This week I began my "T" books, starting with a popular book about punctuation (!) by Lynne Truss, Eats, Shoots and Leaves. It was very funny and very well written! I had been given it as a gift years ago (since it came out in 2004, it was probably 9 years), and never gotten around to reading it. Its audience seems to be puncto-philes (I'm making that word up) or even puncto-fanatics, which means I'm the perfect person to read it. Fortunately for the publisher, it was, as they claim on the book's jacket, "a runaway bestseller," much to the author's astonishment.
I enjoyed reading about her exasperation at the signs we see every day--supposedly to communicate an important message--that are atrociously punctuated, and at the alarming increase in poorly punctuated emails and other such published writings that should be more carefully composed and proofread. It was heartening to realize I'm not alone!
But if someone were reading it just to learn about punctuation, I think the book would be less than ideal. The author tends to get into the weeds about how words should be punctuated, ending up discussing all the exceptions to the rules, something that, I've learned, confuses puncto-phobic people to the point where they throw up their hands and say, "Well, it doesn't really matter, then, does it?" That's not exactly the result Ms. Truss and I are looking for.
But if you just want a laugh about how language is constantly evolving and sometimes stumbling on its way to communication, you'll enjoy this book as I did.
Since that was a short book, I was able to start another on the "T" list, this time a novel by Mark Twain, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. I had read the book many years ago, but don't really remember it. I've also seen the movie starring Bing Crosby, but don't remember much about it, either, other than that there was singing, as there always is with Bing Crosby movies. The story involves a factory worker in late-nineteenth-century Hartford, CT who is hit on the head with a crowbar, and when he comes to, finds himself in King Arthur's court. Since the character, Hank Morgan, is a pragmatic sort of fellow, he makes the most of his time-travel. And since Twain is telling the story, he does it in a very comical way.
In the years since reading the book the first time, I've studied the history of the middle ages, so I'm enjoying the book in a different way this time, appreciating how Twain is making fun of that era as well as his own. It's a funny thing about Twain: I always forget what a good writer he was! Once I get used to the late nineteenth-century style of writing (rather full and florid, as a rule), I find myself thoroughly entertained by Twain's clever way of looking at the world and its people.
So, two humorous books in a row ain't a bad thing! I'll let you know how our Connecticut Yankee fares in the next installment.
Showing posts with label non-fiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label non-fiction. Show all posts
Saturday, June 1, 2013
Saturday, April 20, 2013
From a Troubled History to an Uncertain Future
I spent the week reading and skimming Making Waves, an anthology of mostly non-fiction writing by and about Asian American women, edited by the Asian Women United of California (hence its inclusion in the "A" books). It was published in 1989, and for that reason it's a bit dated, but there were many interesting articles, some poems and a few stories to keep me reading or at least perusing the book over the course of the week.
I got out of it as much as I wanted, I think, though I didn't read most of the more scholarly articles as they were a bit too dry for bus reading. If I were trying to gain information to write a paper for a course, this book would be just the thing. I believe that was my original intention when I bought it years ago, but I'm no longer moved to write about the subject. I may keep it, though, in case I need to learn something in the future about Asian American women, as it is quite thorough in its coverage of their somewhat troubled history and (then) current situtation in the U.S.
So, having finished Making Waves, I'm turning once again to fiction, this time a novel by Maragaret Atwood (the famous speculative fiction writer who is one of my favorites) entitled The Year of the Flood. This book continues the saga begun in Oryx and Crake, which I read back in 2004. The story takes place in a future world that has been all but destroyed by humankind's neglect of the environment. It should be interesting, and moreover, will complete my sojourn through the "A" books in my collection.
Stay tuned . . .
I got out of it as much as I wanted, I think, though I didn't read most of the more scholarly articles as they were a bit too dry for bus reading. If I were trying to gain information to write a paper for a course, this book would be just the thing. I believe that was my original intention when I bought it years ago, but I'm no longer moved to write about the subject. I may keep it, though, in case I need to learn something in the future about Asian American women, as it is quite thorough in its coverage of their somewhat troubled history and (then) current situtation in the U.S.
So, having finished Making Waves, I'm turning once again to fiction, this time a novel by Maragaret Atwood (the famous speculative fiction writer who is one of my favorites) entitled The Year of the Flood. This book continues the saga begun in Oryx and Crake, which I read back in 2004. The story takes place in a future world that has been all but destroyed by humankind's neglect of the environment. It should be interesting, and moreover, will complete my sojourn through the "A" books in my collection.
