Yearly Archives: 2013

12.15.13
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PETE HAMILL- BROOKLYN STORIES-NOT ALL SWEETNESS

Pete Hamill’s The Christmas Kid is but one title in this collection of  36 short works of fiction.  Don’t look for sentimentality or the aroma from bread baking in a long forgotten local bakery. Hard times and hard lives abound.  This body of work was compiled from stories Hamill published, mostly in the New York Daily News. Many are set in post WWII Brooklyn neighborhoods near where Hamill has lived.

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With the exception of the title story, The Christmas Kid , these are sad tales about troubled lives in very tough neighborhoods. Street Gangs, lost loves, beleaguered drunks,  revenge , missed opportunities and no way to break the cycle.  Hamill often gives the reader a glint of optimism, then hope plummets off a cliff. Gripping, wonderful fiction for aficionados of New York lore . No one does it better than Hamill. Many of the stories could be the beginning of a novel unto themselves!

The Christmas Kid was first published in 2012 and released in paperback this year.

12.12.13
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THE BULLY PULPIT –NOT JUST TEDDY–A NEW LOOK AT TAFT–THE RISE OF THE MUCKRAKERS

Who would place in the same context Teddy Roosevelt and William Howard Taft?

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Doris Kearns Goodwin, just as she did with Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream, No Ordinary Time (FDR and Eleanor), Team of Rivals (Lincoln) has humanized Teddy Roosevelt and William Howard Taft in The Bully Pulpit, Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft and the Golden Age of Journalism.  It is remarkable that by comparing these two very different personalities, Goodwin has been able to create a finite understanding of the birth of the Progressive era in American politics.

This extremely well researched work probes so deeply into the personalities of the two that the reader is left wondering who might have been the better to successfully carry out the reforms of the Progressive Movement, TR or Taft! The book captures the two friends joined at the hip, partners in a mission of reform, and then torn apart by TR’s un-checked ” Bull Moose” ambition; finally coming together again after self-imposed mutual defeat. It reminds me of the deathbed reconciliation of Thomas Jefferson and John Adams so emotionally detailed in David McCulloch’s, John Adams.

 

The Bully Pulpit is four books in one! The reader is served up two great biographies, one of Theodore Roosevelt, the other of William Howard Taft. The other two Goodwin gifts are an understanding of the birth of the Progressive Movement in America and not by any means in descending order, the advent of investigative and advocacy journalism, Muckraking, in American politics. The Bully Pulpit establishes the critical role played by the press in determining public policy at the turn of the 20th Century. The term Muckraker has a new meaning in Goodwin’s book and the role of S.S. McClure’s  McClure’s magazine in promoting progressivism is a book unto itself.

Read about muckraker journalists Ida Tarbell, Ray Stannard Baker, Lincoln Steffens and William Allen White, including the unique relationships they established with both Roosevelt and Taft. The insight given into Publisher Sam McClure’s ambitious role of investigative journalism shaping national policy can be projected into the 21st Century. When asked by Sam McClure to embark on a series of investigative articles on labor strife, journalist Ray Baker replied, ” Why bother with fictional characters and plots when the world was full of more marvelous stories that were true: and characters so powerful, so fresh, so new that they stepped into the narratives under their own power.”

Great books stimulate and The Bully Pulpit, while is has the greatest emphasis on Teddy Roosevelt, raises dramatically the profile of President Taft and his wife Nellie. Taft defies a Progressive, Liberal or Conservative label. He could not be easily categorized in the 21st Century political vernacular. His wife Nellie, unlike Edith Roosevelt, played a large role in Taft’s decisions which was prescient indeed for the relationship that followed between his successor Woodrow Wilson and his wife, Edith.

One of the reasons that The Bully Pulpit is so compelling is that the philosophies, conflicts and important social issues of the time could just as well have been written about the beginning of this century.

