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Life Itself by Roger Ebert

Posted by Ray on Sunday, October 2, 2011 at 10:40 AM

Title: Life Itself : A Memoir by Roger Ebert

On the old Sneak Previews broadcasts with film critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, when there were opposable thumbs, I generally tended to side with Roger and, if I subsequently went to the show, his view was, in my opinion, usually sustained by my experience. Siskel, sadly, passed away in 1999, but Roger Ebert, despite cancer, failed surgeries, and a great deal of physical limitations, is still soldiering on and very much enjoying his life. He has just this September released his autobiography, or, as the subtitle suggests, "a memoir." Roger's reviews are particularly good because he was first of all a writer (and a journalist), and then, as we read, almost accidentally, a movie critic. It was not a position he sought out but one in which he has grown in to great heights.

Sometimes I read an entire book and am irked that the title is never explained. We must guess. In the case of Roger's newest work, Life Itself, we learn its origin on page 400 of 415. Studs Terkel — that Chicago institution — had written to Roger while he (Roger) was recovering from a surgery:

He said: "You have added a NEW VOICE, a new sound to your natural one. It's more than about movies. Yes, it's about movies but there is something added: A REFLECTION on life itself."

And that's what this book is about. In writing the memoirs or a story of one's life (thus far!), there are two main streams one can canoe in its composition: A chronological account (Day 1, Day 2, etc.) and a thematic approach (Grade school, Mom and Dad, etc.). Ebert has combined the two and offers us short thematic chapters, generally chronological in the extent that they can be,, and I found that very interesting. Having just read that new biography on Catherine the Great (of Russia), I realized that I was neither very comfortable (through the windows offered) with life of royalty nor that of serfs. The middle class sounds just about right and the first chapters of Roger's book deliver an exceptionally fine account of growing up middle class in the 1940s and 50s in the Midwestern college town of Urbana, Illinois, home both of the Fighting Illini and of 2001's famous computer, "HAL." It's a wonderful, moving, portrayal, painted in rich local colors. After chapters on college, Cape Town, and moving to Chicago and into his life at the Sun-Times, the chapters seemed to me to be more on the thematic side, touching on friends, cities and celebrities such as Russ Meyer, Lee Marvin, Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen and most delightfully for me, the above mentioned Studs Terkel. Roger recounts his life with poignant detail and a remarkable honesty. And as probably half the reviewers of this fine book will say, "Two Thumbs Up!"

Prophet's Prey by Sam Brower

Posted by Ray on Wednesday, September 21, 2011 at 11:14 AM

Title: Prophet's Prey by Sam Brower

Just yesterday, as I write this, in the Chicago Tribune, I read that Warren S. Jeffs got life imprisonment as the result of his sexual predation. Normally I wouldn't have noticed let alone read the article but I did since I've read Prophet's Prey by private investigator Sam Brower. Brower's very much "first person" book, which sounds more like a regular guy just telling his story — which is what it is — ties in a number of books on the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints sect/cult in the West and Canada (and other smatterings of the US). The some 10,000 members are a some 100-year-old break-off group of the Mormans who chose to continue polygamy while the others abided by the laws of the land (and some might say of God). Of the most recent works, by far and, above, the most well-known and read is Jon Krakauer's Under the Banner of Heaven. Krakauer is a friend of Brower and provides the book's preface. But other recent works on the lives of those in (or from!) the FLDS include Escape by Carolyn Jesson, Lost Boy by Brent W. Jeffs, Church of Lies by Flore Jesson and Shattered Dreams by Irene Spencer. More are following, sadly. Brower, who maybe more than anyone else "outside" the FLDS (He is a Morman living in Utah) understands the inner workings of the religion and its hierarchy. And it is a horrible situation and one that one finds so hard to believe actually exists in 21st Century America. Children (and adults) are heavily indoctrinated in the teachings of the head of the religion, the prophet, still Warren Jeffs from his jail cell (read: martyr) , who has absolute control over the lives of the flock, owning their property, controlling their education which is "home schooling" or "private". He also has the power to give "wives" to his loyal followers (without legal power to perform marriage ceremonies) and also to take away — wives, children, homes — and redistribute them to someone else should they cross him or seem to cross him. The outside world is seen as totally evil (and sometimes one can see that that is not that far of a stretch — but far less evil than the religion of the FLDS). And most significantly and most revoltingly, many of the "wives" are children in their teens (and even pre-teens) who are forced to go with much older men. Rape, abuse, indoctrination, control are powerfully manifested in the lives of these children and women. In addition, because the whole system needs more women than men, boys who don't toe the line very, very carefully, are sent away from their family and community — "Lost Boys". The "church" also has control of their own police and judges. It is amazing that as many as there have been have escaped. In the outside world, various government agencies and law enforcement officials have been working on trying to bring people to justice/care those those abused children but it is a very, very uphill task. Brower's book is down to earth , down home and honestly told. If you don't know of what is going on or want to learn more, this book is highly recommended.