Stay tuned . . .
Sunday, November 13, 2011
History and a Famous Horse
This week I continued my new campaign of reading my magazines the first week of each month. I finished American Heritage, and then Smithsonian, and finally Colonial Williamsburg magazine. As you can see, most of my magazines are history-centric. I learned a number of things, but I can't remember them too vividly at the moment, so I'll just say that they proved to be interesting reading and reminded me that there is a great deal of good writing being published out there.
Following my magazine interlude, I started reading Seabiscuit, by Laura Hillenbrand. It is a very interesting and well written story of the fabled horse who achieved fame in the 1930s. It's filled with details about horse racing, horses, jockeys, and the era. I've already learned quite a bit and I've barely begun the book!
One of the things I've learned so far is that Seabiscuit was the son of a horse called Hardtack, which is what people call the rock-like biscuits given to soldiers and sailors to carry with them on long campaigns or voyages. Seabiscuit, incidentally, is another name for such difficult-to-eat fare. Hardtack was an unruly horse, apparently. (Seabiscuit was just the opposite, however.)
Oddly, one of the magazine stories I read this week told of how much Civil War soldiers hated hardtack, to the point that a song was penned, "Hardtack, Come Again No More," sung to the tune of Stephen Foster's "Hard Times, Come Again No More," a popular song of the times. Interestingly enough, that song, sung by James Taylor, is on the album Appalachian Journey (featuring Yo Yo Ma) that I've lately been using for my morning dance exercise.
From Seabiscuit I've also learned about the transition from horse transportation to automobile transportation, and how that impacted horse racing. Hillenbrand also details the grueling life of the jockey, especially those who worked the lesser known races for smaller purses. Jockeys put up with a great deal of abuse, it seems, from the trainers and the horses as well as the other jockeys during the race.
So, I'm looking forward to finishing this one. I've seen the movie, and I'm trying to remember how close it was to the book. I may have to see it again once I finish Seabiscuit.
Tune in next week for more about the famous horse!
Following my magazine interlude, I started reading Seabiscuit, by Laura Hillenbrand. It is a very interesting and well written story of the fabled horse who achieved fame in the 1930s. It's filled with details about horse racing, horses, jockeys, and the era. I've already learned quite a bit and I've barely begun the book!
One of the things I've learned so far is that Seabiscuit was the son of a horse called Hardtack, which is what people call the rock-like biscuits given to soldiers and sailors to carry with them on long campaigns or voyages. Seabiscuit, incidentally, is another name for such difficult-to-eat fare. Hardtack was an unruly horse, apparently. (Seabiscuit was just the opposite, however.)
Oddly, one of the magazine stories I read this week told of how much Civil War soldiers hated hardtack, to the point that a song was penned, "Hardtack, Come Again No More," sung to the tune of Stephen Foster's "Hard Times, Come Again No More," a popular song of the times. Interestingly enough, that song, sung by James Taylor, is on the album Appalachian Journey (featuring Yo Yo Ma) that I've lately been using for my morning dance exercise.
From Seabiscuit I've also learned about the transition from horse transportation to automobile transportation, and how that impacted horse racing. Hillenbrand also details the grueling life of the jockey, especially those who worked the lesser known races for smaller purses. Jockeys put up with a great deal of abuse, it seems, from the trainers and the horses as well as the other jockeys during the race.
So, I'm looking forward to finishing this one. I've seen the movie, and I'm trying to remember how close it was to the book. I may have to see it again once I finish Seabiscuit.
Tune in next week for more about the famous horse!
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Detour: To 17th Century Italy
One of the books I read this summer was Galileo's Daughter: A Historical Memoir of Science, Faith, and Love, by Dava Sobel. It is a book that is part history and part biography of Galileo and his daughter, Sister Maria Celeste, a cloistered nun. Maria Celeste wrote letters to her father throughout her short life and those letters are translated and included in this well-researched historical account. The letters help tell the story of Galileo, his career and his times, but they also help to tell Marie Celeste's story and another story that is not well known--what 17th century Italy was like for women, especially women who served the Church.
From Galileo's Daughter I learned an enormous amount about Galileo. Before reading this book I had a general knowledge of Galileo and his contribution to science, but I knew next to nothing about his life and career. And I certainly didn't know he had five children, all illegitimate, and that two of his daughters became cloistered nuns.
In reading the book I became aware of how very complicated his situation was, and that it wasn't just a matter of the Vatican's punishing him for daring to say that the earth revolved around the sun. There was much more to it than that; in fact, his problems with the Vatican were more or less minor until late in his career.
