Collected Miscellany

I have seriously mixed feelings about The Power of Half: One Family’s Decision to Stop Taking and Start Giving Back. On the one hand I firmly agree with the idea behind the book: that we focus too much on collecting “stuff” and not enough time on giving of ourselves and this impacts the character of our children. On the other hand, the tone and style of the book just doesn’t quite work.

Allow me to kick things off by lazily stealing using PW’s review:

In this well-meaning but self-congratulatory memoir, the Salwen family decides to sell their gorgeous Atlanta mansion, move to a home half the size, and commit half the proceeds to the needy. Putting their plan into action, a raft of family decisions and meetings are led by mom Joan, a former corporate consulting executive and teacher, with the help of an actual whiteboard. Entrepreneur and activist Kevin, a former Wall Street Journal editor, writes with daughter Hannah, who, as instigator of the family project, provides commentary and practical suggestions. The chronicle is intriguing and the cohesiveness of the four family members is remarkable: “Friends and others… always focused on… the big house, the big donation, or the trip to Africa” with their eventual partner, The Hunger Project, rather than “the transformational energy” of “a family eager to stand for something collectively.” The authors tend to gush over their efforts while discounting the privileged position that allows them to make them (“we think everyone can give one of the three T’s: time, talent or treasure”); their unflagging optimism, buttressed by clear self-regard, can also be tiring.

The hook (selling their house and giving half the proceeds to charity) is intriguing and following the story on how that process plays out is interesting in many ways.

But the drawbacks of style and tone noted by PW really drag the story down.

More below.

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Lighting Out for the Territory: How Samuel Clemens Headed West and Became Mark Twain by Roy Morris, Jr.

Library Journal

Samuel Clemens went west in 1861, and Mark Twain returned east six years later with the growing reputation of being a writer who rarely let the facts get in the way of a good story. Using letters, diaries, and reminiscences, Morris, author, journalist, and editor, pieces together the facts to show how an unemployed riverboat pilot became a self-made writer. Morris comments that separating fact from fiction in Twain’s case is more or less a full-time occupation. Morris is the editor of Military Heritage magazine and has served as a consultant for A&E Network and the History Channel. By relying on primary sources, he tracks Clemens’s personal, professional, and artistic transformation. Details include the development of Twain’s style including use of the vernacular, a love of the ridiculous, and a stinging wit to transform true-life situations into some of the most memorable stories of frontier life. Fans of Twain’s writing and academics will enjoy this well-researched biography. VERDICT A noteworthy addition for American literature and biography collections.

I think I am pretty clearly on the record in favor of short biographies but even I might blanche at a book that covers a subject as immense as Abraham Lincoln in a mere 70 or so pages.  Such is the boldness of James McPherson’s Abraham Lincoln.  But this essay/book turned out to be an enjoyable and interesting approach to the enigma that is Lincoln.

I was trolling the library when I saw it and decided it was short enough to read over the President’s Day weekend. Alas, I was not organized enough to post a review on either President’s Day or Lincoln’s birthday. But I wanted to report back anyway.

Here is whay PW had to say:

Pulitzer Prize-winning historian McPherson (Battle Cry of Freedom) contributes to the slew of Lincoln biennial books with this succinct biography, weighing in at a lean 70 pages (plus notes), that delivers gracefully on McPherson’s promise to capture “the essential events and meaning of Lincoln’s life without oversimplification or overgeneralization.” McPherson is a precise writer with a masterful command of the subject, guiding readers through the evolution of Lincoln’s thinking on race, his lifelong struggle with depression, his improbable rise to political power, his anguish over the breakup of the union and his determination to see it made whole again. For anyone wanting to fill the gaps in their understanding of the Great Emancipator by the end of President’s Day, this efficient account from a noted Civil War scholar is a near-perfect solution.

McPherson touches on Lincoln’s political career leading up to the presidency, the issue of slavery as a constitutional and political issue and the conduct of the war in particular. Drawing out in each one the critical role Lincoln played and how his character and decision making impacted the outcome. He notes criticisms and controversies and offers succinct responses of his own.

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One Hundred Great French Books: From the Middle Ages to the Present

Synopsis

Proving that French literature has been a consistent and powerful source of cultural influence on an international level, this provocative and concise collection of 100 timeless French masterworks spans 10 centuries. Featuring a broad spectrum of literary genres, styles, and formats—with the entertaining inclusion of comic books, detective novels, and science fiction—this illuminating introduction provides cultural and social context to emphasize the importance of each work in literary history. Detailing each author’s background, historical significance, and a focused summary of content, this fresh and lucid compilation offers a rich panorama of one of the most fascinating and influential literatures in the world and will inspire aficionados of great writing to seek out the complete featured masterpieces for themselves.

The Truth About the Shroud of Turin: Solving the Mystery by Robert K. Wilcox

From the Inside Flap

Is the shroud of Turin—an ancient linen bearing the mysterious image of a man, purported to be Jesus of Nazareth—the ingenious work of an artist, or the true shroud of Christ? For centuries, this question has perplexed and enticed the most brilliant minds. Now, in The Truth about the Shroud of Turin: Solving the Mystery, journalist Robert K. Wilcox investigates every aspect of the shroud’s history, from the ancient Egyptian weave of the cloth to the possible role of radiation in forming the image on its surface. Drawing on evidence collected over thirty years of travel, interviews with experts, and painstaking research, Wilcox presents the full story of the shroud in astonishing detail. The shroud of Turin—a clever hoax or the authentic burial cloth of Jesus Christ? Read this reporter’s journey and discover the truth.

It’s a Don’s Life by Mary Beard

In her now-famous blog, Mary Beard has made her name as a wickedly subversive commentator on the world in which we live. Her central themes are classics, universities, and teaching, but she covers many other topics:

• What are academics for?
• Who was the first African Roman emperor?
• Looting, ancient and modern.
• Are modern exams easier?
• Keep Lesbos for the Lesbians.
• Did St. Valenting exist?
• What made the Romans laugh?

That is just a small tast of this selection (including some of the choicer responses posted) which will inform, occasionally provoke and cannot fail to entertain.

Jure Fiorillo’s Great Bastards of History: True and Riveting Accounts of the Most Famous Illegitimate Children Who Went on to Achieve Greatness is about the most famous illegitimate children who went on to achieve greatness.  Fiorillo primarily covers famous illegitimate children from England, France, and the United States, with a few from other countries.   These figures are discussed in chronological order, beginning with William the Conqueror and ending with Fidel Castro with many interesting persons in between.

Fiorillo’s basic argument is that these figures who were born out-of-wedlock tried to overcome the societal boundaries put up against illegitimate children.  This was true for many of the people, but not all (their success in overcoming the social stigma is dependent on when and where they were born).  I do not get the idea that many of them suffered too much for being illegitimate – sure some were denied higher social positions, but they made up for this in their success in other areas.  For example, although Leonardo Da Vinci was denied a vocation in his father’s field of work, he succeeded beyond all measure in his other pursuits.

I have read some reviews that have questioned Fiorillo’s choices – why she choose one person from a time period rather than another – but I do not think this is an issue.  I take this book as a general overview of pivotal illegitimates from history (although a very select group from limited points on the globe).  One reviewer questions why she choose Alexander Hamilton over Thomas Paine – the argument being that Paine had more of an impact on the American Revolution than Hamilton did.  However, I would argue Hamilton had a more profound effect on early American government than Paine did, thus a more lasting impact.

Finally, Fiorillo’s style of writing is easy to follow and understand.  She writes clearly and concisely.  The amount of information that is given is great considering the limited space for each person.