Book-Review-October 2015.pages

BLL Book Reviews - October 2015
Brewster Ladies Library
1822 Main Street
Brewster, MA 02631
In this issue…
Waiting Picture Book (for 4-8 year-olds) by Kevin Henkes (Nori Morganstein)
An Israeli Trilogy: The Israeli Solution: A One-State Plan for Peace in the Middle East by Caroline Glick;
Goliath by Max Blumenthal; My Promised Land by Ari Shavit (Doug Wilcock)
How It Went Down (Young Adult) by Kekla Magoon (Nic Willcox)
Writing Well in the 21st Century: The Five Essentials by Linda Spencer (Don Boink)
The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
by Daniel James Brown (Jim Mills)
The Negotiator: Reflections on an American life by George Mitchell (Don Boink)
Crooked Heart by Lissa Evans (Susan Carr)
Hold Still by Sally Mann (Don Boink)
Skyfaring: A Journey with a Pilot by Mark Vanhoenacker (Jim Mills)
Believer: My 40 Years in Politics by David Axelrod (Don Boink)
Midnight in Siberia: A Train Journey into the Heart of Russia by David Greene (Jim Mills)
On the Brink by Tyler Drumheller and Elaine Monahan (Don Boink)
Waiting (HarperCollins Publishers, 2015) Picture Book (for 4-8 year-olds)
by Kevin Henkes reviewed by: Nori Morganstein, Youth Services Librarian/Assistant Director
Waiting is a simple, yet wise picture book. The story is very simple. It’s about the
five toys someone has placed on top of a windowsill. The toys each have something they
are waiting for that makes them happy. The owl waits for the moon, the pig waits for the
rain, the bear waits for the wind, the puppy waits for the snow, and the rabbit just likes to
look out the window and wait (for nothing in particular). Each toy is happiest when what they are waiting for
comes to pass outside the window.
Not a lot happens, plot-wise, besides waiting. Yet, the book is so engrossing. Kids will not feel like they
aren’t getting a real story. So much happens outside the window. Toward the end, there are a few pages with no
words, and just illustrations of what the toys are seeing out the windows. There’s funny shaped clouds in one
window. There’s lightning in another. They even get to see fireworks.
There’s a little reality mixed in too. There’s the toy that joins them, but doesn’t come back because it fell
from the window. There’s the toys that leave (most likely to be played with), but then do come back after a little
time passes. And there are new friends at the end as well.
The book is loaded with good messages. Sometimes it’s the simpler things in life that can make you the
most happy. Waiting doesn’t have to be a bad thing, especially when you have friends to share in the wait with
you. Looking out the window from time to time can be a fun experience. Stop and smell the roses. Etc. The best
thing about these messages is that they are inconspicuous. Unless, you are looking for them, they are not
obvious. They are hidden in the simplicity. They are the kind of messages that will have kids thinking.
Like the writing, the illustrations are also simple. There is a lot of white space and clear lines. The toys
have a cartoon-like cuteness about them. The images outside the windows are definitely worth the wait, both for
the toys and the reader. I can see the pictures leading to good discussions about what children might wait for
from behind their own windows.
Kevin Henkes is one of my favorite Children’s authors. He knows how to write good, simple stories. He
knows how to draw animals really well. And there’s something about all his books that stick with you, way past
your first reading. Waiting is one of those books. I can see it resonating with a lot of families. 1 of 12
An Israeli Trilogy:
The Israeli Solution: A One-State Plan for Peace in the Middle East by Caroline Glick;
Goliath by Max Blumenthal; My Promised Land by Ari Shavit
reviewed by Doug Wilcock
After an interesting dinner conversation with friends about Israel, a conversation that left me questioning
my assumptions about the country, I serendipitously came across these three books. They form an interesting
trilogy that spans the political spectrum. After reading the three I was left to ponder whether the authors were
writing about the same country. Are we speaking of Israel as a lonely, isolated democratic beacon surrounded
by hostile neighbors? Or, are we speaking of Israel as oppressor of the Palestinians? Or, is there a middle
ground where the truth of Israel captures a little of each, or perhaps the truth is that neither extreme is true.
What is Israel today?
To Caroline Glick, senior contributing editor of the Jerusalem Post and author of The Israeli Solution, one
central fact remains constant in viewing Israel and the Middle East: The Palestinians, through the Palestinian
Authority, the PLO, or Fatah, along with the wider Arab world, especially Iran, remain committed to the
destruction of Israel. Glick adamantly opposes the two state solution, seeing the partitioning of Israel into a
Jewish Israel and an Arab Palestine as making Israel militarily indefensible. Her solution is that there should be
one state with the areas she calls Judea and Samaria (what we call the West Bank) which are now under Israeli
military control (the occupation) incorporated as part of Israel. She argues that the legal basis for this is the
1922 League of Nations Mandate for Palestine which put the areas that are present day Israel and Jordan under
British authority, with the stipulation that these areas were to be a Jewish homeland.
