"The Summer of Robert Byron" is a romance narrated by a Vietnam War Veteran in 1966 about the redeeming power of love in overcoming the most unimagina"The Summer of Robert Byron" is a romance narrated by a Vietnam War Veteran in 1966 about the redeeming power of love in overcoming the most unimaginable and horrific of dark nights of the spirit. The protagonist's surname suggests the great British Romantic poet, Lord Byron, and the object of Robert's affection is Jean Summer, a beautiful, worthy woman who is a school teacher in Blue Spring, Michigan. Robert's unspeakably dreadful experience in Vietnam haunts him to the point that he is unable both to communicate and, therefore, to commit with reciprocity to a woman's love: he is convinced that he is unworthy of it. This condition of his deep sense of alienation caused by the collective horrors of Vietnam leaves him deeply, spiritually wounded with scars few can see and without a remedy for his healing. Arnett's tale reminded me in places of "A Farewell to Arms" by Hemingway insofar as it juxtaposes the conflicting powers of love and war. Arnett is at his best when he alludes, with understatement, to the heartbreak he experienced in Vietnam, which is now being so well portrayed by Ken Burns in his new documentary film on the war. The natural banter of the dialogue between Robert and Jean represents another virtue of the writing of Arnett in this novel. He moves along the plot points of the story arc briskly and convincingly and skillfully within the genre. The existential challenge for Robert and Jean is whether the power of love is sufficient to overcome the horror of war: it is a conflict of the human condition well worth understanding. If the absurdity and nihilistic outcomes of war win the day, despite the beauty of love, then where does that leave us? What would such an outcome say about the possibility of finding meaning and depth and beauty resident within existence? Conversely, despite the snake in the Garden of Eden, if the human condition also offers the opportunity for love and time to heal even the most debilitating wounds of mind and body, then perhaps salvation exists for those of us fortunate enough to find it in dealing with the everyday hardships of existence. And perhaps the value and joys of love are even heightened by the contrast of the suffering, which precedes it. Arnett portrays the existential dance of love and war in his heartfelt romantic tale with a humility and integrity that I respect and admire. His ability to present his heroine with depth, intelligence and nobility render Jean as a round, well animated character whom it is a pleasure to get to know within Arnett's narrative. From my perspective the print version would be improved by technical pre-production enhancements leading to a higher rating. The bottom line and net effect are that this tale of love and war is one to add to your reading list because so much of one's sense of the meaning of life can be derived from the resolution of love and war. In a cynical world where war is so much a focus on the global stage one may find solace in the perception that humankind is also endowed with the means to overcome its worst catastrophe if we only have the courage and faith and relentless persistence to deploy it wisely.
Merged review:
"The Summer of Robert Byron" is a romance narrated by a Vietnam War Veteran in 1966 about the redeeming power of love in overcoming the most unimaginable and horrific of dark nights of the spirit. The protagonist's surname suggests the great British Romantic poet, Lord Byron, and the object of Robert's affection is Jean Summer, a beautiful, worthy woman who is a school teacher in Blue Spring, Michigan. Robert's unspeakably dreadful experience in Vietnam haunts him to the point that he is unable both to communicate and, therefore, to commit with reciprocity to a woman's love: he is convinced that he is unworthy of it. This condition of his deep sense of alienation caused by the collective horrors of Vietnam leaves him deeply, spiritually wounded with scars few can see and without a remedy for his healing. Arnett's tale reminded me in places of "A Farewell to Arms" by Hemingway insofar as it juxtaposes the conflicting powers of love and war. Arnett is at his best when he alludes, with understatement, to the heartbreak he experienced in Vietnam, which is now being so well portrayed by Ken Burns in his new documentary film on the war. The natural banter of the dialogue between Robert and Jean represents another virtue of the writing of Arnett in this novel. He moves along the plot points of the story arc briskly and convincingly and skillfully within the genre. The existential challenge for Robert and Jean is whether the power of love is sufficient to overcome the horror of war: it is a conflict of the human condition well worth understanding. If the absurdity and nihilistic outcomes of war win the day, despite the beauty of love, then where does that leave us? What would such an outcome say about the possibility of finding meaning and depth and beauty resident within