Book 22: Germs

Germs
Judith Miller, Stephen Engelberg, and William Broad

This book was recommended to me by a friend, but I can't say I was very impressed. I expected something like the blurb on the back: a fast-paced and informative narrative concerning a rising threat. What I got was a long and almost incomprehensible list of names and acronyms that was unable to hold a train of thought for over a page and a half. The book has serious consistency issues. In fact, there was one entire paragraph that came out of nowhere, relating to nothing before it or after it. I read it twice just to see if I could get some sort of context, but to no avail.

I think that the reason I didn't like the book too well was because it's inherently a lengthy journalistic account of the history of germ warfare. It is scatterbrained at best, introducing the most minor of characters with elaborate narratives (are birthdates really necessary here?) and then subsequently forgetting about them for a few pages, where they are duly reintroduced, often with the original phrasings. This is shoddy work at best, meant for those with a very limited attention span and almost no memory.

Even if one can move past the glaring inconsistencies, the book never goes anywhere. There is no master outline, no general idea of where the book is headed. The afterword contains the phrase "we conclude" far too many times, but the reasons for these conclusions are hardly to be found in the actual preceding text, if at all. It's like the authors wanted to show off how much research they had done regarding top-ranking officials and the CIA, wrapping it up with an editorial of a quality not usually reached by the lowly Grand Rapids Press.

This book is a flip-flopper of the worst sort, inconsistent and often downright confusing, almost as if it were written just to seem impressive and add to a resume. I fear the American public, which apparently launched the book to number one on the New York Times bestseller list. Unfortunately, I don't know how to feel about President Clinton, who is alternately extolled and degraded. I'm not even sure the blurb-writer read the same book I did. Had this book been the book promised on its covers, I'm sure it would have been a good and englightening read. What's contained within these pages, though, is far less, a general waste of time.

Grade: D

Book 21: Grimm's Fairy Tales

Grimm's Fairy Tales
Jacob and Whilhelm Grimm

Having taken a class on the Grimms in college, I was excited to revisit this astonishing collection of stories and legends, most of which are quite unfamiliar to the typical American. The stories themselves are a hodgepodge of folk tales, and they run the gamut from Aesopian animal fables to hard-core Disney fantasies to, of course, Faustian tales of Satanic bargains. Among the more interesting morsels, I think are the following: a tale about a boy committing suicide, a story that makes light of torturing an innocent Jew, a story condemning the quality of being clever, and a story in which a man (who is really a hedgehog) tells his wife to stay out of men's affairs. Yikes.

Despite these stories, which may have had a better place in their own time and stand now only as archaic amusements to the ironically-minded, the collection is an excellent crossection of German culture circa 1800. The virtue of honesty always pays off. It's interesting, though, what they do with humility: in theory, this virtue is praised (many a good poor person is described as being humble), but certain stories ("The Valiant Little Tailor") seem to glorify insane ego-padding, so long as it's accompanied by cleverness.

What's most interesting about the collection though, I think, is its translation from oral tradition to written literature. At least one story begins with a guarantee of its truthfulness, seeing as the teller's (author's?) grandfather had assured them of the truth in the first place. Many of the stories have the familiar pronoun scattered liberally throughout, and the teller (author) makes no pretence of omniscence. My favorite instances of familiarity, however, were the final paragraphs, which were almost universally amusing. I have two favorites. The first is a story that ends with the teller (author) recounting how they broke their glass shoe at the wedding of the main characters. The second is the ending that basically says, "Well, I don't know what happened next, but I'm sure they lived happily ever after." Many endings also employed the phrase "as I have not yet heard otherwise."

Simply put, this collection is a delightful display of old German humor and culture, wrapped up neatly into little vignettes that are amusing to people of all ages. They are uniquely recorded as if they are meant to be read aloud as they were in the first place, duly recorded by the Grimm brothers. I think everyone should read a good deal of Grimm stories in their lifetime.

Grade: A

Book 20: The Autobiography and Other Writings

The Autobiography and Other Writings
Benjamin Franklin

So I'm a little behind in my reading, having hoped to be halfway through (at 26 books) by this point. It is through no fault of Franklin, however, whose autobiography I began reading at the conclusion of my last book. I will concede, however, that the style of Franklin's writing is somewhat difficult to adjust to, both because of grammar peculiar to the modern eye and because reading Franklin's thoughts about his life is just like sitting there listening to the man. The whole thing is basically an old man rambling on about his life in mostly chronological order.