Glick argues that the settlements of Jews in Judea and Samaria are legal, despite the fact that they
remain incendiary to Arabs in those areas, and to many in the rest of the world. Her argument again goes back
to the British Mandate for Palestine. "The majority of the land in Judea and Samaria is defined as State Lands.
That is, they are owned by the sovereign power." She then cites that under the Ottomans they were controlled
by the sovereign, under the British Mandate by the high commissioner, and under Jordanian rule by the king.
Under Israeli rule, post-1967, they are controlled by the civil administration of the military government. Glick
says that "[t]he use of State Lands for Jewish settlement was in keeping with the Mandate of the League of
Nations, which called explicitly for the facilitation of 'close settlement by Jews on the land, including State
lands and waste lands not required for public purposes.'" A footnote to her quote here is that this comes from
Article 6 of the League of Nations Mandate for Palestine.
How does Glick envision Israel incorporating Judea and Samaria? She sees the majority of Palestinians
registering for Israeli permanent residency status, which she argues means open access to the Israeli job market
as well as welfare and health benefits equal to those of Israeli citizens. If under this plan Palestinians wish to
apply for citizenship that is fine with her. She argues in some detail that the so-called demographic time bomb,
the notion that Palestinian birth rates will ultimately make Jews a minority in Israel, is illusory and that there is
no obstacle to Israel's remaining Jewish and democratic.
The antidote to Caroline Glick's book is Goliath by Max Blumenthal, the aptly named book of how the
David of Israel became the Goliath, oppressing, subjugating, and driving out (from Arab lands) the Arabs of the
Occupied Territories, the Judea and Samaria of Glick's book. Blumenthal sees a systematic appropriation of
Arab lands and homes as part of a strategic ghettoization of the Arab communities. He asserts that even as early
as 1948 Israeli policy was to drive Arabs off their lands, to bulldoze villages, and to then appropriate this land as
state land, the state land mentioned by Glick, to disperse to Jews. In this process Arabs would be cut off from
their farms and gardens, and from each other. Blumenthal sees the Jewish settlements as strategic, designed to
isolate Arab villages by encircling them with Jewish communities. In the Occupied Territories this extends
Greater Israel so that if a two state solution is reached the Jewish settlements, supported by barriers and roads
for Jews only, will extend Israel like fingers into the West Bank, emasculating what would be Palestinian
territory.
Like Caroline Glick, Max Blumenthal also addresses demographics. Unlike Glick he sees Israeli policy
toward Arabs as devious, using his description of Israeli actions regarding settlements in the West Bank as
diluting the threat caused by the supposedly high Arab birth rates. (Continued)
Carolyn Glick
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Blumenthal maintains that Israel cannot be both Jewish and democratic. Given the emergence of strong
religious right parties like Avigdor Lieberman's Israel Beiteinu party, Blumenthal sees Benjamin Netanyahu's
politics driven further right, favoring Judaism over democracy. Blumenthal maintains that these religious right
parties are filled with hatred first and foremost for Arabs, then for Africans, and finally for the Ashkenazi Jews
who are the liberal counterpoint to their right wing fanaticism. This ties to a point that Blumenthal makes about
discrimination. Most employment forms ask whether the applicant has served in the Army. Since no Arabs can
serve, this is effectively a discriminatory question. Since Blumenthal spent much of his time in Israel with the
Israeli Jewish radical left he concludes his book by describing how these groups, the ones who show up to help
Arabs defend their homes against the bulldozers, has become so demoralized that many have left Israel for,
ironically, Berlin and also for Brooklyn.
Ari Shavit's very nuanced My Promised Land stands as an antidote to both Glick and Blumenthal. By
anchoring each chapter with a figure or an event, Shavit gives a fully dimensioned fine grain look at both
Israel's history and its prospects. He sees clearly that intimidation (the existential threat from the surrounding
Arab neighbors) and occupation (of territories) have become the two pillars of the Israeli condition and that
each will be instrumental in defining Israel. Unlike either Glick or Blumenthal, Shavit begins the book on a
historical note in 1897 with Herbert Bentwich, a well-to-do English Jew traveling to Jaffa with a group of
Zionist pilgrims on a Cook's tour of what will become Israel. Bentwich, Shavit's great-grandfather, "does not
see Palestinian villages. … In this vast land [including Jordan] there are fewer than a million inhabitants. There
is enough room there for the Jewish survivors of anti-Semitic Europe. … My great-grandfather does not see
because he is motivated by the need not to see." What he does see are the ruins of Jewish history like the
Wailing Wall, the remaining remnant of the Temple and the symbol of an 1800 year catastrophic history. He
sees promise and opportunity; he does not see Arabs.
