Brandon E Taylor's Weblog Cogitations, Meditations, and Ruminations

Washington's Crossing

Washington's Crossing - David Hackett Fischer (2004)

**** 1/2 (out of 5)

Late in 1776, the American Revolution was in dire straights. The American army was at a fraction of its former strength and the British occupied New York, New Jersey, and Rhode Island. Pennsylvania was poised to follow as the British army was in striking distance of Philadelphia. Washington's Crossing is Fischer's account of George Washington's brilliant 1776 New Jersey campaign that served as a turning point in the war. Fischer's account of this campaign includes the crossing of the Delaware River, the two battles of Trenton, and the battle of Princeton. It also includes rarely chronicled information about 'The Forage War' - a petite guerre involving a series of American raids on British foragers.

Fischer's treatment of the operational, tactical, and strategic factors involved in the New Jersey campaign are exceptional. Impressive as well is Fischer's ability to place the campaign within a broader political and cultural context. Interesting issues receiving treatment include American civil-military relations, wherein military affairs are conducted by military officials with civil oversight; the "policy of humanity", the American ethic of warfare that favored humane treatment of defeated opponents; and the role of contingency, where decisions made by actors on both sides resulted in broad and lasting consequences.

Another interesting feature of Washington's Crossing is Fischer's attempt to dispel a number of old myths about the New Jersey campaign. Foremost among these are the myths that the Hessians defeated at Trenton were surprised by the American army after a night of drunken revelry and that the American army was woefully supplied with clothing, food, and arms.

Fischer's portraiture of the leadership and common soldiers of both sides of the conflict, his impressive research (extensive footnotes, appendices, and references are provided to support the material in the book), and his insightful analysis are truly compelling. The one negative aspect of the book worth mentioning, IMHO, is Fischer's tendency to overly generalize a few of his findings. I highly recommend this book, particularly to folks who share my passion for American history.
( Jan 28 2005, 11:55:54 AM PST ) Permalink Comments [0]

A Room with a View

A Room with a View - E.M. Forster (1908)

*** (out of 5)

Lately, I have been making a conscious effort to read some of the books on my lifetime reading list about which I have been procrastinating for years. A Room with a View is one of those books.

The novel is written in two parts. The first part takes place in Florence, Italy. In this part, a young British woman, Lucy Honeychurch, meets and becomes attracted to George Emerson, a socially unacceptable Englishmen with an eccentric father. Toward the end of the first part, Lucy finds herself alone with Emerson on a violet-strewn terrace. He kisses her – a kiss that is interrupted by another member of their traveling party. This kiss is a source of great confusion and internal conflict for Lucy – on one hand, she wishes to maintain the conventions of Victorian England while, on the other hand, a more repressed part of her would like to submit to her stimulated passions. The second part of the novel is set in Surrey, England. In this part of the novel, Lucy is courted by Cecil Vyse, a suitor that is socially acceptable, but unwilling to see beyond the stifling Victorian class and gender lines. Predictably, Lucy once again comes into contact with the Emersons in this part and is soon faced with a defining choice between a life with Cecil and a life with George Emerson. She ultimately breaks off her engagement with Cecil and marries Emerson. She chooses, in effect, passion over propriety.

A Room with a View is 'yet another' mild social satire that explores the conflict between propriety and passion. As is so often case with such novels, the treatment of the opposing forces is too lopsided and passion ends up predictably trumping social convention. Forster's characters are colorful, his dialogue is often amusing, and his themes are easily accessible. I simply could not, however, get too excited about the novel's unoriginal and relatively shallow treatment of the primary theme.
( Jan 25 2005, 11:00:10 PM PST ) Permalink Comments [0]

The Dew Breaker

The Dew Breaker - Edwidge Danticat (2004)

*** 1/2 (out of 5)

The Dew Breaker is part short story collection, part novella. In this book, Danticat tells a series of nine interrelated stories set between Haiti and New York City and spanning periods of time from the 1960's to present day. The common thread of these stories is an enigmatic American immigrant that once served as a 'dew breaker' - a brutal prison guard and torturer - in Haiti and his effects on the lives of his families, acquaintances, and past victims. Standout stories in this collection include "The Bridal Seamstress" - the story of a retiring bridal seamstress in NYC that was arrested and tortured during her youth in Haiti because of her refusal to dance with the dew breaker - and "The Night Talkers" - the story of a young man, orphaned by the dew breaker, returning to a rural Haitian village to visit his blind aunt.

