March Booknotes

 

“Read a lot. Expect something big, something exalting or deepening from a book. No book is worth reading that isn’t worth re-reading.” – Susan Sontag

March Banned Book Club Selection

Fiction: Classic, Dystopia, Politics

1984 by George Orwell

This was a reread for me. It has been decades since I read this book and I am glad I read it again. However, this is not an enjoyable book to read! It’s incredibly depressing, and any brief moments of hope are quickly stamped out. Nor does 1984 have beautiful, ornate writing, perfect literary devices, or deep and meaningful characters. Instead, the message it presents and the ideologies it conveys make it a near-perfect novel. 

Written in 1948 and published in 1949, Orwell predicted a grim future where Big Brother (the symbol of the ruling Party Government) sees all, controls all, and crushes all hope of there being anything other than service to Big Brother.  According to The Party, words, science, and data are just fantasy that The Party can twist and turn to further their total power. Everything good is either destroyed or a lie, nobody can ever be trusted, and everything bad is somehow even worse than you imagined. 

"War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength."

We learn all of this through the personal story of Winston Smith. He lives in this dystopian society which is continually at war with the two other remaining world powers.

“War is a way of shattering to pieces, or pouring into the stratosphere, or sinking in the depths of the sea, materials which might otherwise be used to make the masses too comfortable, and hence, in the long run, too intelligent.”

In Winston’s world everything - from actions, movements, careers, and, even in some cases, thoughts - are monitored and recorded tirelessly. In this society, all individuals are governed by The Party who mandate conformity and allegiance. Everyone is subject to perpetual retribution if found to be in breach of strict, but overly arbitrary, laws and regulations. 

“Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.”

Winston, a Party propagandist, is employed to rewrite books, newspaper articles, and history books to align with the actions of The Party. 

He falls in love with a woman named Julia. As their relationship is completely forbidden by The Party, they employ a range of cloak-and-dagger tactics to maintain their hidden relationship away from The Party’s eyes. This relationship sparks a sense of rebellion and non-conformity in Winston’s life. 

He obtains a forbidden book which he reads to Julia in a room above an antique shop in the Proles’ (short for proletarians, underclass/workers’) neighborhood. “So long as they (the Proles) continued to work and breed, their other activities were without importance …films, football, beer, and above all, gambling filled up the horizon of their minds. To keep them in control was not difficult.”

Ultimately his relationship with Julia leads him to discover the true nature of the mysterious Ministry of Love and Room 101. There he discovers the horrors of not only his senior Party managers, but he also questions his own sanity and ability to recall past events. This does not end happily.

Depressing, right? What’s worse is that while you read 1984, you might feel a dark suspicion that our lives are eerily similar to the one that Winston endures. Of course, we do not have telescreens embedded in the walls of our homes, but we have cell phones that track us and DOGE has illegally stolen our personal data.  We are distracted endlessly (like the “Proles” were) by entertainment and spectacle (24/7 television, internet, sports, and social media) and we are becoming increasingly detached from reality every day. 

The use of technology as a tool for mass surveillance and manipulation, as well as the distortion of truth and reality, are central themes in this novel and are evidenced throughout history and even today.

Many Americans have noticed similarities between Trump and the patterns found in Orwell’s 1984 and Hitler’s actions. These similarities are seen as REPEATED PATTERNS, not exact copies of totalitarianism. So, I asked myself: “Which signs of growing authoritarianism did I notice most?”

WHAT I NOTICED MOST AS A "MATURE" READER:

1. The first thing I noticed when comparing Orwell’s 1984, Hitler, and Trump is the emphasis on a single leader as the embodiment of the nation. Loyalty to him is prioritized over loyalty to institutions like Congress, the U.S. Constitution, the Supreme Court, and/or the law. This is an echo of fascist leadership cults and critical to Big Brother’s centrality in 1984.

*Trump’s constant focus on vilifying groups like immigrants, political opponents, and critical journalists functions like 1984’s ongoing “Two Minutes Hate,” channeling anger at designated enemies to consolidate support.

**Nazi propaganda portrayed Jews and other groups as parasitic, criminal, or a biological threat to the nation. Trump said immigrants are “poisoning the blood of our country” and has linked them to Christian nationalists’ replacement of native-born Americans, which parallels the neo-Nazi’s far-right “Great Replacement” ideology.

