This book is an oral history of 45 songs that shaped R and B and Rock 'n' Roll over the course of 40 years. The songs selected are, in the opinion of the author, a subjective collection of milestones in music history. The first is 1952's 'Lawdy Miss Clawdy' by Lloyd Price and the last is 1991's 'Losing My Religion' by R.E.M. As most of the technical aspects of rock are beyond me, I'll just point out some of the more interesting tidbits unearthed here: the Isley Brothers singing 'Shout' has some amazing dance moves for 1959; 'Please Mr. Postman by the Marveletttes was Motown's first number one; Grace Slick wrote 'White Rabbit' on an $80 fire red piano; the only Stones songs here are 'Street Fighting Man' and 'Moonlight Mile'; Elvis's 'Suspicious Minds' in 1969 was his first number one in seven years; 'Walk This Way' was inspired by Marty Feldman in 'Young Frankenstein'; Debbie Harry was absolutely stunning; and much to my surprise, I actually liked 'Losing My Religion."
This has been an enjoyable romp through music history. I'm not sure the author was thorough enough about what made these songs milestones, and I still can't get comprehend no Beatles, Paul Simon, Beach Boys or Bob Dylan. I'm sorry, but 'Rock The Boat' by the Hues Corporation and 'London Calling' by the Clash just do not seem that important to me. One of the really enjoyable aspects of reading this has been watching the videos on You Tube. And no matter how old the song - there's a video on You Tube
6.28.2017
The White Van, Hoffman - B
This novel is a highly acclaimed debut from a few years ago by a man who had been an investigator for the San Francisco Public Defender's Office. Needless to say, it is filled with tangible, believable characters from the underworld. The plot involves a drug-addled young woman recruited by the Russian mob to assist in a bank robbery, a pair of less than honest cops, and mistakes made all around. It's a classic one-day beach read. Good fun.
6.23.2017
War Against War: The American Fight For Peace 1914 - 1918, Kazin - B
This book tells the story of those Americans, from all walks of life, from all parties and from all around the country, who opposed American participation in the Great War. They were internationalists and idealists, but not isolationists. Once war was declared, the government unleashed all of its power to silence and punish them. The winning of the war led to the losing of the peace. Our participation changed our role in the world. By making the world safe for democracy we created a military-industrial complex and an FBI-supervised surveillance state.
When war began, Wilson declared our neutrality but the administration could not stop American business from trading with Europe, and because of the Royal Navy's blockade, that meant trading with the Allies. J.P. Morgan became Great Britain's purchasing agent. After America concluded that war was good for business, the question became whether we should arm ourselves. In opposition stood the Women's Peace Party, a powerful, well-organized entity consisting primarily of the women who were the backbone of the suffragette movement. After the sinking of the Lusitania in May 1915, those clamoring for preparations, if not an immediate declaration, began the drumroll. Former President Roosevelt called Wilson "a coward and a weakling" who catered to "all the hyphenated Americans." Although there were east coast Democrats and Republicans anxious to arm, the majority of the country was opposed and they prevailed into 1916. Wilson ran for re-election as a foe of intervention. The following January, he offered the world his idealistic vision to end the war with his 'Peace Without Victory' speech. The German response was to announce the re-inititiation of unrestricted submarine warfare. In March, three American merchantmen were sunk by submarines and on April 6, 1917, the US declared war on Germany.
The administration initiated a significant propaganda effort "to drive home the absolute justice of America's cause, the absolute selflessness of America's aims" and passed the Espionage and Sedition Acts. Nonetheless, and more so than with any of America's other contentious wars (Mexican, Vietnam, Iraq), the peace movement endured through the early hullabaloo. On Flag Day, Wilson "all but equated opposition to the war with treason." But opposition was staunch and "a higher percentage of men successfully resisted conscription than during the Vietnam War." By 1918, the peace movement was on it's knees thanks to the Sedition Act. Eugene Debs, the four-time Socialist nominee for president was sentenced to ten years in jail for saying "the working class had never yet had a voice in declaring war" but were taught it was their duty "to have (themselves) slaughtered." America tipped the balance on the battlefield and Armistice came on Nov. 11, 1918.
