Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey

Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey by Kathleen Rooney, 336 pages

During World War I, homing pigeons were used by the allied forces to send messages when phone lines and other human constructs simply failed. In the case of a battalion that made it farther behind enemy lines than its neighboring troops, these pigeons were literally a lifesaver. This book tells the story of that "lost battalion" through the eyes of its leader, Major Charles Whittlesey, and Cher Ami, the pigeon that delivered the life-saving message.

I'll have to admit that I wasn't expecting to read a WWI story told as the memories of a taxidermied pigeon when I picked this up, and honestly, I kinda wish I'd known what I was in for. I loved the realistic treatment of Major Whittlesey's reminiscences as a gay man in the war, but when it came to Cher Ami's chapter, I found I had trouble believing her philosophical ruminations on human constructs of war, religion, bigotry, and so many other things. Perhaps if I'd read Rooney's previous novel, Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk, I'd know what I was getting into. But this one was just too much.

June totals

Christa  12/3088
Jan  3/888
Josh  2/481
Kara  28/9844
Karen  4/1266
Linda  8/2279
Patrick  3/456

Total: 60/18,302

The Gimmicks

The Gimmicks / Chris McCormick, 354 pgs. read by Will M. Watt, Mike Ortego & Mary Jane Wells

Armenian genocide, families, wrestling, betrayals...all of these elements have a place in this rambling book that is told from the different perspectives of the main characters. Avo is a gentle giant, Ruben his diminutive second cousin who becomes his brother, Mina, Avo's love and Ruben's frenemy, and Terry, the wrestling manager who makes Avo into the Brow Beater.  The story skips around among the characters and the time.  The audio was confusing so I switched to the print.  Still kind of confusing but the story and the characters are memorable and interesting.  It all came together in the end, at least I think it did. 

Arguing with zombies

Arguing with zombies: economics, politics, and the fight for a better future / Paul Krugman, 444 pgs.

A compilation of columns and blog posts from Krugman about economics and public policy related to same.  A pretty hefty book but most chapters are short so you can take your time and read a section or a shorter selection.  The zombie part is him talking about ideas that have been proven over and over to be wrong but are still discussed as if true.  Of course I love the economics talk but more so, the clarity that can be provided in a short format.  Taken together, this is a powerful review of the basis of modern economics.

Broken Heart of America

The Broken Heart of America: St. Louis and the violent history of the United States / Walter Johnson, 517 pgs.

A comprehensive history of St. Louis and the treatment of African Americans since long before Missouri was a state.  As you can imagine, not a lot of "light" content, in fact most is quite horrifying.  Still, I can't imagine not reading this book if you have any connection to St. Louis although the experiences here are, unfortunately fairly universal or at least indicative of the race issues prevalent in the U.S.

Weather, by Jenny Offill

Like Offill’s "Dept. of speculation," which I loved, "Weather" is narrated in very brief, episodic paragraphs. It is also quite short, just 201 pages, and there is a temptation to rush through it, which is a mistake. Lizzie, whose thoughts we are privy to, works as a college librarian, having dropped out of her PhD program when her drug-addicted brother hit bottom and needed her help. He’s now recovering, engaged, and soon has a daughter, the care of whom will send him into a new tailspin. Lizzie is married to Ben, a classics major now working from home coding educational games, and they have a young son, Eli. As a side gig, she begins answering the mail of a former mentor, Silvia, who travels the world lecturing on climate change and environmental degradation. All these threads – the minutia of daily life in the family; the worries about her brother, who fears he will harm his daughter; her involvement in the brother’s problems – again – effect on her marriage; and the depressing environmental and political scene (this is set in current times and the 2016 election is another gloomy storm) could be very depressing. It’s not – it’s thoughtful, sometimes quite funny, and gives the reader a lot to reflect on while engaged in the book and thinking about it afterwards. Important and good. 201 pp.