The stories of the Dew Breaker are evocative and the writing is excellent. The subtle lyricism of the prose in the Dew Breaker is one if its most compelling features. Also compelling is the profundity of the book's primary theme - redemption. I felt that Danticat did an exceptional job at presenting some deep questions related to theme: How can someone guilty of a horrific past find peace and redemption? How can one explain the apparent contradiction inherent in someone capable of both terrible cruelty and touching love? Danticat did not, however, make much of an effort to explore potential answers to these questions. This, and the ambiguous moral stance the book takes related to the 'protagonist', somewhat diminishes the book, in my opinion. Still, the Dew Breaker is a worthwhile work and I recommend setting aside a couple of hours to read it.
( Jan 22 2005, 05:57:25 PM PST ) Permalink Comments [0]

Mr. Paradise

Mr. Paradise - Elmore Leonard (2004)

** 1/2 (out of 5)

Mr.Paradise is another "smart cop, dumb criminal' offering from Elmore Leonard. The primary "dumb criminal" in the novel is Montez Taylor, the right-hand man of Anthony Paradiso, an octogenarian pervert that enjoys having his high-priced Playboy bunny mistress, Chloe, perform topless cheerleader routines while he watches old Michigan football games. Taylor contracts a hit on Paradiso after an incident that leaves him feeling slighted by the old man. He intends to cash in by 'convincing' Chloe to split the inheritance left to her in Paradiso's will. The hit is carried out on a night when Chloe and Kelly, her Victoria's Secret model roommate, are performing for Paradiso. The hit goes wrong and Chloe is killed along with Paradiso. Taylor revises his plan and decides to force Kelly to assume Chloe's identity until the inheritance is claimed. All that stands in the way of this plan - besides its obvious inanity - is the novel's "smart cop", Frank Delsa.

The only good things I can say about this novel are that it has a fast moving plot and can be easily consumed in a couple of hours. I found the plot to be thin, the characters to be vapid and uninteresting, and the dialogue to be forced and annoying. I found myself wincing frequently while reading this wholly unforgettable book. 'Lowlights' include: the cliche and unmotivated romance between Delsa and Kelly, the gratuitous overuse of ghetto slang, and the lack of a single antagonist with an iota of intelligence.

I recommend avoiding this novel unless you are a die-hard Leonard fan intent on working through his entire repertoire.
( Jan 12 2005, 03:16:08 PM PST ) Permalink Comments [0]

Broken Angels

Broken Angels - Richard K. Morgan (2003)

*** (out of 5)

In Altered Carbon (2002), Richard Morgan describes a world 400 years in the future where human consciousness can be digitally stored and 'decanted' into cloned bodies (or 'sleeves'), bringing immortality within close reach to those wealthy or valuable enough to afford it. Morgan also introduces Takeshi Kovacs, a deeply cynical and conflicted ex-U.N. envoy (a sort of special ops super-soldier) now turned detective.

Takeshi Kovacs is back in Broken Angels, set 30 years after the events of Altered Carbon. In this novel, he has been resleeved and hired as a mercenary. Early in the novel, he is offered the opportunity to take part in a mission that figures to earn him a lot of money and his freedom from the rigors of war. The mission goal: to reclaim an ancient Martian warcraft with the help of a hand-picked band of resurrected soldiers. Of course, Kovacs agrees, goes AWOL, and is soon engaged in one dangerous situation after another.

I found Altered Carbon to be oddly compelling. I was impressed by the way that Morgan blended cyberpunk science fiction and gritty noir mystery. I felt that this, and the characterization of Kovacs as unwilling 'anti-hero', more than compensated for some of the more formulaic aspects of the novel. Unfortunately, I cannot claim the same for Broken Angels. Broken Angels is a somewhat interesting page turner (hence the 3 stars) but it is even more formulaic than Altered Carbon and lacks much of its cleverness.

In short, I would readily recommend Altered Carbon to fans of 'dark' science fiction - particularly cyberpunk fans. By contrast, I would only recommend Broken Angels to someone that loved the first book and is looking for a good 'beach read'.
( Jan 09 2005, 06:44:45 PM PST ) Permalink Comments [0]

In a Sunburned Country

In a Sunburned Country - Bill Bryson (2001)

**** (out of 5)

Bryson delivers yet another wonderfully fun travelogue with In a Sunburned Country. The subject of this book is Australia - a fascinating country that is, in Bryson's words, 'too often overlooked'. Bryson collected material for this book during four trips to Australia, made between 1997 and 2000. His travels in the country included all of the states and provinces with the unfortunate exception of Tasmania. Visited cities included Sydney, Perth, Canberra, Melbourne and Alice Springs. Visited sites included - in addition to the obligatory set of museums and historic sites - the Indian Pacific rail line, the Great Barrier Reef, the Devil's Marbles, Treetop Walk, and Uluru.