Two decades after the war, a Gallup poll found that 70% of Americans considered it a mistake for us to have participated in the Great War. The author clearly agrees that the US intervention was a mistake on every level. He surmises that the bloodshed would have led to a stalemate. There would have been no punitive peace, no reparations, no stab-in-the back theories, no Hitler and no fifty million deaths in the next war. That is a heady conclusion to come to. But, it is almost inescapable. I have seen WW1 referred to as the catastrophe that begat all of the great catastrophes of the century. The war's conclusion which we midwifed was followed by a peace process where our President ineptly argued for his idealistic vision and the realpolitik's of George and Clemencau disastrously triumphed.
This book is not an easy read, but it is truly enlightening. The depth, breadth and heartfelt sincerity and commitment to peace that so many people felt is truly impressive. I personally prefer an America that is not so comfortable projecting it's power.
When war began, Wilson declared our neutrality but the administration could not stop American business from trading with Europe, and because of the Royal Navy's blockade, that meant trading with the Allies. J.P. Morgan became Great Britain's purchasing agent. After America concluded that war was good for business, the question became whether we should arm ourselves. In opposition stood the Women's Peace Party, a powerful, well-organized entity consisting primarily of the women who were the backbone of the suffragette movement. After the sinking of the Lusitania in May 1915, those clamoring for preparations, if not an immediate declaration, began the drumroll. Former President Roosevelt called Wilson "a coward and a weakling" who catered to "all the hyphenated Americans." Although there were east coast Democrats and Republicans anxious to arm, the majority of the country was opposed and they prevailed into 1916. Wilson ran for re-election as a foe of intervention. The following January, he offered the world his idealistic vision to end the war with his 'Peace Without Victory' speech. The German response was to announce the re-inititiation of unrestricted submarine warfare. In March, three American merchantmen were sunk by submarines and on April 6, 1917, the US declared war on Germany.
The administration initiated a significant propaganda effort "to drive home the absolute justice of America's cause, the absolute selflessness of America's aims" and passed the Espionage and Sedition Acts. Nonetheless, and more so than with any of America's other contentious wars (Mexican, Vietnam, Iraq), the peace movement endured through the early hullabaloo. On Flag Day, Wilson "all but equated opposition to the war with treason." But opposition was staunch and "a higher percentage of men successfully resisted conscription than during the Vietnam War." By 1918, the peace movement was on it's knees thanks to the Sedition Act. Eugene Debs, the four-time Socialist nominee for president was sentenced to ten years in jail for saying "the working class had never yet had a voice in declaring war" but were taught it was their duty "to have (themselves) slaughtered." America tipped the balance on the battlefield and Armistice came on Nov. 11, 1918.
Two decades after the war, a Gallup poll found that 70% of Americans considered it a mistake for us to have participated in the Great War. The author clearly agrees that the US intervention was a mistake on every level. He surmises that the bloodshed would have led to a stalemate. There would have been no punitive peace, no reparations, no stab-in-the back theories, no Hitler and no fifty million deaths in the next war. That is a heady conclusion to come to. But, it is almost inescapable. I have seen WW1 referred to as the catastrophe that begat all of the great catastrophes of the century. The war's conclusion which we midwifed was followed by a peace process where our President ineptly argued for his idealistic vision and the realpolitik's of George and Clemencau disastrously triumphed.
This book is not an easy read, but it is truly enlightening. The depth, breadth and heartfelt sincerity and commitment to peace that so many people felt is truly impressive. I personally prefer an America that is not so comfortable projecting it's power.
6.16.2017
The Last Templar's Last Secret, Walker - B +
Chef de Police Bruno Courreges continues as the Perigord's* gourmand and exemplary community policeman in Walker's latest novel set in the south of France. The author is an accomplished historian now residing in the region and writing police procedurals that double as cook books. He mixes history, both ancient and modern in weaving his superb tales, that also shed a tremendous amount of light on modern day France. This series is an absolute delight.