In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson

Posted by Stephanie on Tuesday, September 13, 2011 at 5:02 PM

Title: In the Garden of Beasts : Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin by Erik Larson

In the Garden of Beasts is the popular new book by Erik Larson that everyone is reading. I decided to give it a try. It concerns the US Ambassador to Germany during Hitler's rise to power in the 1930's. William E. Dodd came to Berlin with his family in 1933. He was a historian who was really unsuited to the job but Roosevelt had run out of choices. His daughter Martha thought the Nazi party was going to change Germany for the better. While her father was having serious doubts about Hitler and his party, Martha was quite the party girl who refused to take the mounting threats seriously. After Dodd returned to the States, he was one of the few Americans who accurately predicted what Hitler would do.

The book is extensively researched and well put together. It can be a little slow going and bogs down in parts. I really could have used less info about Martha and her dalliances. Larson also has an annoying habit of using foreshadowing for dramatic effect. He may be talking about a dinner party that was given and then mentions that "six months from now only two guests would survive”. It is worth reading to learn more about a fascinating period of history.

The Secret Lives of Hoarders by Matt Paxton

Posted by Stephanie on Tuesday, September 13, 2011 at 4:38 PM

Title: The Secret Lives of Hoarders : True Stories of Attacking Extreme Clutter by Matt Paxton

I have to admit that I am a fan of the TV show "Hoarders." I really enjoy the transformation of the hoarder's homes and the crew that helps them. One of my favorite characters is Matt Paxton, the "Extreme Cleaning Specialist." He tackles extreme hoards with humor and sensitivity. When I saw that he had written a book, I just had to check it out. The Secret Lives of Hoarders is not just stories of cleanups. It really concerns the psychological aspects of the disease and how it affects the lives of hoarders and the people around them. Matt tells how he got into the business and the ways he deals with individual cases. The book was very informative and gives great tips on how to deal with all levels of clutter. If you feel that you are starting to get overwhelmed by your possessions, give this book a try. For a more personal glimpse into the life of a hoarder, I also recommend Dirty Secret: a Daughter Comes Clean about Her Mother's Compulsive Hoarding by Jessie Sholl.

2012 and the End of the World by Matthew Restall and Amari Solari

Posted by Ray on Wednesday, September 7, 2011 at 5:25 PM

Title: 2012 and the End of the World : The Western Roots of the Maya Apocalypse by Matthew Restall

One of the two authors of 2012 and the End of the World is teaching a course on the books material in the fall of 2012. The irony is the final exam for the students will be after 21 December 2012, the predicted date for the end of the world. Looking for something to read, I picked up this small-format item of a little over 130 pages of easily readable text and it has turned out to be, at least for me, a great choice. As I have learned (but until now not greatly understood), there are numerous folks predicting or talking about an apocalyptic end of the world coming on that December day as firmed, so they say, by Mayan writings and images (in stone and elsewhere). Restall and Amara do a wonderful job of carefully and insightfully going through "Mayan" materials and show that any thinking about an "Apocalyptic" end came after the arrival of Franciscan Friars in the wake of Columbus's "discovery." We also learn that unlike the Aztecs, the Mayans had no empire, they were essentially local city-states (some larger than others) with no larger uniformity although some beliefs and language were obviously shared. In short, clearly focused chapters the authors carefully analyze the subject matter of both then and now and offer us a good understanding of what is going on. While the world may have a horrible ending 21 December 2012, it is not because the ancient "Mayans" so predicted it. If you don't want to be caught off guard, this is a quite little course — without a final exam.

Spycatcher by Matthew Dunn

Posted by Stephanie on Tuesday, August 30, 2011 at 11:22 AM

Title: Spycatcher by Matthew Dunn

Spycatcher by Matthew Dunn may be the best spy novel I have ever read. What is so great about it is the massive amount of details of how MI6 operates. Dunn is a retired agent and his familiarity with his subject matter really stands out. As a debut novel the writing can be uneven but I was willing to go with the story on its fast paced travels around Europe and the US.

