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Forgot to mention above: The Progress Paradox: How Life Gets Better While People Feel Worse (Gregg Easterbrook, 2004)

Silent Night: The Story of the World War I Christmas Truce (Stanley Weintraub, 2001)

I always liked this story, but didn't know very much about it. We rented a recent movie on the topic (mentioned here) and I thought it was very nice, but suspected it was way too dressed up for film-making purposes compared to what more likely was happening on the ground.

But after reading this book it turns out pretty much all the elements shown in the movie were based upon actual events. (The one exception was the female love interest that the film-maker threw into the story.) There were impromptu soccer games in no man's land. Burial of dead. Singing back and forth between the trenches. And yes, the Crown Prince brought a German opera star out (Kirchoff), and he did perform in the trenches. Etc.

Overall - the bottoms-up truce was not likely to stop the war as some overstate. But it clearly was a widespread phenomenon in some sectors of the line.

What a story. Flooded trenches finally froze right as Christmas arrived. The German soldiers were much more into the Christmas celebration than French or British (which the author says was consistent with how things were celebrated those days). German authorities arranged for thousands of small trees to be sent to the front. The Germans started lighting the trees and singing carols; some called across no mans land. Many Germans apparently knew at least some English, having worked in Britain before the war.

This led to meetings, gift exchanges, shared cigars and meals. The famous German pickle helmet was the most popular souvenir. There were impromptu soccer matches and group photos. Gift boxes had been received from the English royal family or the Kaiser, so there was plenty of material to barter.

This of course made the senior officers very unhappy. Censorship wasn't nearly as effective at this stage, so word quickly got out via letters home.

In some areas, each side would fire shots deliberately overhead - aiming too high - when the officers happened by. Then the fraternizing would resume. This dragged on for several days.

When you think about it - and without looking to make some kind of general antiwar statement - you had a pretty typical scenario where all these suckers were lined up trying to kill one another at the behest of the ruling classes. Some wars are pretty clearly necessary (obvious example = taking out a Hitler). In all wars, to get the suckers fired up to fight, the ruling class has to put out a bunch of propaganda. No doubt there were plenty of incidents, but the main propaganda against the Germans was the stories - often deliberately exaggerated - about abuses in occupied Belgium. The consistent reaction of the French and British participants in the "truce" was surprise that the Germans were actually normal human beings. This of course was considered a dangerous idea by the higher-ups - the suckers in the line might lose the proper zeal for killing.

An interesting observation were the differences within units of the German army - the Saxon units often expressed dislike for the ruling Prussians, as well as affinity for their Anglo-Saxon opponents.

The story just strikes me as very powerful. All the war rhetoric sounded pretty ridiculous to these folks as they stood there sharing cigars, looking at each other's family photos, and inviting each other to visit after the war. The ordinary guys on both sides of the line were farmers, tradesmen, etc. - the usual cannon fodder. Men who had a lot in common.

Anyway, after a few days they had to turn around and start killing each other again. Except for the units who were transfered away from the area due to doubts (stemming from their participation in the Christmas truce) about their reliability as killers.

Danwen Jian (Violin) Walter Cosand (Piano) (Katzen Hall, February 10, 2008)

It was a beautiful Sunday here in Phoenix, sunny and upper 70s. Patricia and I hiked in the Phoenix mountain preserve (40th street trailhead), then went to this faculty recital down at ASU.

We enjoyed it a bunch. There were four works on the program - a sonata by Schubert, two 20th century American works (Lukas Foss and Russell Bennett), and a sonata (No. 3 in D minor, Op. 108) by Brahms. The opening piece (Schubert) was the least interesting (or maybe our performers (or we audience members) were just getting warmed up). The 20th century pieces were delightful; I always have low expectations for these things and should know better by now. There were parts that were very pretty; some elements of swing or jazz; etc. And we always like Brahms it seems; his piece asked a lot of the pianist (not surprisingly).

I like watching the violinist play. It's interesting to see all the ways they can make sound come out of the violin.

Then to Roaring Fork where they feature a ridiculously cheap and good happy hour menu, plus the bartender comp'd a round. Get the green chile pork stew. What a deal.

