Sunsets, Stars, West, Wind
World looks much like it did in 1914, on the brink of World War I
http://www.kansascity.com/2013/08/27/4440774/obligation-and-opportunity-centennial.html
I seem to be drawn to world history a century ago lately. First Downton Abbey, now Rin-Rin-Tin. Probably time I revisited the museum under the Liberty Memorial. I have no excuse not to since I drive passed it twice on weekdays.
Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West by Stephen E. Ambrose
Read in July 2013
Large, thick books do not scare me. If you’ve delved into my blog here at all, you’ll quickly learn that I read constantly and I read epic fantasy for fun. The longer, the better. The more characters and plot lines, even better. With one exception, or wait, two exceptions. I tried but didn’t like G.R.R. Martin‘s Game of Thrones series and Steven Erikson‘s Malazan Book of the Fallen. Not my cup of tea.
So when July rolled around and saddled me with the 521 page Undaunted Courage by Ambrose, I barely batted an eye. I even took a stab at actually reading the print edition our Stranger Than Fiction discussion leader handed out to us last month when we turned in our Unbroken copies. I think I made it a couple of hundred pages before I decided listening to the audiobook would be faster (and less painful on the eyes grammatically). I checked out the audiobook on CD from the Kansas City Public Library. One thick 521 page paperback translates roughly to twenty-one hours and twenty-seven minutes (21 hr 27 mins) of narration. While technically, I could have completed listening to this audiobook in less than one day, practically and physically, I can only handle about two to three hours a day of listening, with long breaks between to give my poor eardrums a rest. The disadvantages to listening include the absence of 1) maps, 2) illustrations and photographs, 3) footnotes, 4) end notes and 5) the bibliography. The greatest advantage to listening to the audiobook was not having to learn how to properly pronounce the names of less commonly known objects, tools and places. Luckily, I had the best of both worlds at my fingertips.
I learned an incredible amount about Lewis, Clark, Thomas Jefferson, the Louisiana Purchase and the Corps of Discovery Expedition to find a water route to the Pacific Ocean via the Missouri River. Since I grew up within twenty miles of that river, I also grew up with the names “Lewis & Clark” plastered on various road signs and parks. While I had some idea of the adventures of those early trailblazing frontiersmen, Ambrose provided me with an incredible wealth of detail and anecdotal gems to keep me forging ahead. One of my favorite moments involved a nearly indestructible grizzly bear and four members of the Expedition.
I finished listening to the audiobook edition with just 26 hours to spare. After a full day of work in the same building, I arrived just a few minutes past seven o’clock to a nearly full meeting room. A couple of the usual suspects were missing, but I thought nothing of it since it’s summer time and many normal people take vacations. I arrived in the middle of a conversation involving the August 2013 edition of Car & Driver, specifically the review of the 2013 supercharged Land Rover Range Rover, which was tested in the Bitterroot Valley in Montana and specifically mentioned the Lewis & Clark expedition.
Our discussion leader soon roped us back into discussing Undaunted Courage by relating a hand-written note he received from one disgruntled Stranger Than Fiction reader. That person only made it to page 28, where they couldn’t stomach the ‘run on sentences’ and ‘sixteen adjectives for the same word’ or the fact that it appeared the author was being ‘paid by the word’ to write. ‘Life was too short and there are too many good books to waste time with such poor writing.’ I made the comment that long sentences were the norm for early 19th century writing, but apparently Ambrose was being accused of this egregious error. Our leader did confirm that he found a sentence written by Ambrose that surpassed one and a half pages.
We moved on from that dead-end when one of the readers mentioned that they watched all four hours of the Ken Burns’ documentary of Lewis & Clark, which our local PBS station, KCPT, conveniently re-aired in mid-July.
At least one reader struggled with this book, commenting it felt too much like being in a history class. She half-expected to see questions at the end of each chapter.
Our leader began posing questions to spark discussion, one of the first being on our definition of “discovery.” Only to the Western World (aka Europeans) could any of these plants, animals, rivers, mountains, etc. be considered “discoveries.” To the Native Americans, none of it was new or unknown. He also asked or mentioned a scenario wherein Native Americans hopped on a boat and visited Europe, is it still considered a “discovery” because all of that would be new to them?
We also discussed Sacagawea and the plight of Native American women. Are they just footnotes in history? Were most of them little better off than slaves, doing the majority of hard labor for their communities?
And speaking of slaves, how about poor old York? He had a good sense of humor, but was mistreated and not freed upon his return.
With respect to Manifest Destiny, the Corp of Discovery Expedition was just the first phase (and the origin of the phrase). There was a religious aspect – God deemed Europeans should have the North American Continent from short to shore. Our leader asked us if this was similar to eminent domain today? Or was it just theft?