existence? Conversely, despite the snake in the Garden of Eden, if the human condition also offers the opportunity for love and time to heal even the most debilitating wounds of mind and body, then perhaps salvation exists for those of us fortunate enough to find it in dealing with the everyday hardships of existence. And perhaps the value and joys of love are even heightened by the contrast of the suffering, which precedes it. Arnett portrays the existential dance of love and war in his heartfelt romantic tale with a humility and integrity that I respect and admire. His ability to present his heroine with depth, intelligence and nobility render Jean as a round, well animated character whom it is a pleasure to get to know within Arnett's narrative. From my perspective the print version would be improved by technical pre-production enhancements leading to a higher rating. The bottom line and net effect are that this tale of love and war is one to add to your reading list because so much of one's sense of the meaning of life can be derived from the resolution of love and war. In a cynical world where war is so much a focus on the global stage one may find solace in the perception that humankind is also endowed with the means to overcome its worst catastrophe if we only have the courage and faith and relentless persistence to deploy it wisely....more
A genuinely witty and finely wrought poetic work. Masterfully written by an intellect highly attuned to the sense and sensibility of great poetry. A jA genuinely witty and finely wrought poetic work. Masterfully written by an intellect highly attuned to the sense and sensibility of great poetry. A joy to read with many comic allusions to parody the immortals. If you love poetry and want a few really good laughs, then you really should read this gem. Only a true poet could write a parody of the masters as amusing as this one by Powers....more
Doremus Jessup is a newspaper editor in Vermont witness to and victim of the unprecedented political ascent of an ambitious champion of the average ciDoremus Jessup is a newspaper editor in Vermont witness to and victim of the unprecedented political ascent of an ambitious champion of the average citizen, Buzz Windrip, running for President. Buzz eschews liberal elites and makes outrageous promises, that his electoral base will buy wholesale, because at least he is an advocate for their point of view and they have been previously ignored and underserved. Thus, Buzz Windrip becomes President of the USA. He immediately and strategically takes steps to neuter the other two branches of government, which normally would create checks and balances to his executive power. He establishes a devoted private militia, the Minute Men, and grants his goon squad powers over the citizenry to fulfill his vision of building an Aryan Nation within the USA. Then Buzz gerrymanders the states into districts in order to minimize the individual powers of states rights. He orders that martial law be imposed during which his powers as (Commander-in-) Chief go unchecked and he is eager to start a needless war with Mexico at which point he can pretty much solely dictate the political direction of the nation under the blanket pretext of necessary emergency measures. He proclaims himself the supreme leader of the nation and takes down one by one all dissidents and rivals. He emasculates the free presss by sending any and all critics into concentration camps through the loyal, mindless and cruel thugs of his Minute Men. Buzz uses Orwellian techniques to communicate how he plans to raise the quality of life by endowing every citizen with a gift of $5,000: naturally, there is no budgetary funding for such an outrageous promise (think Middle Class Tax Relief) but the sleeping electorate buys this promise and a legion of other Big Lies that he can't possibly keep. Elaborate and convincing shows of power are staged, especially among military groups to keep adversaries at bay. Minorities are brutally persecuted and made scapegoats in order to ensure that the American Way remains the Aryan Way. Unchallenged and unquestioned patriotism, or chauvinism, prevail as a national sentiment despite the harm done to democratic institutions by incumbents in power absent the intelligent, critical minds of the free press and true patriots with the courage to speak out against an absolute, totalitarian regime ruled by a narcissist, egomaniac relentlessly seeking to enlarge the scope of his own political and material gain through the auspices of wealthy individuals and corporate entities ("Corpos")supporting him for their own pursuit of self-interest and enrichment. So with the underclasses to provide him with sufficient plurality to take-over democratic ideals and political funding provided by the Corpos, Windrip builds a totalitarian regime within the USA. The intelligentsia flees, while able to do so, as a diaspora to other democratic nations like Canada. If scenarios of this coup d'état seem familiar, history shows them as Hitler's playbook in his ascent within a democracy to create an absolute