur's skill sets and talents - because MacArthur ran for president for a different party against Truman in the primaries - Truman stored that in the back of his memory bank and never forgot it. Of course, MacArthur though immensely popular could not campaign because he was Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers and was in Japan. One similarity that Brands points out is that what Truman was striving for Europe - MacArthur was of equal mind and was striving to accomplish for Asia. So they did have similar goals for these various parts of the world. MacArthur had an affinity for Asia due to his father.

Did MacArthur get ahead of himself and was he arrogant too - he was undoubtedly probably all of that. But the great ones always are.

And what is tremendously unfortunate is that Truman tarnished MacArthur and all of the good and exceptional talents and accomplishments and brave deeds done on behalf of America at the same time, he punished him for not following orders.

Truman allowed MacArthur to get ahead of himself often and never really admonished him. He needed him too much. Who was really at fault here? I think it belonged to both men.

Was MacArthur insubordinate - he probably was - but he had been given free rein for a long time and things could have been handled differently.

Truman became one of the most unpopular presidents in American history. General MacArthur on the other hand was extremely popular and loved by the America people. Many of the generals were jealous of MacArthur and there is a lot of politics among the military brass. When MacArthur was recalled - Truman would have been toast if it had not been for General George Marshall and Omar Bradley who both stood up for the President. Everybody respected George Marshall who probably should have become president, rather than Dwight Eisenhower. And Omar Bradley had a huge following as well.

Brands sides with Truman because of MacArthur's rank insubordination, yet MacArthur ran the show in Asia and was action oriented and realized that timing was everything. He had been given historically a wide berth.

Remember MacArthur was a five star general - we have had very few of those, he was the Field Marshall of the Philippines, and he helped reconstruct Japan.

He officially accepted Japan's surrender on September 2nd, 1945, aboard USS Missouri anchored in Tokyo Bay, and he oversaw the occupation of Japan from 1945 to 1951.

During that time period - MacArthur from 1945 through 1951 was effectively the ruler of Japan, he led and developed all of the huge economic, political and social reforms in Japan. And Japan owes everything to Douglas MacArthur. He also led the United Nations Command in the Korean War and that is when Truman pulled the plug on this stellar and great commander.

Despite Truman's low approval rating at the time of recalling MacArthur when some in Congress were calling for impeachment - historians of late have given Truman much higher marks which in part have exonerated him. Without General George Marshall's help - Truman might have faced poorer outcomes.

Brands ultimately comes down on the side of Truman and indicates that MacArthur left the President little choice at the time. Additionally, MacArthur miscalculated on what the Chinese might do and never thought they would enter the war. MacArthur would have gone after China as well and wanted to use the bomb. However he did save the day for Korea. Truman had different ideas. But MacArthur was not silent about his. And that is what precipitated the blow-up and recall. To give Truman his due - he was reluctant to get into a conflagration that might cause World War III.

Excellent book for those who love MacArthur and/or Truman.

In retrospect - it is too bad that we did not have a MacArthur to recall like the US did for World War II and send him to the Middle East, Iraq and Afghanistan and rebuild those countries - he knew how to rebuild and had an awesome track record in Japan. He warned about Japan before Pearl Harbor and nobody listened. Here was a man who could have done something with Iraq.

Folks I was thinking how timely the above book is - we are now facing similar issues with the Koreas once again and with China lining up its troops on the border. Japan right now is an ally.

Peter help me - I have no idea why you posted a book Tooth Decay and Cavities - I know I have an appointment with my dentist soon but everything is great (lol)

Now the late David Halberstam did write a book about Korea -

by David Halberstam

The above book seemed to study the personalities of the players involved and I own that book too. I do not think he portrayed MacArthur in a favorable light either (in fact it was more of an attack on MacArthur). I think Brands was at least more even handed although he gave the nod to Truman. I think that MacArthur was allowed to do "whatever" is what I am saying because he was brilliant, successful at turning around quagmires and it was off of other's shoulders. My feeling is that MacArthur won every medal, award, ribbon, honor that the US offered and should have been given the right to resign. Period. But in the book it clearly depicts that Truman did not want MacArthur to resign - he wanted to fire him.