MI6 agent Will Cochrane, code name Spartan, is like a more lethal James Bond with a longer attention span. He is tougher and smarter than any other agent. He has, apparently, superhuman healing abilities and doesn't seem to sleep. He has to stop an attack at an unknown location by an unknown terrorist believed to be a general in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. The team he assembles to help him do this task is impressive. There are some twists in the plot that I didn't see coming and I couldn't put this book down. I hope that this is the first is a series.

Concierge Confidential by Michael Fazio

Posted by Ray on Friday, August 26, 2011 at 4:10 PM

Title: Concierge Confidential : The Gloves Come Off — and the Secrets Come Out! by Michael Fazio

This new book was checked out four times before I landed it. And I think it was four different people, not a renewal, because this is a light, breezy, easy read. It is also very interesting and very informative. It's written by (but with a "with") a concierge. Mr. Fazio didn't start out as a hotel concierge but as a personal assistant (later upgraded to personal associate) in LA. After a slight detour in Florida, he ended up in New York and spent some seven years as a concierge at the Hotel Intercontinental. Later he and a partner set up their own concierge business away from a hotel. Finally he came back to working with a hotel.

As promised, Mr. Fazio delivers. He gives us great stories of people he has helped and the lengths and ingenious ways he has taken to get them what they wanted, despite sometimes seemingly overwhelmingly odds. He scoring countless restaurant tables, innumerable theater tickets, even a yacht in Italy are but a few of Michael Fazio efforts. Along the way are many delicious "sidebars" offering tips on "how" and "how not" to do many things. He speaks as one friend to another and the stories are fun, sometimes frantic, sometimes delightful, always holding one's attention. I can't help but thing anyone could pick up something useful with this book.

Rules of Civility by Amor Towles

Posted by Stephanie on Friday, August 26, 2011 at 4:02 PM

Title: Rules of Civility by Amor Towles

For a fascinating glimpse of New York society life in 1938 read Rules of Civility by Amor Towles. For twenty-five-year-old Katey Kontent, Manhattan offers all the possibilities that Brooklyn didn't. While employed in the secretarial pool of a law firm, Katey and her friend Eve start a friendship with the dashing Tinker Grey. He wines and dines them both until a tragic accident changes their relationship forever. Katey is a great character who has self-esteem and a sense of humor. Her glimpses into the lives of the rich and famous tempt her to change, but she manages to stay true to herself.

I was a little bit bothered that while the author is a man, the book is written with Katey as narrator. Her voice didn't always ring true to me. Towles does successfully show how the upper class can use petty manipulation and lies to control others and keep their circle closed. A wonderful trip to an interesting time.

The Greater Journey by David McCullough

Posted by Ray on Sunday, August 7, 2011 at 2:13 PM

Title: The Greater Journey : Americans in Paris by David McCullough

This is not about the ex-patriots of Hemingway's 1920s, but about the Americans in Paris of the 1830s-1890s, who came to learn about art, architecture, medicine, writing and the pleasures of Paris, to return renewed and envisioned to the homeland they loved. McCullough does an amazing job of interweaving the lives of James Jackson Jr., Mason Warren, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Elizabeth Blackwell (America's first female doctor), Elihu Washburne, George P.A. Healy, Mark Twain, Charles Sumner, Henry James, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, John Singer Sargent, Samuel F.B. Morse and others with their time in Paris and their meeting with native French folks from Lafayette and Alexis de Tocqueville to the Impressionists. He gives great insight and feeling into how the cultural life of Paris opened up the cultural life of the United States. I was particularly surprised and pleased on how almost inadvertently there is a history of Paris (or France) which explained many of the historic events I'd heard about but never really understood. Although the text is some 556 pages, I never once thought: how long is this? are we there yet? how much more do I have to read? While not a gripping "thriller", it is a wonderful, informative, leisurely read. What a great way to learn both about America and France!