dictatorship with Nazi Germany. None of this real history of Nazi Germany happened by accident and the epic misery it created offers a history lesson well worth revisiting now. When one is witness to the torchlight gathering at the University of Virginia of rabid devotees of White Nationalism, the Aryan Nation, KKK and Nazism, it is not such a leap as we may suppose and it has deeply painful precedents. In 2007 I wrote a novel and a stage play entitled, "AmericA, Inc." (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8...) as a satire of the rise in 2020 of an entirely corporate, totalitarian state based upon the political and policy measures taken by the Bush administration. "AmericA, Inc." reinforces the dystopian visions of Sinclair Lewis in this novel and Philip Roth in "The Plot against America." Is the execution of these fearful visions well underway now in the USA? To lack the imagination that it can't happen here is a premise that no thinking person who loves freedom and democracy can afford. It's important to understand both the playbook and proactively to block the power plays underway at this time to replace American democracy with American oligarchy. Witness this evidence of its progress: the heightened persecution of minorities and immigrants, voter suppression measures, Citizens United, a proposed national registry of voters, Dreamer registration database gathering, perpetual war and aggressive war mongering, pandering to national hate groups, voter and vote manipulation with proven adversarial foreign assistance, Congressional gerrymandering, the rise of fake news propaganda in this administration propagated digitally, more than 600 Big Lies to date emanating from the White House, the establishment of puppets of the top 1% within Congress and the Vice Presidency, the dogged harassment of truly skilled, professional journalists and members of the Free Press, the preponderance of foolish and fruitless diplomatic measures alienating allies and infuriating nuclear enemies, the executive coddling of Russian adversaries, the dominance of military and Alt Right Advisors within the executive branch, the brutal, unmitigated slander of political adversaries, the outright encouragement by pardon and signaling to hate groups that a true Aryan Nation will come to be, the demolition of DACA, the sabotage of healthcare for all Americans, the insane expense of a Great Southern Border Wall that, as promised, Mexico would be out of its mind to fund and never, ever will fund, and the entirely disproportionate influence of Big Business in campaign funding. The refusal to adhere to precedents by the executive leadership to disclose taxes, to distance itself from material gain by political measures from which it now directly benefits and bad faith in not serving the true majority of its constituents with public policies that polls demonstrate it clearly wants. What outlandish campaign promises has Trump kept? Why did voters for Trump not recognize the Big Lies of his campaign or administration to date? Why do supporters not accept them now? After all this, why is Trump's approval rating not zero? After so much bad faith, why does he still remain in office? The endless stream of Big Lies continues unabated and is checked only by the diligence of the Free Press in the NY Times, Washington Post, Colbert, Maddow and other gifted, courageous investigative journalists. Consider this premise openly and honestly: the reason Trump gained the Electoral College majority, despite losing a majority individual vote, is supposed to be due to a difference of around 60,000 total votes in the stronghold Blue Wall States of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan not won by Republicans in decades. Mathematically, this means that if only 20,000 registered voters had switched their votes in each of these three states, or had been hacked, Clinton would be in office, presumably making peace instead of war with North Korea, and protecting humanely democratic ideals for all Americans. What, would you imagine, are the mathematical odds that voting machines with these states in the 2016 General Election, among 62 million voters nationwide, were not technologically hacked to make this happen, among only, on average, 10,000 voters per state, possibly with foreign technological assistance given the power at stake in the executive branch? Buzz Windrip would have considered this power ploy taken from the playbook of Hitler from Nazi Germany a no-brainer: the playbook certainly proved it could work there in one of the world's leading democracies. Buzz would have made it happen. So the question begged by the book title, "It Can't Happen Here," is answered by Sinclair Lewis: "It already has." Gird your loins, my patriotic American brothers and sisters who value real democracy. Can you not recognize and accept that oligarchy is happening here and now?...more
