Tuesday, December 10, 2013

MASTERING THE ART OF FRENCH EATING : LESSONS IN FOOD AND LOVE FROM A YEAR IN PARIS
by Ann Mah

They had always talked about going to Paris. It was something that was constantly on their minds. But due to their situation of moving every three years to another city, they really didn't think it could happen. Calvin was a diplomat, so though he might be able to pick a particular city to work in, it might not actually happen.
In 2007, their dream became a reality: Calvin is given an assignment in Paris. Sheer joy for he and his wife, Ann. Unfortunately, their bliss did not linger. Within no time (barely unpacked), Calvin was assigned to a different post: Baghdad. It would be for one year. Ann would be on her own not allowed to be with Calvin in Iraq. She had to make the best of it.
Being a foodie and eating just about anything, anywhere, Ann set out to discover ten different regions of France with their signature dishes. She met chefs, home cooks, farmers, restaurateurs, and sampled all the traditional cuisines. What a way to savor life.
Ann Mah certainly knows how to describe French cuisine that makes your mouth constantly water. Her prose is delightful. It's obvious that she adores France and who wouldn't with such a panoply of spectacular food. When she takes her trips all over the country, she learns the original stories behind each specific dish and and throws in some French history of the area, which makes it all the more interesting.
If you're tempted to cook any of these dishes, go right ahead. At the end of every chapter, there is a recipe. You might have trouble with some of the ingredients being that they're not sold in the United States. Ann does give websites and/or alternatives for procuring these items.
So, whether you consider yourself a Francophile, or just love reading about French cuisines, you will want to get this book. 
Recommended. 

 

Saturday, December 7, 2013

AMERICAN MIRROR : THE LIFE AND ART OF NORMAN ROCKWELL
by Deborah Solomon

He never really considered himself as an artist. An illustrator was his line of work. The details of his paintings were meticulous.
For almost half a century (from 1916 to 1963), Norman Rockwell did 323 covers for The Saturday Evening Post (it was published on Thursday). So many people would sit at their kitchen tables devouring the latest issue. Rockwell's art depicted ordinary Americans doing everyday things and had massive appeal. They each told a story. The majority of his figures, though, were males. He wasn't really comfortable around women even though he had three wives. All of Rockwell's friends were men and he would go fishing, trek mountainsides, and go on vacations with them leaving his better halves at home.
Whoever met him thought that he was absolutely charming, personable and down-to-earth. But behind his folksy, pipe-smoking, bow tie-wearing facade, was a darker side. Rockwell always felt inadequate, lonely, and anxious. His relationships with his parents, wives, and three sons were horrible. He pretty much ignored his children. Rockwell was obsessive about cleanliness and would sweep his studio several times a day. He never varied his meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. When he was fifty-nine, he went into treatment for depression with the renowned psychoanalyst Erik Erikson (that was not his real name). Rockwell would be treated by many psychiatrists over the years but nothing really changed for him.
Rockwell's art, though, would become more and more popular even as many art critics derided it. Today the prices for his pictures sell in the millions. Rockwell would be dumfounded but most likely wouldn't care as he wasn't interested so much in the financial aspects. He just wanted people to see themselves in his illustrations and feel good.
Deborah Solomon has written a terrific biography on Norman Rockwell. The prose flows effortlessly and considering that Rockwell was attempting to tell a story with his illustrations, Solomon is a great storyteller, herself. The details are quite fascinating and you never get bored. At four hundred forty-one pages, the book is pretty hefty, yet you never feel encumbered. Several color plates of some of his most famous paintings lie within, along with charcoal drawings, and black-and-white photos. Solomon is an art critic and analyzes Rockwell's works. She is no slouch when it comes to writing because she has written two prior books on other artists: Jackson Pollack and Joseph Cornell.
American Mirror is a great read.
Very highly recommended.

Monday, November 18, 2013

THE HIDDEN WHITE HOUSE : HARRY TRUMAN AND THE RECONSTRUCTION OF  AMERICA'S MOST FAMOUS RESIDENCE
by Robert Klara

Bess Truman really hated hosting any kind of reception. Having to smile, spouting off small, inane talk, and shaking an innumerable amount of hands made her absolutely miserable. So, during one afternoon in the winter of 1948, Bess was hosting a tea party for the Daughters of the American Revolution in the "Oval Reception Room" of the White House. The Blue Room was the perfect setting for small gatherings. Aesthetically, it pleased everyone who came to call. Except for Bess who couldn't wait until they all left. On this particular day, she almost had a good excuse. Above from where Bess was standing was this huge chandelier. It was called the "Pendeloque" and weighed twelve hundred pounds. She heard this noise and when she looked up the crystals in the chandelier were tinkling and getting worse by the minute. After several seconds, Bess looked up again and saw that the entire thing was swinging. What was going on upstairs? Why, Harry S. Truman was having a vigorous bath. Of course, later, Harry thought it was hysterical that he could have crashed through the ceiling wearing only but his spectacles. This started the ball rolling with having architects and engineers come in to survey the floors. What they found was much, much worse. The mansion was completely collapsing and quite dangerous to live in. The Trumans were evicted and moved across the street into the Blair House and there they would live for the next three years.
The Hidden White House is quite a fascinating story. The outside was left untouched but everything inside was gutted and braced with steel frames. Robert Klara does a great job detailing what went on with all of the major players: architect Lorenzo Winslow (quite an interesting character), John McShain (from Philadelphia), and of course, the Truman family. Just reading about the stuff that was found inside of the walls (Truman thought there were ghosts) makes you shake your head in amazement. The middle section of the book has quite a bit of black-and-white photos (the before, the middle, and the after). It was really quite an undertaking and put undue stress on everyone that was involved.
You have history, architecture, and drama all wrapped up together for a great read.
Recommended.

