Daughter, Snow, found a treasure trove of family history stashed in hallowed out dictionaries and similarly thick books. The story began on computer dDaughter, Snow, found a treasure trove of family history stashed in hallowed out dictionaries and similarly thick books. The story began on computer disks and finished with letters her father had written, but never mailed, to her mother.
Snow’s father, the writer. Jie, is high up in in the Chinese government with a career in military intelligence. He can receive dossiers on his wife and seemingly any others of interest to him. He is well educated and fluent in several languages as is his wife Moon.
Jie has a remarkable command of English, particularly for someone who supposedly does not use the language in his daily life. His vocabulary is nuanced; He uses idioms and often quotes western writers and philosophers. The letters do not have dates, but are chronological so if you know recent Chinese history, you can figure it out in general terms.
The narrative begins with Jie’s description of his family’s life in Shanghai in the 1930’s. They had attained a comfortable living standard through work as master chefs and management of dining facilities. He lived with his extended family in a compound of spacious and landscaped courtyards. Some of the structures were rental units. The family had servants.
The early part takes you through the end of the stability that made a middle class life possible for some. The economy teetered under the Japanese occupation and with the help of food distribution the family survived. Economic deterioration continued into the Communist takeover. You see the family lose tenants and sell antiques. The communists began moving people into their courtyard homes.
Jie's parents placed a high priority on education and learning foreign languages and cultures. This protected Jie and his siblings through the rough politics because they had needed and rare skills.
At school Jie meets his first love, Laura. Her story demonstrates the vulnerability of Jews at this time.
Later, when he meets Moon, he falls deeply into a lasting love. You see how their life and his unrequited love for her are influenced by the politics of the time.
Despite their marriage, Jie and Moon are moved separately about the country for their work. When spies alert him to Moon’s behavior with a German advisor at her workplace, it appears Jie uses his power to disappear him. This may be the root of Moon’s cold treatment of her husband.
You see the minefield of working in an authoritarian system, where a small slip up can have life and death consequences. The ability to leak about someone’s family or friends having had wealth or status before the revolution is a form of power. At times, despite their critical jobs, Jie and Moon are investigated (at different times) which is both humiliating and isolating.
Jie navigates this system somewhat unscathed until the Cultural Revolution… Did Moon have a hand in his eventual banishment to a work camp?
Among the many descriptions of the time and place one of the best is that of Jie’s of working in the desert. Along with examples of daily life, you see how the team, which has security, can do nothing about bandits.
The personal toll of totalitarianism is seen when Jie’s brothers, who live in the US, visit. They are both engineers and the Party wants to see what knowledge they can get from them. Jie is more or less scripted for this visit and not allowed to see his brothers alone.
The book is very good In presenting a portrait of a childhood in 1930’s Shanghai. It shows how a family endured the Japanese occupation and then the stress of living in a system that fosters paranoia. While the episodes are those that a system like this breeds.
If Jie was writing in English, he has spectacular command of this second language. No translator is named. Given the many years of surveillance and the volume of paper this must have taken, it is hard to believe these letters survived in hollowed out books. Jie was taking a tremendous risk in writing them… and hiding them for so many years. For these reasons, I am not sure I buy the whole story as a true non-fictional portrait. I am skeptical of its provenance and maybe its interpretation, still - I see the book's value as a glimpse of what life could be like for a party official at this time in China’s history....more
I loved Emma Southon’s Agrippina: Empress, Exile, Hustler, Whore and this next book did not disappoint. Southon combs the documents of Roman Republic I loved Emma Southon’s Agrippina: Empress, Exile, Hustler, Whore and this next book did not disappoint. Southon combs the documents of Roman Republic and Empire looking for women. Primary sources cover half of the population, with the other half, women, hardly mentioned. Due to Southon’s knowledge of Roman history and culture, she is able to find and interpret the scant mentions.
While each chapter is a biography the descriptions set the women in their times and round out their portraits.. Of the non-biographical history embedded in these bios. the topics I most appreciated are: a woman’s view of the Sabine women; the detail on the Vestal Virgins and a glimpse of how the Empire, that grew to expand to what are now 38 countries, split in two.
You also see how Rome became multi-cultural with Africans, Syrian’s and non-Roman Europeans rising in power and influence in military and political careers
Of the 17 profiled women, I had only heard of three of them before. There was a lot to learn: now I know ….
• … how Augustus had no idea how to raise his daughter, Julia, and how he clamped down when he lost control. • … that Boudicca, besides being angry at the outsiders who took over her country, was angered that both her daughters were raped by Roman soldiers. Southon compares her treatment by historians with that of her contemporary, Cartimandua, who served, unofficially, as a client queen for the Romans. • How Zenobia, who was a warrior, was able to put her son on the throne and declare herself empress.
All the women are fascinating, but the stories below provide the most food for thought:
• … Lucretia of 500BCE was the object of a wager or dare:- was she really as chaste as she seemed? Once they found that she was… they raped her. Through this story you see the misogyny women lived and how at least one woman responded to it. • … Julia Felix was a successful entrepreneur renting rooms, commercial space and baths. Her life and business were wiped out by Vesuvius. We would never know a woman had achieved this without the volcano.. Her business was preserved in the lava, uncovered by archeologists who sifted through volcano's debris. • … Perpetua (of the Empire years) left a diary that told of her Christian martyrdom .. her consideration of the grief she brought on her her family especially her son and how the Romans tortured her and other female Christians. • … Melania- (in the late Empire when Christianity is accepted, (sort of)) -left her wealthy family for ascetic suffering. Here you read of the terrible conditions of early Christians who chose to cloister in severe conditions to deny their bodies (some starved to death) and how a male overseer of one particular female monastery boasted of the suffering his extremism promoted. • … Galla Plaxidia who was captured by the Huns (who were sacking Rome) and married the Hun leader, Alaric. Following his death she went back to her Roman roots and served as regent during her son’s tenure as emperor... quite a life!
The author’s informal style brings this material to life. If you are interested in Roman history, you will enjoy this reader friendly book....more
Mark Chiusano describes short but eventful life (to date) of George Anthony Devolver Santos. You see him grow from small cons to big ones. His father Mark Chiusano describes short but eventful life (to date) of George Anthony Devolver Santos. You see him grow from small cons to big ones. His father says he told lies as a child. It is unclear, but his mother may have been a hustler too.
