Music & More

The Good Soldiers

David Finkel's "The Good Soldiers", a work of non-fiction, was published in 2009. In 304 pages it tells the story of a 15 month tour of an infantry battalion which began during the 2007 "Surge" in the Iraq war. The unit was under the command of the ever optimistic Lt. Colonel Ralph "it's all good" Kauzlarich. Although I followed the war on TV and other news media, the Good Soldiers is the first book I've read about it. The fact that it won numerous book awards plus very good reviews - plenty can be found on-line - convinced me to give the book a try. "Good Soldiers" is a compelling read.

Each chapter begins with a quote from then President George W. Bush. For examples:

Chapter 6, July 23, 2007 - "I'm optimistic. We'll succeed unless we lose our nerve". (huh? if you were one of those who didn't have the nerve to serve in the Vietnam war, why would you say that?)

Chapter 7, Sept 4, 2007 - "We're kicking ass". (Mr. tough guy)

What do the soldiers say about the war? (pg 129, in my paperback edition)  One said that "they say on TV that the soldiers want to be here? I can't speak for every soldier, but I think if people went around and made a list of names of who f...ing thinks we should actually be here and who wants to be here, ain't nobody wants to be here." Sounds like the truth to me.

On a leave from Iraq, Lt. Colonel Kauzlarich visited some of his seriously injured soldiers at the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, soldiers without arms, legs, ears, eyes, etc. One wore short sleeve shirts even though his arm was terribly scarred. He said "I want people to know the terrible price of war".

These tours were also hard on the wives left to raise their children alone, living under the constant fear of being widowed. Many families suffered from financial difficulties. The book also gives us an Iraqi perspective from some who worked with U.S. troops. They faced many challenges including resentment from other Iraqis for helping the Americans.

The total combat deaths for the Iraq war have been just under 4,500. As just noted, there are those who survived but suffered horrific wounds, many caused by ied's (improvised explosive devices) and efp's (explosively formed penetrators). My guess is that modern medical techniques and the speed at which they get the wounded to a medical facility geared to treat such wounds have kept many of the soldiers alive who only 40 to 50 years earlier did not survive their wounds in Vietnam.  Then there were those whose wounds were not as visible such as ptsd (post traumatic stress disorder) and tbi (traumatic brain injury).

Some may be tempted to look at the casualty totals and conclude that this war wasn't so bad in comparison to other wars involving the U.S. The Vietnam war resulted in over 58,000 killed. The soldiers who fought in Vietnam were primarily draftees. Once their year was up, they knew that they would never have to go back to Nam. The Iraq and Afghanistan wars have been fought by soldiers facing multiple tours of duty - 4 or 5 tours was not unusual. The stress had to be unbelievable as the tours mounted up.

From my post of 11/2/13, "Beyond Veterans Day" (should you want to help some of these vets):

Here are two of the best known organizations you can contribute to:

Disabled American Veterans - www.dav.org

Wounded Warrior Project - www.woundedwarriorproject.org

These are not the only worthy organizations. Before giving to any organization claiming to aid veterans (or any other charity), you should check them out on www.bbb.org/charity-reviews/national to make sure they're legitimate. To be accredited by the BBB (Better Business Bureau), a charity has to meet 20 standards for charity accountability. The Disabled American Veterans and Wounded Warrior Project have met these standards. Don't assume that all well known charities meet the standards of the BBB Wise Giving Alliance.

 

 

 

Bully Pulpit

 

Doris Kearns Goodwin has done it again. Bully for "The Bully Pulpit, Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism". Just published this past November and coming in at 750 pages, DKG adds to her legacy as a historian with her follow-up effort to "Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln".

While I had previously read a biography of Teddy Roosevelt, "T.R., The Last Romantic" by H.W.Brands, I never had much interest in Taft or his one term presidency. I didn't know that in 1901 he was made governor general of the Philippines. I never knew how close his relationship was with TR until their 1912 split.