Shavit takes the reader step by step from 1897 to the present day. Fast forward to 1937 when this land is
the British Mandate of Palestine and Trans-Jordan. In 1937 the Peel Commission is proposing a two state
solution with a transfer of populations (perhaps modeled on the Greek- Turkish transfer). Among Jews a rough
consensus is that the Arabs should go to Iraq, Syria, or Trans-Jordan. By 1939 the general staff of Haganah is
formed and trained. Shavit concludes that already the seeds of Jewish-Arab conflict are well established.
Following close on the heels of these events Shavit looks in depth at Shmaryahu Gutman who provides the
pillar of Zionist identity, Masada. He shows that Gutman's " Masada shall not fall again" was the ethos that
would shape the Zionism of the 1940's, cement the solidarity of 1948, and shape the early years of the state of
Israel. But it was the same Gutman who was instrumental in ordering the Arab exodus from Lydda after a
machine-gunning at a mosque left seventy dead. Shavit notes that not only was a conquered Arab village
demolished "[b]ut with it the ethos of the socialist-Zionist edict of being humble and doing right and serving the
greater good."
Shavit, in great detail, documents the birth and growth of the settler movement, focusing on Yehuda
Etzion and Pinchas Wallerstein and the Gush Emunim settler movement. As the author notes, by extending
settlements into the West Bank the delicate balance that the early Zionists achieved has been destroyed. State
support for the settlers means that the settlements represent a colonial enterprise. When he interviews
Wallerstein he tells him that his (Wallerstein's) search for Zionist glory has brought disaster on Israel. "On our
behalf, you committed an act of historic suicide."
From 1996 on, Israeli society has been divided. Disenchanted Jews, the Sephardic Oriental Jews from
North Africa, seethed under the Ashkenazi Jews of Europe. They felt rejection, humiliation, and persecution at
the hands of the Ashkenazi. Despite housing, feeding, and employing the Oriental Jews "what the Ashkenazidominated state does not understand is that it is taking away from the Oriental immigrants their community and
honor and tradition. It takes apart the social and normative structures that have kept them together in the
Diaspora. They have no tools to deal with the new world, no education relevant to it, no awareness, no sense of
where or why. They have no authority, no compass. … Hundreds of thousands of Oriental-Jewish youngsters in
Israel are raised with no father, no discipline, and no meaning to their life." One Oriental Jewish interviewee
says that "[w]e Oriental Jews didn't bleed enough into the river of belonging. … We were imported only
because European Jewry was exterminated and there was no other way to grow the state." Who is the icon of
these downtrodden Oriental Jews? Benjamin Netanyahu. (Continued)
Max Blumenthal
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Shavit talks about how there were seven internal revolts in Israel over the last thirty years, each seeking
justice for some aggrieved minority. Shavit acknowledges that each was justified in that they each brought a
previously marginalized group and its concern before the general society. The net result, however, was that the
collective outcome was the disintegration of the Israeli republic. In a similar fashion, while Israel has been a
high tech success story, their education system has deteriorated endangering this technological excellence, the
employment rate among Orthodox men and Arab women in Israel is extremely low, and fewer than 20 firms
control large segments of the Israeli economy. These shortcomings are masked by the success of the high tech
sector but will it always be the case? Shavit says that when nearly half the population is not part of the national
effort and does not shoulder responsibility for the nation's future, then fewer Israelis have to run faster to carry
the Israelis who don't run at all.
Shavit sees a real danger in Iran but says that Western leaders share much of the blame for ignoring Iran
for too long. "Preoccupied with Iraq and Afghanistan, the Western media, academia, and intelligentsia turned
their backs on the Iranian challenge. Many wouldn’t hear, wouldn't see, and wouldn't comprehend." That's why
the West's leaders did not have the necessary political backing needed to act decisively against Iran. In contrast
to Western indifference, Shavit sees Israel as focused on the existential threat. However, contrary to the advice
of advisor Amos Yadlin to work with Obama, Netanyahu did nothing to curb settlements and to align Israeli and
Western interests, leaving us at perhaps the lowest point in the history of U.S. – Israel relations.
Shavit concludes that a society bogged down in endless warfare can be easily corrupted. He is surprised
that Israelis have generally upheld democratic values while they have been in a permanent state of war. But he
feels that there is great pressure on the core of Israeli democracy with the result that Israelis suffer from a loss of
identity. "At times we do not recognize ourselves anymore. We are not sure who we really are."
Given events in the Middle East over the last few years it is imperative for Americans to be well
informed, to understand the subtleties and complex forces that hold sway in the region. I would submit that this
trilogy would be a good place to start. Each helps to give context to much of what appears daily in the
newspaper. If I had just one book to read, Avi Shavit's My Promised Land would be it. Blumenthal and Glick
have agendas to advance. Glick would have us believe that Israel can do no wrong; Blumenthal believes it can
do no right. Shavit wants to take us through the complexity, ambivalence, and subtlety of Israel's history so that
we have a road map to take us to contemporary Israeli society. However, despite the shortcomings of the other
two, this trio of books, what I have called an Israeli trilogy, has given me a much better understanding of that
complex country and region.
