The Black Swan by Nassim Taleb

I'm reviewing this book not because anyone else is likely to read it (it's a statistical discussion) but because I'll be referencing it in phone chats and notes hereafter. The title refers to how everyone can have an understanding of existence and a single observation can completely change that understanding. Every so often , that event also may have large consequences. In this case it was all Europeans being sure swans were only white because those were the only ones they had ever seen. After seeing a single Australian black swan, that theory of many centuries was shown to be wrong.

The book's point is that we view most of our existence in the same way, as if it were a statistical bell curve. If X observations have not indicated our understanding is wrong, then the chances of it being wrong are so remote as to be almost impossible. However, most things in life do not conform to the bell curve and lack of proof of an outlier is not the same as proof of the model we have in our head. Most of life's processes, including economics, history, social sciences and even many scientific areas, do not correspond to a linear formula. The reason an idea or a scientific model becomes dominant is not due to the merits of the idea or model but to luck and social dynamics related to the herd instinct. Other ideas and models can be more accurate or "better" and die off for reasons not related to the idea or model. Even a formula that may work under restricted (and unnatural) constraints will spin out of control in a short time span because of unknown or misunderstood interactions. We see this yearly with government and scientific predictions that fall apart in weeks, months or a few years, yet react strongly to embrace the next prediction with fervor.

So what? Taleb feels we are living in a world of increasing black swans due to the increased complexity of our world. Since his area of expertise is economics (he was a Wall Street options trader, among other things) economics is his main focus. He wrote this book in the last half of 2006, yet one of his points is "...As if we did not have enough problems, banks are now more vulnerable to the Black Swan ...than ever before with "scientists" among their staff taking care of exposures. The giant firm J.P. Morgan put the entire world at risk by introducing in the nineties RiskMetrics, a phony method aiming at managing people's risks, causing the generalized use of (a) fallacy... Likewise, the government-sponsored institution Fanny Mae, when I look at their risks, seems to be sitting on a barrel of dynamite, vulnerable to the slightest hiccup. But not to worry: their large staff of scientists deemed these events "unlikely."'

Wow, did he nail that two years ahead of the event. So what do we do if many of these big events can happen without us being able to predict them and yet those events can substantially change our life?

Don't worry about the stuff you can't control. The fact that any of us lives is a statistical miracle. Enjoy it. Rely on the things you know through practical experience. Be conservative if the downside risk of a chance failure is more than you can live with. Conversely, if you are working in an area where minor variance can occasionally produce huge payouts, expose yourself to those circumstances as much as possible. The richest, or longest living, or healthiest (pick your desired category for existence) person got there by having the luck of being in the right place at the right time with the right gifts (good genes, the right parents, the right culture, etc.) and then the skills to exploit the situation. In the case of investing, Taleb figures we don't really know the odds of most investments working out, so he's ultraconservative with about 85% of his investments (government bonds) and then invests the other 15% in those areas where a single breakout could make him ultra rich e.g. some computer companies in the early '90s, yet if he guesses wrong the chance of all of the 15% of the investments being hugely bad are not very high.

If you do read the book, he's pretty pleased with himself and is not afraid to throw zingers at authority. It's a fun read and if you decide to skip most of the statistical discussion and take his word for it, there are some profound insights worth retaining.

The Life of Andrew Jackson by Robert Remini

I picked this up to fill in some gaps about American politics in the first half of the 19th century. It is an abridgement of a three book set that won the National Book Award in 1984.

From the beginning, Jackson's life was an adventure. He fought in the Revolution at 13 and was orphaned in the same year. He fought duals, had a controversial romantic life, fought Indians and the British, and reshaped American political and governmental life. It is a life that a fiction script writer would risk criticism for inserting so many near-death experiences, national firsts and bigger than life characteristics. He is justifiably controversial for having elevated the presidency to its modern executive status, for moving almost all eastern native American tribes to lands west of the Mississippi, for balancing the budget for the first time since the Revolution, changing national banking practices, etc.

When I read about FDR last month I came away with mixed emotions due to his character flaws and strengths combined with some governmental successes. He pales in comparison to Jackson, both for his flaws, his strengths, and his governmental outcomes. What was most surprising was the many similarities to issues that were addressed in this last election. Jackson took actions that reminded me of Bush, except Jackson was more courageous and competent. He also took stands that Democrats would applaud, especially since he created the Democratic party. He probably reminds me most of Teddy Roosevelt but is a unique individual. You will not be bored with this story and will come away with an excellent understanding of people like Calhoun, Clay, Webster, J.Q. Adams, and those presidents who followed Jackson into the 1840's. A worthwhile read and one that will leave me thinking about a president's place in the American governmental triumvirate for a long time.

