The Unforgiving Minute - By Craig M. Mullaney - my review

When I saw the title of this book, I knew I wanted to read it. It is a line from my favorite poem entitled, "If" - written by the English poet, Rudyard Kipling.

Craig Mullaney offers an insightful, informative account of his years as a Westpoint Cadet, Rhodes Scholar, Infantry/Airborne Ranger and Soldier who served in Afghanistan.

His writing is engaging and has a talent as a story teller. His recounting of the events seems convincing and not at all contrived. I appreciate his humanity and thoughtful approach in his descriptions of what life was like in Afghanistan. Most of all, I appreciate that this book is not presented as some sort of recruitment tool for the US Army as it is not an indictment of the ongoing wars in the Middle East.

This book is not filled with blood and guts and the violence is not gratuitous by any means. It is my sincere desire that the policy makers, military strategists and politicians realize what a wealth of knowledge and wisdom there is to be gained from seeking counsel from citizen soldiers such as Craig Mullaney.

I loved his response when queried by an US Naval Academy cadet who pointedly asked him, "What do you think, sir that you would have done differently?" after hearing Mullaney's recounting the events that led to his first loss of a fellow Army Ranger who was under his command.

He said,

"The best thing we could have done for Afghanistan was to get out of our Humvees and drink more green chai. We should have focused less on finding the enemy. and more on finding our friends."

I take great comfort in knowing that the Army has dedicated, intelligent and conscientious Americans serving in its ranks.

Edgar Sawtelle - my review

If you are looking for a pick-me-up DO NOT buy this book. I'm borrowing a Southpark line, "You killed Edgar you bastard!"

This book had the potential to be one of the best books ever and it turned out to be a total waste of time. For the first time in my life, I actually regret spending my hard-earned money on a book. I just want to know who the editor was and what the hell the publisher was thinking when s/he gave the green light for publication of this book.

Admittedly, there are some points in the story that are absolutely mesmerizing. I particularly liked the chapter entitled, 'Almondine'. The anthropomorphic descriptions were great but, in the end, difficult to believe. I love my dog Poe but I just do not see his deep philosophical thought processes behind those coffee colored eyes.

Also, the story about Henry's kindness could so easily have been a turning point. In short, he gets robbed, puts the kid and dogs up for a while and ends up with two expensive dogs for his troubles.

Unfortunately, the book is really a tragedy that has been marketed as a coming-of age-story. That's why I bought the book and that's why I felt ripped off. These are tough economic times so, I must admit, I was looking for a book about redemption. I wanted to read about a hero who overcame great odds and, if it included a little bit of magical realism then so be it. Disappointingly, the author tipped his toe in the water but never just jumped in any of the pools he dabbled in.

According to the jacket, there are breath-taking descriptions that are pervasive throughout the book. In reality, the book has a smattering of descriptions of the variety alluded to in the jacket. Who is the person that wrote such a specious jacket synopsis anyway? Probably the same kind of dolt who writes obituaries in some local rag.

There were several places where word usage was a bit pedantic and sentence structure clunked - so much so that I had to re-read quite a few sentences in order to get the gist of their meaning. At one point I wondered if Wroblewski's phrasing meant to mimic the sentence structure of a deaf person (however, since Edgar is mute and not deaf, I conclude his sentence structure would be like that of a hearing person - then again, I don't sign) but it didn't seem to happen with any regularity, The clunky wording just seemed to happen randomly.

I found the first two hundred pages a bit cumbersome at times and found myself pushing through in anticipation of what was yet to come. While the book did seem to pick up after the half-way point, it got better. Then it seemed to consume itself - much as the fire did at the end. There were too many loose ends to my liking. For instance, the notion that Claude got away with murder didn't set well with me. Yes, he did die in the fire but, how would the rest of his world ever really know to what extent was actually involved in his brother's demise?

I don't necessarily like books that end 'happy.' However, I don't like books that breach a topic and fail to address it either. For me, that is where this work falls. It is loose on the paranormal breaches. They titillate but in the end, they seem to be added for effect and no real purpose. I am still left scratching my head over the old man's ghost in the barn; he spoke with great technical detail to Edgar but remained silent and failed to come through with any advice when Edgar sought it.

I understand Wroblewski's (and many other authors for that matter)desire to establish his own, unique voice. I understand that he wants his work to stand out alone and not be dismissed simply as another story that echoes Shakespeare. I also understand his contention that the story of Edgar Sawtelle is one that preexisted Shakespeare's Hamlet and yet, there is something disingenuous about his claim as he seems to follow a Shakespearean formula with one difference - Wrobleswki's ending. Ironically, the work is kind of like the mysterious poison. Shakespeare is Wroblewski's poison to be handled delicately, used to achieve a selfish end, destructive by its very nature and capable of causing death even when it is disposed of.

It is still Shakespeare but different - somewhat akin to plucking off the flower from the stem and grafting another flower in its place. There is something oddly displeasing about putting a dandelion on a rose stem.

