Jean's Books

2007-01-25T14:15:00.000-08:00

This is my fifth blog for January 2007

If you are looking for an adventure book there is a gem you must read. Do not hesitate: beg, buy, or browbeat your librarian so that you may begin to read "Three Cups of Tea." This is not a book where the title tells you anything about what you will experience in entering the world of Greg Mortenson. He would never have taken the time to put down in print the almost unbelievable events of his life without the help of his co-author David Oliver Relin.

Greg Motenson has lived a life that is so extraordinary one can hardly absorb all of the multitude of words which describe his work, his passions, his failures and his successes. The son of missionaries from Minnesota who raised their family in Africa, Greg had more trouble fitting into American culture than the many other poor and different lands he became so comfortable with.

Three Cups of Tea is about Greg's life and his mission: To build schools in Pakistan and later Afghanistan, especially for girls, and under the most difficult circumstances. You, as a reader, will begin to wonder that one man could do so much and accomplish building of these schools when there were so many obstacles to overcome.

We ordinary Americans can barely imagine the lives people live in these moutain lands. Greg not only learned about the lands and the people, he was able to live as a valued part of their communities. What began as a failed climbing of the moutain, K2, turned into a story of perserverence beyond most of us to even imagine.

You will be pulled into the life of a most unique and at times exasperating man. Even his co-author had moments of giving up the writing of this story because Greg lives on his own time schedule, not the time most of us follow.

The wonder of Greg's schools are that they exist at all. His contribution to the world is to build schools, one at a time at first, and finally many more, and by so doing , fight the most important fight of our times: terrorism.

Do not miss this book. It is a most absorbing story and it is about one of the most relevant themes in any time: how to conquer ignorance and poverty.

2007-01-08T13:34:00.000-08:00

This is my fourth blog for 2007 January

Here is a challenge for any intrepid reader: There is a book just out in American publishing by a Maori lawyer from New Zealand, "First Pass Under Heaven." The book has been a best seller in New Zealand but is so new on the reading lists at Amazon that there are no comments from readers. You can get this book, for a very reasonable price, and be the first to give your ideas about the writing about the adventures detailed in this volume.

Nathan Hoturoa Gray, along with four other men: a Malaysian Buddist monk, an Argentinean photojournalist, an Italian recording artist and a Kiwi-American golfer began this true adventure story of walking the 2500 mile span of the Great Wall of China between Jiayuguan and Shanhaiguan passes. They had more than the normal obstacles to overcome: Minus 20 to 40 degree temperatures, blizzards, snakes, detentions by police and even
extreme thirst and hunger. They walked through some of the most horrible terrain in the world, including the scorching Gobi dessert and over 1200 miles of huge mountains.

This is a story not just about braving the elements and the bureaucracy but mostly about relationships with others under the most extreme conditions. They started out with great intentions: they wee going to join hands as a diverse group with very different backgrounds. Together they were going to overcome the horrendous conditions they had to face. After only 21 days together they split up!

Gray has only good things to say about the people of the region who were so kind to him and to the others that they would take no money and they gave them lots of food when they needed it the most.

The people who live along the Wall's shadow in this formidable region don't have a place to spend money so it is of no use to them. Yet Gray believes that even if they could have used funds, they would have refused to take anything from the travelers.

He hopes that these people will not be tainted by Western civilization, because they are such rare humans and he does not want any of the journey's route to become a tourist mecca. (That doesn't sound very likely, from his harrowing account of the journey, however.)

Gray believes the biggest challenge was to himself; to push himself to the limit and to go on to achieve some of his dreams.

This is your challenge: Read this volume and express your opinion.

2007-01-04T15:16:00.000-08:00

This is my third blog for 2007 January 4

Because the story" Brokeback Mountain" was made into a movie and a mutitude of jokes about cowboys, a reader might think they know something about the author, Annie Proulx. Don't believe that. Annie Proulx is a writer of rare, almost breathtaking talent. She won the Pulitizer Prize for her novel,"The Shipping News" and is recognized for her extremely original prose.

Having read "The Shipping News" not just once but twice, I did not warm up to Ms. Proulx . I started reading her short story collection, "Close Range, Wyoming Stories," with a critical approach. Now I am a convert who wants to help you appreciate her ability.

It is true that "Brokeback Mountain" is the last short story of this collection and I liked it very much, but the other stories she tells with such vivid lannguage and imaginative style are even better. She won a prize for the first story in this book, "The Half Skinned Steer." To me it was only a beginning; my favorite was "The Mud Below." I kept asking myself how she could know the world of rodeo so clearly with its pain and grittiness and brief moments of extreme excitement and pleasure? How could she know about the long drives and boredom and companions in that small club of rodeo riders? I don't know how she knew, but every sentence rings with truth.

