Wacky Weather! Freaks of the Storm: From Flying Cows to Stealing Thunder, by Randy Cerveny

Freaks of the Storm is a book I acquired a while back--from my late sister's collection, I think. We both enjoyed reading about marvelous phenomena. These "true weather stories" are interesting and amazing. And short! They make for a fun, brief little read. Each of the chapters covers a different weather aspect, such as tornadoes, lightning, hail, rain, etc. But there are also chapters for especially freakish weather events, grouped together at the end. One such chapter is titled "Oddest Weather Extremes."

I've been enjoying reading this book and I'm learning a lot about weather as a consequence! For instance, I now know what relative humidity is as well as dew point. He also gives advice in each chapter on how to deal with and survive severe weather. That is very useful information. 

Randy Cerveny

The writer is a professor of Geology at Arizona State University. If you want to read more about him, here is a website you can explore: Geology ASU.

Empress Min

Anchee Min, taken from her website

I'm very glad I finally got around to reading Empress Orchid, by Anchee Min. This was a very good book. I learned a lot about China and what it was like for the aristocracy in the mid-19th century, when China was forced to open their country to the world. The writer includes a great deal of history in her fictionalized autobiography of China's last empress, Tzu Hsi (nicknamed Orchid), of Manchu heritage. That was only one of the things I learned from this book: that Manchu was a particular type of Chinese ethnicity, different from what the author refers to as "Chinese."

But there was so much historical material in this book, it became a bit overwhelming at times and I must confess that I fast-forwarded through some of the more detailed sections. But the book wasn't just about China--it was also about the West and its fraught relationship with the East, in particular the British and their imperialistic designs, all of which seem to have to do (as ever) with money.

And perhaps the boldest thread that weaves through this book is the fate of women, not just in China, but in the world at the time. Empress Orchid--concubine, mother, leader--had a great deal of power at a time when women were not expected (or allowed) to wield power. In fact, most of the men in her life tried desperately to wrest it away from her. That they did not succeed is a testament to her strength and intelligence (some would say cunning).

The author is obviously intending to present a sympathetic portrait of this historical figure. Reading Wikipedia accounts I obtained a different, ostensibly more balanced picture. China has in the past century portrayed Tzu Hsi as evil--she is, after all, a figure from their imperial past that they were trying to vilify during the early years of Communism. Recently, however, she is enjoying a more positive reputation as a strong leader during a difficult time for China, when it was opened for the first time in centuries to the modern world. China learned the hard way that they were weak, decadent and insular--all qualities that left them vulnerable to exploitation and attack by Western countries.

This book was not only a good history lesson, however. It was also a good story, suspenseful and gripping. I found myself wanting to find out how Orchid was going to get her way--would she succeed in surviving? And I found myself caring about what happened to her and the people she cared about. I was sympathetic to her secret desire to return to her Manchurian roots, to ride with her husband into the countryside, to live the life of a nomad. Whether or not the real woman held such dreams is not clear, but reading about them made her more human and her plight--and that of her country--more sympathetic. Of course, making readers care about a protagonist is the mark of a good novelist--Anchee Min is definitely that. She has written other books--I may check them out.

An enjoyable book--I recommend it highly.

Next: an "M" book I somehow succeeded in avoiding when I was in high school: Moby Dick, by Herman Melville.

The Progress of Fiction

Alice Munro
taken from IMDB

I've always enjoyed Alice Munro's stories. They're about ordinary people, usually women, dealing with the circumstances of ordinary life. They're quiet stories, generally, with little to no "action," as we've come to think of it. The stories in her 1987 collection, The Progress of Love, are no exception.

However, having read these stories several months ago, I cannot recall a single one of them, though I do recall enjoying them. Maybe that's a good thing--the mark of a story that seems to be about people you know, that fades into the background of your life. I guess I'll have to read them again. I'm looking forward to it!😉

The Bone Detective

Robert Mann
taken from William & Mary University Alumni Site

Dr. Robert Mann, the author of Forensic Detective: How I Cracked the World's Toughest Cases, is a forensic anthropologist and "director of the Forensic Science Academy at the Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii, the largest forensic skeletal lab in the world." It is where they work to uncover the identity of remains of U.S. military members killed in wars. But he's also worked for the Smithsonian and the Memphis morgue. The book describes what he considers to be his most interesting cases. And indeed they are interesting.

Chapters in this book deal with a range of situations requiring forensic detection: from Jeffrey Dahmer's first victim, to the tragedy of 9/11, to the Body Farm, to the jungles of Vietnam. I'd like to say I have a favorite, but all were fascinating and worth reading.

