A PROMISED LAND

 

I just finished listening to A Promised Land by Barack Obama, which was recently released. If I had only one word to describe this book, it would be “honest”, but it is far more than that. 

In this memoir, our former president relates his experiences from his early days through his first term. It’s as if he were sitting next to you describing his small triumphs and occasional mistakes, all in a good humor. He shares his feelings with you. What adds to the enjoyment of this audiobook is he narrates his own story. It is long, and I listened far into many a night. A must read!

KINGS COUNTY

 

After a plethora of books about racism, multinational interference with voting, the recent emergence of multiracial people into the American political scene and presidential biographies, I needed a break. 

The title of this new book Kings County, published this past July by David Goodwillie, caught my attention. Several generations before the story, I lived a part of my childhood in Kings County Flatbush populated then mostly by Jews and Italians.

The author, born in Paris, has had careers in professional baseball, as a private investigator and as an expert at Sotheby’s auction house. Previous publications include a novel American Subversive and a memoir Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time. 

It is 2000 and Audrey Benton arrives in Manhattan on a bus from the Mid-west. Audrey has contempt and anger for her mother who is unable to identify which of the various men with whom she cohabited could be Audrey’s father. She moves from Manhattan to Brooklyn, where she becomes involved with an indie-rock band and garners a reputation in the music world. She forms a love relationship with Theo Gorski, a would-be writer, who is a stabilizing person in her life. For a time Audrey works at Cape Canaveral and the Banana River among the crowds watching our spacecraft launch.

The tale is not chronological but presented in episodes in which Audrey struggles desperately to attain a meaningful life. Audrey’s adventures and misadventures lead her to relationships with fascinating friends and acquaintances.

This book has everything, and I really mean everything.  I couldn’t put it down.

THE RETURN: FATHERS, SONS, AND THE LAND IN BETWEEN

 The Return: Fathers, Sons, and the Land in Between by Hisham Matar published in 2017 is a heart-wrenching memoir.  This book is about a man who longs to find out what happened to his father, Jaballa Matar, a political dissident against the Qaddafi regime in Libya, who apparently disappeared. What the author knew was that his father had been imprisoned in Tripoli for many years.  He learned that there had been a prison massacre during which his father may have been killed. 

For more than a decade, Hisham was a well-recognized educator and scholar in London and was able to adopt British citizenship, managing to have his father’s disappearance discussed in the English House of Lords. With the fall of the Qaddafi regime and the help of one of the Lords, the author is able to return to his native Libya to make inquiries about his father.

The author’s frustration over a period of thirty years and his relentless efforts provide a tale of filial affection and inspiration that is well worth a read.

THE RAZOR'S EDGE

Published in 1944, The Razor’s Edge is one of W. Somerset Maugham’s most unusual books. He called it a novel because he said he did not know what else to call it.  Moreover, he felt compelled to write himself into the story as a character. 

The story is about Larry Darrell, a man who touched many lives in different ways. In 1914, Larry ran away to Canada, lied about his age, and joined the Royal Canadian Flying Service. At seventeen, he was flying combat in France. He loved the excitement of flight and combat until a comrade gave his life to save Larry. This had a sobering effect on him. By War’s end, Larry found himself in England where he met Isabel, a daughter of one of the wealthy American expats who now lived in London and/or Paris. Isabel, who reveled in wealth and privilege, fell in love with Larry, and they became engaged. She was anxious for Larry to find a position to make money, but Larry was in no rush. He told her he needed time to study. Eventually, Isabel became impatient and married Gray. Larry spent years wondering through Europe ending up in India in search for the meaning of life. 

During Larry’s time in India, the market crashed causing Gray to lose his job and fortune. Many of the other expats in their social circle also lost money. When Larry returned from India, he reconnected with Isabel and others in her society and was able to help some of them. 

In addition to excellent writing, I liked this book because I identified with Larry who loved flying, helped people, and who also searched for the meaning of life. I do not hesitate to recommend this novel as a good read.

 

THE DEVIL AND DANIEL WEBSTER

For Labor Day, I have chosen something short so it will not require much labor. It is probably my favorite short story and is not inappropriate today, since New Hampshire with its motto “Live Free or Die” is considered a “swing state”.

The story, The Devil and Daniel Wesbter, was written in 1936 by Stephen Vincent Benet.

Daniel Webster, a lawyer, an intensely patriotic statesman, and an almost mythical character, is asked to defend Jabez Stone, who had made a contract with the Devil. Resolved to come to the aid of a fellow New Hamshireman, Webster accepts the challenge.

I think, like many others, that this story is indeed a classic and may be a metaphor for our current political turmoil.

THE SOUL OF AMERICA

Yesterday afternoon I sat by the TV listening to Joe Biden introduce his running mate Kamala Harris. In this speech, and others, Joe has often referred to the “Battle for the Soul of America “.

Almost all religions believe that everyone has a soul, the spiritual part of a person regarded as immortal. In modern times, some people believe that the concept of a soul can also apply to a nation.  This concept brought to mind a book The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels by Jon Meacham published in 2018. The author points out that Abraham Lincoln often referred to the soul as “the better angels of our nature”.

Meacham, a biographer, has written several books about our presidents and other historical figures.  In this fascinating book, Meacham describes many events in detail including the “bad” times contributing to the development of our nation when Lincoln maintained “our better angels” would prevail. 

His message is one of hope. Meacham recounts the troubled times in our past as well as the brighter episodes which support the development of a stronger nation. This book is a must read for all especially for those distressed by the fury of these turbulent times!  

RIGGED

RIGGED: America, Russia, and One Hundred Years of Covert Electoral Interference by David Shimer is a must-read for anyone interested in the competition between two great powers.

When David Shimer entered Yale, he majored in History under the guidance of his Professor Timothy Snyder. The reaction of our government and the media to Russian tampering with our election in 2015-2016 piqued his interest while working as an intern for the Clinton campaign. In 2017, he went to West Germany to investigate the 1972 Russian interference in the parliamentary election.  He interviewed an East German government individual who had been involved in that process which changed the shape of the Cold War. Was there a similarity between these two events? His investigation began to take on a life of its own.

He soon focused on the mechanism of influencing the election process of a foreign country by both Russian and the U. S.  America sought to support democracy whereas Russia focused on controlling the county with communism.

Shimer graduated in 2018 with both a Baccalaureate and Master’s degrees and secured a Fellowship at Oxford University to complete a Doctorate in International Relations. He published his book in June of this year. The genius of this book reflects Shimer’s ability to “connect the dots”.

I must credit the assistance of my wife Connie in the preparation of this Blog.