Love, Life, Goethe (John Armstrong, 2006)

I liked this book on several levels. The author lays out a biography of (Johann Wolfgang von) Goethe; he also purports to discuss Goethe's viewpoints on various (though I wasn't sure sometimes if it was the author's viewpoints or Goethe's). And he even spent a couple pages trying to explain how to pronounce Goethe's name. Claims there is no "r" sound.

I picked this book for several reasons. First, I'm going through some biographies of artists and authors for a different take on history (per recent posts on biographies of Goya, Tolstoy, etc.) . Second, I continually run into English, French, and Russian historical materials . . . not nearly so much German (and I should be interested in that part of the world). Third, I continually run into Goethe references (or his buddy Schiller) in connection with classical music, including things we perform in Choral Union that were set to music by Beethoven or Schubert. Fourth, I occasionally see brief references to Goethe - not flattering - in connection with the Nazis (though not sure the relevance given he was dead 100 years before the party emerged).

Goethe was a contemporary of Goya. Spent time with Beethoven. Was around (though young) at the time of the American Revolution; closely followed events surrounding the French Revolution. He was around for most of the reaction to the French Revolution and Napoleon that in turn led to the revolutions of 1848 (16 years after he died).

This kind of book does help with thinking about German history. Unlike the national governments that had been in place for centuries in France and England (or the good old fashioned autocracy in Russia), this part of the world featured things like the "free city" of Frankfurt (where Goethe grew up), the tiny duchy of Weimar (where he was able to participate in civil administration in addition to providing celebrity and intellectual weight), the militarism and increasing importance of Prussia (where for example the duke of Weimar went to get involved in the military). Many small states during this period of run-up to Bismarck.

Goethe doesn't fit the stereotype of the impractical, unhappy, struggling artist. He comes across as secure, happy, practical, prosperous. He loved the classics and spent lots of time in Italy. He hit the jackpot as a commercial success in his early 20s with "The Sorrows of Young Werther." His most famous work is "The Damnation of Faust," though I understand it is pretty difficult reading. Anyway, "Werther" made him famous throughout Europe and assured his financial and celebrity status for the rest of his life - though it seems he did far, far more than rest on his laurels.

Goethe is thought of as one of the last generalists - he sought to make a contribution in multiple fields, including a treatise on color and optics where he (thoughtfully but unsuccessfully) challenged Newton As this author describes it, the various branches of science were deepening so rapidly that no one even tried to contribute in multiple areas (as had been common earlier, think Descartes).

Goethe met all kinds of interesting folks - partly because he was a heavyweight that had gained celebrity early in life, and then ended up living into his early 80s. Had an interesting encounter with Napoleon. Spent time with Beethoven, including a famous scene, though probably allegorical, where he bowed to royalty but Beethoven didn't remove his cap. Best buddies with Schiller. Etc. (This kind of book helps set different historical events and figures in context, knit them together; useful.)

I keep seeing references to the "Sturm and Drang" movement. Goethe and Schiller were associated with this, though both moved away. Goethe's hit novel (Werther) is considered an early spark for the movement (though this author thinks Goethe's message was that Werther was on the wrong track). Sturm and Drang is described here. I think of it as a stormy, passionate, notion of an individual soul or consciousness that runs deeper than intellect . . . you start to see the action/reaction movements in history, as these folks were reacting to the rationalism - and overbroad claims of what it could achieve - led by folks like Voltaire in the 18th century.

Goethe and Schiller moved away from this, but the trend was building with elements appearing in Romanticism, Neitzsche, Wagner . . . into the nationalism that became so important in 20th century (and was foolishly fed by folks like Woodrow Wilson); and yes, even to Hitler. (None of this of course traveled in a straight line.) Goethe would have run away from anything resembling Nazism; he emphasized looking for practical happiness, never slavish devotion to causes or ideologies.

In fact the basic outlook as described is very close to how I think on any number of topics . . . you could read this and get a pretty good window on my thought process in many areas.

Read at the gym.

Atonement (January 27, 2008)

Patricia and I went to see a movie in the theater for the first time in over six months. We've been enjoying our Netflix rentals; that system really works well for us.