The Reluctant Fundamentalist

This book was one I picked up a few times throughout the last year or so and finally decided to give a try after reading some rave reviews. And while it was a good book, I really wanted to like it more than I did.
The story is told as a single monologue to an anonymous person who the main character, Changez, meets and sits down with at a cafe. Changez is a young Pakistani who is educated in the US (Princeton), falls in love, and is working at a great firm making a great living. But, while out of the country on 9/11, he finds that, upon his return to the US, the way in which he is perceived, and hence, the way he perceives the country as a whole, has changed drastically. He is profiled and experiences prejudices he never thought possible and eventually returns home to Pakistan to find that his perceptions of his homeland have changed as well. He seems to have an almost knee-jerk reaction to what he sees as a typically American snobbery, elitism, and entitlement. So, he becomes...yep, you guessed it! A reluctant fundamentalist.
It's a quick read and an interesting book, catching a glimpse inside the struggles with identity and sense of pride for your home that I'm sure many people experienced in the months and years after 9/11. But, again, I just couldn't really come to care about the character too much and really just found myself wanting to like this book more than I did. Could be a case of just reading it at the wrong time, or could just be the fact that it didn't click with me. Overall, I don't think any of you would really be riveted by this book, but I'm glad I read it. Fulfilled my curiosity and was a pleasant way to spend a few days. Not a glowing review, but they can't all be "Stori Telling"!

Dracula

So I borrowed this book from Natalie, who highly recommended it. She and I typically have pretty similar book taste and exchange books often. However, this was one (much like "Middlesex") that I did not take to quite like she did.

The story is told mostly through the papers, diaries, and phonograph recordings of people involved in this bizarre story. The general story line is that of a Count that plans to move to a more urban setting (London) where there is a richer "diet." There he finds lots of women (who he can sink his teeth into). But he runs into some opposition, though he always seems to be one step ahead of them. It is interesting to observe the technologies and ideologies of the time, as Stoker describes them, but overall I just found it a bit too...ridiculous. Perhaps I should've read it as more of a comedy, though, because upon reflection, I think that may have been the intent, to a point. And by no means was it poorly written, but I tend not to be drawn so much to this time period in general and the overall writing style.

Having said that, of the blogging enthusiasts in the family I would say this is something dad or Amanda would gravitate to more than mom. It's a dense book but could be worth your time, especially since it is a classic. And, quite appropriately timed (more or less) with Halloween!

Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote

Not sure how many of you have seen the movie version of "Breakfast at Tiffany's", but I saw the movie before reading the short story by Truman Capote and they are quite different. But different in a great way! The short story is about Holly Golightly and her relationship with her neighbor (the narrator). Throughout the story they became good friends and you soon realize that the narrator hasn't seen Holly in 15 years and that the beginning of the story is actually the end (and I typically love books like this). Holly is a bit flighty and lost, but seems to catch the attention and adoration of those who encounter her. She is constantly wondering, roaming, searching for a place to belong. However, Truman Capote leaves us not knowing quite what has happened to Holly - did she ever find a sense of home or peace?

When I was searching for a picture of the book cover online I stumbled across a review of the book that seems to sum it up quite well (better than I ever could):

"Holly is the epitome of wild things, for what place does a wild thing belong but in the wild? It puts forth the question but not the answer of where a wild thing belongs when there is no wilderness left. But the cat, a wonderer who found a home, gives us some hope, that a wild thing can find a place to belong, and not be caged. It is a motif that Capote exposes with a charming tale and a truly unforgettable character. "

And that about does it! You can easily read this short story in a few hours and it's defintely worth the read! Enjoy!

The Shape Shifter by Tony Hillerman

I thought I'd just give a short plug for Tony Hillerman, since he pasted away a little more than a week ago. This was his last book and I'd recommend the series. In brief, these books feature an older Navajo police lieutenant and a younger police sergeant who solve cases in reservation areas of the southwest tribes in Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah. The FBI is responsible for handling felonies like murder and armed robbery, but often do not understand the underlying dynamics of those indian cultures. The two Navajo policemen do and often solve the cases by coming at them from another point of view and a different entry point, like a stolen pot or container of pine sap.