Sunday, November 3, 2013

SON OF A GUN : A MEMOIR
by Justin St. Germain

A few days after 9/11, Debbie St. Germain is murdered, presumably, by her fifth husband. He used her gun and shot off eight bullets. Her body was found in a trailer in a remote area of Tombstone, Arizona. For Justin and Josh (Debbie's sons), her death left them with many questions.
Justin spends the next ten years looking for answers by returning to the town of Wyatt Earp, meeting up with past stepfathers, looking into police records, talking to people who knew his mother.
Justin is a tremendous writer. His descriptions of the landscapes and towns in the west can be visualized in a second. The prose is gorgeous, raw, honest, and brave.
I hope that he puts out more books. This is talent not to be missed.
Very highly recommended.


 

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

THE FAMILY : THREE JOURNEYS INTO THE  HEART OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
by David Laskin

Blame it all on Lazar Kaganovich. He was one of Stalin's top butchers that killed millions in the Ukraine between 1932 and 1933. It is because of him that brought David Laskin to research the history of his mother's family. From his grandfather all the way back to his great-great-great grandfather, and perhaps beyond, they were all Torah scribes. Their Hebrew name was HaKohen ("the priest") and their Russian name was Kaganovich ("son of Kagan").
Shimon Dov was the patriarch. He and his wife, Beyle, raised six children in the shtetl ("little town") of Volozhin a century and a half ago. This area was known as the Pale of Settlement. Warsaw, Kiev, Odessa were some of the major cities. Because they were descended from an ancient faith, the couple believed that their five sons and one daughter would continue to carry on their traditions for future generations. Two world wars would change everything.
The family was separated into three different directions. One branch immigrated to America and were the founders of the Maidenform lingerie in 1922; one immigrant went to Palestine before Israel's birth; the third branch had the unfortunate luck to remain in Europe during the Holocaust.
The Family is one hell-of-a-book. It's quite impossible to put down and I was actually sorry when it ended. The writing is beautiful, compelling, emotional, and truly magnificent. How Laskin weaves together all of the characters of the entire family seems effortless. You are swept up immediately into their lives and you just cannot stop reading. Laskin certainly knows how to tell a great story.
This is quite a masterpiece.
Very highly recommended.

Monday, October 14, 2013

HANNS AND RUDOLF : THE TRUE STORY OF THE GERMAN JEW WHO TRACKED DOWN AND CAUGHT THE KOMMANDANT OF AUSCHWITZ
by Thomas Harding

The funeral of Hanns Alexander in 2006 was impressively attended. Over three hundred people crowded into the synagogue. His two nephews gave the eulogy. Hanns had grown up in Berlin. His family lived a comfortable life until the Nazis came to power and they had to leave moving to England. Hanns joined the British Army and rose through the ranks. When World War II was over, Hanns caught one of the most wanted men of that era: Rudolph Hoess, the brutal Kommandant of Auschwitz. For Thomas Harding, this was a revelation. His family never talked about the war; they were never allowed to ask any questions. So, he finds out at his great-uncle's funeral that Hanns hunted for Nazis.
In Hanns and Rudolf you get dual biographies: two for the price of one. The chapters switch on-and-off between Hanns and Rudolf that describes their lives from birth until death. Harding's writing is quite masterful and the story of these two men is very compelling. It took him twelve years to finally finish but the sources he used were amazing. Some of the interviews that Harding had was with a daughter of Rudolf (I wonder what she told him since after Rudolf died the family was in denial); the grandson of Rudolf (he provided family photographs); the American prosecutor at the Nuremberg Trials; and a Polish guy who cut Rudolf's hair. Harding also used unpublished letters of both the Alexanders and the Hoess family. Between the above and declassified documents, files on other high-ranking Nazis, archives in Holocaust museums all over the world, criminal records, transcripts of Hoess's testimonies, his research is mind-boggling impressive.
How fitting that a German Jew captured the German monster of mass extermination.
Very highly recommended.

Monday, September 30, 2013

THE ASSASSINATION OF THE ARCHDUKE :  SARAJEVO 1914 AND THE ROMANCE THAT CHANGED THE WORLD
by Greg King and Sue Woolmans

They should never have gone to Sarajevo that day in the summer of 1914. June 28 was St. Vitus's Day, a Serb national holiday that commemorates the Battle of Kosovo. In 1389, the Ottoman Empire (an unwelcome foreign intruder), conquered the land and made the Serbs vassals.
Franz Ferdinand had no choice in the matter. His uncle, Emperor Franz Joseph, ordered him to go. The sad irony is that both Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie, absolutely loved Sarajevo. Little did they know that their lives would be cut short by two bullets which would then precipitate World War I.
Archduke Franz Ferdinand was an enigma to the citizens of Austria. Although he came from the Habsburg dynasty, he didn't have much of an appeal outwardly. Those who supported him, though, knew that he could change the deteriorating Austro-Hungarian monarchy.
Ferdinand fell in love with Countess Sophie Chotek. Her background was a Bohemian aristocracy. Because she lacked the appropriate titles and ancestry, though, she could never share his titles or his throne when he became emperor. Their marriage would be morganatic (unequal) and their children would be barred from any imperial succession.
There have been plenty of books written about World War I and other authors have projected misinformation onto Franz Ferdinand and Sophie. He was misunderstood and she was devoted to her husband and their children. The love they had for each other was all encompassing. Through all of the insults that the imperial court showered on her, Sophie kept her head held high, never complained, and was happy with her life.
King and Woolmans have done a great job writing a dual biography of Archduke Ferdinand and Countess Sophie. They recreated their lives using unpublished letters and were helped tremendously by their descendants especially their  great-granddaughter HSH Princess Sophie von Hohenberg. (She wrote the Forward.)
The book is very readable, keeps your interest, and is a good history lesson on the Habsburg empire.
Think about this. If they didn't go to Sarajevo, would World War I have even occurred?
Very highly recommended.