The New York Times review of Bully Pulpit points out the contrasts in the republican party today and in TR's time: "In the 1890s, as now, there was a growing preoccupation with economic inequality. Then, as now, the liveliest political drama played out within a bitterly divided Republican Party. But back then the Republican insurgents were progressives, among them Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft, challenging the party’s long defense of laissez-faire and building a federal regulatory apparatus. Now, as William Howard Taft’s great-grandson pointed out in a recent Op-Ed lament, the Republican insurgents champion “bomb-throwing obstructionism” and “empty nihilism” in an effort to dismantle the regulatory machinery the progressives constructed."

TR in my opinion was the last great republican president. Today he would be more likely to align himself with the democratic party. On a speaking tour in 1910 after his trip to Africa, TR talked about what he called "The New Nationalism". It "puts the national need before sectional or personal advantage". Such an approach he explained, "regards the executive power as the steward of public welfare. It demands of the judiciary that it shall be interested primarily in human welfare rather than in property." This is in stark contrast with today's republican party and the corporate coddling, right wing supreme court.

The Golden Age of Journalism described in Bully Pulpit deals primarily with Ida Tarbell, Ray Stannard Baker, Lincoln Steffens and William Allen White who at one time all worked for publisher S.S. McClure. The Washington Post's review of Bully Pulpit begins "The January 1903 issue of McClure's Magazine has been considered the high-water mark of the Progressive Era investigative journalism known as Muckraking". The expression "Muckraking" however didn't appear til after a 1906 speech by TR in which he said "The men with the muck rakes are often indispensable to the well being of society; but only if they know when to stop raking the muck". Although he had a very good relationship with the press and often praised the S.S. McClure's Magazine gang of Tarbell, Baker, Steffens and White, his castigation of those dishonest or sensationalist writers to some extent hurt his own progressive agenda.

Other reading: 

About 8 or 9 years ago I was at a used book sale at a branch of the New York Public Library near the main branch at 42nd Street. I was surprised to find a book by Ida Tarbell. Since she's best known for "The History of the Standard Oil Company", I was even more surprised to see that it was a biography of Napoleon. I bought the book, "A Life of Napoleon Bonaparte, With a Sketch of Josephine, Empress of the French." by Ida M. Tarbell, published by McClure, Phillips & Co. in 1901 (first copyright - 1894 by S.S. McClure, Limited). The sketch of Josephine begins on pg 322 and ends on 452. I love old books. Hold off on that Kindle.

"River of Doubt, Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey" by Candice Millard. Published in 2005, it's about 350 pages in my paperback edition from Anchor Books. This tale of Teddy's trip to the Amazon rainforest region of South America began in 1913. TR, 55 at the time, was accompanied by son Kermit. (See my post of January 7, 2012.)

 

 

The Jim Croce Story

Time to recommend another book. When you're a pro you review; when you're an amateur you recommend. "I Got a Name, The Jim Croce Story" written by Jim's wife Ingrid and her husband, Jimmy Rock, was published in 2012 by Da Capo Press. September 20th will be the 40th anniversary of Jim's death at 30, hence the book's just under 300 page length is not surprising. Also, it's not a cradle to the grave bio. Jim's difficult road to fame, his relationship with Ingrid, whom he met in 1963 and married in 1966, and the stories behind the songs make this a very interesting read for Croce fans. Ingrid points out in the epilogue, however, that this book is not an idealized version of her time with Jim. I'd agree. 

Throughout the book, lyrics are provided for the song Jim wrote at that time in his life. At the back you'll find 5 pages of song credits. The book's foreword is written by Arlo Guthrie and the jacket includes testimonials from Randy Newman, Dolly Parton, Stevie Wonder and Jimmy Buffett. You'll remember or learn that:

On May 25, 1965 he joined the national guard. "Operator" was based on calling Ingrid from a pay phone outside the PX at Fort Jackson, SC. After being assigned to the "dumbbell" platoon, he met Sgt. Leroy Brown who told Jim that "when all them bad peoples get together, they all call me boss".

"New York's Not My Home" is based on his troubled year in New York. JC signed away exclusive publishing, production and management rights because he was too trusting of an old buddy. He signed without reading the fine print or understanding the contract. 

