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!