Miscellaneous (blurbs on books that don't fit other categories)

The Dam by Robert Byrne

The summer of 2006 was just not a time of reading for me. It passed too quickly, and busy work weeks combined with busier weekends to make sudoku puzzles the usual diversion. Some time in July I plucked A Scanner Darkly from my shelves right after viewing Richard Linklater's excellent and intriguing film, confirming for myself that the film was a faithful adaptation (and much better than its short theatrical lifespan would imply). Yet I admit I didn't even finish re-reading that, one of PKD's finest works.

So in an effort to get back on the horse, I went looking for some light reading, and The Dam jumped off the shelf. I acquired this long-out-of-print novel many years ago when I bought my first house and found an unexpected dividend — a closet full of hardcovers accumulated by the original owner. The stack included many classics (Homer, Mark Twain), a bit too much pop-culture occult (such as a biography of Uri Geller), and a bunch of little-known Book Club novels, such as this one.

A quick read, it took me literally one day to plow through The Dam. It's a technological cautionary tale in the same vein as The China Syndrome or Jurassic Park, in which the bright young professional knows that a dangerous problem exists, but is rebuffed by those in authority who pretend to have all the answers. Meanwhile the hero acts as the surrogate mouthpiece for the author's warning message (q.v. Ian Malcolm in the novel of Jurassic Park in particular). Byrne's book is well-researched — he has civil engineering experience — and is written with wit and suspense, even if the foreshadowing is often laughably heavy-handed (which is okay... it's no spoiler to say that in a story like this, we know that the dam must fail). It reads like a telenovel, which is fun because it allowed me to imagine the tale in the form of a star-studded 1981 mini-series. For the time invested, which was almost none at all, it was a genuine blast. Byrne has apparently written other novels, similarly about disasters precipitated by power-hungry, hubris-prone engineers and with equally uninspired titles: The Skyscraper, The Tunnel. Might be worth a look... of course, they're all out of print.

A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick

(Link is to the movie tie-in printing, which has a different cover.)

Shooter: The Autobiography of the Top-Ranked Marine Sniper by Jack Coughlin and Casey Kuhlman with Donald A. Davis

A first-person look into the mind and techniques of a man with perhaps the military's most cold-blooded job. As such, it is an interesting read, particularly because the 2003 invasion of Iraq saw the first use of the Mobile Sniper Strike Team (MSST), a new concept that takes the sniper out of the fixed "hide" and places him on — and sometimes beyond — the front line. Coughlin credits himself with originating MSST, even running the risk of insubordination to prove the tactic's value. He places himself and co-author Kuhlman in the heart of the action — according to the book, Kuhlman provided the pre-Saddam-era Iraqi flag that was draped over the dictator's statue before it was pulled down in a Baghdad square on international television. One supposes it's all true. But for a man who claims that a good sniper doesn't keep a body count for self-aggrandisement, this book comes dangerously close to bragging.

The Diamond Age: or, A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer by Neal Stephenson

Here's a book report.

Shadow Divers by Robert Kurson

Not even halfway through this book, I gave it an unequivocal rave. The second half only increased my enjoyment, until I found myself unable to close the book for the final hundred pages. This is one helluva story. The characters are well defined, the senses of danger, fear, and wonder they experience come through clearly, and the events couldn't be more dramatic if it were a work of fiction. I thought, "If no one's making a movie of this, I'm going to have to quit my job and try to produce it myself." Fortunately, that won't be necessary. It's already under development and is in good hands: Ridley Scott (Blade Runner, Thelma & Louise, Black Hawk Down, etc.) is attached to direct, and the screenplay is being written by William Broyles Jr, whose non-fiction adaptations include the excellent Apollo 13 and the recent Jarhead. The movie ought to come out in 2007; in the meantime, read this book! [May 2007 update: Peter Weir (of Master and Commander) is now attached to direct, and the release date has pushed back to 2009.]

Forging a Fateful Alliance: Michigan State University and the Vietnam War by John Ernst

Here's a book report.

1776 by David McCullough

As its title implies, this is a snapshot of a single year in the War for American Independence. McCullough punches through the mythology surrounding that pivotal era to show George Washington for what he was: a charismatic leader and sagacious diplomat, but a weak military strategist and poor tactician. That the Continental Army ever succeeded against the far better equipped and trained British is a testament to the strengths of Washington's subordinate officers, the tenacity of American militiamen, and a large dose of pure luck. This book makes one wish that the author had also written on the events before (Lexington, Concord, and Bunker Hill) and after (the years 1777 to 1783).

