Saturday, December 8, 2012

HUMAN GAME : THE TRUE STORY OF THE "GREAT ESCAPE" MURDERS AND THE HUNT FOR THE GESTAPO GUNMEN
by Simon Read

Stammlager Luft III, in Sagan, Germany, (Permanent Camp for Airmen 3) and known as Stalag Luft III was supposed to be built in such a way as to be escape-proof. The ground was not solid so digging a tunnel was almost impossible. The barracks were on stilts because in other camps, the prisoners had removed the flooring and escaped. The place was pretty well covered by patrol units of dogs, men, and watchtowers.
On March 24, 1944, seventy-six  Allied airmen broke out of the camp. Within a couple of days, all but three men were captured. On Hitler's orders, it was decided to execute the fugitives. Himmler proposed to kill fifty and it was approved. They were taken to isolated fields around Germany and shot.
Two years later, Winston Churchill upon hearing about these murders, wanted justice. He sent military police led by Francis P. McKenna to Germany to try and track down the perpetrators. It would take three years.
Human Game is a MUST read if you love books about WWII. The writing is terrific and extremely well researched. There's a list of all of the characters involved and small capsule pictures of the airmen. Simon Read certainly knows how to tell a good story and it keeps you riveted. The movie was exciting but the book goes far beyond and keeps you spellbound until the end.
Highly recommended.

Thursday, November 22, 2012

CONSTANCE : THE TRAGIC AND SCANDALOUS LIFE OF MRS. OSCAR WILDE
by Franny Moyle

Constance Wilde (nee Lloyd) was not exactly someone that people knew and talked about. She came from the upper echelons of society and was quite beautiful. It was not until she married Oscar Wilde that she was brought forward into the limelight. Constance would balance the marriage: Oscar was flamboyant, extravagant, arrogant, and shocking and Constance was stylish (she followed Aestheticism), charming, honest, and innovative. She was quite prolific on her own becoming a writer of children's books, fluent in many languages, artistic, always taking up new challenges. Constance adored Oscar and constantly supported him. For the first couple of years, they were the "it" couple and society was entranced by the two of them. After the birth of their two sons Cyril and Vyvyan, Oscar was no longer attracted to Constance and turned his interest to young men instead. He became involved with Lord Alfred Douglas known as "Bosie" and their scandalous relationship ruined Oscar's reputation (he was thrown in prison) and destroyed Constance. She escaped to Switzerland with her children and changed their last name to Holland.
Many people are surprised to hear that Oscar Wilde was married since he was a well-known homosexual. Before he met his wife, he had many other relationships with women and men were never in the picture. That happened a few years after his marriage. Oscar was extremely vain and a very weak man who gave in to temptation much too often. Constance was loyal and loving in spite of his despicable acts and she hung on even though he treated her so miserably. She refused to see herself as a victim.
Constance is a great biography of a brave woman who accomplished quite a lot in her short life.
The book is well-written with tons of fascinating information.
Recommended.


Friday, November 9, 2012

THOMAS JEFFERSON'S CREME BRULEE : HOW A FOUNDING FATHER AND HIS SLAVE JAMES HEMINGS INTRODUCED FRENCH CUISINE TO AMERICA
by Thomas J. Craughwell

Thomas Jefferson was, in today's parlance, a true foodie. He loved fine cuisine and fresh produce. Jefferson collected tons of recipes and over 150 of them are still in existence. At Monticello, he had fruit,vegetable and herb gardens that fed his family. He was constantly experimenting with different kinds of plants from Europe and Mexico. Jefferson always dreamt of making wine but the European vines died in the Virginia soil.
In 1784, Jefferson was invited to become a commerce commissioner in France. How perfect! At this time, France was changing its methods of cooking to sauces and stocks which brings out the flavor of food and was heartily embraced by King Louis XIV. For Jefferson, it was an ideal assignment. He would be away for five years. Jefferson took one of his slaves, nineteen-year-old James Hemings (brother to Sally) to master the art of French cooking. James would apprentice under French chefs and when they returned from Paris, Jefferson would set him free.
This book is a real gem. Just reading about the crops grown on plantations, Jefferson's fastidiousness of what was planted, the history of food both in the United States and in France is fascinating. There's also plenty of other kinds of history: slavery, the French Revolution, George Washington's government, the relationship between Jefferson, Madison, and Hamilton, how women managed the households, etc.
It's a rather slim tome at 166 pages but then there's an Appendix with sections on how Jefferson learned about wine and how to cultivate it; what his principal diet consisted of; African cuisine that was served at Monticello. Following this part are recipes written by Hemings and Jefferson. Of course, they are written in the original manuscripts (photocopied for this book) and you really cannot discern the text. No matter. It's enough to know what the two men brought back with them to America: Champagne, macaroni and cheese, french fries, and of course, creme brulee.
A fun and informative read.
Recommended.
LAST TRAIN TO PARADISE: HENRY FLAGLER AND THE SPECTACULAR RISE AND FALL OF THE RAILROAD THAT CROSSED AN OCEAN
by Les Standiford

If it hadn't been for Henry Morrison Flagler, Florida might never have been the glittering resort that millions of people flock to every year. All of the famous hotels: Ponce de Leon, Royal Palm, The Breakers were his ideas. Flagler, basically, built the state and Miami (the area was originally called Fort Dallas) was incorporated in 1896). The town council wanted to name the city after Flagler but
he convinced them to use the Native American one instead.
Flagler was quite an entrepreneur. He and John D. Rockefeller created Standard Oil though Flagler was the genius behind it. With the amount of money that he amassed, he could have retired early, but he was driven and continued onward. His next, biggest challenge was having a railroad crossing 153 miles of open ocean from Key West to the mainland of Florida. Engineers considered it to be impossible. But it was built and remained standing for twenty-two years.
Last Train to Paradise is a great story of a very enterprising man. Flagler was a visionary who made his dreams come true.
The writing is terrific and the details of what went into building this incredible railway is quite astonishing. (It took seven years.)
A great read.
Recommended.
THE LONE ASSASSIN : THE EPIC TRUE STORY OF THE MAN WHO ALMOST KILLED HITLER
by Helmut Ortner

It's really too bad that Georg Elser's target was foiled on November 8, 1939. The man that should have been killed that day was Adolf Hitler. Instead, eight innocent victims died from a bomb blast.
Elser was a master carpenter who prided himself in doing high quality work. He was not interested in politics yet he understood that conditions for the working class had deteriorated under the Nazi regime and were only becoming worse. The only way to change it would be to eliminate the leadership: Hitler, Goering, and Goebbels. So, using his skills Elser began to assemble his explosive device. For
thirty-three nights, he worked on building the bomb in the Munich Beer Hall where Hitler was going to appear and give a speech.
The Lone Assassin is a tremendous book that keeps you riveted. Author, Helmut Ortner, sets the scene by writing about Georg Elser's life, what kind of a man he was, what drove him, what he believed in. Though he was uneducated, he was smart enough to realize what was happening to his country under National Socialism and he knew that he had to take justice into his own hands.
Recommended.