I recommend this book highly to anyone interested in forensics or detective fiction or non-fiction.

The Wright Brothers Flies Right!

First Flight,
taken from Wikipedia

The Wright Brothers was an excellent book--no surprise, I'm sure, to McCullough's many fans. Everyone thinks they know something about these icons of aviation, but the mark of a truly great book of popular history, especially a biography, is that when you're finished reading, you know much more than you ever imagined you could about the book's subject.

This book was rich and meaty, filled with details about the two brothers, their family, their business and their neighborhood. McCullough managed to make a well-known and seemingly simple story complex, nuanced, and even suspenseful. It was amazing to me that at each turn of events in the saga of first flight, I was worried about how it was going to come out. And yet all of it had already taken place long ago!

Not only were there many facts, but there were documents and photos, letters and diaries to support the facts given. And McCullough didn't overstep the natural boundaries of non-fiction by venturing off into imagining thoughts and feelings he was not privy to, as many non-fiction writers will do. Instead, he qualified his speculation about what was not evident, basing his opinion on what was known about the brothers.

Because I felt as if I'd gotten to know these people, I was sad by the end of the book when I learned how they died. That's as it should be for a great biography. Well done, David! I'm looking forward to your next book.

Deserts, Poetry, and Flight

Carrying on with the "M" authors list, I next delved into two books: one is by James A. MacMahon, a professor of Ecology at Utah State University, entitled Deserts: A National Audubon Society Nature Guide. The other is an anthology of 20th century African American poetry, edited by Clarence Major, called The Garden Thrives.

James A. MacMahon

Deserts is mainly a reference work containing many images and descriptions of geographical and geologic features, flora and fauna to be found in the four major deserts of the United States--the Great Basin, the Sonoran, the Chihuahuan, and the Mojave. The introduction is extensive, though; from it I learned a great deal about what constitutes a desert and how plants and animals adapt to the harsh climate in which they make their home. Before I started this book, for instance, I was unaware that there are several types of sagebrush, and that at least one animal, the sage grouse, is almost totally dependent on that bush for its food, shelter, nesting materials, cover and concealment. In fact, I was so intrigued that I looked up the bird on the internet and found a fascinating National Geographic special that came out about a year ago. It can still be found at YouTube: The Greater Sage Grouse. I recommend viewing it. The bird is beautiful as well as clever! And if you're planning a trip to an American desert in the future, or even just want to learn about deserts, I highly recommend buying this Audubon field guide.

Clarence Major

While learning about deserts, I was also reading the poetry anthology with much interest. It contains over 100 African American poets of the 20th century, most of whom I had never heard of before. So it was an enjoyable experience to discover so many wonderful poets. I plan to learn more about many of them. One of the poets of whom I had heard is the famous Harlem Renaissance poet, Jean Toomer. One of his poems, "Reapers," appeared in his novel Cane. It was such a powerful poem I decided to make it into a song. I read Cane a while back; you can read my review of the book at this post: October 6, 2013.

David McCullough

The "M" book I'm currently reading is the biography of the Wright brothers by one of my favorite biographers, David McCullough. It's titled simply, The Wright Brothers, and it mainly covers their invention of the airplane and its aftermath. It's beautifully written, as are all McCullough's books. I read his book 1776 back about 10 years ago and enjoyed it very much, so I recommend this book highly. I'll have more to say in the next post!

His Middle Name

The cover photo of Michael Moore's autobiography, Here Comes Trouble, shows a very cute little boy: the author when he was probably around three years old. I'm sure the publisher chose this image because Moore looks so innocent, unlike the crafty fellow he later becomes.

This book was quite entertaining, though sometimes it seemed the stories he told about his life were just a bit fictionalized--they fit so nicely into a story format. But for someone who tells stories for a living, that's to be expected. And for the most part, the stories seemed self-serving, even if true. But what autobiography isn't self-serving, after all?

I learned something about Michael Moore's early life: that he came to film making late in his career and somewhat by accident. What he really was for most of his adult life (and some of his adolescent life) up to that point was a rabble-rouser, a muck-raker, and yes, a trouble maker. That he turned that talent for stirring things up into a lucrative career while also providing a public service is commendable and pretty amazing.

As I say, I enjoyed the book. It was well written and interesting--a fast read. I'm looking forward to the second installment that starts with the release of Roger and Me, and comes up to the present, whenever that will be. I recommend Here Comes Trouble.

Next "M" book: The Garden Thrives: 20th Century African American Poetry, edited by Clarence Major.