Some of the most satisfying reading for me is to be immersed in a culture very different from my own and following an interesting human dilemma using points of view that blend the familiar human condition with the unique issues associated with a different culture. In his best books, Hillerman pulled it off well. If you want to get a feel for his writing, try some early books, although this one stands alone as a decent mystery.

Straight Man by Richard Russo

I have a dilemma. The Salmon Rushdi review referred to it as a hoot. "Straight Man" by Richard Russo, also is a hoot in a somewhat different way, so hoot needs clarification. A hoot is a combination of funny (from ironic to laugh-out-loud) and complex in a good way. Rushdi's book was ironic with a dense and outlandish plot. Russo's book is laugh out loud funny with a compelling plot that is only slightly outlandish.

With that out of the way, let's continue. If you like "Empire Falls" or "Nobody's Fool" then you will like this book. For those who have not read either of the others, Russo gives you a man negotiating life's normal problems with humor and insight in a small town that has seen better days. In the case of "Straight Man" the town is equally down-and-out with the main character, William Henry Devereaux, Jr., being a college english professor with a wise-ass approach to life. The book hit close to home because WHD's dialogue sounds like what often goes through my head. It took a while to finally suppress most of the dialogue (but not the thoughts) because, as my father used to say, nobody likes a wise ass. In "Straight Man" many people do not like WHD for that reason. An equal number do like him because he is a funny, decent guy, but are exasperated by what looks like self-destructive behaviour. Most of the plot involves a week or so as he nears 50 and his wife is out of town. He's a man at war with himself but doesn't quite realize it. Following him to a satisfying conclusion is a fun ride through this interesting life. I'm pretty sure all of you will like this one.

Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie

I know, I've had this discussion with Jackie, Becky and Amanda. Salman Rushdie? The guy who angered an entire religion and had a death sentence on his head for his writing? When you could be cruising with Torri Spelling? That Salman Rushdie? Yes, and he's a hoot.

Envision the story of the birth and beginning of the life of India as told by Forest Gump on crack. Add in the magic story telling of (I can't think of anyone else who can make up this stuff) and you've got what I think "Snow" was supposed to do for Turkey but failed miserably. To help you out, the narrator gives you a running start by giving you two generations before he was born at exactly midnight of the day India became a nation. As it turns out, anyone born around that hour was gifted with some kind of magic power, from changing their own sex at will, to multiplying fishes, to really being able to do magic, to (well, you get the idea). As a conglomerate, they are called midnight's children.

Now, it would probably help if you knew the background of the gazillion deitys that make up the Hindu religion but he gives you enough background to know a guy named Shiva will not be the hero of the story. It would also help to understand whichever language is Rushdie's native tongue (India has about as many languages as it does gods) so you would know when the thing he is eating (or is floating down a river) is a fish or a sweet piece of cake. In the end, it's sort of fun to figure it's either and see which way you like the story best.

Finally, I like his style. He tells stories with lots of parenthetical asides, as do I. Although some may find it annoying (present reader's company excepted), it worked for me. Of our faithful readers, Amanda would probably like this best but it really is a heck of a story and worth the 533 pages (did he say 533?) to tell the tale. Enjoy.

Magical Thinking by Augusten Burroughs

I loved this book. Yes, I realize that Amanda may run away screaming because it's by Augusten Burroughs, acclaimed author of Running With Scissors, but this is a fabulous collection of short stories that had me laughing out loud. If any of you are David Sedaris fans I think you would get a kick out of this book. And the comparison isn't only with the writing style, though they are quite similar. His sexual preference (yes, he's gay), the slightly disturbing childhood and family drama (though, arguably, Burroughs had it way worse), and the humor with which he deals with it all is just...well, refreshing!

Even though Burroughs has unquestionably had a crazy, disturbing life, he addresses it with such humor that you actually find yourself relating to it...I swear! I think my favorite story is about him living in New York City and encountering a rat in his bathtub. This is a pretty typical New York City story - the whole rodent infestation problem, etc. But the way with which he goes about destroying this creature, and feeling this tug between good and evil, humanity and cruelty - it was absolutely hilarious.