Ms. Proulx also knows Wyoming well. The harsh reality of ranch life with the wind, the damn wind and the goddam wind, plus drought or too much rain and not enough profit; she portrays it all with an almost magic sense of living the characters and their relationship to an arid and unforgiving land. Those of us who live in the treeless and little rain West can only say "Well done!"

As a reader I strongly recommend "Close Range." The marvelous prose in this collection of short stories should not be missed.

2007-01-03T16:10:00.000-08:00

This is my second blog for the year 2007

A gift to me was on my bookcase for over eighteen months and I ignored it because of the title: "The Work of Wolves" didn't appeal to me. There came a day of desperation, "I haven't anything to read." Every bookworm knows that terrible feeling.

Having overcome my shunning of the title I began to read. The author is almost one of our own: he is a professor at Black Hills State in Spearfish, Kent Meyer by name. He has written a book that almost everyone could find very enjoyable. He knows the area about which he writes and he knows the people of that region.

I like horses and the story contains a very important event concerning horses. Mr. Meyer caught my interest and held it throughout this story of mystery, love, cruelty and action.

Carson Fielding is a ranch hand who fits the role of western hero perfectly. He knows himself and he knows horses. At least he thinks he knows himself until he meets Rebecca, the wife of Magnus Yarborough, a wealthy rancher who Carson has never liked ever since he was a teenager who could train horses and outsmart Yarborough in a horse purchase deal..

Shortly after Carson meets Rebecca and finds himself very attracted to her, a Lakota teenager, Earl Walks Alone, who is also a math whiz, encounters the German exchange student, Willie Schubert, at a prairie beer bust. Willie has discovered a mystery on the South Dakota plains and he wants Earl to help him unravel an event that neither of them can understand at first.

Weeks after Carson has taught Rebecca about horses,and fallen in love despite his best efforts to remain only friends , Earl and Willie begin enlisting Earl's alcoholic uncle, Ted Kills Many, to help them solve a mystery and save some very important characters: the horses. Carson also gets involved..

The author pulls you into the Lakota culture, and gives one a glimpse of the German facination with the American West. He knows ranch life and he understands their values and daily life.The events which give Carson a jolt from the ordinary are as interesting to the reader as they are to all these characters.

This is a very good book and the Bowman Library has a copy. Check it out and give yourself a real New Year's treat .

2007-01-02T15:33:00.000-08:00

This is my first blog for the year 2007 January 2

A New Year's resolution: Keep writing blogs even when I have nothing of value to say! No that didn't come out right. The resolution is to FIND something interesting to tell you.

There is a new DVD just out for a movie which can bring you a great deal of pleasure. But first: This is a warning that the movie is full of the f word; everybody seems to use the word, especially Grandpa. If you can forget about the horrid language and just enjoy the acting, I can assure you that "Little Miss Sunshine" is going to make your day a much better one.Here is a priceless jewel of an actress called Olive in the movie.. I could look up her real name, but you would probably not know it anyway. However, once you view Olive you won't forget her and you may want to research the movie archives to find it so you won't forget to catch her next performance.

Olive's family is by all accounts a disfunctional one. Everybody likes to use that word lately. Olive's family is by my resoning pretty much normal. This family simply has a few more problems and a lot more dreams than the usual group next door to you. Olive finds out she is able to go to Los Angeles to be in the Little Miss Sunshine contest as she was the runner up in the Albuquerque program. She really wants to go and show the audience just how much fun you can have when she does her dancing and singing.

Grandpa is played by Alan Arkin and he does a very good job of making you want to strangle him one minute and love him the next. He really loves Olive and that makes up for a lot of the faults that Grandpa has.

Whenever Greg Kinnear is in a movie I know I am going to like it. I pray that Hollywood doesn't start casting him as a villain in some grade B production. Greg is Olive's dad and he rents a big yellow blob of a Volkswagon and off they go to L.A. with all of the family members on board. The problems are just beginning.

The person who keeps our interest is that wonderful Olive: her round cherub face and huge glasses, with her sweet personality radiating out will grab your heart and leave you feeling warm and fuzzy for a long time. Treat yourself and go rent the DVD "Little Miss Sunshine." You won't be sorry. And by the way, this is movie is really
not too sweet; just pleasant enough , and actually a lot of fun..

2006-08-01T08:31:00.000-07:00

This is my seventh blog for 2006

There is a new paperback novel at the Bowman Library titled "Above the Thunder" by Renee Mnafredi. The book has a note attached to it saying that if you enjoyed "The Ha Ha" you will like this novel.

There is a plot line which is somewhat like that of "The Ha Ha." A young child, in this case a granddaughter, comes into the lives of adults and changes them. Although this is somewhat like the story in "The Ha Ha" the characters in "Above the Thunder" are sharply drawn and different in many ways. Anna is the grandmother, and she is estranged from her daughter.