Another thing - maybe Marshall could not control MacArthur either - maybe the old guy who kept being called back and called back to duty had just finally passed his prime - this is all conjecture - but at the very least he should have been allowed to resign and maintain his dignity. Granted he made some brilliant moves in Korea like Inchon but he also cost the loss of many lives of the soldiers who served him and then miscalculated badly with the help of all of the others. MacArthur made a huge miscalculation too - no doubt about it.

Also remember that Acheson (not a personal historical favorite of mine) the chiefs of staff and Marshall - met to decide on how MacArthur was to proceed and agreed wholeheartedly in his mission and gave the green light to MacArthur. And then there is Bradley who at first said well maybe we should pull back from the Chinese border and then the very next day Bradley pulled back from this mindset - because then the Truman administration was concerned about a unified Korea - they thought that there would long term dire consequences if that was not achieved and that is what has happened. So we have Bradley who is wishy washy, Marshall (a great General himself) but he was in the thick of the Truman administration guys and then we have MacArthur who is on the front lines (although leading from afar).

There were a lot of them who had thought that what MacArthur did was necessary and right but then they got cold feet and MacArthur was hung out to dry. My feeling is that MacArthur through the years with his brilliance but outrageous arrogance also gave them the ammunition. Halberstam was very very hard on MacArthur and I don't think MacArthur was perfect but he had done so much good that an "old venerated soldier" should have been allowed to fade away with out being unnecessarily tarnished which is what we do it seems in America to everyone of our iconic figures who are only human too. Granted MacArthur miscalculated but he had a lot of bedfellows along the way is what I am saying. And he had made some jealous enemies among some of the generals and he finally ticked off Truman for the last time.

MacArthur had a lot to do with his demise when he publicized his views in direct opposition to his commander in chief - but still Truman should have taken the higher ground.

One other thing - I really like Halberstam's books but as I recall this one was published posthumously after his untimely death. I thought that Halberstam would have tightened up this book had he lived and lightened his tone on MacArthur a bit. I do not think that this book was on a par with the Best and the Brightest. I did not think it was neutral and even handed and it was not one of my favorites by an author I really liked most of the time.

by David Halberstam

Bentley wrote: "Peter help me - I have no idea why you posted a book Tooth Decay and Cavities - I know I have an appointment with my dentist soon but everything is great (lol)

Now the late David Halberstam did w..."

How the heck did that happen? I must have misclicked.

I tried to edit, but it would not let me. I will delete the post.

Love to talk about the Korean War and MacArthur if there are any similar or opposing views. All welcome (smile)

Peter wrote: "Bentley wrote: "Peter help me - I have no idea why you posted a book Tooth Decay and Cavities - I know I have an appointment with my dentist soon but everything is great (lol)

Now the late David ..."

No - no problem - it is OK - I think I figured out what you were referring to eventually and it wasn't my teeth (lol) - I cannot understand why it would not let you edit though. It sounds to me like a software glitch occurred.

I was wondering what a spoiler for "Historical - but spoilers for those unfamiliar with this time period" had to do with a dentist.

Same here - yesterday I got my appointment reminder from my dentist for my teeth cleaning and I thought possibly Peter knew more than I did and I had better get there as scheduled.

This is sort of interesting on the same subject from the Truman Library which most likely would be on Truman's side of the decision but there are some interesting details here:

FAQ: Why did President Truman dismiss General MacArthur?

In 1951, President Truman and his advisors were preparing to engage North Korea and China in peace negotiations, in an attempt to resolve the ongoing conflict. General Douglas MacArthur, the commander of the U.N. forces in Korea, issued an unauthorized statement containing a veiled threat to expand the war into China if the Communist side refused to come to terms. When MacArthur continued to support an expansion of the war, communicating directly with a like-minded Republican congressman, Truman, with the backing of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as well as the Secretaries of State and Defense, felt they had no alternative but to replace MacArthur with a military commander who would act in concert with the administration's foreign policy. On April 11, 1951, President Truman relieved MacArthur of his command.

