Conclave, Harris - B

                                                This is a novel about a Papal election, seen through the eyes of Cardinal Lomeli, the  Dean of the College of Cardinals and the man in charge of the event.  But before the doors are closed, he learns of the existence a last minute secret Cardinal appointed in pectore (by the heart)  by the Pope. He is also advised that one of the contenders may have been dismissed by the Pope hours before the Pope's death. Going into the Sistine Chapel, the Italians, a plurality, hope to recapture the Papacy after a forty-year exile.  However, they are split between traditionalists, who wistfully look back on the loss of the Latin mass, and modernists trying to propel the faith forward in a changing world. After a few votes, the Nigerian Cardinal rises and then falls after news surfaces of an  indiscretion thirty-years ago. The Canadian who next has the pole position is side-lined by Lomeli himself, who has found written concerns of the late Pontiff regarding the Quebecois. In the midst of the voting, the Vatican is attacked by a car bomb and a suicide bomber. As the last minute secret Cardinal is the Bishop of Baghdad, he offers up some ideas on facing Islamist terrorism.  When the Cardinal from Venice offers up some spirited right-wing responses, the conclave turns to Benitez from Baghdad and the words 'Habemus Papum' ring out. There is then what the Times reviewer called a "dramatic twist" that for me took a lot of wind out of the sails of this book. Just a bit too unimaginable/cute/bold/unbelievable.
                                             

Born To Run, Springsteen - B +

                                            Thanks to my brother, Bill, for this recommendation. I generally don't do autobiographies, but, as he pointed out, there are few tales of blue collar Catholic upbringings in metropolitan NY, like ours. And Im glad I read it. The Boss was born in 1949 and grew up in central New Jersey. His life lacked emotional and financial security because his dad was a raging, angry, Irish drunk. He hated school. He hated the church next door. He was a bitter young man. He found hope in music and committed his life to his guitar during high school. His second band, Steel Mill, had some success in the late 60's on the Jersey shore. Next came the Bruce Springsteen Band with Stevie Van Zandt. Along with some of the men who would become part of his future, Springsteen cut an album with Columbia, who had signed him as a 70's acoustic singer-songwriter. He cut a few more albums, became almost famous, and formed the E Street band. He also penned a song called 'Born To Run.'
                                           Released in 1975, that album made Bruce Springsteen an international star. The single is a totally great rock anthem and it put a 25-year-old on the cover of Time and Newsweek. It also led to a two-year hiatus from music for Bruce as he and his manger did battle in the courts over his record contract. He released the 'Darkness On The Edge Of Town' album next and began to explore the world he had just escaped from - the living from paycheck to paycheck blue collar life. He states he was inspired by country music and that he "was determined to be the enlightened, compassionate voice of reason and revenge" trying to explain and understand his parents' world". His "music would be a music of identity, a search for meaning and the future." 'The River' and 'Nebraska' followed.  However, it was what came next that propelled him to iconic fame and fortune. "Born In The USA' is one of the great rock albums of all time and its lead track is Springsteen's homage to Vietnam vets.  His album tour also afforded him the opportunity to channel money into charities for vets and the needy, as he continued to explore the differences between the American dream and American reality.
                                          All memoirs suffer from being one-sided and this is no different. But, to his credit Springsteen  is very introspective and speaks freely about his excruciatingly troubled life. Front and center in that story is his tortured relationship with his dad.  Doug Springsteen was a classic depressed drinker who created a world of trouble for his family. The rage that Bruce grew up with is the reason he spent so much of his life on the road, running away from life, and at times, acting destructively. He eventually came to grips with his dad who drove 500 miles to see Bruce right before the birth of his first child. Doug thanked him for how good the son had been to his mother and father and apologized for how bad he had been to Bruce. With his second wife and apparent soulmate, Patti Scialfa, the Boss settled down to a life of partial domesticity in the early 90's. They have three children, and it sounds as if Bruce spent quite a bit of time at home.
                                        However, the road beckoned and he got the E Street Band back together. Along with the Stones and U2, they have dominated the world of stadium tours for the last two decades and, I suspect, have made a fortune in the process. One of my great frustrations when reading about bands and performers is the total scarcity of economic and financial information. This story is no different. In his roles as a dad and  an excellent performer known to provide his audience with great live shows, Bruce Springsteen seems to have achieved success, if not rock immortality. He still lives in, and is at peace with, New Jersey.
                                         This is the second book in a row that Ive read that has caused me to ponder my good fortune. Even though Margo Jefferson got to go to Brandeis and I was pushed to  Marist, the world offered me a smoother path because I am white. I find it ironic that Springsteen would have considered me a college rah-rah. His dad had a job at Ford, way higher on the blue collar ladder than my dad's job a few miles north of him on the Hoboken docks. How is it he grew up in a house that he paints as one of despair and I grew up in a house of unlimited upside? The answer is simple. His dad was a drunk and my dad, a prince.
                                            The Boss grew to fame in the mid-seventies, long after my coming of age listening to the Beach Boys, Beatles and Stones. I am not a student of music and step gingerly into the topic. I am fascinated that he, unlike anyone else I can think of, became the poet of the downtrodden, the minstrel of the forgotten. The Beatles had rough upbringings. Bono of U2 had a dad who worked in the Irish Post Office. Most musicians do not come from a life of privilege. Yet, to his credit, the Boss has sung the praises of those on the bottom of the ladder. His is a unique niche and a great success story. This is a fabulous book that will have you continuously searching your iPod.

