SOME BOOKS I'VE READ RECENTLY (and some not so recently but still recommended)

Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why. Bert. D Ehrman (2005, Harper Collins)

Erhmann chairs the department of religious studies at the University of North Carolina. This book is a primer on textual analyisis of the Bible, expliaing the principles and techniques that scholars use to determine the origins of Biblical texts. The major point is that that original texts of the Bible, the New Testament in particular, have been changed countless times in the process of transcription. Most of these changes are insignificant but some depart markedly from the original, conveying different interpretations of Jesus, his teachings, therefore of Christianity than contemporary translations.

1491: New Revelation of the Americas Before Columbus. Charles C. Mann. ( 2005, Alfred A. Knopf)

Mann summarizes the results of recent archaeology about pre-Columbia nAmerica. Mann shows that pre-Columbian societies were much more complex than previously believed and that the population was much higher than imagined--by a large magnitude--some estimates by so-called "high counters" being up to100 million. The book contains summaries of one fascinating discovery and conclusion after another. For example, the slash and burn agriculture of the Amazon was a result of the introduction of the steel axe, not a timeless, sustainble form of subsistence. Most horrifying is the estimate that European contact introduced diseases with an overall mortality rate of 85-90%.

The Plot Against America. Philip Roth.(2004, Vintage Books)

The premise of this novel is that Franklin Roosevelt is not elected to a third term in 1940. Instead the isolationist and America Firster Charles Lindbergh is elected. The book follows subequent events through the lives a Jewish family in Newark, New Jersey, a family loosely based on Roth's own. Although the book is a work of fiction, it reminds us of the depth and pervasiveness of antisemitism in the United States a mere 50 years ago.

Neighbors: The Destruction of the Jewish Community in Jedwabne, Poland, Jan T. Gross. (2001, Princeton University Press)

An account of the murder of approximately 1600 Jews in Jedwabne, half the population of the town, by their neighbors in 1941 as the Germans invaded Poland and drove out the occupying Russian army. What is notable about this short book is not only the savage killings it recounts, with axes, pitchforks and and fire, but the author's claim that the killing was done by the non-Jewish citizens of Jedwabne, with little or no Nazi involvement. (See Masters of Death by Richard Rhodes for a different point of view.) This story and probably many others like it have not been previously told. The book contributes to knowldge of Polish-Jewish relations before, during and after World War Two and raises important issues concerning historiography, historical memory, and collective behavior.

Before Their Time, Robert Kotlowitz. (1998, Anchor Books)

The author's account of his experience as an 18-year old infantryman in WW II. The book focuses on Kotlowitz's recollections of what is was like (his thoughts and emotions) to be faced with the possibility of combat death at 18, his relationship with other members of his squad, and his first engagement with the Germans in France in 1944. I found reference to this book in the Paul Fussel's book.

Boys' Crusade: the American infantry in Northwestern Europe, 1944-1945 , Paul Fussell. (2003, Modern Library)

Fussell notes that 70% of all casualities in WW II were in the infantry and that a large proportion of these casualties were 18- and 19- years old, hence the title of the book. The major point of this book is to counter what Fussell sees as the tendency to romanticize the war and the character and experiences of those in it. Fussel writes from experience, since he was a member of the boys' crusade.

Antietam: The Battle that Changed the Course of the Civil War, James M. McPherson. (2002, Oxford University Press)

In this book the author of Battle Cry of Freedom makes the case that Antietam was crucial in shifting the goal of the Civil War from the preservation of a union with slavery to the creation of a union without slavery. It is not really an account of the battle itself, but places the battle in the context the first two years of the War and diplomatic maneuvering in Europe. This a short book (156 pages) but it improved my understanding of this crucial period in US history and the history of emancipation.

What Went Wrong? Western Impact and Eastern Response, Bernard Lewis. (2002, Oxford University Press)

Lewis, Professor Emeritus of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton Univeristy, describes the reaction of Middle Eastern society to the growing dominance (cultural, social, political, military) of Western, Christian society. The "what went wrong of the title?" refers to the explanation of this growing dominance by those in Muslim countries. However, the book doesn't really provide a extended or satisfactory discussion of this issue, suggesting only that the western dominance west requires some explanation by those in the east subject to it, given the the author's claim that Muslims believe their religion builds upon and is therefore superior to both Judaism and Christianity. Most the book addresses the eastern response to western ideas and practices and this part of the book is very interesting, particularly the author's discussion of the separation of church and state and the status of "minorities" and women in Muslim societies.

We Were Soldiers Once..and Young: Ia-Drang--the Battle that Changed the War in Vietnam, LT. Gen. Harold G. Moore and Joseph L. Galloway (1992, Random House)

I read this book after seeing the movie version (with Mel Gibson). It is an account of the first significant encounter between the U.S. helicopter cavalry and the North Vietnamese army. It is an incredibly detailed and horrifying account of a four day battle. In addition Moore gives his assessment of the tactical and political factors that affected the operation of the U.S. military in Vietnam and trhe eventual outcome of the war. The book is free of chest thumping patriotism, and its only professed bias is for the men whose lives and deaths it describes. One of the best war books I have read.

