Nevermore: Dead Wake, Human Comedy,Ishi, Wodehouse, Friends Divided

Reported by Ambrea

Nevermore kicked off their meeting with Dead Wake:  The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson.  On May 7, 1915, as World War I entered another month, the luxury ocean liner Lusitania was torpedoed and sank in only twenty minutes—killing nearly 1,200 passengers.  In his book, Dead Wake, Larson carefully chronicles the events that led up to the sinking of the Lusitania and, as the cover states, “an array of forces both grand and achingly small…[that] all converged to produce one of the greatest disasters of history.”  Our reader thought the book was unbelievable, in a very good way.  Well-written and reached, Dead Wake was a riveting story that kept her glued to the pages.  Although it didn’t have any pictures, which she found disappointing, she still said it was a very good read and highly recommended it to other readers, even if they aren’t fans of history.

Next, Nevermore continued with The Human Comedy by William Saroyan.  In Saroyan’s classic novel, Homer Macauley—fourteen-years-old and full of determination to become the fastest telegraph messenger in the West—lives in California’s San Joaquin Valley with his mother, his brothers, and sisters.  It’s a peaceful life, despite the ongoing threat of World War II, but, as Homer continues to deliver messages throughout the town, he comes face-to-face with the best and worst of human emotion.  Our reader absolutely loved reading The Human Comedy.  He said Saroyan’s novel is “one of the greatest books you’ll ever read,” noting that it’s full of emotion and heart, grief and beauty.  He admitted he had read it at least three times, but he still loved it—and he highly recommended it to his fellow Nevermore readers.

One of our Nevermore members looked at two books about Ishi, a man considered the last surviving member of the Yahi Indians.  She started with Ishi:  A Biography of the Last Wild Indian in North America by Theodora Kroeber, which details the recovery of Ishi in 1911 and his subsequent care under Alfred Kroeber and the University of California’s Museum of Anthropology.  She also checked out Ishi’s Brain:  In Search of America’s Last “Wild” Indian by Orin Starn, which offers an alternative view of Ishi as the last of the Yahi and the tragic events that led to his discovery and beyond.  Our reader said she was fascinated by both books, because they offered equally compelling but conflicting ideas about Ishi and the Yahi Indians.  She found them both to be enlightening of Ishi’s history, as well as what happened to him after his death.

Next, Nevermore checked out Friends Divided:  John Adams and Thomas Jefferson by Gordon S. Wood.  According to the book jacket:

“Thomas Jefferson and John Adams could scarcely have come from more different worlds, or been more different in temperament.  […]  They worked closely in the crucible of revolution, crafting the Declaration of Independence and leading, with Franklin, the diplomatic effort that brought France into the fight.  But ultimately, their profound differences would lead to a fundamental crisis, in their friendship and in the nation writ large, as they became figureheads of two entirely new forces, the first American political parties.”

Our reader said Friends Divided was an interesting look at the friendship and rivalries of two very different men who were critical in shaping the American republic.  He noted he learned a substantial amount about the American Revolution without actually having to follow the battles, and he thoroughly enjoyed the writing.  He called it a superb book, commending Wood for being such an excellent writer and thoughtful historian.

Nevermore concluded with a visit from P.G. Wodehouse and Mulliner Nights.  Mr. Mulliner is a storyteller.  Each night while sipping his Scotch and lemon, lounging in his favorite pub at Anglers’ Rest, Mr. Mulliner recounts tales of adventure and other, whimsical shenanigans to all who will listen.  Our reader said she returned to Mulliner Nights, because she needed “an old savior.”  P.G. Wodehouse is one of her favorite authors and, listening to Mr. Mulliner, was just what she needed to lift her mood and give her a shot of “Buck-U-Uppo.”  She highly recommended it to her fellow readers, noting that if they needed a laugh or just a change of pace from some dark grisly mystery, Mr. Mulliner would be the perfect cure.

Nevermore: Deadly Company, Poor People, In Country, Behind Closed Doors and I Used to Believe I Had Forever

Reported by Ambrea

Nevermore kicked things off with a curiously grisly book, sharing In Deadly Company:  Fifty Murderous Men and Women by Don Lasseter.  In Deadly Company profiles “fifty of the most heinous killers in modern history,” as the book jacket attests, and offers detailed insight into their past, their crimes, and, ultimately, their fate.  Detailed and full of interesting information, our reader found she liked reading Lasseter’s book.  It was a dark, gruesome read; however, she said she didn’t think it was all bad.  There was a silver lining beneath all the terrible stories:  All the killers listed were ones who were captured and convicted for their crimes.

Next, Nevermore looked at Poor People by William T. Vollmann.  Like In Deadly Company, Poor People proved to be rather grim reading about poverty.  For his book, Vollmann traveled the world to interview the impoverished.  He offers glimpses into the poorest cities in the poorest countries in the world, taking his readers from the slums of Klong Toey to the streets of Petersburg, Russia, to the homeless camps in Miami, Florida.  More than offering a portrait of the lives of the homeless and the destitute, Poor People allows the impoverished to tell their stories as they have lived them.  Our reader said Vollman’s book was heart-breaking, enlightening, and intriguing all at once.  She also noted that Vollmann provides a better picture of poverty in the United States that the rest of the world.  Although he does a wonderful job of painting an image of the rest of the world, he simply has a sparser gathering of information about foreign nations versus the United States.

From poverty, Nevemore went back in time to the Vietnam War with In Country by Bobbie Ann Mason.  Summer, 1984:  Sam Hughes has struggled to reconcile her father’s picture with the vague history she knows of him for her entire life.  She knows he lived in Kentucky, she knows he joined the military, and she knows he went to Vietnam—and she knows he never came back.  Sam, desperate to know more about her father and the war that claimed him, sets off on an incredible personal journey that leads her to answer she never expected to find.  Our reader raved about In Country.  She called Mason’s novel a poignant picture of loss and war and memory—and she loved every minute of the story.  She compared Bobbie Ann Mason to Flannery O’Connor for her ability to work beautiful prose and, moreover, her ability to paint an intimate portrait of rural areas.

Next, Nevermore continued with a curiously humorous collection of stories, poems, essays, and plays by William Saroyan.  Saroyan—a poet, playwright, novelist, script writer, and short story writer.  A jack-of-all-trades in the writing world—compiled I Used to Believe I Had Forever, Now I’m Not So Sure in 1968, an eclectic collection that, according to our reader, feels “very down home, simple” but without compromising the integrity of the work.  Our reader said he enjoyed reading Saroyan’s work.  Although he hadn’t read more than a few articles in Saroyan’s collection, he said he’d enjoyed many of the short stories and he’d appreciated the author’s ability to communicate easily with his audience.  Overall, he gave I Used to Believe I Had Forever very high marks.

Last, Nevermore showed off a brand new psychological thriller:  Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris.  Grace Angel seems to have the perfect life:  a beautiful house, a wonderful husband, a fantastic marriage—except looks can be deceiving.  Jack isn’t the affable gentleman he claims to be, neither is he the doting husband nor the charming romantic who took her to Thailand for their honeymoon; in fact, Grace knows better.  And she knows she has to get out.  Behind Closed Doors was a chilling, breathlessly thrilling novel that had our reader sitting on the edge of her seat.  She noted she enjoyed Grace’s narrative, she enjoyed the pace of the novel and the straightforward direction of the plot; moreover, she said she was invested in the story shortly after she began.  While she admitted that some of the story was hard to stomach—“If you’re an animal lover,” she warned, “don’t read it.”—she wanted to find out what happened to Grace and, ultimately, she was satisfied with the way it ended.  She highly recommended it to her fellow readers.