Negroland, Jefferson - B

                                               Negroland is where the black upper class lives and the author, a Pulitzer winner, grew up and lived at its heart.  She tells of how many blacks moved north after freedom, and how those who were capable and worked hard (it didn't hurt to be light-skinned) grasped at education and moved into the professions. Her grandmothers were among them and both of her parents were privileged. Her mother graduated from the University of Chicago and her father was a noted physician. She was born in 1947 and  attended the University of Chicago Lab Schools, received a superb education and was taught to be a lady. She describes her class as between the whites and blacks. They looked down on the rough and tumble world of blue collar blacks, but knew they had to be wary, very wary, around whites. She went to  summer camps around the midwest, joined the Jacks and Jills ( a black social organization) and went to college at Brandeis.  She lived a life of true privilege.
                                               But to be black in America is no bargain, and although a success (she worked at the Times), she has apparently struggled with identity issues and relationships. The book loses some its oomph at the end when she goes off on tangents about who she would like to be in 'Little Women.' That said, it is very good, and certainly worth the effort for anyone who isn't familiar with the institutions, people and culture of Negroland.
                                                Any book like this causes one to pause and reflect. I have some familiarity with the upper class  through the novels of  Stephen Carter, a Yale professor. I also grew up next to St. Albans in Queens, which I have since learned was a bastion of black success and privilege. I find it sad that someone who had such opportunity feels that the burden of being black outweighed the advantages she had.

The Last Days of Night, Moore - B +

                                               Seldom would I report on such a superb historical novel by starting at the end. But here, I shall. In the 'Author's Notes', Moore says "..the bulk of the events depicted in this book did happen and every major character did exist." "The book is a Gordian knot of verifiable truth, educated supposition, dramatic rendering, and total guesswork.The central story is the birth of electricity, and the battle royale between George Westinghouse and Thomas Edison for control of the light bulb. Very interestingly, the story is told from the vantage point of young Paul Cravath, Westinghouse's lawyer.  The author claims that the lack of a Cravath biography was a motivation for the writing of the book. He cites a lengthy bibliography of historical sources. However, as Moore is a noted screenwriter, I suspect that telling a great tale is the number one motive.
                                              Edison patented the light bulb in 1878, and a decade later was battling Westinghouse over infringements to his patent. Defending Westinghouse was Cravath. The question was what had Edison patented? Was it a light bulb? Or was it incandescent light and thus, all light bulbs?  The second matter between the two legends was the delivery system of electricity to the bulb. Edison was selling direct current( d/c) and Westinghouse's systems worked on alternate current ( a/c ).(One of Westinghouse's colleagues on a/c was Nikola Tesla).  At issue was who would electrify the entire country, and consequently, the financial stakes were beyond enormous. Edison had more money for the battle that at one point was encapsulated in 312 different lawsuits. The general assumption was that Edison would easily prevail. Initially, Cravath intended to prove that Westinghouse's light bulbs did not infringe Edison's patent. He also tried to pursue an argument that Edison had falsified his patent application, as the filaments had been changed. The courts ruled for Edison. "Paul's strategy had been to narrow the scope of Edison's patent to a nonexistent, nonfunctioning device; in response, Edison had succeeded in broadening the scope of his patent to include practically anything that lit up."  Cravath emerges the hero when he finds a solution, inspired by a meeting with Alexander Graham Bell, that will make everyone happy and everyone very, very rich. Cravath convinces the man who owns 60% of Edison General Electric, J. P. Morgan, that spending money endlessly in litigation is not in his best interests.  A compromise that involves cross-selling and licenses is agreed to,  America is bestowed with a mammoth leap forward, and the Westinghouse Electric Company, General Electric and Cravath, Swain and Moore all bound into the 20th century as paragons of modernity and success.
                                             This is a great book and worth the effort of all who see this post. Since I've started the book, I've also learned that it is soon coming to a theater near you, starring Eddy Redmayne as Paul Cravath,