The thing is, though, that the order of events make sense as each segues into the other very simply as the memories come pouring out of Franklin's pen. There are only a couple instances where the autobiography itself seems disjointed, but this usually occurs after a tangent which has been quite interesting and at least relevant to the material at hand. Throughout the work the author is very conscious that he is painting his legacy for future generations; the entire script is full of helpful maxims and takes on the voice of a teacher eager to pass his infinite wisdom onto his pupils. What makes this tone especially entertaining is Franklin's self-conscious attempts at modesty, which usually fail in the context of his great accomplishments.

Franklin was an everyman of his period: scientist, inventor, public servant, and philosopher for all times. One can excuse his slight pride, especially because he tries so hard to hide it despite himself. His writings, some of which appear as the second half of my copy of the autobiography, are far less awkward in this respect, most often being letters deliberately constructed for the recipients. Franklin cuts right to the chase and gives the reader a good idea of the kind of person he was, and how he felt about the issues at hand. I was surprised to find that Franklin was less consistent than I had imagined, though he acknowledges his fallibilty with grace in most instances. The one exception is the way he treats his wife in her dying days, when he suddenly becomes callous and coarse. This, however, humanizes Franklin and reminds readers that he was not perfect, that he did, indeed, live like any other person.

I would recommend Franklin's autobiography (taken with a grain of salt, of course) to anyone looking for a basic history of the man, as most of his major accomplishments are outlined within. I think that the editor of the volume I read made a good decision in including other writings of the man, and I would highly encourage those seeking a more complete picture of Benjamin Franklin to attempt to read more than just the autobiography.

Grade: A

Book 19: A Farewell to Arms

A Farewell to Arms
Ernest Hemingway

I have very mixed feelings about this book. I think that I would like to read more Hemingway, though I had to adjust to his very terse style. The plot is where this book really shines, starting slowly and picking up steam until the reader realizes they are in the middle of quite an interesting story, not quite the typical Florence Nightingale effect story. The only complaint I have plot-wise is that the ending is very abrupt. It's just about as abrupt as you can get. You've got the climax and falling action, and then whap! And the book ends. After absorbing the shock, though, I was able to sit and think about it a little bit, realizing that this kind of sudden stop could actually be quite powerful. After all, it perfectly mirrors the emotion it literally conveys.

I feel that a weak point here was the dialogue, which was really contrived and completely unbelievable. It made the characters, especially Ms. Barkley, one-dimensional and flat. The passages that were only prose soared and the insights offered were qutie amusing, Hemingway's wry sense of humor shining through and giving the book itself personality.

All told, the book wasn't at all what I was expecting, which was a hard core war novel along the lines of All Quiet on the Western Front. It is, instead, romantic in more ways than one (though not to be confused with trashy novels- it is never pornographic and at least in my edition all the swear words are blanked out). It engages the reader, though trailing off when the dialogue is prevalent, and overall makes for a good read.

Grade: A-

Book 18: 1776

1776
David McCullough

Ah, the day of Satan and here I am reading about American independence. I should say, however, that my review here might be tainted by the fact that the last book about the Revolution that I read was a Shaara work. This book, unlike the previous, is purely nonfiction, making it seem more distant than the novel, though it has its benefits (mostly believability).

All told, though, this book was a bit of a letdown. I expected a soaring, gripping narrative that could unite all Americans under a badge of patriotism. After all, the book is a bestseller and its author highly regarded. The book was not bad by any means, and I appreciated the lack of super-patriotic fluff. Its main flaw was that it was so hard to get into. I didn't really get interested until the seige of New York had begun, as the Americans were retreating from Brooklyn.

Also, the book seems to be somewhat incomplete. It focuses mainly on the military aspect of the year, with only passing references to the Declaration of Independence, undoubtedly one of the most pivotal events of the year, second or third maybe to the battle of New York and the crossing of the Delaware. Even the Christmas crossing is dealt with in passing. All told, the narrative seems to lack a theme, other than "it was the year that was."