Interpreter of Maladies, stories by Jhumpa Lahiri (1999, Houghton Mifflin Company)

These stories are about the experiences of Indian immigrants in the United States--about the marginality of being of two cultures, about homesickness, about loneliness and isolation, about assimilation. As the book jacket says, the characters are so interesting, you want to read more about them, wishing each story were a novel. The stories are elegant--addressing complex issues in a clean, beautiful style. Lahiri's first book--I am looking foward to her next.

The Bible Unearthed: Achaeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Text, Israel Finkelstein and Neil Asher Silberman (2001, The Free Press)

The authors synthesize the results of archaeological findings of the last century concerning the historical events described in the Old Testament and the likely origins of the sacred texts. Their conclusions are profound and fascinating (and I am sure controversial among Biblical scholars). The basics are that the sacred text were written sometime around 700 B.C. by a small group of people who lived in and around Jerusalem. The members of the group were not descendants of Abraham, but Canaanites who were distinguished from those who lived around them by the development of a belief in "one God only," which these authors attribute at least in part of the poltical ambitions of the group. This book is rich in detail and complex in its argument.

Throwim Way Leg: Tree-Kangaroos, Possums and Penis Gourds--On the Track of Unknown Mammals in Wildest New Guinea, Tim Flannery (1998, Atlantic Monthly Press)

Flannery is a principal research scientist at the Australia Musem in Sydney. This book is an account of his numerous research trips to Papua New Guinea and Irian Jaya (both on the same island, but the latter a province or Indonesia). Throwim Way Leg is pidgin for the start of a journey. The purpose of Flannery's research journeys was to dicovery new mammal species, and he did discover several. However, the book is best in its description of the journeys themselves and of the ways of life of the aborginal inhabitants of this island. Flannery describes the impact of the incursion of modern civilization on these groups and expresses concern about their fate. At the same time, Flannery seems to ignore his own role in the transformation of the lives of the groups he describes. An interesting fact--of the 6000 existing languages spoken on earth, 1000 are in New Guinea.

April 1865: The Month that Saved America, Jay Winik (2000, Harper Collins)

According to Winik, as the Civil War reached it close, the critical question became how it would end rather than when it would end. Would it end a way that brought the North and South together into one nation or would vengeance and bitterness hold sway? Winik gives credit to Lincoln, Grant, Lee and others for bringing the war to a close in a way that created a nation from what had been merely a union. Winik makes a convincing case and provides interesting inofrmation about this important month in American history. However, in my view, he ignores the fact the accommodation between North and South was reached at the expense of American blacks. Winik's focus on one month and its events prevents the broader view necessary to understand the kind of nation created by the end of the Civil Wa--one that left out a significant portion of its population.

Seabiscuit: An American Legend, Laura Hillenbrand (2001, Random House)

It is perhaps improbable that a book about a horse could have so much appeal, but Hillenbrand's story is multilayered and fascinating. First, it is the tale of Seabiscuit's life, racing career and personality. It is an exciting story, and you really feel like you get to know this horse. However, the book is also an ethnography of horse racing culture, which is examined through the lives of those who owned, trained, rode and cared for Seabiscuit. From the gigantic pile of manure at Tijuana's race track to Bing Crosby's involvement in Calfornia horse racing, one sees this world from bottom to top. When you finish reading this book you will know about "imposts" and "mudders" and a host of other aspects of this world. Finally, Seabiscuit, and the incredible phenomenon that he was, provides a perspective on the United States during the Depression, and the book is a social history as well. I had trouble putting Seabiscuit down.

News of a Kidnapping, Gabriel Garcia Marquez (1997, Knopf)

Nobel prize winner Marquez returns to his roots as a journalist for this report of the kidnappings of ten Columbian journalists by the Medillin drug cartel headed by Pablo Escobar. In addition to the account of the harrowing experiences of the captives and of the delicate negotiations to bring about their release and the surrender of Escobar, this book demonstrates the corrosive effects on Columbian society of the United States' appetit for illicit drugs and of the "war on drugs" that has been the policy of U.S. adminstrations since Richard Nixon.

An Hour Before Daylight: Memories of a Rural Boyhood, Jimmy Carter (2001, Simon and Schuster

Carter describes his boyhood in rural Georgia during the Great Depression. The book evokes a world that was so profoundly different from today that it seems impossible that it was only 70 years ago. The book deals honestly, it seems to me, with the racial oppression on which this way of life was based, but at the end of the book Carter makes a thought provoking claim:

"No one would want to return to the old days of unchallenged racial segregation, when blacks "knew their place." But in the dramatic changes we have witnessed, something has been lost as well as gained. My own life was shaped by a degree of personal intimacy between black and white people that is now almost completely unknown and largely forgotten. Except for my own parents, the people who most deeply affected my early life were Bishop Johnson, Rachel Clark, my Uncle Buddy, Julia Coleman, and Willis Wright. Two of them were white."

