The Story of Edgar Sawtelle - David Wroblewski

I didn't really want to read this book but it was a book club choice and therefore difficult to avoid, but the only copy I could find was $25.95 and my theoretical limit has been $10.00 or so for years. Reluctantly, I finally put my $25.95 down and took the damn thing home to read.

Wow. Surprise of the year. Decade even. I was engaged from the first page to the last. For me this was a most unlikely story. Whatever convinced the author to think someone would be interested?

The story line is very strange, almost weird - yet it is written with so much skill even a city bred apartment dweller with two pet cats would enjoy it. Whoa. [Enjoy] is too strong a word. [Learn from it] is a better choice. The author is an excellent wordsmith, but still the text was significantly bloated with extraneous ventures.

The story line weaves many ideas and situations into a believable [boy-dog-forest] tale of troubles. Eventually it smooths out and becomes a [Huck Finn-Horatio Alger-White Fang- Boy Scout] kind of book. These ingredients (at first) seem harmless but they are decidedly not. The book is laced with murder, hardship, disaster, friendship, physical challenges, familial love-hate relationships, and through the entire story, a vivid and accurate picture of small towns, family farms, dog breeders, and the variations of nature in northern Wisconsin.

If I had any real complaint about this book it would be that there are too many elements and several were not essential to the story.

• I also found it interesting that the boy, from birth to about 14 years of age, had not one friend other than a canine. Not even one?
• He was born mute yet he and his mother were able to read 'sign'. I don't think it was mentioned where this ability came from?
• Did the mother learn it somewhere and then teach the boy? Probably.
• Did the mother and boy develop a sign language that only they understood? The book never clarified.

Despite these unanswered questions and a few others, the book was one of the most compelling that I've read this year.

On a scale of one to ten, I give it a 9.

Absolute Friends - John Le Carre'

I picked this book up at a used book shop for no particular reason except that I usually enjoy this author's work. Well, Absolute Friends did not disappoint me. Despite a major flaw, it's a good read. La Carre' knows the 'grimy soot on dirty concrete' european locales - and the slog and sadness of the spy business. He knows it well.

This time La Carre' shows his liberal bias and anti-Americanism - and he doesn't do it honorably. He strikes out with worn complaints. It was, for me, somewhat disappointing to see a writer of good fiction so enamored with slanted statements and stupid fictions about America. Perhaps it's standard fare in Britain but surely he could find honest differences to criticize.

Let me insert a few direct quotes from the book:

• After the liberation of Kuwait: "Tony Blair will travel to Kuwait to express his thanks to the Kuwaiti people for their cooperation in the successful conflict. Harumph."
• After the start of the second Iraq conflict: ". . . Blair has no doubt that Iraq's weapons of mass destruction will be shortly be found. While . . . .Rumsfield. . . speculates that the Iraqis may have destroyed them before the war began."
• Talking about Saddam: "Palaces with attitude. Illusions of power. The less power he's got, the bigger the illusions he builds. Rather like my gallant prime minister, Mr. Blair." A rocket bursts: "Ask Bush and Blair, our two great war leaders, neither of whom has seen a shot fired in anger."
• Re:Winston Churchill: "He thought the Indians were a pack of fuzzy-wuzzies, that's why. Flog 'em , hang 'em and teach 'em the Bible."
• Vietnam: ". . . .paste them with leaflets exhorting all good Nazis to rally to the American genocide in Vietnam."
• A terrorist's sermon: ". . .pour scorn and hatred on America for the carpet bombing of Vietnam's cities, the poisoning of her crops and napalming of her jungles. Reconvene the Nurenberg Tribunal and arraign the fascist-imperialist American leadership before it with charges of genocide and crimes against humanity."
• Describing a terrorist: "He has railed against the Shah and his CIA backed secret police, the Savak, and spread himself on the subject of American-sponsored Greek Colonels and the American puppet state of Israel."
• Re:War: "He has listed America's wars of aggression, from Hiroshima through Korea by way of Central America, South America and Africa to Vietnam."
• And here's a good one: "Herr Pastor . . . from the politics of the pulpit, he had moved to the politics of the pseudo-liberal ballot box. He joined secret right wing societies and was admitted to certain very select Masonic committees. His American-inspired adoration of the God of Wealth goaded me to the point of dementia."
• And another: Who is the ultimate class enemy? Answer, unhesitatingly, American military and corporate imperialism. How do we realistically oppose this enemy? Is it by relying on the enemy to destroy himself, but only after he has destroyed the world?"
• Regarding the pre-emptive strike on Iraq: "And since the so-called coalition, by making an unprovoked attack on Iraq, has already broken half the rules in the international law books, and intends by its continued occupation of Iraq to break the other half, should we not insist that the instigators account for themselves before the International Courts of Justice in the Haque?"
• Another American conceit: "Despite the fact, of course, that America has unilaterally declared itself immune from the jurisdiction of such courts."

These quotes describe John LeCarre' very liberal politics and anti-Americanism. He is apparently disgusted by the posturing of governments everywhere, and a person that believes nothing is quite real. He seems to value no ideas, standards, or philosophies as being worth defending. I have a lot of trouble with that.