Fascinating read. His syntax reveals a clarity and credibility so elevated in its integrity that one lives the POV of the narrator in this case the exFascinating read. His syntax reveals a clarity and credibility so elevated in its integrity that one lives the POV of the narrator in this case the existential, genius novelist Dostoevsky. It is a daunting bit of narrative ambition, bordering on hubris, to assume the POV of Dostoevsky and yet Coetzee is compelling, skilled and possibly even on the brink of masterful in this rendition. He writes a great deal about the relationship between fathers and sons -- very Turgenev. What does it mean to suffer as a Russian writer ("History is made in the streets." | "I was sent to live a Russian life.") In this point-of-view of the Russian writer, Coetzee purposely ends his sentences dozens of times with prepositions and neglects the comma after an initial dependent clause. A Nobel Prize winner may do as he will and be forgiven. Not sure whether Fyodor Mikhailovich, the eponymous Master of Petersburg, would forgive Coetzee these grammatical lapses in his persona. Perhaps, they are not deemed lapses in South Africa and Australia where he writes. Coetzee dives deeply and boldly into Dostoevsky's battle with epilepsy by deeming his seizures of "the falling sickness" as "possessions," which color and shade his body of work over a lifetime. Intriguing quotes on his relationship with God and gambling: "He said to God: if you love me, save me... I will wager my life that you will save me... And he threw down his wager. And God did not appear. God did not intervene... Perhaps God does not hear very well. Perhaps he is hard of hearing and weak of vision too, like any old man." In a moment of self reflection he says: "I am I... manacled to myself till the day I die... What am I to do? he thinks. If I were only in touch with my heart, might it be given to me to know?... He is waiting for a sign, and he is betting... that the dog is not the sign, is not a sign at all, is just a dog among many dogs howling in the night." All good stuff. The character portrait work is deep, idiosyncratic and realistic. The story arc moves along briskly in its development but, as I have said of this author in a review of "Disgrace," he seems to vault heedlessly over the top in his plot point concerning the protagonist's relationship with Matryona, the seductive landlord's young daughter. I really don't see the point of this sacrilege assigned to the immortal and epic suffering of Dostoevsky -- a sacred figure in the Pantheon of true literary geniuses. If he actually did commit such a moral lapse, I fail to see its symbolic contribution, a la his fathers and sons theme, to this otherwise great novel. To me it steals from the integrity of the author and the protagonist in whose name he has written as it has the effect to diminish the verisimilitude and grandeur of an already sufficiently cruel, Godless and Russian naturalism. Bottom line: master craftsmanship by Coetzee in the strength of character development, story arc and memorably written narrative. But like "Disgrace" I end the reading in feeling manipulated and disappointed by a sense of hopelessness, which so infuses the bleak worldview of Coetzee....more
I found in Valencia's poetry a refreshing honesty and vulnerability expressed with lyrical qualities blending high intelligence, poetic sensibility anI found in Valencia's poetry a refreshing honesty and vulnerability expressed with lyrical qualities blending high intelligence, poetic sensibility and depth perception. In the title one recalls a variation on a Proustian theme riffing on Time. In "Macro/Micro" she reflects upon a fly on the windowsill: "a tightly rolled-up newspaper | at the ready | holds our fates." I seem to recall James Joyce fixing his focus on a fly at a window to good effect in "Ulysses." In "Every Day a New Cure" she writes "Imagination serves as an in-between | dystopias are yesteryear's utopias | drink up the ever present | drive on, make love | wind up, pitch down, stand | strong | forget about it | and dwell." Very much enjoyed "you know nothing" in which she writes lines which ring of Whitman: "I am nothing. By being nothing, I effect change in the world... I am action in my inaction and define everything else from my non-existence... Encapsulating and holding nothing in my parameters, you cannot define me for you purposes. I have no meaning, and with that I effect change in the world." Importantly, I sense that Valencia has made sacrifices for her poetry and paid her existential dues. The sacrifices lend true authenticity to the poetry and distinguish it. I urge you to read Valencia and gaze upon the enlightened soul of a true poet of our Time. ...more