Friday, October 19, 2012

SOME GIRLS, SOME HATS AND HITLER
by Trudi Kanter

In 1938 Trudi Kanter was a hat designer in Vienna. She had a well-established business and women who had money and wanted to look their best flocked to her store. Her designs were a must-have. She learned the technique from a Paris showroom.
Trudi met her second husband on the street during lunchtime. Walter Ehrlich was a charming, suave businessman. She fell in love with him instantly. Theirs was a whirlwind romance. He may have been romantic but he didn't have much common sense. As the Nazis drew ever closer, he wanted more time to consider leaving. It's a very good thing that he had Trudi. It was because of her that she got the both of them out of Austria. Trudi was very resourceful and persistent. She knew that she could get a job in any country as a milliner. They got out and went to Prague. Their stay was short-lived and soon enough, they were off to London.  
Some Girls, Some Hats and Hitler was originally published in 1984. The book was uncovered in a secondhand shop in Britain by an editor only just recently and what a good thing that was.
Trudi Kanter was a remarkable woman who showed strength, tenacity, perseverance, and courage during a time of terror. She was extremely lucky to have a career and be working during World War II while most people had to leave their jobs or they were taken away from them. It is what saved her.
Towards the end of her life, Trudi took creative writing classes and it shows. Her prose is spare but gets right to the point. It's definitely a different kind of memoir than what is usually written of survivors of Nazism. I found it to be revealing, honest, and touching.
Recommended. 



Monday, October 1, 2012

DEARIE : THE REMARKABLE LIFE OF JULIA CHILD
by Bob Spitz 

She was larger than life. At six foot three (big height ran in her family; her sister was six feet five and her brother was six feet four), she could fill up a room but had a physical grace. The voice alone was another entity in and of itself. It was a combination of being both lyrical and breathless. In the McWilliams family, all of the women warbled. But it was this voice and her personality that would catapult her to stardom. When she appeared on public television in 1962 (age 50) armed with a hot plate, a pan and groceries to show how to make an omelet, the food revolution began. Millions of viewers tuned in and nothing was ever the same again. She made a huge impact on cooking and influenced thousands of chefs that is continued to this day.
Julia Child grew up privileged in Southern California. She was a gawky child and directionless as a young woman. Julia went to Smith College and after graduating was more of a social butterfly because she didn't really know what she wanted to do. At the age of thirty, she finally realized that she had to do something with her life and joined the OSS in Southeast Asia during World War II. It was here that she met her future husband, Paul Child, who was an illustrator. If it wasn't for him, she would have been nobody. Paul changed her life exponentially. He supported Julia, encouraged her, was her mentor, and their love for each other was enduring. They were inseparable. Julia would stop working for the OSS and Paul would continue with it. He was sent to different countries and Julia would go with him. It was when they lived in Paris (for six years) that Julia found her life's calling. The food was so enticing and delicious that she wanted to cook it herself. Originally Julia had no skills in the kitchen but that all changed when she enrolled in a cooking class at Le Cordon Bleu. Soon she was turning out incredible food at home. Julia was a perfectionist and would test and retest everything that she made. She compiled lists of recipes which would eventually be published in Mastering the Art of French Cooking. This book sold hundreds of thousands of copies. From it the idea was created of having a cooking show and The French Chef was born. 
I have read several books on Julia Child and none of them have come close to this one. Bob Spitz is a terrific writer and even though it's quite a hefty tome (529 pages), it was quite a pleasure to read. There's so much detail and information that I never knew about. For instance: Julia and Paul lived in Marseille, Plittersdorf (Germany), and Oslo; on their wedding day, they were in a car accident; one of the homes that they lived in burned down; Julia had a mastectomy. With all of the tribulations and health problems, though, Julia always plowed on. Everyone loved her. On camera, she was a natural and a great communicator. Julia had a great sense of humor. She was unconventional forging ahead to do things that most people would refrain from. (Julia did cooking shows well into her eighties and nineties and wrote more books.) 
She was an amazing woman.
Very highly recommended.


Thursday, September 13, 2012

THE AMATEUR : BARACK OBAMA IN THE WHITE HOUSE
by Edward Klein

He always had dreams of grandeur, that he was better than anybody else and could accomplish whatever he set out to do. The only job he ever really had was as a Lecturer at the Chicago Law School. It was here that he wrote his autobiography (he hadn't even done anything worthwhile) when he was thirty years old. He may have been popular with the students but not so with the faculty who never saw him and considered him distant and aloof. In 1996, he was elected to the Illinois Senate and was always absent because, again, he was never there. This wasn't enough for him. He wanted to go to the top and become the president of the United States.
In The Amateur, Edward Klein exposes the dark side of Barack Obama that his advisors have tried to hide. What is revealed is arrogance, narcissism, vanity, and egotism who doesn't have a clue as to what he is doing. He has no leadership skills, doesn't know how to manage, doesn't learn from his mistakes, blames all of his problems on others (especially when they disagree with him) and is surrounded by useless, inept "mentors" who also know nothing. Obama is against capitalism and wants to turn America into a European socialist-welfare state.
Almost two hundred people were interviewed for this book and many of these people have known Obama for over twenty years. Some are positive and some are negative but they all agree that he is not suited to be the commander in chief.
You will read about how Bill Clinton despises Obama (he is the one who coined the title "The Amateur"), saying how incompetent he is; what happened between Reverend Jeremiah Wright (he was offered money to keep his mouth shut) and Obama; how so many high-ranking supporters donated money to Obama's campaign and then he snubbed them refusing to have anything to do with them; the split between the Kennedys; his disastrous role in foreign policy; the powers of Michelle Obama and Valerie Jarrett (she is the gate-keeper) in the White House; etc.
The book is a fast and disturbing read. Every chapter has an interesting, quote, phrase or saying that is appropriate to the subject. There are color photographs.
If you already know what this guy is like, you probably don't need to read this book. If you're the least bit curious, dive in. It may change your beliefs or maybe not. It's definitely eye-opening and extremely revealing.
Recommended.