If you're looking for a quick read, and (like most short story collections) a book you can put down and pick up at any time, this is your book. I realize this is coming from the person who read, blogged about, and even reveled in Stori Telling, but I swear...this was good!

Snow by Orhan Pamuk

I wanted to read this book because it was a NY Times Best Book of the Year and I've enjoyed several on the list. After all, who could resist a book that Margaret Atwood described as "Not only an engrossing feat of tale-spinning but essential reading for our times.?" Well, apparently Jackie could because she put it down after reading 100 pages.

Briefly, this is a story of a Turkish poet in exile who returns to Turkey and goes to a back-water town near the Iranian border to write about Islamic girls who are committing suicide but also because he might be able to hit on a beautiful woman he briefly met in college who is now divorced. Sounds like a page turner.

Well, the poet is a shallow, self-center child of a man at 47. What an idiot. This is the kind of book Becky talks about where the dialogue makes you want to curl up on the couch and overdose on something (booze, pills, "Friends" reruns). After 250 pages of this inane dialogue I thought of quiting the book but decided the story might come together in a brilliant conclusion. After all, John Updike said "...A major work...with suspense at every dimpled vortex (whatever the heck that means)...Pamuk [is Turkey's] most likely candidate for the Nobel Prize." John must have gotten a different edition than the one I read. I now feel like the little boy on Christmas morning who sees a giant pile of horse manure in the yard and starts digging to the bottom because he's sure there's a pony in there somewhere. Take it from me, after 426 pages, there is no pony.

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers

If there's anyone who might enjoy this, out of those who read this blog (family-wise), it'd be Amanda. Though I'm not sure exactly how you'd feel about it because I got the same feeling reading this as I did reading Chuck Klosterman's Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs and - dare I say it - Augusten Burroughs Running With Scissors. I dare to say it fits somewhere in the middle, which may be a turnoff to Amanda altogether. But it made me laugh in the same way those books did, and had the same overall tone.
This book almost won the Pulitzer prize when it came out and I've seen it over the years but have put off picking it up until now. It's definitely a book I can see a young 20-early 30-something guy relating to quite well. But being an (early) 30-something gal, there were definitely bits I could relate to as well (like when he tried out for the San Francisco season of The Real World...I never did so, but all of the references made complete sense to me, as they would most people of my generation).
Anyway, it's a literary autobiography about this guy who moves to San Francisco from Chicago after the death of his parents to start a hipster paper, raising his younger brother and dealing with being a young guy trying to support his family. He has to deal with his other siblings who are more or less in the picture when it's convenient, all while trying to figure out who he is.
Sometimes the writing style got on my nerves with it's stream of consciousness feeling, and going back and forth between the past and present took a second to get used to. But for the most part it helped the book flow and move quite well, and there were definitely some laugh out loud moments.
Do I think it's one of the best books I've ever read? No. But typically when I read books that have been up for or have won the Pulitzer Prize or National Book Award, etc., I feel as if it's praise for something maybe not quite worthy. Or maybe I just don't get it.
But that's not to say I didn't enjoy the book, I actually really enjoyed it. But it was a book about a guy who dealt with some really heavy family stuff pretty early in life and had to grow up (though whether he actually did grow up for a while there is still up in the air) earlier than most. It's a "coming of age" piece that I think has really resonated with a lot of people for no other reason, perhaps, than because he was able to put on paper what others can only partially conceptualize. It was good. A quick(ish) read and a book I think will find itself worked into literary and pop culture references for years to come. Worthy of the Pulitzer Prize? Probably not. Worthy of your time? Yep.