The members of the Joint Committee on Armed Services and Foreign Relations of the United States Senate, who conducted an inquiry in the spring of 1951 into the dismissal of MacArthur and the military situation in the far east, acknowledged that, "the removal of General MacArthur was within the constitutional power of the President." However they also complained that, "the circumstances were a shock to the national pride (and) the reasons assigned for the removal of General MacArthur were utterly inadequate to justify the act." (Individual Views of Certain Members of the Joint Committee on Armed Services and Foreign Relations of the United States Senate, May 3 - June 27, 1951, p 46).

Richard H. Rovere and Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., however, in their contemporary account of the MacArthur dismissal, questioned MacArthur's Korean policy, noting General Omar Bradley's belief that, "it would have involved us in the wrong war in the wrong place at the wrong time against the wrong enemy." Further, they stated that it would have, "wrecked our global strategy in the hope of achieving a magnificent success in a local engagement," whereas then current American foreign policy recognized, "as MacArthur did not, that time is on our side, and sought in Korea to play for time - time to mobilize, time to rearm ourselves and our allies, time to bring into production new weapons and equipment and test their use, time for Europe to recover and rearm, time to build an ever-widening circle of allies and friendly neutrals, time for discontent to ferment within the sphere of Soviet power." (The General and The President and the Future of American Foreign Policy, 1951, p 244).

Later historians, such as Robert Smith, contend that, "[c]rudely, deliberately, with complete understanding of what would ensue, MacArthur undertook to sabotage Truman's effort, in March 1951, to open peace negotiations with the Chinese (and that) no one not blinded by hero worship could overlook the arrogance and contempt with which MacArthur deliberately flouted Truman's directive." (MacArthur in Korea, 1982, p 155).

Truman's mistake, according to Rovere and Schlesinger, was not the dismissal of MacArthur, but rather was, "a failure in political education. He made all the necessary decisions with great and simple courage; but he lacked the gift of illuminating them so that the people as a whole could understand their necessity." (ps 248-249).

Source: The Truman Library

“I fired him because he wouldn’t respect the authority of the President…I didn’t fire him because he was a dumb son of a bitch, although he was, but that’s not against the laws for generals. If it was, half to three-quarters of them would be in jail.” --Harry S. Truman

Here is a film/tv documentary on the collision course between Truman and MacArthur - with Henry Fonda playing the part of General Douglas MacArthur:

Collision Course: Truman vs. MacArthur - with actor Henry Fonda

https://youtu.be/XGh_IOuBKKc

U.S. President Harry Truman and his commander in the Korean War, General Douglas MacArthur, disagree on war strategy. Their conflict comes to a head when Truman relieves MacArthur from command.

Source: Youtube

Here is some ancillary material on the Korean War and the dismissal:



Link to Presidential Approval Ratings: https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/...

More:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tuagi...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuLHJ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIsBw...
https://www.c-span.org/video/?417408-...

Note: Lessons Learned: General MacArthur's Dismissal - The Council on Foreign Relations - https://youtu.be/X3aCIfVhW7w

Source(s): Youtube, Wikipedia, FiveThirtyEight, AP, The Council on Foreign Relations

MAY

5. by Donna Leon
Finish date: May 5, 2017
Genre: Mystery
Rating: B-
Review: Since I have resumed listening to books in the car again - some progress is being made.

I found this book to be good but not great - This is the 22nd Commissario Guido Brunetti mystery - but it is not a Questera case. For me - who loves the fictional character - Guido Brunetti - this particular entry did not have the punch that some of the other Brunetti books have - but was still enjoyable. The series is set in Italy - in the beautiful city of Venice. Loved that a Maine Coon cat was mentioned as a pet. Great fondness for the Leon books even though this one took awhile to get going - slow start and then finally Leon found her way.

