Africa - A Biography of the Continent (John Reader, 1997)

(682 pages)

Kind of a strange book - all related to Africa, but bounces around so much (and covering this much territory in one book is of course impossible).  But I much like, enough to do a pretty careful re-read (first read, in 2003, back here).

Maybe too much emphasis on justifying why Africa's population growth and overall development has been slow in comparison to the places where African migrants settled; that it's not due to inferior skills and initiative.  Though I suppose so many non-African experts - and common folk -  over the centuries have drawn that conclusion, that he feels a need to rebut?

Explains why most of Africa was and is generally a challenging place to live - low population densities; growth after periods of "good" years leads to trouble when normal (drier) conditions return.  Conflict, but not large-scale wars (except Egypt).  Lack the manpower; also tended not to own stuff that could be accumulated and fought over.  Seldom enough labor available - a continuing problem.  Unique challenges like the tsetse fly.

A good review of the Portuguese explorers - their rather impressive accomplishments mapping the coast in 15th century and beyond.  Others elbow them out of the picture by end of 16th century.

Influences from abroad not benign - as technologies were developed locally and (more often) brought in from elsewhere, perhaps some sort of sustainable local economic and political systems might have evolved without so much interference.  Seems to lament this quite a bit - but kind of pointless - Africa not the only place where less developed societies get flattened, reshaped by more developed aggressive neighbors.

Though it is so sad in Africa.  Arab slavers bad enough.  Then the system is amped up with the Europeans and the Americas, while the Arabs continue.  Prime labor - always in short supply - is shipped away in exchange for pointless prestige goods, guns, horses that flow to the elite - no motivation to develop local economy and less folks to accomplish it anyway.  (Some of that sounds like more recent foreign aid programs - elite siphon off the goodies; donated goods (especially food) choke off development of sustainable local capacity to supply the same.)

Discussion of how the slave trade affected so much of the continent - even areas far from the coast.  Plenty of complicit locals, but the scale was not driven by locals.

Interesting discussion of South Africa; the Boers; finding diamonds (and gold); solving labor shortages by rather awful methods.

Then the rather amazing late 19th century "scramble", the Congo (again solving labor problems by awful methods), the carving up of states on lines that didn't reflect the locals.

And yet - lots of growth, lots of room for optimism.

Not quite sure how it all fit together, but the book started with lengthy discussions of geologic history and evolution, lots on hominids to humans.  This part was actually quite thought-provoking.  Walking upright; chewing; talking; developing a large brain, taming fire, developing agriculture, on and on - that's a lot to happen!

Interesting idea - that colonial administrators trying to rationalize things post-WWI came on the scene after a devastating cattle plague (rinderpest) and famine - they thought depopulated areas had always been that way - some of the game preserves formerly had human populations, now we think the "natural" state is animals-only.

Walking the Woods and the Water (Nick Hunt, 2014)

(329 pages)

Author got the idea to replicate Patrick Leigh Fermor's 1930s walk as a young man "from the Hook of Holland to the Golden Horn".  I much enjoyed Fermor's books (discussions are here) and was quite curious to see how the author would handle things.  I think it worked!

good travel books - and this is one - are a really useful tool in reading about geography and history and culture.  both large-scale and (particularly!) micro-scale.  scenes throughout but especially compelling as he works his way east.  

Picking up the concerns of locals in relation to their neighbors - something that is thought about pretty much everywhere.  Unusual examples such as the concerns of Romanians v. Hungarians v. Bulgarians; and then onto Turkey.  Walkers can pick up lots of details. 

[something interesting - author is into Hungary (and out of what I'd call western Europe) by page 119 - the rest of the book is him working east.  Interesting perspective in that alone.  Hugeness of east.  other routes could have devoted a higher % to west but still.  Fermor's books like this as well - I appreciate opportunities to learn more about eastern Europe.]

Varying modes of hospitality encountered in so many local settings - this is super-interesting - in author's experience, the people got more hospitable as he moved east, while the dogs grew more unwelcoming.

Delightful, serendipitous encounters when in challenging circumstances.  

reflections on the act of walking.  how he felt like he had missed something whenever traveling in some other way.  in our small way in cities we visit - it feels the same

winter walk in Germany - so reminiscent of the Schubert song cycle

doesn't necessarily make it a better book than Fermor's - but it was written promptly after completion of the walk, so to that extent it's a more faithful portrayal of what was experienced.

the walk took place shortly after the financial crisis of 2008 so repercussions affected locations visited.  EU expansion into eastern countries especially tenuous at this stage; thugocracies in former Soviet satellites are troublesome.  But it's not a book about politics.