You learn of his childhood in a basement apartment in Queens. He yearns for the things money can buy. He shamelessly scams friends… simple little things like not having cash when the restaurant check arrives to taking cash with the promise to buy something for the friend and never deliver.
You learn of his interlude in Brazil where he opened up to his homosexuality. He was accepted by a community where cross dressing was the norm. His need for money (and not working for it) was met through scams, one where his partner was jailed and his silence on Santos helped Santos escape justice.
Back in the US you see how Santos graduated to larger cons with web sites and go-fund-me” pages. His “Friends of Pets International” embedded several scams: taking donations for himself; buying litters with bum checks; taking a sick or injured pet with the the owner's money with a promise (never kept) to arrange and oversee veterinary services.
Landing a job with Harbor City expanded his reach. It is claimed he made $120K/year in what sounds like selling air (they said it was targeted marketing) or maybe it was a ponzi scheme. Here he was introduced to people with real money and started to consider a political campaign as a vehicle for raising money.
Chiusano’s coverage of Santos’s campaigns is informed by the author’s knowledge of this area and his understanding of national politics. He shows how Santos used (and milked) the lucrative world of campaign contributions.
The last chapter “Epilogue” has interesting projections on the future of Santos.
There are some wordy sections such as the veteran who lost his dog or the campaign-experienced woman who helped him with the paperwork to enable his political scams. There is a good index. I would have liked some photos.
If you are interested in Santos, or the subject of “fabulists” this is a good digest of Santos, his schemes and his (lack of) character....more
The Oxford English Dictionary used a paper based version of Wikipedia’s method of content creation. Volunteers sent in word information on “scrips” whThe Oxford English Dictionary used a paper based version of Wikipedia’s method of content creation. Volunteers sent in word information on “scrips” which were edited and assembled by both paid and volunteer staff. Author Sarah Ogilvie calls it an early version of crowdsourcing.
It is noted that an earlier dictionary for German used this method, but James Murray (the OED’s editor for 36 years of this 70 year project) perfected it. Some of the contributors worked on specialized dictionaries and reference materials using a similar system.
A byproduct of reading about the OED’s creators is seeing a cross section of Victorian life. The creators were not all scholars and intellectuals; they were drawn from a wide range of experience in not just England, but also Europe, India, the US and other locations. Sarah Ogilvie gives you a snap shot of their lives.
“Dictionary People” were recruited through ads and word of mouth. Many had prior contact with James Murray and some were referred by Frederick Furnival , the dictionary’s prime mover and a brief early editor. Some were readers who found words as they read and wrote “scrips” noting the word, its bibliographic source and the text that demonstrates its use. Others were experts who advised on specific disciplines, some were proof readers, some tracked down “desiderata” and other uses of a word.
The “DP” are grouped into chapters, titled from A (Archaeologist) to Z (Zealots). In the middle are the intriguing topics such as: C – Cannibal D – Dictionary Word Nerds H – Hopeless Contributors L - Lunatics M - Murderers V - Vicars and Vegetarians
Interesting people and lifestyles can also be found in the less sensational headings. Noting a few of the many demonstrates the reach and depth of the project and its life of its times.
• civic minded contributors who also volunteered for collecting rain- measuring it and reporting it to weather research stations. • Families that worked together. • Farmers who specialized – for instance, one who raised sheep contributed words used on a sheep ranch. Another, cattle. • “Queer” couples that made individual and joint submissions. • A US lumberjack who not only contributed tree and wood related words, sent a catalog that pictured tools in use in lumbering and wood craft. • An anonymous man claiming to have the world’s largest pornography collection, sent scrips in the standard format. The dictionary remained true to the goal of showing how English was developed and used them. • Some contributors were also writers . They or others submitted scrips showing word usage from their writings. . Women's suffrage was a big issue in this time and it brought out new words.. many not favorable to the cause or women.
The pictures of some of the contributors are truly worth 1000 words.
The OED’s managers kept good records. The author used these sources to get names to follow up through further research: • An Addresses Book – handwritten showing names and addresses and name and address changes. • Logs showing how many scrips each reader returned. • When books were loaned some required follow up for return. The author relied heavily these and the manager’s letters and documents which lead her to further primary sources.
If you choose to read this book, you already appreciate the OED. Once you read it you will feel even more grateful for its contributors and for James Murray, its longest serving editor. Sarah Ogilvie brings these Victorians to life. I highly recommend this for fans of the OED....more
The story of Nero’s childhood is as much the story of his mother as it is of him. You feel sorry for Nero, but as he grows he values the lives of others even less than she does.
His mother, Agrippina, schemed to put him on the throne. While he wanted to be a poet, musician and charioteer, he joined in on the scheming. Both use poison to eliminate competition. Once Nero was emperor, Agrippina, tried to usurp his power and she was difficult to stop. Everitt shows Nero’s planning for matricide, how it went down and how his PR machine framed it for the public.
You see the roles of slaves and freemen. Seneca, Nero’s teacher and advisor, is a freeman who becomes rich, but still is not really free. Aristocrats and Senators are not really free either in Nero’s dictatorship. I lost track of the men of stature and/or accomplishment who, when vulnerable to arrest (for real and imagined slights), would commit suicide rather than be taken for Nero’s punishment.
There are the descriptions of Nero’s long term intimate relationships with Acte (a true love who was too low born for an emperor) Poppaea (the pregnant wife whom he killed when he kicked her stomach) and Sporus (the slave boy who looked like Poppaea whom he castrates and “marries’).
The complicated story of Piro’s conspiracy to overthrow Nero is a page turner as are the sections on Nero’s “triumphs” in Greece and his eventual downfall. The section on the fire that destroyed 20% of the city shows the kernels of truth in the myths of who set the fire and the fiddling. Weaker chapters are those on the “Armenian Question” and the rebellions in Britannia.
The plates, through sculptures, show the faces of the main characters along with notable locations. There is a chronology. The Notes on the Sources are bios and commentaries on style on content as well s authority are worth reading. The index worked for the references I needed.
If you are interested in Nero, here you will find an authoritative and balanced portrait and meet some fascinating characters from 2000 years ago....more
Tracy Bormen explores the ways in which Anne Boleyn’s life and legacy influenced her daughter, Elizabeth I. She shows how Elizabeth recognized and useTracy Bormen explores the ways in which Anne Boleyn’s life and legacy influenced her daughter, Elizabeth I. She shows how Elizabeth recognized and used her mother's heritage and how she found ways to honor her.