6. by Nathaniel Philbrick
Finish date: May 10, 2017
Genre: Non Fiction
Rating: B-
Review: This is an audiobook that I listened to - unabridged. Philbrick always does a great job and this is no exception. Overall, this is an excellent ancillary read to the BOTM May selection. One story which stood out for me was at the beginning when Custer saw a buffalo which was not only huge - but even more magnificent. Custer's first inclination (even though the animal had no interest in him nor attacked him) was to ride like a demon after it and to try to kill it for sport. Accidentally, instead of shooting the buffalo, Custer shot his own horse and was left defenseless without "his ride" back to camp while in Indian country. The buffalo, on the other hand, just looked at him in disbelief and thought that Custer was strange indeed and just ambled off. Custer had to walk back to the camp - a sizable distance away while his horse was dead.

The questions that I had dealt with what kind of a man was Custer to just want to "kill" this magnificent creature - he could not bring it back for food or anything else - only possible reason he could have was that it was just for sport and he only wanted to kill the buffalo.

Did Custer have a lust for battle and pursuit? Was he reckless? These and many other questions regarding Custer's last battle are explored.

And many more questions arise regarding the treatment of the Indians and the US soldiers' campaign against them and why. The chapter in American History regarding the Native Americans is as sad, if not sadder, than the African American one.

I will add one thing here which is not in the regular review - this was a good book and I enjoy Philbrick; but this was not as good or as well organized as some other books of his.

Having said that - I thought that some of the parts regarding the Native American dreams were a bit drawn out for me and made it (just in a few segments) sluggish.

When I give three or four stars - I still think that the book is solid and good - with four stars leaning towards something in the B range or maybe even an A-.

However after giving this some more thought - I felt that instead of the solid B - it was more leaning towards a B- (when I reconsidered it). I am not changing the 4 stars on the regular review - it was still in the B range.

I also thought that Philbrick was also much harder on certain folks in the book including Custer, Benteen and Reno. Two out of the three deserved it.

7. by Phil Knight (no photo)
Finish date: May 17, 2017
Genre: Non Fiction, Memoir, Autobiography, Business
Rating: A
Review: An exceptional read for a book of its type. Extremely well written.

My late father worked for Knight and traveled overseas for him and Nike as a manufacturing executive for the company in its heyday. He knew and he met most of the founders of Nike when they had started out and he remembered them all with great fondness including Knight and Jeff Johnson (employee number one).

Dad always had a smile on his face when he told us about his experiences and the history of this great company. A lot of the memoir I knew from first hand accounts from my late father. It was an excellent read - for many reasons - one because Knight wrote an excellent riveting memoir (one of the best that I have ever read) - but also - because of my father and his own memories and stories of the great company that Knight developed into the global brand that it is today - NIKE. Note: I listened to this as an unabridged audiobook.

8. by George Orwell
Finish date: May 20, 2017
Genre: Fiction, Dystopia
Rating: A
Review: Still a classic. This was a reread. I listened to an unabridged audio book.

George Orwell was the pen name of Eric Arthur Blair who was originally born in India. The book begins on April 4th, 1984 and we are introduced to Winston Smith who is about to embark on a grave crime of writing a diary. Big Brother is watching and London which is part of Oceania is a surveillance state.

The Party tells the citizens to reject what their eyes and ears are telling them. The Ministry of Truth does not tell the truth but puts out its own versions of the facts and creates an altered reality. The Ministry of Peace is about war and the Ministry of Plenty is about rationing while the Ministry of Love is about interrogation.

The New York Times wrote about how timely this book is becoming once again:

The NYT stated - "Not surprisingly, “1984” has found a nervous readership in today’s “post-truth” era. It’s an era in which misinformation and fake news have proliferated on the web; Russia is flooding the West with propaganda to affect elections and sow doubts about the democratic process; poisonous tensions among ethnic and religious groups are fanned by right-wing demagogues; and reporters scramble to sort out a cascade of lies and falsehoods told by President Trump and his aides — from false accusations that journalists had invented a rift between him and the intelligence community (when he had compared the intelligence agencies to Nazis) to debunked claims that millions of unauthorized immigrants robbed him of a popular-vote majority.

I found that I enjoyed the book even more now - probably because of the startling correlation with what is being done with news and the "truth". Worth a rethink and a reread.