Relatable in that many of us can imagine extended walking tours.  But no way to do anything close to this - author was adept at sleeping out in a tent whenever needed, dealing with elements, relating to all sorts of hosts.  Seemed able to survive whatever local alcohol was featured for toasts (sometimes weed-accompanied).

A Gentleman in Moscow (Amor Towles, 2016)

(462 pages)

Book club selection (via Chris; session held (via Zoom) July 18, 2021).

Count is so slick, so perfect, so all-knowing.  So a bit hard to relate to, at least through first half of the book.

(Though he does get educated occasionally - including by young version of Nina.)

Kind of reminds me of the lead character in "The Martian".  Incredible equanimity in the face of whatever.  No real suspense even in seemingly suspenseful situations - you know he's going to make it.

And while internal exile was awful - in so many ways I agree that he was lucky to have been exiled to the hotel.  Access to finest food & booze when ordinary citizens lived in poverty.  Free from military service (even at his age it likely would have been an issue).  Leading actress immediately (and then constantly) undressing for him.  It could have been Siberia or a firing squad.  Etc.

Picking on Montaigne huh?  Kind of unacceptable esp as author offers Montaigne-ish touches fairly regularly, musing on how one might live.  Note to Count:  don't read Montaigne straight through!  2010 halfway point.  By coincidence, had just finished the remainder. 

List of writers, poets seemed so odd given what happened to them . . . but later he does tell us how they went silent.  Bulgakov, Mandelstam, Akhmatova.  Kind of a greatest hits recitation, so many favorites.  Chekhov.  Chopin's E flat Nocturne!  That's the one!

Nina to Siberia - long history of spouses following exiles east - going back to tsarist times.  Incredible stories and yes many disappeared.

Long lines to view Stalin's body in '53.  Stalin's refusal to leave Moscow did seem to matter during '41 German offensive. But is Stalin's legacy really so complicated?  Constantly excusing butchery on the basis that Russia was a special case and Bolshevik's extreme measures were not optional - not buying it.

Perhaps just failing to align with my own views on the subject . . . I would have preferred for the author to be clearer about criticizing socialism in Russia (if that was his belief).  He describes the NYT's slavish-inexcusable fawning over Soviet system (so little has changed!); but veers toward repeating it. 

Though the Count's final moves are all about disenchantment with Soviet system - while remaining rooted in Russia.

A very good read.

Abigail (Magda Szabo, 1970)

(333 pages)

I picked this book because Hungary's positioning between the two world wars always seems like an interesting setting, and the review was favorable.

Then I became a little nervous that the plot might be too focused on life in a girls boarding school.  And there was quite a bit of that, but it fit into the story line quite nicely and I ended up enjoying the book quite a bit.

Protagonist is the 14 year old daughter of a Hungarian army general; spoiled, willful, enjoying life in Budapest; sent off to a provincial boarding school without much explanation and has a hard time fitting in.  Abigail is a statue that somehow seems to intervene when the girls have severe troubles.

Meanwhile the alliance with Hitler is going poorly, the Hungarian army is getting pummeled in the Stalingrad fighting, Germany is taking over in Hungary, tension and difficult decisions.

Author does a good job developing characters among the school girls, the faculty, etc.

Recommended.

The Kingdom of Copper (S.A. Chakraborty, 2019)

(609 pages)

Book club selection (via Emily; session held (via Zoom) 19 July 2020).

Second in a trilogy; we had read the first as a book club selection. 

Lots of action, actually violence - often rather heavy for my taste these days.

Mostly the same characters as in the first book.

Emphasis on tribal groups does remind of current political climate - where identity politics seem to attract votes - ugh.

The use of words and concepts from India, Persia, and what I'll call the Middle East is interesting. 

The plot not so much.  And I have trouble remembering what form of magic which characters can use, and what tribal characteristics apply.

Buddha in the Attic (Julie Otsuka, 2011)

(129 pages)

Book club selection (via Rose; session held 15 September 2019).

Really well written story of Japanese "picture brides" who came over to the U.S (in early 20th century, I believe).  Starts with their high hopes on the boat coming to the U.S., moves through disappointments when they meet their actual husbands, then they settle in and build lives.

Conscious decision by author, editor, publisher - super-low key, no individual characters following a plot, short; leads up to WWII interment camps, but provides no "here's what happened after the internment."