In addition, Trump’s illegal firing of 17 inspectors general, firing career civil servants, and demanding loyalty from his cabinet appointees, Congressional Republicans, America’s judicial system, military personnel, and civil servants – intended by America’s founding fathers to be neutral and independent – tracks an authoritarian playbook of hollowing out USA’s checks and balances system that has worked quite well for almost 250 years.

2. Another point is that Hitler repeatedly told lies until they were accepted, while Trump’s policies feature blatant falsehoods and misinformation: 30,573 false or misleading claims just in his first term!

*Trump’s efforts to change or rewrite official government documents and websites, change history museum exhibits, and punish civil servants who present unwelcome data, or replace independent experts with loyalists are analogous to the constant revision of records in 1984 to fit the party's narrative.

3. Trump’s discrediting of independent media – “enemy of the people” – and attacks on journalists – “obnoxious reporter,” “stupid,” and “quiet piggy” – evoke both Nazi attacks on the Lügenpresse (lying press) and 1984’s state-controlled information system.

4 Oct 1933: Schriftleitergesetz (Editor's Law)
Journalists MUST be "Aryan" loyalists and their work censored by Nazi officials.

*Trump’s insistence that Americans who are getting facts from the independent media are getting “fake news” resembles 1984’s Newspeak and the Ministry of Truth’s role in manufacturing false reality. - “The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.”

4. The 47th president’s statement to the public, “What you’re seeing and what you’re reading is not what’s happening,” strongly resembles Orwellian doublespeak and demands that you reject the evidence of your own eyes and ears.

*Americans have seen video footage of two people being murdered by ICE agents in Minneapolis, but were told the victims were "domestic terrorists." Americans were told only the "worst of the worst" would be targeted by ICE. Yet, we know that 60-70,000 people have been detained during the Trump 2.0 administration (Deportation Data, 27 Jan 2026), and realize 73.6% of those detained have never been convicted of ANY criminal offense (TRAC Immigration).

Trump 2.0 is not exactly like Hitler or Big Brother, but they share authoritarian PATTERNS! The attacks on truth, the rule-of-law erosion, reshaping the population along ethnic/class lines, scapegoating, and leader-cult politics in the GOP-dominated Congress, cabinet, and Supreme Court – are warning signs that if left unchecked, history shows, can lead democracies toward authoritarian regimes.

History warns us to be vigilant. 

Only a strong civil society can ensure that America, in its 250th year, remains a democratic, constitutional republic and rejects an authoritarian dictatorship.

Also, related is a really good documentary - Orwell: 2 + 2 = 5

It is available to rent on streaming services. 👍👍

Fiction: Mystery, Crime

The Girl by the Bridge by Arnaldur Indriðason, Philip Roughton (Translator - Icelandic)

NOTE: This is the second book of the Detective Konrad series. I read the first and third books. Basically, the series is about Konrad, a retired detective, who keeps getting pulled into cold cases when the only cold case he really wants to solve is the murder of his father.

The story begins when Konrad gets involved in a missing person case. A young woman has gone missing after admitting to her grandparents that she is smuggling drugs into Iceland for persons unknown. Panicked and needing answers, the elderly couple turn to retired Detective Konrad for answers. He agrees to help but urges them to involve the police. The police quickly get involved when the young woman turns up dead in her boyfriend’s apartment and the boyfriend is missing.

Konrad is also called upon by a long-time friend, Eygló. She  was a medium in the past, and has had some upsetting visions. She admits that she has “seen” a young girl over the last number of years whose aura is unsettled. It appears this apparition is a girl who was found drowned next to a bridge in Reykjavík back in 1961. While it seems like a fruitless task, Konrad agrees to look for answers in this cold case.

Finally, Konrad is still eager to solve his own father’s cold case - his 1963 murder. The three cases keep him busy and open doors to some shocking events. What Konrad discovers is chilling. This is a dark and tragic tale involving torture and child sexual abuse. Unfortunately, these fictional events can be found in our “real world.” 

I like Indriðason’s writing even if his plots are dark and “gritty.” He has a real gift for recreating the Nordic atmosphere and transporting me back to Iceland … thankfully, my visit there was wonderful and crime free!

Nonfiction: Religion, Spiritualty, Philosophy

Oneness; Great Principles Shared by All Religions by Jeffery Moses

NOTE: This book has been recommended by Mother Teresa, the Dali Lama, and my brother, Greg – who gifted me this book! 💗

Using the quoted words of major religions’ scriptures, this book draws into focus the fact that, despite the seemingly polarizing differences of all the world's great religions, there is a common universal truth. In fact, the moral values we all hold dear surpass the boundaries of denominationalism. Oneness focuses on the precepts known, organized religions have in common and spirituality in general by presenting the commonalities among them.

