BillP's Book\Miniature\Wargame Blog

I finished two biographies this week.

First up was Jesus: A Biography, from a Believer by Paul Johnson. This was an interesting little book that attempted to synthesize a life of Christ using all four gospels and knowledge we have about life in 1^st century Judea from archeology and other ancient sources. I was a little disappointed with the book, mainly because the History Book Club oversold it. The HBC blurb indicated that Johnson would bring ancient sources together an provide some insight into what Jesus was doing between the ages of 12 (when he hung out with the teachers in the Temple in Jerusalem scaring the hell out of his parents) and 30 (when he was baptized by John the Baptist). This book didn’t do that. But that’s hardly the fault of the author, since he’s not the one that made the claim.

Anyway, the book was well written and engaging; it is only about 250 pages so it’s a nice quick read.  It was also quite good at what it did, which is bringing together the main points of Jesus’ ministry as related in the four gospels. Think of it as “key take-aways” for Christianity. So I recommend it, with the understanding that it won’t provide the reader with any new information about the parts of Jesus’ life not illuminated by the Gospels.

Readers of the blog may remember that I wasn’t too impressed with Shawn Levy’s Paul Newman: A Life when I read it last year. I am happy to report that I’ve found a much better, although still incomplete, bio of Newman, one of my favorite actors. The book, Paul and Me: Fifty-three Years of Adventures and Misadventures with My Pal Paul Newman By A. E. Hotchner, was written by the man who was, by all accounts, Newman’s best friend. Hotchner was also Newman’s partner in the Newman’s Own enterprise which sells all manner of grocery items with all of the net income going to charity.

First the good parts; the book is extremely engaging. In fact I read it in one sitting. It is essentially the story of a 50 year friendship between Newman and Hotchner. It is full of stories about the two men’s fishing career (hilariously bad, aboard a series of boat), Paul’s racing exploits, the founding of Newman’s Own (Newman was mixing a huge batch of salad dressing to give away to neighbors as Christmas presents. Hotchner was stirring the batch with a boat paddle!) and just hanging out. There was a very poignant section describing Newman’s relationship with his son Scott, who died of a drug overdose in his 20s, and Newman’s reaction Scott’s death.

The only “bad” part, and it’s not a slam on the book, which does exactly what it’s supposed to do, is that it’s incomplete. This book is not, in any way a serious biography of Paul Newman. With that caveat, I recommend it highly and enjoyed it immensely!

26 for the year.

This week, I finished book Irish Tweed by Fr. Andrew Greeley.

This is the 12^th novel  in the “Dermot and Nuala” series of mysteries. Each book revolves around the life of Dermot and Nuala Coyne and their manifold off-spring as they solve mysteries and deal with the vicissitudes of daily life in Chicago. Each book usually involves two mysteries, one contemporary involving a person, or sometimes a couple, who are being harassed by some unknown person or for an unknown reason. The other mystery is usually historically based in either Ireland (where Nuala is from) or Chicago (Dermott’s home). At the end of the day through a combination of dogged detective work from Dermott and flashes of psychic insight from Nuala both mysteries (which are usually, but not always, connected) are solved, the righteous are sustained and guilty are punished.

This book is very much in the pattern of the prior 11. The current mystery involves the bullying of the Coyne children at their Catholic elementary school. The bullying is enabled by the principal of school with the acquiescence of a weak-kneed pastor. The old mystery is the story of a young Irish girl who emigrates to Chicago in the 1860 and overcomes several obstacles to become one of the first female physicians.

I’m afraid I can’t really recommend this one for two reasons. First of all, it is the 12^th in a series, and it is really of a part with the first 11. Second, the first 4-5 in the series were much better than this one, which seems a little disjointed and perfunctory. So, If the description piques your interest, start with Irish Gold, the first books in the series.

Note: I titled this post “The Last of Andrew Greeley?” because Father Greeley was seriously injured in November of 2008. He sustained a TBI in a mishap and although he survived and continues his recovery, he doesn’t seem to have written anything after the accident, nor am I aware of any communication from him directly. The apparent seriousness of his injury and his advanced age (he turned 82 in Feb 2010) don’t lead to optimism about his future output.

For those of you unfamiliar with him, Greeley is a Roman Catholic priest from Chicago who has, over the years, made quite a name for himself as a sociologist (working on the sociology of religion, particularly Catholicism) and a novelist. Greeley writes “novels of grace” that attempt to show how God works in our lives to bring us closer to him. His novels were the primary impetus for my return to the Church in the late 90’s after many years of being away. I will miss him.

24 for the year.

I just finished Max Hasting’s Winston’s War: Churchill, 1940-1945.

This book, is simply outstanding. It is a much better version of d’Este’s Warlord, which I read and reviewed last year, and d’Este’s book was pretty good.