I didn't sense many connections between sections, and while the flow was good within sections, the transitions between American and British points of view were completely scattered and often left me very confused. In fact, it took me a good 30 pages or so to realize that the book itself began in 1775 (although I'm still not clear). McCullough does a good job of tying in accounts of people who were present at the events, but unfortunately he occasionally takes the practice a bit too far when including absolutely unnecessary information that leaves the reader questioning its greater importance.

Things like this draw attention away from the main narrative, and though the book is a good work for those interested in a very general understanding of the military events of the year, it comes off as quite disjointed and limited in scope. It begins and ends too suddenly, even for a book confined to the events of a single year. I was hoping for more from the celebrated author.

Grade: B

Book 17: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There

Lewis Carroll

What strange books are these. I don't think I quite get it. However, I will say that for a quick read, the books were entertaining enough, though they completely lacked a reasonable plot. In fact, now that I really think about it, they were quite difficult to even understand at points. It may be that I glossed over parts that would have made everything made sense, but all told I don't think I missed anything earth-shattering. To top everything off, Carroll excuses everything that happens in Wonderland as just a child's dream, kind of undercutting any point he may have made about an actual parallel universe of silliness, if only we would believe it. That's the message I would have liked to take, but instead he chalks everything up to whimsical fantasy. And this just as I was beginning to sense a coherent thread.

What Carroll does do well is wordplay. The books are full of puns and wonderful twists and turns of the English language that absolutely delighted me at every turn, being fond of such things. However, I don't think that the occasional bursts of clever fun can really justify the absolute absence of any semblance of plot or meaning. Wonderland is more like a ramble that occasionally peaks but usually falls short of a reasonable mark.

Grade: B-

Book 16: Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them

Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them
Al Franken

I will start out by defending my choice of literature. Quite frankly, I was in the mood for it. I was in the mood for something satirical and lighthearted, and I thought to myself, "Self, why not Al Franken?" I responded in the affirmative and spent my afternoon with this humorous account of the numerous follies of the post-2000 conservative movement.

I feel bad actually trying to review the book. I happen to agree with most of what Franken says (and I'm not good at numbers, so I can't crunch any of the tax stuff), although I'm sure that some of it is slightly distorted to fit his own agenda. However, I do think he makes a great point of specifically calling attention to numerous occasions that find our favorite conservatives actually lying, where it appears intentional. Many of the blunders Franken sights are from books by Bill O'Reilly, Ann Coulter, and Sean Hannity. While I can see how someone could unknowingly lie while on the spot, it's hard to defend these kinds of boldfaced untruths when they are published.

The book is a moderate expose that is played for laughs more than anything. I can understand why conservatives were so riled up about the book when it first appeared, but I think that the entire country has to settle down and get a sense of humor. In fact, I think that the point that the book makes most of all is somewhat unintentional: the current state of the media and political discourse in this country is dreadful. All it amounts to is lie-slinging and name-bashing all around, on both sides (watch Fox News or even MSNBC for a glimpse), to say nothing of sensationalism. In a climate such as this one, based on immediate and complete gratification, it is almost impossible for the country to have a reasonable discussion.

Liberals have often come out on the very wrong end of this quagmire, labelled traitors and anti-Christian zealots. When it comes to exposing conservative hypocrisy and playfully engaging the political climate, Al Franken impresses and entertains.

Grade: A-

Book 15: The Plot Against America

The Plot Against America
Philip Roth

Well, this book is certainly not quite what I expected. It's framed as a memoir, which must be popular as it's the second book I've read in this format in a while. I was expecting the main character to be a government official or something, but instead it is the view of a boy who is affected by a hypothetical historical turn of events. The events themselves, that of Charles Lindbergh's ascension to the presidency of the United States and the consequences felt by Jews, aren't entirely unbelievable.

However, the book loses a lot of its credibility when it reveals an actual plot twist, a conspiracy theory that could work in literature but which ultimately fails in this context. I think this is mostly due to the fact that the book reveals the major national events that occur in late 1942 in the form of newsreel recordings and before the narrator actually experiences them in his childhood. This is a major flaw. I thought that it was very sloppily done.

Here again is a book whose actual writing is quite good, but whose plot is just not working. I will even give credit to the original premise, and the conspiracy theory that motivates it. However, the way that everything jumps around chronologically just doesn't congeal to form any meaningful plot. A character will be introduced and then have a lengthy backstory. This in itself is not automatically destructive, but for some reason I don't think the method ever really worked in the novel, especially since many of the characters introduced in this way only serve very minor functions.