As a young girl Anne lived in the courts of the Netherlands and France. Here she learned to appreciate art and literature and developed her views on religious reform. Bormen sites those who influenced her (especially Marguerite of Navarre) and what she read (reformation literature). In her return to England her style and personality (more than her adequate looks) attracted other suitors, besides the king with whom she had a long and famous courtship.
Borman shows that while Anne was Queen for a very short time, she had influence in court. She promoted the new religious ideas, taking opportunities to implant them when she could. She had a library of books and wrote and translated other materials on the new ideas. She advanced the careers of like minded people.
There are details on the administration of Anne’s pregnancy, Elizabeth’s birth and life in the royal nursery. Anne was an unusual royal mother in that she wanted to nurse her baby, but this was not allowed. She visited Elizabeth as she could and played with her.
Given that many saw Anne as a usurper, she wanted to re-enforce the status of her daughter. She wanted Elizabeth to be seen as being above her half sister Mary. Anne saw that Elizabeth had elegant clothes and furnishings and was assured prominent places in processions and state functions.
Upon her mother’s death, the not yet 3 year old Elizabeth goes from "Princess" to "Bastard". You see the staff begging for clothes for their charge. Neither Elizabeth nor Mary are invited to court. Their status slowly improves until, towards the end of his life, Henry VIII puts them in the line of succession.
Borman gives examples of how, as queen, Elizabeth used the symbols of her mother’s family some times to honor her, and at other times communicate her own legitimacy as queen. Anne's Howard family included royalty long before the Tudor reign. To remind the public, Elizabeth wore her mother’s jewelry, had her initials and her symbol, the falcon, embroidered, carved, and placed on clothing, furnishings and certain documents.
There is a long list of confidants and appointments from her mother’s family.
The Howard's who betrayed her are also noted. Two are given special treatment: Lettice Knolles, who secretly married Elizabeth's favorite, Robert Dudley, and was the mother of the Earl of Essex who led a clumsy revolt against the Elizabeth and Thomas Howard (4th Duke of Norfolk) who supported Mary Queen of Scots. (For a fictional take, which rings true, on Elizabeth and Lettice, see Margaret George's: Elizabeth I)
The legacy of her mother’s beheading was always with her. Borman speculates her fears when her half sister sent her to the Tower (like her mother, over nothing)... would she emerge alive? Borman shows her emotional torture in signing the order to behead her cousin Mary Queen of Scots. She would leave James motherless. Would she be normalizing the beheading of queens? Borman does not mention, there may be no evidence, but I think it is significant, that Elizabeth's favorite, Robert Dudley's father was similarly beheaded. This surely added to the bond the two had.
Elizabeth’s determination not to marry may have stemmed from her mother’s experience. She also viewed the sad marriage of her sister and the tragic marriages of her Scottish cousin.
Borman shows how Elizabeth ruled as her mother's daughter. While she could not outright credit her (the Catholics believed she was appropriately punished as a "Jezebel" and "whore") she furthered Anne's "new ideas" in her reign. Elizabeth brought to life what was becoming a staid court and most critically, she protected the Protestant faith, as her mother would have approved.
The book has very good color plates covering the things I wanted to see. The text is readable.
Anna Funder, a fan of George Orwell, stumbled on to some of his misogynist writing (“their incorrigible dirtiness and untidiness”; “sexually insistentAnna Funder, a fan of George Orwell, stumbled on to some of his misogynist writing (“their incorrigible dirtiness and untidiness”; “sexually insistent… insatiable;”everyone feels for the man who kills his wife”) and became curious about Orwell’s wife.
She cites the Orwell biographies she read and in them a wife is hardly mentioned. She explores this and finds many primary sources (letters, interviews, commentary) showing how Ellen O’Shaughnessy Blair (Orwell is a pen name) is crucial to her husband’s life and art but is invisible (hence the subtitle) in the secondary sources.
Orwell’s biographical “Homage to Catalonia” has no mention of Ellen who also volunteered for the Spanish Civil War. You see their parallel service: he is in the trenches, she working for the Independent Labor Party. She managed to get special supplies to him and at great risk kept theirs and other's passports safe. He didn’t seem to appreciate that she could have easily fled, but bravely waited for him when the Stalinists were hunting both down. Without his wife's actions, he might not have left Spain alive.
More follows as she not only supports his writing, she manages the farmette that supplies their milk, eggs, poultry etc. He treats her like a servant and secretary. When there is steady income, it is hers when she has full time jobs. She is a sharp editor from which he benefits but does not acknowledge
There is interesting background on how “Animal Farm” was developed. Critics note how this work differs in style from his other books. (His humor is not playful). Those who knew Ellen say it is her voice throughout.
When they adopt a child, he skips the paper signing and leaves her, overworked and not well, to care for the baby as he travels.
The worst of Orwell’s abuse is his ghosting (the modern term) Ellen as she prepared for and underwent a serious operation. Her last letter to him, written as she waited alone for him, is heart wrenching… he seemed to understand only that its implications required a cover up.
He is not only a cruel to her, he has TB but tells everyone he has bronchitis. He is a sexual predator, and clumsy at rape. Unfortunately Ellen has to face his victims in her work and social events. There are hints that his family, while distinguished (enough to get him to Eton) was nasty.
Soon after Ellen’s death, Orwell looks for a wife. It would make a great comedy movie if it weren’t so sad. He shows his view of marriage has nothing to do with love.
Funder does a masterful job in developing her thesis about the centrality of the invisible Ellen to Orwell’s life and writing. Through it you see that while Orwell’s work defines authoritarian power he has so bought into a world made for men that he has no awareness of the power he is wielding in his marriage.
The text includes glimpses of the author’s life and her visits to the locations mentioned. It could use an index. I'd have liked more photos. There are detailed citations regarding sources.
It is readable throughout and in some places hard to put down.
This book is highly recommended for those interested in Orwell and those interested in the role of women in creating the classics of world literature.
Kaufman shows that Anna Snitkina not only married a gambler, she was a gambler herself, hence the adjective form of “gambler” in the title.
