Paddy Whacked - The Untold Story of the Irish American Gangster (T.J. English, 2005)

This book turned out to be very interesting, and not only because it discussed my wife's grandfather's gangster behaviors (he's shown below on a page with his business competitor, Al Capone). It's helpful in understanding how the Irish came to be disproportionately represented in politics, police and fire departments, etc., which in turn helps explain how in the 20th century it came to be "cool" to be considered Irish, why St. Patrick's day became a big deal in the U.S., ensuing marketing and merchandising, etc. (I've actually wondered about this ever since attending ND.)

Anyway, my take is that the Irish arrived in the U.S. in the wake of the potato famine at a time when the major urban centers were growing to critical mass along the size parameters with which we're familiar today. The author explains that many of the Irish were used to organizing underground in relation to their English overlords, and transferred this skill set to the U.S. Overt vote-buying via taking care of neighborhoods; ability to run criminal enterprises by the critical combination of controlling key politicians, police and judges.

The Italians came along and eventually took over the criminal side of things, but deferred to the Irish as a practical matter in controlling government and political posts. The Irish had demonstrated great skill in this - plus they spoke English much better.

One element is the high degree of prejudice that the Irish experienced - which is interesting to think about in light of current immigrant issues. The prejudice caused them to band together, and also freed them to pursue activities that were, let's say, outside the mainstream.

It seems that these groups were incredibly effective at running criminal activities, including a very high (and increasingly public) level of "vice" activities that were being gotten away with (because of paid-off cops and judges). This led to a backlash - various anti-corruption efforts culminating in Prohibition in 1919. Which completely backfired.

I didn't really think of how Prohibition gave these gangsters access to the really big money. Overnight, a product with national demand was outlawed. Who better to fill the demand than the only well-organized criminal gangs? It seems that Prohibition gave the groups a scope and cash-generating capability that would have been beyond their imaginations a few years earlier. In turn this led to more aggressive warfare among gangs.

This was the period in which Spike O'Donnell turns up, fresh out of jail from a bank robbery in 1926 and instigator of beer wars for several years. Too bad, the author gives him little space in the book; describes Spike as "an established pick-pocket, burglar, labor slugger, and killer (he was twice tried for murder and accused of several others), Spike was also a religious man who rarely missed Sunday Mass at St. Peter's Catholic Church." Also notes the usual, i.e. that he was the first target of a Thompson submachine gun (or "tommy gun") in the beer wars, favored polka-dot ties and a felt fedora, survived at least 10 attempts on his life, etc.

Anyway, it's all very interesting, including stories about how Joe Kennedy made stacks of money running booze in the Prohibition (and how this leads to the theory of mob involvement in the JFK assassination); how the phrase "slip a mickey" came out of Mickey Finn's place in Chicago, where folks were regularly robbed with this technique; how Hollywood glamorized the Irish gangster via stars like James Cagney; how "On the Waterfront" was based on a true story of corruption on the docks. Etc.

Ghost Soldiers (Hampton Sides, 2001)

This book covered a pretty amazing WW II story about which I knew nothing - the rescue of 500 or so survivors of the Bataan death march who were held at Cabanatuan prison camp on the Philippine island of Luzon.

The book gave the background on MacArthur's departure, the surrender at Bataan, the march to captivity, etc. Lots of detail on the maltreatment of prisoners by the Japanese - but I liked that the author seemed pretty balanced in this portrayal, not just out to demonize the captors.

The stories about surviving years in prison were really interesting. The book also talks in detail about the Ranger unit that accomplished the rescue (Colonel Mucci, Captain Prince, etc.).

The author also spends a fair amount of time describing the role played by the Philippine guerrillas in support of the Rangers - things wouldn't have turned out well without these folks. Even down to the water buffalo carts used to transport the freed prisoners to safety (many of whom were unable to walk).

Stalingrad: The Infernal Cauldron (Stephen Walsh, 2001)

I never get tired of reading about the battle of Stalingrad. It's pretty hard to imagine a more dramatic setup, let alone how the battle itself played out. I very much liked a previous book on the battle, which was moreso focused on the individual in the context of the battle, the suffering on both sides, etc. (see post of November 28, 2006).