A Deep View of the Prairie

William Least Heat Moon

I started reading PrairyErth, by William Least Heat Moon, back when I first acquired it in the 1990s, but didn't get very far, though I had meant to get back to it in the future. In the meantime, I read another book by Moon, River Horse, which was also very good. My posts about that book started in May 2011, with the post, "Dispatches from Nikawa," and went on for three more posts. It was, like PrairyErth, a very long book.

PrairyErth's subtitle is A Deep Map, which is a metaphor for digging beneath the surface of a place to learn other, more hidden truths. The place being "dug up" in this book is the Flint Hills of Kansas. At the time this book was written, the Flint Hills had not yet been designated a protected area.

The Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, now under the National Park Service, was created in 1996, after years of negotiations between congress and other stakeholders in the region, such as ranchers.

Spring In The Flint Hills
Photograph by Scott Bean

PrairyErth was published in 1991, and seems to have been written in part to call attention to the area and the necessity for preserving the small, still relatively unchanged percentage of the once-vast natural grasslands of the Great Plains. The book covers just one Kansas county of the region, Chase. As were most of the flat lands of the plains, Kansas was laid out in a grid: most main roads and rail lines going north-south and east-west with towns and even farms set alongside those grid lines. Even today, the flatness of the area allows for straight roads and a clear view of the horizon as you travel along. In Kansas, you always know where you are with respect to the points of the compass (unlike in other areas of the country, where hills and trees and boulders and rivers get in the way of your line of sight).

Of course, the Flint Hills are not flat, but still they conform to the grid pattern, as you can see from this map of a section of Kansas.

Kansas, showing Chase County

The pink square is Chase county (the green section within the county is the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve). In the book, the author divides that space into twelve equal sections, or quadrangles, each having a principal town or "light" as he calls them, suggesting the view from an airplane at night, looking down on this relatively empty section of Kansas and seeing a few bright spots in the surrounding darkness. The twelve quadrangles form the twelve chapters of the book, and in each chapter Moon describes in detail the history, geography, geology, culture, commerce and citizenry of the small towns and surrounding farms, ranches and grasslands.

Moon organizes the book spatially, but also chronologically in the form of a journal. He moves back and forth between the past and the present as he walks along the roads or through the grasses or up and down the hills or into towns or ranch houses, meeting and chatting with various individuals, some local and some tourists. His language goes from description to philosophy to poetry, evoking a sense of the place and its story through the centuries. There are familiar tales to tell--such as the story of "Bleeding Kansas" and of Knute Rockne's plane crash, both in very particular detail--and other more obscure but no less interesting stories of local tragedy and triumph. His research on Chase County appears to have been vast as well as particular, both of the past and the present, of the flora and fauna (including the human kind), of the biologic and the geologic. There can be no one with more expertise on Chase County than William Least Heat Moon.

It took me several weeks to finish the 624 pages of this book, but it was well worth it. It's amazingly rich and beautifully written. It increased my understanding on a range of subjects and levels. Though I lived in the region for nine years, I felt I didn't fully know it or appreciate it until I read this book, and it makes me wonder if even life-long residents of the Flint Hills might feel the same way after reading PrairyErth.

I recommend this book highly.

Next, something very different: Michael Moore's autobiography, Here Comes Trouble.

More Books by "F" Authors

Michael J. Fox

It's been a while since I've posted, and in that time I've read more books by authors whose names start with "F." One that was surprisingly well written and interesting was the autobiography of Michael J. Fox, Lucky Man, covering his early years up until his diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease. He has a new volume out that covers his life from that point up to the present, The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist. I've been a fan of Fox's for many years (since the TV series Family Ties), but I really came to appreciate him as a person after reading his honest accounting of his life, both before and after Parkinson's. He talks frankly about his struggle to accept his fate and his less-than-sensible methods of coping with it (such as abusing cocaine), as well as crediting the people in his life who helped him to get through it and get to the place where he is now. I recommend it highly.

Thomas Friedman

Another "F" book I read was the very interesting (and somewhat scary) explanation of globalization by the distinguished columnist, Thomas Friedman, entitled The Lexus and the Olive Tree. It certainly was informative and reached its goal of helping me to understand globalism and how we cannot stop it, even if we wanted to. He talks about what is good and what is bad about the phenomenon, and offers some remedies (to anyone who is in control of these things) for correcting the bad (such as the effects of job loss due to companies going global). The book was first written in 1999 and then revised in 2000, so a lot has happened since then that he warned of or predicted in the book. That was the scary part. He even predicted that Osama Bin Laden (whom he called a super-powerful individual) would cause trouble because he had enough money and power to do whatever he wanted. He didn't need the power of a country to attack another country. Now we find that there are many such super-powerful individuals causing trouble around the world. It's another kind of globalization--the globalization of terror.