Back in PA,  stock car racing buddies inspired Rapid Roy (that stock car boy). Read the stories behind "Time in a Bottle", "You Don't Mess Around with Jim", "Photographs and Memories",  "I'll Have to Say I Love You in a Song" and many other Croce creations.

Jim's time in the spotlight was brief. his first commercially successful album, "You Don't Mess Around with Jim", was released in April of 1972. Roughly 18 months later, it was over. Luckily, his music lives on. More on his music in a future post.

For other music related book recommendations see my posts of 4/29/10 on Don McLean's bio and "Little Girl Blue" about the Carpenters on 1/18/11.

 

The Fifties

David Halberstam's "The Fifties" was published in 1993 by Villard Books, a division of Random House. My sister-in-law loaned it to me over a year ago but it took me a while to get around to reading it. I'd pick it up and check the length - 733 pages - and set it back down again. My wariness was unwarranted. I would recommend it without reservation. (There are plenty of reviews on-line.)

Other than music and sports, I've never given much thought to the 50's. There was obviously a war early on but the Korean conflict has never gotten the attention given to the wars of the decades before and after. I was only 4 when it started. Truman was finishing his second term as president and Ike would get 8 years. The book ends with the first Kennedy-Nixon debate.

When someone mentions the 1950's, what other names or events would be familiar to most readers? 

I jotted down some names as I was reading -  Tom Dewey, Dean Acheson (Truman's Secretary of State), Alger Hiss (perjury trial),  the bomb boys - J. Robert Oppenheimer and Edward Teller, General MacArthur, Joe McCarthy, Senator Estes Kefauver (organized crime hearings), Adlai Stevenson, J. Edgar Hoover, Dulles brothers, Allen (CIA) and John Foster (Ike's Secretary of State), Chief Justice Earl Warren, Emmett Till, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jr., Orval Faubus, Gary Powers (U2), Castro - Fidel, not the convertible.

A few other events besides the war included the decision in Brown vs. the Board of Education, United Fruit - South American adventures, and Little Rock.

If you're not into the more serious news, there are sections on GM's dominance and the Beetle, Leavitt houses, EJKorvettes, fast food - the McDonald brothers & Ray Kroc, Holiday Inn - I didn't know it was named after the movie starring Bing Crosby, Lucy - CBS didn't want Ricky, Brando-Williams-Kazan Streetcar, Alfred Kinsey, Margaret Sanger, the beat generation, Elvis, Sam Phillips, Alan Freed, Ed Sullivan, family tv sitcoms - the Nelson's etc., Marilyn Monroe, Hugh Hefner, Peyton Place, Betty Friedan, the pill, quiz show scandals, Bill Russell, etc.

Halberstam, who died in an auto accident in 2007, wrote over 20 books. The only other that I've read (over 20 years ago) may be his best known, "The Best and the Brightest" (1972). It's about how we got into the Vietnam quagmire. A more recent (2009) treatment of this subject can be found in Gordon Goldstein's "Lessons in Disaster: McGeorge Bundy and the Path to War in Vietnam".

O. Henry's Gift

William Sydney Porter became a famous short story writer under the penname O. Henry. He was born in North Carolina on September 11, 1862. He did time in Texas and jail before arriving in NYC in 1902. There he enjoyed 8 years of success before his untimely death in 1910. Admittedly, this is a barebones timeframe but you can easily fill in the gaps of his biography on-line. This post is not meant to provide readers with a comprehensive view of the man or his works - just a comment on one of the latter.

"The Gift of the Magi" is from a short story collection known as "The Four Million", a reference roughly to the NYC population at the time the stories were written. My copy of the tale is from a bonded leather covered book published in 1985 simply titled "O. Henry". It was part of a series with the pretentious title, "Masters Library", published by Amaranth Press. "O. Henry" included 5 other O. Henry short story collections. The book's introduction calls "Gift" his "finest tale, a poignant story of impecunious love, sacrifice and irony at Christmas time".