Stori Telling

Most everyone who reads this review (hell, everyone) will undoubtedly lose most of whatever respect they had for me. But I don't care. That's right, people - I bought AND read Stori Telling by Tori Spelling. Soak it up. Breath it in. You're related to me.
Why did I pick up this book, you ask? A few reasons. One, it's summertime and dammit, I wanted something to read at the beach. Forget the fact that I read this on a sunny, hot Hoboken day laying on my leather couch for 7 hours until I finished it. Forget all of that. Forget the fact that I called several Barnes and Nobles (and, admittedly, a few Border's) to see if anyone had a copy. Sure, maybe it should've made me a bit embarrassed that this book was sold out everywhere (meaning that "the masses" were picking it up, and that usually isn't good). But I was shameless. I called everywhere saying "Do you have Stori Telling by Tori Spelling?" trying to sound as intelligent and worldly as I am while also really hoping they would put it on hold for me.
Second? I was curious. Maybe it stemmed from getting sucked into a marathon of her reality show on the Oxygen network "Tori and Dean." Maybe it is because I grew up watching her on 90210. Maybe it was because I always kinda thought she was an idiot and spoiled and entitled and annoying, and then when I watched that stupid marathon thought "Wait, she's kinda funny." Who cares. I bought it, and that's that.
So. The review? Well, none of you will read it, I'm sure, and that's just fine. I proudly have it displayed right up there with "The Bell Jar" and "Anna Karinina" and "Memoirs of a Geisha." Well, maybe not proudly, but it's there. And I am going to stick by this purchase because it was funny. And light. And a quick read. And it didn't make me curl up into the fetal position and contemplate the best ways to take your life. And I'm a firm believer that not every book has to change my life. Sure, it'd help if I learned something from it, but does it count that I learned that Tori Spelling only had one nose job as opposed to the several it's always reported she has gotten? Yeah, didn't think so.
Sure, it's fluffy and ridiculous and I'm sure you all have your opinions of Tori Spelling and her life so I won't bother trying to explain any of it away. I stand by it. I own it. It's a toss up between what was fluffier this summer, Stori Telling or Valley of the Dolls. But both have lots of pink on the cover, so that counts for something, right? Ok, you may proceed to mock me now.

No Ordinary Time

Okay, I know...another biography. I admit I'm hooked. I actually started reading this book about 10 years ago but it just didn't grab me. So, after all this time I decided to give it another try and I'm glad I did. It was well worth the investment of time and effort (all 635 pages). Doris Kearns Goodwin (Team of Rivals) is a clear and concise writer and, in this case has written a compelling and informative story, subtitled, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II.

As a child growing up in post- WWII America, the nation was still basking in the afterglow of the FDR presidency. It was a time of great national pride and growing prosperity after winning "the war". Although FDR had died in 1945 during his fourth term in office (can you imagine if we had GWB around that long?!!), his legacy was (and is) legion. Eleanor Roosevelt also remained a popular and much admired public figure, often appearing on television (a new media source in the 50s) to make public service announcements. After reading this book I have a much greater understanding of what it must have been like to have lived during "the war" and some of this nations darkest hours. I also gained a deeper appreciation for the contributions and sacrifices made by both Franklin and Eleanor during this critical and historic time. Franklin, an eternal optimist and Eleanor, a poster-child for civil rights and social justice, formed an unlikely, yet powerful partnership.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it to anyone who wants to know more about America's role in WWII. In summary, Doris Kearns Goodwin writes, "the Roosevelt years had witnessed the most profound social revolution in the country since the Civil War- nothing less than the creation of modern America.

In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto

Apparently, Mom was not that impressed by this book, but I really enjoyed it. I read "Omnivore's Dilema" last year and found it compelling, so I was excited about this one. This book is more concise and doesn't go into as much detail as his first book, but that was okay with me. I enjoyed his down-to-earth eating recommendation: "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." That sums it up right there, but he explains each of those statements further and gives some guidance about how to choose the food you eat.

Every time I read one of these books (about food, health, or the environment), I get more and more frustrated with the way I eat and always want to improve myself and my habits. You would think it easy to eat food, not too much, mostly plants...but Pollan explains why so much of Western food culture conspires against people trying to do just that.

I found this book inspiring and hopeful and would recommend it to anyone who is curious about why the Western diet is slowly (or quickly) killing most people who adopt it.

The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Nighttime by Mark Haddon

This book was wonderful! I was a little worried when the protagonist found a murdered dog on his neighbor's front lawn on the first page. I've been a little skittish ever since "The Road." But he didn't eat the dog or anything and instead decided to find out who killed the dog and write a murder mystery about it. Oh, and the main character is a young autistic boy with a fascination for numbers and "doing maths." You will fall in love with his way of looking at the world.

I thought Haddon did an amazing job of really helping me think like this little boy. I started looking at my own world differently. When I read the dust jacket I found out he used to work with autistic children it made a lot of sense. He really understood his character on a deep level and let him tell the story in his own words. Really, I don't want to give anything away by going deeper into the plot, but I think all of you would enjoy this one...a lot. One of my favorite books in a long time (along with "The Book of Lost Things.") Very unique, true-to-life, and entertaining. Enjoy!

Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson

This is a great book. In brief, it's the story of Trond Sander, a Norwegian who has moved to the countryside and is caught up in reflections of critical events of his life at fifteen. The narrative keeps jumping between 1948 in a cabin with his father and the turn of the millenium, also in a cabin, but alone and facing the end of his life. It seems a simple enough story, but it becomes increasingly layered without being too dense or confusing. All it's depictions of friendship, family love, and discovery as the world becomes larger ring true. I liked the characters and cared what happened to them. I may read it a second time just because it is such a pleasant read but also because the events of his life at fifteen call out for retrospective. When I finished the final paragraph, the main point of the story (and a philosophy for life) jumped out and caught in my throat. I know this is a book I'll think about a lot over time. I recommend it to everyone.

Helping Me Help Myself by Beth Lisick

As promised, a FUNNY book. "Helping Me Help Myself" was perfect! I don't know if we were seperated at birth or something, but Lisick seems to be some sort of soul sister. Basically, Lisick, a determined skeptic of self-reflection and gurus, decided it might be a kick to try out different "self-help" theories throughout the year and see if she might get something out of it. Embarassingly, I've read most of the authors/gurus she wrote about: Julia Cameron ("The Artist's Way" - to help her creativity,) Deepak Chopra (to help her find her spirit,) and, of course, Richard Simmons! It was a riot!

Of course, my favorite chapter might have been when she tried to take some advice from a parenting book to get her 4-year old to behave. Reading about her trying to get him dressed in the morning brought tears to my eyes because I could relate on such a deep level. And like any great comic writer, she had me laughing at every awkward, painful experience. Seriously, I was afraid of waking some kids up in the nap room because I was having such a hard time stifling my laughter.

That being said, can I send a shout out for some recommendations of cheerful/funny books I can read? Dad's latest "Stealing Horses" might fit the bill, I'm not sure. But basically, I have had to put down two books recently that were just miserably depressing. Alice Sebold's (of "The Lovely Bones") "The Almost Moon" and Jeannette Walls "The Glass Castle" were both painful in their own way. I got about 3/5 of the way through both of them before stopping. Sebold's was about a woman who murdered her dementia-stricken mother and I just didn't care that much about the main character. Plus, I couldn't relate at all...seriously. Did you hear that mom, couldn't relate at all. Her mom was pretty messed up and was basically never there for her daughter emotionally. And "The Glass Castle" was similar in the sense that it's a memoir about Walls growing up with her emotionally disturbed parents as they dragged she and her siblings across the country. The parents in both books were so horrible, I just didn't feel like reading any more. I understand that some parents are horrible but it's just not entertaining to read about such miserableness. At least, not right now. Not after "The Road." So any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

If I could only resist when someone said I really shouldn't do something, last Sunday and Monday would have been fine. I would have watched a little TV, maybe a movie, and cared for my ill daughter. But no. Becky had to say "You know a book you would really find interesting, but no, you really shouldn't read it. Amanda, you shouldn't. Never mind." Um, no. I can't never mind. And she handed over the name of it: The Road. She had given me a brief rundown: father and son on the road during some sort of nuclear winter...very bleak, depressing, yadda yadda yadda. I thought "Hey, I'm peak oil girl. I'm down with depressing. Gotta' embrace it, if you're gonna' face it, right?" Wrong. I shouldn't have read this book.

And mom, you DEFINITELY shouldn't read this book. You might not even want to read this review.
In short, this book IS about a man and his young son traveling along a bleak road headed towards the ocean. And when I say bleak, I mean everything's dead. Everything. No animals, dead trees, vegetation turned to ash. Oh, and did I mention the cannibals? Because, I suppose technically, some people are alive...and them's good eatin', right? I swear, I read half this book curled up in the fetal position.

With that being said, this was also an amazing story. I found myself overwhelmed by the sheer hopelessness of it all. Nathan was a little confused about why I kept muttering "I'd just kill myself...I really would..." until I explained it to him, at which point he got back to his Facebook poker game. The idea that almost all life has been wiped off the face of the planet and these two people are trying to hold on to the little shred of hope that life might go on, was inspiring. But I'd still kill myself. Like, way before the cannibals showed up.