His Bloody Project, Burnet - B

                                               This novel was a 2016 Man Booker finalist. The subtitle is 'Documents Relating To The Case Of Roderick Macrae - a historical thriller'. The documents are essentially Roddy Macrae's hand-written recitation of his crimes, and the press coverage of his trial. In the late summer of 1869, in the far north of Scotland, young Roddy bashed in the head of the village constable, who had been particularly unfair and unkind to his family. Apparently, the highlands of the mid-19th century were barely removed from medieval feudalism. The lords let out their lands through factors to crofters, who sound about as entitled as tenant farmers of that era in the southern US.  The system was brutal, cruel and inconsistent with what we consider the rights of people in an enlightened society. Roddy's trial interestingly offered up the possibilities of an insanity defense.  Of course, it didn't work and the noose was his reward. Obviously, this is a thought-provoking and well-executed book.

Razor Girl, Hiaasen - B

                                               The girl of the title is a redhead who specializes in bumping cars from behind, leading to the bumped drivers' kidnapping. The drivers are easily captured because they are bedazzled by the image of what the razor girl is shaving when they approach her car. Seldom do I read books where I laugh so hard that I shed tears. There is a plot, but it's not important. Laughter is a wonderful tonic for whatever ails you.

Mischling, Konar - B -

                                               This novel is an imagining of the arrival of twin girls at Auschwitz, their life in  Mengele's Zoo and their first few months after their liberation. The book has been praised for its fable-like telling of such a horrible story.  Stasha and Pearl are almost thirteen when they arrive at Auschwitz in the late summer of 1944. Much of the novel is about the almost mystical relationship between twins. It is as if they can read each others' mind and feel each others' pain. Mengele is depicted in all of his horrific depravity. One reviewer points out that his specific cruelties are often skipped over because they were so monstrous. The book is well done, informative and shines a light on often unspeakable events.

The Welsh Girl, Davies - C

                                               I concluded a long time ago that WW2 novels were no match for WW2 movies, as filmmakers around the world have created and continue to create fabulous films on the topic. Similarly, the actual history itself is so extraordinary and covers so much of the human experience that the novels don't seem to have the room to roam without sometimes seeming trivial. And, in the end, this book had no attraction for me. Indeed, I felt as if I knew exactly where the plot was going, not because of foreshadowing, but because it all just seems so formulaic. The two key characters are Esther, daughter of a Welsh farmer and waitress at night in the local pub, and Hans, a truly nice young German POW imprisoned in the newly-built barracks in the late summer of 1944. The first of  two worthwhile takeaways for me are the Welsh use of the local language and their hostility toward the English. One knows about the Scots' centuries-long sense of separation from the English, but I've always assumed, obviously incorrectly, that the Welsh were somewhat more incorporated into the UK. The other is the shame of surrender. The German lads had to lie in their letters home, because their families were still hopeful and didn't want to hear that their boys had surrendered.