Ari Shavit
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How It Went Down (Young Adult)
by Kekla Magoon
review by Nic Willcox
Powerful, compassionate, and extremely topical, this novel tells the story of what happens
when sixteen-year-old Tariq, a black boy, is fatally shot by a white man. Was it self-defense, or a
hate crime? Was Tariq an armed gang member fleeing the scene of a crime, or was he unarmed
and innocent? Even questions that seem like they should have clear-cut answers are surprisingly difficult, as
different people saw, or remember, different things.
Told from the perspectives of more than a dozen members of the community, this book offers a wide
variety of viewpoints that sometimes directly disagree with one another. The handling of this is masterful. The
many personalities are distinct and complex, and their stories intersect in interesting ways. Some of them have
conflicting accounts of what happened on the day Tariq was shot, but none of them seems to be outright lying:
they simply perceived situations differently based on their own knowledge and biases. For example, one
onlooker saw a storekeeper chase Tariq out into the street, yelling, and was sure that Tariq was a thief; the
storekeeper, though, explains that Tariq had left his change and he just wanted to return it.
We also get the story from people who weren’t there at all when it happened. A political preacher struggles
to balance his genuine horror at the way our country sometimes treats young black men with the fact that he can
use this incident to advance him in the polls. Tariq’s mother, grandmother, and little sister are rocked by grief
and outrage. A girl who got her first kiss from Tariq feels the sadness more distantly, while a girl he used to
bully feels guilty that she’s not as sad as those around her.
Tariq’s death changes the trajectories of lives throughout the community, especially those in and around the
local gang, the Kings. For his best friend, Tariq was proof that you could make it without joining a gang; now
he’s not so sure, and the Kings are coming around to convince him otherwise. Another friend, already a King,
wants revenge. A girl who barely knew Tariq, but saw him get shot, is now thinking she wants out of the gang
life. Even as the media and the community try to find out what really happened that day, things continue to
happen. The book is strongly-plotted, with tension building as multiple characters move toward life-defining
decisions.
The book is gritty and realistic, but not gratuitous in terms of violence or language. Both are absolutely
present, but no more than makes sense for the story. And while I won’t give the ending away, the dangerous
paths followed by many of the characters veer away from catastrophe and toward hope.
A 2015 Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book, How It Went Down packs a powerful dose of empathy,
reminding viewers that Tariq’s death is a tragedy whether he was armed or not, whether he was a gang member
or not. He wasn’t perfect, any more than any other human being, but he was a person, a teenager, with friends
and family and a future. Given the sad relevance of the story in our world right now, this is an important, as well
as a well-crafted, book.
Writing Well in the 21st Century: The Five Essentials
by Linda Spencer
reviewed by Don Boink
This is a small book that brings up some useful information about a number of changes in usage that may
be of interest to writers or any person who loves reading.The chapters are devoted to five essentials of good
writing.
1. Punctuation and the choices available.
2. Grammar stressing clarity, clarity, clarity.
3. Facts - checking for accuracy
4. Styles – author urges creating unique writing
5. Voice – the goal is to find one's own voice.
The bibliography lists several dictionaries that are more current. There is reference to Aristotle's Poetics.
What to listen for in music. And of course Strunk and White. Also the Chicago Manual of Style. And what
constitutes plagiarism
Some of the text gets tedious and the author gives many examples to illustrate her points. She also points
out that any sentence can be written in five different ways. How to shift the emphasis and making the verbs
more active. Fun for some, dreary for others.
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The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
by Daniel James Brown
reviewed by Jim Mills
The Boys in the Boat combines all of the elements of an engaging and popular story. The story centers on
a young man, Joe Rantz, born in 1914 to a hard life of extreme poverty in the state of Washington. Abandoned
by his family in his teens, Rantz managed to achieve entrance into the University of Washington. In his
freshman year he participated in one of the most demanding collegiate sports, rowing crew. This decision led to
his participation in the American Nine Man Racing Crew sent to the 1936 Olympics in Hitler’s Berlin.
The author goes into great detail describing the factors that contribute to a successful racing crew. A key to
success is having all nine members (eight rowers and coxswain) so well trained that they operate flawlessly as a
unit. In racing parlance they swing together. An initial advantage that the University of Washington rowers was
the presence of a British born master racing scull craftsman, George Yeoman Pocock. Pockock’s ability to build
superbly fast boats and his advice on racing techniques and strategies was a major contributor to the university’s
racing successes. The story follows several years of competitive racing meets in which the Washington crews
participated. These meets were held locally on Lake Washington, on San Francisco Bay against their arch-rival
the University of California at Berkeley, the Hudson River against Eastern Ivy League Schools, and Princeton’s
Lake Carnegie for the Olympic trials. The story covers the Freshman, Junior Varsity and Varsity level races as
the principals of the story advance on their way to the Berlin Olympics. Much of the story has to do with the
decisions of the rowing coaches in choosing crews and motivating each of the student rowers.