Like many yKaufman shows that Anna Snitkina not only married a gambler, she was a gambler herself, hence the adjective form of “gambler” in the title.
Like many young women of 1866 in Russia Anna Snitkina pursued a career. With training as a stenographer she visited writer Fyodor Dostoyevsky to apply for a job. She was careful in her interview not to show herself as a Dostoyevsky fan and was hired on the spot. A romance ensued and Anna Snitkina made her first big gamble: she married this man 20+ years her senior.
He came with baggage: debts; epilepsy; financially dependent obnoxious relatives; a former lover maybe still in the picture; and a serious gambling addiction.
Kaufman shows Anna as a dedicated self-sacrificing wife coping with FD’s gambling induced poverty, the stress of the in your face relatives, her brave child bearing (and child burial), her worries about the potential mistress and the close calls in meeting FD’s deadlines. You see her pawning her clothes (including underwear) and beseeching her mother for loans. He also shows mutual love in this marriage (as well as FD’s cold treatment of Anna and his stifling possessiveness).
While gambling is a recurring theme, there are continued references to Russia’s feminist movement and the heated debate on the western ideas creeping into Russia. Anna, who would never ID herself as a feminist, shows independence. She takes risks to get FD away from casinos, to pursue a lost MS package, to pioneer in the publishing business and more. FD is outspoken about what he sees as a crass and materialistic culture in Europe. He has no finesse. This causes him to lose friends in the literary world who feel Russia should look towards western culture and ideals.
Anna's publishing exploded in growth with huge public outpouring following FD's death. You see her pouring over the details of publishing many editions of his collected works, acquiring (favorable) criticism and generally keeping his flame alive. The revenue was significant, but she did not change her lifestyle. She did not suffer in the Revolution because there was little money to be confiscated. She had used her profits to build a FD museum and monument, give money to her children (and at least one pesky in-law) and endow a school for girls. She died in 1918.
In The Wives: The Women Behind Russia's Literary Giants Alexandra Popoff shows that Anna is not alone in her extreme sacrifices for her husband's art. The 6 women profiled find satisfaction in assisting their husband's creations with little praise or recognition. I think they are somewhat trapped because there are few alternatives for them to lead their own creative lives.
The presentation of Russian feminism at this time was very informative. I did not know that "What is to be Done" had a feminist theme. Also very good is the debate about westernization. The description of the casinos and their allure for Dostoyevsky was not just helpful in understanding FD, it was good interpretive writing.
This is an excellent work, bringing this information together and telling the story. If you are interested in the great writers if Russia, you will want to read this book....more
In preparing a former home for sale, retired Secret Service agent Clint Hill found a box of photos. Taken 1961-1964 they are of Jackie Kennedy’s traveIn preparing a former home for sale, retired Secret Service agent Clint Hill found a box of photos. Taken 1961-1964 they are of Jackie Kennedy’s travel when Clint was her Secret Service officer. Clint and his wife Lisa McCubbin Hill have assembled these in a book with a text that has the feel of being in their living room with Clint narrating the background of the photos.
They traveled on 5 continents visiting: France, Greece, the Vatican, India, Pakistan, Venezuela, Colombia , Mexico and Morocco for diplomacy.. You see Jackie charming the leaders and the thousands of people lined up to see her parade/motorcade. There are pleasure trips to Italy and Yugoslavia and short retreats to places in the US and a cruise on the Onassis yacht.
Of course there is Dallas; the author was there and has suffered a long time for the memories. Today we know he has/had PTSD, but he/we did not know that then.
Princess Lee Radziwill accompanied her sister on many of these trips.
What struck me was this time in history. The country, with its young president was reaching toward a modern culture but it was not yet there:
-Jackie is always called Mrs. Kennedy by this 86 year old writer -Jackie calls him, her secret service provider, Mr. Hill. -Their chatter at the end of the day is parlor talk of a bygone era. It seems self-censored. to be positive and calm. -A gift to Jackie of a horse can be and is hidden from the press despite the number of military personnel who contributed to its transport and care. Very difficult, if not impossible, to do today. -People dress up to visit the horse… no blue jeans or Tshirts. -Women wear headscarves with their expensive suits. -“Mr. Hill” is told via telephone he is promoted. No pile of paperwork like there is today. This is very soft diplomacy. I don't know that a first lady since has had such parades and motorcades since. -A “spy camera” is quite the invention. Today’s cell phones would amaze them.
Any book about Jackie is, by nature, a book about style. Jackie is always perfectly dressed I don’t think I saw the same clothes twice. While the elements are traditional, they can still be seen in modern renderings by Ralph Lauren and similar designers.
The photos are very good. You can linger on them and see new things. Here are some that struck me for different reasons. p. 17 Jackie answering question of the press is a real period piece. The hat, the pearls, the cut of the suit and the not fully professional and not fully flirtatious expression. Today, this environment is fully professional. The interviewee might have to be combative which does not enter into the feel of this photo. p. 74 riding with an Indian Cavalry regimen, & p. 75 a close up shows her elegant riding attire. p. 104 & 105 Jackie and her sister – dressed to the 9s sitting side saddle on a camel. p. 110 Jackie and a very youthful Queen Elizabeth p. 123 & 124 everyone is overdressed to see Jackie’s new horse. p. 175 – similarly overdressed in Central Park p. 129 Jack appears nonplussed as the wife (whom I believe he underestimated) spoke Spanish. p. 130 Mexico knows how to give a confetti parade! p. 133 Welcoming back the Bay of Pigs survivors (I had no idea this had happened!) p 169 & 171 relaxing in Italy. No showy stuff. Simple life. p. 177 Jackie smokes! p. 270 & 271 a magazine shoot showing Jackie's beauty.
At the end, there are many photos of the kind that were popular in the 70's and 80's. They are like quick snaps (although they aren't) showing the glamorous widow Jackie spotted here and there. There are pictures showing the honors individually bestowed on Jack and Jackie. The final photo is from Jackie’s burial service.
There are so many unique photos that Jackie fans will want keep this. The photos and the warm commentary of “Mr. Hill” (which can and will be read and re-read) evoke the period and show how Jackie was more than and pretty icon....more
This is a daughter’s biography of her father who appeared in a famous photograph – a photo that had an outsized impact on his life. The book covers MaThis is a daughter’s biography of her father who appeared in a famous photograph – a photo that had an outsized impact on his life. The book covers Marrell (Mac) McCollough’s childhood and family situation in rural Mississippi though his time on the Memphis Police force into his career of achievement in the CIA.