Cinamon Gardens, Shyam Selvaduri (1999, Hyperion)

A novel of the old school. It is set in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) in the 1920s. It follows the intertwined lives of a small group of the residents of an upper class Colombo neighborhood (Cinamon Gardens), set against the social backdrop of English colonization--a good story and that teaches much about another culture and time.

All Souls: A Family Story from Southie, Michael Patrick MacDonald

This book tells a "family story" from south Boston. However, much of the book deals with the conflict over bussing and the effects of this controversy on the south Boston community. It provides a perspective on these events that is little known and controversial in itself. MacDonald is harsh in his criticism of the "liberal" social policies that led to attempts to integrate Boston's schools in Roxbury and Southie.

Slaves in the Family, Edward Ball

Ball investigates the history of his slave-holding South Carolina family. The book combines a history of slave trading and the plantation system on the South Carolina coast with Ball's investigation of his family's own story. In the process he meets descendants of slaves owned by his family, a few of whom he discovers are distant cousins.

I Will Bear Witness 1933-1941: A Diary of the Nazi Years, Victor Klemperer

The first volume of Klemperer's diary of his daily life during Hitler's rise to power and the first years of World War II provides in horrifying detail an account of the persecution of the Jewish people in Germany. It is also testament to the courage of Klemperer, his wife and friends in the face of hardship and gradual disenfrachisement. Interestingly, it also calls into question the basic thesis of Goldhagen in Hitler's Willing Executioners.

Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies, Jared Diamond

Diamond atempts to answer the fundamental question: How did the world get to be the way it was in 1500 AD when Europeans began their conquest of other continents and societies? The question was posed to him in a straighforward way by a New Guinean acquaintance who asked him why European societies had so much "cargo" when his his own people possessed so little. To answer this question Diamond traces the history of human societies for the last 13,000 years (in 425 pages). In a nutshell, Diamond's answer is that the condition of the world in 1500 AD was a geographic accident having to do with the distribution of large "domesticatable" mammals, the domestication of large cereal grains, resistance to epidemic diseases, and the axial orientation of continents. The book jacket suggests that the book refutes theories that attribute western dominance to racial superiority. However, since I don't think there are any credible racial theories of history, the book is more accurately described as an alternative to cultural theories of western dominance. There are some gigantic omissions in Diamond's argument, but this is one of the most interesting books I have read in a long time.

Galileo's Daughter, Dava Sobel  

Sobel tells the story of Galileo's discoveries and his conflict with the Catholic Church over the publication of his findings.  Throughout, Sobel interweaves the letters of one of Galileo's daughters to her father.  Suor Maria Celeste, born Virginia, was thirteen when Galileo placed her in a convent, along with her sister.  (Galileo had three children with Marina Gamba, whom he never married.)  Over one hundred letters to Galileo from Maria Celeste have survived.  Sobel speculates that the letters of Galileo to Maria Celeste were destroyed after her death by the sisters in the convent.  The relationship of father and daughter revealed in the one side of this correspondence is fascinating in its details and moving in its depth.  The "final" part of the story of this relationship is not to be forgotten.

McCourt's memoirs of his immigration to the United States in 1949 and the three decades or so of his life that followed.  Conveys an such genuine honesty and warmth that it is difficult to put this book down.   Filled with all sorts of interesting details about life in New York in the 1950s and being a public school teacher in this period.  Take a weekend, turn off the television, and read this book!  

A depressing commentary on urban politics, business, race relations and marriage in the United States at the turn of the century.  An interesting story, but Wolf doesn't live in the same America that I do.  Also, the hardback edition of this book is too big to read in bed.

For individuals who lived through Ali's rise, this book will bring back a flood of memories.  For those who didn't, this book provides a brief description of an incredibly interesting and important period in U.S. sports history.  However, I thought the author did not do a good job explaining the appeal of Ali to so many sectors of the public. Since Ali's time boxing's  popularity has declined precipitously (heavy weight championship fights used to be a big deal).  Did Ali's transformation of boxing into spectacle and entertainment rather than sport have anything to do with this decline, I wonder?

McBride weaves together his mother's biography with his own in a moving, funny, and sad book about family and race in the United States.  Here is a quote from the book that conveys its style and substance.  As a young boy, wondering about his racial identity, McBride asks his mother:

"Am I black or white?"
You're a human being ," she snapped.  "Educate yourself or you'll be a nobody!"
"Will I be a black nobody or a white nobody?"
"If you're a nobody," she said dryly, "it doesn't matter what color you are."