Sunday, September 15, 2013

THE TELLING ROOM : A TALE OF LOVE, BETRAYAL, REVENGE, AND THE WORLD'S GREATEST PIECE OF CHEESE
by Michael Paterniti

Blame it all on Zingerman's, a local deli in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Back in 1991, it had already become quite a legend to its customers. Everything they cooked was homemade and they used traditional recipes, the way they were done in the old country. Their shelves oozed with exotic products from all over the world bought by the owner Ari Weinzweig. He put out a monthly newsletter describing his jaunts searching for the next best thing in the food world.
It was into this milieu that Michael Paterniti applied for a job to be a sandwich-maker. Paterniti had finished graduate school and was trying to sell some of his stories. No dice. Instead of dealing with mayo and mustard, Zingerman's hired him to proofread the newsletters which were quite popular with the public.
In October, the deli was celebrating Spanish cuisine. Ari expounded (in the newsletter) on a particular kind of cheese (he disovered on a trip to London) made from Churra sheep in Castile. It was so delicious yet so expensive ($22 a pound) that it made him nervous to even attempt to sell it.
Nine years later, Paterniti would meet the maker of this marvelous cheese in Guzman, Spain named Ambrosio Molinos. Created from a family recipe, it was born out of love. Unfortunately by the time Paterniti arrived, the cheese was no longer being made. Paterniti sought to find out why, what happened in a small village where there are secrets that are only revealed in a small cave dug into a hillside known as "the telling room."
What an incredible story! It's hard to believe that Paterniti had so much trouble selling his stories after he graduated because this one is tremendous. I already knew about his great writing when I read his first book Driving Mr. Albert: A Trip Across America with Einstein's Brain published in 2000. Talk about quirky and unique.
The Telling Room is just as unique but much more masterly. The characters, village life, the landscape, the cheese is all told in vivid detail. There are many footnotes but don't be alarmed by them because they are needed. Each one is a story in itself.
An absolutely wonderful read.
Highly recommended.

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

YOKOHAMA YANKEE : MY FAMILY'S FIVE GENERATIONS AS OUTSIDERS IN JAPAN
by Leslie Helm

In 1869, Julius Helm left Germany for the United States. It didn't really do anything for him so he went to Yokohama. He founded Helm Brothers which became the largest foreign-owned stevedoring company in Japan. It would remain in the family for seventy-three years.
Julius married a Japanese woman named Hiro and they had seven children. They did quite a bit of traveling and when they went to the United States for a brief time, Leslie Helm's paternal grandfather was born. Julie was now an American and this would become a problem during the events of Pearl Harbor: Japan and Germany were allies against the United States.
Julie's son, Donald, would run the firm but he was conflicted about his heritage. He never seemed comfortable with his Japanese blood even though after divorcing his first wife who was German, his second wife was Japanese.
Leslie inherited these conflicts. He was born in Japan but was an American citizen. Bilingual in both languages, he was never sure about his identity. When he became a correspondent for the Los Angeles Times, his reporting from Tokyo was very critical and disdaining. That is when he decided to explore his family's history. When Leslie and his American wife decided to adopt two Japanese children, it became a huge learning experience and his identity was challenged again.
Yokohama Yankee is a marvelous story. It's really interesting reading about Japan in the nineteenth century and that's a country where not much has been written about lately. Numerous photographs of the family and gorgeous, finely-detailed illustrations (from saved postcards) compliment the tale.
The book is very well-written and is a great read.
Highly recommended.

Sunday, August 18, 2013

JOHN WILKES BOOTH : BEYOND THE GRAVE
by W.C. Jameson

John Wilkes Booth is a name that is quite well-known. Although he was a thespian, few people associate him with the theater. He left his imprint on the world when he assassinated President Abraham Lincoln. According to what is taught in school and textbooks, after escaping and a twelve-day pursuit, Booth was trapped on the Virginia farm of Richard Garrett. He was shot and then carried to the porch where he died.
When Booth was dragged out of the burning barn, the soldiers said that it was not him. Within the next two days, rumors began to unfold that Booth had escaped and somebody else had been killed.
W.C. Jameson presents three ideas: the government was inept and deceived the public concerning the capture and death of John Wilkes Booth, that Booth was never caught, and then that Booth lived several more decades in Europe, India and other places before returning to the United States.
Wow! I have read numerous books on Abraham Lincoln's murder but nothing like this before. A few years ago, what I thought was the definitive account of Lincoln's demise and the aftermath, written by James L. Swanson:  Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer, ended all kinds of speculation. Nothing is further than the truth. W.C. Jameson's book really blew me away. Apparently there have been recent discoveries of very important documents. Information found in papers and diaries from private collectors plus reexamining the usual historical materials changes what has been regurgitated ad nauseum for the past one hundred forty-eight years. Jameson not only researches but he investigates and keeps digging until he is satisfied.
Any Civil War aficionado will want to get their hands on this book. It's quite an eye-opener and very believable.
Highly recommended.
 

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

COMING CLEAN : A MEMOIR
 by Kimberly Rae Miller

Her father really loved stuff. Paper, pens, broken computers, radios, unused junk stuffed in boxes would cover the entire house leaving barely enough space to walk through. Some of the rooms (the kitchen and the bathrooms) were unusable. The squalor, the bugs, the absolute mess was what Kimberly Rae Miller grew up in on Long Island. Nobody outside knew what went on inside behind closed doors. It was a humiliating secret that Miller had promised her mother to never tell anyone.
The word "hoarder" is well-known today but back in the 1980s there was no designation for it. As a child, Miller knew there was something wrong, that nobody else could possibly live the way they did. It took quite an emotional toll on her. Yet, through all of this dysfunction, Miller never stopped loving her parents.
Coming Clean is a very fast read (two days for me). The book is extremely well-written and very hard to put down. What is very interesting is the fact that Miller's father and mother seemed normal to other people who met them. When they were away from the garbage, they acted like anybody else, laughing, talking, having a great time. This behavior would retreat the minute they walked back inside their home. For some, it may be difficult to wade through the highly-detailed descriptions. It's truly horrible but Miller rises above the embarrassment with no blaming of her parents. She's dead honest yet humanizes their painful story.
Recommended.

