Nevermore: Vonnegut, Victoria, Pioneers, Principles,Post-American, and Physics

Reported by Jeanne

 

Although Player Piano came out in 1952, our reader found this Kurt Vonnegut debut novel to be quite timely. The setting is sometime in the future, following a third world war, in which engineers have created a world so mechanized that there is little employment for the lower classes.  The result is a population without any purpose.  They spy on each other and are generally miserable.  The former working class people are seen as less than human.  The novel is a bit slow, but quite relevant with its message that people need meaningful work to do.

The next up was Queen Victoria, inspired by the PBS series.  One member brought in a copy of Victoria:  The Heart and Mind of a Young Queen by Helen Rappaport.  The book is billed as a companion to the TV series, including a look at Victoria’s letters and diaries to portray her personal life.  The book was deemed quite enjoyable and our reader is looking forward to the novel Victoria by Daisy Goodwin, who wrote the screenplay for the series.

Trials of the Earth by Mary Hamilton is the memoir of a female pioneer in the Mississippi Delta.  It was originally written in the 1930s but was only published in 2016.  Hamilton writes vividly of the hardships she endured: floods, tornados, bears, panthers, and fire.  Married to an Englishman who refused to talk about his past, Hamilton moved with her family from place to place as they tried to eke out a living.  There were boarding houses and lumber camps, births and deaths, all recorded in her diary.  Our reviewer found it both moving and “terribly true.”

Some books really make the rounds in Nevermore, inspiring much discussion.  The Lucifer Principle by Howard Bloom is one such book.  According to this week’s reader, the most important principle is power. Life is determined by a “pecking order,” be it chickens or humans, meaning that individuals strive for status inside the order.  Violence is part of the natural order in both humans and animals.  Our readers have been divided about the book, but all agree it is thought-provoking.

Another book several readers have recommended is The Post-American World by Fareed Zakaria.  This isn’t a doom and gloom book about the demise of the United States, but an acknowledgement that other countries are gaining influence and power in the world.  Overall, it’s an optimistic view; Zakaria believes the U.S. can survive and even thrive, but only if the country can recognize that change is coming and respond accordingly. 

Finally, The Pope of Physics by Gino Segre is a biography of Enrico Fermi, one of the creators of the nuclear age. Fermi won the Nobel Prize in physics in 1938 at the age of 37 but instead of returning home to Italy after the ceremony in Stockholm, he and his family went to New York instead, thus escaping Mussolini’s regime.  Fermi’s wife was Jewish and he had already seen Jewish colleagues and students suffer under the new laws. Even so, the Italian scientist was regarded with a great deal of skepticism by the FBI who suspected him of fascist leanings.  Our reader said the book was very good, but it wasn’t a favorite.

Nevermore: Kurt Vonnegut, Bernard Cornwell, Julia Whitty, Christopher Scotton, Joe Nesbo, Hope Jarhen

Reported by Ambrea

This week, our readers started with Timequake by Kurt Vonnegut.  As read from the cover synopsis, “At 2:27 p.m. on February 13^th of the year 2001, the Universe suffered a crisis in self-confidence.  Should it go on expanding indefinitely?  What was the point?”  Suddenly, the Universe stops expanding and contracts, before promptly expanding once more, causing a shift in the time stream.  The whole world is set back ten years and, under the guidance of science-fiction writer Kilgore Trout everyone must relive every minute of every day just the same as they did—even if it means marrying the wrong person, committing a crime, or making the very same mistakes.  Our reader greatly enjoyed Vonnegut’s novel, calling it a frenetic collection of his stories, his nuggets of wisdom, and his jokes.  “[This book is] not so much a unified thread story as a collection of stories, beliefs…[and more] that Vonnegut shares,” he said of Timequake.  It’s an unusual novel, but it’s easily enjoyable and full of Vonnegut’s renowned sense of humor.

Next, our readers looked at a brand new title to the library:  The Secret Wisdom of the Earth by Christopher Scotton.  A distinctly Southern tale, The Secret Wisdom of the Earth tells the story of Kevin, who, after the unexpected loss of his younger brother, is forced to spend the summer at his grandfather’s home in Medgar.  Stuck in a small mining town in the Kentucky mountains, Kevin becomes fast friends with Buzzy Fink and finds himself rallying with the rest of the town to stop the local coal company from destroying another mountaintop.  Our Nevermore reader said she enjoyed Scotton’s latest novel.  She said it was just the sort of book she liked, having an interesting story and being fun to read.  Overall, she enjoyed her time with The Secret Wisdom of the Earth and recommended it to other readers at the meeting.