The following paraphrase from The Bully Pulpit was made by President Roosevelt in 1905 at the beginning of his presidency, in effect separating the Republican Party into Progressive and Conservative factions. ” If the people at large perceived that the Republican Party had become unduly subservient to the so-called Wall Street men–to the men of mere wealth, the plutocracy, it would result in a dreadful calamity. To see the nation divided into two parties, one containing the bulk of the property owners and conservative people, the other the bulk of the wage workers and the less prosperous people generally, each party sullen and angered by real and fancied grievances would bring a calamitous future.”

With that perspective, in the spirit of Ray Baker’s ” why bother with fiction,” there is more grist for the mill for historians and Muckrakers to ponder in today’s America.

Note: For lovers of history one good read prompts another. I will seek out the biography  William Howard Taft by Louis Gould and one of Sam McClure, The Muckrakers by John Simkin.

11.24.13
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THE BULLY PULPIT-HISTORY LESSONS FOR TODAY!

It is rare that I blog about a book with 400 pages still to read but if you or a member of your family loves history then place The Bully Pulpit, Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft and the Golden Age of Journalism at the top of your  holiday list.

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Doris Kearns Goodwin has outdone herself by telling the story of these two presidents at the turn of the 20th century  in an economic enviornment which is very relevant today.  Early on, this  prodigious work of history will place the reader both then and in 2013!  Goodwin lays the groundwork of the lives of TR and Taft , one most famous and the other mostly forgotten. Her research leads to a greater understanding of how the power of the presidency combined with investigative journalism can dictate  national policy.  There is no bully pulpit without the press. This of course is a lesson  learned long before the internet and cable news! Learn of the tremendous influence of McClure’s magazine during TR’s rise.   Of course , during this period of reflection on Abraham Lincoln, do not overlook  Goodwin’s Team of Rivals. 

11.06.13
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THE FRIENDS OF EDDIE COYLE- WITH SHADES OF BRESLIN AND HIAASEN

I had not read any books by  George V. Higgins who wrote over 30 wonderful works of fiction including the Jerry Kennedy Series, A City On A Hill, The Sins of the Fathers and The Agent.  Higgins died on 1999 and left behind a treasure  of novels and THE FRIENDS OF EDDIE COYLE sets itself apart as a “game changer.”  THE FRIENDS OF EDDIE COYLE is considered by some reviewers as one of the greatest crime novels ever written!

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Set in Boston in the 1960s, the book is 80 percent dialogue bringing together a cast of second and third-rate mobsters, informers and undercover cops with the  irony that Eddie Coyle in fact has  no friends and neither does anyone else the Boston underworld.

I draw a comparison  to Carl Hiaasen’s Lucky You in that there is a certain similarity between the helplessness of Eddie and the bumbling lottery ticket thieves in Hiaasen’s novel. The book also connects with Jimmy Breslin’s The God Rat, the true story about the informer in the famous New York City  bad cop trial in the Gotti and Genovese era.  By the way, I recommend both of these references as additional great reads. Of course Breslin and Hiaasen each have long lists of additional wonderfully worthy books.

THE FRIENDS OF EDDIE COYLE is a photograph in brilliantly written evocative dialogue within the Boston  criminal underworld, reflecting the mentality of the players and engaging the reader in the inevitable outcome.

If you enjoy this genre dig more deeply into the writing of Georg V. Higgins. The book was also made into a highly acclaimed movie starring Robert Mitchum in 1973.

10.31.13
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SYCAMORE ROW FOLLOWS A TIME TO KILL-THRILLING!

If you have been anticipating the newest novel from John Grisham get Sycamore Row now. You will not be disappointed but rather overjoyed!

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No, I do not think it attains the level of suspense of  A Time To Kill  however, the story line is captivating and grabs the reader on every page.  Grisham is never laborious and writes in a captivating an energetic manner.   The Sycamore Row plot and story line is wonderfully developed and as always his characters are  alive and real, including  the manner in which he brings forward Jake and Lucian from a  Time To Kill.  You are rooting for another victory from the first page  and Judge Atlee becomes as fascinating as Judge Noose!

I rank Sycamore Row along side another of my all time Grisham favorites Pelican Brief and The Firm. A Time to Kill remains at the top of the list. Enjoy!

