November Booknotes

 

“The best moments in reading are when you come across something – a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things – which you had thought special and particular to you. Now here it is, set down by someone else, a person you have never met, someone even who is long dead. And it is as if a hand has come out and taken yours.” ― Alan Bennett

Non-fiction: True Crime and Sociology - Sandy Hook by Elizabeth Williamson

Even before many of the bodies had been identified, online conspiracy theorists, repeatedly encouraged by Alex Jones’ InfoWars, claimed the tragic Sandy Hook school shooting was a hoax – a government plot. Driven by ideology or profit, or for no sound reason at all, they insisted it never occurred, or was staged by the federal government as a pretext for seizing Americans’ firearms.

Conspiracists knowingly and recklessly published falsehoods about Sandy Hook on social media. In addition, they advocated for and incited their followers to commit crimes against the victims’ families. These conspiracists tormented the victims’ relatives online, accosted them on the street and at memorial events, ordered parents to exhume their children's’ bodies as they accused them of faking their loved ones’ murders. Some family members were stalked and forced into hiding and one family’s home was hit by a gunshot. The Sandy Hook families, led by the father of the youngest victim, refused to accept this. Sandy Hook is the story of their battle to preserve their loved ones’ legacies even in the face of threats to their own lives.

Based on hundreds of hours of research, interviews, and access to exclusive sources and materials, Sandy Hook is a landmark investigation of the aftermath of a school shooting; the work of Sandy Hook parents who fought to defend themselves; and the truth of their children’s fate against the frenzied distortions of online deniers and conspiracy theorists. Every American should read this shocking book.

Non-fiction: History - The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity by David Graeber and David Wengrow

This book explores new discoveries on the origins of humanity and civilization. In school I was taught that hunter-gatherers led short brutal lives; that agriculture led to humanity’s ascent; and, finally, governments were a deliverance from darkness and ignorance. Well, this book pretty much turns this whole model on its head.

New archaeological evidence shows that life in ancient times was pretty darn nice: large cities, sustainable land management, effective community policing, and a good life. In an age that worships the tech-gods and real estate moguls, it is tempting to believe that we are more human than our distant ancestors. As we seek new, sustainable ways to organize our world, we need to understand the full range of ways our ancestors thought and lived. Even today Kalahari foragers, with their two- to four-hour working day, are able to provide for their physical needs just as well as the nine-to-five office or factory worker. So who, exactly, is more human, more civilized? The authors make the case that today we’re living at the nadir – the lowest point - of human civilization.

This is not a quick read. There's a lot to work through here. Many times I had to take a break due to the multitude of minutia and simply process what I had just read. At 700 pages, and at times intellectually exhausting, I nevertheless found The Dawn of Everything fascinating and life-changing. 

Fiction: Mystery - Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney

This is a locked-room mystery about a family reunion that leads to murder. After years of avoiding each other, Daisy Darker’s entire family is assembling for Nana’s 80th birthday party in her crumbling house on a tiny tidal island off the coast of Cornwall.

The family arrives, each of them harboring secrets. The tide covers the causeway, cutting them off from the rest of the world for eight hours. Then, at the stroke of midnight, as a storm rages, Nana is found dead. And an hour later, the another family member is found dead … then an hour later, another family member ...

Daisy Darker has all the classic mystery elements: a creepy, inescapable setting: a dysfunctional family dynamic full of secrets and lies: creative murders: and plot twists and turns. If you like Agatha Christie mysteries (And Then There Were None) or the movie Knives Out, you may enjoy Daisy Darker. Not exactly a “cozy” mystery, but I heartily recommend it!

Non-fiction: Autobiography - Black on Red: My 44 Years Inside the Soviet Union: An Autobiography by Robert Robinson with Jonathan Slevin

Robert Robinson (1906-1994) was Jamaican-born and educated as an engineer in Cuba. He moved to Detroit where he was a Ford Motor Company toolmaker. Like many workers, he sought economic security during the Depression and, as a Black man, an escape from racism. In 1930 the Ford Company invited Soviets to visit their Detroit factories as part of a deal to begin manufacturing automobiles in the USSR. Robinson was then recruited to work in the Soviet Union at a higher salary which he needed to help support his mother. As an added incentive, the Soviets told him he would not experience racism in the USSR. So at the age of 23, he signed a one-year contract to work in the Soviet Union, where he spent 44 years after the Soviet government refused to give him an exit visa for return.

Never a Communist, Robinson walked a tightrope while living in the Soviet system which he did not completely accept nor was he accepted by it. He still experienced racism and repression, plus regimentation of all aspects of his life. With great strength of character, Robinson earned another degree in design engineering (in Russian), worked double shifts, and produced designs that greatly improved factory production all while hoping to find a way out of the USSR. Finally, after decades of unsuccessful effort, Robinson "escaped" to the United States via Uganda (of all people, Idi Amin helped him!!). I was riveted by Robinson’s firsthand account of the Stalinist purges, sacrifices of World War II, and economic and political tensions of the Cold War. I found it hard to put down this rare look at Soviet life in the former USSR.

Audiobook - Non-fiction: Law - Lady Justice: Women, the Law, and the Battle to Save America by Dahlia Lithwick

I loved this book! It reads like a “profiles in courage” about women attorneys working to protect civil rights. Beginning with an acknowledgment of Pauli Murray (who I had never heard of before), I was then introduced to the work of Sally Yates, Stacy Abrams, Becca Heller (who fought the attempted Muslim ban and brought that fight to the airports), and Roberta Kaplan (who sued the neo-Nazis in Charlottesville). There are chapters on Anita Hill and the Kavanagh hearings and much more. While there are some unsavory characters out there in the Federal judicial system, thankfully, not all lawyers are crooks!