This book seemed interesting mostly for the pictures, but also provided a really valuable overview of the context of the battle, and the context of the battle within the overall war. More detail about placement and movement of individual units - which is not of great interest to me, and is too complicated to follow anyway. I did like the explanation of the way the Germans tried to use encirclement techniques, and the "deep operation" theory of the Russians (which I didn't understand much). Also Stalin's interference and blundering in the early days (compounded by his 1930s purge of the officer corps).

But the overall discussion was interesting and very helpful in putting the pieces together for this part of the war. And the photos are great.

Ulysses (James Joyce, 1918)

I read this in part because it keeps showing up on lists of the "greatest novels of 20th century," sometimes as high as number one. I made it all the way through 800+ pages because I kept thinking something was going to happen. One day in Dublin (June 16, 1904). Stephen Dedalus, Leopold Bloom. The book is full of literary allusions (most of which unfortunately are lost on me). It is modeled after Homer's epic of the same name (which would be of more interest if I knew that story better). The stream of consciousness stuff is fun for awhile - it makes one realize how much of time our minds are working just that way. Completely different writing styles in each chapter. Extremely clever.

Suite Francaise (Irene Nemirovsky, 1941)

This book is really unusual, though in large part for reasons the author (Irene Nemirovsky) would not have anticipated. Nemirovsky was a Russian of Jewish descent who had lived in France for quite a few years with her husband (Michael Epstein) and their two children. All were Catholic, the children were French citizens.

Nemirovsky lived in occupied France following the Nazi roll-over of the French army in June 1940. During the occupation, she conceived the idea of a five-part story describing the flight from Paris, life in an occupied town, etc. She finished two parts (or at least had handwritten manuscripts).

These were dangerous times for folks like her, and eventually she was sent to Auschwitz, where she died shortly thereafter.
One of her daughters found the manuscripts in a suitcase a few years ago, and the book was published.

I didn't think the book itself was all that great, though who knows how it may have worked if it had been completed. The part about the occupied town seemed almost idyllic. I did find interesting her description of the way that French soldiers - in the aftermath of WWI - weren't all that anxious to knock themselves out just a few years later in WWII.

The most compelling parts - and they are compelling indeed - are the two appendices. Appendix I - a series of notes - discusses her goals and insecurities for the novel. Appendix II consists of correspondence generated in trying to get her out of Nazi custody. Her family was pretty well connected and they tried everything. Including looking for snippets of anti-Bolshevik or anti-Jewish text in her books, and trotting out a letter of recommendation from billeted Nazi soldiers.

Her husband eventually volunteered to take her place in the camps, which was impossible. Anyway, he was caught up and also died in the camps within months.

Appendix I made you feel like you knew the author, her fears, uncertainties, plans. Appendix II is heartbreaking.

Anniversary

This website is now one year old.

An Illustrated History of The First World War (John Keegan, 2001)

As can be quickly told from looking at the list of books during the past year, I don't ever get tired of reading about World War I. (I also like Keegan's stuff, including this book.)

Keegan is a British war historian who is a good writer and knows lots about WWI. I took this book off the shelf for the pictures, but the overview of the entire war, pretty much all theaters, turns out to be highly useful.

But the photos make the book. I had never seen the vast majority of these. Going from the early days of optimism, through the trenches, through end of war, up to the cemeteries and memorials erected worldwide. The photos are stunning, and bring the written materials to life in a way that easily justifies the "worth a thousand words" cliche.

This war was simply amazing. It's been summed up far better than I can hope to do. The unbelievable trench system in the West; centuries-old empires breaking down; emerging airplane and tank technology; poison gas; 19th century infantry tactics against entrenched machine guns; millions of artillery shells altering landscapes; a devastated populace left behind in most countries, and an amazingly quick trip into WWII. Etc. Wow.

Take a close look at Otto Dix's triptych for one post-war German look at things. Or read this book.

The Origin of Species (Charles Darwin, 1859)

I have read descriptions of this book so often that I thought I just as well take a tour through it. My impression is that Darwin was a thoughtful, kindly, grandfatherly type of scholar with tons of field experience; he knew his book would spark a strong reaction, I'm guessing he had no idea how strong.