A parallel story has to do with events in Germany with the decisions of the Nazi leadership to use the
Berlin Olympics to paint a favorable image of the New Germany abroad. This involved constructing major
facilities, financially promoting German athletes, and eliminating any signs of the Nazi treatment of Jews and
other minorities from the view of foreign visitors for the duration of the Games. Hitler went to the extent of
promoting a German moviemaker Leni Riefenstahl to document the Olympics in fine and glorious detail. Part
of this effort was to try and insure that German athletes won as many events as possible. As this story evolves
this meant putting foreign teams at as great a disadvantage as possible. Much of the triumph of the U.S. sculling
team involved winning in spite of these programmed obstacles.
The author goes into detail in highlighting the background of each of the major participants. In all of the
trial and triumphs over the three year period from 1933 to 1936 he analyzes the motivation and techniques
employed, particularly by the coaches in putting together wining crews. The story is one of triumph over
adversity and engages the reader completely. The Boys in the Boat seems destined to become a major motion
with all the elements of competitiveness, challenges and loyalty that are significant elements of a successful
film.
The Boys in the Boat
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The Negotiator: Reflections on an American life
by George Mitchell
reviewed by Don Boink
This book is a memoir that tells a truly amazing story of being born on the “wrong side of the tracks”
literally, and yet rising to become one of America’s most distinguished citizens. George Mitchell was born the
fourth of five children to a Lebanese textile worker and a janitor who was the orphaned son of Irish immigrants.
He rose from poverty to become a man whose integrity and skills as a problem solver have been sought in
politics, business, and even in the Major League Baseball organization.
If he had been the Majority Leader of the Senate the past six years our country would be in far greater
shape than it is today. During his term as majority leader beginning in 1988 he and Robert Dole, minority
leader, established one of the most productive bipartisanship relationships in recent Senate history.
He was a staunch supporter of the environment. He championed landmark legislation on clean air and
water, income tax and healthcare reform. His success came not from partisan politics but from honest
negotiation. He and other senators understood the necessity of compromise. Something sadly lacking in the
current toxic atmosphere in our legislature.
Throughout the book he sprinkles anecdotal remarks that lighten his more serious accounts. One tells of a
friend of his who knew Frank Sinatra. This friend told him than when he was due to give a speech he sipped a
cup of very hot water. Sinatra had told him that was what he always did to relax his vocal cords. Another
incident occurred during a controversial Senate session while a filibuster was going on. The Senators chose to
sleep in one of the rooms on Army cots. As Mitchell made his way to one of the few remaining vacant cots he
had to crawl over the Senator from Virginia, John Warner. He remarked that here was Warner, who could have
been at home sleeping with his wife Elizabeth Taylor.
Recognizing that political life was not conducive to health or a healthy marriage, he was divorced from his
first wife. He chose to resign from the Senate while he was at his peak. Because of his reputation as a negotiator
President Clinton asked him to be the head of a commission to Northern Ireland to help settle an ongoing
confrontation between two warring factions. This dispute was settled peacefully.
Another presidential mission was to the Middle East. That seemingly intractable problem still exists. Two
other trouble spots he got involved in were the major league baseball dispute and also the difficulty at Disney
Studios. All in all Mitchell’s public service went from a judgeship to the head of the Senate after he came close
to being nominated to the Supreme Court.
Pres. Obama decorated him with the medal of freedom. The highest civilian award of the land. George
Mitchell sets a high standard for any public servant to aspire to and one to which very few, if any, present
incumbents can match. A great read, informative, inspiring and told with candor and honesty
George Mitchell
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Crooked Heart
by Lissa Evans
reviewed by Susan Carr
Crooked Heart is the latest entry in a spate of wonderful, World War II novels, including The Light We
Cannot See (May, 2014) - Germany and France, and The Nightingale (Feb, 2015) – France. Crooked Heart
(July, 2015) is set in London during the Blitz.
Our hero, Noel Bostock, a ten year old orphan, lived with his godmother, Mattie, in London. Mattie was
an independent soul, a former suffragette who had endured several visits to prison when women fought for the
vote. Noel was a bit odd, brainy, and had little in common with other children his age. The two were simpatico
on all issues. Unfortunately, Mattie was showing signs of memory loss.
Many youngsters were evacuated from London as war rumbled in Europe with Germany’s invasion of
Poland. Mattie was sure there would be no war, and as Noel did not want to leave her, he remained in the city.
With many children gone, his school was closed. For two weeks he pretended to go off to school, spending part
of the day in the library and the rest at Hampstead Heath, where he read all of Eric Ambler and Sherlock
Holmes. Mattie found him at the beginning of the third week. She said to him, “I was listening for
woodpeckers, but instead I found a lesser-spotted truant.”