The people in this novel are city people; much of the action takes place in Boston and some in small town Maine.
Anna is widowed and is living a life of unrecognized boredom. She is ready for some type of change but caught in her every day life of work and simple socializing with her friend Greta. When her much disliked son-law Marvin shows up at Anna's home with her granddaughter Flynn and minus Anna's daughter, Poppy, the life she had known changes completely.

When Anna meets two gay men at a support group she has reluctantly agreed to monitor, more complications of her daily experiences begin. Flynn is not an ordinary lovable granddaughter and Marvin, her father, is certainly not an average father. Add to this the love quarrels and illnesses of Jack and Stuart and there are many turns to follow for the reader.

There are some rather graphic scenes of homosexual encounters and the book is not for someone who is easily turned off by this. Also, Flynn is so bright and so different that she is difficult to identify with for the ordinary person who picks up a novel for entertainment. Ms. Manfredi feels she has a story worth telling and she does not shy away from the grimy details of life.

This reviewer was very pleased with "The Ha Ha." "Above the Thunder" was not a books I would pick up to read again. Check out the two and compare. You might want to make a choice and your reasons would be very valid and very interesting.

2006-07-24T08:12:00.000-07:00

This is my sixth blog for the current year, 2006.

Can you remember ever being angry enough to literally bang your head on the floor? I can't, but I can recall very easily wanting to bang someone's head against a wall. The primary character in a new best'selling novel goes a step beyond most of us when he loses it completely and hurts his own head. The book is "The Ha Ha" by Dave King and is both unusual and entertaining. You will have to find out yourself what the title means; it is a part of any readers journey into the emotional and forceful experience of reading this book.

Howie has not been able to speak or write, and only read in brief flashes for thirty years. He lets us into his life when the author writes all that this maimed veteran of Viet Nam is thinking and feeling. The frustration level of not being able to speak is something most of us will never experience and we shudder at the idea. Howie takes us with him as his settled and almost normal life takes a dramatic turn.

A small boy comes into Howie's life and the feelings he beings to have, plus the entirely new experiences of raising a nine year old change the hum drum of his life dramatically. The girl friend from the past is pretty much easy to dismiss but Howie is still enchanted by her and the reader begins to go through the turmoil of change with him.

There are plenty of secondary characters who are shown to have the ability to grow and change as well as revert to selfish and devious behaviors. All of them are not as compelling as a protaganist who cannot speak but has the same intellect and emotions he had before he was so grieviously hurt.

You will be rewarded with new insights and special feelings for small victories of the human spirit when you have finished this novel.

2006-06-08T08:10:00.000-07:00

This is my fifth blog for the year 2006

Browsing through the biography section of any library is a great pleasure. Recently I picked up an older volume entitled "Memoirs" by one of America's greatest playwrights, Tennessee Williams. It was full of photos of his family and the celebrities who acted on the stage in one of his plays, or who were featured in a movie made from the original play. It was a trip to the recent past and well worth the time spent.

On the day when I selected "Memoirs" I also picked up a copy of "A Million Little Pieces" by James Frey. The big scandal over his book, which contains many lies, and his appearances on the Oprah television show are old news by this time, but I was curious enough to want to see what all the fuss was about.

The two books are oddly enough, linked strongly by each author's addictive personalities. That they are both writers is true, but Tennesse Williams is a great playwright and James Frey is anything but great. Frey's book is filled with obscene words; perhaps addicts really do talk the way he wrote, but it becomes a very boring and repititive read. He must have some positive writing traits; Oprah liked the book enough to publicize it and make Frey a millionaire. I thought his account of treatment and his friends was not at all interesting. He is self absorbed, selfish and not even truth ful. After pushing through his book, I was absolutely certain that I could never be an addiction counselor. I had no sympathy, and a lot of judgmental thoughts. That reaction is probably why most addiction counselors are recovering addicts.It takes one to know the BS when they hear it.

Mr. Williams was not only an addict, but a homosexual in the days when revealing your sexual preference was a very risky action, even if you are as famous and wealthy as he was. He wrote his memoirs in 1972 and they were published in 1975. Only a few years later Tennessee was dead (1983) and imagine my surprise when I learned that there was a suspicion (especially by his brother Dakin) that he had been murdered. The police report seemed to be that he had overdosed on pills. Dakin said that he had been smothered by a pillow. His idea was that someone didn't want Tennessee to change his will. Knowing enough about his life, filled with risky homosexual encounters, and an enormous amount of alcohol and pills, I couldn't begin to guess what might be the truth about his death.