Like poetry; incredibly dense.  I was somewhat discouraged around the halfway mark, then was sorry it was ending.

It does make one think of what I'll call national traits - immigrant groups did (probably still do) bring some characteristics that can be generalized, no matter how out of fashion this might have become.   Japanese immigrants thriving in California.

Also makes one think about the power of groups in general, or tribes; the "other"; mob mentality can turn on the "other" - seems like an intractable problem (though I do think there is overall progress).

The book also provided another useful take at describing being a stranger in a strange land.

Where India Goes - Abandoned Toilets, Stunted Development and the Costs of Caste (Diane Coffey and Dean Spears, 2017)

(238 pages)

Authors study and write about open defecation in rural India; most of the field work by the authors was done in the north; of course plenty of environmental issues remain in India's urban areas (including sanitation issues), but the authors state that open defecation has mostly ceased in the cities.

The continuation of open defecation in rural India was often thought to be an issue of poverty - lack of resources - but the puzzle has been that income has risen - to levels higher than other countries that don't have open defecation issues.

As the most practical solution, authors are generally talking about a latrine without running water in these areas.  Quite a few latrines being built; a major government initiative was launched with Modi support in 2014 with the goal of ending the problem in five years.  Getting folks to use the latrines has been a knottier problem.  Authors explain the harm to children (illnesses, stunted growth and development) and others, and the consequences for the economy.

A major value of the book is its detailed look at just how complicated it can be to effect change as to something that inarguably seems good for everyone.  The authors are respectful of traditions that are deeply rooted and typically have social/historical reasons that make some sense (even if caste practices now are generally indefensible and sanitation issues clear).

A number of factors come into play but this problem seems almost uniquely tied to caste - perhaps the most notorious task assigned to Dalits was cleaning up "night soil" - so in early 21st century, as Dalits work to escape untouchability - if there is a latrine, who will clean it?  Anyone upper caste obviously will not (too much status-risk); lower caste members also will not given their aspirations not to be perceived as such.  Authors discuss high price for bringing a professional cleaning service to rural areas - out of reach for most latrine-owners.

Reluctance to use a latrine in part because rural residents believe the pit-cleaning issue will be upon the owner - soon and repeatedly - without an acceptable solution.  Related problem - for those willing to build a latrine - tend to overbuild the pit - way larger than international norms or sanitation requirements would indicate - in the belief that the cleaning problem can be deferred for indefinite future (also signals prosperity).  But this makes the latrine far more expensive - out of reach for folks that would put these funds toward basic housing.  Building the recommended (affordable) pit would make the owner appear un-prosperous.

Government wants to report success, so lots of statistics about the number of latrines being built.  Not so interested in gathering data about whether latrines are actually being used; or whether the latrines are even constructed properly (this a problem - local diversion of funds etc.) 

Policy suggestions ensue.  All this is interesting, useful.

The Broken Road (Patrick Leigh Fermor, edited by Colin Thubron and Artemis Cooper) (2013 (from 1930s travels))

(349 pages)

This is the third of Fermor's now-famous trilogy in which he writes - much after the fact - about his 1930s walk from Holland to Constantinople (or thereabouts).  I really liked all three; perhaps this best of all notwithstanding its unusual provenance.  In this book Fermor is traveling from the "Iron Gates" (on the Danube along the Serbian-Romanian border) to Constantinople; then onto Mt. Athos (Greece).

Here's an overview of book one; here's an overview of book two.  They're quite wonderful.

For book three, Fermor had more source material available (most of his 1930s notebooks were lost - pretty much everything relating to books one and two).  Fermor started this book, then set it aside . . . returned much later . . . but never finished.  The last portion (on Mt. Athos) is more directly taken from a diary - different style.  The two editors did their best, and it's quite good.

I keep feeling that Fermor was unusually gifted in seeing it, taking it in, and then succeeding in describing it; upper-class Brit perspective but not failing to see by feeling superior or judgmental.  Unusual in that he experienced all this as very young and inexperienced; then he wrote it up decades later - trying to filter out later experiences and knowledge, but I think possession of just that (ultimately unfilter-able) made the writing more interesting.  Not provable one way or the other.

Also the 1930s are inherently interesting - this a last glimpse of a pre-industrial world in many of these areas; preceded the vast WWII changes; areas absorbing, more or less, WWI changes - again, described with post-WWII knowledge - this approach works.