I expected a lot more out of this book and I've only heard good things about the author. However, I felt that this particular effort lacked any reasonable credibility and was not straightforward enough to be meaningful. I think I will try to look into something else by the author, but this particular book was sadly disappointing.

Grade: B-

Book 14: Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Novels and Stories

Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Novels and Stories
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

I love Sherlock Holmes. Anyone who has known me for a while should know that. Spread across nine books in two volumes, this is the definitive collection of stories about the great detective and his pal Watson. The best thing about this collection is the way that Watson and Holmes are not just literary characters. Instead, they are two friends whose personalities complement each other perfectly as they race through England serving the cause of justice and, usually, the official police.

There are only a few shortcomings that I sense, and most of these are easily forgivable. For one thing, all but four of the adventures are narrated by the trusty Watson. This is by far the best format available. We get eyewitness accounts of the actual events, as Watson was often in the thick of the action, and his perpetual sense of wonder at his friend's great powers of deduction flows over to the reader, who is continually astonished at the feats of Mr. Holmes. The stories narrated by Holmes himself are relayed in his detached and often condescending manner, and work because it is in character but which still lack the sense of wonder we find with Watson. The stories narrated in third-person are simply not up to par.

The other great weaknesses are slight inconsistencies (in fact, two stories open up with the exact same incident, almost verbatim until the crime comes in) and a predictable plot flow. However, the basic structure of the stories cannot be faulted. Watson offers an introduction, Holmes or a visitor details a crime, the two go investigate, and there is a big reveal at the end, where all is explained. The stories themselves continue to amaze, and I am personally astonished that Sir Doyle could come up with so many distinct plot lines, so many distinct cases that glorify the mind of the great detective.

I have long been a Holmes fan, and my admiration for the singular abilities of this turn-of-the-century Londoner has only grown after consuming this massive tome of a biography. I feel like Holmes and Watson have yet to be discovered in the great annals of European history, like they embody the era just before World War I and the rise of modern criminology, as well as science. I only wish there was a third volume to consume, and I plan to return to 221B. Baker Street often.

Grade: A

Book 13: Memoirs of a Geisha

Memoirs of a Geisha
Arthur Golden

This book was very highly recommended to me by a number of people, and I think this greatly positive reaction set me up for a bit of a disappointment, though the book was by no means bad. It definitely has its strength. I think that one of these is its format as the supposed memoirs of an actual geisha. This gives the novel a very authentic feel, and I'm amazed at the ease with which Golden portrays the feelings of a young Japanese girl decades removed from his own time. The narration is usually believable and is only overdone at a few points in the novel, when the narrator seems to be a bit too self-aware.

The greatest strength of this book lies in its metaphors. From the very first similie, I was amazed at how well Golden employs unusual (but always perfect) images. Even when there are too many metaphors, I could only get a little bit annoyed because the comparisons were so good and so accurate. I think this is what really distinguishes the novel in a literary sense, other than its unique setting and subject matter.

I did have a few qualms about the book, however, and most of them lie within the plot, for Golden's writing actually is quite good. I think that parts of it were kind of stretched beyond believability, given the fact that the world of the geishas was supposed to be so cutthroat. How was it that Chiyo/Sayuri actually did manage to succeed? Interestingly enough, the most exaggerated character, Hatsumomo, was the most believable. She is the embodiment of evil and plays her part quite well, even managing to disappear in a fit of madness. Well played.

I suppose that some of the miraculous saving graces that Chiyo/Sayuri encounters would be believable when viewed through a somewhat cynical lens, that random fortune just happens to favor some. But it is this that makes me frustrated with the novel. The main character just isn't very likeable for me. I think that the entire premise of being a geisha is stupid, and that she spends too much of the novel simply guided by the forces around her rather than acting. When she finally takes matters into her own hands, the decision is a bad one (backstabbing a good friend who saved her life because of a childhood whimsy), greatly frustrating me when I was just starting to think that she was not so bad. I would have much preferred the novel to stick to the story of thwarting Hatsumomo.

All told, this book was worth reading and I would like to see some of Golden's other work. He just has a few basic construction problems, I think, but his talent is obvious. It could, of course, be the subject matter as well. Given this I will be easy on him, granting that personal taste is a big factor in my enjoyment of the novel.

Grade: B