This book has a number of strengths. First, Hastings has managed to put both the good and the bad of Churchill into the proper perspective and assess his net contribution to Britain’s victory in WWII. Second, he provides a much more realistic description of the relationship between FDR and Churchill.  He also provides a new assessment of both British and American public opinion towards Churchill and his government.  Particularly interesting was the antipathy both FDR and many American’s expressed towards “the Empire”.  Hasting’s makes a convincing case, that far from being unique, the “special relationship” between the US and Britain was something of an illusion, at least during WWII.

A second strength of the “perspective” Hastings provides in a number of areas.  As I said above, before reading this book, I had no real concept of the American public’s antipathy toward Britain. Nor was I aware of the manifold shortcomings of the British army’s professionalism and skill. I was also unaware of both the huge disconnect between the  classes in wartime Britain, and the way the wartime coalition government gradually lost the support of the British public. It seems that the closer Britain got to the end of the war, the less fit the voters considered the coalition to run the peace. In short this book gave me a much clearer understanding of the obstacles in Churchill’s path to  victory in WWII.

Hastings sees Churchill’s most valuable contributions as keeping Britain in the war in 1940 and keeping the Americans from attempting a potentially disastrous cross-channel landing in 1942- (or more realistically) 1943. Hastings makes a convincing case on both counts. It does seem as a British government led by anyone other than Churchill would probably have cut some kind of deal. And I can only imagine the consequences of having the US Army’s Kasserine Pass – like “baptism of fire” facing the 1942-43 Wehrmacht on the beaches of Normandy.

This is an outstanding book! I recommend it highly, with one caveat. This book assumes a fairly extensive prior knowledge of the events and personalities of WWII.

23 for the year.

First was A Rumpole Christmas: Stories by John Mortimer. This is a collection of five Christmas themed Rumpole stories, which have “never before been published in book form”. Apparently they have been published in various British periodicals, which may account for the fact that I believe I have previously read at least two of them. I can’t imagine how I saw them since I don’t read any British periodicals except The Economist.

At any rate, the five stories are quite good. Exactly what one would expect based on previous experience with Mortimer’s well lubricated barrister. If you’re a Rumpole fan, this will serve as a bit of solace for the passing of Mortimer. If you’re not a Rumpole fan, this is a good place to start.

Next up was D-Day: The Battle for Normandy by Antony Beevor.  Despite the name, this book covers the entire Normandy operation from the planning for the actual landing up through the liberation of Paris. I found it an outstanding book. Beevor has done an excellent job of using primary source material to give readers a real sense of the fighting at the “sharp end”, but making sure that sense is grounded in the context of the larger operation. One example is the 101^st taking Carentan, Beevor explains why it was important (it was the link between Utah and Omaha beaches), who was defending it (German paratroopers) , who was attacking it (the US 101^st AB). Once this background is laid out, he plunges into a detailed account of the attack based mainly on primary sources.  Very well done.

Beevor also takes the trouble to give readers a good sense of what the Generals at the top were thinking, again, mostly using primary sources. Montgomery, Eisenhower, Rommel, Hitler and many others are honestly evaluated. The states of the various armies are examined with particular attention paid to the war-weariness of the British army and its resultant “brittleness” and reluctance to take casualties. Finally the human cost of the invasion is explored with particular attention to the number of French civilians killed and wounded. The book is well mapped, which is rare for a book of military history.

In short, Beevor has written a lucid, concise history of Normandy that may well serve as the definitive book on that campaign. I’ll be keeping my copy.

22 for the year.

Ever since seeing the TV miniseries MASADA as a kid, I’ve been fascinated by the story of the Jewish war with Rome in the 1st century AD. And of course the Jewish/Roman historian Flavius Josephus is virtually the only detailed source for the story of the Jewish Revolt. For those who are unfamiliar, Josephus began fighting the Romans as Governor of Galilee, but was captured by the Romans, after which he “defected” and assisted them in their prosecution of the war. When I saw Jerusalem’s Traitor: Josephus, Masada, and the Fall of Judea by Desmond Seward, having read and enjoyed his biography of Eleanor of Aquitaine, I snapped it up.

I wasn’t disappointed.  Seward starts with a survey of the Roman province of Judea in the early 1st century, and then takes us through the uprising and war which started in 66AD using Josephus’  Jewish War and Jewish Antiquities as a framework.  Seward starts with a biographical sketch of Josephus, based primarily on Josephus’ autobiography Life of Josephus,
tempered with what modern scholarship tells us about the aristocratic priest class of pre-Diaspora Jewish culture to which Josephus’ family belonged.