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

THE KISSING SAILOR : THE MYSTERY BEHIND THE PHOTO THAT ENDED WORLD WAR II
by Lawrence Verria & George Galdorisi 

It's a photo that has become iconic. For millions of people it signified the end of World War II when Japan finally surrendered. On V-J Day, August 14, 1945, a photographer by the name of Alfred Eisenstaedt (Eisie) was in Times Square with his Leica 35 mm camera draped around his neck. Whenever Eisenstaedt took pictures, nothing was ever planned, staged, nor posed. He was on assignment for LIFE magazine wanting to capture the emotions of that moment. There were many opportunities. While Eisie was in the crowd, an American sailor saw a nurse in white, walked up to her, grabbed her and kissed her passionately while his own girlfriend looked on. Eisie snapped four pictures never knowing their names. For sixty-three years the photo went untitled. In 2008 it was finally called V-J Day, 1945, Times Square. But nobody ever knew who these people were. The unidentified sailor and nurse never saw the photo until 1980. That year LIFE attempted to determine their identity and they were inundated with hundreds of claimants. It became a circus.
Intrigued for years by all of the events, authors Lawrence Verria and George Galdorisi decide to dig in themselves sifting through tons of misinformation and evidence. They finally solved the mystery with verifiable proof.
This is a great tale. You wouldn't think that you could get so much information just from a photo, but that's exactly what you get with The Kissing Sailor. It's a well-written detective story. Even though the book is small, it's jam-packed with incredible details. If you're a history buff, then you'll love it.
A terrific read.
Recommended. 


Saturday, August 25, 2012

ATLANTIC FEVER : LINDBERGH, HIS COMPETITORS, AND THE RACE TO CROSS THE ATLANTIC
by Joe Jackson

On May 20, 1919, a Frenchman by the name of Raymond Orteig offered a prize of $25,000 for the first aviator to cross the Atlantic Ocean, in one flight. No stopping was allowed from either Paris to New York or New York to Paris. The prize lay dormant for eight years. Then, for five stressful weeks during the spring of 1927, sixteen competitors took to the skies while the world held its breath. It was considered the most spectacular race ever held. For sure, it was one of the most dangerous.
Atlantic Fever is one tremendous, hefty book. (If you include the Index, it tops out at 525 pages.) Joe Jackson does a hell of a job writing about the fliers, the financial backers, the construction of the planes, and the history of aviation. It certainly kept me absorbed. If you can't remember all of the flights and when they occurred, there is a transatlantic time line after the Epilogue. There's even a Glossary. Truly a great read.
Very highly recommended. 

 

Friday, August 17, 2012

DOUBLE CROSS : THE TRUE STORY OF THE D-DAY SPIES
by Ben Macintyre

June 6, 1944 was a huge victory for the allies. Known as D-Day (a military term), soldiers landed on the coast of Normandy completely surprising the Germans. They believed that Pas de Calais and Norway would be attacked so that is where they sent their troops. Hitler and his cohorts were completely deceived. There were five secret weapons used and they were three men and two women. These spies were double agents. They gave false information to their German handlers while actually working for Britain. None of them ever met one another and they were a quirky bunch with issues galore. They consisted of: a bisexual Peruvian socialite, a diminutive Polish fighter pilot, a Serbian womanizer, an eccentric Spanish chicken farmer, and a high-strung Frenchwoman who wouldn't go anywhere without her dog. Using drama, wit, words, and pure inventiveness, Agents Bronx, Brutus, Treasure, Tricycle, and Garbo completely duped the enemy. It's mostly because of them that the casualties were much lower. The German army waited for an invasion that never arrived.
Ben Macintyre is quite a master storyteller. Having read his previous books Agent Zigzag and Operation Mincemeat (both of these have been reviewed in this blog), Double Cross is even better. Talk about being glued to my seat. The deceptions were truly amazing and they're all explained.
There's pictures of the spies, the dummy tanks and aircraft, the Normandy landings, and other neat stuff. The writing is superb, natch. Macintyre is so skillful at weaving everything together that it all blends seamlessly. A tremendous read.
Very highly recommended.

Friday, July 27, 2012

STRAPLESS : JOHN SINGER SARGENT AND THE FALL  OF MADAME X
by Deborah Davis

During the 1880s, Parisian society could not get enough of Virginie Amelie Gautreau. She was considered to be quite beautiful and flaunted it every way that she could. Amelie (who always went by her middle name) was a Creole from New Orleans. Her skin was alabaster white but she had a secret in keeping it that way. Amelie was quite the narcissist and desired fame. What better way to showcase her beauty than to have an artist paint her and be exhibited. John Singer Sargent (also an American) was a portraitist and he was chosen to do just that at the 1884 Paris Salon. The painting would forever be known as Madame X even to this day. It caused quite a sensation and not in a good way. In the portrait, Amelie was wearing a black gown with two jeweled straps and her face was in profile. One of the straps had fallen down below her shoulder. People were shocked. It was considered such a scandal.So instead of catapulting the two of them to stardom, Amelie was humiliated and hid herself from the public and Sargent escaped to England.
Strapless is a terrific story and impossible to put down. Deborah Davis is a wonderful author (this is the second book of hers that I have read; the first one is Guest of Honor and is reviewed in this blog) and really knows how to flesh out all of the characters involved and bring them together, seamlessly.
Several of John Singer Sargent's works (in color) are in the middle of the book. What is interesting when you see these paintings of Amelie is that her face was ordinary and not particularly attractive. Even though she had a voluptuous figure, her visage was not exceptional. Unfortunately for her, Amelie inherited her father's long nose which was quite prominent and his red hair.
You get two biographies within one book. Sargent's life was absolutely fascinating (he lived all over the world) and Amelie's background is equally intriguing.
If you're interested in art and learning about Sargent's brilliance, this is one fabulous read.
Very highly recommended.


Wednesday, July 18, 2012

MRS. GOODFELLOW : THE STORY OF AMERICA'S FIRST COOKING SCHOOL
by Becky Diamond

During the nineteenth century, Philadelphia was a thriving city. There were many businesses run by women.
Mrs. Elizabeth Goodfellow was a pastry chef who had her own bakery and confectionery shop. It was very popular and catered to the wealthy.  She also taught cooking to young ladies in the basement of her shop. Not much is really known about Mrs. Goodfellow except that she was married three times (they all died) but she kept the name of her last husband. She did not leave any journal nor were her recipes published. One student of hers, though, Eliza Leslie, kept copious notes of everything that she was taught and years later several cookbooks were published from what Eliza had learned.
There's plenty of neat history on Philadelphia in the book along with drawings and pictures. Following the Epilogue, are the actual recipes that were used in Mrs. Goodfellow's Cooking School. If you have a sweet tooth and are so inclined, you can try them out.