We discussed Jefferson, and by extension, Lewis’ policy towards the Native Americans. Their vision of an American Trade empire and the integration of the Native Americans proved an impossible mountain to scale. The ‘civilizing’ of the Indian Nations by forcing them to become peaceful among themselves and then ultimately wholly dependent upon America was either naiveté or hubris or both. With the exception of the Mandans and the Nez Perce, the Expeditions’ interactions with the Indian Nations were strained at best and left a legacy of lies and distrust that resulted in even worse relations for generations to come.
Does man ever progress without harm?
At this point, our leader recommended another book by Ambrose entitled Nothing Like It In The World about the transcontinental railroad.
On a lighter note, one of the readers related that her favorite story from Undaunted Courage involved the collapsible boat. Recently, some archeologists believe they have found it near Great Falls, Montana.
I related that my favorite story involved the grizzly bear that refused to die and jumped after two of the Expedition’s men from a twenty-foot high bluff into the Missouri after being shot eight times.
We returned to the more depressing tale of Lewis’ death. Our leader asked us if we believed it was murder? We all agreed it was not murder, unless you consider suicide self-murder. Some contributing factors could have included the amount of mercury consumed by Lewis (and the rest of the Expedition). One of the readers noted that archeologists today have no trouble tracing the Lewis and Clark expedition because of the incredible amounts of mercury still present at their campsites. Other contributing factors includes Lewis’ alcoholism, use of opiates, lead poisoning (from being shot), he could have been bipolar and/or recurrence of malaria.
Suggested field trips included the Lewis & Clark museum in Nebraska City and Ft. Osage in Missouri.
After some more tangential and heated discussions on right and wrong, good and evil, our leader brought us back down to Earth and distributed next month’s book of a much lighter fair: A Walk in the Woods by Billy Bryson
Looks like next month I may get to encounter bears … again.
I arrived promptly at six o’clock at the Central Branch of the Kansas City Public Library, after dropping my vanpool riders off at their after-work destinations. I found the first floor of the Library nearly abandoned. I reviewed the signage for scheduled daily events and determined that Antietam panel occupied the fifth floor in Helzberg Hall. I took the elevator to the top floor with several other likely audience members.
I followed the others to the wine line, as the reception was already in full swing. I glanced at the lecture hall and noted most of the seating appeared to be taken. I cringed at the sight of the wooden folding chairs, knowing my back and posterior would be complaining painfully before the event concluded. I asked for some chardonnay, found a seat and took out my Nook Color to get check in via the Library’s free wifi internet.
Soon after I finished my wine, the Executive Director of the Library, Crosby Kemper, and the four historians from the CGSC, took the stage. Director Kemper prefaced his panelist introductions with some background information on the Battle of Antietam, managing to connect himself to an ancestor, a Confederate General James Lawson Kemper, present at Antietam and later at Gettysburg (being the only non-professional military officer in the division that led Pickett’s Charge).
Director Kemper mentioned and recommended Landscape Turned Red by Stephen Sears for those who want to fully immerse themselve in the bloody battle. The Battle of Antietam may have been one of the least decisive battles of the Civil War, but the political repercussions allowed and encouraged Lincoln to release the Emancipation Proclamation five days afterwards.
Mr. Kemper introduced the panel leader, Ethan Rafuse, of the military history department of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth. I had some difficulty deciphering everything being said by the various speakers, so I took copious notes and also did some research to find out more about the panelists. I discovered a blog post by Mr. Rafuse, published on the 150th anniversary of the battle, and much of the contents of that post mirrored his talking points. Mr. Rafuse previously spoke about the life and accomplishments of Thomas Jonathon ‘Stonewall’ Jackson at a Library event on June 7, 2012 (click here to listen to his lecture or watch the video from that event). His first comment upon receiving the microphone from Director Kemper humorously let us know that James Kemper’s brigade was driven from their position at the Battle of Antietam.
Mr. Rafuse set the stage for the discussion by drawing us into the battle through an eye witness first person account, via a primary source, a letter from Wilder Dwight to his mother, written on that fateful day in Maryland one hundred fifty years ago.
Near Sharpsburg. Sept. 17th 1862. On the field
Dear Mother,
It is a misty moisty morning. We are engaging the enemy and are drawn up in support of Hooker who is now banging away most briskly. I write in the saddle to send you my love and to say that I am very well so far —
He also related an interesting tale about a dog and his master, Werner von Bachelle. He completed his abbreviated recap of the Battle of Antietam and introduced the remaining three panelists (all links below to previous lectures include audio and/or video of the event):
Bud Bowie began his short ten minute talk with the Confederate strategic situation in 1862 leading up to the Battle of Antietam. The South had lost control of most of their waterways and portions of Kentucky and West Virginia. Robert E. Lee was not the commander of the Conference Army at this time. He was tasked with securing West Virginia, which he failed to accomplish. He became the military adviser to Jefferson Davis, who was not amenable to Lee’s advice.