Sunday, July 28, 2013

THE SKIES BELONG TO US : LOVE AND TERROR IN THE GOLDEN AGE OF HIJACKING
by Brendan I. Koerner

Not so long ago, you could walk through an entire airport and not have to go through any X-ray machines nor metal detectors. There was no security; you didn't have to present any kinds of identification when buying a ticket. You could even walk out on the tarmac and queue up to board. This all changed in the era of skyjacking. From 1961 to 1972, 159 commercial flights were intercepted. The skyjackers were both disillusioned and depressed about the state of society in America. Grabbing a plane and ordering it to be flown to a country of their choice gave them a huge jolt of power. Each year they became more and more brazen. Soon they began to ask for ransoms of exorbitant amounts. In time, the FBI tried to intervene with only violent results.
The most frightening year to fly was 1972: forty hijackers took control.
Willie Roger Holder and Catherine Marie Kerkow commandeered Western Airlines Flight 701 and executed the longest-distance skyjacking in American history. They were famous all around the world. Their success made them different from their peers.
The Skies Belong To Us is a fascinating story that keeps you in your seat. Brendan I. Koerner does a great job detailing all of the different hijackings over the years. It took him four years to gather everything together (4,000 declassified documents and tons of interviews which included one of the hijackers who was living incognito). What happened afterwards to the couple keeps you spellbound.
If you like true crime, get this book.
Recommended.

Sunday, June 16, 2013

THE BOYS IN THE BOAT : NINE AMERICANS AND THEIR EPIC QUEST FOR GOLD AT THE 1936 BERLIN OLYMPICS
by Daniel James Brown

Joe Rantz had a hardscrabble childhood. Poverty was always around him. At the age of four, his mother died and one year later his father married again. Joe's stepmother, Thula, barely acknowledged him and he could never understand why she treated him so unkindly. When Joe was fifteen, his father, Harry, Thula, and their three kids jumped in their car and abandoned Joe. From then on, he learned to fend for himself and not to rely on anybody else. Through the Depression he found jobs that could keep him afloat. Joe grew ever more self-reliant and stronger. He stayed in school and had good grades.
In 1931, Joe's older brother, Fred, wanted him to live in Seattle and attend Roosevelt High School where Fred taught chemistry. It was a difficult year for Joe because he was used to being on his own but he excelled at school. He joined the gymnastics team which would lead him to a sport that would become his pinnacle. Alvin Ulbrickson, the head coach of crew at the University of Washington, visited the high school one day and saw Joe in action. His life would never be the same again.
Joe joined crew and became one of nine young men that would row fluidly as one and be totally committed to each other.
The Boys in the Boat has to be one of the greatest books I have ever read. From the first page, I was immediately hooked. Author Daniel James Brown's writing is nothing short of brilliant. You get history, exciting boat races, descriptions of how the shells were built (entirely handmade by a British boat designer, George Yeoman Pocock whose sayings grace the beginnings of every chapter), technique, weather, the dynamic coaches, and inspiration. There are great black-and-white photographs within every chapter that follow the story.
You don't have to be a sports fan because this is the kind of book that will have massive appeal. It's a feel good human interest story not to be missed.
Very highly recommended.

Friday, May 24, 2013

THE COOKED SEED : A MEMOIR
by Anchee Min

On August 31, 1984, Anchee Min landed in Chicago scared to death. She didn't speak English and only had five hundred dollars which was borrowed. Anchee had been accepted to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and had lied on her application. She had circled "Excellent" for English. (Someone else filled out the papers for her.)
Upon arrival in the United States, when the immigration officer welcomed her, Anchee didn't understand a word that he said. A translator told her that she was going to be deported immediately. After examining everything, a clause was discovered in the papers that the school was going to place her in an intensive language learning program. If after six months she still wasn't up to par, back to China she would go.
Anchee had to pay for the course and it was a total waste of time. She learned nothing and got out of it. Television became the means of learning English, primarily Sesame Street. In order to keep herself afloat, she worked five jobs and slept in desolate areas to save money.
Her struggle to survive both in Communist China and in America and her sheer determination, stamina, and strength made Anchee quite successful.
The Cooked Seed is an immigrant story that should be read universally. Those of us who were born and raised in the United States and take things for granted should learn what went on during the Cultural Revolution and Anchee explicitly describes the horrors and deprivation of living under Mao.
Anchee was extremely lucky to leave China.
This book is honest, revealing, eye-opening, and full of grit.
Recommended.

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

A FORT OF NINE TOWERS : AN AFGHAN FAMILY STORY
by Qais Akbar Omar

Up until the age of seven, Qais Akbar Omar lived in Kabul (where he was born) with his father who taught high school physics (he was also a professional boxer), his mother who managed a bank, and several siblings in a large compound built by his grandfather. They shared the spacious abode with a multitude of cousins (twenty-five plus) and his father's brothers and their wives. It was a relatively peaceful time. The entire family would eat dinner together with a cloth spread out on the grass. Wondrous stories were told. Poetry was spoken. Soon enough, this idyllic atmosphere would be destroyed.
Different factions (Mujahedin, then Taliban) arrived and it became too dangerous to stay in their home. Omar's immediate family left and took shelter in the historic Fort of Nine Towers (an old palace with one tower left). Unfortunately, they had to flee again due to escalating violence. For a period of time, they lived in caves behind the huge Buddha statues in Bamyan. When that no longer was safe, they traveled with Kurchi herders (their nomadic cousins). Omar's father kept trying to hire smugglers to get his family our of Afghanistan. Money, of course, was needed and they didn't have much. Omar tried to help his father support their family. When he learned how to weave carpets, this would become the turning point for all of them.
A Fort of Nine Towers is quite a story. Apparently, it is one of the few books written by an Afghan who never left because he loved his country so much. The resilience, bravery, and stamina of the Afghan people is startling. The years of war and unrest would make most people crazy with no will to live yet Omar's family and others like them bore their tribulations steadfastly and, amazingly, could even joke about it. This is the book to read if you don't know anything at all about Afghanistan and what exactly happened there over the years. It is an eye-opener.
Recommended. 

