Nevermore: White Tiger, Beale Street, BAD, Bellevue, Troost, and Appalachia

Reported by Jeanne

Our first reviewer was very enthusiastic about his book, White Tiger by Aravind Adiga. The story is revealed through a series of letters written by Balram Halwai to a president of China before the latter’s visit to India.  Halwai wants to be certain that the president understands India and the changes it is undergoing.  Halwai was a lower caste, ambitious individual who describes the way he has managed to move up in society—including one particularly shocking incident.  The book is very descriptive, but dark.  The protagonist makes specific choices, some of which made it difficult for our reader to fully identify with him, but it was still a fascinating book which he recommends.

A second reader was equally anxious to discuss his book, Beale Street Dynasty:  Sex, Song, and the Struggle for the Soul of Memphis by Preston Lauterbach.  The book covers the story of the city from the Civil War until the 1940s.  One very influential man was Robert Church, the mixed race son of a steamboat owner, who came to Memphis in 1862.  Church amassed a fortune and owned large tracts of land in Memphis, many of which he acquired after Yellow Fever epidemics had decreased the city’s population considerably.  He helped establish a bank for African Americans as well as erecting a concert hall, a park, a playground, and other such areas that contributed to a vibrant culture during segregation.  Sadly, urban renewal has removed many of the landmarks that would have been familiar to generations of Memphis residents.

BAD or, the Dumbing of America by Paul Fussell was published in 1991 but our reviewer felt his comments were just as valid today—some even more so.  Fussell wrote about things that are touted as Good but are, in fact, Bad:  things such as fast food, television, popular music, etc.  His sharp observations are both witty and insightful.

Our next reader was quite taken with Weekends at Bellevue, a non-fiction book by psychiatrist Julie Holland. Holland worked in the ER at a psychiatric hospital and the book is filled with accounts of some of her memorable cases as well as a look at her personal life.   It’s a riveting account, and had other Nevermore members interested in reading the book for themselves.

J. Maarten Troost is a travel writer who has been called “the next Bill Bryson.” Our reader brought in a selection of Troost’s books, saying that she had thoroughly enjoyed them all.  He writes with humor and an eye for detail.  Her favorite was his first book, Sex Lives of Cannibals.

Finally, Written in Blood:  Courage and Corruption in the Appalachian War of Extraction is an anthology edited by Wess Harris which includes essays, folk songs, interviews, and other material from a variety of sources to examine the conflicts between mining companies and the people of Appalachia.  Our reader said it was a very, very, very important book for our region, describing some of the practices which created hardship and turmoil for the workers and their families. For example, if an employee was killed or became disabled, the family would be evicted unless another family member could assume a job with the company.   She highly recommended the book for everyone.