In June, the situation became desperate, and during seven days of battles, Lee completely reversed the tactical situation against McClellan. This is where Lee made his reputation, even though most of his military planning was made up as he went along. Bowie mentioned several other facts and feathers in Lee’s cap, including the Second Battle of Bull Run and concluded with the circumstances leading up to the Battle of Harper’s Ferry.
Dr. Hospodor began by quoting his Methodist minister, who claimed you should ‘talk for ten minutes and make one point.’ Since he had six points to make and only ten minutes to do it in, he proclaimed himself doomed.
Dr. Hospodor began his Union response with some background on George McClellan, appointed by Abraham Lincoln and taking command of the Union forces. He described McClellan as überconfident, who inherited ‘a heck of a problem’ and accomplished a miracle reorganization of the Union army, likening those forces to a heavy weight boxer. Conversely, he characterized Lee’s forces to be more like a welter weight.
One of the biggest ‘what ifs’ from the Battle of Antietam remains why one-third of the Union army remained unengaged. After Antietam, too much blood had been shed for conciliation between the North and the South, and marked the end of the beginning of the American Civil War.
Terry Beckenbaugh enlightened us about the important political results reaped from the Battle of Antietam, specifically the Emancipation Proclamation. Why did Lincoln do it? He was personally anti-slavery, but not really an abolitionist. The Proclamation was read privately to his cabinet in July, two months before it was revealed publicly. Some of the precursors included:
Lincoln’s Secretary of State urged him to wait for a victory in the eastern theater before announcing the Proclamation. Antietam provided that victory and five days later Lincoln revealed it. However, it took the 13th Amendment to abolish slavery in non-Confederate states, the logic being that the rebelling Southern states equated to martial law and fell under the jurisdiction of the Emancipation Proclamation.
Terry affirmed the Emancipation Proclamation was first and foremost a military measure and was undeniably effective in changing the nature of the Civil War. The British worried the Proclamation would incite a race war and almost intervened in the Civil War because of it.
Ethan Rafuse returned to the podium and called for questions from the audience.
Q. After Sunker road was breached, had McClellan committed his reserves, …
A (Hospodor). Definitely a missed opportunity to end the war. Six thousand uncommitted troops could have been marched into Sharpsburg.
A (Bowie). Lot of stragglers for Confederate Army (35-40,000). Lee expected an attack. Remember, this was Lee’s only tactical engagement. There was also confusion because half of Hill’s men were wearing blue uniforms because they had stumbled upon some Union supply wagons and replaced their raggedy uniforms with fresh new blue ones. Lee was a fighting man and when his back was against a well, there was no stopping him unless you knocked him out.
Q. Quote from a USA Today article (from the 9/17/2012) … never understood why Union never forded the creek.
A (Rafuse). I be he didn’t wade it under fire. West Point cadets actual wade that creek, which is surrounded by high bluffs and steep banks. They didn’t just have to wade across, they needed to get wagons across, hence the need for the bridge. Once across, the soldiers needed to get away from the creek (out of the draw) quickly. Also, we don’t know the condition of the creek in 1862.
Q. More about McClellan
A (Hospodor). The relationship between Lincoln and McClellan strained. McClellan considered Lincoln an amateur and himself a professional talented military expert. Lincoln offended McClellan’s sensibilities, often treating the President with disdain and contempt.
Q. Talk about Frederick Douglas‘ influence on Lincoln.
A (Beckenbaugh). Lincoln came under immense pressure publicly, through Douglas’ speeches and newspapers. Lincoln understood Douglas’ frustration and not resentful of the pressure.
Ethan Rafuse closed the question time by bringing us back full circle to Wilder Dwight’s letter to his mother.
Dearest mother,
I am wounded so as to be helpless. Good bye if so it must be.
I think I die in victory. God defend our country. I trust in
God & love you all to the last.Dearest love to father & all my dear brothers.
Our troops have left the part of the field where I lay —
Mother, yrs
WilderAll is well with those that have faith.
Wilder Dwight died two days later and his brother, William, notified the family.
Mr. Rafuse thanked everyone for attending and encouraged the audience to approach the panelists if they had more questions.