This part of the world is totally interesting to me - largely unknown; reading a lot but barely scratching surface.  I get the impression that things somehow run deeper for the local populace - not sure how to express this idea - their history goes way back, they have been overrun by conquerors so often (with attendant suffering) - Fermor's descriptions of the the sounds of the music, the instruments, the voices; hmmm.

And then the variations of Christianity introduced here, often competing, the depth of the icons and the ceremonies, again perhaps spurred by the regular, and awful, invasions.

Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Greece, Macedonia.

Moldovia Wallachia became Romania mid 19th century, acquire Transylvania from Hungary after WWI; Hungarians with long memories about this.

Many dog-eared pages.  The episode where he is lost and spends the night in a cave with shepherd-outlaws - seems to take place in a different world, one thinks of Odysseus and the Cyclops.

Etc.  Highly recommended.

Where the Crawdads Sing (Delia Owens, 2018)

(368 pages)

Book club selection (via Emily; session held 23 June 2019).

Marsh Girl survives, thrives in a marshy setting along the Carolina coast.

Highly readable.  Author is interesting - extensive scientific background, a couple nonfiction works to her credit - this is her first novel.

My favorite part of the book - the descriptions of nature as it occurs in these coastal marshlands - this sets the stage right at the beginning of the book.  A bit reminiscent of the Kolyma Stories descriptions.  I don't know much about this part of the world, and apparently the weather is harsher than I realized (one consequence being lots of shipwrecks in the early days).  I also liked the short recitation of the history of the types of folks who settle here - mostly losers, convicts, antisocial folk, escaped slaves.  This element alone made the book worth reading.

The plot line was engaging enough, moved along well, if a bit simplistic.  Protagonist (Kya) was too precious - no school, mom leaves at 6, dad a drunk - yet somehow a poet, artist, naturalist, author, hot chick, able to hide in the marsh - even in the land of novels (where somewhat-too-amazing characters should be, and are, accepted), that was a bit much.  Chase and his girl posse right out of central casting, as were Tate and Scupper and the sheriff's department.  Murder mystery, courtroom drama, of course.

This will be a movie for sure.

Walls - A History of Civilization in Blood and Brick (David Frye, 2018)

(248 pages)

Book club selection (via me; session held 13 January 2019).

I felt like the author could have done more with the topic - but it was sufficiently interesting that I made our book club members read it.  And the discussion was quite good, perhaps because the current government "shutdown" - in significant part over DJT's proposed border wall (or so they claim) - helped focus attention.

Author's main thesis is that one way to look at history is to divide folks into just two camps - those who built walls, and those who lived outside them.  Simplistic?  Yes.  But helpful, and interesting.  Without walls, not much would have ever been built - the marauders were out there and all too ready to destroy.  So civilization depended on walls.  Yet a funny thing happened to the wall builders - they often became weak, timid - to the point where they often had to hire outside-the-wall types to serve as a defense force.  Author walks through examples, including Rome.

He talks about "fear" driving the wall-builder decisions, but that seems over-wrought - sure there was an element of fear, but putting up walls and outsourcing defense seems rational; comparative advantage!

Lots of discussion in the book about the steppe hordes, China, Persia.  Tough folks on the steppes, they never would have built a wall.  Sparta similarly wired.  Reviews the Constantinople walls.  Rome with no internal walls for centuries - the legions were the walls - that changed as conditions deteriorated.  Hadrian's wall.

Walls no longer all that effective for military purposes - but remain relevant, and pretty effective, for border control purposes.  More walls going up in recent times than have been constructed in a long-long time - because they work, if imperfectly.  Often demonized, but deep down how many folks truly believe in open borders?

We lock up our homes, fence our properties - what does that tell us?

Also discusses Berlin wall, though that was a "keep them in" situation. 

Reminder:  civilization is fragile.  Destroying is easy relative to building.

The Story of the Jews - Belonging - 1492-1900 (Simon Schama, 2017)

(692 pages)

Second volume of a series; first volume is noted here.  These are well worth reading.

The ability of "the Jews" (which I'll treat as a single category even as I learn a bit more about differences within the category) to stick to their religious principles - and thus their separateness - is amazing, unprecedented.  Even, or perhaps especially, in light of what that "separateness" has entailed over the centuries.