He actually uses phrases like "survival of the fittest." Probably didn't foresee eugenic and other applications. Probably did foresee the potential theological debate, though for the life of me I can't figure out why it matters so much to so many.

I don't read natural history at all, and don't intend to. So lots of what he talks about is not of much interest to me. I did find the degree of detail pretty surprising. He discusses how bees build cells in hives; drones; lots of details about pigeons (a special interest of his); hybrids (and resulting sterility); all in the context of natural selection. The guy clearly spent a lot of time in the field and wasn't just theorizing.

He addresses, in detail, what remain the major objections to his theory - issues like the evolution of sophisticated organs such as the eye, and the lack of transitional creatures in the fossil record.

I found quite interesting his comparisons of natural selection and "breeding" by human intervention. There are some useful comparisons.

The volume included "The Voyage of the Beagle," but I took a pass. In fact, I skipped about 100 pages (or 20%) of the book.

I don't think the importance of the book can be exaggerated, so I'm glad to have spent some time with it.

Once (June 24, 2007)

Patricia, Patrick and I went to see this movie at Camelview. I'd recommend seeing it. The movie is about a street performer in Ireland; he's pretty much in the down-and-out stage. A Czech immigrant gets interested; turns out she is a very fine singer and pianist. So they make music, and their relationship is nice.

They make a recording, using some other street performers to constitute "the band." (I guess this aspect had some genesis in the lead actor's personal story.)

When I was watching the movie, I was surprised at how much singing was included, and felt the plot was not developed much. (Those two issues go hand in hand, as the inclusion of several three-five minute songs really cuts down the time available for the story.)

But I realize I missed the point. This was a musical. It just didn't look like a traditional musical. It had about the story line depth for a traditional musical - which is fine, many of those are great stories. So I conclude that I liked this.

I heard that the production budget was only $150,000 or so, which seems unbelievable.

The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald, 1925)

This book has become a staple of high school and college reading lists, but I never ran into it. Or had much interest. Then I keep reading how it is one of the most highly considered novels in American history (if not the Great American Novel), so thought I'd give it a try.

But it didn't do much for me. Jay Gatsby is supposed to be an interesting character, but to me he's rather a caricature instead. Daisy is pretty much over the top also, as is her husband. I must have missed something.

It's a quick read and worth touring through. Now I'm interested in seeing a movie version (there have been several).

The foreward includes some interesting correspondence by the author. Fitzgerald actually talked about books remaining in the public eye longer if you could get teachers to put them on reading lists. Funny that it happened.

The Third Wave (Alvin Toffler, 1980)

I pretty much stick to history and novels, with occasional biography. I avoid self-help books, business books, and idea books. So this book was quite different for me.

Toffler tries to organize history into the First Wave (agriculture - lasted 10,000 years) and the Second Wave (industrial society - lasted 300 years). Says we are on the cusp of the Third Wave - and tries to describe its nascent characteristics and make some predictions.

It was interesting how he threaded together the elements of Wave 1 and 2. Made some connections that I certainly wouldn't have thought up. The problem is that he works too hard to divide everything into just two categories. And apparently it doesn't strike him as odd that the cross-over into Wave 3 is happening just as he is at his desk writing about it. My guess is that authors from many periods would feel that the moment in which they are writing is uncertain and that great change is in the air. With hindsight an author can of course classify and find order in things that already took place.

Nonetheless, it was well worth reading. His predictions about technology-enabled decentralization are interesting, for example. This was a gift from Kerry, thank you very much.

The Vikings (Else Roesdahl, 1998)

It does make you wonder what was up with these folks. Moving from Scandinavia to Iceland, Greenland and North America is pretty well discussed, but they also went all over Europe - taking Paris and establishing a kingdom in Italy, etc. Also moved east, referred to as "Rus", showed up in Constantinople. I suppose there was some pressure for younger sons to seek opportunity, or pure sense of adventure, or whatever - and as it worked out well, they kept going and going.

Terror to communities. Big role in England. Normandy, of course. Start showing up shortly after Charlemagne, cut deals with his three sons. Era probably ended with Battle of Hastings in 1066, which involved Viking descendants all around - but also was emblematic of how they had embedded themselves locally. The days of raiding and plundering were pretty much over.