We ended up liking this movie quite a bit. The music was a bonus.

Basic premise: older daughter of upper class British family experiences an incident - pretty much harmless - out near the fountain with the son of one of the kitchen staff (though the son was Cambridge educated and headed to medical school if I remember correctly); the incident was observed from afar by the younger daughter and misinterpreted. This led to pretty much catastrophic consequences. And a need for "atonement" on a couple levels.

The story started during the years leading up to World War II; the male lead ends up going to war; is separated from his unit and becomes part of the evacuation scene at Dunkirk. The director did a 5+ minute tracking shot there which worked well.

The younger sister is played by three different actresses at different stages in her life and becomes quite the interesting character. We liked the finish. The "atonement" concept plays through quite effectively.

Then we had a decent meal at the "Elephant Bar" near the Scottsdale 101 theater, so that was unexpectedly nice.

Doctor Zhivago (Boris Pasternak, 1956)

I recently read quite a bit of praise for this novel in the 50th anniversary of its publication, and had meant to read it ever since. (Publication came after the book was smuggled out of the Soviet Union in 1956; it was not printed there until 1988).

I guess the political problem was that the book elevated concern about individual development over sacrifice to the "state," whatever that meant from time to time. I read that Pasternak declined the Nobel prize for this book after the Soviet government requested that the committee not award it to him (which it did).

There also is a famous movie (and title song). I've not seen it and would like to, though from what I read the book is way better.

I read so much Russian stuff, but very little that explores what things were like in the years during and after the revolution, particularly away from the major cities. This story begins well before the revolution, then follows the major characters through events in Moscow, then to Zhivago's wife's patrimony in Siberia, and then back to Moscow.

One of the things that happens in the book is that the author explores a situation where someone is in love - seemingly genuinely - with two women, for different reasons. (Goethe works this theme a couple times also, as I'm learning.) I don't get this idea. Many of the scenes are in the army camp in Siberia (reds v whites); all the events that occurred in the early years after the fall of the tsar and ascension of the communists.

Zhivago was a doctor but also the author's voice for exploring the meaning of art and beauty. All this is most interesting (and probably way more interesting to me now than it would have been 10 years ago). Zhivago is principled and idealistic in a world that descended ever deeper into violence and opportunism. In addition to medical skill, he did drawings, poetry, stories.

Zhivago was not impressed by the revolutionaries; his attitude here also reminded me of Goethe's attitude toward the zealots that sprung up in the years surrounding the French revolution, and later in opposition to the reactionaries that took over the various German states once Bonaparte had been controlled. Zhivago views the folks that pushed the communist agenda - understood many to be drawn toward unsettled situations, seizers of opportunities, not serious; yet there was an element of legitimate desire for change and improvement. No doubt this attitude toward communist orthodoxy made Pasternak unpopular.

My only criticism, and it is very slight - lots of characters, some seem to just disappear, others pop in all sorts of coincidences. Authors of course do this or interesting stories couldn't develop, but this seemed a bit much at times.

Very much worth reading.

Read in the gym.

A Good Day's Work - an Iowa Farm in the Great Depression (Dwight W. Hoover, 2007)

Another very interesting read centered in rural Iowa in the Depression. Unusual that two books like this (the second being "Little Heathens - summarized here) were published about the same time. Like "Little Heathens," this one had great reviews in the Wall Street Journal and nytimes.com.

I was looking forward to reading this quite a bit, but in the end I must say I liked "Little Heathens" better. This guy was just a bit too clinical. Plus he spent lots of time discussing livestock, 4H and other topics to which I had very limited exposure.

That being said, I much enjoyed the book. The author is writing about a very different time, but much of the talk is familiar and certainly triggers recollections of conversations I heard growing up. As with "Little Heathens," it is striking how rapidly the world of agriculture changed in a very short window of time. This is not a new insight, but the pace of agricultural change for centuries was minimal, then things picked up moving into the 20th century, now an entirely different world . . .

The Overcoat and other short stories (Nikolai Gogol, 1835, 1836, 1842)

Patricia had taken this book out of the library because "The Overcoat" is mentioned in a movie we've rented ("The Namesake"). So I read the four short stories.