Reading Wroblewski is like going to a four star restaurant and having the chef deliberately sabotage the dessert by piling on a load of salt - ostensibly (in accordance with the author's attached interview responses in the back of the book) because he wants to shake his fist at the universe to declare that he is unique. Plainly put there are stories that are timeless and, there are stories that are not stories at all. The Sawtelle family started out as an uninteresting,simple family whose lives were carefully documented and then summarily dispensed of so that they would once again disappear into obscurity.

No lesson. Nothing. Well, maybe one; guys whose names include the letters 'g-a-r' are doomed to die by poisoning. How did Shakespeare say it? I'll paraphrase - something about strutting and fretting on the stage - a story told by an idiot, signifying nothing.

Doubtless, David Wroblewski has some definite skill in describing his subjects with enviable creativity however, With an ending like that, perhaps sticking to computer programming is better advised. Why tell such a beautiful story and then sabotage it with such a sloppy ending?

Why would anyone who had the potential to reach out to his audience squander such a golden opportunity? I have stated my reason for buying the book and now, I feel like the victim of a 'bait and switch' swindle.

The ending is as enigmatic as Claude's character and, because of that, I say, keep your day job Wroblewski. I'm going to have a tough time parting with my money to purchase any more of your books.

A Glass of Water - Jimmy Santiago Baca - my review

I love Jimmy Santiago Baca's poetry so, when I was walking around the book store today and, "A Glass of Water" caught my attention, I sat down for a quick sip. It didn't take long for me to decide to buy the book. This is his first novel (according to the jacket) and it is incredible. It was so engaging that I read it entirely in one sitting - a 4 hour drink to be exact.

I won't give any spoilers so, my synopsis is deliberately brief. The story is about two brothers whose divergent paths re-converge at the story's end. This 215 page work attests to Baca's powerful story-telling abilities.

His prose is even more enjoyable as it echoes Baca's passion and accomplishment as a skilled poet. There are moments in the story where the writing is lyrical and rich in details - something only a poet can do.

The story line tangentially details the plight of undocumented Mexicans and, if I have any regrets, they would be that the underlying story - the bigotry that so many Americans harbor against Mexicans was not delved into more deeply. For my part, the story is great but I was left wanting to know more. There are parts of the story that could have been expanded and elaborated upon quite a bit more without making the book unnecessarily long (eg. the brothers' childhood relationship, ancillary characters such as the man with nickle-tipped boots, the land owner, Carmen and her work, the concentration camps).

The story deals with tension, strife, romance, angst, violence, revenge intrigue, regret, rage and forces of compromise. While the protagonists' character development were sufficient to carry the story, their development was more reflective of the title; drinks that only left me thirsty. I wanted to know more.

I am not sure what the title has to do with the story and, at least for this reader, a drink was not enough.

This book could easily work out to be part of a series because, there remains so much more to tell.

World Without End - Ken Folett - my review

The end of my fortieth decade was celebrated by reading this book. I received World Without End as a gift from a friend who gave me the book after I mentioned to him that I had read Ken Folett's, Pillars of the Earth.

World Without End is significant to me because it is the last book I read before turning fifty. As it turns out, Scott and his wife, Toots celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary on 5 September of this year. They were married just 11 days before I was born. There's your tidbit if useless information for the day. Haven't had enough yet? Read on. World Without End is Folett's sequel to his epic novel written some 13 years ago. I was not let down because, World Without End picks up some two hundred years after Pillars of the Earth with a smattering of the first book's descendants.

If you are the kind of reader who enjoys getting a little education tossed in as you are reading a good novel, then these two books are for you. If you like powerful characters and strong women then this is definitely a book for you. Like the first book, the story has sex, violence, religion, intrigue, politics, social justice and a little architecture thrown in for good measure. It also is a story rich with historical information about Europe during the time of the Black Death; the Bubonic Plague. It shines a light on the logic of the time and moreover, effectively illustrates how the world view, influenced by the Church and feudal Europe dictated the parameters or rather the constraints people were forced to deal with.

While the story line is not difficult to follow, it is just a little bit over 1,000 pages long. It isn't something I could knock out in a couple of days. It is interesting enough however that you will find yourself thinking about the characters and cannot wait to pick up the book again and get back into the story. There are a few villains in the mix - the kind of people who we all love to hate - most likely because their wickedness of character is timeless. I suppose that is the nature of personality flaws.

The heroes in the story's lives are chronicled over nearly five decades so, as a side note, the book turned out to have a special significance to me considering the time frame I was reading the story and, by the bye, fifty years doesn't seem all that long. That said, it is a fair amount of time for a story to play itself out.

I felt a deep emotional connection with the protagonists, Merthin Bridger - the carpenter and his sweetheart, Caris Wooler - the strong-willed woman whose sheer determination and love of Humanity never allowed her world to hold her back. In short, Caris is a woman that the universe could never put parenthesis around. I will not elaborate much further on the story because I don't want to deny you the pleasure of witnessing their character development. I will say however, I felt a little sad when I finally closed the book for the last time.

Folett's story-telling abilities are second to none and his attention to detail serve the story two-fold; believability with an educational process tossed in along the way.

