February Booknotes

 

“My life is not a defensive struggle of restricted options. Growing old is a game of verve and imagination and excitement.”

– Dr. George Sheehan

Reading is full of verve, imagination, excitement, AND expanding knowledge!

Fiction: Psychology, Sociology, Survival

Above the Fire by Michael O'Donnell

This is a quiet book about relationships with family, friends, society, and nature. It explores the power of parenthood and one’s ability to overcome fear and uncertainty in the face of threats to those we love.

Doug, a middle-aged widower, and his seven-year-old son, Tim, are on a father-son hike in New Hampshire’s Presidential Traverse. This is a series of peaks meandering through the White Mountain National Forest. Suddenly, some unknown event (war?) has obliterated America’s grid, taking out electricity, Wi-Fi, and all forms of communication. From the mountains, they see the glow of looters’ fires in a nearby town.

While other hikers decide to hike down and take their chances, Doug decides to stay “above the fire” and hunker down with his son in a park lodge that was stocked mainly for wealthy weekend visitors. They will need to ration their food supplies, but they are readily available. If food had not been available, this would have been a much different story!

Doug and Tim begin their time in the lodge in October and remain there until the snow melts in May. As you see how they are managing their seclusion, you may be asking yourself, “Who will I become in a crisis?”

Doug is quick to identify his only responsibility: keeping Tim safe. But what is he willing to do to fulfill that role? Steal? Harm someone? What lies will he tell his son to protect him not just physically but emotionally? What would you do?

I appreciate how Above the Fire leaves the big picture, “what happened” alone. It would’ve been easy for the story to develop into a typical dystopian novel, complete with gruesome clashes between good and evil. Instead, the focus is internal, addressing Doug’s struggles, struggles we can relate to. This is a wonderful book.

Fiction: Mystery, Crime

The Bowman by Rhys Dylan

This is the newest and number 15 in the DCI Evan Warlow or Black Beacons mystery series. I have read them all but I almost gave up on this one!  The emphasis on inept, unprofessional, and intimidating “bosses” was just a little too much to handle especially since I was reading to escape from our current nadir. I also can’t believe that any workplace would allow one, let alone two romantically involved couples to work in the same office where their partner is in the chain of command. Anyway …

The Bowman involves the investigation of two murders in the remote Cambrian Mountains. Both victims are killed by a crossbow bolt. These murders remind Detective Warlow of the “Bowman” murders twenty years ago when two people were murdered in the mountains in the same way. Those murders were never solved. Is this the same killer back again after a twenty-year break or is this a new copycat killer reenacting a cold case?

I’ve been hooked on this series since book one. I am highly invested in the characters even though their banter is getting predictable. Nevertheless, if there is book #16, I will read it in hopes the plot centers on solving crime and not so much on the characters’ personal lives.

Nonfiction: Psychology, Sociology, Politics

The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion by Jonathan Haidt

Gone are the days when online or in person debate could be heated, but without hate. Combative name calling has taken place of rational exchange of information and opinions. This is where we are today. We no longer trade ideas, instead we look to score points for “our side.”

Why do people so readily assume the worst about the motives of their fellow citizens who hold differing opinions?

The author, Jonathan Haidt, is a psychologist specializing in morals. According to him, there are three principles of moral psychology that might answer that question:

#1 Intuitions come first, strategic reasoning second. This is why information doesn’t work when discussing religion or politics. Many people are motivated by emotion, not reason, not facts.

#2 There's more to morality than harm and fairness. This was the most interesting and expansive section of the book.

* Moral Foundations Theory (MFT) suggests that there are psychological foundations underlying human morality that are innate and universal to every civilization across history. According to the theory, people's moral judgments are based on six primary foundations:

The CARE foundation is defined as a desire to minimize the suffering of others and protect the weak.

The FAIRNESS foundation is defined as a desire for people to be held accountable for their actions in an equal playing field: holding the rules constant for all participants.

The LIBERTY foundation is defined as a desire for people to have agency over their lives without outside coercion from a central authority.

The IN-GROUP LOYALTY foundation is defined as a desire for members of one's "natural" ingroups (such as their family, tribe, or nation) to collectivize for the benefit of said in-groups. However, this also applies to “outside” groups. IN-GROUP LOYALTY was identified as the main foundation for unwavering loyalty to political parties and “movements” such as MAGA.

The PURITY foundation is defined as a desire to uphold a standard of "high society" and avoid behavior that is perceived as primitive, degenerate, recklessly hedonistic and/or spiritually degrading. 

The AUTHORITY foundation is defined as a desire to establish and conform to rules, institutions, hierarchies and leaders that are deemed as being essential to the stability and efficiency of society

These foundations represent evolved mechanisms that have helped humans navigate social interactions throughout history. Individuals, ideologies, and cultures each prioritize these foundations differently, leading to variations in moral values and beliefs. MFT does not recognize any set of moral beliefs as being objectively correct or inherently superior.