I like Gogol's stuff. (And his book "Dead Souls" is the first book listed on this website.) The Overcoat is a sad satire of an anonymous clerk who doesn't have much of a life, lacks cash, and is the butt of jokes at his one social outlet - his job at the ministry. They laugh about his worn-out coat (call it "the mantle"). The thing finally falls apart to where he must buy a new one - but it requires 80 rubles. After scrimping for six months - and anticipating the new coat through consultations with his tailor and window-shopping material - he finally gets the coat. Everyone praises the coat. But things don't turn out so well.

The Thin Red Line (James Jones, 1962)

I really didn't know a thing about this book or the author, but definitely would highly recommend it. Jones also wrote "From Here to Eternity," which now is on my to-read list.

This is a fictionalized account of WWII fighting in Guadalcanal. I'll never know what war is like, and am sure that's a good thing. But one wonders. This kind of book tries to convey the feeling. Reminded me of the feel of The Red Badge of Courage.

Jones takes a large number of characters in "C for Charlie" company as they arrive at the island. Takes us through the process of getting used to the climate and terrain, killing time in camp, the initial battles, the fear and paralysis experienced by many, the unexpected bravery - or just orneriness in many cases - shown by others. The first battle scene is wonderful. Interesting perspectives on leadership.

I haven't seen the movie (filmed in 1998). The cast has a huge number of what are now household names: Sean Penn, Woody Harrelson, Adrien Brody, John Travolta, Nick Nolte, James Caviezel, John Cusack, John C. Reilly, George Clooney. I need to see this.

Little Heathens - Hard Times and High Spirits on an Iowa Farm during the Great Depression (Mildred Armstrong Kalish, 2007)

This book had very strong reviews in the Wall Street Journal and nytimes.com. So I gave it a try. And liked it quite a bit.

As the title spells out in detail, the author grew up on an Iowa farm in the 1930s. She became an English professor and certainly has both an excellent memory and a good writing style.

Here in 2007, stories of a kid growing up in the Depression seem to describe a long-lost era. My major take-away from the book was the similarities - not the differences - between the author's world and the world in which I grew up in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It actually only was 30 years prior to my own childhood.

I'm guessing the similarities arise because my world was populated by characters who were adults in the 1930s - my grandparents and their peer group - and another set of characters - my parents etc. - who were shaped by preceding generation. So when this author talks about saving everything - down to pieces of string and bits of foil - I can relate. And when she describes the advice from her elders about never wasting time and the folly of idleness - I can relate. And the gardening stories. And the respect for elders. Also little things like the description of the smell of the green walnuts they harvested.

Of course there have been big changes in mechanization - both in the ag operations and in the farm house. And these have drastically altered the daily routine as described by the author. But much of the underlying attitude persisted.

Goya (Robert Hughes, 2003)

I read at this at the gym and much liked it.

Biographies like this are great in part because it's a unique centering for a description of the history around the subject of the biography. I'm starting to pick out more biographies like this (along the lines of the Tolstoy biography discussed here (September 4, 2006 entry); just took out one on Goethe).

Goya lived a long time and saw lots. You read a lot about the high level of repression in Spain over the centuries (including the Inquisition, which was winding down around the time Goya came around). Anyway, this seemed to lead to about the backwardness you'd expect once they'd kicked out the Muslims and Jews - and more progressive Christian folks also just left, especially after the frustration of the reforms hoped for after Napoleon's ejection. Goya himself left Spain in his old age and died in France. What a society.

Anyway, Hughes goes through Goya's early days trying to make his way out of the provinces and into Madrid (which was pretty much backwards also). He thrives, has commissions from royals and other important folk. Had a wife but never wrote about her; rumors of mistresses but nothing very compelling. Liked bullfighting. Painted some unusual subjects.

Then along came Napoleon. Hughes says the native response was the first modern guerrilla war, which may be true, who knows. The activities and tone certainly seemed like a pretty good precursor to the 20th century Spanish civil war. One of the most famous Goya works ("3rd of May") commemorates the Napeolonic struggle. It was interesting to read the Spanish perspective on this, different than the Wellington biography from a few years ago.