The manner in which these folks showed up and wreaked havoc must have been awe-inspiring. Though there were plenty of other violent opportunists floating around in those days, it seems. The Viking must have had more style.

Alexander the Great: (Norman F. Cantor, 2005 (published posthumously))

Short and highly readable, maybe that was the author's point? This was so cursory it was hardly worth the bother. Anyway, it's still an interesting summary of things Alexander.

There were a couple of useful perspectives, including that Alexander was primarily an adventurer with some good administrative skills; the author thinks he gets way too much credit for empire-building, when in fact pretty much everything fell apart right after his death. Cantor also does a good job of putting Alexander into the context of his time; points out that the Greeks often were romanticized yet constantly fought, mistreated women, were regularly brutal, etc.

Cantor gets lots of favorable attention but I'm not going to pick up his stuff again. "In the Wake of the Plague" and "Inventing the Middle Ages" weren't that great, either.

The Face of Battle (John Keegan, 1976)

Keegan tries to explore how it feels on a battlefield from the standpoint of the front-line participant. This is necessarily a difficult task, but it makes for a really interesting read. So much war writing is done from the perspective of the generals.

Much of the book is taken up with three case studies: Agincourt (1415), Waterloo (1815) and the Somme (focusing on the initial day, July 1, 1916). He selected these because they were pretty discrete battle situations, and quite a bit of documentary evidence exists. These also were selected to demonstrate the progression of the battlefield situation over the centuries.

Agincourt of course involved archers and knights; in addition to the battle itself, Keegan discusses pre-battle activities, treatment of prisoners, etc. He points out how the mayhem was limited - when the battle consists of guys swinging heavy swords at each other, the amount of damage that can be inflicted, the scope of the battlefield, and the duration of the battle are necessarily limited. Though the longbow archers were introducing change.

Waterloo was a longer battle, much noisier, and involved the risk of cannonballs coming from off in the distance and killing soldiers or taking off limbs. Keegan didn't seem to think the point of attack was all that different from Agincourt, though guns increased the range and the duration of the battle.

The Somme had some front-line similarities, but now the scope of battle was changing rapidly. The artillery and shelling came from far away; the size of the battlefield had enlarged dramatically. A guy hidden in a machine gun nest could hold groups at bay. Folks in the front line areas were constantly subject to getting nailed by shells. Very impersonal. While the artillery wasn't necessarily accurate, it was interesting to read how the British advance was supposed to be timed to follow closely behind a "curtain of fire."

Anyway, Keegan cites various primary sources, compares the three battles in detail and tries to draw some conclusions about where the concept of "battle" is headed. His conclusion is quite interesting, especially because it was written in the 1970s. Keegan doesn't think that armed conflict is over, but he does feel that the traditional set-piece battle setting is largely a thing of the past. He was writing before the fall of the Iron Curtain, at a time when the military was still preparing for a large European land war. Keegan felt that technological change has moved past what individuals can handle well. The theater of battle is immense; danger comes from all sorts of unseen places; noise and overall mayhem is everywhere; duration of major battles now can last for days. Keegan feels individuals really can't handle this effectively.

So he foresees limited actions - terrorists, for example. "The militant young . . . will fight for the causes which they profess not through the mechanisms of the state and its armed power but, where necessary, against them, by clandestine and guerrilla methods . . . the suspicion grows that battle has already abolished itself."

Read at the gym.

Lord Jim (Joseph Conrad, 1900)

I've wanted to read this book ever since we had a paperback version laying around at the farm. I liked it quite a bit, but I did think it was longer than necessary.

The premise is great - exploring what happens to someone that makes the wrong decision in a crucial situation that comes back to haunt him. Jim's decision revolved around a rusting ship filled with Muslim pilgrims; he was the ship's mate. The consequences led him to various postings progressively farther east, ultimately leading him to a deep-jungle posting where he experienced great success and then another failure. The narrator (Marlowe) finds Jim's case interesting because he is "one of us."

It does make you think about quick decisions under pressure, some of which are not good decisions. Most of the time there are few or no consequences, sometimes it's a disaster. We've all been in some version of this situation.

A good summary of the book can be found here.

I like Conrad's stuff, though I preferred "Victory" and "Heart of Darkness" over this one.