10.13.13
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THE FORGOTTEN MAN

The Forgotten Man is a sweeping title for a book about The Great Depression.  Historian Amity  Shlaes book was published just one year before The Great Recession of 2008 .  Prescient indeed!

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Who is the forgotten man of The Great Depression?  The  Wall Street tycoon,  the homeless, the apple vendor, the WPA laborer, or the woman in the most famous photograph of the period by Dorothy Lange titled Migrant Mother?  In many respects the answer lies with none of the aforementioned.  Shlaes makes the case that the forgotten man of the 1930s  was those who today would be referenced as the great middle class.  The parallels between The Great Depression and The Great Recession are enlightening and Shlaes places in historical perspective  the lost opportunities of an entire generation of  Americans, then and now.

Surely this book is a study of the New Deal and what forms of government intervention did and did not work.  Shlaes is certainly not a hero worshiper of FDR  or of the New Deal but my take on this book is that it offers a balanced look at the multitude of factors surrounding Roosevelt, his advisors, detractors and the enormity of the recovery programs during the period.

Most provocative and compelling is the insight and comparisons to the economic conditions in which the U.S. Economy  finds itself today.  The Forgotten Man of the 1930s is very  much present in the displaced middle class of 2013. Is today’s forgotten man the family bread-winner out of work because of the government shutdown, the child in need of medical care, the returning veteran, the foreclosed upon and the forgotten?  The similarities are ever-present.

An aside  from within The Forgotten Man is the startling comparison of how politically effectively FDR communicated the New Deal through the then new medium, radio, the 1930s version of today’s social media. Radio was FDR’s bully pulpit.  A very interesting  analogy.

You may also wish to consider Shlaes Coolidge.  ( see gordonsgoodreads ) While Amity Shlaes is certainly not a liberal, I think both The Forgotten Man and Coolidge are balanced. I would recommend reading Coolidge first. By doing so, the New Deal is placed in greater perspective.

09.25.13
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RAGTIME, ACROSS THE SOUND FROM GATSBY- MORGAN-FORD AND PRISCA THEOLOGIA

The Great Gatsby, the book and the movie raised my awareness of another pre- Great Depression Era based novel, Ragtime,  by E.L.Doctorow. Written in 1974,  long  after F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote The Great Gatsby, Doctorow  authored this wonderful novel that with great energy combines reality and fiction , historical figures and imaginary role players,  painting a potent landscape of  society and social change just before the great war.  Doctorow’s images of place and the developing social issues of the decade resonate to this day. The read is total narrative, no dialogue.

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Think of this.  J.P. Morgan, Harry Houdini, Henry Ford, Emma Goldman,  Booker T. Washington, Sanford White, Harry Thaw, Evelyn Nesbit  established in  their historical stations,  interact with Doctorow’s  fictional creations of ragtime pianist Coalhouse Walker, Jr., Tateh, an immigrant Jewish peddler, Sarah, a black single mother, and an affluent and typical suburban American Family living in the comfort of New Rochelle, New York.   Doctorow blends this cross-section of  humanity in a wildly thrilling story, set in  Westchester and Manhattan during the period just prior to World War I

E.L. Doctorow has written a long list of outstanding works including Welcome to Hard Times, The Book of Daniel and The March. All are most deserving of their many honors and outstanding reviews. It is always a good idea to check back in with authors whom you have enjoyed.  In Doctorow’s case the list is full of great choices.

08.14.13
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THIS TOWN- MARK LEIBOVICH JOINS “THE CLUB”

This Town, the new offering by The New York Times Chief National Correspondent Mark Leibovich is so inside the Beltway  the nation’s capital becomes  a  cul-de-sac.!

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Leibovich  promotes the book by warning, ” This Town does not contain an index. Those players wishing to know how they came out will need to read the book.”  The reason the book has attained The New York Times Best Seller List must that every mindless egotist in DC has taken the authors advice. Unless you are a true political junkie there is not much here but it is a fun read for those who love politics and a few bold face names. The book reminds me of  watching cable television on a very light news day!