Tennessee Williams does deserve his fame and his awards. He wrote some of the most enduring dramas of the modern age. He won more than one Pulitzer prize and numberous other recognitions of his genius. The very first professional stage play I ever saw was "The Glass Menagerie" at the Guthrie theatre in Minneapolis.( A longer time ago than one cares to admit.) And anyone who hears the wail of "STELLAAAAA) knows immediately that it comes from "A Streetcar Names Desire." Reading his account of his life story was very entertaining. (He did not ever tell the reader exactly when and how he came to be called Tennessee, since his given name was Tom. But that is a very minor flaw in his recollections.)

In a comparison between an old volume of "Memoirs" and the modern book of 'truthiness', "A Million Little Pieces" there really is no contest. Enjoy your choice. You have heard mine.

2006-05-23T07:41:00.000-07:00

This is my fourth blog for 2006

The library is moved! Congratulations to all of those who worked so very hard in planning, designing, moving and putting everything into place. A rather long and difficult task is almost at the completion.

Around my home books are a part of the decor. Too many books and too little initiative to sort and catalog.
One day this spring a book seemed to appear on one of the bookcases. The reason for the word "appeared" is that I have no recollection of where or why this book came to my household. I paged through it with not much interest and put it aside.

As always there comes a day when I feel there is nothing of interest to read, having exhausted all of the resources that I usually turn to. Oh there are thousands of volumes in the library but I am in a "nothing of interest to me" mood.

Desperation drove me to pick up that mystery volume which had been laying around chastising me and calling to me for months.

Why would anyone in wonderful America care to read "The Bookseller of Kabul," I wondered? The usual blurb on the paperback cover was only slightly interesting: "This mesmerizing portrait of a proud man ...." etc. didn't really make me want to dive into this small volume.

I explored a little more and realized that the author was a young Norweigan woman who is a journalist. Soon I learned that she was in Afghanistan in November, 2001. That was interesting! The author is Asne Seierstad and she lives in Oslo when she is not traveling the world searching for stories. This is a story of the months she spent living in the household of the bookseller she had met on one of her first days in Kabul.

Sultan Khan is a learned man and a very successful business man. He has survived wars and uprisings with a never give up attitude. But it is only when we enter his home with Asne as our guide do we really learn about him and his "ordinary" family. This is an account of daily life in the country that our nation claims to have "liberated."

Read this book and spend your days being thankful that we live in a country which makes terrible mistakes, but is always free enough to recognize them. "The Bookseller of Kabul" is an easy book to read and it will live on in your memory for a long time. I recommend it!

2006-03-05T14:40:00.000-08:00

This is my third blog for the year 2006

High on the New York Times bestselling book list is a small excellent portrait of a loss. The writer is Joan Didion who has written many books, but never before one quite like this.

"Life changes fast.
Life changes in an instant.
You sit down to dinner and life as you know it ends."

These words are her introduction to the most traumatic event most of us experience: loss of the person who means the most to us. With Ms. Didion it was a shockingly rapid change. The man who had been her husband and partner in all things, for over forty years, John Gregory Dunne, died of a massive heart attack as she was in the kitchen preparing their evening meal.

The book is titled "The Year of Magical Thinking," and Ms. Didion takes us through the events which followed her husband's death and her thinking and acting in what she terms, Magical Thinking. If one has had such a loss in one's life it will be a reading experience to confirm what one has already known deep down about this profound change: life is never the same, but neither is the person who is coping with the death of a loved one.

She goes through the bargaining stage; and the denial and a near acceptance, but never quite a letting go of the past. The beauty of the book is her ability to let the reader go with her on this unwanted journey which life hands to us. One of the last lines of the book is from a quote her husband had told her years before, "You have to go with the change..." She remembers that he told her that and she treasures all that the marriage and partnership had given to her.

2006-02-07T14:18:00.000-08:00

This is my second blog of the year 2006

While the New York Times list of bestselling books contains plenty of interesting titles and several excellent reviews, now may be a very good time to think about rereading a book which has given me great satisfaction every time it is read.

My list of favorite titles includes the wonderful American classic, "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee. Recently in the excellent movie "Capote" a young actress plays the part of Ms. Lee who was a good friend of Truman Capote, and according to the movie script, spent a lot of time with him when he was writing his book, "In Cold Blood."

The really astounding fact about Harper Lee is that she wrote "To Kill a Mockingbird" in 1960 and has never
written another novel. When one realizes that ten million or more copies of the book have ben sold, perhaps it is just as well, for equaling the great masterpiece she achieved would be very unlikely.

If you have missed the very pleasureable experience of reading "To Kill a Mockingbird," you do not need to feel disappointed . Every library has a copy or two or three. If you read it a long time ago, read it again. There is a timelessness about the people who Ms. Lee created that transcends years and events.

My daughter's favorite book always was "To Kill a Mockingbird" from the first reading. I can't being to guess how many more times she has settled down with Jem and Scout and Aticus. We all learned about the South of that time, and the events of the book are often eched by the crimes of the present.