NOTE: You can complete a questionnaire to discover your moral priorities: https://moralfoundations.github.io/

Finally, Principle #3 Morality binds and blinds. “It binds us into ideological teams that fight each other as though the fate of the world depended on our side winning each battle. It blinds us to the fact that each team is composed of good people who have something important to say.”

From the perspective of Moral Foundation Theory, this also explains why rural and working-class voters were in fact voting in our last election for their group’s “morality.” They do NOT want the government to devote itself to the care of others and pursuit of social justice – even though a different group’s policies would support them financially and socially. They are bound by their group and blind to what any other group has to offer.

“This book explained why people are divided by religion and politics. The answer is not … because some people are good and some are evil. Instead, our minds were designed for group righteousness.”

It’s an interesting book but it doesn’t provide practical advice, it is an explanation. Knowing about Moral Foundation Theory will not make disagreements go away.  The best I can hope for after reading this book is to accept that we all have different moral foundations. Our moral foundations can, and usually do, lead to opposite conclusions about politics and religion. The author ends the books with this advice: “When you bring up issues of morality, try to start with some praise, or a sincere expression of interest.” – a first step in any conversation!

Two Books about How Small Groups and Individuals

 Impact Our World

Nonfiction: History, Psychology, Sociology

Revenge of the Tipping Point: Overstories, Superspreaders, and the Rise of Social Engineering by Malcolm Gladwell

I read Gladwell’s first book; The Tipping Point several years ago. The tipping point is that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire. Just as a single sick person can start an epidemic of the flu, so too can a small but precisely targeted push cause a fashion trend, the popularity of a new product, or a drop in the crime rate.

Revenge of the Tipping Point resembles its predecessor but reflects the experiences of living in a country very different to the late 1990s United States. Gone is much of the levity, the case studies about Hush Puppies, Blue’s Clues, or Airwalk shoes. Instead, the 2020s are described by stories that touch on the fault lines and anxieties of modern America: opioid addiction rates, and the transmissibility of Covid. It is fascinating and provocative; more grounded in history, and more willing to take risks.

Publisher’s Description: “What sets Revenge of the Tipping Point apart is its examination of social engineering—the intentional shaping of group behavior. Gladwell digs into timely ethical questions about who gets to influence societal trends and at what cost. His look at “superspreaders”—individuals with an outsized role in spreading ideas, behaviors, or even viruses—is especially relevant in a post-pandemic world, revealing both the risks and ripple effects of these influential few.”

Gladwell combines the broad sweep of an epidemiological viewpoint with the granular detail of a court transcript, direct quotation or description; to shuffle between different worlds, from viruses to aerosol science, drug companies and patient care, drawing parallels and contrasts. This was a fascinating exploration of the relationship between Covid super-spreaders and opioid addiction super-spreaders.

*Relatively few individuals (super-spreaders) are responsible for “transmission” of disease and social ills - an unsettling conclusion that poses moral and policy dilemmas.

Nonfiction: History, Biography

The Titans of the Twentieth Century: How They Made History and the History They Made by Michael Mandelbaum

This is not a complete history, and the biographical sections leave out a lot of important details. Basically, the value of this book is that it provides a generalized overview of eight world leaders during the decisive years of the twentieth century. It seeks to answer the question: What is the impact of individuals on history?

The Titans of the Twentieth Century consists of essays about eight who, for better and for worse, had enormous scope for changing our world:

“Woodrow Wilson had a vision for a cooperative world order that failed after the First World War but gained in influence after the Second.
Vladimir Ilich Lenin founded the totalitarian communist political system that controlled a large part of the planet for much of the twentieth century.
Adolf Hitler started history's worst war and presided over history's worst atrocity, the Holocaust.
Winston Churchill provided inspiring leadership to Great Britain, which made it possible to defeat Nazi Germany in World War II.
Franklin D. Roosevelt steered the United States through the Great Depression and the Second World War.
Mohandas Gandhi led the movement, and developed the philosophy of non-violence, that ended British rule in South Asia, paving the way for the end of empires throughout Asia and Africa.
David Ben-Gurion led the miraculous restoration of Jewish sovereignty in the Holy Land.
Mao Zedong, imposed totalitarian communist rule on China and became history's most egregious mass murderer.”

What is the impact of individuals on history?

That question lingers as a new generation of titans will emerge over the next decade for better or worse. Will Donald Trump upend much of the past century of American foreign policy by severing American alliances in Europe, by cozying up to foreign autocrats, and by instigating international trade wars? In the Middle East, will Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continue to target Hamas and Gaza for destruction? Will China’s Xi Jinping thrust China into the forefront of great powers by expanding its military and economic might?

Much as in the 1930s, when instability proved the prelude to World War II, contemporary events might lead to fresh global strife. In studying the past, The Titans of the Twentieth Century provides much to ponder about in the present and in the future. 

Fiction: Comics

Was It Fun? A Dumb Runner Comics Collection by Mark Remy

I follow Dumb Runner on social media and Remy’s comics add some levity to my day! When I learned that Remy was going to publish a book, it went on my Christmas list and Santa delivered it.