 

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

THE BARONESS : THE SEARCH FOR NICA, THE REBELLIOUS ROTHSCHILD
by Hannah Rothschild

They were hoping for a boy. Victor was born first in 1910 and then two sisters followed. In the Rothschild, family male heirs were extremely important. The founding father laid down the principle, in 1812 (still upheld today), that only Rothschild men could inherit and run the business of running the banks. Women ruled the homes but they certainly were not weak. Most of them were quite headstrong and aggressive.
The birth of Kathleen Annie Pannonica on December 10, 1913 was a huge disappointment. The spare heir was not to be. Nica was named after her father's favorite moth (she told outsiders that she was named after a butterfly). Pannonica means 'of Hungary' (Nica's mother was Hungarian) and means a creature of the night which became very appropriate for Nica years later. The family was crazy about insects. Both Nica's father Charles and her uncle Walter had huge collections (over six million).
Nica grew up surrounded by a multitude of servants with limited parental contact. The food and the routine were repetitive. It was like living in a cage. Eventually Nica would leave this stultifying existence and marry Baron Jules de Koenigswarter. Their home was a chateau in France; five children were born. Soon enough, this life too became a cage.
In the 1950s Nica heard a piece of music that would completely transform her. Jazz pianist Thelonious Monk played "Round Midnight" and Nica was spellbound. She left her marriage and moved to New York to find this man. Nica chose to help Monk and other musicians by paying their bills, taking them to the hospital, spending money by supporting them in their musical careers. This was her true calling and she was finally happy.
Hannah Rothschild, the great-niece of Nica, is a wonderful writer. It's fascinating to read about the entire family by how they first started in business, the rules that were set up, the descendants, the idiosyncrasies, the brilliance. Nica was considered well ahead of her time and certainly was rebellious. Because of her fortune, she was able to carve out her own life and be free.
Within every chapter, there are black-and-white photographs depicting the people that are described in the text so you feel as if you are right there with them.
Luckily for Hannah, she was able to interview many of the musicians that knew Nica plus producers and her own family (even Nica herself before she passed).
The Baroness is a great story of an eccentric woman who was passionate about music and devoted herself to always be there for the love of her life.
Highly recommended.

Monday, April 29, 2013

FROZEN IN TIME : AN EPIC STORY OF SURVIVAL AND A MODERN QUEST FOR LOST HEROES OF WORLD WAR II
by Mitchell Zuckoff

On November 5, 1942, a U.S. cargo plane (C-53) on a normal flight in Greenland crashed into an ice cap. Five men were on board. Four days later, a B-17 bomber (one of the search planes) got lost in a storm and also crashed. (Add nine more men.) To make matters even worse, the U.S. Coast Guard sent an amphibious plane called a Grumman Duck to rescue everyone and they, too, became blindsided by a horrendous storm and simply vanished. (Three more men.)
For five months, survivors valiantly fought to stay alive through the brutally harsh Arctic winter. How they were going to be saved keeps you riveted.
Mitchell Zuckoff certainly knows how to write amazing adventure stories about World War II. His previous book was Lost in Shangri-La and that was tremendous.
Frozen in Time is equally great and can keep you glued to your seat. I have one caveat with the book, though. Interspersed throughout (every other chapter), is a modern day tale. It completely throws you off and is neither compelling nor that interesting. By rights, it should be at the end.
Black-and-white photographs of the men, the planes, the terrain are fascinating to look at.
If you're one of those people who like to read about heroic men in disastrous situations, this is your book.
Recommended.

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

THE GHOST RUNNER : THE EPIC JOURNEY OF THE MAN THEY COULDN'T STOP
by Bill Jones

In 1940, John Tarrant and his younger brother, Victor, were sent to a children's home in Kent, England to live. Their father, Jack, served in the war and their mother, Edna, was too sick to deal with the boys. They thought they would only be in the home for two years but it stretched to seven, interminably, horrendous years. It was a hideous place. When they finally got out and were retrieved by their father, they were no longer children but teenagers and strangers to him. Edna had died of tuberculosis. Jack had remarried. Tarrant couldn't stand his new environment (smoke-filled rooms, clutter, babies) so he looked for a way out. He took up amateur boxing and competed in a few fights earning a mere pittance. Tarrant quit due to injury. Naturally fit and prone to keeping to himself, he turned to long-distance running. When he tried to join a respectable running club, he was turned down. Because Tarrant had taken cash for sport, the authorities banned him from competing anywhere in Britain and overseas. For the next twenty years, he would fight back by appearing at major running events in disguise. When the pistol was fired, Tarrant would throw off his long coat dressed in his running gear and join the other racers. He set world records of 40 miles and 100 miles. Tarrant never gave up his obsession to be legit. All he ever wanted was to have a number on a vest. So while the officials didn't want to have anything to do with him and tried to keep him away from races, they never succeeded. "The Ghost Runner" would always appear (cheered on by his supporters) and win.
This is an incredible story. The author first heard about John Tarrant in 1985 when he was doing a documentary about the Manchester running club (Tarrant was a member) and read his memoir. From that time forward, he would not stop thinking about Tarrant and became intrigued to know more about him.
Tarrant was not a likeable person. He was self-centered, stubborn, lazy, and basically did what he wanted without caring what others thought. His poor wife, Edie, suffered greatly during their marriage yet she supported him through everything.
Bill Jones has written a great book about an unknown man who ran for revenge and justice.
Highly recommended.