Sometimes the trivia games ask about who played Boo Radley in the movie and nearly everyone remebers because the film managed to achieve what very few movies do; it was (almost) as good as the book. Can we ever think of Atticus as looking like anyone other than Gregory Peck?

Rent the video and watch it with the warmth of old memories. But most of all, get a copy of "To Kill a Mockingbird" and read it. While Ms. Lee is quoted as saying she believes it is one of the best translations to film ever made, she knows, as do all of her many fans that reading this great classic is not to be missed.

2006-01-01T09:03:00.000-08:00

This is my first blog for the New Year: 2006

The news media are agreed (mostly) that the biggest story of 2005 was Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath, at least for those of us who live in America. Yet the news was dominated daily by the war in Iraq.The question for the new year seems to be whether or not Iraq can be a success story after all these years of horrible pictures of violence, suffering and unrest created by the insurgency.

Even the most ardent liberal who may have opposed the war cannot hope for anything but a better outlook than we had in 2005. Perhaps the liberals who said,"Why Iraq? Why not North Korea or Iran?" following the kind of thinking which says we can bring democracy to the world, will admit that Iraq could have a very strong positive effect on our lives if events turn in our favor. Hopeful thinking even for the most pessimistic of us may show up in the year to come if the Iraqis take control of their country in a democratic and non-violent way.

George Packer has written a very depressing story of our involvement in Iraq in his 2005 book, "The Assassins' Gate." To read his account of the reasons we went to war, (not the reasons we were actually given by this administration) is to feel helpless and frustrated. Packer tells us he was an "ambivalently prowar liberal" who listened to his Iraqi-exile friends. We all can agree that Saddam was a monster, but Packer learned, as we have that transforming Iraq easily to a democracy was not to be, despite President Bush and his advisors telling us this optimistic scenario.

Packer spent a great deal of time in Iraq before writing his book. The terrible conduct of the war by our government following the military victory is underlined by the daily nightmares of ordinary Iraqis and our troops.
The war went from military success to deepening violence and daily chaos because of bad planning and terribly wrong taken for granted ideas.

Today we are no longer naiive. Reading Mr. Packer's book, "The Assassins' Gate" will give us needed information in our support of future choices in the United States involvement in Iraq in 2006. Please read and evaluate this book. And pray for a better year in Iraq.

No one could have predicted Katrina as the big story of 2005. Perhaps the big story of 2006 will be one of good sense and good actions. We can be optimistic if we are better informed.

2005-12-16T13:17:00.000-08:00

This is my eighth blog.

Christmas is near and we are wondering what happened to Thanksgiving and the days which rushed at us into December. After Christmas!! That is the time for relaxation and just being lazy for a few days. No tough reading is allowed; just books which give pleasure with no great effort.

With that in mind our reading suggestion is a book that was published ten years ago. Having just reread it I can highly recommend the fun of curling up in a quiet warm place with this funny and a bit raunchy story.

Just recently author John Berendt published a highly acclaimed new non-fiction book: "The City of Fallen Angels." Not having had time to critique that story yet, I went back to his earlier book,"Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil." It had been ten years and lots of other books read in between so it was as if I had a very new tale to savor. Much of the plot came back to me as I read, but it is just a great way to spend your holiday by "frittering away" your time with this extraordinary book. And best of all, it is about real people and real events.

Mr. Berendt went to Savannah and lived with the people he writes about. He could be the outsider with an insider view. The characters are living, breathing, mostly weird, citizens and they are so refreshingly interesting.

Jim is the central figure and the author knew him very well. Around Jim, who lives in the Mercer House in the center of Savannah (remember Johnny Mercer, the songwriter? His cousin's mansion.) and swirling around the city square are a host of unforgettable people. :Lady Chablis, the transexual dancer, Minerva , the black preistess of voodoo, and Danny the homosexual victim, are just the beginning of this wild ride.

Don't forget: all of this is true: Savannah should be thankful. The tourists are still pouring into town and asking first of all about "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil." The locals are not amused, but we know they aren't immune to green, as in money.

Give yourself permission to have a good time reading a deliciously snide story of humans who have most of the vices of mankind and a few of the virtues. Remember there really were midnight visits to the cemetery and lots of voodoo magic was practiced. Your task, however, is just to smile, laugh and enjoy.

2005-11-07T13:26:00.000-08:00

This is my seventh blog.

Betrayal and redemption. Two very powerful words which we don't often think about in the rush of our daily lives. A book which can take those themes and tell a memorable story which stays iin your mind for years is written by author Khaled Hosseini. His name is as foreign to us as is his country: Afghanistan. But his story is one we can all relate to with strong and positive feelings.

Those of us who can barely spell Afghanistan know so little about this remote place. We have heard that bombing it could drive it back to the stone age in a short time. Yet in this novel Mr. Hosseini paints a picture of a rich and textured society with a strong weave of relationships and cultural mores. Who knew that kite flying and kite running were so popular and colorful in this little understood land?