Bentley, I stopped by because I enjoy your reviews & found affirmation of my trust in your taste when I read your thoughts on by William Paul Young. (lol)

A friend, whose judgment I usually find sound, told me that I should read it but, sorry, when I heard the premise, I smiled and said, thanks! But thought, no thanks! :)

I am also a big fan of Donna Leon and I look forward to reading by Donna Leon.

Mary Ellen - thank you for stopping by - thank you for also adding the citations - but remember we add the book cover, you did that very well, then the word by - you also did terrific on that too and then the author's photo which all seem to be missing and then the author's links - you did fab on those too. It is much easier just typing along and then put all of the citations at the bottom of the comment box.

Not to beat a dead horse - but The Shack had real deficits. I had wondered how any self respecting editor or publisher would publish the book and then I discovered they all turned it down and the author subsidized it. And let's face it - he believed in himself and the book is a movie too. But it is just awful.

I love Venice so I love the Brunetti books by Donna Leon.

by Donna Leon

by William Paul Young

JUNE

9. by Condoleeza Rice (no photo)
Finish date: June 2017
Genre: Political Science, Nonfiction
Rating: A/C-
OK this was a tough one (regarding Rice's new book) - A for educational value and C- for the pace of the book (certainly not gripping or a page turner) - I thought it plodded along in many spots - you decide - I ended up giving the average of the two - 4 stars but I almost gave it 3 - I felt it was a "long road" to the end of this book. Maybe it was just hot out and I was thinking of a cold drink (smile). But as the Washington Post stated - "her writing is not going to make you take to the streets to protest".
Review: Let me try to sum it up this way: Written by a brilliant scholar, extremely informative, historically accurate and dry as dust in many spots. Rice focuses on the challenges for democracies - especially younger ones. There were some brilliant parts which are apropos for today - where she discusses populist governments - what demographics vote for them and why as well as the dangers found within.

She was spot on about the election of Trump and why - although she has been very circumspect - "once he got elected"- even though after his Access Hollywood expose' - she said "Enough". My opinion is that she is hiding behind semantics and parses her words and nuances to make everything politically correct when discussing the anomaly which is the current president.

Rice is pitch perfect on the following:

"I really do believe that these populists are changing the character of the politics just by being there, so even mainstream candidates are having to respond to their agenda," Rice told Capital Download. "You see fewer people talking about free trade. You see countries talking about industrial policy and protectionism. It's hard to defend immigrants almost any place in the world today. ...

Another point that she makes that is "spot on":

When modern democracies falter, it is usually “a story of executive authority that is outsized in comparison to other institutions,” Rice explains. And strongmen, she says, are sneakier than they used to be. “In today’s interconnected world, the creeping and subtle authoritarianism of illiberal elected leaders is a greater threat to democracy than if they were to crush it with tanks in the city square.”

10. by Viet Thanh Nguyen
Finish date: June 2017
Genre: Fiction, Novel - Historical (Viet Nam)
Rating: B
Review: This was the June BOTM selection. This was a tough book for me to rate. It was a Pulitzer Prize winner - a book with an interesting theme and narrative - some beautifully written passages and the author had a real command of the language. But having said that - there were some parts that for me were overdone and some of the characters did not appear to be realistic. I thought that the author was adding everything he could to make this book in some segments salacious and tantalizing and I think that a lighter touch would have been more appropriate. These segments detracted for me from the overall quality of the book itself. It was a very interesting read and especially well done for a relative newcomer.

JULY

11. by John Steinbeck
Finish date: July 2017
Genre: Historical Fiction, American Realist Novel
Rating: Extremely powerful account of class warfare and the plight of migrant workers, exquisite writing - A+; Enjoyment Value - B- (makes you very uncomfortable)
Review: An examination of the Dust Bowl, the Great Depression, and the effects of corporate raiders which made poverty even more deplorable for these people. Migrant farmers were unable to even feed their families and they had to watch corporate entities destroy their farms and crops. Steinbeck said that in writing this novel - “I want to put a tag of shame on the greedy bastards who are responsible [for the Great Depression]."