Anyone who is interested in early American cooking will definitely want to read this book.
Recommended.

Saturday, July 14, 2012

MRS. ROBINSON'S DISGRACE : THE PRIVATE DIARY OF A VICTORIAN LADY
by Kate Summerscale

Isabella Robinson was in a loveless marriage. Her husband, Henry, was a civil engineer who was away from home quite often on business. When he was around, he was cold and distant.
Isabella began keeping a diary where she recorded her most intimate thoughts. She met and became friends with a married couple. The husband, Dr. Edward Lane, soon became an obsession. She was infatuated with him and for five years wrote down her passions, fantasies and longings. Henry discovered the diary one day when Isabella was ill and became enraged. He took her to court for adultery. The diary would be read as evidence.
It's fascinating to read about British divorce laws at that time. (In 1857, divorce had been illegal in England.) Many women were treated very unfairly and marriages were quite complex.
Kate Summerscale is quite adept in writing about the Victorian era. Her previous book The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher is just as good.
This is a great story that was considered scandalous and explosive.
Recommended.

Thursday, June 28, 2012

LIKE ANY NORMAL DAY : A STORY OF DEVOTION
by Mark Kram, Jr.

Buddy Miley was an incredible athlete and excelled at whatever he played. His favorite sport was football. He was the star quarterback of his high school football team and Joe Namath was his idol. In 1973, Buddy was severely injured in a game. He broke his neck and his vertebrae was shattered. Buddy would spend the next twenty-three and a half years of his life either bedridden or in a wheelchair lovingly cared for by his mother. His younger brother, Jimmy, was extremely devoted to him and would help out in any and every way he could. The bond between them was inseparable.
The life that Buddy lived was anything but normal.
This story is gut-wrenching. It's beautiful, sad, compassionate, and powerful. The author really knows how to bring everything together: the family, sports, friends, and anybody else who was touched by the events.
It's great writing.
Recommended.

Monday, June 25, 2012

CROSSING THE BORDERS OF TIME : A TRUE STORY OF WAR, EXILE, AND LOVE RECLAIMED
by Leslie Maitland 

On September 5, 1923, Hanna Gunzberger was born in Freiburg, Germany. Two months later, Hitler attempted to seize power. The Nazi Party marched into town that year. The Gunzbergers lived well because Sigmar (the father) had a steel and building supply business and he prospered even though other families were starting to suffer. By 1933, oppression began for the Jews with the institution of laws and many began leaving. Not the Gunzbergers. Sigmar didn't believe that he would be bothered due to his profession and so they stayed in Germany much longer than they should have. Because he waited so long, immigrating to the United States was impossible. Their sights turned to France. He had to pay a small fortune to leave and sell his business. Five years after Hitler gained control, the family left for France in 1938 by train. It was here that Hanna became Janine and would stick with this name. She would reject everything that was German to try and save herself. While living in Mulhouse Janine met the love of her life, Roland, a Catholic Frenchman. Naturally, her parents disapproved and hoped that it would end. It did four years later, in 1942, when the Gunzbergers had to escape from France due to the Nazis and took a ship to Casablanca, Cuba. Janine and Roland were separated never knowing if they would see each other again. Five years would pass and Janine married an American while living in New York. It wasn't the happiest marriage and Janine never ceased yearning for Roland.
Leslie Maitland grew up hearing about her mother's exploits in Germany and France and her first love. Maitland used to be an investigative reporter so she put her skills into play to pursue the lost Frenchman. This book is the result and it is quite amazing. You feel as if you're reading a sweeping epic. She also writes about Nazi Germany, the collaborators, Vichy France, anti-Semitism, and what Cuba was like in 1942.
It's a beautiful story and extremely hard to put down.
Very highly recommended.

Saturday, June 16, 2012

GUEST OF HONOR : BOOKER T. WASHINGTON, THEODORE ROOSEVELT, AND THE WHITE HOUSE DINNER THAT SHOCKED A NATION
by Deborah Davis

1901 was a pivotal year in the United States. Movies had just come into the fray, steam power was converted to electricity, photographs could be taken with the Kodak "Brownie," and the syncopated rhythms of ragtime music created by Scott Joplin brought people to their feet.
The most startling event, though, was the White House dinner on October 16. President Theodore Roosevelt invited Booker T. Washington to dine with him and his family. The next day, news about a former slave eating with the president sent shock waves throughout the country. It was unprecedented. People were outraged and considered the whole thing scandalous.
Guest of Honor is much more than a dinner. Deborah Davis writes about the aftermath of the Civil War (the rampant racism in the South), politics, American history and the lives of these two men. They actually had quite a lot in common by pursuing high goals, being involved with public service, and becoming leaders. They had the greatest respect for one another and kept up a running correspondence advising each other on different matters.
This is a terrific book about a little-known part of history. It's an engrossing tale and extremely readable. There's some great tidbits of trivia thrown in, such as the coinage of the phrase "good to the last drop" for Maxwell House coffee. Roosevelt drank tons of coffee and when he had a cup of it in Nashville, Tennessee, he drank it down in one gulp and said, "My, that was good to the last drop." In 1917, the slogan was born.
The book was well-researched and just a delight.
Highly recommended.

Sunday, June 10, 2012

PEOPLE WHO EAT DARKNESS : THE TRUE STORY OF A YOUNG WOMAN WHO VANISHED FROM THE STREETS OF TOKYO-AND THE EVIL THAT SWALLOWED HER UP
by Richard Lloyd Parry

Lucie Blackman was a tall, blonde, twenty-one year old who moved to Tokyo from London in May of 2000. She went with her best friend, Louise Phillips. The two of them had known each other since the age of thirteen. They were working as stewardesses for British Airways. Lucie loved her job, at first, due to all of the international cities that she was able to see. But then the hours got to her and her pay was pretty dismal. She began to incur debt and couldn't seem to climb out of it. When Louise's older sister, Emma, told the girls about how they could earn a great deal of money by working in Tokyo, they jumped on it. Their jobs would be "bar hostesses" which basically meant lighting the customers' cigarettes, pouring them drinks, listening to them talk. They told their parents that they would be living with Louise's aunt rent-free. They figured this would placate them. The only thing was that the Japanese aunt did not live in Tokyo but in south London. Instead, the girls got a room at the Sasaki House which was a guesthouse for foreigners. It was pretty disgusting. Within a few days, Lucie and Louise were working at a nightclub called Casablanca. Everyone liked the two girls but especially Lucie. She was happy with the job and got along quite well with the customers (salarymen). In order to bring the men back to the club, all of the hostesses were told to collect their business cards, and to telephone and e-mail them. The girls had to go on dinner dates (dohan) with men (whether they liked them or not) and it was mandatory. It was on one of these dates that Lucie disappeared.
People Who Eat Darkness is quite a masterpiece of writing. It took the author ten years to gather up all the information needed and he did one hell of a job. The book is quite a page-turner. In three days I read the entire thing (434 pages). It's dark, creepy, chilling and you just cannot tear your eyes away. True crime at its best.
Very highly recommended.