How we relate to our parents is central to our lives; in this tale of Amir and Hassan there are many of the emotions which all of us have felt toward our fathers and our mothers. How we perceive ourselves is in the core of our relationships with our parents. This moving story of two boys will not leave your heads for months.

The book is called "The Kite Runner," and it has been so notable that adjectives like "riveting, unforgettable, evocative, genuine and haunting" have been used by reviewers in describing this amazing work.

If you have friends, if you have family (and we all do, in some way, normal or strange,) you will be engaged by this wonderful narrative. There are twists and shocking turns in the story and you will be moved to tears and horrified and then you will accept its truth and peace.

This reviewer urges you to not pass up an opportunity to read, however difficult to absorb at times, this lovely book. You will not be dissappointed.

2005-10-22T12:06:00.000-07:00

This is my sixth blog

A recent issue of Time magazine had a lengthy article by Dr. Andrew Wiel on how to age comfortably and gracefully. At the very end of the article I was pleased to read of his recommendation that we make ethical wills for our families. Well, that was not hard; some years ago (I don't even want to remember how many) when I had quit a job in disgust I spent my time writing and I wrote an ethical will. Even I was surprised I could find the copy so easily. What is important is "Has this will any staying power?" I leave it to your judgment:

My ethical will.
My worldly goods remain few in number and my fortune has not been made in the financial world. To my greatly loved children I would like to leave something I consider of greater value: my beliefs which have been painstakingly and sometimes painfully acquired through years of experience and struggle toward some measure of maturity.
I believe in knowledge. If the old cliche that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing is true, then my advice is to never rest with just a little. If you close yourself off from new experiences and unthought-of-ideas you lessen your living and growing. Keep learning, keep trying the untried and don't ever stop acquiring more knowledge.
I believe in caring. First of all you need to care about yourself.. Love yourself, care about yourself (yes, self
esteem is that important) and never cease trying to improve yourself. Then you can care about others, your mate, your children, your parents, your relatives and friends. And you can care about others in your community and world. The more mature one becomes, the more striking is the realization that we owe a debt to the world in which we live. As well fed (!! present day note) and affluent Americans we need to be especially aware of our need to serve others.
I believe in creativity. To creat something where once there was nothing is a giving of a great gift, to ourselves and to others. If the creativity expresses iself in the birth and raising of a child, then the wonder of the creation has an added demand of responsibility. However creativity is expressed it is a marvelous virtue to be nutured and made to grow.
I believe in perserverance and in forgiveness. One wants to give up often when life displeases us and pains us; but "hanging in there" is a slang phrase we can remember and follow. In short, "Keep on keeping on."
To say "I'm sorry may not be easy, but very often it is much more difficult to say "That's O.K. , forget it," to ourselves and to others. Difficult yes, but essential that we are able to forgive and vital that the forgiveness is sincere.
I believe in change. There is no escaping it; life continually changes and twists and turns in ways we do not plan or want, sometimes for good and all too often for bad. Since there is no alternative, I believe in embracing change and salvaging as much good as possible out of misfortune or tragedy. Accept change and rejoice in the change which makes life better.
I believe in hope. There are thousands of reasons for depression and despair in this life on planet Earth. The world is filled with horrors and news of evil is all around us. With all of that, the world is also filled with beauty and goodness. There can be no giving into doubt and despair. If life is to be lived meaningfully, we must try to dedicate ourselves daily to searching for the good things in life. I believe under the shadow of nuclear annilation we can and must have hope for a tomorrow.
I believe in excellence. If I could live again, I would begin earlier to spend more time learning about the arts. Excellence can and should be a goal in any part of our lives, but excellence in music, art, writing and drama is a source of great pleasure and joy.
Most of all I believe in my children. Because I love you, I believe as strongly as I can that my descendants can be a beautiful and productive part of the world. Achievements by my offspring and their children are my future. I have hope and I believe. To you, my loved children, I bequeath this ethical will.

2005-10-09T14:56:00.000-07:00

This is my fifth blog.

Recently the United States Senate passed by 90 to 9 a very important amendment to a budget bill. Apparently the Senate was persuaded by evidence that this amendment was needed to give clarity to interrogators of detainees in the war in Iraq and and in the war on terror, and exactly what they will be able to do in questioning these people

The force behind this amendment was Senator John McCain. He explained why it was so imperative: " We have to clarify that this is not what the United States is all about. This is what makes us different from the enemy we are fighting." McCain sponsored the amendment which bars cruel and inhumane treatment of detainees.

If there is a requirement for knowledge about cruel and inhumane treatment John McCain would not only pass; he would write the test.