What Do You Care What Other People Think? by Richard P. Feynman, as told to Ralph Leighton

On the twentieth anniversary of the loss of Space Shuttle Challenger, I watched a two-hour television documentary put out by National Geographic titled "Challenger: The Untold Story." I don't recommend it, for many reasons. It's mistitled, as it pretty much repeats the commonly-known version of events, and manages to perpetuate some of the myths as well. It parrots the official NASA line by sugar-coating the astronauts' final minutes of life. It contains plenty of minor errors, such as putting four stars on the uniform of the actor portraying General Kutyna, rather than the two he had at the time. And it suffers from extensive use of horrendously soap-operatic "dramatic reconstructions" of Christa McAuliffe's path to become NASA's "Teacher in Space."

The show's one marginally redeeming facet was that it made sure to include Richard Feynman and his work to uncover the causes of the disaster as a member of the Rogers Commission. Having first read What Do You Care What Other People Think? some seventeen years ago the story was familiar to me, for the second half of this book is entirely about his time on the commission and goes into fascinating detail — among other things crediting Kutyna for bringing the question of o-ring resiliency in cold weather to Feynman's attention. It's obvious to me now that the television show cribbed nearly all its Feynman scenes directly from this book, albeit with some dramatic license taken. If you really want to learn the "untold story" about Challenger, or at least a lesser-known one that deserves repeating, this is a good place to start.

Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson

Here's a crappy old book report from the past century.

Moon Lander: How We Developed the Apollo Lunar Module by Thomas J. Kelly

Tom Kelly was a project manager at Grumman Aerospace, responsible for the team that designed and built the Lunar Module. As such, he was at the heart of it all and can tell a fairly comprehensive tale of LM development. An engineer by training, Kelly's prose can get a bit dull, and I must admit I took a two-year hiatus in the middle of reading this book. Nevertheless, it's one of the better books on the subject that I have read. But once he starts talking about the later landing missions, when he had moved on to another project, one might as well stick with Andrew Chaikin's A Man on the Moon, since that appears to be Kelly's primary and often sole source.

The Brother: The Untold Story of the Rosenberg Case by Sam Roberts

An engrossing, cautionary tale. David Greenglass was an ordinary Los Alamos machinist (with vaguely Communist leanings and decidedly underdeveloped ethics) who provided classified information about atomic bomb construction to the Soviets during World War Two. When the FBI caught up with him five years later, he cooperated in order to protect his complicit wife from indictment — but in his testimony he fabricated lies and suppositions that ultimately were the prime reason his sister, Ethel Rosenberg, was sentenced to the electric chair. Years later, Greenglass rationalized his espionage by claiming that his worst deed was helping to build the bomb, not sharing it with the Russians, saying, "They never dropped the bomb on anyone." But his sister, now a Cold War martyr for the cause of Communism, probably did not need to die in order that David's wife could remain free.

The Test by Walter Adams

A terrifically engaging memoir from Michigan State University's 13th President. Here's a book report.

Make Love!...the Bruce Campbell way by Bruce Campbell

Funny stuff from the king of B-movies. In his first stab at fiction, Campbell has written an hilarious send-up of Hollywood moviemaking culture as he is signed on for a supporting role in an A-list film starring Richard Gere and Renée Zellweger and directed by veteran filmmaker Mike Nichols, only to drag the entire production down into B-movie hell. Of course, the novel reads like a movie treatment, and one can only wonder whether Bruce has an ulterior motive in hoping to finagle a movie deal starring Gere, Zellweger, and Nichols. The grand finale chase scene through the Paramount backlot seems cribbed from Blazing Saddles, while some of the best gags come in the form of the deliberately fakey magazine covers, marquee posters, and other illustrations by Craig "Kif" Sanborn. Still, Bruce Campbell fans will find this a great romp, and not at all tedious like (sorry to say) The Man with the Screaming Brain.

Race to the Moon: America's Duel with the Soviets by William B. Breuer

A decent book, well-written and with several interesting parts, but which suffers from a questionable focus. Two-thirds of the book are about the Peenemünde rocketeers, their development of the A-4, and their post-war escape to the U.S. This part is quality, worthwhile reading. Yet the title sets us up for the big finish — the moon landing — and so the remainder of the book is obliged to tell that tale, which it does in a fairly perfunctory manner. Unfortunately, the fact checking in this latter section leaves much to be desired, and any book on the Space Race that gets the date of the Apollo 11 launch wrong, even by a day, deserves nomination to the Shut List.

Seizing The Enigma: The Race to Break the German U-Boat Codes, 1939-1943 by David Kahn

A fine history of the behind-the-scenes intelligence battle of World War II, focussing on the Allied effort to break German U-boat dominance in the north Atlantic. Kahn's excellent research and writing style makes me want to pick up his previous book, The Codebreakers, which is a broader history of cryptography from ancient times through WW2.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling

Okay, I know I dissed young master Potter in my blurb about Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (which I still consider an excellent and superior book), but I couldn't resist continuing on with this saga — especially when I started catching wind of spoilers despite striving to avoid them. I'm glad I picked it up, because the story is coming of age much like the characters, and this book's richly-earned cliffhanger sets us up for a grand conclusion with Book 7, due out... well, some day.