I also learned that Galileo was no rebel in the pure sense. Throughout his career, he tried to address the concerns of the Popes as each came along and to comply with the Vatican's wishes with respect to his published writing. When he had a friend in the Vatican, things worked out pretty well and he was able to carry on his work. But when the political situation changed, he found himself in trouble.
I think what I found most surprising was that Italy (that is, the Vatican) was one of the last holdouts in refusing to accept the Copernican view of the universe. In other words, Galileo was not telling the world something they didn't know; he was, however, helping to prove what was until then only a theory. What he saw and showed the world through his telescopes made the truth about our solar system hard to deny. And the fact that his works were available outside of Italy made it possible for everyone to learn of his discoveries and discuss them in learned circles, despite the Vatican's official denial of their validity.
Everything I learned about Galileo was very interesting. But what I learned about his daughter was even more interesting, because it gave me a window on women of the time. In her letters, Sister Marie Celeste talks about her life in the monastery, a home she never left, not even for an hour or two, until her death. This was the cloistered life, shut away from the world, spent working and praying. But though the cloister was separated from the world, still the world's concerns were allowed to filter in, through letters, primarily, but also word of mouth.
Marie Celeste was a pious woman, but she knew what was happening with her father, and she conveyed her opinions about it, however covertly, through her letters. And though it would seem that a woman in such a situation would be meek and subject to the dictates of her mother superior or the priest in charge, Marie Celeste suggests through her letters that she had some power over her circumscribed world, power she seemed to relish. Though forced into the convent at a young age because of the circumstances of her birth, she nonetheless made the best of it. No doubt many other women of her time did the same, but not many of them were able to write of their experiences. We're lucky to have Marie Celeste's letters to give us a glimpse of her times.
Dava Sobel published another book, Letters to Father, which contains all of Marie Celeste's 124 surviving letters covering a ten-year period. They are translated and edited by Dava Sobel, who also wrote the introduction. Sometime I'd like to read them all, and if you get the chance, I recommend them along with Galileo's Daughter, a book I enjoyed very much.
From Galileo's Daughter I learned an enormous amount about Galileo. Before reading this book I had a general knowledge of Galileo and his contribution to science, but I knew next to nothing about his life and career. And I certainly didn't know he had five children, all illegitimate, and that two of his daughters became cloistered nuns.
In reading the book I became aware of how very complicated his situation was, and that it wasn't just a matter of the Vatican's punishing him for daring to say that the earth revolved around the sun. There was much more to it than that; in fact, his problems with the Vatican were more or less minor until late in his career.
I also learned that Galileo was no rebel in the pure sense. Throughout his career, he tried to address the concerns of the Popes as each came along and to comply with the Vatican's wishes with respect to his published writing. When he had a friend in the Vatican, things worked out pretty well and he was able to carry on his work. But when the political situation changed, he found himself in trouble.
I think what I found most surprising was that Italy (that is, the Vatican) was one of the last holdouts in refusing to accept the Copernican view of the universe. In other words, Galileo was not telling the world something they didn't know; he was, however, helping to prove what was until then only a theory. What he saw and showed the world through his telescopes made the truth about our solar system hard to deny. And the fact that his works were available outside of Italy made it possible for everyone to learn of his discoveries and discuss them in learned circles, despite the Vatican's official denial of their validity.
Everything I learned about Galileo was very interesting. But what I learned about his daughter was even more interesting, because it gave me a window on women of the time. In her letters, Sister Marie Celeste talks about her life in the monastery, a home she never left, not even for an hour or two, until her death. This was the cloistered life, shut away from the world, spent working and praying. But though the cloister was separated from the world, still the world's concerns were allowed to filter in, through letters, primarily, but also word of mouth.
Marie Celeste was a pious woman, but she knew what was happening with her father, and she conveyed her opinions about it, however covertly, through her letters. And though it would seem that a woman in such a situation would be meek and subject to the dictates of her mother superior or the priest in charge, Marie Celeste suggests through her letters that she had some power over her circumscribed world, power she seemed to relish. Though forced into the convent at a young age because of the circumstances of her birth, she nonetheless made the best of it. No doubt many other women of her time did the same, but not many of them were able to write of their experiences. We're lucky to have Marie Celeste's letters to give us a glimpse of her times.