Rodham, by Curtis Sittenfeld

As in "American Wife," which was loosely based on Laura Bush, wife of George W., Sittenfeld’s new novel, "Rodham," reimagines a well-known political figure’s life – Hillary Rodham Clinton. What if Hillary had not married Bill? I found the first third of the book, which deals with Hillary’s childhood and young adulthood, rather pedestrian despite a good bit of steamy sex with the irresistible Bill. But he was too irresistible to too many for Hillary to ultimately excuse his infidelities and she refuses his marriage proposal. In the second third, we learn of her post-Bill years as a law professor at Northwestern and her budding interest in running for office herself, culminating in a successful bid for the U.S. Senate. In this reimagining, she, rather than Carol Mosley Braun, wins the Illinois election, which will permanently damage her decades-long important friendship with a Gwen, who is African-American. Still interesting, but a bit long. However, the book really comes into its own and gathers considerable momentum and suspense in the final third. She runs for President, with Bill, who has left politics and become a billionaire tech exec in this retelling, a late entry into the field. Sittenfeld’s faux Trump texts are simply marvelous. Recommended with these reservations. 432 pp.

How to pronounce knife

How to pronounce knife / Thammavongsa, Souvankham, read by James Tang & Kulap Vilaysack 181 pgs.

A great collection of stories featuring mostly Laotian immigrants in an unnamed city. Some are struggling, some ok.  I particularly liked the stories that featured parents and children...The children in school and the parents having never been. There is a disconnect between these newly educated youngsters.  Particularly moving was the mother and daughter who put together a puzzle of the world and the mother warning the daughter to be careful if she ever gets close to the edge because it is not safe.  The elementary school daughter informs her mother that the earth is round and it is a slap in the face to the mother.  The title story features a father and a young child.  The father is the only one in the family who can read so the child goes to him to learn the word knife - later in school when the child learns the k is silent, she decides she can not tell her father.  She doesn't really understand it herself, the k is right there in front.  It is a lovely story along with many others here.

The Glass Hotel

The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel, 301 pages.
Mandel's follow-up to her enormously successful Station Eleven is a quieter book. The tragedy here is much more personal; its scope narrower and involving only of those immediately near
Vincent and her older brother Paul. They were both set adrift by family tragedy in 1994 when Vincent was 13. Paul who had been attending college and had already been in an out of rehab, was already struggling. Paul's actions serve as catalysts for both siblings, bringing Paul futher downward, but sending Vincent into the orbit of Jonathan Alkaitis, a Madoff-like character whose crimes affect many. An intricately constructed and engaging work that moves in and out of time. It's a beautiful book.

Just Kids

Just Kids by Patti Smith, 279 pages.

The noted poet, singer, and songwriter won the National Book award for her 2010 memoir. In it, Smith recounts a bit of her pre-New York life, but the memoir really begins with her move to the city in 1967. Starting out there, broke and somewhat desperate, the author relied on friends and kind strangers to help her get by as she searched for work and a place to stay. She reminds the reader of how devastated many were when Coltrane died in July of that year. Smith does an excellent job of painting a picture of hope and borderline despair in the summer in New York; a hot city in a turbulent time. Strange to hear that the Doors were such an influence on her as a young woman.
Smith finds a job at a Brentano's bookstore and there meets Ropert Mapplethorpe. A short while later Mapplethorpe saves Smith from a creepily awkward date and their lives together begin. The couple live and work together as their art becomes their focus. At first they're lovers, but Robert realizes he's attracted to men and Patti meets others, including Sam Sheppard when he was drumming with the band The Holy Modal Rounders.
An excellent book that evokes a time and a place. The people who pass through the story are amazing; Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Alan Ginsburg, and Jim Carroll all appear. I read this after finishing her third and then her second autobiographical  works, Year of the Monkey and M Train. I listened to both of her later works on Overdrive; Smith is an sublime narrator, telling her stories with a raspy sincerity that adds a layer of intimacy to the work.