DESPERATE PASSAGE. Rarick, Ethan. Read: April 2008.

Revisionist account of the tragic Donner Party story.
Past accounts have traditionally portrayed the pioneer party unsympathetically. Rarick's account is more forgiving, while still critical of the party's fateful blunders - starting the journey too late in the season; underestimating the potential perils of their journey; and underestimating the American Western landscape in general.

In all, a very enjoyable, engaging read. I read this in about three days, which, for me, always means I could hardly bear to put the book down. This is the kind of history book I love and crave more of - factual and rich in detail, yet the narrative pace is fluid and seamless.
I highly recommend this to anyone interested in the history of the American West. It's more than just a tale of what forces good citizens into horrid circumstances like cannibalism. Rarick succeeds in showing how the Donner Party really embodied the essence of the first pioneer FAMILIES trying to push through the desert and mountain barriers to the coast.
Very good read.

Updating past posts. . .

I'm in the process, tongith and tomorrow, of updating (i.e., filling in details) my past posts on this blog. I refer to those posts with only the title of the book. My intentions for this blog is to at least indicate if I liked the book or not, if I recommend it, for whom, and a brief synopsis and analysis of the book.

So, if you scroll down (you know, YOU, the sole person besides myself to ever read this blog) the page you'll see a few details about the books I've read.

THE ROAD. McCarthy, Cormac. Read: August 2008.

"A father and his son walk alone through burned America. Nothing moves in the ravaged landscape save the ash on the wind. It is cold enough to crack stones, and when the snow falls, it is gray. The sky is dark. Their destination is the coast, although they don't know what, if anything, awaits them there."

So states the blurb on the back cover of the paperback version of THE ROAD by Cormac McCarthy.
This is the first - and, so far, only - book I've read by McCarthy, and I'm terribly impressed. I read this in two days flat. I simply could not put it down. I stayed up late reading it in bed, and I never stay up late reading anymore.
The gist of the story is stated above, but although the tale is universal and so general, really, that we're never informed why the world is the way it is - in fact, we're never even told the man and boy's names - it is also an immensely personal story, a common story shared between a child and his parent.

Highly, highly recommended. One of the best novels I've ever read, period. I am in awe of McCarthy's narrative genius. So much that it's hard to define.

A warning that it's somewhat depressing.

LETTER TO A CHRISTIAN NATION. Harris, Sam.

I'm in the middle of reading THE GOD DELUSION (did you know God was a delusion??!! :) ) by Richard Dawkins, which I like enough, but someone recommended Harris's book as well (they also recommended THE END OF FAITH by Harris. Haven't read that yet.)
This is a very quick read, intended, I guess, not for the likes of me. (agnostic/atheist) Or maybe it is, as Harris argues against tolerance for religious people near the end of the book. (I tend to be very forgiving of others' mumbo-jumbo - hey, I was once guilty of it. Granted, I wasn't old enough to order a drink, but it takes some folks longer. . )
The "letter" is addressed to U.S. Christians, and his arguments are compelling and well thought out. His tone is calm and fluid, and he drives his points about disproving the existence of any god consistently and with eloquence.
That being said, I consier myself agnostic and don't need much convincing, but I was taken aback by his arguments against religious tolerance. After having read it, though, I must admit agreeing with him.
If you're Christian, or Muslim or Jewish, you may find this book offensive, and for good reason. Harris' main intent is to attack the foundations of your belief system. But I'm all for confronting the ideas that frighten you. It's how I managed to become a "free-thinker", myself.
Recommended for those who enjoy a good, but polite rant about the hazards of religion, and for those considering crossing over to the dark side.

MY LOBOTOMY. Dully, Howard. 2007.

This is one of those books I happened upon while perusing the New Books aisle at the library. Intrigued by the title, I picked it up, read the inside jacket, started reading the first page and couldn't put it down.

It's a compelling and heart-wrenching story. Although Dully, now a tour bus driver in his fifties, had help writing the book, his own voice seems to shine through so well that it seems he's right there in the room with you, telling his story.

Oh, of course, the book is about Dully's front-orbital lobotomy at the age of twelve, because he had behavorial issues at home. Interesting and scary. Relevant to today's "issues" and concerns with children, i.e., the whole ADHD thing.

This is a quick, engaging read - I read it in two days, couldn't put it down - and you'd be brain-dead yourself if you didn't find this fascinating. A very sad story, yet hopeful and inspiring. Highly recommended, especially for an "interim" book if you're like me and read a lot of dry non-fiction and need a quick break from that.

THE SHELTERING SKY. Bowles, Paul.

January 2008.

DOWN AND OUT IN PARIS AND LONDON

Orwell, George.
February 2008.

ANIMAL VEGETABLE MIRACLE

Kingsolver, Barbara. February 2008.

A LAND SO STRANGE: THE EPIC JOURNEY OF CABEZA DE VACA

Dec. 2007

SAVAGE KINGDOM. Woolley, Benjamin.

Subtitled, "The True Story of Jamestown, 1607, and the Settlement of America."

Well, sometimes, the truth is tedious, and complicated, and really, somewhat boring.

I looked forward to this book coming out and when I finally saw it on the New Books shelf at the library, I couldn't wait to read it.
It is not a quick read.

Woolley seems to leave no trivial detail unturned in the story of Jamestown's founding. There is an adventure tale, and a morality tale, both present in this story but they are both clouded over by tedious details of the capitalist undertakings of the business men and politicians who really made Jamestown happen. I realize they made it happen, but - that part is just not very interesting. Unless you're an economics historian or something. Does such a tedious person exist? Well, if so, this book is for them.

Only recommended for History of Economics professors. Everyone else should watch Disney's POCAHONTAS with their kids.
Okay, or find a better book about Jamestown. Then, please tell ME about it, so I can read it, too.