As with his other books, Bryson seeks with In a Sunburned Country both to inform and to entertain. While there are more informative travel writers than Bryson, I know of none that produce such humorous fare. I found myself laughing at loud many time while enjoying this work; his accounts of the many ways in which you can be injured or killed by Australian flora, fauna, or geography were particularly amusing. From an informational standpoint, the book is by no means a lightweight. Bryson provides a fair amount of historical and scientific background for the interested reader. Don't expect, however, for this book to take the place of more complete, scholarly works. Expect, instead, for this book to delight you and to whet your appetite for more.

My wife and I have been planning a trip to Australia for some time now. In a Sunburned Country has certainly heightened my already keen sense of anticipation.

Also recommended:

• A Walk in the Woods - Bill Bryson (1998)

Rich Burridge, another Sun blogger and a former nine year resident of Australia, has read and reviewed this book as well.
( Jan 06 2005, 01:17:09 PM PST ) Permalink Comments [3]

Anna Karenina

Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy (1877)

***** (out of 5)

Anna Karenina is sometimes referred to as the 'greatest novel of the 19th century'. I can certainly understand the motivation for this accolade. The novel is quite simply a masterpiece. I have read the novel twice and will no doubt read it again in a couple of years.

Anna Karenina presents two contrasting and subtly intertwined plot lines concerning the lives of its two main characters - Anna Karenina and Konstantin Levin.

Anna's story is one of surrender to physical passions. Early in the novel, she engages in an adulterous affair with Count Vronsky, a man to which she is attracted because of his 'passion'. It is this perceived passion that causes Anna to abandon her husband, her son, and much of her morality. Her ruthlessly determined pursuit of self-gratification is ultimately, and inevitably, responsible for her destruction.

Levin's story is most significantly a quest for the meaning of existence. Levin rejects much of the superficiality that characters in the novel like Anna embrace. Instead, he finds fulfillment in his farming and in his relationships with the land and the peasants that work it. His most fervent desires in the novel are to better know God and to establish a family to which he can devote himself. Levin's story ends with the realization that an unselfish life and a love of God and neighbor can result in a sublime state of grace.

As I mentioned before, Anna Karenina is a masterpiece. The plot is engaging. The characters are believable and richly portrayed. The thematic content is both broad and deep. And, most importantly, the message conveyed by the contrasting stories of Anna and Levin are relevant and profound.

As one of my ten favorite novels, I simply cannot recommend Anna Karenina too strongly. This novel is truly a 'must read'.

Also recommended:

• Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoevsky (1866)

The Great Influenza

The Great Influenza: The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague In History - John M. Barry (2004)

*** 1/2 (out of 5)

In 1918, an influenza pandemic of terrible scope swept the globe. Over the next couple of years, as many as 100 million people would die of the 'Spanish flu', making it the 'deadliest plague in history'. Barry's book, The Great Influenza, chronicles the pandemic and its consequences.

The Great Influenza is much more than a simple chronology of the outbreak. The pandemic is described within the context of both political history - e.g. Barry attributes a fair amount of the blame for the severity of the outbreak to the policies the Wilson administration pursued as a result of World War I - and medical history - American medical research was coming into its own during this time period. Barry also provides an impressive amount of background information on subjects like microbiology and epidemiology to help readers understand the medical science described in the book.

This book is well-written and well-researched. Importantly, I felt that Barry did a good job of identifying when he was engaging in speculation. He almost certainly could have cut down on the bulk of material he presented in several sections, but prolixity is a vice that I am generally willing to forgive in an author. More seriously, the book provided a relative dearth of information about the reaction to the disease outside of the United States.

Overall, The Great Influenza is a book that I do not hesitate to recommend. I tend to enjoy non-fiction that inspires me to explore the presented topics further. This book certainly did so. In fact, I found the book's material on Oswald Avery so interesting that I have already started looking for more information about the man and his work.
( Jan 01 2005, 05:06:43 AM PST ) Permalink Comments [0]

Fabric of the Cosmos

Fabric of the Cosmos: Space, Time, and the Texture of Reality - Brian Greene (2004)

**** (out of 5)

Fabric of the Cosmos is Greene's latest foray into modern, and speculative, physics and cosmology. Like his previous book, The Elegant Universe, Fabric of the Cosmos tackles some weighty material. The subject matter of this latest book, as indicated by its subtitle, is no less than space, time, and the nature of reality.

The book contains 5 sections. Section I deals primarily with space. Greene starts with Newtonian physics, works through Einstein's Theories of Special and General Relativity, and ends with quantum mechanics. Section II focuses on time and its 'arrow'. Section III deals with spacetime and cosmology. Inflationary cosmology is given a fair amount of space, no pun intended, in this section. Greene deals with unification in Section IV. Superstings and M-Theory are featured. Section V, the final section, contains the most speculative material of the book - including time travel, teleportation, and the "Holographic Universe" theory.