Dava Sobel published another book, Letters to Father, which contains all of Marie Celeste's 124 surviving letters covering a ten-year period. They are translated and edited by Dava Sobel, who also wrote the introduction. Sometime I'd like to read them all, and if you get the chance, I recommend them along with Galileo's Daughter, a book I enjoyed very much.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Building a Story
When I finally finished House, even though I knew where it would end up, I was still glad that we got there safely. Even with stories where the outcome is known, we still want to find out what happens next. On House's cover, there are quotes from reviewers. People Magazine said the book was "a suspenseful, gripping tale!" The New York Times declared it "the stuff of real drama." Such comments would seem to describe a novel rather than a non-fiction narrative, but it's the book's novel-like features, I think--the way it's crafted to resemble a fictional narrative with plot, characters, setting, conflict, point of view--that make it compelling reading.
Crafting shows up in a variety of ways: the author may have changed events to fit a more compelling plot, or he might've manipulated details to present a person in a more or less attractive light. Often, dialogue that is not recorded or witnessed must be approximated or imagined, and people's feelings and thoughts described as if the author were privy to them the way a fictional narrator would be. Unfortunately, each of these techniques might make a narrative diverge from, as Anita puts it, "the literal truth" (comment to 12/28 post). So we can't blame the book's real people (whose names, as the author tells us in his acknowledgments, have not been changed) if they fret over how they and their story are portrayed in a book that millions of people will read.
I must say that I think Tracy Kidder has "authored" these people to a certain extent in that he has subtly shaped our perceptions of them as they progress through the construction of the house. The builder Jim Locke opens the first chapter, and indeed, he and his carpenters do seem to be the protagonists of this story. At the same time, the Souweines and the architect, Bill Rawn, slowly emerge as the antagonists. The conflict between these two opposing groups is what propels the action of the plot, and what keeps us reading.
And because we are meant to see the builders as the "good" guys and the architect-owners as the "bad" guys, we are not given a balanced view of either group. Early on, I noticed myself getting irritated with the wealthy owners and their attempts to get the builders to relent on price and materials, while feeling warm and fuzzy about the honest, hard-working builders; I'm sure that was no accident.
The author helps create that feeling by how he describes the people in the story. Each person gets a little biography and a description of his or her appearance and personality, habits and philosophy, but I noticed that the builders get more paragraphs, and that what we learn about them is more positive. Again, not by accident, I believe. Not until close to the end do we get a little more personal information about the Souweines, some of it quite sympathetic. Perhaps by then Kidder feels confident we are involved in the story and he can risk a bit more compassion for the "enemy."
Of course, that's just my take on the book. And the bias, once I caught on to it, really didn't detract from my reading pleasure. I still found House a rich, compelling narrative. And I learned a lot about building a house from scratch, something that isn't done much anymore. Even the giant McMansions that are built today are standardized, not unique, not custom-made just for their owners. Custom housebuilding could be a dying art, unlike the art of writing, which Tracy Kidder seems to be perfecting with each new book.
Crafting shows up in a variety of ways: the author may have changed events to fit a more compelling plot, or he might've manipulated details to present a person in a more or less attractive light. Often, dialogue that is not recorded or witnessed must be approximated or imagined, and people's feelings and thoughts described as if the author were privy to them the way a fictional narrator would be. Unfortunately, each of these techniques might make a narrative diverge from, as Anita puts it, "the literal truth" (comment to 12/28 post). So we can't blame the book's real people (whose names, as the author tells us in his acknowledgments, have not been changed) if they fret over how they and their story are portrayed in a book that millions of people will read.
I must say that I think Tracy Kidder has "authored" these people to a certain extent in that he has subtly shaped our perceptions of them as they progress through the construction of the house. The builder Jim Locke opens the first chapter, and indeed, he and his carpenters do seem to be the protagonists of this story. At the same time, the Souweines and the architect, Bill Rawn, slowly emerge as the antagonists. The conflict between these two opposing groups is what propels the action of the plot, and what keeps us reading.
And because we are meant to see the builders as the "good" guys and the architect-owners as the "bad" guys, we are not given a balanced view of either group. Early on, I noticed myself getting irritated with the wealthy owners and their attempts to get the builders to relent on price and materials, while feeling warm and fuzzy about the honest, hard-working builders; I'm sure that was no accident.
The author helps create that feeling by how he describes the people in the story. Each person gets a little biography and a description of his or her appearance and personality, habits and philosophy, but I noticed that the builders get more paragraphs, and that what we learn about them is more positive. Again, not by accident, I believe. Not until close to the end do we get a little more personal information about the Souweines, some of it quite sympathetic. Perhaps by then Kidder feels confident we are involved in the story and he can risk a bit more compassion for the "enemy."