Light, anecdotal and gossipy, this tome could easily have been named The Club, the high level of membership attainment which the author refers to as the elite of  Washington DC.  In reading This Town it is clear that Leibovich has attained membership in this  esteemed group, having been given the imprimatur of a mention in Playbook.  You will learn that one has not arrived in the DC social media world until so recognized by this daily Politico tip sheet. That honor at one time belonged to The Washington Post, and who knows it may again under the ownership of  Jeff Bezos!

Leibovich is kind to most in the book. Two noteworthy  exceptions are Harry Reid and Arianna Huffington. Harry  Reid apparently never says goodbye during a phone conversation, he just hangs up when he has nothing more to say.

This Town is filled with depressing information for those from out-of-town.  ” But almost no one leaves here anymore. Better to stay and monetize a Washington identity in the humming self-perpetuation machine.”  ” The Atlantic had just reported that in 1974, 3 percent of retiring members of congress became lobbyists. Now 50 percent of senators and 42 percent of congressman do.” The payroll of the influencers eclipses the policymakers. This Town  begs the question, are the influencers in fact the policymakers? There is no recession in Washington

Disingenuous  best describes the daily activities and personal relationships in This Town and the author offers little hope that anything will change. A depressing thought.

08.02.13
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OVERLOOKED? THEN GET A COPY OF A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN, NOW!!

How wonderful to discover a highly acclaimed book that perhaps even the avid reader may have overlooked.  That was certainly the case for me when I came across a copy of the 1943 American classic A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, first published in 1942 , written by Betty Smith.  This is an ” honest and True” novel  about a young and very poor Irish girl and her family living in Brooklyn, New York in the early 1900s.  The book is so autobiographical in nature that there was a 1943 lawsuit by an individual claiming to be the prototype for one of the characters! Young Francie Nolan faces all of the challenges that life could muster including poverty, an alcoholic and yet somewhat heroic father, birth and death and an economy that offered little opportunity for an immigrant family, let alone a young girl.

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The story is reminiscent of Frank McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes,  but Smith’s portrayal  of the fortitude of Francie sets a very high standard for storytelling. Francie’s mother, brother and the other ” Irish family” members are portrayed in wonderful detail and the book is a valuable insight into a period of American city dwelling immigrant history that is important to readers of any age and gender.

I am glad that this wonderful novel did not escape  me and I highly recommend it to you and any members of your reading family.  Further acclaim for A Tree Grows in Brooklyn came in 1945  when Twentieth Century Fox released the movie, the first film directed by  Elia Kazan.

07.18.13
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PHILIPPA GREGORY-HISTORICAL FICTION AT ITS BEST

The Other Boleyn Girl, written by Philippa Gregory and published in 2001, is among the very best novels written about Tudor England and King Henry VIII.  If you have not read this great novel place it on your must read list.  This true story about Mary Boleyn, the younger sister of Henry the VIII’s second wife Anne Boleyn, is remarkable in many ways.   The book enlightens the reader not only of the history of the period but it portrays an accurate glimpse into how women, even in their teens, were used as pawns for both power and pleasure.

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This is the story of Mary, the first daughter in the Boleyn family to be offered to a King in return for the hope wealth and power. So driven was this family that when Mary’s star began to fade in Henry’s ardor , sister Anne pushed her aside to eventually become Queen Anne.  Although you may know how that romance ended, believe me, the writing of Philippa Gregory will  capture and fascinate you through the final page. This story of two sisters and a King is also a study of the structure of society in 16th Century England. It is not suprising that Philippa Gregory is a recognized authority on women’s history.

Tudor England was  fascinating and this blog has focused on many enjoyable reads set in that period, including the  great British novelist C.J. Sansom and the Shardlake series. Another wonderful work of historical fiction written of an earlier period, Medieval England, is Anya Seton’s Katherine.

After reading the Other Boleyn Girl I ordered the  2008 movie through Netflix.  The movie does not come close to the book’s more intricate story line and I would strongly suggest that reading the book is a must before watching the film.  Once you have read the book it is worth watching.