In his book "Faith of Our Fathers" McCain begins with all of the mistakes he made as a young rebellious student, before and during his years at the Naval Academy. He also tells the story of his father and grandfather and their careers in the Navy. His reveres his fathers and accept completely their ideas of honor and courage. He needs every bit of his reverence to sustain him during the years he was imprisoned by the Viet Cong in the infamous "Hanoi Hilton" prison.

When the Viet Cong discovered that John McCain's father was the Admiral in charge of the Pacific fleet, they offered to let him go home. McCain knew that if he accepted he would be used as a propaganda tool. The courage it took to turn down such an offer after years of hideous treatment and months of solitary is beyond most of us to imagine.

John McCain believes in honor and he may be one of the last to do so in a violent and treacherous world. He is more than most politicians a somewhat humble man. His survival of such physical and psychological torture as he experienced during the Vietnam war gives him a presence that not many public figures can match. When he says," If the Pentagon's top minds can't sort these matters out, after exhaustive debate and preparation, how in the world do we expect our enlisted men and women to do so?" he has the credibility to express those ideas.

Read his book "Faith of My Fathers" and follow the experiences which makes McCain a much needed man in public American life.

2005-09-23T12:52:00.000-07:00

This is my fourth blog for book reviews.

My mom sang a funny tune to us when we were kids: "Vhen da vind blows, in da vintertime, look da vindow out
da vay da street goes. See da vimmervolk from da vaudeville ride vilasepedes around da vestibule, in da Viking Hotel!" Years later my brother quoted it to our guide in Norway and she wanted the ryme written down so she could see the words. Did she think that was typical of the songs we sang in America, I wondered? Or was she looking for some tie to the Scandanavian coulture?

One of my college history textbooks had in huge letters: WE ARE ALL EUROPEANS! Well not true, even then and especially not now. But here in the rural prairie states our ethnic background is never very far from our daily lives. Willa Cather tells the story of a young Bohemian girl who came to Nebraska in her book, "My Antonia."
It is a novel concerned primarily with farming and the rural experiences yet with many references to other aspects of American life. It is considered by many to be Cather's masterpiece.

The introduction to the story was created by Ms. Cather, and sets some background to the early years of immigration settlements. "We were talking about what it is like to spend one's childhood in little towns like these, buried in wheat and corn, under stimulating extremes of climate........We agreed that no one who had not grown up in a little prairie town could know anything about it. It was like a kind of freemasonry, we said."

The enjoyment of reading this story for the first time; of the courage these pioneer people had in facing all that nature and circumstances could throw at them; and their failures at times, and their triumph in just perservering,
is all yours when you begin "My Antonia." If you have read it before the pleasure is even greater in reading it again.

Cather's descriptions of people and her insights into their emotions and thoughts is excellent She has Antonia's husband exactly captured and makes him come alive completely. She manages a comment about married life," I wondered whether the life that was right for one was ever right for two." Interestingly enough, Cather spent her entire life living alone or with another woman. Make of that what you will.

Give yourself a treat and check out "My Antonia." Good reading!

2005-09-05T12:14:00.000-07:00

This is my third blog for reviewing books

When the television is filled with ugliness and sadness, this blogger finds relief in a rant. I was near the end of what I considered one of my very best when I noticed that my partner had fallen asleep. A sharp reality check.

My suggestion to you for your respite is that you open the door of the Bowman Library and find a window into another time and another place. A new CD is available there for a book, "Will in the World, How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare" by Stephen Greenblatt.

To ask a passionate reader to listen rather than read is as if you were to ask an avid gardener to live in a third floor apartment . That is however, exactly what I did: I listened to the reading of the entire book and it was a very pleasure filled several hours.

This is a scholarly book by a very well known and brillant author. It is not a bon bon of literature; it is gourmet.

Confession: There were a few times when I nodded off. But NOT because the subject was boring. The book was read by a Shakespearean actor, Peter J. Fernandez, whose voice is so mellow and soothing one becomes utterly relaxed while learning.

But I don't know Shakespeare, you protest. Ah, but you do know and use his words almost daily: "The course of true love never runs smooth..." "What fools these mortals be ...." "This was the unkindest cut of all..." "Cowards die many times...." "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark." "If music be the food of love..."
"What's in a name. That which we call a rose....." and of course, "To be or not to be..." One researcher says there are 2,283 famous quotes from Shakespeare.

The door which the author opens to the late 16th and early 17th century is one of dangerous political and religious conflict. How did a young man of that time from a small provincial town, with no wealth or connections and very little formal schooling become the world's most revered and honored playwright? While there are many "He may have" and "It might have" phrases, the author does a clear and convincing job of presenting to us Shakespeare's family, friends and business associates. And he gives us such a clear idea of what Shakespeare was like, that we can journey with the author in finding the human Shakespeare.