Of course, that's just my take on the book. And the bias, once I caught on to it, really didn't detract from my reading pleasure. I still found House a rich, compelling narrative. And I learned a lot about building a house from scratch, something that isn't done much anymore. Even the giant McMansions that are built today are standardized, not unique, not custom-made just for their owners. Custom housebuilding could be a dying art, unlike the art of writing, which Tracy Kidder seems to be perfecting with each new book.
Saturday, December 25, 2010
From House to House
Merry Christmas, everyone! It's a quiet morning here in Cincinnati, Ohio. It snowed a little last night, just enough to give the world a bit of white frosting. No one's up but me, so I thought it would be a good time to post another report on my reading progress . . .
Having finished The Gun Seller, by the man who plays House on TV, I decided to switch to something different, this time a non-fiction book by one of my favorite authors, Tracy Kidder. That book, entitled House, is about an actual house, the kind that gets built and people live in.
Published in 1985, House is the story of the building of a custom-designed house in Amherst, Massachusetts, from conception to completion. Kidder introduces us to all the people principally involved in the project--owners, architect, builder, carpenters--and we get to know them over the course of the book. That might sound like a dull story, but it's actually quite interesting. Tracy makes it into a suspenseful narrative because of all the problems that arise, both practical and interpersonal.
I started reading this book about 15 years ago, but didn't get past the middle, so I'm having to start over to remember all the people and events. But again I'm involved, with the project and the people, to the point where I'm waiting to see what happens.
So far, the plans have been made, the ground has been broken, and the builder is trying to come to an agreement on price with the owners. There are negotiations, with the builder trying to stand firm on his price and the owners trying to get him to come down. There's discussion about fundamental differences in the way people view how such deals should be made--the old "dicker vs. non-dicker" controversy. Some people hate to dicker; other people live for it. That conflict comes up early in the book. At this point, I don't know how they're going to resolve it. I'll keep you posted.
This is the second of Tracy Kidder's books; the first was The Soul of a New Machine, published in 1981. That was the story of a group of computer designers, back in 1978 when computers were still big and mysterious. It's a fascinating look at that culture and gives readers insights into how our computer revolution came about. I really enjoyed it. In fact, remembering it now makes me want to read it again.
Tracy Kidder writes about people in their environment, always with intelligence and compassion. He's written about school teachers, residents of an old folks' home, small town police, crusading doctors, and even his Army detachment in Vietnam. His latest is about a Haitian doctor. I've read all but two--the Vietnam memoir and the latest. I've started and will eventually finish the book about school teachers, Among Schoolchildren. It's on my list.
Having finished The Gun Seller, by the man who plays House on TV, I decided to switch to something different, this time a non-fiction book by one of my favorite authors, Tracy Kidder. That book, entitled House, is about an actual house, the kind that gets built and people live in.
Published in 1985, House is the story of the building of a custom-designed house in Amherst, Massachusetts, from conception to completion. Kidder introduces us to all the people principally involved in the project--owners, architect, builder, carpenters--and we get to know them over the course of the book. That might sound like a dull story, but it's actually quite interesting. Tracy makes it into a suspenseful narrative because of all the problems that arise, both practical and interpersonal.
I started reading this book about 15 years ago, but didn't get past the middle, so I'm having to start over to remember all the people and events. But again I'm involved, with the project and the people, to the point where I'm waiting to see what happens.
So far, the plans have been made, the ground has been broken, and the builder is trying to come to an agreement on price with the owners. There are negotiations, with the builder trying to stand firm on his price and the owners trying to get him to come down. There's discussion about fundamental differences in the way people view how such deals should be made--the old "dicker vs. non-dicker" controversy. Some people hate to dicker; other people live for it. That conflict comes up early in the book. At this point, I don't know how they're going to resolve it. I'll keep you posted.
This is the second of Tracy Kidder's books; the first was The Soul of a New Machine, published in 1981. That was the story of a group of computer designers, back in 1978 when computers were still big and mysterious. It's a fascinating look at that culture and gives readers insights into how our computer revolution came about. I really enjoyed it. In fact, remembering it now makes me want to read it again.
Tracy Kidder writes about people in their environment, always with intelligence and compassion. He's written about school teachers, residents of an old folks' home, small town police, crusading doctors, and even his Army detachment in Vietnam. His latest is about a Haitian doctor. I've read all but two--the Vietnam memoir and the latest. I've started and will eventually finish the book about school teachers, Among Schoolchildren. It's on my list.
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