'Ear' by Jan Prochazka

Ear, Jan Prochazka (4)

The Ear in the title of this novel refers to the Soviet listening devices prevalent in Czechoslovakia in the 1950’s. The author was a famous novelist and screenwriter who wrote fiction about the very real happenings of the time after WWII when Czechoslovakia was part of the Soviet Union. It was hard to get into this book as it is written much like a screenplay – jumping from one scene to another with little description. Barring that, once you get into the groove of the prose, it is riveting. Mainly focusing on two characters, a deputy minister and his wife, the story unfolds as they get home from a dinner. The tension mounts as the husband starts to believe they are being watched and listened to by the ‘authorities’. Unfortunately, his wife is not on the same page and the scene progresses very much like the night in ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolfe?’- much misunderstanding and arguing as they start to realize the danger they may be in. If you like that play/movie, this book adds another element of real danger.

'Lonesome Dove' by Larry McMurtry

Lonesome Dove, Larry McMurtry (4.5)

While not a big western/cowboy fan, I really enjoyed this story. Well written and with interesting characters, this very long tome passes quickly. The main characters are two Texas Rangers retired after the Civil War, who in trying to find purpose in a much quieter life, decide to take a herd of cows to Montana. After assembling the cowboys for their team, the majority of the story is the perilous journey they undergo including the treacherous weather, defensive indigenous people and various good and bad people they encounter. McMurtry does not sugar-coat the times- the hardships feel real. My only complaint was the ending. Most characters’ stories were wrapped up, but for some reason it felt off. Still one of the best books I’ve read in some time and well worth it.

'When China Ruled the Seas: The Treasure Fleet of the Dragon Throne, 1405-1433' by Louise Levathes

When China Ruled the Seas: The Treasure Fleet of the Dragon Throne, 1405-1433, Louise Levathes (3.5)

This is a fascinating review of China’s seafaring culture in the early 1400’s. Written in a rather text-book manner, the author manages to review some of the preceding dynasties (given China’s long history, this is not easy to do without becoming very confusing) while spending most of her time on the 30 years or so a surprisingly outward reaching era. The most shocking fact may have been the size of the ships built (>400 ft long). A graphic shows many Mayflower type ships would have fit in one of the Treasure Fleet ships. In those 30 years one adventure seeking Emperor would send 300 ships to as far as East Africa with many of China’s treasures (silk, porcelain, etc.) to trade. Upon his death, his son reverted to the typical Confucian attitude of isolation and the potential world domination of China was halted. I’m surprised how little has been written about this era, this book seems to do a good job summarizing it.

 

Look Again: The Power of Noticing What was Always There', Tali Sharot and Cass Sunstein

Look Again: The Power of Noticing What was Always There, Tali Sharot and Cass Sunstein (3.5)

The first part of this book discussed how we habituate things in our life generally so that we have less distractions and can focus on important things. They talk about methods to dishabituate so that you can awaken when needed. I found the second half of the group more interesting as it discussed specific cases of where this coping mechanism plays a particular role. The authors discuss the Holocaust and how habituating relatively small behaviors of the Nazis led to the most horrible atrocities. They also explained that Schizophrenics cannot habituate so they are bombarded with sensory input all the time. Given some recent concerns about the step by step degradation of certain rights, this book offers an interesting perspective and encourages us all to be dishabituation entrepreneurs who call out inured behavior.

 

'James' by Percival Everett

James, Percival Everett (4.0)

This book is a retelling of ‘The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’ from the point of view of Jim, the slave who escaped down the river with Huck. Different viewpoints can be interesting, but here the author has successfully turned the story by 180 degrees. The title foreshadows the main character’s worldview difference – he is a well-spoken, self-educated ‘James’. He does his best to protect his family while playing the appropriately subservient slave. Once his wife and daughter are sold, he decides to escape, which seemed a bit odd as someone who appreciates the shadows, he then becomes a major target Overall, I appreciated the tone taken that the slaves had a whole culture hidden from others as a survival strategy. I only questioned it when in a time when the average person did not finish 8th grade, the self-educated James with severely limited access to books, pencil or paper, uses vocabulary that is indicative of a college education. 

'Creep: Accusations and Confessions' by Myriam Gurba

Creep: Accusations and Confessions, Myriam Gurba (3.5)

We have all met or are familiar with various ‘creeps’ in life. Ms. Gurba has had more than her fair share. Each chapter highlights a relatively terrible person (herself included) in her life. This book made me quite sad as it represented so many bad behaviors and attitudes in one place. While we should all face that reality, it was not easy to read.  One small consolation was that I was able to see Ms. Gurba in person discuss the book and while a serious subject, she does not seem to have been overly hardened by the events in her life. I would have liked to have seen a bit more editing to remove some repetition in the essays.

'One Soldier's War in Chechnya' by Arkady Babchenko

One Soldier’s War in Chechnya, Arkady Babchenko (2)

While the subject of this book is important, I found it very difficult to read. War told from a first-person perspective is always painful, but the writing (or translation) here was confusing such that I struggled to follow the narrative. At times I wasn’t sure where in the timeline we were. The barrage of beatings, starvation and lack of basic needs read worse than a prisoner-of-war tale. The author did mention that he merged some events and people, but overall it was unbelievable at times to think this was happeng. One take-away was that the Soviet army was horribly mis-managed from a military perspective. When beatings and starvations happen to soldiers from their own regiment, one can never imagine a winning scenario.