Goya became deaf, took on the Inquisition (but subtly). There is a Hollywood biography named "The Naked Maja" which tries to build on the mistress thing.

It was interesting to read in the paper a couple weeks ago about the expansion of the Prado in Madrid (and the extent of its collection); it was built in Goya's time but certainly not for an art museum.

Remembrance of Things Past (Vol 1-2) (Marcel Proust)

Another famous work that I haven't previously had (or taken) the opportunity to read. I understand that a better translation of the title would be "In Search of Lost Time." It's about memory. I'm reading the French Pleiade edition translated by C.K. Scott Moncrieff and Terence Kilmartin.

The book generally prints at around 3,200 pages, I understand. It was written by Proust over numerous years in seven volumes. The translation that I'm reading placed the first two volumes in one book that runs 1,030 pages. So this seems like a good point at which to take a breather. I've now made my way through Volumes 1-2: "Swann's Way" and "Within a Budding Grove."

Proust is an interesting character in his own right, you can read about him here.

I don't know quite how to describe his writing style. Some elements - 1) he goes into long descriptions of virtually everything he encounters; 2) he goes into rhapsodies over things he appreciates or in which he finds beauty (hawthorn); 3) he has an incredible knack for observing - and describing - human nature; 4) it makes you think about how much of each person's world is tied up in the person's unique perception of what he or she is experiencing (recognizing this is also a hoary philosophical problem).

I'm hoping that the reader can learn something about human nature, especially my own, and a thing or two about slowing down and appreciating the beauty around me. Proust is quite good at this, though I don't think it's his primary intention.

Swann's Way includes the famous scene where the narrator bites into a madeleine (a trigger for memory).

I'm noticing now that Proust is referred to constantly in other literature (not to mention "Little Miss Sunshine"), including a book of Iowa reminiscing that I'm reading right now.

Swann's Way: life at Combray (long walks; elderly relatives; the author's room and goodnight to mother); Swann's relationship with Odette; Vanteuil (the sonata; his wretched daughter); the Verdurins (social climbers; also associated with Odette; gatherings of "the faithful"); Gilberte (Swann's daughter; first love).

Within a Budding Grove: staying at Balbec with grandmother; the "little band" (including Albertine); Elstir (the artist); relationship with Saint-Loup.

The timeline of the story moves back and forth, with different characters appearing in different stages.

I definitely want to own a copy of this book, it should not be missed. More to come.

The Aeneid (Virgil, 29-19 B.C. (Robert Fagles translation)

Somehow I have never gotten around to reading this. It was surprisingly enjoyable and worked well for reading on the stairmaster.

Some thoughts:

1. This work definitely is part of the traditional canon; references to it pop up all over the place. For example, it's been mentioned within the last couple days in the two other books that I have in process.

2. The foreward was helpful in explaining Virgil's purpose - basically he was writing something that put the founding of Rome and its empire-building and law-giving in a heroic aspect. He built directly on, and borrowed from, Homer. He also used the underworld visit as a device to praise the top political figures of his day.

3. Dido was a really strong character.

4. The underworld scenes are fascinating and seem to cover what I know of most religions' key elements of the afterlife. I don't know that much about Dante but he seemed to borrow very heavily from this (I do recall Virgil was even his guide as he passed through the underworld).

5. The battle sequences are full of graphic violence. Now I'm thinking this year's surprise hit movie of ancient warfare ("The 300") - which I avoided because I thought it would be too violent - may have been consistent with Virgil's descriptions.

6. He emphasizes piety and interaction with the gods as the key to Rome's success.

Robert Spring and a Whole Lot of Friends (Katzin Concert Hall, September 9, 2007)

The ASU faculty and student recital season ends in late April, so we were glad to see things starting up again. We went to a concert featuring a clarinet player. The guy (Robert Spring) has an effective personality and is quite the showman. The first half of the program involved some brand new compositions, including one piece (Chamber Concerto #2) where the composer was present for its premiere. It involved violin, viola, cello, percussion. I was ok with it, PJ not so much.

The second part of the concert involved the clarinet guy and piano accompaniments.

Very much worth the trip down, it's very nice to have access to live music like this.

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.