I can definitely understand why McCarthy won the Pulitzer for this one. It is well written, engaging, and absorbing. You don't struggle with it, in a literary way. You just travel the road with these two people and see the world through their eyes. And you are transformed. Granted, you may be transformed into someone rocking in the fetal position trying to figure out how to most mercifully kill yourself and loved ones without a gun available, but it'll change you! I wouldn't wish this book on anyone looking for a good night's sleep. But, if you're curious, Dad might be able to take it (and take something away from it, too.) Enjoy!

The Foreign Correspondent by Alan Furst

Thought a change of pace was due in the posts. Sort of like Becky's "Valley of the Dolls" without the drugs. The story concerns an Italian refugee living in Paris just before WWII and writing for Reuters. He's also the new editor of an underground Italian newspaper critical of the fascists. The old editor got shot in a staged double murder and the paper's remaining workers deal with the Italian secret police operating in Paris who are trying to take them out and close the paper. There's also a couple of love interests that pop up with complications.

Although the story sounds trite or pedestrian it is saved by the author. He makes the characters believable and the action moves along without too much violence or car chasing. The author who comes closest to him appears to be John LeCarre in his earlier books. Not quite as bleak but relatively realistic. If you like political intrigue, you should like this book. I did.

1421 by Gavin Menzies

Here goes another history like "Guns, Germs and Steel." The premise is that all the Europeans who we've been taught discovered the routes to Africa, the Americas, Australia, Antarctica and the North Pole were not the first to do so. A giant fleet of hundreds of ships sent by the emperor of China in 1421 to map all the unknown worlds accomplished all those feats, sometimes as much as 300 or more years before Europeans followed in their wake. In addition, although the Europeans were brave men who accomplished their voyages at great risk, it was not without prior knowledge. Prince Henry the Navigator had maps made in the 1420's and beyond based on Chinese maps that accurately showed Africa, the Americas, Australia, Antarctica and the far east. Columbus, Magellan, and the other Portuguese and Spanish explorers mention in their ship's logs and diaries that the places they encountered were where they were supposed to be according to those maps. Columbus's reporting errors back to the Spanish of having found China make sense when viewed in context. He had lied to the Spanish royalty that a quicker route to China could be accomplished going west while the Portuguese were going to China around Africa. If the Spanish, who did not know about the maps (but Columbus did) had thought the Portuguese would get there first, the Spanish would not have funded Columbus's journey.

In addition to already knowing the route based on Chinese maps, all of the explorers mentioned encountering Chinese or Chinese goods in all those places. It appears that as Chinese ships wrecked in these various places, crews were left in place to set up colonies until future fleets could return to relieve them. DNA from tribes in the Americas, including the Sioux, the Navajo, some in the northeast U.S., plus Central and South America show Chinese ancestry. Even peoples who come from far northern Norway have the southeastern Chinese DNA. Tribes in Peru and on the North American west coast spoke and dressed as Chinese when first encountered by Spanish explorers and priests. The evidence of first contact by the Chinese prior to European exploration is massive, with over 1000 articles and books worldwide written over many decades on different aspects of the subject.

So how come we never heard about this in school. It turns out that when the fleet returned to China, rather than receiving a hero's welcome, they found that the old emperor was dying and the new emperors thereafter wanted nothing further to do with foreign trade and travel. That deep ocean travel and trade had been going on for at least 800 years up to that point. They ordered all maps and writings about the global trek to be destroyed. The deep water ships then in existence were to be destroyed or left to rot and the extensive trading system in the Pacific and Indian Oceans to be all but ended. However, sailors and merchants from other countries, including at least one European had sailed with the fleet for large segments of the journey and recorded their experiences. At least one of the Europeans made his way back to the map making center of Europe and is the probable source for the information on the maps used by Prince Henry.

The same strengths and weaknesses of "Guns, Germs, and Steel" are present in this book. The way that the story is pieced together is interesting and well done. However, the use of the personal pronoun "I" appears with too much frequency. A good rule of thumb in business writing is to never use any personal pronouns; once every 50 to 100 pages is about right in any other literary form other than fiction. The author's self reference is defensible because he takes on such a major paradigm shift in how historic oceanic exploration is currently taught that a little self-defensive rhetoric is understandable. However, it increases near the end of the book and makes the argument more strident than necessary. If you don't become too wrapped up in the names of the Chinese emperors and admirals and in geometric discussions of solving for latitude and longitude, the story flows well. It's a good read and the author makes his case. Once again "history as it's taught in school is bunk."