*This blog's editor, Marcella, is bemused by the fact that region is famous for its truffles and I am a truffle and mushroomphobe.
*This blog's editor, Marcella, is bemused by the fact that region is famous for its truffles and I am a truffle and mushroomphobe.
6.14.2017
Where The Water Goes: Life And Death Along The Colorado River, Owens - B-
Because a book about a river probably can't be written without traveling the length of the river, river books are always part travelogue, part episodic history and part geography lesson. The over-arching story is the same one told in 'Cadillac Dessert', the mid-eighties masterpiece that introduced me* to the water crisis in the West. The 1922 Colorado River Compact between seven states (Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona and California) very reasonably allocated the river's water based on the rainfall, snowpack and river flow of the era. The problem was and still is that the early-20th century was later found to have been the wettest patch in hundreds of years. There simply is not enough water to fulfill the agreed-upon allocations of the seven states, not to mention Mexico or the 10 Indian tribes that have reservations in the river basin.
Just about everyone agrees that the current system of allocating water is so flawed that it will collapse upon itself in the future. The Bureau of Reclamation believes that by 2060 the annual shortage will be 3 million acre feet. "Both the upper and lower basin are too busy grabbing what water they can instead of seeking a sustainable relationship with that water." The author has no solution, but suggests the federal government is the likely decision-maker, and that agriculture's 80% usage of the river's water is the place to start looking.
Some of the fun facts unearthed herein are: the flow of the Colorado over a year is equal to two weeks of the Mississippi's; the single largest user of the river's water is the Imperial Valley of California, which receives 2.85 inches of rain per year; Colorado has 20,000 abandoned subsurface flooded mines, and the Indians could probably overturn the whole compact because they weren't privy to it and their water rights precede everyone else's.
*My Colorado house is on the western slope and is supplied with water from the Eagle River, a Colorado tributary.
Just about everyone agrees that the current system of allocating water is so flawed that it will collapse upon itself in the future. The Bureau of Reclamation believes that by 2060 the annual shortage will be 3 million acre feet. "Both the upper and lower basin are too busy grabbing what water they can instead of seeking a sustainable relationship with that water." The author has no solution, but suggests the federal government is the likely decision-maker, and that agriculture's 80% usage of the river's water is the place to start looking.
Some of the fun facts unearthed herein are: the flow of the Colorado over a year is equal to two weeks of the Mississippi's; the single largest user of the river's water is the Imperial Valley of California, which receives 2.85 inches of rain per year; Colorado has 20,000 abandoned subsurface flooded mines, and the Indians could probably overturn the whole compact because they weren't privy to it and their water rights precede everyone else's.
*My Colorado house is on the western slope and is supplied with water from the Eagle River, a Colorado tributary.
6.11.2017
Defectors, Kanon - B +
In 1961, more than a decade after his brother Frank's defection, Simon Weeks goes to Moscow to edit Frank's memoir about his life as a KGB spy while serving in the OSS during WW2 and in the CIA in the early days of the Cold War. The assignment appears to be simple enough: spend a week with his brother and fine-tune a likely bestseller. However, Frank throws him a curve with a request to pass a message back to the CIA. He'd like to defect back to the US. But, Simon is actually working for the CIA. Does Frank really wish to leave or perhaps, is he trying to entrap a senior CIA man? There are plots within plots, which is why Le Carre was mentioned in a review or two. It's always good to go back to an old-fashioned Cold War thriller.
6.10.2017
Camino Island, Grisham - B +
John Grisham always guarantees a fun read and does so here in a non-legal tale of chicanery and greed. This novel is about a writer turned teacher, asked to work for an insurance investigation firm, and a book-seller turned fence of stolen goods, whom she is suppose to spy on. The opening chapter setting forth the theft of five F. Scott Fitzgerald manuscripts from Princeton is superb. The book drags a bit but finishes on a high note.