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke

Easily the best new novel I have read in years: humourous, imaginative, and gripping. By coincidence I have read a lot of "alternative history" fiction lately, but only this rousing tale has the wit, excitement, and eccentricity to put both Card's overextended Hatrack River series and Stephenson's long-winded epic to shame. And if you're looking for truly magical English magic, skip Mr Potter and seek out Mr Strange instead. (Winner of the 2005 Hugo Award for Best Novel.)

Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand
Ever since this book came out in 2001, reviewers have had nothing but emphatic praise for Seabiscuit. I am no exception. No wonder PBS made an excellent American Experience documentary based on the book, and Hollywood jumped on the bandwagon with a well-received 2003 feature film. Yet Hillenbrand's book beats both of those productions by several lengths. It is a ripping good yarn about three men and their combined pursuit of the American Dream, a perfectly balanced blend of humour, pathos, adventure, exhiliration, and tragedy. Read this book, even if you're not into horse racing or American history — upon reflection Seabiscuit may find its way into my Desert Island Top 10 list. (My only complaint: too bad the cover designer didn't bother to create a layout that shows the face of that handsome, intelligent, and consummately camera-savvy Thoroughbred.)

Mutiny on the Bounty by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall
O'Brian's Desolation Island sends Captain Aubrey off in the Leopard toward the South Seas to retrieve Captain Bligh — a fiction, of course, but one based in fact. That intrigued me to know the true story of the Bounty and the fateful actions taken by her crew, and by synchronicity a copy of this book fell into my hands.

I'm very glad to have recently read several Aubrey/Maturin books, as Mutiny on the Bounty is laden to the hatches with esoteric nautical terms. Amazon.com labels this book "young adult" reading, and the copy I have is ex libris the Wilmette Public Schools, but I suspect that younger readers (not to mention adults who have never perused Falconer's Dictionary of the Marine) would find this an obscure read. Sad to say, but no wonder it was rarely checked out — and thus discarded — from the shelves of a middle school library. It is, nevertheless, an exciting tale tautly written.

Dude, Where's My Country? by Michael Moore
Moore is up to his usual tricks here, taking facts we should all find outrageous — and which the mainstream media are conveniently ignoring just at the time they should be assiduously pursuing them — and conveying them in a tone that is alternately hilarious and shrill. Worth a read, if nothing else for the chapter on how to talk the most right-wing-nut member of your family down off his high horse. (Even if I must admit my wife used a better tactic than Moore's to shut down a table-wide argument about Clinton a few years ago... though not one that can be repeated in polite company.)

What I found confusing about this book, though, is how Moore argues (convincingly, I might add) that regarding the so-called terrorist threat, we have, as FDR once said, nothing to fear but fear itself. Yet subsequent chapters are equally convincing in stating that at our current rate of oil consumption and damage to the environment, we have barely two decades left (if that) before our attitudes will be forced to change dramatically and the worldwide standard of living will fall precipitously. To me, that seems like something to fear.

Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond
As I was finishing up Orson Scott Card's Shadow of the Hegemon, I noticed in his acknowledgements that Card credits Guns, Germs, and Steel for providing a framework of civilization development that Card used to extrapolate the state of future world affairs in his Shadow series. A day later, I spotted a copy of GG&S on a friend's bookshelf, and unbidden the friend loaned it to me. Once again, synchronicity dictated my reading selection.

Not exactly light summer reading — and this crazy summer it took me nearly 3 months to finish it — GG&S begins by asking, in effect, a unique question: Why did Europeans invade and conquer the peoples of the Americas, and not the other way around? The simple answer is that it comes down to the "Three Fates" of guns, germs, and steel: Europeans had them, native Americans did not. But why?

Jared Diamond, Ph.D., Professor of Geography at UCLA, concisely yet thoroughly pursues this question. He makes it painfully obvious that the oft-accepted but racist notion of "innate ability" has nothing to do with the development of civilization. He demonstrates convincingly that societies have benefitted from, or been hindered by, a combination of several factors including geography (terrain and ecology both limit the useful spread of crops); availability of domesticable plant and animal species (much more prevalent in Eurasia than in America, Australia, or Africa); and ease (or lack thereof) of information dissemination, which until modern times was, like crop migration, also controlled by environmental factors.

Guns, Germs, and Steel is a scientific approach to human history that gives us a simple, common-sense answer to the question of how civilization is born. The truth he reveals is so simple, in fact, that this Pulitzer prizewinning book should be taught in grade schools as the basis for all world history.