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

BIRDSEYE : THE ADVENTURES OF A CURIOUS MAN
by Mark Kurlansky

Although he was known as "the father of frozen foods," Clarence Birdseye had many other interests and by the time he died had two hundred patents. He was considered an eccentric inventor and the neighborhood kids loved to watch him create. An electric sunlamp, a harpoon for whales, a reflective lightbulb, and paper made from leftover pulp from sugar plants are just a few of his inventions. Birdseye had an insatiable curiosity and always wanted to solve problems. If something didn't work right, he would figure out how to improve it. Garages and basements (even the front lawn) were his laboratories where he built his contraptions.
Birdseye was an avid hunter who ate anything and enjoyed writing about it. Today he would be considered a "foodie" except that he would eat things that most people wouldn't, such as: chipmunk, rattlesnake, gophers, etc. Birdseye loved to cook, was a naturalist, a taxidermist, and enjoyed fishing. To him, life was one big adventure.
In 1912, Birdseye went to Labrador, Canada to work as a fur trapper. Food was difficult because nothing was fresh but preserved heavily in salt. As this was a problem, his mind started thinking and he began experimenting with vegetables. By leaving them outside in the frigid cold, the vegetables froze and when they were thawed, the freshness was still there.
Birdseye's next big job was working for the U.S. Fisheries Association. He developed the patented freezing process by using a bucket of brine and a fan to keep fish fresh. He was off and running and started the Birdseye company.
What a tremendous book. Birdseye's personality virtually jumps off the pages. He truly was an amazing man and really enjoyed living life to its fullest. Author Mark Kurlansky has written a fantastic biography of a man who changed the way people ate.
Very highly recommended.

Saturday, May 19, 2012

MIDNIGHT IN PEKING : HOW THE MURDER OF A YOUNG ENGLISHWOMAN HAUNTED THE LAST DAYS OF OLD CHINA
by Paul French

Peking in 1937 was a wealthy city. Out of a population of one and half million people, two thousand were foreigners. They congregated in an area called the Legation Quarter which is where the embassies and consulates were. Within the huge gates, it could have been Europe: clubs, hotels, bars, jewelers, bakeries, bookshops, etc. Outside of it were opium dens, brothels, and an unsavory underworld. The Japanese were circling planning to take over and the residents were quite fearful. In this midst, a young woman is murdered. It is appalling and gruesome. Her body is mutilated with internal organs ripped out.
Two detectives, Colonel Han Shih-ching and Richard Dennis (he trained at Scotland Yard), collaborate together to try and solve the case.
Paul French has written an incredible book. It took him seven years of research from both the archives of China and England. It's fascinating reading about pre-Communist China. For true-crime, it can't get much better. Midnight in Peking is impossible to put down (I read it in two days). If you want suspense, it will be delivered.
Very highly recommended.

Monday, May 14, 2012

THE PERFECT GENTLEMAN : A MUSLIM BOY MEETS THE WEST
by Imran Ahmad

Imran Ahmad was born in Pakistan but one year later he and his parents moved to England in the early 1960s. Jobs were scarce in Karachi and the British government were encouraging migration. It was a rude awakening. Imran's parents were educated professionals but not in the eyes of the English. To them, they were lower-class manual workers and if they accepted this, it was the only way that they could acquire jobs. It was this defined class system that Imran, a Muslim, grew up in.  As a young boy and beyond, he's anxious to fit in. Imran is constantly confused about many things. He's proud of his Islamic identity but he always seeks the truth and so religion is a constant factor.
Imran plans on going to medical school but his grades aren't good enough. He ends up at Stirling University in Scotland majoring in chemistry. Imran does quite well with it. Now his goal is to meet women and the best way (in his mind) to do that is to be cool, suave, and extremely well-dressed (think James Bond). Also a car would help (Jaguar XJS) but he settles for an Alfa Romeo.
Eventually chemistry doesn't do it for him and he starts reading up on recruitment brochures. He sees pictures of people in business suits which really impresses him. Imran convinces Unilever to hire him and begins working in finance and then management consulting which takes him all over the world.
The Perfect Gentleman is not your conventional memoir. It's written quite differently. Each chapter has a title which signifies some kind of event that happened to him or something that was quite significant, a two-year spread, and his age. They are short comprising only a couple of pages.
The book is extremely readable and thought-provoking. Imran Ahmad is honest, direct, funny, sensitive and his writing showcases his personality and emotions. The prose is beautiful. If you want a clear-cut description of Islam, get this book.
Highly recommended.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

THAT WOMAN : THE LIFE OF WALLIS SIMPSON DUCHESS OF WINDSOR
by Anne Sebba

She was born in a hotel at a summer resort in 1896. Her birth name was Bessiewallis Warfield. While at school, she would change her name to Wallis. She never knew her father because he died five months after she was born. For most of her childhood, Wallis lived with her grandmother in Baltimore. Because of her destitute upbringing, Wallis always strove to rise above it. It was her wits that eventually brought her to the attention of the Prince of Wales. She certainly was not beautiful nor pretty and was not too smart, either. Wallis knew how to flatter and build up the person to make them think they were the one and only. The Prince found her very amusing and then became obsessed by her. Wallis thought that the relationship was not going to last and that it was just going to be a mild flirtation. Of course, he showered her with magnificent jewels and gifts. She loved that the most. Many times, she would escape alone to be away from the Prince because she found being around him too claustrophobic. The Royal Family wanted nothing to do with her and tried to persuade him to leave her but he refused.
He would have been King but Wallis could never have been the Queen, so he abdicated to marry her and they were given the titles the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.
There has been much speculation on Wallis to the point that nobody really knows much about her. Even her birth certificate doesn't exist. She was always very secretive and was not forthcoming on saying anything about herself. What is known is that Wallis was a golddigger and wasn't in love with the Duke. He was a petulant child (she called him "little man") and she treated him that way privately and publicly. They were made for one another. 
That Woman was an interesting read and the author used letters between Wallis and Edward, National Archives, film, and books. There's plenty of photographs interspersed in the middle of the book.
It's a good biography that reveals much about their character.
Recommended.
 