The title – Oneness - says it all, and I can't think of anyone that wouldn't benefit by giving it a thoughtful and self-reflecting read. This book might be especially helpful for people on the fence about “religion” since Oneness is about spirituality and basic morality. When we observe how many organized religions are practiced today by excluding anyone and everyone who doesn’t share their “positions”, it is no wonder many people are disappointed in organized “churches.” Too often religious denominations lack an emphasis on our common spiritualty that can benefit ALL of humanity. 

Oneness gently encourages you to be a better person and broaden your interpretation of spirituality. It also reminds us to leave the elitism of a particular religious denomination behind and to consider the meaning of a universal, eternal truth shared by all religions.

This is a book that can serve as a morning or evening meditation since the “chapters” are very brief. For me, reading Oneness was cathartic, refreshing, and encouraging. It is a book I return to daily.

Fiction: Historical Fiction, Thriller

Operation Napoleon by Arnaldur Indriðason, Victoria Cribb (Translator - Icelandic)

NOTE: Yes, another book by Arnaldur Indriðason!

In 1945, at the end of World War II, a German bomber flew over Iceland during a blizzard. The crew became lost and crashed the airplane on the Vatnajökull glacier, the largest glacier in Europe. Bizarrely, there are both German and American officers on board the airplane. One of the German officers leaves the wreck and tries to walk to the nearest farm with a briefcase handcuffed to his wrist. He disappears and all the men on the airplane freeze to death. 

Then, in winter 1999, the US Army goes to Iceland to secretly remove the airplane from the glacier. They are less than truthful when describing their intentions to the Icelandic government. By coincidence two members of an Icelandic rescue team on a training exercise run into the Americans and are captured. But just prior to and during their capture, one of them contacts his sister, Kristin before his phone is taken away. She tries repeatedly and unsuccessfully to return his call. She knows something bad must have happened. Kristin will not rest until she discovers the truth of her brother's fate even as her pursuit puts her in great danger. 

After much death-defying action, Kristin finally learns about the secret operation. This knowledge, in turn, leads her, to a remote island off Argentina in search of the key to the mystery of Operation Napoleon.

Even allowing for the usual suspension of disbelief that is required for thrillers, this one pushes the limits of credibility at many turns, particularly with the ending. The Americans (with one lone exception) are depicted as the enemy intent on riding roughshod over tiny Iceland. There are many characters and the plot jumps back and forth in time. Even though I like Indriðason’s work, this book left me flat. His Inspector Erlendur books are his best (especially Jar City) and his Detective Konrad books are even better than Operation Napoleon.

Nonfiction: History, Humor, Short Stories

SNAFU: The Definitive Guide to History’s Greatest Screwups by Ed Helms

Note: SNAFU originally meant: “Situation Normal, All F***ked Up,” the polite version = “Situation Normal, All Fouled Up” 

This is a book to read when you want to be distracted from current events. Somehow the short stories of historical screwups remind one that survival is possible. SNAFU is full of interesting historical tidbits of rather disastrous situations. 

Some of the SNAFUs are fascinating – like the time a bomb was accidentally dropped due to having the safety back-up disconnected during take-off (?!). Or the Mars probe team using English units with metric calculations. The probe crashed on Mars; billions of dollars were wasted. Also related to space was the idea to set off a nuclear bomb on the moon!

My favorite SNAFU was “Operation Acoustic Kitty.” This was a secret CIA plan to turn cats into portable spying devices. A surgeon implanted a microphone in the cat’s ear and a radio transmitter at the base of its skull. The surgeon also wove an antenna into the cat’s fur. Acoustic Kitty tolerated the surgery and made a full recovery. Next, the agents tried to train the cat to sit next to a park bench to record the conversations of foreign agents. Unfortunately, when CIA staffers drove Acoustic Kitty to the park for her first test at capturing the conversation of two men sitting on a bench, Acoustic Kitty wandered towards and then away from the bench. Anyone who has a cat knows they train you; you do not train them! The CIA agents obviously were not familiar with cats.

SNAFU covers a variety of well-researched topics. Helms has done a great job of succinctly describing these (at times, seemingly fantastical) events but in a humorous way you would expect from a comedian. This is a fun and easy-to-read book recommended for people who want to look back on history’s SNAFUs with a critical, but also tongue-in-cheek view.