Sunday, April 21, 2013

ONE WOMAN IN A HUNDRED : EDNA PHILLIPS AND THE PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA
by Mary Sue Welsh

Her first instrument was the piano; she started at an early age. But when she changed teachers, she became disillusioned. Afraid that she would abandon music altogether, her mother bought her a harp for her eighteenth birthday. Now she needed advanced instruction but it was hard to find an independent teacher. She auditioned, twice, at the Curtis Institute of Music for the harp and the piano. Since her skills on the harp were considered too elementary for the brilliant harpist Carlos Salzedo to take her on as his student, she spent six months working with his assistant to bring her up to par.
Less than two years later, in 1929, Leopold Stokowski needed a harpist for his orchestra and she was recommended.
On October 3, 1930, Edna Phillips joined the Philadelphia Orchestra. She was the first female to have a principal position in a major orchestra. Twenty-three years old, scared to death, surrounded by one hundred men who resented her, Phillips held her head high and plowed right through with steely determination.
One Woman in a Hundred is one fabulous book. All of the stuff that went on during rehearsals with Stokowski (how he intertwined all of the musicians together by his theories of how the music should be played), being led by other conductors such as Arturo Toscanini (he screamed), interactions with the other performers, recording for Walt Disney's Fantasia (wires all over the place), the behind-the-scenes intricacies are revealed here.
Mary Sue Welsh writes as if Phillips herself was the author and she did a masterly job.
There are great black-and-white photos of the orchestra, Phillips with her harp (natch), Stokowski, Eugene Ormandy, Toscanini, et al.
If you're a classical music aficionado, you must get this book. It's funny, fascinating, and an absolute joy to read.
Highly recommended.

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

THE GIRLS OF ATOMIC CITY : THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE WOMEN WHO HELPED WIN WORLD WAR II
by Denise Kiernan

Have you ever heard of Oak Ridge, Tennessee? Most people have not. It's in the Appalachian hills; a secluded area. In 1942, people who owned land here received letters from the War Department telling them that they had to leave because the government wanted their farms. Of course, they would be paid for their properties. The families really didn't have much choice in the matter. After all, by doing this they would be supporting the war. By the end of the year, construction would begin on creating a  secret city made from scratch. Over 78,000 people (many of them young women) were recruited from all over the United States.They were promised good pay and solid work. Nobody ever really had a clue as to what was going on and what their jobs meant.They were all kept in the dark and told never to question anything. At the end of the war, the truth was revealed to them.
What a great story. Denise Kiernan interviewed many of the residents who are still living there today (in their 90s). The way the author writes is riveting and she captures all of the nuances of how history played out back then. Everybody wanted the war to end but the people that worked at Oak Ridge were more than happy to contribute and were proud to help out.
A tremendous amount of research went into this book (seven years) but it definitely deserved to be written.
Highly recommended.

Monday, March 18, 2013

AFTER VISITING FRIENDS : A SON'S STORY
by Michael Hainey

When Michael Hainey was six, his father, Bob, died. He was found on a street far from home, alone, in Chicago. Heart attack was the determining cause. Only thirty-five years old, Bob was the night slot man (newspaper term) for the Sun-Times and was responsible for getting three editions of the paper out between the hours of 6 p.m. and 2 a.m. Obviously, the job was stressful and to relieve it, Bob was on Valium. Everybody smoked up a storm and drank tons of alcohol. (After working long hours, the guys would all hit the bars.)
As Michael grew up, he started to question about what had happened to his father. His death was such a mystery. Everything was a big secret. He couldn't get anything out of his mother; she was emotionless. She needed strength just to look forward in raising her boys as a widow.
By the time Michael is an adult, his obsession with seeking out the truth to connect the dots no matter what it might do to his family is a constant. He is a reporter and knows the skills that are needed. From endless questioning of his relatives to seeking out colleagues of his father, Michael finally receives what he is looking for.
Michael Hainey is one heck of a writer. The story is powerful and gripping. It's one of these books that is impossible to put down. He writes with such honesty and beauty. You read about family (their past), the old newspaper world (they have a coda of sticking together), how he went about his investigation, and what he found.
Hainey is the deputy editor of GQ. This is his first book and I hope it's not his last. Truly tremendous writing.
Very highly recommended.

Sunday, March 10, 2013

USEFUL ENEMIES : JOHN DEMJANJUK AND AMERICA'S OPEN-DOOR POLICY FOR NAZI WAR CRIMINALS
by Richard Rashke

Since John "Iwan" Demjanjuk was involved with war crimes trials for thirty-four years ending in 2011, there have been no more major Nazis called to testify for their atrocities committed during World War II. Most of them are probably dead anyway or too ill and senile.
Demjanjuk was the government's scapegoat. He was really a minor cog in the wheel and his ordeal became long, exhausting, and frustrating: two denaturalization trials, two deportation hearings, two extradition hearings, and two criminal trials. The question was, though, was he a collaborator or just trying to survive? He was subpoenaed by the U.S. Justice Department in 1977 that he had lied on his visa application in 1951 and had illegally entered America the following year.
At the same time that Demjanjuk was being tried in many courtrooms, the good old U.S. of A. was employing and protecting Nazis and Nazi collaborators. Why? Because it was during the Cold War and the U.S. military wanted to recruit "useful" Nazi war criminals to work for the United States as spies, to inform their new bosses who was a Communist and to try and impede it. INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service) created loopholes in their policy of who could enter and who could not. (This would be the same policy that prevented thousands of Jewish refugees to come to America.)
Besides the Departments of War and State who trained the Nazis, the White House, the FBI, and the CIA were all involved and worked their butts off to hide, protect and shelter these criminals from those who were investigating them.
Talk about hypocrisy and deceit.
The war criminals that came from the Eastern Bloc countries were despicable. Richard Rashke writes in harrowing detail the horrors that these people committed on the Jews. It's extremely disturbing that these monsters were welcomed in America and they lived as free men when they should have been prosecuted and done away with.
For a 500-plus page tome, the book is extremely readable. Quite an impressive amount of startling research (50 pages of Sources and Notes). In case you can't remember all of the details (and there's plenty), a Timeline is offered.
Useful Enemies is an eye-opener. Anybody who is interested in the Holocaust (there's been plenty written about this subject but not to this extent) should not hesitate.
This book is a standout.
Very highly recommended.