 

Friday, April 27, 2012

HOUSE OF STONE : A MEMOIR OF HOME, FAMILY, AND A LOST MIDDLE EAST
by Anthony Shadid 

Anthony Shadid was a New York Times reporter who after having been captured in Libya and then freed, returned to Beirut to restore his great-grandfather's ancestral home. Shadid had been raised in Oklahoma City. The family moved there to escape the wars and constant strife. The home is a shambles and he uses artisans to recreate what was with beautiful mosaic tiles called "cemento."
Shadid writes about his family that once lived in Beirut, their flight to America, a country torn apart. The natives think that he is crazy to restore a home that they believe doesn't legally belong to him.
The writing is beautiful and though there are no pictures to showcase the house, just from reading his descriptions you can see the home spring back to life.
The greatest tragedy is, unfortunately, that Shadid is no longer around to enjoy his new/old home. He died in February of 2012 at the age of forty-four. 
So, we have spectacular visions of the Middle East from the past and the present but the writer has disappeared from the pages.
An absolutely stunning book.
Highly recommended. 


Monday, April 16, 2012

THE WOMAN WHO WASN'T THERE : THE TRUE STORY OF AN INCREDIBLE DECEPTION
by Robin Gaby Fisher and Angelo J. Guglielmo, Jr.

She would make a name for herself not only as a victim, but as a hero and a celebrity. Two years after September 11, 2001, the World Trade Center Survivors' Network was born. The mouthpiece of this organization was a woman by the name of Tania Head. She led the group taking on the responsibility of bringing them to the public eye by saving remnants of the World Trade Center, such as the "Survivors Stairway," taking people on tours of Ground Zero, funding events by using her own assets. Tania was chosen, actually, to do all of this because her story was deemed much more powerful than all of the survivors combined. (She had escaped the south tower from the seventy-eight floor.) Tania was everyone's idol and mentor. She helped them deal with their stress, depression, and nightmares.
Tania's story began to fall apart in 2007 with discrepancies that didn't match up. She avoided reporters like the plague and when the New York Times tried to wrangle an interview with her, she kept on refusing to meet with them. At last, the article was printed (she never spoke to the reporter) and it sent shock waves throughout the country and the world.
What a disturbing tale. It's a quick read (I finished the book in a day and a half) unable to put it down. The story comes off like a mystery novel except that everything is true. One of the authors, Anthony J. Guglielmo, Jr., made a documentary and was, at one time, Tania's closest friend.
What she did was horrendous and broke the spirits of all that were mentally and physically inspired by her.
Until the last page, you will be shaking your head in disbelief.
Highly recommended.

Saturday, April 14, 2012

A RARE TITANIC FAMILY : THE CALDWELL STORY OF SURVIVAL
by Julie Hedgepeth Williams

Albert and Sylvia Caldwell were two young, very idealistic Presbyterian missionaries hailing from Missouri. They had met one another at Park College which was a school to train students to do Christian work. The two of them knew that they wanted to teach and when a job opened up in Bangkok, they went for it. On September 1, 1909 (the day of their wedding), they started off on their trip to Siam (now, Thailand).
For a while, they loved Bangkok and thought it was enchanting. Then, Sylvia became pregnant and her health deteriorated. The heat of the tropics made everything worse. Sylvia went to a doctor who determined that she had neurasthenia of which the diagnosis is unknown today. The symptoms were muscle weakness, fatigue, numbness in extremities, headaches, mental breakdown. She had to stop teaching. When the baby, Alden, arrived, she couldn't even hold him. Sylvia did not get better and they knew that it was best for them to go back to America. The Foreign Missions Board did not believe that Sylvia was really ill and thought that she and Albert were trying to get out of their contract. Eventually, though, they were allowed to leave. They were supposed to go to Italy for a rest cure, but there had been a cholera epidemic the year before so that was nixed. The Caldwells ended up traveling around Europe taking different ocean liners with Sylvia constantly being seasick. When they landed in London, they bought second class tickets for the Titanic to bring them back to America.
There have been so many books written about the Titanic and most of them have not been very good. The authors list tons of statistical information about what was brought over on the big ship, too many names, the amount of money that was spent to build this huge vessel and after a while, the prose becomes deadening. Not so with A Rare Titanic Family. Julie Hedgepeth Williams is the great-niece of Albert Caldwell and she was able to use family artifacts such as scrapbooks, playbills, photos, letters, tapes, and written speeches. She is an excellent writer and she is certainly no slouch with research. The story about the Caldwell family living in Bankok is just as interesting as their Titanic adventure, so it's as if you get two unique stories for the price of one. It's definitely a fascinating read.
Highly recommended.




Sunday, April 8, 2012

A MAGNIFICENT OBSESSION : VICTORIA, ALBERT, AND THE DEATH THAT CHANGED THE BRITISH MONARCHY
by Helen Rappaport

Queen Victoria was married to Prince Albert for twenty years. They had nine children which is truly amazing since the the Queen didn't really like children and mostly ignored them. The Prince was never made a king even though he performed all of the functions. His title was Prince Consort. Albert was considered a foreigner (German) and was not well-liked. Ironically, Victoria had German relatives herself but that was never discussed. Their marriage was secure and happy. Victoria loved Albert with such fierce devotion and as the years went by, she depended on him much more to make decisions for the sovereignty while she was content to recede into the background.
In the late 1850s, Albert started to not feel so good having major stomach problems. He was stressed to the max with doing speeches, making policy decisions, attending public functions, writing tons of letters, going to meetings, etc. Victoria didn't think much of his complaints (he was sickly as a child) and shrugged it off. In fact, she was pretty much in denial the four years that he was ill. When Albert finally died in December 1861, Victoria was plunged into such grief that she never recovered from it and wore black until the end of her reign. Prince Albert was criticized as he lived, but in death the people realized what he had done for them and the country and he finally was recognized as the true ruler of Britain.
Helen Rappaport certainly knows how to write a superb book. Her previous work The Last Days of the Romanovs was just as good (reviewed in this blog). Rappaport used unpublished sources such as letters, diaries, and memoirs, plus archival materials to define the relationship between Victoria and Albert, his death, the invisibility of the Queen, the fumbling inefficiencies of the four Royal doctors, the interaction of the people around Victoria who tried to guide her but were afraid of stepping on her toes.
Victoria had three obsessions: Albert, mourning his death and afterwards for the next forty years, and the building of structures and sculptures that commemorated his role in her life.
Not to be missed.
Very highly recommended.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