The most memorable part of the book for me was Shakespeare's Shylock from the Merchant of Venice. Shakespeare made him a Jew and a buffoon as well as villain. Jews were rare in England, having been driven out years ago, but they were reviled. Yet Shakespeare puts these words in Shylock's mouth:

"I am a Jew. Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions, fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means......
If you prick us do we not bleed?"

If we change the word Jew to Arab, or African, or Hispanic, or American we are in the present day world problems with Shakespeare's insights to guide us.

The author has opened one door. It is easy for you to open another. Good listening!

2005-08-21T12:28:00.000-07:00

This is a second blog by Jean. Book Review:

Once upon a time, that is a few years ago, kids at our house were required to do their Sunday school lesson at home. Naturally, they were normal kids so the lessons were done as late as possible on Saturday night. One lesson review stands out in memory: The youngest kid absolutely did not want to do that lesson, but parents insisted. Finally he said with triumph that it was all finished. Good parents that we were, we checked. There is no memory of the questions, which numbered about ten, but the answers stayed with us for a long time: Answer number 1: "I do not know." Answer number 2: " I cannot say." Answer number three: " I will not tell." And so on to the end; you get the idea. Should we have rewarded creativity? Well, no, parents want order and he was made to do it over. But it remains as a reminder that kids are just about always in the driver's seat.

"The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time," is the title of a recent book by a young writer, Mark Haddon. Contrary to the idea suggested in the title this is not a book patterned after Sherlock Holmes mysteries.
Although you won't have to read "The Hound of the Baskervilles" after reading about Christopher's life. Christopher is a young 15 year old autistic boy; younger than his peers, probably in world experience but not in intelligence.
What parent hasn't felt as if they absolutely could not handle being a mom or dad one more day? Here is a book to make each parent feel that "Yes, I can make it easily, I don't have to live with Chris. " In Christopher's world the adults are stressed and overdosed on emotions. They are frustrated, full of rage, hopped up on revenge, full of self pity, envious, spiteful, despairing, despressed and nearly mad with their need to live in this demanding family.

Within this hurricane of feeling is Christopher, conscious only of his needs and his problems. The phrase "high maintainence" doesn't come close to what Christopher must have.
Early in the book, Christopher's father moans, "Jesus Wept." The words jumped out at me. Christopher's father must have felt, at least the author suggests, as sad as Jesus. But Jesus went on to perform a miracle . There are no miracles in this family.
There is something nearly as great, however, and that is persistence and courage. That Christopher has in great quantities and finally so do the adults in his life. But you must read the book. It is a great reward.
It doesn't appear that Mr. Haddon is a parent, according to the book jacket, but he has worked for years with kids like Christopher and he knows their lives. His story is fiction but it has that ring of truth. It is an amazing novel. The book is at the Bowman Public Library and if you don't like the printed page, a CD is there too.
You will not be disappointed.

2005-08-13T01:38:00.000-07:00

This is my first post for my book review blog.

There probably aren't many who can say they remember their first step. Remembering your first day of school is easier, and first day of high school may ring a bell. and first date as well; first sexual;well never mind.
Which brings up a question for some: What really is a blog? Google gives a short and to the point definition: Blogs are short for Web log and are publicily available web pages with personal views and links espressing opinions and observations. That doesn't sound too difficult until it is noted that Google had 23,100, 000 hits asking "what is a blogger?"
But keeping to the KISS formula, keep it simple, stupid, we will attempt to say something of value, and try to keep it flexible.
Blogging has taken off and one hopes it won't be a fad and quickly bloom and then die. Two years ago when the Iraq war was just beginning, according to the Washington Post there were only about two dozen bloggers in Baghdad. Today there are over two hundred active duty soldiers keeping blogs. They have had to be recently monitored due to security issues.
As you can see, blogs are everywhere.
Before getting to a review of a book, this blog is a reminder that great things are happening at the Bowman public Library. Check it out: there is something new for everyone..There are tapes and CD's as well as DVD's and
plenty of fiction and fact filled volumes of many subjects.
My first passion has always been reading and book reviews will mainly be the focus of this blog. The books won't always be best sellers and fiction. A recent arrival at the Bowman Library on CD is 1776. A non-fiction story of the year our nation was born can't help but catch our attention and as soon as it is returned (checked out already!) we will give you a preview. The author David McCollough quotes Cicero on a recent TV interview: "Heaven is a library in a garden." Thanks Mr. M., I don't read much Cicero but I certainly love that thought.
A final quote, my very favorite, "I have sometimes dreamt that when the Day of Judgment dawns-the Almighty
will turn to Peter and will say when he sees us coming with our books under our arms, 'Look these need no reward. We have nothing to give them here. They have loved reading.'" Virginia Woolf of the Bloomsbury Group.
As the TV says, don't go 'way. I will be back.