Remy is not an artist. He explains: “The artwork in my comics begins as photos from stock image websites. After finding the right ones, I crop and modify them until I get what I want, then import the resulting fills into an iPad app called Procreate. From there, I use an Apple Pencil to trace and color them. Then I add text and final flourishes.”

Obviously, it is his “dumb runner” humor that makes this a great comic book. Plus, he adds some commentary after each comic.

As a runner I can relate to his comics, and I find them amusing. Was It Fun? is my “go-to” coffee table book, easily available for the times I need to laugh at myself and as a reminder of my good fortune to be an “old” runner.

Fiction: Historical fiction

Wofford’s Blood: A Novel by Donna Coffey Little

In the “Author’s Note” at the beginning of the book, the author explains that the interviews referenced in her novel don’t exist, they are fictionalized. Instead, she uses primary sources like Smithsonian ethnologist James Mooney’s Cherokee History, Myths, and Sacred Formulas (1900), Royce’s Maps (Indian Land Cessions, 1899), and wills as the basis for her character J. D. (James Dougherty) Wofford’s story.

Wofford is a half White, half Cherokee man, who became a conductor and interpreter on the Trail of Tears. The imaginary interviews are set in 1891 in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, Cherokee Nation West. Each interview begins with a description of a piece of memorabilia that Wofford shows to Mooney: a large leather trunk; deerskin pouch; pink Conch shell; tattered Bible; booger mask; bow; musket; map. These artifacts lend realism to the interviews.

Yet most stories the eighty-nine-year-old Wofford tells Mooney took place before the Trail of Tears. They tell of Wofford’s years growing up in Franklin County, Georgia. He spends half the year with the Woffords, who are referred to as Intruders. The other half of the year he spends with his Cherokee family.

Caught between the two cultures, he is sometimes viewed with suspicion and feels he doesn’t fully belong to either world. He explains he was being trained by an uncle to become a Cherokee medicine man, “the keeper of our most sacred traditions.” Yet, almost simultaneously, his “Intruder” grandfather was educating him in Western philosophy and a Christian minister was training him in religion: “I was everyone’s Indian but my own.”

Today most Americans are ignorant of this history and unfortunately, it is ignored by political leaders who want to avoid any teaching about the Indian Removal Act, Trail of Tears, and the Dawes Commission. I say, “Rubbish!!”  Historical fiction like Wofford’s Blood allows us to recognize the significant contributions of the myriads of American peoples throughout our history; explore their interactions, appreciate their struggles, and gain a deeper understanding of our American past and how it impacts our country today.

Book Club - International Nonfiction: Memoir (Kenya, Tanzania)

The Worlds of a Maasai Warrior: An Autobiography by Tepilit Ole Saitoti

Saitoti does a wonderful job of describing his own life as a Maasai. In addition to describing the cultural practices and mores of the Maasai people who live on the Serengeti plain, he includes his personal experiences, like the time he fell asleep, and his father's cattle herd was attacked. Protecting their cattle is the paramount activity of his Maasai community. They used thorn bushes to protect their cattle against predators at night, and they learned that lions sometimes station themselves upwind of a herd to frighten the cattle with their scent and drive them into another pack of waiting lions. The Maasai have a deep understanding of their animals and the wildlife around them. They learned this after living in continual contact with lions, hyenas, and wildebeest. These elements gave me a sense of life lived on the Serengeti plain.

But Saitoti doesn’t “sugarcoat” the Maasai lifestyle. He is quite critical of his culture in some ways. Abuse appears to be endemic in Maasai culture, with polygamy and child abuse. If the mother dies, as Saitoti’s did, the children are neglected and abused by the other wives. Fathers are exacting and don't hesitate to beat even young children for small mistakes.

 “I would swallow my anger and keep my mouth shut and remember the saying - megogong otigree – keeping quiet means no cruelty.”

Saitoti attended Primary school where he was forced to choose between becoming a Lutheran or a Catholic. However, much to his disappointment, he did not qualify for Secondary School. Nevertheless, at age 20 he left home and became a Safari tour guide for wealthy Europeans and Americans. This job connected him with the National Geographic Society and Saitoti “starred” in their 1972 documentary Man of the Serengeti (YouTube).

With the help of some German tourists and, later, the National Geographic Society, Saitoti eventually came to the United States and graduated with honors from Emerson College and went on to earn an M.S. degree in natural resources from the University of Michigan. His observations of his first airplane flight, American cities, Western music, and many other things we take for granted were as interesting and fascinating as his descriptions of Maasai life.

“One who understands is freer in the head but sadder in the heart. It is sad to know that there is so much wrong in our world, and for the most part we are helpless to do anything about it.”

Some of the most interesting insights come from his explanations of traditional sayings and from the relationships he has with his “blended” family.  As a nomadic people, Maasai rules come from tradition, not laws and police officers, and it's fascinating to see how they work. This book probably taught me more about both traditional societies and Western life than anything else I've ever read.