THE LIVING END : A MEMOIR OF FORGETTING AND FORGIVING
by Robert Leleux

JoAnn Wilson was a true Southern belle with an acid tongue. She didn't put up with any nonsense and was devoted to her grandson, Robert. He lived with his grandparents, on and off, and thought the world of them. His mother, Jessica (nee Kathleen), never got along with JoAnn and always felt unloved. She had her own issues.
When JoAnn began exhibiting signs of Alzheimer's, Robert was there for her. JoAnn's personality changed and all of her harshness disappeared. Jessica got her mother back but it became a role reversal. What began as a very dysfunctional family was unified as the disease progressed.
Robert Leleux is one very talented writer. His previous book Memoirs of a Beautiful Boy certainly kept me laughing. The Living End has some funny moments but the way he writes is definitely thought provoking. Leleux so loved his grandmother and this book is a great tribute to her. His prose is beautiful.
Recommended.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

THE LONGEST WINTER : SCOTT'S OTHER HEROES
by Meredith Hooper

When Captain Robert Falcon Scott set off for his infamous British Antarctic Expedition in November 1910 from New Zealand, fifty-nine people were with him on his ship. Thirty-one of the men were part of the shore party which was then separated into two divisions: Eastern and Western.
There were six members of the Eastern party and their objective was to explore and do science: geology, meteorology, etc. Scott's aim was to reach the South Pole. When the six men (three officers and three seamen) said their good-byes to Scott, they had no idea that they would never see him again. They survived but he didn't.
There's been tons of books written about Scott with both accolades and severe criticism. Having read most of them, I never knew about the other expedition until now. What these six men went through existing together first in a hut, then tents, and then a man-made ice-cave (which they dug) is truly remarkable. Although one man, Campbell, was the leader, they all learned to support one another and the lines of authority dissolved. Their suffering united them.
They are the true heroes.
Meredith Hooper has written an outstanding story based on diaries, journals, and letters of the men on the expedition. She actually visited the locations where the men were. Hooper is quite an authority on the Antarctic having lived and worked there for fifteen years.
A tremendous read.
Highly recommended.

Sunday, February 19, 2012

SISTER QUEENS : THE NOBLE, TRAGIC LIVES OF KATHERINE OF ARAGON AND JUANA, QUEEN OF CASTILE
by Julia Fox

When Ferdinand and Isabella, of Spain, got married, it was considered a convenient match. Ferdinand was from Aragon and Isabella from Castile. If they could join their lands together, the mutual support would be tremendous. Queen Isabella was extremely devout (they were both known as the Catholic Monarchs) and she was committed to serving Spain and to God. These ideals would be instilled within their daughters Katherine and Juana. As the girls grew up, their parents would negotiate their marriages. As France was the enemy of Spain, Ferdinand and Isabella selected the appropriate husbands for them. England was Spain's ally so Katherine would marry Prince Arthur, the elder son of King Henry VII and then she, herself, would become queen. Juana would marry Philip of Burgundy, a country that made France uneasy. So, the two sisters became political pawns just to further Spain's interests. One month after Katherine's marriage, Arthur died but his brother Henry took his place and it was a passionate, loving relationship between the two of them. But as Katherine did not bear a son, who would be an heir, only a daughter, Mary I, the love that Henry III lavished on his wife soon evaporated and he wanted a divorce. Katherine fought him hoping that he would change his mind. Of course, Henry had affairs while married, one of which produced an illegitimate son. When Anne Boleyn appeared at court, Henry went after her. She refused to become his mistress and only wanted to be his wife. Anne promised him a son. While Anne was pursued, Katherine was discarded by Henry. Only her deep faith and fortitude kept her above water.
Juana had no trouble in the procreation department. She bore six children two of which were sons. This marriage was also strong in the beginning but then Philip wanted to govern her lands and didn't think she was capable because she was female and, he thought, eccentric. He took away all of her rights and she became a prisoner. Then, Philip died and Juana's father, Ferdinand, took over as her jailor. When Ferdinand died, her son, Charles V, continued her imprisonment. Her own family were her opponents and they propagated the myth that Juana could never rule because she was insane.
Sister Queens is a terrific story of treachery, deceit, and cruelty that were thrown upon two women all because they weren't up to the standards that the men around them wanted.
Author Julia Fox presents everything in such wonderful prose that if you weren't that interested in history, you are now. The book is quite absorbing and even though there's plenty of detail, what you read is absolutely fascinating. Katherine and Juana put up with plenty of crap and yet rose above all of their hardships. Previous books have portrayed these two women as scorned and weak but the opposite is true as Fox reveals them to be resilient, gracious, and strong.
Highly recommended.

Monday, February 6, 2012

THE ICE BALLOON : S. A. ANDREE AND THE HEROIC AGE OF ARCTIC EXPLORATION
by Alec Wilkinson

For some reason, the North Pole has always been an enigma for explorers. Why anyone would want to venture to a place that is made up of solid ice, freeze in below zero temperatures, worry about whether you're going to survive or not (many died) doesn't sound so tempting to me.
Between the fifteenth century and the nineteenth century, 135 expeditions (mostly from Europe) went to the Arctic. They all thought that they would see what nobody else had seen.
S. A. Andree was a Swedish aeronaut who, in 1897, decided to do something completely different from the other adventurers. His idea was to fly to the North Pole in a hydrogen balloon. The planning would take two years. He would be accompanied by two young men. Newspapers all over the world wrote about his departure.
Andree figured that he would arrive at the pole in forty-three hours. Wishful thinking.
In The Ice Balloon Alec Wilkinson not only delves into what made Andree tick and his whole background but also writes about other Arctic explorations. These accounts give you an idea of why these men dared to go in the first place.
Wilkinson's prose is lovely. One chapter, in particular, just talked about all of the different names for types of ice. Some examples: Ice attached to the shore was land ice. Ice that didn't move with the tides was an ice foot. New ice was called young ice.
Throughout the book are black-and-white photographs of Andree, his balloon, the men who accompanied him and other explorations.
This is a great story by a terrific writer.
Recommended.