Skipping from rural Kentucky to medieval England, our Nevermore readers discussed The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell.  Uhtred, a dispossessed nobleman, stars in a central role in the conflict between the Danes and Alfred the Great.  After seizing three of England’s four kingdoms, the Danes are poised to attack Alfred’s last stronghold—and Uhtred finds himself caught in the middle of the battle, forced to choose his original homeland or the Danes who captured and, subsequently, raised him as a child.  Cornwell’s novel received a positive review from our Nevermore reader, who, as a lover of historical fiction, said she enjoyed reading The Last Kingdom.  However, she also said it had “more battles than I [could] handle” and, as the first in a long series of books by Cornwell, it was a little more of a commitment than she wanted.

Next, our readers abruptly switched gears and jumped straight into A Tortoise for the Queen of Tonga by Julia Whitty.  Featuring a collection of short stories about the natural world—a forlorn tortoise who is forced to live with human beings, a lion caught in the midst of an animal safari, a pair of orcas at Ocean World who stage a revolt—and humankind, Whitty’s book is a compilation of animal and human interactions that don’t always go as planned.  Thanks to twenty years of experience in making nature documentaries, Julia Whitty has funneled her creativity into a whimsical and intriguing hodgepodge of tales.  Our reader said she really enjoyed A Tortoise for the Queen of Tonga, explaining that she really enjoyed the interplay of characters and the emotional impact behind each story.

In the same vein as A Tortoise for the Queen of Tonga, which examines the natural world through its interactions with mankind, Hope Jarhen’s Lab Girl explores the natural world through a scientific viewfinder—through a biologist’s eyes.  In her memoir, Jahren recounts her childhood in Minnesota to a Scandinavian family that was both traditional and modern (a mother with uncompromising expectations, and a father who fostered her interest in science), her love of biology, and her unexpected relationship with a brilliant man named Bill, who eventually became her lab partner and her best friend.  Our Nevermore reader was thrilled with her advanced reader’s copy of Lab Girl and highly recommended it to her fellow book club members, saying it was a wonderful opportunity to view science from the female perspective.  It’s definitely worth reading, she added one final time.  (Side note:  Hope Jahren’s Lab Girl is set for publication in April 2016.)

Last, our readers looked at The Bat by Jo Nesbø.  Harry Hole, an investigator for the Oslo Crime Squad, is dispatched to Australia to observe a case:  the murder of a twenty-three-year-old Norwegian celebrity who met an untimely end in Sydney.  Befriending the lead detective on the case, Harry finds himself being drawn into the investigation, pulled toward a killer who has managed to go undetected for years without discovery.  As an ardent fan of Nesbø’s work, our reader had high hopes for the first book of the Inspector Harry Hole series; however, she found herself unexpectedly disappointed.  She couldn’t figure out how the characters all managed to come together and, moreover, she didn’t quite understand why Harry became involved at all—or why it felt more like a travelogue than a suspense novel.  “And it was funny.  Jo Nesbø isn’t [supposed to be] funny,” she pointed out.

Nevermore: Doctors, Counts, Dogs, and More!

 Summary by Meygan

This week’s Nevermore opened with Doctored by Sandeep Jauha, an Indian doctor who works in a hospital located in Long Island. In Doctored, he writes about his experiences working in the American health care field and discusses his family. Our Nevermore reader said this book is borderline unethical but makes readers question what are the ethics to begin with. The reader said this book is full of educational and informational material and the author provides unflinching descriptions of people. By the end of the book discussion, three Nevermore members were greatly interested in checking out Doctored. 

The next book discussed was Capital by Thomas Piketty. The Nevermore reader stated this book is an admirable piece of work that is about our political economy. The book was originally written in French, and the author’s writing style was described as being clear and readable, in spite of it being an English translated book. The reader stated that Capital states the facts about income and how there is a lot of wealth out “there” that we know nothing about. The author questions how there can be a science of economics if people don’t have the information. This book was highly praised by our Nevermore reader who stated Capital is a phenomenal book and a real joy to read. He felt like it was a real education and he liked the book immensely more than other economics books he has read. It appears that the author did a fine job of making the subject user friendly and relatable. 

One of our Nevermore members stated that she was done with books related to World War II. That is until she found a book about a dog who was a British was hero. The Dog Who Could Fly: the Incredible True Story of a WWII Airman and the Four-legged Hero Who Flew at His Side by Damien Lewis tells the tale of Robert Bozdech and his beloved dog, Ant. Robert joined the Royal Air Force to fight Hitler. Unfortunately, his plane was shot down, which lead him to meeting Ant, a German shepherd puppy. Together they fight in the war and they eventually became British war heroes. Our Nevermore reader stated that this is the most amazing dog she has ever read about and she admired the way he was devoted to his master. She said it was as if the man and dog could read each other’s minds. (She also mentioned how her dog would have never been that much help, which resulted in a good Tuesday morning Nevermore chuckle.)