I just read "Gift" for the 6th time in the last 6 years, each time a little before Christmas. I don't mean to say this like it's something to brag about. Unlike a full length novel, or even a short novel like "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens (approximately 150 pages), "Gift" is only about 3 1/2 pages long in my edition. Reading it gives me a good feeling. It's a short, short story. You can easily read it in less than 10 minutes. It may take you a little longer if you feel the tears welling up near the end so that the print becomes difficult to read.

The tale begins the day before Christmas when our heroine Della realizes that she has only $1.87 with which to buy her Jim a Christmas present. In short, she sells her long brown hair for $20 to buy him a chain for his pocket watch. When he arrives home from work that evening, she finds that he has sold his prized gold watch to buy her a set of combs for her hair. She had been eyeing them in the window of a Broadway store.

With the country run by greedy "banksters" (a term I just found reading Dylan Ratigan's book, "Greedy Bastards"), ceo's, lobbyists and politicians, it's so refreshing to read a simple story in which love triumphs and greed is not even a consideration. It's O. Henry's gift to me.

O. Henry influenced the writing of a few songs. See my post of 10/1/10, "a few autumn/fall songs and other frivolous stuff".

There's also a 1952 film (available on DVD) called "O. Henry's Full House", which dramatizes five O. Henry short stories including "The Gift of the Magi", as well as "The Last Leaf", "The Cop and the Anthem" (featuring Marilyn Monroe and Charles Laughton), "The Ransom of Red Chief" and "The Clarion Call". One of my favorite movies, "Ruthless People" starring Bette Midler and Danny DeVito, is based on the Red Chief story.

Pinstripe Empire

"Pinstripe Empire", written by former Yankee publicity director Marty Appel, is a must read for Yankee fans. Published earlier this year, "Pinstripe Empire, The New York Yankees, from Before the Babe to After the Boss" (full title) has been called the definitive history of the New York Yankees. In its 580 pages, the book chronicles the most famous team in baseball from its inception as the Highlanders in 1903 to the close of last season. The team originally played at American League Park, known as Hilltop Park, the site currently occupied by Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center.    

Would readers who are not baseball fans enjoy this book? Maybe some would because the New York Yankees are the most famous sports team in the world. Based on my experience, however, I would have to say no. I could never see myself reading a book about the history of the most famous football, hockey or soccer team. Is this a book only for Yankee fans? I don't think so. There is quite a bit of baseball history that should appeal to baseball fans in general.

To get an idea of the scope of the book, let's play 20 questions. Although close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades, I'll be an easy grader. If the answer, for example, requires the year of an event I'll call the response correct if your answer is within 3 years. Here goes:

1. What was the purchase price for the Highlander/Yankee franchise in 1903? (The Dodgers were sold a few months ago for $2,000,000,000!)

2. When baseball fans think of spring training, they generally think of Florida and Arizona. Where did the Baltimore Orioles train in 1902 and the Yankees in 1903?

3. What year was the name "Yankees" used in a newspaper headline for the first time?

4. Who created the first Yankee yearbook and in what year was it issued?

5. What season marked the debut of "a redesigned baseball, with a cork center having replaced solid rubber"?

6. What was the first year two major league teams shared a ballpark?

7. When did the Highlanders officially become the Yankees?

8. What year did Sunday baseball become legal in NY?

9. What year did the Yankees play the whole season with just 25 men (not a single roster change)?

10. What was the first regular season Yankee game ever heard on radio?

11. The expression "Murderer's Row" was first used in conjunction with the 19?? Yankees.

12. What was the first year the Yankees wore numbers on the backs of their uniforms? Who was the first Yankee to wear #13?

13. What was the first year a PA system was used in a major league ballpark and by what team?

14. How many balls did Babe Ruth hit into the upper deck in right field at Yankee Stadium?

15. What year was the centerfield TV camera introduced into baseball?

16. When was instant replay first used?

17. What year was the distance to the centerfield fence in Yankee Stadium changed from 490' to 461'?

18. Yankee TV broadcasts began in 1947. Who did the announcing?

19. What was the only World Series game ever played without a strikeout?  

20. What is the oldest surviving full baseball game known to exist on film?

Without doing any research, I was able to answer none of these questions and I've been a Yankee fan since the mid-1950's. How did you do? "Pinstripe Empire" has all the answers to the above 20 questions and many more interesting bits of baseball information. In addition, it succeeds admirably in its primary function of providing a year by year history of the New York Yankees.