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

TOLSTOY : A RUSSIAN LIFE
by Rosamund Bartlett

Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy lived many Russian lives for eighty-two years. He was not only considered to be one of the world's greatest writers, but he also influenced the people of Russia with his unconventional ideas about literature, art, education, religion, society, and government.
Tolstoy was born into the privileged class, had foreign tutors and was waited on by serfs. At nineteen, he became a wealthy landowner and then squandered his inheritance. Whole villages had to be sold to pay off his debts. Then Tolstoy went into the army and that is where his writing began to surface. At first, he was embraced by fellow colleagues but when Tolstoy refused to join any kind of literary organization, they avoided him. Soon enough, he aligned himself with the intelligentsia and then began to feel guilty with his previous superiority over the peasants. One way he felt that he could help them was through education. Tolstoy started many schools to teach the children how to read and write. He would become the spokesperson for the impoverished peasants and
dress as one himself.
His next venture was to become an apostle of Christian teaching (he read all of the original sources and then basically rewrote them with his own beliefs). He would castigate the Russian Orthodox Church (they would excommunicate him) and then the monarchy
. They were powerless in their efforts to stop him.
Tolstoy had quite a following and he was revered by thousands. But, even though he tried to lead a life of piety, he was a contradiction. His family was less than enthralled with all of his doings. Tolstoy had thirteen children with his wife, Sofya (also called Sonya). His daughters were devoted to him but the sons did the opposite of what he preached. Sonya bore the brunt of everything and Tolstoy treated her pretty badly. (He didn't think highly of women.) When he wrote War and Peace, their marriage was the happiest. Anna Karenina took him thirty years to write and the marriage deteriorated. His ego always got in the way yet to those outside of the family, he could do no wrong.
What a masterful biography! Rosamund Bartlett has written quite an in-depth portrait of a huge subject. The amount of information that is packed into this heavy book (454 pages) is astounding. She is very familiar with the material and knows how to create text that is immensely readable. Bartlett is an authority on Russian cultural history (she also wrote a biography on Chekhov) and is working on a translation of Anna Karenina.
If you love Russian history and know nothing about Tolstoy, this is the definitive book to read.
Highly recommended.

Sunday, January 15, 2012

MAMAN'S HOMESICK PIE : A PERSIAN HEART IN AN AMERICAN KITCHEN
by Donia Bijan

Coming from a family where food embraces their heritage, Donia Bijan knew by the age of five that she wanted to be a chef. The kitchen door was always open and Donia would watch her mother create these incredible feasts. Soon enough, as she got a little older, Donia was doing tasks to help out with the food preparation. This was no ordinary home, though. The Bijans lived on the top floor of a hospital in Tehran (Donia's father built the place himself). Both of the parents were in the medical field: he, an obstetrician and she, a nurse and midwife. All of the meals were prepared by Donia's mother and their cook, using what was grown in their garden or bought fresh from the market. In due course, this unusual lifestyle would come to an abrupt halt.
The summer of 1978, the entire family went to Spain for a vacation. In their tiny apartment, Donia's mother whipped up fabulous meals. They never went out to eat because Donia's father didn't trust restaurants. Instead of going to the usual tourist attractions, he would rather forage for the best places to buy local ingredients. During their idyll in Majorca, the uncle called and told them not to return to Iran. The revolution had begun.
By this time, Donia took leave of her family and went off to a private school in Michigan to study. Being a foreigner was a difficult enough adjustment but the food was a whole different entity.
A few years later, she went to college in California and reunited with her parents. Her mother's cooking brought her back to her roots. Donia would go off to Paris in 1984 and attend the Cordon Bleu (she studied under Madame Brassart who had made Julia Child so miserable back in 1949). After graduating, she apprenticed in France at three-star kitchens. She knew that she wanted to have her own restaurant and it finally came to fruition when she opened L'Amie Donia in San Francisco.
Maman's Homesick Pie is such a delight to read. Donia's writing style is fluid and she seamlessly weaves everything that happens to her, effortlessly. It's truly charming, honest and savory. At the end of every chapter are a couple of recipes. If you're up to it, challenge yourself. This is not the typical food you are used to seeing. Her cuisine is a fusion of French and Persian, so for many of the ingredients, you would have to shop in specialty stores.
A mouth-watering gem.
Recommended.

Thursday, January 12, 2012

THE KING OF VODKA : THE STORY OF PYOTR SMIRNOV AND THE UPHEAVAL OF AN EMPIRE
by Linda Himelstein

The Russian word for vodka is voda, which means water and before it became the national beverage in Russia, it was used for other purposes. Back in the 1500s, vodka was a disinfectant for wounds and could be massaged into the back and chest. Soon enough, though, more people were drinking it especially if they needed something to calm them down. (It was actually given to women in labor.) The Russian monarchy encouraged the imbibing of vodka because it increased the revenue for them (they controlled its economy).
There were many vodka retailers during the 1880s but only one led the way and made him very wealthy. His bottles would grace the tables of royalty from the Russian tsar to other countries in Europe. Pretty outstanding for an ex-serf.
Peter Arsenievich Smirnov was born into poverty; his parents were basically slaves working on a farm and tending the fields of their landowner. Everything that they earned they had to share with their master. It was certainly not the kind of life that any of them wanted forever and Pyotr's uncle would be the first family member to gain his freedom. Grigoriy had the idea of opening up a drinking establishment near Moscow. In no time at all, he was successful and his status changed from serf to trading peasant. Soon he had many pubs, a brewery and a wine cellar. It was into this environment that Pyotr arrived and learned everything from the ground up. His stamina, determination, aggressiveness and great business sense would spiral him upwards to an incredible legacy.
The King of Vodka is a terrific book. Linda Himelstein brings you right to the world of nineteenth-century Russia where you learn about how vodka was produced (Smirnov had different varieties such as fruit-flavored drinks), the monopolization of the trade, the enforcement of sobriety pushed by Chekhov and Tolstoy, what happened to the brand during and after the Russian revolution, and the Smirnov family's involvement.
Himelstein's quite diligent research is very good and and she certainly knows how to tell a fascinating tale.
Recommended.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

BREAKING THE CODE : A FATHER'S SECRET, A DAUGHTER'S JOURNEY, AND THE QUESTION THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING
by Karen Fisher-Alaniz

As a child, Karen listened to stories of her father's time in the Navy but never really paid attention to what he said. They were meaningless to her and he told them over and over again. That changed in 2002 on his eighty-first birthday. While at her parents' house to celebrate, her father, Murray, placed two notebooks on her lap. Inside were 400 pages of letters that he wrote during World War II. That night and every night afterwards, Karen became immersed in them and discovered a man that she scarcely really knew. For fifty years, he kept secrets buried inside him. By reading the letters and eventually drawing her father out by asking him questions, the truth was revealed.
Breaking the Code is a fast read (two days) and at times can be quite moving. There are photographs from postcards at the beginning of every chapter and, of course, the letters. For people who have relatives still living that fought in WWII, it's an important book. Many could not talk about what happened to them after they returned from the war and suppressed it. As the "Greatest Generation" dwindles, retrieving their stories for others to read should be written down before it's too late.
Recommended.