When an extraordinary writer with a profound intellect honestly shares relevant perceptions, then they become a free gift in themselves and the readinWhen an extraordinary writer with a profound intellect honestly shares relevant perceptions, then they become a free gift in themselves and the reading intensely enriches existence. Sonnenschein shares a sophisticated grasp of existentialism in "Sartre in the Subway" and this reading for me culminated in that valued effect. I have been a student of the existentialists since my NESCAC college days decades ago: Sartre, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Marcel, Husserl, Camus, Heidegger, Jaspers and Kafka. They ask all the most important questions about the existential search for meaning with engaging perspectives. Sonnenschein is philosophically peripatetic: always on the move, commuting, traveling, swimming and walking city streets. His perpetual physical motion triggers heightened awareness or mindfulness as his acute sensibilities perceive the essential core of mystic forces, absurdities, wonders, diminishments, sufferings, ironies and joys of quotidian existence. I find a worthy and truly refreshing honesty in his creative voice, which is reassuring and gains him high credibility and integrity at a time when the communication of the authenticity of the experience of existence is so under attack. He shares what he sees with clarity, openness, wit and candor to the extent that disappointments often evolve into opportunities and even, at times, victories of will, optimism, faith and genuine intellectual strength. "Who we are and what we do are always choices, which define us and give our lives value." He cites in "Being and Nothingness": "I make myself what I am: so long as I live, I can disprove what others think they see in me, by projecting myself toward other ends and by revealing that my being-for-myself is incommensurable with being-for-others." I have suffered in the existential shoes of Sonnenschein in the dark, crowded, dangerous, mundane subways of New York as a commuter to meaningless, repetitive and painful corporate assignments. He writes that "Sisyphus and I have much in common, but he pushes his rock for eternity, and I don't have eternity." I especially enjoyed the family trip to London and Paris where he experienced what the French call "depaysement" or the simple pleasure of being surrounded by unusual objects and customs. In NYC after Paris he is struck by a diffident, defiant and vocal missionary: Sonnenschein whispers to the missionary: "Why do you do this? What keeps you going?" It's certainly a more than fair question that good existentialists have been asking honestly for decades. This quote late in this great book resonated with me as it was so well and deeply expressed:" 'Reasonable faith' is seldom invoked as it pertains to life. Reasonable faith suggests that knowledge should be a precondition for belief, but I see it another way. Given how little we know and can be sure of, faith makes sense -- because at times it's all we have. Without it, life spins in perpetual doubt and darkness, mistrust and confusion." Kierkegaard could not have said it better. I highly recommend this profound, enlightening book by a truly gifted underground man....more
In this literary novel Roth has written both a prescient and well crafted work. I have been critical of him in the past as having been the recipient oIn this literary novel Roth has written both a prescient and well crafted work. I have been critical of him in the past as having been the recipient of high praise, awards and honors far beyond the literary merits of his writing. As it turns out, this is a pretty good book -- so much so that it has changed my own view in appreciation of his gifts as a major American novelist. The premise for the story line is that aviator Charles Lindberg defeats FDR for the pre-WW II Presidential nomination and keeps America out of the war by declining to aid Britain. As a result the USA sheds no blood or treasure and becomes a passive ally of the Axis powers ultimately to become emergent as a fascist state through its alignment with Nazi Germany, Italy and Japan. American Jews become widely imperiled by anti-Semitism in this sinister plot against America. The narrative is written through the voice of young Philip Roth in this scenario living in the Jewish neighborhoods of Newark, NJ. The storyline is eerily plausible as Roth writes layers of detail in his character portraitures and settings, which lend an uncommon reality to this surreal tale. One senses in this reading that the inhumanity of the brutal 40s in the USA is reawakening within our federal government today giving deference to powerful, self-interest groups and corporations who have claimed that government is an exclusive franchise belonging to them alone, and to which powers and resources they alone are entitled. The straight-ahead narrative style provides a compelling and accessible read as young Philip attempts to make sense of the bewildering and brutal events surrounding his family life as a Jew in North Jersey during the global ascent of Hitler. Roth embraces the narrative of the young story teller who is both naïve and worldly beyond his years in presenting the social and political landscape of the storyline. As seems to be the case with much of Roth, this is a dark and often ugly tale in which all-too-human, realistically drawn people are taxed by extreme circumstances testing their strengths and foibles. The writing itself -- while devoid of stylistic innovation, which is often the mark of true literary genius -- certainly presents a straight-ahead literary quality evident in its construction, syntax, dialogue, character development and settings. It is a major accomplishment that Roth is able to make this scenario work so convincingly and the events of 2017 lend credibility that so much of what many Americans have long believed could never happen here may well be happening here now. If you believe that American democracy is immune to the destructive influences of fascism and oligarchy, then Roth's prescient novel will alert you to the clear and present dangers confronting us now. I would encourage you to venture with Roth and his richly prescient and cautionary premises in "The Plot against America."...more