Well, it appears that Bristol is putting itself on the map. Currently reviewed in The Wall Street Journal, Barry Mazor’s Ralph Peer and the Making of Popular Roots Music is a biography about Ralph Peer’s journey to Bristol in 1927.  Ralph established the recording, marketing, and publishing of blues, jazz, country, gospel, and Latin music. This is a new book and was released on November 1^st. 

A Nevermore member read two books about Hillary Clinton: Hard Choices by Hillary Rodham Clinton and HRC: State Secrets and the Rebirth of Hillary Clinton by Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes. Even though both books were enjoyable to the Nevermore reader, he stated that HRC provides a better picture of Hillary’s personality and focuses more on her time spent in senate and as the secretary of state. Hard Choices provides more information about her career in full and provides different views on the stages throughout her career. The reader said there are many big questions about Benghazi. 

Tom Reiss’ The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo is a biography of General Thomas-Alexandre Dumas, a soldier and officer in the French Revolution and father of author Alexander Dumas. This book was described as excellent and a worthy of its Pulitzer award.  It was both informative and entertaining, with a very readable style. Our reviewer said it would make a great movie. 

Our Kurt Vonnegut Nevermore reader just finished reading Cat’s Cradle. Even though he enjoyed Cat’s Cradle, he didn’t like it as much as The Sirens of Titan. Cat’s Cradle is less science fiction than Vonnegut’s other novels. This novel studies the family of the creator of the Atomic bomb and the audience soon realized that the family is completely dysfunctional. The Nevermore reader said this was an interesting read.  

The dystopian young adult novel Parched by Georgia Clark was the last book discussed. After her mother dies, Tess moves to the Badlands—a place where people fight over resources and where the water is scarce. She is recruited by Kudzu, a group of people training to fight against the government. This book reminded the Nevermore reader of The Hunger Games, even though she thought it wasn’t nearly as good. Still, readers who love young adult dystopian novels should at least check out this book to see how yet another author has written about the end of times using different characters and a different setting.

Nevermore: Wyatt Earp, Nathan Beford Forrest, King Edward VII, Kurt Vonnegut, and Brandon Sanderson

The Last Kind Words Saloon by Larry McMurtry is his first novel in five years.  The saloon of the title is owned by Virgil and Warren Earp.  Their brother, Wyatt, and his buddy Doc Holliday are on hand, having finished a brief stint in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show.  Other historical notables drop by, including Quannah Parker and Buffalo Bill, but the book reads more like a farce than a western.  Part of the plot involves an English lord who turns up with his mistress and entourage and teams up with Charlie Goodnight to start an enormous cattle ranch. Our reviewer said, “It’s funny but it’s not Lonesome Dove. I could imagine it as a Broadway musical.”  It’s a quick read, and it is recommended—just be aware this isn’t a book to judge by its cover.

Next up was a nonfiction book about the Civil War.  The River Was Dyed with Blood:  Nathan Bedford Forrest and Fort Pillow was written by Brian Steel Wills, a former professor at the University of Virginia at Wise, and is teaching at Kennesaw State University.  Forrest was a self-made man, a self-taught commander, and a fascinating character.  This book focuses on the events at Fort Pillow, where Forrest’s troops killed most of the Union soldiers, including those attempting to surrender.  Our reader says that Forrest could easily be described as both a saint and a devil, depending on who was doing the describing.  The book is quite readable.

Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut was praised by our next reviewer who found it very interesting, especially if you like science fiction. A young man named Joshua decides he wants to write about the day the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima.  He decides to interview one of the scientists responsible, and his quest leads him to an island and a new religion which boasts that it is based on lies. This is considered one of Vonnegut’s best, a satirical, funny, and absurd look at religion, politics, and society.

The Heir Apparent:  A Life of Edward VII, the Playboy Prince by Jane Ridley is, as the title indicates, a life of Britain’s King Edward VII, who began his rather short reign after the death of his mother Queen Victoria.  Our reader said it could have been subtitled “How NOT to Raise a Child.”  Bertie, as he was called, spent most of his adult life with very little to do, as his mother felt he was not mature enough to handle anything of importance.  That included anything to do with government duties. He ascended the throne at the age of 59 and reigned for less than a decade, but according to some he set the standard for the modern monarchy.  Of course, to many he’s primarily known for his womanizing, high living, gambling, and fashion. This biography is well done, being both enlightening and entertaining.

Finally, a new member is reading the Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson. Set in a world covered in ash, a tyrant has ruled for a thousand years.  He created a world with vast class divisions, from the nobility to the lowly skaa who serve as slaves.  As the series begins, a half-skaa Kelsior has survived the Dark Lord’s most brutal prison and is now scheming for a way to bring him down.  Our reviewer described it as an epic fantasy and a “keeper kind of a book.”  He hasn’t finished it yet but is finding it interesting so far. There are three books in the basic series but Sanderson has recently written a book set in the same world, but three hundred years later.