This volume picks up with 1492 - expulsion from Spain.  Amsterdam as a relative haven.  Others escape east.  "Conversos" are treated, or mistreated, with great suspicion in Iberia; some defy restrictions on movement, capital flight.  These are referred to by the author as "Sephardic" - tend to be more educated on balance.  I don't know the exact definitions; he uses "Ashkenazi" more in association with central/eastern European communities - tend to be shtetl types, less educated, less able (or willing) to assimilate.  But of course so many exceptions.

He mentions a community in Kerala (Cochin).  Traders, connections, everywhere.

Western Europe consistently uncongenial - will use Jews for finance but turn on them as needed.  Amsterdam an exception.  Areas in eastern Europe - Poland, Russia, Bohemia - welcome Jews (needing their population and their skills) and surprisingly often follow through on commitments to leave them alone (not always, even in the best (most tolerant) of times).  Population expansion in these areas - eastern Europe as a major Jewish population center, who would have predicted this in Old Testament times?

Enlightenment - hopes rise - many community leaders pursue assimilation in hopes of avoiding mistreatment.    So many restrictions on occupations, where to live.  Always allowed to practice medicine - utilitarian.  Enlightenment era beliefs that if these occupational and residential restrictions are lifted, Jews will be more "normal" members of the community.  But the old hatreds appear irrepressible.  Alsace/Lorraine (Dreyfus territory) - ugh. 

This volume takes us up to 1900 - in late 19th century, hatreds are escalating again, as are efforts to secure a homeland.  It's little wonder that the latter strategy was pursued.

An embarrassing history for Christianity in so many ways.

In the First Circle (Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, written between 1955-1958; this translation 2009)

(741 pages)

Solzhenitsyn is amazing - a favorite.

First read this book almost 13 years ago in a version that Solzhenitsyn had self-censored in hopes of getting it published in the USSR - which didn't happen.  This - the full version - became available in English translation a few years ago.  Delightful re-read; the full version is an improvement (though I was thoroughly satisfied with the first version that I had read).

Not difficult to see why many compare his works to those of Dostoevsky - prolonged discussions of ethical or philosophical matters; stand-alone chapters; many characters interacting.

Solzhenitsyn so effective at weaving into the story the effects of the socialist system on persons from all walks of Russian life - not just the prisoners - returning veterans, stranded spouses (typically wives), the stress on the jailers and officials, Stalin's loneliness, etc.  Pretty much everything corrupted.

Innokenty's decision.  Lubyanka.

Zeks in the sharaska live so well compared to the camps (after all, it's only the First Circle! (yes it's a Dante allusion)) - but facing ethical decisions - typically the scientific projects involved devices used to imprison folks! - is it ethical to assist with this project - when succeeding at it might be the zek's only hope of ever being released from the gulag (with profound positive implications not just for the zek - but also for the stranded spouse and other family members)?  Returning to the camps if fail or refuse to cooperate?

Main character is Gleb Nerzhin (imprisoned mostly for having spent time as a POW in a German camp) - he faces this ethical issue.  As do Sologdin and Gerasimovich.  Gleb discussing ideas with various folks as he tries to find his way.  As the story progresses, Gleb interacts more and more with Spiridon - a peasant whose story line illustrates the ways that those folks lived through those times, for better or worse.  Some folk wisdom.

Excellent throughout but - as I felt in the first reading - the chapter where Gleb is visited by his spouse (Nadya) - is just a knockout, heartbreaking.  Solzhenitsyn knew about this, had experienced it.  (Following chapter - where Gerasimovich is visited by his spouse - also very fine.)

One of my favorite bloggers recently read this book for his first time, loved it, did a virtual book club on it - so I listened to a couple podcasts - I hadn't realized that Solzhenitsyn's personal background incorporated so many elements of this story.  What a life he led.

The letters from Dyrsin's wife.

Rubin - dedicated communist yet well-liked.

The "relationship" decisions faced by the prisoner and the spouse over so many years - continued marriage to a prisoner almost certainly preventing meaningful education or employment - and opportunities with others - ach.

Etc.  Wonderful - a gift to run across works like this.

American War (Omar El Akkad, 2017)

(413 pages)

Book club selection (via POC; session held 16 May 2018).

Post-apocalyptic; author is exploring how the United States might split up in the future; interestingly, or oddly, the split pretty much tracks the 19th century Civil War territory.  With fossil fuel usage as the main divisive factor.  (Earth has warmed considerably; coasts tend to be swamped; national capital has moved inland to Columbus, OH.)

An African empire (Bouzazi) keeps the southern "resistance" afloat.