Seward then turns to the Jewish War and lays out the events, and Josephus’ involvement in them chronologically, and then describes what we know, what we think and what we guess about those events with particular attention to how the account of Josephus meshes with other ancient sources.  The result is a very lucid account of the Jewish War and a great deal of insight into its chronicler.

The book was consistently interesting and accessible needing no great degree of prior knowledge. Aside from the usual complaint about an insufficient number of inadequately detailed maps, there is very little to complain about here. I recommend this to anyone interested in Josephus or the in the Jewish War

20 for the year.

I just finished Drive by Charles R. Codman. If you remember your movies, Codman was Patton’s aide, an older fellow who acted as sort of a majordomo to Patton’s HQ during the war. I found a copy of the book in the BookNook last week and I must tell you it is absolutely enthralling.

First, Codman’s perspective on all the stuff I’ve read about in d’Estes biography and various books was fascinating. He talks about what life was like at 3rd Army HQ on a day-to-day basis. Being in his mid-fifties (only 8 years younger than Patton) and a decorated WWI vet, Codman brings a refreshingly new perspective to his descriptions of daily life with Patton.

Second was Codman himself. He was a Harvard grad (class of ’15) who flew fighters in WWI, winning a Silver Star before being shot down and captured. After WWI, he went back to Boston and became a serious wine importer, eventually becoming the major importer of French wines into the East coast of the US. In fact, Codman was in France touring the vineyards evaluating the 1940 vintage when the Germans conquered the country.

The entire book is based on Codman’s letters home to his wife, and when 3rd Army reaches France, there is a fair amount of stuff about reconnecting with old friends and vinters as the Army liberated France. He describes visits to a whole bunch of places you’ve heard about if you know anything at all about French wine. Places like Montrachet and Latour as well as more or less personally liberating Lilly Bollinger and her champagne operation.

There is also a fair amount of revisiting scenes of both Patton’s and Codman’s service in WWI. At one point, Patton sends Codman to find Patton’s instructor from the French Cavalry School at Saumur. In another incident, Patton and Codman visit a railroad roundhouse near Metz that Codman was shot down trying to bomb during WWI.The two men reflected on the charmed life of that structure, as it was still intact through numerous efforts to destroy it in two world wars.

Codman also seemed to know anyone who was anyone in the pre-War “Eastern Establishment”, he is constantly writing his wife about running into one or another of their old friends, people like Bill Donovon (the OSS chief) or Henry Cabot Lodge. Codman’s book is really a window into a bygone era.

Anyway, if you enjoy personal memoirs, or are interested in a view of Patton that you won’t get in other places, this is an outstanding book, and I recommend it highly.

19 for the year.

I finished two more books. First up was Irregular Gentleman by James Warner Bellah. Bellah was a prolific writer during the 30s through the 50s writing short stories (many of which appeared din the Saturday Evening Post), novels and screenplays. Although he’s relatively forgotten now, Bellah wrote either,  the screenplay, the underlying novel/short story, or both for a slew of John Ford movies including Fort Apache, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, Rio Grande, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.  He was also a RFC Pilot during WWI and an Infantry officer in the CBI in WWII.  I first ran across him in a Jerry Pournelle anthology There Will be War, which included Bellah’s short story The Spanish Man’s Grave, which is commonly considered to be one of the great short stories of the American West.

Irregular Gentleman is Bellah’s memoirs of a long and active life. The book is very disjointed. Each chapter is essentially a single story about specific interlude in Bellah’s life. The stories don’t appear to be in any particular order, they’re certainly not chronological. Nor are they grouped thematically. They’re just kind of jumbled together in a stream of consciousness. For example, the book opens with a story about Bellah and a buddy of his enjoying a night on the town in Manchuria. The evening included the services of some rather professional young ladies whose status lay somewhere between “taxi-dancers” and prostitutes, including one that seems to have smitten Bellah. Another story describes Bellah’s peripheral involvement in some sort of coup being planned against the government of Mexico.

The book was okay. It seems awful dated and the material in the book was short on introspection so I didn’t come away with any sense of who Bellah actually was. That being said, it was entertaining enough, and certainly well written. So at the end of the day I give it an “eh, ok”. I’m glad I read it, but I’m glad it was in GSU’s library so I didn’t pay $20 or so for it.

Second up was QBQ! The Question Behind the Question: Practicing Personal Accountability at Work and in Life by  John G. Miller. This is a rather simple little self-help book that prescribes taking personal responsibility as the solution to practically every problem. According to the author, when confronted with a problem, one should not start by asking “why” questions, such as “why don’t others do their jobs”, “why is this happening to me” or “why won’t shipping cooperate”. Instead one should ask “how” or “what” as “how can I fix it” or “what can I do to make it better”. The book is correct as far as it goes, but is unnecessary for those who already subscribe to its tenets and unlikely to reach those who need it. But still not too bad.

18 for the year.