The author, Dahlia Lithwick, is a senior editor at Slate and a gifted writer. She provides an inside perspective of the impact of women lawyers fighting for an inclusive democracy. A fascinating read! 

Book Club: International Fiction - The Death of Comrade President by Alain Mabanckou (Translated from French)

Michel, a 13-year-old daydreamer, has his life completely turned upside down when, in March 1977, Congo’s Comrade President Marien Ngouabi is brutally murdered. Because of his mother’s kinship with one of the president’s soldiers, not even naive Michel can remain untouched by this political event.

Moving between the small-scale worries of everyday life and the grand tragedy of postcolonial politics, The Death of Comrade President is an exploration of the development of the human psyche from young Michel’s perspective. He grows in his understanding of the strength of symbols – especially “white cranes” - that have perpetuated an almost constant national strife. Until, finally, Michel learns how to use the symbol to ensure the safety of his family.

This intriguing book begins as humorous coming-of-age tale; then turns into the political history of communist Congo; and finally ends with a somber ending to Michel’s coming-of-age story. Fortunately, the author recognizes that most people know nothing about communist Congo and has explanations of the players, politics, and history built into the story. I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

Non-fiction: Statistics & Social Aspects - Democracy's Data The Hidden Stories in the U.S. Census and How to Read Them by Dan Bouk

The New York Times put it best in their review, where they called this book "endearingly nerdy" and "deft and surprisingly live." The insights into census data, the historical context of each decade’s rolls, and the general understanding of its production and enumeration procedures are all critical points for genealogists (and amateur genealogists like me) who use these records so heavily.

Democracy's Data demonstrates that there are more to census data than merely statistics. The stories that are told in census records are nuanced and complex, revealing much more than people's names and addresses. I especially appreciated the author’s emphasis on how the questions for the census are generated and the important role, as well as limitations, of the enumerators. There is so much to understand in the details. This book increased my knowledge and will help me to make the most out of my genealogical research into census records –two thumbs up!

Historical Fiction - Loving Frank by Nancy Horan

Loving Frank is the story of Frank Lloyd Wright's 1902 – 1911 relationship with Mamah Borthwick Cheney. Frank Lloyd Wright was a famous architect and Mamah was a highly educated woman who was feeling stifled by her loveless marriage. She wanted to discover her own identity and her own mission in life. When Mamah met Frank Lloyd Wright, she found a man who stimulated her intellectually so they made a fateful decision. They left their families which caused a major scandal since they both were still married to their respective spouses.

Mamah risked much to have a life with Frank Lloyd Wright. When she divorced, she lost custody of her children and had limited visitation with them. However, Mamah was finally able to achieve the life that she dreamed was possible … until its shocking end.

This is a good historical novel. While the conversations between the characters are fictionalized, the author listed her sources which include a collection of Mamah’s letters from the Swedish Royal Library. Due to this extensive research, the author is able to tell Frank and Mamah’s story within the social context of pre-WWI America. Loving Frank illustrates the conflict between early 1900’s societal expectations of women and their attempts to fully realize their intellectual potential. 

Non-fiction: History - In the Houses of Their Dead: The Lincolns, the Booths, and the Spirits by Terry Alford

This book attempts to connect the fates of the Lincoln and Booth families through the practice of Spiritualism. However, while there are many historical connections between the two families, Spiritualism isn’t the main connection. There was a lot of jumping back and forth between Lincoln family members, Booth family members, and a host of people connected with both. Yes, both families experienced the deaths of family members and met with mediums to contact the dead, but the book delves more into “who-did-what-when.”

I really wanted to like this book, but, while interesting, it was a bit of a let down. If you want to learn about the Booth family and the theater during the mid-1800’s, this book delivers on that score. If you want to learn about the deaths of Lincoln’s children, this book delivers on that score, too. However, I expected to learn more about Spiritualism’s impact upon these families and I didn’t. Oh well, it was still worth reading since I did learn more about John Wilkes Booth’s family and his childhood.

Non-fiction: Military History - 15 Minutes: General Curtis LeMay and the Countdown to Nuclear Annihilation - Douglas Keeney

Using declassified documents, 15 Minutes walks the reader year-by-year, (1945 - 1968) through the history of Strategic Air Command’s (SAC) transformation into a massive worldwide force primed to launch bombers within 15 minutes of the order. When General LeMay took over the Strategic Air Command in 1948, he found several understaffed B-29 groups left over from WWII, a few dozen primitive atomic bombs, and no coherent strategy. He is credited with building our atomic force during the “cold war” – a time of increasing threat from the USSR. Bitterly opposed to SAC’s diversion to conventional bombing during the Vietnam War, LeMay retired in 1965. (In 1968 LeMay was George Wallace’s running mate!!!!!)

15 Minutes also reveals alarming numbers of lost nuclear bombs, disastrous atmospheric tests, and nuclear war near-misses. This is a detailed, often squirm-inducing account which ends in an anticlimax in 1968 with SAC dwindling to a minor adjunct to America’s swelling ballistic missile arsenal. The most enlightening bit of history, for me, was what happened to Texas Tower 4 (ADC ID: TT-4) during Hurricane Donna! 15 Minutes is an interesting, tense, and harrowing read!