Monday, February 25, 2013

ALONE ON THE ICE : THE GREATEST SURVIVAL STORY IN THE HISTORY OF EXPLORATION
by David Roberts

In Australia, Douglas Mawson is considered the greatest explorer ever in history. He is, though, virtually unknown in the United States. Mawson has been overshadowed by Robert Falcon Scott (there's a whole dearth of books written about him), Sir Ernest Shackleton (he served under his command from 1907-1909), and the infamous Norwegian Roald Amundsen. While these three polar explorers only were interested in reaching the South Pole, Mawson was not. His interest lay in traversing land that nobody had seen before and to collect specimens (he was a geologist).
Eighteen men joined the Australasian Antarctic Expedition (AAE) and spent the first year at Cape Denison in a hut (Winter Quarters). They then were divided into three-man sledging parties so that they could all explore different regions. Two thousand miles of land south of Australia was what they hoped to cover. Thirty-two Eskimo huskies were brought along to haul the sledges. By 1913, they were all gone. Mawson's Far Eastern Party had the most arduous and dangerous trek. Two of his men died leaving him alone to survive and return to the base.
Alone On the Ice is a tremendous tale of endurance, strength, and determination. What these men went through and what happened to Mawson is unbelievable. Author, David Roberts, was able to use diaries that have never been seen before to lay out the story and the exploits. He is a master in writing books about mountaineering and exploration. One of his previous books "Finding Everett Ruess: The Life and Unsolved Disappearance of  Legendary Wilderness Explorer" was reviewed in this blog and that was fantastic.
Sir Edmund Hillary praised Mawson's solo journey as "the greatest story in polar exploration." Mawson is no longer behind those other explorers; he is standing way in front of them.
Highly recommended.

Sunday, February 17, 2013

THE HOUR OF PERIL : THE SECRET PLOT TO MURDER LINCOLN BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR
by Daniel Stashower

What is truly amazing is that Abraham Lincoln received enough electoral votes to become President of the United States in 1861. The amount of hostilities towards him from the southern states was monumental. Maryland was considering seceding from the Union (seven other states had already done so) which would cut off Washington from the North. Warnings of danger grew daily and cash was being offered to anyone who would assassinate Lincoln before he took the oath of office.  It was within this maelstrom that famed detective Allan Pinkerton, over thirteen days, would attempt to thwart the "Baltimore Plot" along with his other operatives.
The Hour of Peril is one fantastic read. It's most definitely a page-turner. This is another one of those untold tales from the Civil War that makes you shake your head in disbelief.
The characters involved, the controversies, the secrecy that was needed, the disguises and false names that were used, the conflicts that could have disrupted everything, keeps you glued to your seat.
If you have any doubts as to how much Lincoln was despised, here's an interesting tidbit. James Ryder Randall, who was from Baltimore, wrote a poem called "Maryland, My Maryland." It depicts Lincoln as being a tyrant and for Maryland to stand with the Confederacy. The poem was soon set to music (the tune of "O Tannenbaum"), became hugely popular and was adopted as the official state song and still is to this day.
Author, Daniel Stashower, is a superb writer (check out his other books) and if you are a history buff and are a fan of Abraham Lincoln, grab this one. You won't be disappointed.
Very highly recommended.

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

MARMEE & LOUISA : THE UNTOLD STORY OF LOUISA MAY ALCOTT AND HER MOTHER
by Eve LaPlante

When Louisa May Alcott died on March 6, 1888, at the age of fifty-five, she was the most popular author in the country. She was quite prolific having written twenty-four novels, hundreds of stories, and articles for newspapers and magazines. Little Women would make her quite wealthy and brought her family out of poverty. It was always assumed that Bronson Alcott, Louisa's father, was the source behind her brilliance, that he was the one who influenced her to write. Author, Eve LaPlante, who is the niece of Louisa and the great-niece of Abigail, discovered from reading family correspondence that it was Abigail who nurtured Louisa and encouraged her to write.
Abigail was a writer in her own right and her diaries and letters display her beautiful prose. She worked to abolish slavery, fought for women to be educated (she, herself was a teacher), to have the right to vote, and to elevate themselves in society. Louisa mined her mother's writings and used them for her fiction. When she had her first book published at sixteen years of age, she dedicated it to Abigail. The two of them were so intertwined that they became each other's support especially when Bronson was absent from their home for months at a time. He was an idealist and didn't believe in supporting the family so they were constantly begging for money from relatives. Louisa vowed to always provide for her mother and be there for her.
When I was a young girl, I read Little Women a thousand times over. I couldn't get enough of this book. I loved the writing, the characters, the setting.  Marmee & Louisa takes you deep within the Alcotts and you see how they figure into the story. "Marmee" was as vibrant in real life as she was in fiction. Abigail is finally brought out of the shadows and is no longer invisible.
This book is a terrific read and the writing is marvelous. If you're a fan of Louisa May Alcott, you'll absolutely love Marmee & Louisa.
Very highly recommended.