Whose woods these are I think I know. Hall does for New Hampshire what Robert Frost did for Vermont, Faulkner did for Mississippi and Strout continuesWhose woods these are I think I know. Hall does for New Hampshire what Robert Frost did for Vermont, Faulkner did for Mississippi and Strout continues to do for Maine. He creates a deeply felt sense of place animated by remembrances of times past. The characters of this book emerge chiefly from Hall's family and neighbors at his farm between Eagle Pond and Ragged Mountain. These people rise up and stand tall as they work stoically upon the farm during the summers when he visited New Hampshire in his childhood, youth, college life and married life. Hall's chapter on Blueberry Picking is one for the ages as are his descriptions of haying and chasing wild heifers. Having now read nearly a half dozen of Hall's memorable books, I lean most favorably to those elegies of New Hampshire living focused upon Eagle Pond and his poetry. Hall will be well remembered in his stature for his poetic and prose sensibilities as the Robert Frost of our generation. ...more
It pained me to no end to read the brief but powerful, scholarly case of Yale Historian, Timothy Snyder, that our highest American ideals and beloved It pained me to no end to read the brief but powerful, scholarly case of Yale Historian, Timothy Snyder, that our highest American ideals and beloved form of government are rapidly evolving from a highly flawed democracy burdened by the advancement of special interests, to an oligarchy and ultimately, potentially, a totalitarian state. Snyder points to 20 lessons based upon the realities of human experience studied through the lens of an Ivy League scholar as the Levin Professor of History at Yale. I bought the book after listening to Snyder speak on legitimate media -- so threatened by lies, innuendo and defunding -- on C-SPAN about his book, "On Tyranny." His opening quote in the book is: "In politics, being deceived is no excuse" by Leszek Kowlakoski. Snyder refers to the lessons from the dictatorships of the last century and the misery, havoc, crisis, suffering and destruction they wrought upon humanity globally. American democracy may well be deeply flawed and often dysfunctional but I'll bet on its track record any day against any other alternative form of government: fascism (Mussolini), oligarchy (Putin), tyranny (Stalin, Hitler, Hirohito, Amin, Assad) from this or the last century. American democracy's future is by no means assured as we have known it since its birth by revolution. Our democracy suffers from brazen partisanship to elitist self-interest, the overbearing influence of big money, tax policy bias in favor of the wealthy and corporations, gerrymandering, assaults upon voter rights, yielding protected public state and nationals parks and land offshore to private fracking and drilling, slander of legitimate news outlets, defunding of public arts and media to control their messaging, blatant patrimony, disobedience of the emoluments clause, an unprecedented refusal to disclose taxes, attacks against entitlement programs in the name of fiscal conservativism while seeking to build a multi-billion dollar wall and funding tax breaks for elites and corporations, one party rule in all three branches perhaps illegitimately provided in two cases, enabling illegal influence by foreign adversaries, persecution of minorities, creating betes noires of a religious minority, racial minorities and immigrants, attacking women's fundamental rights, and an archaic electoral college displacing a majority vote of 3 million of the electorate. All by the leader of the free world whose "will to power" is fueled by the off-the-charts egomania evident only in this troubling width and depth of scope by aspirants to totalitarianism. Snyder's case for its current state suggests American democracy has not been in greater danger, over the course of both of our lifetimes at least, of becoming at a minimum a pure oligarchy and, worst case, an outright tyranny. I have witnessed Vietnam, the Cuban Missile Crisis, Mideast Wars, the assassinations of noble leadership and none of these perilous events held greater danger for me, as horrific as each was, than the collective political maneuvers of the new president as measured by the 20 lessons of Professor Snyder. He estimated that full regime change to a tyranny