The book could have not come out at a better time for me. I could relate to Caris and Merthin. Folett's message is that regardless of what one's lot in life may be, Life itself is precious. It is the only life we have so, we must persist regardless. He also illustrates the value of problem-solving, the beauty of life, the attendant nobility of living a life of service to others and, above all, doing the best with you have; despair is part of life but, that is no reason to give up. Sometimes, winners aren't winners after all.

I cannot exactly recall what Daniel Goleman, author of Social Intelligence put it but, I will paraphrase him knowing that it captures the spirit in which it was intended. He said sometimes, the real heroes are not those who do extraordinary things like jumping on a grenade in order to save others. Heroism is a quality of character that is as simple as meeting life on its terms and doing what is expected with no hope for reward other than having the knowledge that what is being done is what needs to be done. It is doing ordinary things - like being a parent who is there for a child, every day. There is also something merited in those who are simply true to themselves (remember Polonius' advice in Hamlet?) It is a quality that seems to be shared by other characters in Follet's novel as well.

This is why I find Follett's writing satisfying on so many different levels. While the story is set in the 1300's, the lessons to be gained are contemporary - not because Folett is a writer looking back but because strife, greed, pride, and persistence are universal characteristics that exist throughout humanity as a whole. I am firmly convinced the reason we read novels and short stories is because, like dreams, they offer us a means of 'gaming-out' conflicts. They provide a safe environment for contemplation at a deeper level. They create a sense of connectedness - like so many oral traditions - where lessons are an integral part of the story-telling process.

Folett's story-telling abilities give his readers an opportunity to understand Human nature and insight as to why some people turn out the way they do. Sometimes evil and good are only relative. In my fifty years, I have come to realize that as well; the world is not simply black and white - it is only shades of gray. Moreover, faced with the circumstances life has to offer us, we have two choices; give up or keep trying. More often than not, the circumstances that are out of our immediate control will always exist. How we choose to deal with such constraints is entirely a matter of personal choice. Bad things are going to happen, how we choose to deal with them is what defines our personal character.

World Without End is a celebration of the Human spirit. What an apropos gift for me as I've rounded out my first half century of life. It is just what the doctor ordered and more importantly, just what I needed.

Thanks Doc

Sand Art

Kseniya Simonova, a sand artist creates a series of vignettes which tell a story. This particular rendition is one which depicts the German occupation of Russia during World War II.

Simonova won the Ukraine's got Talent 2009 competition

She has other sand drawings on youtube - which you can see once this video plays out.

Enjoy

ps
Happy Birthday to my son Matthew - true to your namesake; a gift from God - may your life continue to be so blessed.

Happy birthday to my baby sister Praga who shares Matt's same birthday; Daddy said you were going to be alright!

Girl Mary - Petru Popescu

Petru Popescu has done a great job giving us a look at what life was like at the time of Christ. His treatment of the Immaculate Conception is compelling as it not only tends to give credibility the virgin birth but it also explains how legends tend to surround events. Since his research and resources regarding Jewish life at the time is so intricately detailed, it does make his rendition of this incredible story believable.

The book is intriguing enough that I finished it in a day. I found the characters to be fascinating and particularly liked Joseph as he seems more believable as a man that Popescu has brought out of the shadows. Mary's character was also captivating for me but the transition from third person narrative to Mary's voice didn't seem to work out as well as I might have preferred - I thought the story was being told from the perspective of either the creator or perhaps an angel.

Regardless, I did savor what it might have been for Mary. I must note however, that I did gather a sense that Popescu's Romanian roots seemed to come through in his story telling. I cannot say for certain because I am not fluent in Romanian but there is something in his delivery that makes it delightful - kind of like the unmistakable flavor of an ethnic food exclusive to a particular society.

This one is a keeper.

Outliers - Malcolm Gladwell

"Outliers: The story of success" is a book in which, Malcolm Gladwell makes some cogent arguments regarding hard work, being in the right place at the right time with a mixture of environmental determinants that all come together to create for extraordinary individual achievements. However, some of his arguments are less convincing than others.

I suppose it is true that it does in fact, "take a village" in concert with favorable milieu of environmental, social and economic conditions which encourage an individual to thrive.

The book's progression was fluid until the final pages when Gladwell injected his family's personal history and sort of clunked at the end with his closing remark; a self-focused query - arguably a personal representation for his books basic premise.

While Gladwell is no doubt, successful in his own right, to borrow from Lloyd Benson during his vice-presidential debate with Dan Quayle when he quipped, 'You are no John Kennedy [in this case, 'Malcolm Gladwell is no Bill Gates'] - maybe Gladwell was referring to the 10,000 hours??

The book seemed to stop when a certain predetermined number of pages had been written. Thus, its end seemed quick, abrupt and therefore, incomplete.

Considering what I just wrote about Gladwell, you might not think I'd be recommending it, I am. His work is entertaining and thought provoking enough for me that i have already picked up his book, 'The Tipping Point.' Gladwell is a good information gatherer so his work is as much entertaining for me as it is a resource for further examination.

I still maintain that so much is happening in our world that the people who can gather the information, make the appropriate connections and assimilate it all are the people who are indespensable because they are connecting the dots for the rest of us.