“Never worked so hard in my life nor so long before,” he told a friend. It was, said Steinbeck, his ambition to “rip a reader’s nerves to rags” from page to page.

Believe me - he did just that; and that explains my rating split.

Steinbeck took the title from the lyrics in the "Battle Hymn of the Republic" by Julia Ward Howe.

1940 - Pulitzer Prize Fiction Award for The Grapes of Wrath

1940 - National Book Award for Fiction for The Grapes of Wrath

"How can you frighten a man whose hunger is not only in his own cramped stomach but in the wretched bellies of his children? You can't scare him -- he has known a fear beyond every other."
--John Steinbeck - "The Grapes of Wrath"

I was just thinking of something else - how much Steinbeck's writing and characters remind me of Cormac McCarthy's - and how Steinbeck's books made you feel lousy like McCarthy's do but you read on anyway because you are glued to what is going to happen next to these poor souls.

Blood Meridien was a pure love and hate combo for me - I had to say that it took a lot to get through that "violent conflagration" but McCarthy's writing is really pared down and stylistically zen like.

Still there are many similarities in subject matter and topical interest areas as well as character development.

When I put the down The Road - I felt like a hole had been blasted through my body. Very powerful. While rereading The Grapes of Wrath - I was totally uncomfortable and just felt there was a chasm between how little I was enjoying the book and yet how beautifully it was crafted. Was the book getting to something in me which was Steinbeck's goal all along? I think it was successful so that is why I gave it the A+ or 5 stars - but if you are one who wants to be entertained and cannot stand a slow deliberate slog as many folks lives are who are not blessed or monetarily endowed happen to be - then I would stay don't put yourself through the agony of the read. Enjoyment level is at most a C+ or if you are kind a B-: it is painful reading about the disastrous way that humans have been treated. I guess you feel responsible when reading about them even though the events occurred before you were born.

Also I think a Steinbeck or a Tolstoy and many others like them are meant to be savored - tasted and ruminated - a bite at a time - they are thinking men and women's books - whereas so many others are deemed exceptional when they are a fast read and can be devoured in a single night. That is why I vacillate and rotate between thinking books, savoring books, philosophical books, mysteries and thrillers, history and non fiction, autobiographies and biographies and yes - sci fi! - different moods sometimes require different books.

both by Cormac McCarthy

by

Leo Tolstoy

“How can we live without our lives? How will we know it's us without our past?”
― John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath

12. by Edith Wharton
Finish date: July 2017
Genre: Novel - Americana
Rating: Another tough one - A- decent, flowery style, classical but in terms of enjoyment, themes, etc. - C
Review: This is classic Wharton but not the Pulitzer Prize winner. Thematic options for the heroine are love or death - where a sad choice is ultimately made just before her true love makes his decision. Ill fated and sad choices mar the life of Lily Bart.

The novel does establish the state of women's choices, freedoms and the double standard that existed during that era. There was a slight hint of anti semitism in the characterization of Rosedale. It might have been the era during which the novel was written but it was surprising still. A classic.

"The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth."
— Ecclesiastes 7:4

13. by Howard E. Wasdin
Finish date: July 2017
Genre: Military - Non Fiction
Rating: C
Review: Discussion of Battle of Mogadishu - very brave Seals - average book. One other thing that I should add is that the writer had a "lot of bravado" about some indiscriminate actions that he was and some others were caught up in which ended up in court. The Judge was quite generous in his ruling - probably due to the brave and exceptional service to this country from Navy Seals. But the author's retelling of some of the stories stateside did not depict the author and some of his cohorts in the best possible light. The author at times appears to be bragging, other times he is arrogant and this of course does not reflect admirably on himself or others.

Sometimes I imagine inexperienced authors get caught up in the retelling of stories - but in terms of a reader's experience - it did not set well.

There is no question in my mind that the Seals, Rangers, and Green Berets are revered and respected not only by me but by most Americans across this country - as they should be. However, the style of this author will irk some.

I believe I was very generous in my rating.