Constantine by Paul Stephenson

Posted by Ray on Wednesday, July 27, 2011 at 10:21 AM

Title: Constantine : Roman Emperor, Christian Victor by Paul Stephenson

The library has a copy of this new book and it has gone out eleven times. I too wanted to learn more about the Emperor of Rome who allowed Christianity to become more public. Paul Stephenson offers some 300 pages (plus extensive notes) on Constantine expertly weaving the story with citations (and careful interpretation) of primary documents, architectural sites and surviving coins (most important!), statues, and other materials from the time. He also gives a very good picture of life and worship within the army. We learn of the precarious nature of Roman Emperors, both senior grace (named after Augustus) and junior grace (named after Caesar), the prime factor in these times (the 3rd and 4th Century) of the Army and keeping them on "your side", of Constantine's very slow evolved growth towards worshipping the greatest God...that of the Christians, his need for uniformity in his empire and the multiplicity of variants of Christianity before him. Christians bishops, with Constantine and beyond, play a much greater role as do Church councils. Stephenson brings some nuanced clarity into these days long ago and offers a much deeper understanding of how the "empire" worked and its affect upon the development of Christianity offering us not axes to grind but mirrors to reflect a significant part of the story of the West. For the thoughtful, well-recommended.

Railroaded by Richard White

Posted by Ray on Wednesday, July 27, 2011 at 10:09 AM

Title: Railroaded : The Transcontinentals and the Making of Modern America by Richard White

I've read a number of books on the building of the Transcontinental Railroad which are basically about the building of the Union Pacific/Central Pacific which opened in 1869. And I thought as one review said: who needs another book on that? Yet this is a much different book and, as a cover blurb rightly says, is both fresh and provocative. Richard White examines the railroads which connected the Midwest and East with the West Coast and those include the UP/CP, the Santa Fe, the Northern Pacific, the Great Northern, and the Southern Pacific/Texas and Pacific. He also includes roads in Mexico and Canada. His ultimate point is that they should not have been built when and where there were. If we had waited later and built for demand, they would have been built much more cheaply, more efficiently and with fewer social and political costs. He shows how most of the financiers behind them were incompetent, they did not know how to run a railroad, and left staggering debts and receiverships along the way. A few though became very rich, but it wasn't through operating an efficient railroad, it was mostly through shady dealings, robbing Peter and taking from Paul. Railroaded is not always an easy read. Often I would say: Why am I reading this? And then there would be several sections of intense interest. He offers great insight into operations of railroads, working conditions, strikes, financing, the western cattle industry and other aspects of the story. He gave the best description of railroad "pools" I'd ever come across. For those who persevere crossing Railroaded, it is well worth the journey. If you feel like giving up, reading both the Introduction and the Conclusion. Having just viewed the award-winning documentary Inside Job, on library DVD, I'm convinced that much of what White shows us that happened in the past, is still happening today with things such as Enron and the banking collapse of just a few years ago.

Zero Day by Mark Russinovich

Posted by Mark on Thursday, July 14, 2011 at 4:49 PM

Title: Zero Day by Mark Russinovich

In the summer of 1990 I read Tom Clancy's Red Storm Rising, a book describing a hypothetical conventional war between the United States and the Soviet Union. Even though the very premise of the book, that the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact existed, was collapsing during the time I read it, I still loved the action, the narrative, and the presentation of how a modern war would be fought. This became quite relevant to me less than a year later when the same stealth fighters and AWACs planes that I'd read of in the book were making headlines when the first Persian Gulf war broke out over Iraq's invasion of Kuwait.

I felt a similar feeling of irrelevant setting versus relevant detail as I read this first novel of Mark Russinovich. Russinovich developed his reputation writing highly respected software for Windows, some of which I have used. When his company, Winternals Software, was purchased by Microsoft, Russinovich went and worked for Microsoft, where he still works in the highest technical position in the company. Russinovich brings his intimate knowledge of computers to bear in a non-technical way in this thriller about terrorism and the potential of computer viruses. The detail of what he describes is quite accurate and frighteningly so. Our world has become incredibly dependent on computers, most of which run software which was not originally devised to run securely in a networked environment, that a well-planned and executed computer virus could do much of what is described here. When the novel's central protaganist, Jeff Aiken, thinks of examples of hacking incendents that he is familiar with, they are all real events which demonstrate exactly the deadly potential that computer viruses can have in a world where we have planes, cars, ships, nuclear power plants, and all kinds of infrastructure run by computers that have to be connected to other computers.

The main place where Russinovich fails is beyond his control. The story involves Al Qaeda operatives working to execute these attacks, under the direction of Osama bin Laden. Bin Laden doesn't play a major role in the novel, but unfortunately for Russinovich he was killed by Navy Seals the same month the book was published. Not that this makes the book completely implausible, as Al Qaeda is still around and is still planning attacks, I'm sure, but some of the polish of the book is dimmed as a result.