For three days she taught him lessons…and then she kind of forgot about it. One day she drifted off and
Noel was unable to find her. She had died and eventually Noel was evacuated to the suburbs. He ended up with
a horse of a different color from his wonderful Mattie …..Vera Sedge, a desperate woman providing for her
ne’er-do-well son, by any means that she could think of. When Noel arrived she used him as a side-kick to
collect money for bogus war-time charities. However, Noel, having the better imagination, soon took over the
planning and they became very successful at soliciting money for multiple causes.
Evans paints a realistic and, wonderfully humorous picture of war-time Britain with its indignities,
pettiness, and multiple levels of dishonorable conduct. The making of Vera’s and Noel’s relationship is the
product of this environment, and the heart of the story. It gives the reader an excellent study of character, as well
as a charming tale. If Mr. Dickens were still among us, I think he would have been very tempted to seize upon
either one or both of these characters and slip them into one of his books. Crooked Heart is highly
recommended for a “good read” and a “good think”.
Hold Still
by Sally Mann
reviewed by Don Boink
This is an outstanding memoir, told with wit and unmatched candor. Sally Mann is mostly known as a
photographer, and a controversial one at that. The way she gets into her story is to go up to her attic and untie
the long neglected boxes of letters and memorabilia. She is a bit apprehensive about what she will find but is
fascinated with what is revealed.
She lives in Virginia and is passionate about the South. The farm she grew up on is in the beautiful
Shenandoah Valley with a river wandering nearby. Her early youth is almost feral. Clothing of any sort was
anathema to her and her distraught mother made many frantic attempts get her to wear anything. When she did
acquiesce the garment would be worn to a rag. Her mother actually didn’t really pay much attention to her and
her father, a country doctor, didn’t seem concerned either. As a consequence she roamed far and wide and as she
grew got into all sorts of trouble.
Her writing is evidence of her freewheeling style. At times, coarse dialogue demonstrate her unique
outlook on life. Her rhapsodic description of the Virginia hills and streams as well as her concerns with family,
race, mortality, are evidence of an almost genetically inherited nature of her forebears.
Going for one trove of letters to another she unravels threads that lead her to a variety of incidents that
occurred in the past. Both on her family’s side and that of her husband, Larry’s, side. Where Sally’s upbringing
was very uninhibited, Larry’s life was very formal and structured by parents who were social climbers and, lead
lives far more bizarre than hers. All of this background is reflected in her luminous writing and wonderful
descriptions. Her artistic outlook is brought to bear on everything she encounters. (continued)
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Her beloved Southland she finds has a dark underbelly of deceit, scandal, alcoholism, domestic abuse ,
car crashes, suicides, racial injustices and even murder. All these elements are woven into an absorbing tale of
families going back a few generations. The book is liberally supplemented with her photographs and stories that
go with them. The controversy came with an earlier book that contains several pictures of her naked children
engaged in playful activity. It distressed her but didn’t slow her down a bit. I’m no connoisseur of photo – art
but frankly I was not impressed with very many of her shots. Nonetheless she has made a great reputation from
them and is widely sought for conferences and Harvard lectures.To me her writing is outstanding, and I enjoyed
it greatly, yet at the end of the book I chose to mostly skip over the last couple of chapters since the subject
matter was too preoccupied with death and unorthodox practices.
Skyfaring: A Journey with a Pilot
by Mark Vanhoenacker
reviewed by Jim Mills
Mark Vanhoenacker is an Airbus and 747 pilot who has flown long haul routes operating out of London
for a number of years. After all of these years in the air, Mark has not lost his fascination with viewing the
continuing spectacle of the Earth as viewed from 35,000 feet. With regular flights extending across uninhabited
sections of Siberia, northern Canada, and Greenland, the author shares his excitement over the haunting views
of such remote portions of our planet. The beauty of these views include the breathtaking expanse of the night
sky from high altitudes, the lure of the Aurora, the network of light at night including the unbelievable expanse
of the Los Angeles metropolitan complex, the beauty of extended sunrises and sunsets and the unlimited variety
of terrain, clouds and shifting lights around the world. At one point the author mentions that on some far
northerly great circle routes, the aircraft will weave in and out along the day/night terminator providing multiple
sunrises and sunsets on the same flight.
A fascinating aspect of Skyfaring is the description of the normal demands and pleasures of the aviation
profession. For those of us who fly from time to time, the author explains the complexity of procedures that
keep the modern airline industry flying safely and reliable with approximately eighty thousand flight daily. The
miracle of modern aircraft technology exemplified in the 747 is described in a readily understandable way. This
amazing technology has produced the safest mode of transportation available from what was once one of the
most dangerous. The accomplishments of modern aviation have exceeded by far the predictions of scientists and
engineers of an earlier age. In the 1960s only about a quarter of Americans had ever flown. Today the figure is
over 80%.