The Populist Explosion: How The Great Recession Transformed American And European Politics, Judis - B

                                               Populism began as an American political movement in the last quarter of the 19th century when disgruntled farmers in the south and west decided to try and fight the monopoly of the railroads.  It was co-opted by both the major parties* and faded from the scene by the election of 1896. One definition of populism is the people, as a noble assemblage, aligned against self-serving elites. The author prefers to make a distinction between populism of the left and right wing varieties. Left wing populists are vertical. It is the lower and middles class against the establishment. Right wing populists champion the people against the elites whom they accuse of coddling a third group, which can consist, for example, of immigrants or blacks. Fluidity describes who constitutes the people and the establishment elites at different times and places.  Populism usually arises at times of great societal stress and political change. In Europe, populist parties tend to survive on the fringe in the multi-party systems that are part and parcel of European democracy. In the US, they tend to be absorbed by the two major parties or shunted to the side while the parties focus on the center.
                                              The farmer-led movements in the south and west called for a progressive income tax, a nationalization of the railroads, direct election of senators, crop storage financed by the Treasury and an easing of the money supply.  In 1892, the People's Party presidential candidate carried five states and in 1894 four congressmen and two senators from the party were elected. They were soon co-opted by William Jennings Bryan's 'Cross of Gold' speech, which led to his first of three Democratic nominations.  Similarly, three decades later, Huey Long's ideas on Share The Wealth generated a huge following that thought his confiscatory tax concepts were what was necessary to end the suffering of the people in the Depression. FDR feared that if Long ran as a third-party candidate, he could tip the election to the Republicans. He quickly passed tax reform, the Social Security Act and adopted a pugnacious populist stance. Forty years later, George Wallace began the process that led to Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump.  Wallace took the stage as a segregationist, but gained massive traction by selling his frustration as tyranny imposed from Washington. His supporters have been analyzed and categorized as 'middle American radicals' who were neither left nor right, but felt that the middle class was being neglected because the government favored the rich and the poor at their expense.
                                              In our recent campaign, Trump combined moderate Republicanism with anti-establishment views on foreign policy, trade and immigration.  He asked why we were paying for the defense of rich countries, challenged all of our trade agreements as being one-sided and vehemently demonized America's immigrant and  Muslim communities.  In all regards, he was completely opposed by the Republican and Democratic establishments, but enthralling to those stuck in the middle. Trump successfully tapped into the Nixon-Wallace-Perot-Buchanan base of angry, not-well-educated, whites who felt that the elites were favoring the blacks, Muslims,  Mexicans, and those outsourcing America's jobs to foreigners.  For the life-long progressive, Sanders, the decision to run was based on a concern for growing income inequality. His call for free college and Medicare for all was not aimed against any third parties - only the billionaire class.  Both men were propelled to the forefront because of disillusionment created by the Great Recession.
                                            Whether left wing, rightist, European or American, populists raise complaints that point to genuine problems. Globalization in the 90's and 00's led to the export of almost 3 million jobs by American corporations. Immigrants willing to accept lower wages threaten working class natives here and throughout Europe. They also put pressure on social welfare systems. The ghettoization of Muslims in France is a source of political extremism and terrorism.  The author's estimate is that neither the Trump nor Sanders movements will be permanent. The Democrats may shift to the left; the Republicans will have to manage the conflicts between their business supporters and their new white working class enthusiasts. But, Judis suggests that the current understandings between the left and right, rich and poor, labor and management will survive and our country will be little changed. He believes the prognosis for the Eurozone is negative. The inherent instability of the EU, when combined with the massive immigration to the continent from Africa and Asia, may well doom the experiment.
                                           This book is but 150 pages. Even so, I skipped the 3 chapters on Europe because I acquired this because of a need to better understand our election results. And it helps on that front. The left/right wing distinction has been helpful to me and the lesson on parties absorbing their aggressive wings has also been instructive.
                                         

*I have always thought that the words attributed by Herbert Hoover to Andrew Mellon, "to liquidate labor, liquidate stocks, liquidate the farmer, liquidate real estate..it will pare rottenness out of the system", if true, were the height of aristocratic arrogance. But, you have to give consideration to comments made by Grover Cleveland's Secretary of Agriculture, Julius Morton. In 1893, he said, "The intelligent, practical, and successful farmer needs no aid from the government. The ignorant, impractical, and indolent farmer deserves none." And, he was a Democrat.

When The Music's Over, Robinson - B

                                            This novel is the latest in the DCI Banks series. Alan Banks remains fascinating, and the author has continually proven his ability to range far and wide in the Midlands, exploring English pop culture as well as investigating crimes. One objection though. His first book in 1991 was 300 pages. This one is 479. Amazon's estimated read time is 9 hours. I doubt I took that long, but it raises a question. Does the world want 10- hour police procedurals?  Banks is now promoted to Superintendent and overlooks two investigations.  The first is run by Annie Cabot and involves a grooming operation preparing young woman for prostitution run by Brits of Pakistani descent. There is an in-depth discussion of the racial issues facing both sides of this coin. And, Banks runs a 50-year-old look back, involving a public figure with a penchant for attacking underage girls. All in all, Robinson is still on his game.