occurred in less than a year in Nazi Germany and offered his advice "not to obey in advance" with political quietude. He urged us to establish a private life, connect person-to-person and contribute selectively to good causes. He advised us to learn from the historical, political experience of tyrants upon other countries like Germany, Russia, Italy, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, England, The Netherlands, Belgium, Norway, France, Iraq, Iran, Syria, Eqypt, Libya, Israel and Japan. He urged us to stand-out and stand-up as individuals for true democracy by being educated on the truth about how it can be undermined by the Big Lie, fake news and the disingenuous hegemony of our sworn enemies to destabilize our democratic system, perhaps with our own complicity. A recent quote by Lewis CK stated that "Trump didn't lie to me. But to those who bought the lies." Beware the constant claim to advance the common man | woman with the end result meant to advance the oligarchs driving a hidden agenda through trolls of well funded special interests and foreign agents using bots, big data, social media and powerful technology: big energy, weapons manufacturers, top 1% elite, big corporations, military and paramilitary groups. He recommended that we revisit the books offering cautionary tales so often defamed in warning of totalitarianism such as "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury, the novels of George Orwell like "1984" or "Animal Farm", "Brothers Karamazov" by Dostoyevsky, "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" by Milan Kundra, "The Plot against America"by Philip Roth, "The Rebel" by Camus, "The Origins of Totalitarianism" by Hannah Arendt, "The Captive Mind" by Czeslaw Milosz. I would add to his list "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood, "Man's Search for Meaning" by Viktor Frankl and "AmericA, Inc.: In Corporation We Trust" published in 2007 about the perils of the playbooks of the GW Bush Administration in their spectrum of the same special interest groups. The two greatest warnings brought forward and resonating with me were to beware of the precipitation of the administration to purposely create a crisis leading to a national emergency demanding that democratic institutions -- designed for checks and balances, as well as disenfranchising a public, which has given up hope or been cowed into silent submission -- yield their Constitutional Rights to entities bent upon constructing a functional, totalitarian state run by oligarchs and culminating in tyranny. Whom have we not alienated, insulted and provoked -- even our oldest and dearest allies like Britain and Canada -- in the course of so short a time? I expect to get massively slammed for this review by conservative extremists but I'm okay with that: I write this review standing up out of concern of the future of my children and grandchildren as well as yours. Whether you recognize it at this juncture or not, our great nation clearly is in on a dangerous path in extreme peril and Timothy Snyder makes a strong case for vigilance among thinking persons of all parties. I urge you to consider as your civic duty as a concerned American, to read this brief book with an open mind for the sake of preserving our most cherished Constitutional ideals. Please think for yourself and debate among those with whom you disagree. As Snyder advises, rather than be smugly partisan listening only to those persons and media who share your point of view, keep an open mind to the brutal realities of history as articulated in "On Tyranny" as true American Patriots, my brothers and sisters. Otherwise, the unthinkable could all too well happen here....more
I'm now a big fan of the essays of Borges as a result of this brainy book, themed around existential labyrinths, and to only a lesser extent his shortI'm now a big fan of the essays of Borges as a result of this brainy book, themed around existential labyrinths, and to only a lesser extent his short stories. Many underlined and starred passages woven seductively by a literary master. Highly recommended....more
How shall I say this? You may consider it hyperbole. The flattery of a fool unschooled in either High Quality Literary Fiction (HQLF) or, even worse, How shall I say this? You may consider it hyperbole. The flattery of a fool unschooled in either High Quality Literary Fiction (HQLF) or, even worse, a soul lacking a sense of humor. You may say, Lentz, go back and hide on the First Floor of THOW with the other poor devils possessed by the obsession -- I say it boldly and without reserve or shame -- to write HQLF. By what other name shall I call it than obsession? Clearly, there's no money in HQLF. It would be laughable to imagine anything resembling fame emanating from the paltry exercise of egoism, which is HQLF. Where did "The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman" get Laurence Sterne? Or what became of JP Donleavy after "The Ginger Man" came to see the light of day? How the groundlings spurned "A Modest Proposal" by Jonathan Swift. I do truly weep to imagine