 

 

Murder On Music Row

Stuart Dill's "Murder On Music Row" is described on the cover as a music industry thriller. Published just last year, Mr. Dill's first novel comes in at 341 pages. He's been an artist manager for over 25 years in Nashville's country music scene, helping to guide the careers of Minnie Pearl, Dwight Yoakum, Billy Ray Cyrus, Jo Dee Messina and Laura Bell Bundy among others. On the back cover you can read testimonials to his first effort as an author from Rodney Crowell, Marshall Chapman and Jo Dee. There are plenty of reviews on-line. I'm merely a recommender, not a reviewer.

If you enjoy the murder mystery/thriller genre, this book is for you even if you don't give a damn about country music. If you choose to read a review rather than just go with my recommendation (can't blame you if you do), I recommend (there I go recommending again) reading Tennessean senior music writer Peter Cooper's interview/review of October 24, 2011. In addition to writing for The Tennessean, Cooper is also a singer/songwriter. He describes the superstar recording artist in Mr. Dill's book, Ripley Graham, as egomaniacal and says that the job of artist manager involves more than a modicum of psychology. Dill says that  "we manage artists by getting to know their fears so we can get them to a safe place". The copy of the book I bought at the Cool Spring's Barnes & Noble had been signed by Mr. Dill with "Find a 'safe place' and enjoy!" I did. Hope you do too.

 

River of Doubt

Although I'm probably one of the least adventureous guys around, - no motorcycle riding or downhill skiing for me - I really enjoyed reading "The River of Doubt, Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey" by Candice Millard. Published in 2005, it's about 350 pages in my paperback edition from Anchor Books. I never heard of Candice Millard, a former writer and editor for National Geographic, and I got two of her books for Christmas. The other is a book with the intriguing title of "Destiny of the Republic, A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President". I love alliteration. Maybe more on the three M's book at a later date. I haven't read it yet.

Back to the River. Teddy had recently lost his attempt to win back the Presidency as a progressive against the incumbent republican, his hand picked protege William Howard Taft, and the democratic challenger Woodrow Wilson. Former Dakota rancher and Rough Rider, TR craved adventure. He was not a man built for retirement, staying home with the wife and doting on grandchildren.

This tale of Teddy's trip to the Amazon rainforest region of South America began in 1913. TR, 55 at the time, was accompanied by son Kermit. The expedition leader, Candido Rondon, was Brazil's most famous explorer. The  5'3" Rondon hoped to map the River of Doubt, a rapids-choked tributary of the Amazon. There were a few obstacles: piranhas, snakes, deadly insects,  hostile natives and raging rivers, heat and heavy rain, just to name a few things that reduced the men to near starvation and for TR, a life threatening illness as well. We get some insight into TR's character, as well as Kermit's, Rondon's and others, through Millard's description of how they handled their adversity. "River of Doubt" is a great read. But don't take my word for it. Read the many reviews on-line.

The edition of the book I have included 8 pages of photos of TR, Kermit, Rondon, etc. They appeared between pages 178 and 179. The same photos appeared in reverse order between pages 226 and 227. It appears that  different photos were meant to be included in the second group since the credits listed on page 408 mention 16 pages of photos and their source. I'll have to check out the hard cover edition in my local library to see the other photos.

Other books I've read by or about TR:

"Ranch Life and the Hunting Trail" - Theodore Roosevelt (originally published in 1888, it covers the years 1884 - 1886 in the Dakota territory.)