The author discusses the daily life of a commercial pilot. Flight crews are varied from flight to flight. A
pilot may not see any individual co-pilot or flight attendant again for months or even years. This pilot gets to fly
on a regular basis to such disparate cities as Tokyo, Sydney, Cape Town, and Los Angeles. The regular lay overs
in these places with the opportunity to explore different cultures, is regarded as a pleasant perk of the job. The
extended separation from family a down side.
I am sure that any passenger, who like this reviewer, loves looking out of an aircraft window and those
curious about what keeps this high-tech business running, will just love this book. The author mentioned a 1961
book, that all pilots that he knows love, Fate is the Hunter by Ernest K. Gann describing his training and career
as a commercial and wartime pilot. This reviewer found out that three copies of this book were still in the
CLAMS network and ordered one. The copy I received was unbelievably beat up but must be one of the most
interesting and riveting books that I have read in ages. I have yet to finish the Gann book but that book along
with Skyfaring come with the highest endorsement. I did check the Gutenberg website and Fate is the Hunter is
not available for free downloading as an E-Book.
747 Cockpit
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Believer: My 40 Years in Politics
by David Axelrod
reviewed by Don Boink
People who love politics are different from most of us. To them it is the most fascinating game in the
world and, as a game, is exactly the way they approach it. Most games involve strategy, planning, imagination
and experience. David Axelrod was perhaps one of those people who was able to put all of those aspects
together with intelligence and skill
Starting out as a cub reporter for the Chicago Tribune he learned his way around the world of politics in
one of the country's quintessential political arenas, Chicago, Illinois. Here the best and the worst came together
to do battle. The contestants had a variety of motives. Some were idealists, some materialists, some simply
egotist. Axelrod tired of writing about politics, decided to get into the game as a participant. Not that he desired
public office but to help plan a campaign for the aspirants.
With mixed results he gradually worked his way up the scale from local elections to state then national. His
insights and instincts led him to more and more successes. At the same time his family life had its problems. He
and his wife Susan had three children,the first, his daughter Lauren, was born with epilepsy and suffered
severely from seizures from birth. This condition had no remedy and persisted for many years. David's work
took him away from home often and the burden fell on Susan to carry on
It was Susan's forbearance and encouragement that allowed him to pursue his increasing involvement in
political campaign planning and management. Being a good writer he provides a vivid picture of the work that
consumes him. He collaborates with a partner and formed a firm that is increasingly in demand for their
services
The book is one anecdote after another of the highs and lows of campaigns. Being a liberal and mainly
interest in progressive candidates he chose to work for only those whose aims coincided with his own. This
allowed him to put his whole self into the campaigns. He became a close advisor to Barack Obama back in
Illinois and the race for the Senate. He recognized the potential of this candidate and yet had misgivings with
the question of Obama running for the US presidency before finishing a full term as Senator arose. Those
misgivings didn't last long and he was fully behind the run from 2006 to primaries in 2008. His team worked to
prepare Obama for the final push which of course was successful
To me it was extremely interesting to learn the tremendous complexities of a big-time political campaign.
These complexities included the number of specialty advisors needed, the necessity of coordinating them and
how funds were attracted. During the primary campaign the other high visibility candidate was Hillary Clinton.
How that affected what strategy to employee seems to have a lot to say about the current 2016 presidential
election.
The book did not convince me to be a political junkie but it was extremely informative and helpful in
what to look for in a candidate. Today's Washington gridlock has been brewing for many years and the lack of
bipartisanship has seriously hampered the working of government. The most detrimental factor, in my
estimation, is the obstructionist tactics of the conservative movement wasting six years and working solely to
defeat the duly elected president, to me, is treasonous. In spite of a dysfunctional Legislature Obama has
accomplished remarkable achievements.
David Axelrod
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Midnight in Siberia: A Train Journey into the Heart of Russia
by David Greene
reviewed by Jim Mills
David Greene is a host of NPR’s (National Public Radio) Morning Edition program and was NPR’s
Moscow Bureau Chief for many years. During his time in Russia, Greene twice took the Trans-Siberian
Railroad across the nation. Midnight in Siberia covers the second 6,000 mile rail journey taken in the winter of
2013. The author met and interviewed numerous Russians on the train and at many stops on his multi-week
journey. He also relates his experiences that he has had during his time as a journalist within the country.
One very strange experience occurred while he was boarding the train at one station. There was a security
inspection station there similar to one that would be found at any US airport. The passengers were passing their
luggage as well as themselves through various weapon detectors with alarms occasionally going off. The odd
thing was that there were no security attendants in attendance and whether alarms went off or not the passengers
continued on their way to the train. Even though there no one was manning the station, the passengers were still
filing through the inspection point as if the inspectors were actually there to check them.