Protagonist is Sarat Chestnut, but she's not much of a hero.  Pretty much brainwashed and weaponized by elders.  Spends time in a Gitmo-style camp, with waterboarding - in this story, yields zip in terms of usable intelligence. 

Northern violence/punitive-ness provokes continued Southern resistance.  Including germ warfare - two rounds of it - severe. 

Echoes of World War I - where Allies lose control of the narrative - the "losers" in this war (i.e. the South) are allowed to message - though story line ends before we see how this might have played out.

The Blank Slate - The Modern Denial of Human Nature (Steven Pinker, 2002)

(453 pages)

Book club selection (via Lon; session held 1 April 2018).

Pinker currently in the news in relation to a new book on the Enlightenment (which I've not read).  As one might expect, reactions seem to track political leanings.

I found this earlier book quite useful, quite interesting.  Author describes three beliefs that have taken root - the Blank Slate; the Noble Savage; the Ghost in the Machine.  Goes through the background of each, and how each has been adapted for various ends. I do catch myself relying, explicitly or implicitly, on all or elements of these three beliefs - perhaps the highest value of this kind of book is that it occasionally helps the reader to "catch" oneself when this happening.

Much of it is the "nature vs. nurture" discussion - for various reasons a large number of academics and politicians downplay the "nature" part - genes, heredity, whatever - he theorizes as to why so many cling so fiercely to viewpoints that defy common sense and what I think we can say is human experience.  All is not subjectivity!

I continue to believe that the notion of "original sin" seems basically correct.  Civilization is fragile.  Humans have overcome bad tendencies but those tendencies remain inside everyone, in varying mixtures.  (By "bad" I probably should say "techniques we evolved to deal with then-circumstances.")  It's a short step to regression.  The good news:  on the whole, progress has been impressively positive.

Something that strikes me:  it's very hard to definitively "know" anything (specifics of nature/nurture being one of many examples). We need to be super careful about how much we know or ever can know.  Much "science" is just surveys and group testing, ugh.  Replication failures abound.

We live in a strange era - where influence of genes, gender, etc. is aggressively denied - yet everyone knows it's there.  Denying or hiding data will backfire (may help explain 2016 election, for example) - yet "no-platforming" is spreading.  Oddly, the "party of science" halts discussion of race, gender, climate, etc.

Sometimes I think the oddly excessive feelings on these topics, the no-platforming, the public shaming of heretics, is new.  But then I think of Galileo; reading a Prussian history where 19th century students are behaving similarly; all the religious fighting over the centuries; live-and-let-live seems inexplicably difficult!

Something that is new: surfeit of what one commentator calls "Intellectuals Yet Idiots" - highly educated but nonproductive types - throughout history, societies weren't wealthy enough to maintain all that many IYIs - exceptions would be royal siblings, folks in monasteries - and it was hard for them to reach an audience in any event.  Now IYIs are everywhere; two main effects that will sustain the madness:

1. Colleges, and now governments and corporations - filled with Diversity Coordinators, and Rape Counselors, and Whatevers - their jobs depend upon emphasizing group differences and injustices.  (Of course there are plenty of historical and current injustices, but there also is an increasing cure-is-worse-than-the-disease problem.)

2. Folks needing to write a "new" thesis for PhD or whatever - a broken system, too many of them, often trying to stand out, no one ever has or will read these papers - but they are embedded in the academy.

Be gentle and of good cheer and keep conversing!

The Discovery of France - A Historical Geography from the Revolution to the First World War (Graham Robb, 2007)

(358 pages)

Book club selection (via me; session held 25 February 2018).

Originally read this eight years ago, the summary from back then remains on point.

The book is one of the highest value that I've run across in terms of generating ideas per unit.  It does give lots of interesting - and new - information specific to France.  Moreso, perhaps unintentionally, it gives a glimpse into daily lives of many people in the immediately pre-modern world - most of which would apply in France, or elsewhere. This part utterly fascinates.  Difficult to imagine a non-homogenized world - and so recent.  Where accumulating, and "getting ahead," wasn't even on the agenda for so many.

Also not the author's point - but it drives home how wealthy society has become. 

So much of what I believe or assume on various topics (not only France) is just wrong - this book is a useful reminder!

PJ reprised the cassoulet recipe . . . except it was even better this time around.

The City of Brass (S.A. Chakraborty, 2017)

(526 pages)

Book club selection (via NOC; session held 28 January 2018).

Book one of what's intended to be a trilogy.

Not necessarily my favorite style of book, but this had a lot going for it, and the author is skillful. 