I highly recommend this book to readers interested in modern physics - or readers wishing to develop such an interest. Greene's writing is enlightening and entertaining and his ability to clearly articulate and explain very complex notions is impressive - even quantum entaglement seems within cognitive grasp when he explains it. His metaphors are sometimes corny and his prejudices for string theory are evident. These, however, are relatively minor issues and detract little from a very nice book. The overlap with The Elegant Universe was a bit more irritating to me, as was the somewhat 'breezy' treatment of a few subjects (e.g. particle physics).

Also recommended:

• A Brief History of Time : From the Big Bang to Black Holes - Stephen W. Hawking (1988)
• The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory - Brian Greene (2000)
• The Universe in a Nutshell - Stephen W. Hawking (2001)

The Island at the Center of the World

The Island at the Center of the World : The Epic Story of Dutch Manhattan & The Forgotten Colony that Shaped America - Russell Shorto (2004)

*** 1/2 (out of 5)

The Island at the Center of the World is a history of New Netherland, the Dutch colony that occupied the island of Manhattan beginning early in the 17th century. Much of the material in this book is based on a large volume of primary sources that have only recently been made available.

I found the most interesting contribution of this book to be Shorto's arguments related to the influences that Dutch philosophical ideas - particularly the Dutch notions of liberty - and the nature of the New Netherland colony - particularly its tremendous ethnic and cultural diversity - have had on the American way of life.

I recommend The Island at the Center of the World for its presentation of material based on new sources, its interesting ideas about the influence of the Dutch on American mores, and its colorful vignettes of life in New Netherland (although I felt Shorto engaged, at times, in a bit too much 'artistic speculation').
( Dec 24 2004, 12:23:25 AM PST ) Permalink Comments [0]

Tender is the Night

Tender is the Night - F.Scott Fitzgerald (1934)

*** 1/2 (out of 5)

Tender is the Night is Fitzgerald's semi-autobiographical novel about the personal and professional ruin of the novel's main character - Dick Diver - brought about, in large part, by Diver's wife - Nicole. The novel is set on the French Riviera in the late 20's and focuses primarily on the complicated relationship between Dick, a psychiatrist, and Nicole, his mentally ill wife/patient. A number of subplots, including an illicit romance between Dick and a young actress named Rosemary Hoyt, add some thematic breadth to the novel.

Like other Fitzgerald novels, including The Great Gatsby, this novel depicts the 20's as a time of self-indulgence and moral relativism. The main characters are morally flawed in significant ways and the 'tragic' ending is as predictable as it is inevitable.

Tender is the Night is very well written and the themes are well presented. This earns the book 3 1/2 stars in my estimation. I withhold the final star and a half primarily because the novel was unable to evoke any sympathy from me for any of the characters. I am willing to believe that this might be a failing on my part, but they are my stars and I shall assign them as I see fit ;-)
( Dec 21 2004, 04:00:15 PM PST ) Permalink Comments [0]

Google to Scan Millions of Books

Over the next several years, Google intends to scan millions of books and periodical into its search engine. The materials will initially come from the New York public library and the libraries of Harvard, Stanford, Oxford, and U of Michigan.

I applaud this effort as I have applauded other efforts that 'bring more of the world's collective knowledge online'. I am looking forward to following the progress and benefiting from the results.
( Dec 14 2004, 04:22:58 PM PST ) Permalink

The Confessions of Max Tivoli

The Confessions of Max Tivoli - Andrew Sean Greer (2004)

*** 1/2 (out of 5)

Max Tivoli, the title character of The Confessions of Max Tivoli, is a man born in San Francisco in 1871. At birth, Tivoli resembled a man approximately 70 years old. As he ages throughout the novel, his physical characteristics revert towards infancy (i.e. PhysicalAge = 70 - ChronologicalAge).

The novel is broken up into three parts - in each part, Max meets/finds Alice Levy. In the first part, he meets Alice and falls madly in love with her. Max and Alice are both young, but Max appears to be a much older man. His attempt to establish a romantic relationship with Alice is foiled and Alice is taken away by her mother to a location unbeknownst to Max. In each of the succeeding parts of the novel, Max locates an unrecognizing Alice and establishes anew his relationship with her.

I found the main characters, Max and Alice, a bit unrealistically - and sometimes anachronistically - portrayed. Moreover, I sometimes found it difficult (not impossible) to sympathize with the characters due to their terrible life-choices and sometimes appalling behavior. Despite this, I recommend the novel based primarily on its poignant treatment of the main themes - love and time. I found the final part particularly moving. Greer's rich - albeit occasionally florid - prose was also a plus.
( Dec 08 2004, 05:20:10 PM PST ) Permalink