I was glued through the description of his growing up in a family of 13 children with a tenant farmer father. The author recounts the circumstances that forced Walter to move his family from one farm to another. Education was valued, but it was a luxury. Through the extended family Mac was able to spend some time in a city where he had short stints in very different schools. You see Mac join the Army and his siblings leave home. His father, after his wife’s death, found a partner and drank a lot.
With luck Mac became one of the only black cops in Memphis. You see his daily life and you learn how he went undercover and spied on the “Invaders”. You learn the internal issues of being black and in law enforcement and how promotions do and don’t take place.
Because he is following young activists who are following the Sanitation Worker’s Strike, he attends related meetings (MLK met with the Invaders who told him that for $500 they would help his campaign with the strike), speeches and rallies. This assignment leads to Mac’s being photographed at the Lorraine Motel just after a single bullet fired from across the street killed Dr. Martin Luther King.
After the assassination, the book's format changes as essays are wedged into the biographical chronology.
The first of these essay chapters recounts a meeting with Andrew Young, 50 or so years since the photo in which Young also appeared. Another such chapter (“Flags”) is a very good stand alone essay a child’s growing awareness of racism and how negative messages are processed. A literary chapter “Land” talks about the meaning of gardening as it is passed from generation to generation.
Here are some takeaways and observations
• The day Mac applied for a job on the Memphis Police force he was given a battery of written and physical tests that lasted into the late hours of night. This was the extent of the selection process. Is this normal?
• It is pretty risky to go undercover in a city where you have lived and worked. Were local white officers recruited for this work too? (I always presumed that newcomers were used for this.)
• As an undercover agent Mac drove Invader members to illegal operations. Is this standard? I wondered about his bringing a gas can (used to start a fire) to the police HQ as evidence. After all his work, there is nothing on his reaction to the decision not to prosecute the crimes he witnessed.
• When Mac’s cover was blown, he was told to leave town, but I do not see that he had any re-location assistance… he had to do this on his own… Upon return he went back on “the beat”. The Memphis Police Department put on a lot of risk on him.
• I flipped back to see if I missed (there is no index) how Mac came to be on balcony of the Lorraine Motel just after Dr. King fell. He was in the neighborhood, but how did he get to where MLK’s most intimate advisors stood? Could anyone just climb the steps at that time?
• I’d have liked more context for the conversation with Andrew Young. It appears the two men avoided the issues that may have separated them 50 years earlier.
• Interestingly, Mark Lane is cited on p.245 for his conspiracy work that would implicate the Memphis Police (and by inference, Mac) in MLK’s death. Lane disappeared in Guyana just as he was scheduled to testify before the 1978 House Committee on Assassinations. Not cited by the author is that since that time it has been revealed that Lane had been receiving $6,000/month for creating positive PR for Jim Jones and his Temple.
There is a lot to learn from this narrative: growing up on tenant farms of the 1950’s and 60’s; some of the ins and outs of police work; how undercover worked and how the operative had to break with family and friends; how Blacks pioneered careers in government and more....more
Joan Didion writes of coping with her husband’s death and her daughter’s serious medical complications of 2003/4. I’ve long been curious about this boJoan Didion writes of coping with her husband’s death and her daughter’s serious medical complications of 2003/4. I’ve long been curious about this book. Now that life circumstances have suggested it would have something for me I read it and was disappointed.
There are thoughts and feelings about the loss of a long time partner which I presume are universal: reliving moments especially those of the last week together, imagining the person is still there, searching for precursors (did he know this was coming?), making funeral and memorial arrangements, meeting friends and wondering “maybe I could have stopped this.” There are random memories of him and their life together.
Early in the book she writes that she and her husband (also a writer) carried note cards to jot down things they saw and thought for later use in their writing. This book seems to be a series of these note cards loosely tied together by the theme of grieving.
I don’t doubt her grief, but the loss of her husband and worry over her daughter’s serious physical condition (she dies a year later) seem to take a back seat to the descriptions of her lifestyle.
She continues to remind the reader of her homes in Malibu, Brentwood, the upper east side, etc. There are associations with famous friends with their prestigious neighborhoods also cited. Her associations with ivy league schools get tiring (not once can she substitute “John’s alma mater” for Princeton). Even when she walks the dog it doesn’t have a name, it’s “the bouvier”.
The book’s durability says that it has provided comfort for sometime; so, while I found it cold and detached, I will respect it....more
His legal father was Besarion Jughashvili, a violent alcoholic, but author Simon Montefiore poses three other paternal possibilities. It had to be a rHis legal father was Besarion Jughashvili, a violent alcoholic, but author Simon Montefiore poses three other paternal possibilities. It had to be a relief when this abusive husband to his mother left, but, of course, poverty followed. His mother, Ekaterine Geladz (Keke) saw to Josef’s (her only surviving son’s) education at a seminary where he trained to be a priest. The home life of the man the world came to know as Josef Stalin is shown to be one that predicts trouble ahead.
Josef took to studies like a duck to water despite his father’s desire that he learn the shoe making trade. He excelled academically and here the contradiction begins. This poetry writing, choir singing (he has a vocal coach) top student becomes a violent man in a violent town in Georgia, a violent part of the Russian Empire.
Montefiore doesn’t say what percentage of the Revolution was financed by Stalin’s (Jughasvili’s) crimes, but it had to be significant. He organized bank, coach, train and even (piracy) boat robberies. There was a kidnapping operation and he, himself, collected “protection” money from major oil companies in Baku. The money went to Lenin whom Josef, who reads his works, admires from afar.
You follow Josef as he pursues his life of crime on behalf of the revolution. He is cunning in his escapes from the police, from prisons, from Siberia, etc.
He travels to Finland, London, many places throughout the Russian Empire. He drinks and leads comrades at bars in song. He has romances with accomplished women and girls. He has marriages (his first wife, Ekaterine "Kato" Svanidze, was a seamstress in an atelier that sewed uniforms for the army and crafted ball gowns for aristocratic women). He has children (one by a 13-14 year old mistress that did not survive).