A general comment that the author makes is that Russians can be very cold and curt in public, but are very
warm and amiable when you are their guest or are known to them. One characteristic is a throw back to the
“Soviet Times”, a reluctance to complain or protest about the many injustices and obstructions encountered
during their daily lives. The ‘experiment’ with democracy that occurred under Boris Yeltsin following the
breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991 is remembered negatively because of the social and economic chaos that
followed the transition to a Capitalistic system. While there is much opposition to the current President,
Vladimir Putin, many Russians support and respect him as a strong leader. Some even compare him with
another strong leader of the past, Joseph Stalin. Most of the demonstrations and opposition to the government
occur in the larger cities where they have the most contact with Westerners. The situation is different in the
smaller towns and villages that Greene visits on this trip.
On a side trip from the Trans-Siberian the author visited the city of Chelyabinsk, a few weeks after a close
brush with avery large meteor. He explained that so many videos of the meteor were available since so many
Russians have Dash Cams mounted in their cars. One reason for the movie camera is to have a record of any
accident to support the driver’s point of view. A short visit to You-Tube on the Internet will provide hours and
hours of video of bizarre accidents and close encounters on Russian roads. From a western perspective Russia
can be a very strange country. One repeated comment made to Greene is that manyRussians that feel that all of
the stresses and challenges that they have been forced to endure has made them stronger and tougher
individuals. The author points out in several instances just how Russians differ from us and his dialogue can
help us to understand a culture that is so different from our own.
Trans-Siberian Railroad Route
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On the Brink
by Tyler Drumheller and Elaine Monahan
reviewed by Don Boink
This is a book written by a former CIA officer who served for many years under a series of presidents. The
main subject is the lead up to the Iraq war and the manner in which it came about. It is written in the first-person
by Tyler Drumheller as a memoir that is factual according to his recollections. He claims he has documentation
to back him up. He frequently said he loved his work. His earliest assignments were in Africa during the
apartheid period. The US, at the time under Reagan, was aligned with the white supremacists of South Africa.
This was to counter the Communist influence of the ANC (African National Congress)
Through the years he gradually rose in ranks to become one of the top echelon CIA officers. However
during the George W. Bush administration he became very disturbed by the demands of the administration when
it became apparent that war against Iraq was not only strongly contemplated but was actually being planned.
History has indicated that there were a number of possible scenarios that explain the motivation. One was
that the son was trying to finish what he felt the father had left undone. That is, unseat Saddam Hussein. There
were all sorts of reasons given to justify removing him from power. What was felt to be the most compelling
reason (according to Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz) was the threat of biological weapons (BW)
together with the likelihood that Hussein had developed a nuclear weapon (WMD).
The CIA had not developed any intelligence that corroborated those assertions and, apparently in too
timid a fashion, informed the White House. Since the White House agenda was likely set, it became their choice
to seek persons to support their case. A number of Iraqi expatriates seeking Hussein’s overthrow readily
vouched for the assertions. One was Richard Perle, who had some sort of pedigree to point to.
Perhaps the strongest assertions came from a former, unnamed, Iraqi chemical engineer. The CIA could
not get a solid handle on this person in order to “vet” his information. A foreign power had him in custody and
would not agree to his being interviewed. They also indicated they did not feel he was truthful. This person
became known as “Curveball” and the White House was pleased to accept his assertions since it suited their
agenda very well. As time went on the White House beat the war drums more and more insistently and finally
got the Congress to accede to their wishes.
For the most part the CIA staff was not in sync with this plan yet through political machinations the new
head of the agency, George Tenet fell in line with the White House and gave the shaky “evidence” the agency’s
blessing. Drumheller during this period became increasingly upset with the political interference with
professional intelligence gathering and literally became ill as a result.
All of this followed in the wake of the horrendous attack on 9/11. The immediate response was to retaliate
on Afghanistan where the attackers, Al Qaeda, were holed up. This campaign was proceeding successfully
except for the inability to catch Osama bin Laden. Thus the sudden shift of attention from Afghanistan to Iraq
which had no credible connection to 9/11 was a non-sequitur. What followed of course was the greatest military
blunder ever. The more the mess is analyzed the more maniacal it becomes. The whole Middle East turmoil is
the result of the ineptitude of the Bush – Cheney administration.
As for the book, On the Brink, in my estimation, suffers from problems beyond the control of the author.
The CIA went through the initial book and redacted any portions it felt impinged on national security or perhaps
even political sensitivity. This took away a great deal of substance matter. The author understandably agonized
over the misuse of his beloved agency and the blowback from congressional hearings and investigations that
appeared to place unfair blame on the CIA. One of the most flagrant crimes was the one Karl Rove committed
in outing Valerie Plame. An undercover CIA member. This appeared to be due to husband, Joseph Wilson,
putting the lie to the White House’s claim that Hussein obtained ingredients (yellowcake) from Niger for a
nuclear bomb. Someone less emotionally involved might have made the story more coherent, less ambiguous
and even more interesting..
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from
November 1
through
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