6.06.2017
Anatomy Of Terror: From The Death Of bin Laden To The Rise Of The Islamic State, Soufan - C +
By the time of bin Laden's death in 2011, al- Qaeda had been transformed from a "close knit, intensely hierarchical battalion into something like an umbrella organization, with a central staff overseeing a number of more or less autonomous franchises across the Muslim world".
The young men who have been and continue to be the foot-soldiers of these franchises come from societies totally bereft of hope and possibilities. The average Arab has six years of education, never reads a book, and as many as 100 million of them are illiterate. "The striking absence of educational and economic opportunity, compounded by the lack of political accountability and a hopelessly distorted sense of history, has made Arab countries fertile ground for extremists."
The successor to bin-Laden was an Egyptian physician, Ayman al-Zawahiri. The Pakistani Taliban, AQAP and AQIM all swore immediate fealty to Zawahiri. The Arab Spring followed and it was surmised in many quarters that the unfolding of democracy would lead to freedom and the end of terrorist organizations. Instead, the Arab Spring was quickly reversed and al-Qaeda affiliates prospered in Yemen, Libya, Iraq and Syria. ISIS was supported by Saudi Arabia and Turkey as a proxy against the Iranian supported Syrian government. Most of the soldiers of ISIS were Sunnis from Saddam's army. Ironically, many of the leaders of ISIS planned for the future while in US imprisonment at Camp Bucca. "By June 15, 2014, ISIS controlled most of Iraq's Sunni-majority provinces and ruled over a population of up to eight million luckless souls." The Caliphate had been established and with it, the imposition of medieval Sharia law. However, within two years, a combination of Russian, Iranian and Syrian military action had reduced its territory to about half its initial size. Today, it is being pounded by the US and its allies. Although ISIS cannot hold onto its territory, its philosophies and successes have fostered attacks around the world, and thirty-four militant groups from the Philippines to Algeria have sworn fealty. Al-Qaeda has forsworn ISIS and condemned its methods of extreme violence.
Today, al-Qaeda is planning a comeback and touting the leadership qualities of bin-Laden's son Hamza. It is playing a long game and will survive long after the failure of ISIS. The author, a Lebanese- born Muslim and former FBI agent, fears they will continue to attack the West, its institutions and people. The way to counter the breeders of terror is information and education. "The Taliban knows that the biggest long-term threat to its existence is neither planes nor tanks but teachers and books."
This has been a trying book. I understand that one cannot start in the middle of a story, but the author does not move to the post-bin-Laden era until page 199 of 304. And even then, he bounces all over the place. Nonetheless, I have learned a great deal here and have come to a depressing conclusion. Regardless of the source of blame or responsibility for the mess that is today's Middle East-the collapse of the Ottomans-the Sykes-Picot Agreement-Arab nationalism-Arab dictators-petro-states-the Cold War-the state of Israel-Black September- ignorance-poverty-totalitarianism-Salafism-Wahabism-bin-Laden-our invasion of Iraq-our botched occupation of Iraq- the meddling of Iran-Shia v. Sunni sectarianism, this Rubik's cube of violence, hatred and revenge will be with us all for a very long time.
The young men who have been and continue to be the foot-soldiers of these franchises come from societies totally bereft of hope and possibilities. The average Arab has six years of education, never reads a book, and as many as 100 million of them are illiterate. "The striking absence of educational and economic opportunity, compounded by the lack of political accountability and a hopelessly distorted sense of history, has made Arab countries fertile ground for extremists."