Russinovich writes in a compelling, page-turn-inducing style, despite his main background of writing computer programs and technical manuals. Although some of the characters are a little unbelievable, this seems to be something that's par-for-the-course in the thriller novels, and the book captured and held my interest. If you're looking for a genuinely scary (as in something that might actually happen to and affect you) summer read, you could certainly do worse than choose this book. I just worry about when the moment will come where I look at the headlines and remember Russinovich and Zero Day.

The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler

Posted by Stephanie on Tuesday, July 12, 2011 at 10:08 AM

Title: The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler

The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler is a fast paced, twisty thriller that you can't put down. Set in Stockholm, it has some similarities with the Steig Larsson Millennium trilogy in style and pace. The plot begins with the killing of a family. The parents and younger daughter are dead and the son is near death. Only an older daughter is left and needs to be found before the killer strikes again. Detective Inspector Joona Linna asks Dr. Erik Maria Bark to hypnotize the surviving son to find out who the killer is. Dr. Bark swore off hypnosis as a treatment after a tragic event ten years earlier. His agreeing to hypnotize the wounded boy sets off a terrifying chain of events.

I don't want to give away too much of the plot in this review. (I don't even read the dust jacket flaps!) Even though the plot gets very complex and the names are hard to understand, I was really enthralled by this book. The end really explains everything and ties all of the characters together neatly. The Paganini Contract is the second book in the series featuring Detective Inspector Joona Linna and not yet available in the US. I hope it arrives soon!

The President is a Sick Man by Matthew Algeo

Posted by Ray on Tuesday, July 12, 2011 at 9:38 AM

Title: The President is a Sick Man by Matthew Algeo

I had seen this book in publishers' journals and I thought it might be an interesting read. When I discovered it was by the same author who wrote the book on Harry (and Bess) Truman's post-presidential roadtrip, I made the plunge as I'd enjoyed other book.

The title tells almost all. President Cleveland had a cancerous growth (and some of his teeth and jaw) removed during an operation on a friend's yacht (to help maintain secrecy). Cleveland pretty much hated the press (And would have even more so today had he still lived) and was fearful that the President's illness might plunge the country into an even deeper financial crisis. And so the operation was kept secret although through some loose lips a very honest and dedicated reporter found out and published what he knew which was pretty much on the mark. He was castigated by many and labeled a liar. It was only in the September 22nd, 1917, issue, of the Saturday Evening Post, in an article by the lead surgeon of the secret operation, that the full truth became (widely) known — and the reporter vindicated. That article was only a few pages. While I think maybe Mr. Alego didn't have enough material to expand this incident into a full book, he adds enough sidelights and followup material (such as what happened to each of the characters involved) that it is a pleasant and informative read. And while the material might lend itself to a diatribe about political coverups, on the whole the book is fair, gentle and informative. Even the reporter, E. J. Edwards, held nothing against Mr. Cleveland and wrote quite favorably about it afterwards.

This is a very pleasant read, enlightening an event (and perhaps even an era) and raising some interesting and valuable questions along the way.

M-G-M : Hollywood's Greatest Backlot by Steven Bingen et al.

Posted by Ray on Wednesday, July 6, 2011 at 2:36 PM

Title: M-G-M : Hollywood's Greatest Backlot by Steven Bingen

Most books about Hollywood studios come in the massive, hard to hold, coffee table size. Bingen, Sylvester and Troyan's M-G-M: Hollywood's Greatest Backlot, comes in the much easier to hold roughly 9 x 11 "landscape" format and it is a wonderful book. Where you can go to theme-park versions of Universal and other movie studio "backlots"-where all the "non-location" elements of films are made, you can't for M-G-M because most of it was bulldozed without much thought to preservation or reformulation. Sure people bought Dorothy's ruby slippers and other items at auction, but so much of these glorious 20th century film sets and scenes were lost save for wonderful photos, many of which are included in this book. What the trio does is take us on a tour of the studio. There are a number of maps with numbered buildings and spaces, a particular chapters take us through the main gates and then the lots of New York Streets, jungle scenes, tanks used for rivers, lakes and oceans as well as the front office. Each element is described and a good list of films which made use of those elements are remembered as well as interesting stories and "side-bars". Even though I've not seen most of those movies, it is a wonderful way to describe Hollywood and the studios. And makes me want to track down some DVDs. Scarcely a dull moment in the over 290 pages and a plethora of wonderful black-and-white photos (—My favorite? Lassie's paws-on moment with the camera - Page 53). For a fun time; a painless class in MGM; and a fun summer read, M-G-M: Hollywood's Greatest Backlot is the ticket!