"TR, The Last Romantic" - H.W. Brands (full bio of TR published in 1997)

 

Rash Story - Serena

After reading a review by Janet Maislin in the NY Times on-line of October 5, 2008, I added Ron Rash's fourth novel, "Serena", to my "to read" list. There it sat for a few months shy of 3 years. Many titles have since been added by retractable ball point pens to this 8 1/2" x 11" standard sheet of printer paper. Quite a few have been crossed out. Serena remained. More titles have been added to the back of the paper. I fold the list into 1/8th of its size and stick it in my back pocket every time I go to a library or book store. There are some tiny holes along some of the creases.

Maislin's review of Serena was titled "Couple creates an empire by felling trees and anyone in their way". With that enticing lead in, how did I wait so long to read it? All the book reader's cliches apply: a real page turner, couldn't put it down, etc. But don't just take my word for it. Read Maislin's and some of the other reviews on line. Serena's 370 pages were gone before I knew it. I confess that I did put it down a few times since I read it over 3 or 4 days.

I won't give away the story but it takes place primarily in western North Carolina at the beginning of the Depression. You might guess from the title where the real power resided in the relationship of this power couple invading the mountainous Carolina woods. Some reviewers likened the wife Serena to Lady MacBeth. Besides the main story, we are told that a battle was going on between timber interests and those favoring the creation of what became the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The big losers in these business affairs, besides Serena's competitors, were the workers who faced death and serious injury on a daily basis, something that was of little concern to the timber barons. If you got hurt and couldn't work, you were discarded with no compensation.

I'll have to check out Ron Rash's other novels and short stories. He has also written some poetry which may be of interest to some.

Little Bighorn - 135th Anniversary

On June 25, 1876, just 9 days before the nation's centenial celebration, George Armstrong Custer became famous. It wasn't the way he had it planned. The Battle of the Little Bighorn was the biggest victory Native Americans achieved over the U.S. Army but it was the beginning of the end, their Last Stand. The road from there led to the reservation.

In 19th Century American history, the Little Bighorn is probably the most famous battle after Gettysburg and the Alamo. While the casualties at Gettysburg far exceeded those of the Alamo and Little Bighorn combined, the latter two battles seemingly involved situations where American forces were virtually wiped out. The defenders of the Alamo were hoping for reinforcements right up until they met their end on March 6, 1836. The Little Bighorn situation differed in that Custer divided his forces on the day of the battle. The 7th Calvary was split into three battalions led by Lt. Col. Custer,  Major Marcus Reno and Captain Frederick Benteen. One company was left under Captain McDougald to guard the pack train. The 210 men in Custer's battalion were all killed. The Reno and Benteen battalions with a combined total of about 430 men suffered about 60 casualties. How would the 7th Calvary have fared if Custer had not split his forces? It's something we'll never know.

Nathaniel Philbrick's "The Last Stand: Custer, Sitting Bull, and the Battle of the Little Bighorn" is the latest and maybe the best take on this famous battle which took place in southeastern Montana, just a bit north of Sheridan, Wyoming. As the jacket notes indicate, Philbrick brings to light a new source, the unpublished writings of Private Peter Thompson, begun just months after the battle. There is no claim that Thompson's story is unimpeachable but it is worth considering. Also considered among many other source documents was a memoir by Wooden Leg, a Northern Cheyene, which provides a stirring account of the attack of the Seventh Calvary. Check out the reviews online.

Philbrick also wrote a great book about the Pilgrims called "Mayflower", published in 2006.

Other books I've read on Custer:

Evan S. Connell - "Son of the Morning Star: Custer and the Little Bighorn", published in 1984

David Humphreys Miller - "Custer's Fall: The Indian Side of the Story" (1985)

Douglas Jones - "The Court Martial of George Armstrong Custer" (1976), a  novel with the premise that Custer survived and was brought to trial.

James Welch with Paul Stekler - "Killing Custer: The Battle of the Little Bighorn and the Fate of the Plains Indians" (1994)

William O. Taylor - "With Custer on the Little Bighorn" (1996)

In August of 1992 I got to visit the Custer Battlefield while on a family vacation trip from Long Island to Colorado Springs. Among other places we got to see were Yellowstone National Park, Pike's Peak and Mount Rushmore.