By his own words John LeCarre' is a burned out author who no longer offers any relief from his embittered world.

Book Meister Award

Book Meister Award

Presented To:

LARRY ROBINOW

In grateful recognition and sincere appreciation

for your direction and hospitality as host of our

CALIFORNIA OLD GUYS BOOK CLUB

2009

Dixie Betrayed - David Eicher

It's written like a text book. That is to say that facts follow facts and are then related to more facts upon facts. The author follows a chronological sequence - with no real attempt to follow an interesting storyline. The style renders the book ponderous, difficult, and anything but a page turner.

That said, I have to admit that I did form a few new impressions as I read it.

• Jefferson Davis was shown to be a micro-manager and poor executive. He appointed incompetent friends to powerful positions, which in the end led to the political self-distruction of the Confederacy.
• During the war there was a constant tension between the Confederacy and State rights. The arguments were bitter and counter productive and a serious drag on the Davis directed war.
• The generals that led the Confederate army units were, for the most part, inexperienced and lacking leadership skills. They made many stupid mistakes.
• Most were appointed because they were friends or related to someone known by Davis - and not because of their ability to follow orders or manage and direct troops.
• At the end of the war Robert E. Lee was one of the very few heroes of the failed Confederacy. At least some of his enduring popularity is due to the photography of Matthew Brady. Lee was a commanding figure with his white hair, beard, sword, and grey uniform long coat.
• His gallant image has outlasted the Jefferson Davis record of failure.

Inside The Oval Office - William Doyle

This is technically not a book club selection, but it might be classed as an alternate since that is where I heard of it. What a surprisingly great book. I expected something of a gossiping bunch of stories centered on the recorded tapes of events in the oval office. Well, I got that and much more. Eavesdropping of the rich, famous and powerful men that made history turned out to be fascinating. There is little gossip, a lot of facts, and a really interesting view of Presidents from FDR to Bill Clinton. The book seems to be careful to be critical but not partisan. This must have been hard to do, but it works. The book is good and worth reading. On our scale of 1 to 10 I rate this one at nine.

Pandora's Keepers - Brian VanDeMark

Need to get these notes down while I think of them.

• Fission Atomic Weapon = horrific destruction
• Fusion Superbomb = weapon of genocide and unlimited destruction.
• Nuclear (A) and thermonuclear (H) difference.

Size described:

• Hiroshima Atom Bomb = 10,000 lb.s of TNT
• Superbomb Thermonuclear = 10,000,000 lbs. of TNT
• 1954 Thermonuclear Bomb = 15,000,000 lbs. of TNT
• 1960 Russian Thermonuclear Bomb = 60,000,000 lbs. of TNT

Atomic Bomb = result of Oppenheimer promotion and management.

Thermonuclear Bomb = result of Teller promotion.

Oppenheimer

• subject of vicious assault on his integrity
• led by Lewis Strauss
• pushed by Teller

Against Oppenheimer:

• Strauss / Borden / Teller / Lawrence / Griggs / Wilson / Robb (Lawyer)

Supported Oppenheimer:

• Rabi / Fermi / Bethe / Szilard / Compton / Lilienthal / Kennan / McCloy
• Pike / Bush / Conant / DuBridge / Von Neuman

Pandora's Keepers re-tells the history of both the designers and the design of the original atom (A) bomb and the super (H) bomb. The book is well put together, easily read, and eminently understandable for a non-scientist reader.

The Author describes the personalities directly involved. He zeroes in on the nine main nuclear physicists - each with a powerful and unique personality. The development of the atom bomb was done with great urgency by these men who fitted together awkwardly. Within the group were; jealousy, envy, hatred, egos - and different levels of brilliance. These conflicting elements had to be pushed aside to get the job done, and this was accomplished largely by the original leader, Robert Oppenheimer.

The hint of fission led to the pioneering development work that was followed by the Atom bomb. The physicists working on it knew they were dangerously manipulating Mother Nature and they did not know what might happen should someone order that one of these new bombs be exploded. The decision turned out not to be theirs to make.

The nation's military believed it's use would shorten the war. Our political leaders agreed and ordered the atom bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The unleashed destructive power and it's inhumanly horrible consequences that forever changed the world.

THE PHYSICISTS

After the resultant damage potential was realized in fact, the men that designed and built these new weapons each reacted in his own private way.

• A few refused to further develop nuclear weapons altogether.
• Some of them believed they had been instrumental in the early close of the war.
• And many felt they had given birth to a weapon whose development promised the END OF THE WORLD.

I Rose Like A Rocket - Grondahl (BC Mar 08)

The sub title is "The Political Education of Theodore Roosevelt" and it turned out to be one of the best reads of the year. It is a history and biography written to inform and entertain. I learned more about Teddy in this book than in all previous books. He was an extremely competant public figure with standards, principles and values we all want our politicians to have. He was a tough little guy with a very big mind. I highly recommend this book. It's a great read.