The successor to bin-Laden was an Egyptian physician, Ayman al-Zawahiri. The Pakistani Taliban, AQAP and AQIM all swore immediate fealty to Zawahiri. The Arab Spring followed and it was surmised in many quarters that the unfolding of democracy would lead to freedom and the end of terrorist organizations. Instead, the Arab Spring was quickly reversed and al-Qaeda affiliates prospered in Yemen, Libya, Iraq and Syria. ISIS was supported by Saudi Arabia and Turkey as a proxy against the Iranian supported Syrian government. Most of the soldiers of ISIS were Sunnis from Saddam's army. Ironically, many of the leaders of ISIS planned for the future while in US imprisonment at Camp Bucca. "By June 15, 2014, ISIS controlled most of Iraq's Sunni-majority provinces and ruled over a population of up to eight million luckless souls." The Caliphate had been established and with it, the imposition of medieval Sharia law. However, within two years, a combination of Russian, Iranian and Syrian military action had reduced its territory to about half its initial size. Today, it is being pounded by the US and its allies. Although ISIS cannot hold onto its territory, its philosophies and successes have fostered attacks around the world, and thirty-four militant groups from the Philippines to Algeria have sworn fealty. Al-Qaeda has forsworn ISIS and condemned its methods of extreme violence.
Today, al-Qaeda is planning a comeback and touting the leadership qualities of bin-Laden's son Hamza. It is playing a long game and will survive long after the failure of ISIS. The author, a Lebanese- born Muslim and former FBI agent, fears they will continue to attack the West, its institutions and people. The way to counter the breeders of terror is information and education. "The Taliban knows that the biggest long-term threat to its existence is neither planes nor tanks but teachers and books."
This has been a trying book. I understand that one cannot start in the middle of a story, but the author does not move to the post-bin-Laden era until page 199 of 304. And even then, he bounces all over the place. Nonetheless, I have learned a great deal here and have come to a depressing conclusion. Regardless of the source of blame or responsibility for the mess that is today's Middle East-the collapse of the Ottomans-the Sykes-Picot Agreement-Arab nationalism-Arab dictators-petro-states-the Cold War-the state of Israel-Black September- ignorance-poverty-totalitarianism-Salafism-Wahabism-bin-Laden-our invasion of Iraq-our botched occupation of Iraq- the meddling of Iran-Shia v. Sunni sectarianism, this Rubik's cube of violence, hatred and revenge will be with us all for a very long time.
6.01.2017
America The Ingenious: How A Nation Of Dreamers, Immigrants, And Tinkerers Changed The World, Baker - B-
The author is a very successful historical novelist. Here, he turns his attention to American ingenuity and sets out dozens of examples of the things this nation's people have accomplished. He credits our system of democracy and unfettered immigration for much of our history, and the rule of law for allowing this burgeoning of practicality and genius to prosper.
The tidbits I truly enjoyed are: the Conestoga wagon was the size of modern SUV; the Hudson River rail tunnels move with the tides; the roadbed of the Golden Gate Bridge can sway 28 feet in each direction; and whaling was the 5th largest US industry in the 1850's. There are dozens of other interesting and diverse topics here in this paean to Yankee ingenuity.
The tidbits I truly enjoyed are: the Conestoga wagon was the size of modern SUV; the Hudson River rail tunnels move with the tides; the roadbed of the Golden Gate Bridge can sway 28 feet in each direction; and whaling was the 5th largest US industry in the 1850's. There are dozens of other interesting and diverse topics here in this paean to Yankee ingenuity.
The Dying Detective, Persson - B+
The author is a psychological profiler, a professor at Sweden's National Police Board and is considered the country's foremost expert on crime. He is also a helluva writer, winner of numerous awards and his works are now being translated into English.
Lars Johansson has been retired from the police force, where he was the Chief, for over three years when he is felled by a stroke. A physician in the hospital provides him with a lead that puts him back in the saddle as solves a 25-year-old murder as a civilian, but one who pulls in quite a few favors. At the center of the story is Sweden's 2010 law that proscribed murder prosecutions for crimes more than 25 years old. In essence, the traditional rule that there is no statute of limitations for murder has been changed in Sweden. This is a really good novel.
Lars Johansson has been retired from the police force, where he was the Chief, for over three years when he is felled by a stroke. A physician in the hospital provides him with a lead that puts him back in the saddle as solves a 25-year-old murder as a civilian, but one who pulls in quite a few favors. At the center of the story is Sweden's 2010 law that proscribed murder prosecutions for crimes more than 25 years old. In essence, the traditional rule that there is no statute of limitations for murder has been changed in Sweden. This is a really good novel.
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