Another disaster Friedman predicted was that the bad effects of globalization would eventually start causing trouble if they were not addressed. Too bad we didn't listen to that warning--the disaster that is Trump is the result of that failure, unfortunately.

So I recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand globalization. I think once you read it, whether you are for or against the phenomenon, you'll see that it can't be stopped, but must be managed in order for us and the world to survive and continue to progress.

I also read the Best American Short Stories, 1990 collection, edited by Richard Ford, but no longer have the book and can't remember the stories, unfortunately. I think I liked them, though. But Barnes and Noble has a brief description of each in their web page for the volume (click on above link).

There are three more books written by "F" authors that I haven't as yet read but plan to in the future: A Great and Noble Scheme, by John Mack Faragher; Dido's Daughters, by Margaret Ferguson; and Writing Creative Nonfiction, by Carolyn Forche.

Meanwhile, I've decided to switch to the "M" books in my collection. There are quite a number of them, so I'll be on this letter for a while. First up: William Least Heat Moon's PrairyErth, which I've just finished and will be reviewing in the next post.

See you there!

The Dilemma of Aging

Nancy Foner
taken from City University of New York website

The next book on my "F" list was a social science book about the people who work in nursing homes, titled, The Caregiving Dilemma, by Nancy Foner. Dr. Foner spent eight months in a nursing home in New York City in 1988-89, working with and studying the people and the systems that administrators, nurses, other medical professionals and nursing assistants must work within to provide care to elderly and incapacitated residents. Dr. Foner is an anthropologist and so her study is intended to be an ethnography, with particular attention being paid to the nursing assistants, who provide the bulk of the day-to-day care of nursing home residents everywhere in this country.

I was particularly interested in this book because I have worked in a nursing home as a nursing assistant and have had relatives who were residents of nursing homes. One of those relatives was my mother, who herself worked in a nursing home for much of her nurse's aide career and who shared with me her frustrations and triumphs over the years. My sympathies have always been with nurse's aides, therefore, and so I was glad to see they were getting some attention, especially since, as Foner points out repeatedly, such workers are the backbone of the facility yet they are often the least appreciated and supported.

Foner makes some very good points about how the way the system is set up contributes to the caregiving dilemma: that to do the job right requires more people and resources than facilities are willing or able to bring to bear. So often they opt for more efficiency (and lower costs) over more compassion; better physical care at the expense of emotional care. Of course, relatives want it all for their loved ones: physical and emotional care, and high quality service for low costs.

The facilities want to pay as little as possible for good workers, but they end up driving away the ones who are the most compassionate because their compassion is less valued since it doesn't improve the bottom line. Even non-profits have to worry about costs, and so they have to make tough choices about wages and physical vs. emotional care.

The book was published in 1994, so it's been over 20 years since her study came out. Whether or not it had an impact on the industry, it does seem that conditions have improved in nursing homes, at least to the extent that policies prohibit using restraints and seem to require more attention to the emotional and social needs of the residents, while still keeping the residents clean and safe. Even the food seems to have improved in quality--at least at one place--and residents were given a choice of dishes.

I worked in an assisted living facility in 1994 where I met at least one aide (they called them caregivers) who was crabby and abrupt with the residents. This seemed to be acceptable to the management, since they were not planning to fire her. But in recent years I have seen very few unkind nursing assistants. Whether or not it's because I was seeing them as a resident's family (and they were on their good behavior for me), I can't say.

But I was relieved that some things had improved in the forty years since I had first been a nurse's aid in a nursing home in my town. Things were pretty bleak back then. The activities consisted of watching a TV that was black and white and in need of repair--picture jumped repeatedly, "snow" on the screen obscured the view. Residents were called patients then and most stayed in bed all day and night, which of course contributed to bed sores, a constant danger for such people. I'm sure the food was barely palatable, and the staff was in short supply. Five years later, working at a nursing home, I was charged with caring for 25 patients on the day shift. There was no way I could give good care to such a large number of people.

This was an interesting and eye-opening book, but it left me feeling somewhat discouraged. Despite the improvements, the situation for the chronically ill elderly is looking bleak, especially with the numbers of Baby-Boomers aging into the need for care and the costs of such care skyrocketing with state governments unwilling or unable to continue to pay for it through Medicaid. What will happen is unknown, but it might become a crisis that will have to be dealt with one way or another.

I recommend this book highly.

My next "F" author is the famous economist, Thomas Friedman's rather prophetic book about globalization, The Lexus and the Olive Tree, which was published in 2000. So far it's very interesting a just a little bit disturbing.