I like that it was set in the Mideast (however defined); built around terms like "djinn" (described as something (or someone!) that an observant/sensitive human might occasionally see out of the corner of his/her eye - nice!); this takes the reader somewhere. 

Very good at drawing characters - avoided the all-good or all-evil trap; most were nicely nuanced.

Not a political novel, at least as far as I can tell - but a pretty sophisticated recounting of the kinds of pressures politicians face (and/or create/encourage!)

Nahri is the lead character - likable. 

Lots of magic - but presented in an interesting way - characters have to learn how to use it; some limits on duration/power; not just an elixir.

Full House - The Spread of Excellence from Plato to Darwin (Stephen Jay Gould, 1996)

(228 pp)

Book club selection (via Lon; session held 24 September 2017).

The various ideas in this book were interesting, though it wasn't always clear to me how they fit together.  Main theme seemed to be debunking the idea (or our somewhat sentimental attachment to the idea) of evolutionary linear progress - the notion that creatures on planet Earth today, especially humans, were somehow destined to end up in their current format.  Emphasizes the randomness of evolution; and that simpler organisms also are hugely (if not more) successful (see bacteria, antelopes).  Darwin himself didn't see evolution as embodying general upward progress, but as a response to local conditions (can't say I picked up on that here), though he softened that message because of the implications.   

Also some useful discussions of statistics, with focus on left wall/right wall analyses.  Helpful in dealing with the deluge of statistical claims that we encounter (so often skewed to support whatever narrative is being promoted).  Lots of baseball discussion - 1996 so preceding much of the analytics advances - I certainly agree with his idea that the demise of the .400 hitter results from improved play (not deteriorating hitting skills).

The "right wall" - areas where humans are pushing toward it - how far can sprinting/running records fall?  The idea that German composers (he uses dates 1685-1828) progressed so far that others have given up trying to improve and branched into different areas; perhaps also in painting, where representational techniques were pretty much perfected.

In These Times - Living in Britain Through Napoleon's Wars, 1793-1815 (Jenny Uglow, 2014)

(641 pp)

I very much like this kind of history - the author delves into what must be an incredible stack of period correspondence and documents, then finds a way to condense, organize and present it in a compelling manner.  Small-bore experiences playing out against the wide-ranging Napoleonic wars.

And it was an ideal follow-on to this just-read biography of Napoleon - useful to read it while the Napoleon sequences are freshly in mind.

A few thoughts -

1.  Virtually entirely from a British perspective - Napoleon from across the Channel.  Somewhat distant - yet very worried about invasion in the pre-Trafalgar days.

2.  Gave a better appreciation for how long these wars lasted - partly through stories of British families that sent more than one generation off to the war.

3.  Disruption of the British economy over a prolonged period - with, as usual, the common folk bearing the brunt of the economic pain.  (As well as providing the bulk of the cannon fodder - though I'd think a much higher percentage of "higher class" folks went into the military in those days, as compared to 2017 America.)  Smugglers take advantage of the trade restrictions - like always.

4.  While all this seems "long ago" - the letters consistently reveal attitudes and concerns so reminiscent of current times.

5.  After all - we have our own version of perpetual war.  British also masters at government propaganda to prop up the war effort.  (Never mind if the economy is harmed and so many folks are getting maimed and killed - be patriotic!  The threat is terrible!)

6.  Lots of dissent.  Lots of repression.  Free speech under attack.  What we would call "protesters" injured or killed by militia - who are acquitted.  Getting in trouble for not vigorously saying "God Save the King."

7.  Everybody hated the press gangs.  Many communities fought back, hard.  Led into some discussion of how the War of 1812 fit in.

8.  Much correspondence from well-known families - such as the Austens.  Lord Byron, Dickens relative, Walter Scott.  Etc.

9.  Nelson and Wellington as big-time heroes.

10.  Enclosure and agricultural improvement underway.  First railways.  War promotes some types of industrial or mechanical development.  Britain an impressive place, deeply struggling with working class, but staving off any real reform until 1832, per this.

11.  Sadness of injuries and deaths of soldiers on campaign - as reported in the correspondence.  Prisoners; prison brigs.

12.  Waterloo - culmination of a trend of higher casualty rates (better guns, etc.)  So many visitors picking up souvenirs on the battlefield; recall scenes in famous novels such as Vanity Fair or Les Miserables.   Can better see why this made such an impression.

Author ends by giving some follow-up on the families of some of the prolific letter writers, which was a nice touch.