American Heiress: The Wild Saga Of The Kidnapping, Crimes And Trial Of Patty Hearst, Toobin - B +

                                                  The seventies, particularly in the Bay area, opened up violently and with a very uncomfortable edge.  San Francisco, Oakland and Berkeley saw the Zodiac serial killer; indiscriminate bombings; the Zebra killers, a black group that randomly slaughtered white people; and the Symbionese Liberation Army kidnapping of Patty Hearst on Jan. 29, 1974.  The nineteen-year-old heiress had been drifting through life, seemingly without purpose or intent, and living with her boyfriend while taking classes at Cal.  Equally at sea were the handful of members of the SLA, who mouthed revolutionary slogans. "They were shaking things up, stirring the pot, proving that the counterculture was still alive. Beyond that, they had no goals, no agenda." They turned to kidnapping as a strategy after their murder of a well-respected Oakland school official failed to ignite a revolution. Their only demand to the Hearst's was for a food program for the poor. The Hearst's complied, and successfully delivered material aid to many in northern California. The SLA communicated with the outside world via tapes, and the one about a month into the kidnapping showed a Patty Hearst who was starting to sound very comfortable with her surroundings. Eight weeks after her capture, Patty Hearst became Tania, a member of the SLA.  In a video, she said "I have chosen to stay and fight". A week later, she participated in an SLA bank robbery. She had gone from victim to common criminal.
                                                Cinque, the delusional leader and ex-con, Donald DeFreeze, decided they needed to be in LA and in early May, the nine members of the SLA moved to Los Angeles. The trio of Bill and Emily Harris and Patty, out in search of supplies, wound up in a shootout at a local store, and drew the LAPD to their hideout. While the Harrises and Patty escaped to Anaheim, the six remaining members of the SLA were surrounded by the police. "The biggest gun battle ever to take place on American soil had begun, and it was on live television." In over an hour, the police fired eighty-three tear gas canisters, fifty three hundred rounds of ammunition; the six SLA members fired back between two and three thousand rounds. The house they were in burned to the ground and all six were dead. Not a single policeman was wounded.
                                               Bill, Emily and Patty returned to San Francisco and released a tape announcing that the SLA would fight on.  Later that year, they merged with the Revolutionary Army and now were the Sacramento- based New World Liberation Front. They robbed a small bank, became convinced of their skills and went after a second bank. During an April 1975 heist, Emily shot and killed a local mother of four. They then again returned to the Bay area where the Harisses and Patty were captured in September by the FBI, which had been struggling for over a year-and-a-half to find her.
                                              Patty had easily slipped from heiress to terrorist and, once in jail,  she slipped right back. The  US prosecuted her for the SLA bank robbery two months after her kidnapping. F. Lee Bailey put the now demure victim on the stand. She had spent he previous two years mouthing revolutionary slogans, threatening the pigs and completely committed to the revolution. On the stand, she testified that she had been coerced and feared for her life the entire time. During the trial, Bailey made a deal with the prosecutors for Patty to supply testimony in the Sacramento bank robbery turned felony murder case. The coercion defense flopped. Patty Hearst was guilty. She was released on bail pending appeal. She entered federal prison in May of 1978. Immediately, the Hearst's began a campaign for commutation, which Pres. Carter approved the following January. Patty was twenty-four and free.  She married and moved to Connecticut. In her relentless pursuit of redemption, she urged Jimmy Carter to ask Pres. Clinton for a pardon, which she received on Bill Clinton's last day in office  in 2001. "Rarely have the benefits of wealth, power and renown been as clear as they were in the aftermath of Patricia's conviction."
                                         Toobin is a great writer, and turns this pedestrian tale of delusion and selfishness into a superb book.  The most interesting aspect of the book is how - I hate to say this but - how naive and incompetent the terrorists were. Had they not killed a few people, it could have been a comedy. And Patty Hearst's commutation and pardon are flat-out unforgivable.