David Foster Wallace at the end of his rope. Don't get me started on what the comedies of Oscar Wilde did for him. His gaolers must have laughed their heads off throughout the incarceration of that gifted writer of HQLF. Immortality, you may ask? Please, do grow up. So it begs the question: why does anyone in their right mind write HQLF? No one really has the time to read it. No one is prepared to invest the most paltry sum for an e-book of even the most brilliant work of HQLF. Fortunately, in the future for those addicted to the unholy oppression of writing HQLF there is "The House of Writers." And Nicholls may not be in his right mind. How could any writers of HQLF possibly be of sound mind? At least, if the prophecy of the scriptures are fulfilled, then the writers of HQLF will have somewhere safe and warm to take them in (prepositional ending). Somewhere to commiserate with others of their petty and miserable ilk. It sounds like Paradise to me. How I yearn for it. Grant me the steaming porridge, the zesty and savory intellectual comfort food of The House of Writers any day. What an upgrade it would be to anyone writing HQLF in this age. Ah, but this isn't about me, is it? It is about serious literature. And its place in the civilization of humanity well after we've been put out to pasture. Will humanity in 2050 miss HQLF? Don't make me laugh. The genre will be long since gone. And its writers will be exposed for the egoists they most surely were. In 2100 will the intelligentsia long for the Golden Age of HQLF among the overgrown ruins of The House of Writers? Surely, we are blessed to have the prophetic vision of Nicholls to imagine it. For is he not the Jeremiah, Isaiah, Ezekiel and Zechariah of all writers of HQLF wandering aimlessly among the heatherclad heaths and heathcliffs of the highlands of ScotCall? But let me circle back to my first point, if I may. I hope to, by now, have convinced you that, normally, I am not a purveyor of praise: far from it. I am, after all, a CRITIC. (If you don't believe me, ask my wife.) I take the title of Goodreads Critic with desperate solemnity. So I will risk that I may throw-up a little in my mouth when I report this to you. This critical qualitative description of sangfroid, when misapplied, is a malapropos utterly sickening to give or take. It offends the intellectual ear with its saccharine ring. I use it only sparingly and as a last resort. And like profanity in my HQLF I eschew it out of hand. However, well, here it is. Ahem. I find that one pervasive literary quality resides in the comic wit of the HQLF of MJ Nicholls. I found this quality first in my reading of "Post-Modern Belch," which I could not put down as I laughed my head off throughout (double prepositional ending). Furthermore, this most elusive literary quality resides in "The House of Writers." And that quality is: G...Sorry. Gee...Harrumph...Pardon me. Genie...Forgive this brief respite and bathroom break: this word does give me pause. And triggers grand disquiet in us all. Let's try, again...The word is...Genius... There now, that wasn't so hard. I'm feeling better now, having belched that out. The wit that resides in "The House of Writers" is comic Genius. This book is world-class. It is one for the ages. So if you give even a brass farthing for the state of the quality of serious literature to be read by your children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, then take a lesson from "The House of Writers" and support HQLF wherever you may find it, like here. Then go out to your favorite independent bookstore or, if necessary, online and buy this genius, masterpiece, possibly immortal, literary novel....more
Colson Whitehead has an ability evident in the most gifted of storytellers insofar as his narratives bring readers deeply into the moment while the naColson Whitehead has an ability evident in the most gifted of storytellers insofar as his narratives bring readers deeply into the moment while the narrator remains invisible. Gut-wrenching, in many instances, it is so deeply shameful that American plantation owners operated with such cruelty and inhumanity on the blood of our brothers and sisters. Whitehead's narrative, based upon research of the Underground Railroad going back to well before the Civil War, offers a clear sense of the misery of slavery and the power of those who courageously sought escape to the North and their inborn drive for freedom, especially given the risks and brutal punishments of being caught. As a white American man I profoundly apologize to every black, American man and woman whose ancestors suffered on account of the inhumanity of those of my race, nationality and gender. I stand in awe of the strength, spirituality and courage of Black Americans given the extreme hardships they were compelled to suffer during this bleak era of American history. For raising consciousness of the Underground Railroad and its liberating role, Whitehead's novel is most worthy of his earning the Pulizter Prize in Letters in 2017....more
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