Saturday, January 26, 2013

CHANEL BONFIRE : A MEMOIR
by Wendy Lawless

Wendy Lawless and her sister, Robin, grew up with a not-so-normal "mother" (parenting skills were virtually nil with this chick). Georgann Rea loved mink, wore Pucci clothing, had Louis-Vuitton luggage, and always had a lit Dunhill in her cigarette holder. She liked anything in pants and went through men like a box of tissues. Georgann had two husbands and actually kidnapped the daughters away from the second one telling them (lying) that he was no longer interested in them. They took off for London on the QEII and lived in high-end townhouses where it was late night parties all of the time. Georgann craved glamour and wealth. When she would run out of money, it was off to another city to reinvent herself and continue with the same lifestyle.
By the time Wendy was seventeen, she realized that her mother was not exactly normal and was ashamed to bring anyone home. Between the excessive use of alcohol, the back-and-forth mood changes, ugly and disturbing fights, living with Georgann was chaotic. The sisters knew that they had to get out of their toxic and dangerous environment.
Chanel Bonfire is such an appropriate title for this book. Georgann was beautiful, perfumed, stylishly dressed but had a frightening dark side that smoldered. She would have been a good example for psychologists to write about. What is amazing is how the daughters survived through such turmoil.
Wendy writes with searing honesty that, at times, is funny but also sad. It grabs your interest immediately and is a quick read (two days for me). To come out normal from such a dysfunctional family and to be able to write about it without bitterness or hate is remarkable.
Recommended.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

THE WATCHMAKER'S DAUGHTER : A MEMOIR
by Sonia Taitz

Simon Taitz was a watchmaker. Known as a master restorer of both watches and clocks, people would come from miles around to seek him out. This skill would save him and others at Dachau. The Germans loved order and punctuality so they gave him their broken timepieces and actually respected his ability.
Gita, Simon's wife, could have been a concert-pianist had the Nazis not ruined her fledgling career. She and her mother survived the concentration camp Stutthof by pretending to be dead among the newly killed corpses when the Germans knew the allies were closing in and wanted to leave nobody alive behind.
It was within this insular environment that Sonia was born. The family lived in Washington Heights in a very small apartment. Yiddish was the language spoken at home. The Holocaust was a never-ending subject. Simon and Gita lived in the past and wanted their daughter to know what happened to their families and themselves over and over again.
Sonia wanted to live the American dream and be independent. When she finally left home to forge new adventures, Simon made her promise to always keep her faith.
There have been many books written on the Holocaust (I have certainly read the gamut) but not any, perhaps, of being the daughter of concentration camp-survivors. The love that Sonia has for her parents, in spite of all their flaws, is truly amazing. She wants them to move forward instead of constantly backwards. Sonia's experiences and the people that she meets opens her parents' eyes and helps them heal.
The Watchmaker's Daughter is extremely moving, sad, funny and gorgeously written. Sonia is quite the wordsmith. Every page is both descriptive and lyrical. I loved this book and didn't want it to end.
Very highly recommended.


Wednesday, January 9, 2013

MASTER OF THE MOUNTAIN : THOMAS JEFFERSON AND HIS SLAVES
by Henry Wiencek

He was one of our Founding Fathers, a lawyer, a statesman, author of the Declaration of Independence, helping to bring about the Louisiana Purchase. His magnificent mansion, Monticello, was designed and influenced by his many years living in Paris. To many people, he was thought of as the great emancipator. It certainly seemed to start out that way. In the 1770s, he both spoke and wrote about stopping the slave trade. It was even written in the Declaration but then later deleted.
In the next ten to twenty years, Thomas Jefferson changed his tune. Instead of speaking out against it, he became silent. Jefferson realized that he couldn't live without slaves; they're what made things run smoothly at Monticello. Slavery was a huge investment and quite profitable for him. For Jefferson, this was a way to have status and power.
Master of the Mountain has already become very controversial especially among ardent Jefferson supporters. This book flips everything that you think you know about Jefferson upside down. Henry Wiencek used many of Jefferson's papers that have never appeared before. There's so much information and much of it is disturbing but you can't stop reading it. The writing is superb and so was the amount of research done.
This is one book you don't want to miss.
Very highly recommended.
 
 

Saturday, January 5, 2013

THE POPE'S JEWS : THE VATICAN'S SECRET PLAN TO SAVE JEWS FROM THE NAZIS
by Gordon Thomas

Eugenio Pacelli (better known as Pope Pius XII) has been castigated for years by critics for not standing up to Hitler during World War II. Why did he remain silent and not do anything for the Jews? Pius XII has been erroneously accused. On the contrary, he set up this tremendous network of priests, nuns, and the citizens of Rome using monasteries, convents, the Vatican, and private homes to hide both Jews and Allied soldiers.
For many years, Pius XII had been a great friend to the Jewish community in Rome. Hitler actually considered kidnapping him because he was such a threat to Nazism. (That idea was quashed.)
As the Nazis came ever closer to Rome, visas were forged so that the hunted could escape to the United States and Palestine (eventually called Israel).
The Vatican provided false documentation for the Jews proclaiming them to be baptized Catholics. They were given shelter in the Vatican and every effort was made to keep them fed (a kosher butcher was hired and food was brought by trucks), safe, and protected. Even a hospital (Fatebenefratelli) was able to keep German soldiers away by telling them that their patients had an illness (K-Syndrome) which was highly contagious (the patients were told to cough, intentionally). It was totally false but many Jews were saved by the courageous doctor and nuns who looked after them.
In reality, Pius XII was not "Hitler's pope," was not anti-Semitic (he made forty speeches attacking racial hatred of the Nazis and the Holocaust plus wrote many papers) and saved thousands of Jews. So, he was not silent after all.
The Pope's Jews is a tremendous story. Gordon Thomas is quite prolific having written forty books and he does justice with this one. He is an expert in secret intelligence (he has been writing about it for fifty years) and is a true master with bringing all of the characters together (there are six pages at the beginning of the book of the Key Principal Personae).
There were many heroes who risked their lives to help those less fortunate. Pope Pius XII is at the top.
Very highly recommended.