The returning veterans had it tough - low or no pensions, injuries, too many returnees to incorporate into the economy - selling trinkets on the streets - quite a change from chasing Napoleon' armies.

In Spite of the Gods - The Strange Rise of Modern India (Edward Luce, 2007)

(356 pp)

Author was South Asia bureau chief for the Financial Times (something I've never seen) between 2001 and 2006; he married into an Indian family.  The book is described as a helpful introduction for a "generalist" reader - which seems accurate - very accessible.  How accurate are the author's viewpoints?  I don't really know, but he seems rather measured in what he says.

Talks a lot about problems, but overall seems quite "taken" with India, and optimistic on balance.

Includes some discussion of "the present" i.e. the few years prior to publication in 2007 - useful though these parts of course have more of a shelf life.

Lots to digest; here are a few areas where I think I learned a little more (not in order of importance):

1.  I keep seeing references to "corruption" in Indian politics - the author certainly sees plenty - in some ways reminding of the way the US fritters government revenues, except the percentage being diverted seems quite a bit higher, and the needs are greater (so the waste hurts more).  Agriculture programs hijacked for benefit of a few big farmers (like US).

2.  Government jobs viewed as highly desirable; temptations when obtain them.

3.  Formation of voting coalitions - issues like caste and religion.  Politicians chase votes and emphasize divisions (caste and religion)  . . . the identity politics are somewhat reminiscent of US . . . Brits encouraged the differences (intentionally and otherwise) way back when but Congress party pursued more of a "unity" viewpoint.  Historically a significant amount of blurring occurred between say Hindu/Muslim notwithstanding the tensions; but author sees this as breaking down, cites as an example that in recent years Muslims becoming more likely to wear "Muslim" clothes at all times, not (for example) saris . . . identity politics do create unnecessary divisions, just like here.  Ugh.

4.  Caste - too complex for me to understand - author thinks it is somewhat weakening in cities, especially in the south; quite strong elsewhere.  Reserved jobs for Other Backward Classes, etc.  Need to learn more about this.

5.  Religious personal law continues alongside civil law (Islamic triple taliq in the news recently) - how to create commonality if this continues?  A 1947 compromise that will be hard to change.

6.  Hindu nationalism rising when this was written; BJP not in power when book published, but is now (Ram Temple symbolic like Trump's border wall perhaps?)  This seems really complicated, perhaps (hopefully?) it's more about chasing votes than actually implementing policy? State level politics very important, coalitions differ from national level.

7.  Background information on the License Raj, 1991 dismantling, etc.  The economy has responded; still lots of (too much) regulatory overlay.  Courts super-slow.

8.  Government workers essentially unfireable - worse even than in the US (which is saying a lot) - discouraging, this is a huge problem with so many governments.  Apparently private workers have similar protections in India - which sounds appealing - until you realize this discourages employers from hiring folks at all (too risky if they can't be fired).

9.  Continuing political emphasis on villages - yet might be like rural Iowa in the end, a dead-end?  Don't know.

10.  Advances in south India (Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu) - which makes sense for several reasons - I had always assumed more action in the north since that's where the Brits (and Mughuls) seems to concentrate, and where the more familiar cities are located.  Wrong again.

11.  Partition; relationship with Pakistan.

12.  China!

The Brain Defense - Murder in Manhattan and the Dawn of Neuroscience in America's Courtrooms (Kevin Davis, 2017)

(295 pp)

Book club selection (via Nick; session held 28 August 2017).

Title is pretty descriptive of content - author looks initially at the Weinstein case - seemingly aberrant behavior, defendant has a very large tumor, evidence of this is ruled admissible in part.  Discussion about (questionable) evidentiary value of the neuroscience, and the cottage industry that has grown up involving expert witnesses and defense lawyers.

What to do if the judge or jury is convinced that the defendant cannot control his/her behavior because of brain issues?  Much of this is playing out in a binary setting (guilty or not) that doesn't accommodate nuance.

Author pursues perhaps too many major threads here - juveniles, veterans, NFL players, etc.  The purpose of sentencing - rehabilitation, deterrence, etc.

At book's end, author provides what seems a useful summary - very cautionary about probative value, he concludes we know something but not enough.  So continued reliance on normal evidence seems wise!

More generally - this brings to mind the problematic invocation of "science" to support desired judicial outcomes, broad policy preferences, etc. - this problem seems worse than ever.

The book triggered more discussion than usual, which is good.