The story could be a template for a picaresque were it not for Stalin's sociopathy as expressed on p, 265: At a "boozy dinner" where Bolshevik's "declare their greatest pleasure in life... Stalin answered 'to chose one's victim, prepare one's plans minutely, slake an implacable vengeance and then go to bed. Nothing is sweeter in the world'".
He finally meets Lenin, who respects him as not just a fundraiser and link to minorities but as someone who can plunder and kill without regret. Lenin says in many ways that the revolution requires bloodshed.
The book ends with Stalin, Trotsky and Lenin in the final stages of the revolution. Montefiore fills you in on the personal dynamics of these leaders.
The Epilogue shows the many sides of Stalin. There are those from his neighborhood and seminary whom he takes care of and those he had killed. There are his children, most whom he would not acknowledge publically, and for each meted out different treatment.
It is well researched, with plenty of footnotes on sources and related information. It can be a reference or starting point for further study, yet highly readable. This may be as close as we come to understanding this man who broke Russia.
Highly recommended for anyone interested in Russia and its Revolution....more
Written by a research and policy professional and expertise in Russia and experience in both Democratic and Republican administrations the book held pWritten by a research and policy professional and expertise in Russia and experience in both Democratic and Republican administrations the book held promise. The material shows its potential but there are a lot of holes in the narrative.
The timelines are choppy. The transitions from one chapter to another do not segue well. A few times the author injects a first person into the third person narrative.
The character drawings need work. Putin would never be ID’d (save his horseback rendition) in a general portrait gallery. You would think the book’s subject would get a more recognizable visage. Is that President Obama on page 195? Even when he is labeled on p. 202 you are not real sure. Trump, who is easily and recognizably lampooned, on p. 209 looks like a character from the Archie comics
There were some good parts of the book, such as the p. 58 graphic on Russia’s political economy and the discussion of the “color” revolutions. You see the long history of autocracy in Russia and the long roots of the Ukrainian resistance.
I’ve often wondered about these coyote trips to the US southern border: How people join them. How they travel the long distances. How they build relatI’ve often wondered about these coyote trips to the US southern border: How people join them. How they travel the long distances. How they build relationships with each other; What kind of services the coyotes provide. I don’t know if Javier Zamora is the first to chronicle this type of trip, but his book is the first I’ve encountered.
When Javier’s parents made this trip, he was too young to go and was left in El Salvador with his grandparents. At age 9, his family hired a coyote to bring him to “La USA”.
The trip must be secret. He has to lie to his teacher and schoolmates. The coyote brings him fake documents and his grandfather goes with him on the bus ride to his starting location.
You follow young Javier as he rides buses, vans and an overcrowded boat but primarily walks across deserts and crawls under fences. He experiences many bathrooms in (one star) motels and the outdoor “facilities” of the ocean and desert. He has an accidental family that helps him. He meets a lot of people and learns about the world.
All are discouraged from speaking, and when they do, they must use a Mexican accent and say they are fans of Mexico's teams. They even lean to learn to sing its national anthem.
There are different kinds of coyotes. Some specialize in the long trek others get you across the border. They advise you on how to walk in (centipede) formation, hide, cross roadways and crawl under or hurl over fences. They arrange motels and find food and water. Others get you across the border to a safe house where relatives (who pay again) pick you up.
Javier’s coyote came with a guarantee: if the first trip was not successful, a second trip can be scheduled.
Javier’s experience includes getting caught, hiding from a helicopter, getting unexpected help from a gringo and staying in a convent shelter.
If you read the book and do not know Spanish, be warned that in the final chapters some of what seems to be critical dialog will be lost to you.
Javier, who is now an adult productively living in the US, conveys this trip well from a child’s eye. He is concerned with not crying and using strange toilets. He longs to be hugged and bonds with his accidental family.
Hopefully there will be a similar story from the coyote side. I’d like to know more about how they get into this, how they work together, plan their trips. develop relationships with they is safe locations, deal with law enforcement and “market” their services....more
Observing Rudy Giuliani’s very public unraveling on behalf of “Stop the Steal” it was often said: “What happened to Rudy?” Had they been following theObserving Rudy Giuliani’s very public unraveling on behalf of “Stop the Steal” it was often said: “What happened to Rudy?” Had they been following the story, there would have been no need to ask. Andre Kirtzman, who has been following Giuliani since the 1990’s covers his life like the reporter he is.
While Kirtzman’s words and tone are neutral, the facts do not show Giulani as a hero. At each stage of his career, there are many examples of Giuliani showing himself to be a bully.
In his prosecutorial career, the per/pro/secution of Bess Myerson stands out. Myerson, after winning the Miss America title, built a career in consumer and arts advocacy. Besides her status as one of the few recognizable professional women of her generation, the parallels to Hillary Clinton include the Giuliani's case against her which like HRC's emails has an allegation that no one can actually define as a crime, outsized media drama with very little substance, and a very quiet vindication for Myerson.
Hallmarks of his mayoral career are the “broken windows” and “stop and frisk” policies. Just as Myerson’s life was ruined for no clear reason, thousands of minority families received major and permanent setbacks through unnecessary arrests, incarcerations and fines.
In his personal life, there is a pattern of sporting a new love interest around town, while committed to another. It is hard to top announcing a divorce on TV prior to telling a wife and children. At least his first wife did not have to face cameras when, unbeknownst to her, Rudy got an annulment of their marriage.
9/11 was a gift for Rudy. He got a lot of media time and he knew how to use it. He built an image that gave him a platform and helped him escape questioning about his administration’s failures on that morning.
I thought the firefighters climbed the stairs to rescue people… well, it was sort of … they went to tell people to leave their workplace… Reason: No one told the 911 operators to stop telling callers to stay in their locations and wait for rescue. The Fire Department’s communication equipment – the same that failed in the 1993 bombing - was repurchased – and no messages could get through. (The woman who re-purchased them – whose sister represented the vendor - committed suicide.)
When he was term limited out of his mayoralty (which he tried and could not get extended) with his 9/11 luster and contacts from his political life, he opened what became (initially) a very successful consulting firm. The infamous clients stand out. He was hired by the Sackler family’s attorneys not for his legal skills, but his access to regulatory agencies. Here began the dancing with dictators.
All this time, he maintained his friendship with fellow New Yorker Donald Trump. He officiated at the funerals of both of Trump’s parents. He attended social events with him. You can imagine a builder in NYC would have many needs from City Hall. When Rudy’s presidential campaign had a spectacular fizz out, Trump gave him an extended stay at Mar-a-Lago to decompress.
The final chapters on Stop the Steal won't have much new to those who follow politics, however, informed by previous chapters you have a new dimension for thinking about what he did.
Andrew Kirzman covers all this and more. The book is highly recommended....more
Edda Mussolini’s life was so entwined with her father’s that her biography pulls the reader into the development of Fascism and Italy’s devastating paEdda Mussolini’s life was so entwined with her father’s that her biography pulls the reader into the development of Fascism and Italy’s devastating partnership with Nazi Germany. Caroline Moorehead does a great job in presenting Edda’s complex world of family and politics.
Through Edda’s saga you learn of Italy’s role in the Spanish Civil War (larger than I had expected) and why Ethopia had to be invaded from Mussolini’s perspective. You see how Hitler courted the Italians who considered Germans crude. The purpose and governance of the “Republic of Salo” are clarified as are the official and unofficial Italian policies regarding the Jews. While you know the ending, understanding the means of getting there fills you with emotion as the tragic part drags on. While Edda lived to be 84, her active life essentially ended at 36.
Edda was Benito Mussolini’s first born child and they bonded right away. She looked like him and had his temperament. As her life began, father was a socialist, a journalist and was mostly impoverished. When Edda was 4, her mother, Rachele, married her father whose lover (quickly abandoned) had just delivered a child. In building his career in leading a party of “family values” her father, seldom home, and took mistresses. While he rose in power and rank Rachele maintained her peasant demeanor.
It seems that Edda’s marriage to the aristocratic Galeazzo Ciano was a whim, but the wedding was not. It was a giant national (media) affair. Being the Duce’s son-in-law led to a posting in Shanghai where the couple succeeded and learned the diplomatic ropes. They seem to be a power couple, entertaining and being entertained.
The early years of the Duce’s rule were good for the wealthy. Edda often left her 3 children with staff to enjoy life on Capri where she bought a villa. She traveled on her own, and while still in her 20’s was used by her father for soft diplomacy. She wowed London with her sense of style. Hitler had a State dinner to honor her and she dined with the Goebbels who let a pet leopard join the parties. Both Edda and her husband were known for having many lovers and Edda was also known also for excessive drinking.
Moorehead describes Hitlers long courtship of Mussolini. Their eventual agreement required war. When war comes both father and daughter are up for it. Edda’s husband, who is active in the Mussolini administration, is not. Count Ciano sees the imbalance of resources and the devastation to come. He tries within the system to stop it. Given the family and “political politics” he had to walk a fine line. He cleverly gets himself appointed to a post at the Vatican where there was also anti-war sentiment. What follows is a description of how, through personal and professional tragedy, Mussolini comes to see his dance with Hitler was a master-slave relationship.
In the end, party girl Edda is heroic on behalf of her husband. She preserves his diaries. She fights for her children. She survives. Her father is found at a routine stop by partisans and the result is the humiliating end of the Duce and his last mistress (who tries to escape in a mink coat).
You almost cry (or maybe you do) understanding all that went on before. as Ciano faces death, Edda crawls into Switzerland and American tanks roll down the streets of Rome. Former rank and file fascist supporters celebrate … It is all here.
This is highly recommended not only for the clarification of the Italy at that time, but for the many parallels you can see in the situation of the world today....more
I couldn’t put this down. I knew the contours of the story so it wasn’t to see the ending… the writing was so good. Ronnie Spector and Vince Waldron pI couldn’t put this down. I knew the contours of the story so it wasn’t to see the ending… the writing was so good. Ronnie Spector and Vince Waldron pull you in and you live the story with them.
Ronnie takes you through her youth in Spanish Harlem and how the Ronnettes started and rose to prominence. You see how Phil Spector’s style perfectly matched Ronnie’s voice and how he demanded perfection. Ronnie's description of her marriage shows her husband's disturbing (and outrageous) possessive and controlling tactics. Had he been a proper mentor, I presume Ronnie would have thrived in the disco years.
Following her divorce, you learn the pitfalls of re-establishing a career and the problems of performing while drunk. There are interesting cameos for the Beatles, the Stones, Cher, David Bowie and others.
Through this all, there are great descriptions of her relationship with her mother and how the Ronnettes went separate ways. There is a very dramatic childbirth.
The book has an index that worked for me; the B & W photos didn't. There is an annotated discography.
This is is a re-issue of Spector’s 1990 biography with a November 2021 Postscript. Ronnie Spector died in January 2022 (her obsessed ex-husband died in prison a year earlier).
If you are old enough to remember how fresh the “wall of sound” was to the ear, or how the Beatles were a breakthrough, you will particularly enjoy this book....more
Philip Short through extensive interviews, research and a career as a foreign correspondent has produced a weighty (in paper and thought) work on PutiPhilip Short through extensive interviews, research and a career as a foreign correspondent has produced a weighty (in paper and thought) work on Putin. It is more extensive and even tempered than Masha Gessen’s The Man Without a Face: The Unlikely Rise of Vladimir Putinor Richard Lourie’s Putin: His Downfall and Russia's Coming Crash.
In engrossing prose, Short shows Putin’s youth as the only surviving child (a brother died in the siege of Stalingrad, most likely of starvation) of a doting mother and a true believer communist father. He lived in a neighborhood of tough, criminal kids and became one himself. In mid-teens – inspired by TV movies to be a spy - he buckled down and studied… somewhat. His better than average grades got him into an elite law school, in something that sounds like a Russian style affirmative action program… one of the spots reserved for children of the proletariat!
His stint with the KGB in East Germany for the most part is portrayed as more pedestrian than it is in Gessen’s book. In the chaos following the fall of the Berlin wall, he shows leadership in burning records before and during a crowd siege of Dresden's Stasi headquarters.
How and why he left the KGB for the Anatoly Sobchak (of all mis-matched people) mayoral administration is not clear. Unlike the Gessen and Lourie books, Short shows Putin as being only marginally corrupt (was he still under the influence of his true believer father?) in a place where businessmen, bureaucrats, politicians and criminals are one and the same. Operating at the highest level (even serving as acting mayor) he honed skills and made connections that served him very well in his move to Moscow.
As in Gessen and Lourie, he is shown as the available man for Yeltsin and his need for a temporary successor. No one expected him to say on. In Lourie, Putin’s relationship with Yeltsin and the Yeltsin family implies Putin’s position is owed to his ability to protect Yeltsin and his family’s (presumably ill gotten) wealth. Short avoids whatever scandal may have occurred, but shows Putin’s new life style that now includes horses and opulent homes that shock (even) Tony Blair.
Short notes Putin’s disappointments with the west (promised aid for Gorbachev never came; treated as a second class partner in Kosovo; NATO adds eastern European members; no thanks for allowing US operations on Russian affiliated soil for the Afghan War; the invasion of Iraq, US rhetoric particularly Condi Rice and other hawks in the State Dept.).
There is detail on Mihail Khodorkovsky and Boris Berezovsky. There are skirmishes with Russia’s “near abroad” entities. There are speeches that condemn Stalin and his purges and speak to Russian culture. He makes western sounding statements on religious and LGB tolerance. There are descriptions of the various poisonings and the credibility of Putin's denials. There are anecdotes that that touch on the controversial issues (pension reform, the war with Georgia, dealing with corruption etc.) that show a rift between Dmitry Medvedev, his handpicked (puppet) president and then prime minister.
There is a lot in this book. Here are a few take-aways: - The Russian Constitution protects the State. This is a big contrast to the US Constitution that protects the individual. - Putin is loyal. The toughs from his neighborhood and judo classes and from his East German assignment recur with plum positions. He goes to extremes to visit Sobchak in the hospital. - Putin’s years as President and Prime Minister and President again show a growing authoritarian outlook. - Short shows how the early Putin looked to the west for models of Russian development. Disappointments over many years changed his impression of the west (greedy hypocritical bullies) and made him resentful and hostile towards it. - Putin has so much plausible deniability that it is hard to prove he has actually authorized anything. - Putin has empowered his oligarchs and puppets in the “near abroad” such that they could be authorizing assassinations. - Some “near abroad” rulers have levers they can pull to get what they need from him. - Short often refers to Putin’s approval ratings of 60-80%. It is hard to believe the Russian people will actually give pollsters their opinions. - In recent years Putin’s speaking of his grandchildren and writing history may indicate that he is considering retirement, in which case the invasion of Ukraine was meant to be his farewell achievement. - In many ways, the Ukraine invasion, for Short, represents Putin’s final jab at the West.
This was a slow read, but well worth the time. I’ve come away with a better understanding of who Putin is and what motivates him. If you are interested in Putin, and/or contemporary Russia, and have the time, this is highly recommended....more
The reader benefits from Barry Strauss’s scholarship. He gives the reader the tools to envision the goals, motives, strategies and tactics of the key The reader benefits from Barry Strauss’s scholarship. He gives the reader the tools to envision the goals, motives, strategies and tactics of the key players: Antony, Octavian and Cleopatra and to a lesser extent family members, client kings and generals. He shows how this battle ended 15 years of civil war in Rome and tells of its ramifications for the future.
The highlight was, of course, the battle. Even though you know the outcome, you are at the edge of your seat. At the end, the triple triumph for Octavian is great writing in a book of great writing.
I appreciated Strauss’s recounting of the players, their family histories and sides taken in the civil war. Similarly, but in a totally different vein, I also appreciated the description of the warships, their maneuverability, the numbers and positioning of rowers and warriors, structure and ramming capability.
While the book is short, it covers a lot of ground. Here are some takeaways • Octavian was always in need of cash. There was an army to pay and his resources were always stretched. The wealth was in the East. • This was Octavian’s war. He was motivated by the need to destroy Caesarian and obtain Cleopatra’s wealth. Eliminating Antony was also desirable. • Side switching was common. Defectors brought benefits to the new allegiance. King Harod, who was fully indebted to Antony, and brought wealth to cash-strapped Octavian. Octavian had Agrippa and did not need the naval skills of Ahenobarus but his defection deprived Antony of naval leadership. • Antony’s strategies almost predicted his defeat. Given that he chose Actium, why didn’t he better fortify his supply line? Once supplies were cut off why did he wait as his men weakened from hunger and disease? Why didn’t he go inland for a land war that would better suit his skills? • For their circumstances at Actium, the “escape” of Antony and Cleopatra was risky, lucky and masterful. • After the battle both Antony and Cleopatra negotiated separately with Octavian. • Of the 3 children of Antony and Cleopatra, only their daughter, Seline Cleopatra, appears in future records. Octavian arranged her marriage to Kind Juba II of Mauritania.
This is the story of the development of the Oxford English Dictionary told through the biographies of Dr. James Murray (“the professor”) and Dr. WilliThis is the story of the development of the Oxford English Dictionary told through the biographies of Dr. James Murray (“the professor”) and Dr. William Chester Minor (the “madman”).
It begins with biographical sketches of Murray and Minor including the family histories that brought them to London. There is a description of dictionary efforts to that point in time and how scholars in England felt the need for a more comprehensive and authoritative reference work. It took time to get a sponsor and there were attempts with a few editors., one being the colorful Frederick Furnivall.
None of the early editors seemed to have the administrative skills that Murray had. Oxford University became involved and Murray cast a wider net than previous editors to find volunteers for the painstaking work of finding words in use in a wide variety of literature, quoting passages that defined their use, referencing the source and documenting their etymology. The greatest contributor was probably William Chester Minor, the “madman”.
Minor had a Harvard education and financial resources. He could afford to assemble a library in the two rooms he was able to have in an asylum for the criminally insane. At this time, the institution seemed gentile and supportive (this later changed in a sad way). Winchester writes how Minor devoted himself to the project and sent perfect words, usage quotes and etymology to Murray’s scriptorium. Minor's mental equilibrium was somewhat sustained while he had this purpose.
The book carries through the post-OED life of the two lexicographers and their families. Winchester notes the significance of the OED and the marvel of its development to the online OED as we know it today. A new edition should be complete in 2034!
The book has B & W drawings that help the reader visualize Minor’s room and his institution. It needs an index.
I came upon this from Goodreads friends who had also read the The Dictionary of Lost Words who favorably reviewed this book. The two books, with “lost Words” being fiction and “prof and madman” being non-fiction complement each other. They are both recommended for those who appreciate the Oxford English Dictionary....more
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