∞∞∞
I stood up as soon as I could so I could get the blood flowing back into my legs. I planned to wait and let the rest of the audience fight for elevator space. I needed to speak to one or two of the panelists, as I did not catch their last names during the introductions. I hoped to acquire their business cards if possible. Dr. Hospodor kindly and clearly wrote his name on the back of his printed presentation slides and gave me the sheet of paper, since he didn’t have any business cards on him at the time. Terry Beckenbaugh did exchange cards with me, but I failed to catch either Rafuse or Bowie before they slipped away.
I visited the exhibits on the first floor before departing the Central Library building. As I exited the building, a firetruck and an ambulance arrived. I did not tarry to satisfy my curiosity. The Library had seemed quiet and peaceful while I had been touring the special exhibits after the lecture concluded. I walked across the street to the parking garage and began the journey home to Lansing. I enjoyed a beautiful thin sliver of the new moon most of the way west, until I exited I-70 and headed north on K-7. I even took a couple of minutes to run the van through a car wash.
I pulled in the driveway at a quarter past nine o’clock and decided Apollo needed a walk, as did my aching back. Twenty minutes later we both felt better and ready for a good night’s sleep.
I may overdose on blood tomorrow. I perused my weekly newsletter from the Kansas City Public Library this morning and debated (with myself) and ultimately capitulated (again with myself) on attending an event scheduled for Tuesday evening at the downtown Central library location.
I won’t get much of a break from driving tomorrow afternoon. Since I get back to Lansing around 5:15 p.m., I won’t have time to do much but switch vehicles. And I’ll have to keep my fingers crossed that the traffic eastbound to/through downtown isn’t backed up due to an accident or sporting event.
I decided to attend because the blurb noted that the panel of historians came from Ft. Leavenworth, specifically the U.S. Army Command and General Staff college. Practically in my backyard. It’s the least I can do, supporting the troops and all. Besides, I know next to nothing about Antietam, but I know it’s been the focus of research, books, movies, etc.
If you live in the Kansas City metro area, and are looking for a way to celebrate the sesquicentennial of the Civil War, join me tomorrow evening at the Central Library for the reception and program on Antietam: The Bloodiest Day.
I receive a electronic newsletter from the Kansas City Public Library, usually on Sunday afternoons, alerting me to any special events hosted or sponsored by the Library in the coming week. All three signature events tugged my interest, starting with a lecture Tuesday evening from a religious scholar on the King James Bible ‘From Ancient Texts to Literary Masterpiece.’ Wednesday’s ‘Meet the Past’ planned to interview William Rockhill Nelson, founder of the Kansas City Star. 
But Thursday’s ‘Hail to the Chiefs’ event appeared to be the crown jewel of the week, featuring Mark E. Neely, Jr., Pulitzer Prize winning author of numerous books on Lincoln and the Civil War, including last year’s Lincoln and the Triumph of the Nation: Constitutional Conflict in the American Civil War, examining charges that Lincoln played ‘fast and loose’ with Constitution during his presidency.
I decided to attempt to attend the lecture, which meant moving Heaven and Earth (or so it seemed to me). At least the lecture would be held in the same building where I work, a small consolation for the hoops I soon jumped through and vehicles I juggled into position. First, I asked my backup vanpool driver if she could drive the van on Thursday. She could. Second, I asked my husband to drive one of our cars to my backup driver’s house on Wednesday afternoon to leave it there for me to drive on Thursday morning. He did and rode home with the rest of my vanpool riders Wednesday. Now, I could drive the van on the first leg of the commute Thursday, hand it off to my backup driver, and take my car to work (for the first time in months), so I could stay late for the lecture.
All of the above went off without a hitch. My workday flew by and I left the building briefly to run an errand and grab a quick bite for dinner. I returned to the building in time to catch some of my coworkers and managers leaving for the day. They were all shocked to see me still at work, so I cheerily explained my plans to attend the lecture in an hour.
The Library opened the doors to the Truman Forum about ten or fifteen minutes before six o’clock. I did not realize a reception had been planned, whereby fruits, vegetables and wine would be served. I bypassed the reception and headed straight to the auditorium, as I could tell from the number of people waiting, a good seat would be hard to find and hold on to. I also wanted to save two seats for friends of mine who were also attending the event.
I found suitable seats in the fourth row and settled in for the short wait. I reviewed my email and RSS feeds via my Nook Color and continued reading one of the books I’m currently plodding through. My friends arrived with twenty minutes to spare so we chatted and got caught up on family and things. The hum of conversation around us kept to a dull roar despite the place being packed with people, including the overflow areas to the left and behind us.
The person tasked with introducing Mr. Neely couldn’t resist the siren’s call of his soap box (and a microphone) and began a brief tirade (for which he apologized prior to his actual introduction of the speaker) on an editorial published the day before in the Kansas City Star (I believe it’s this one: Protect Public Money in KC’s Development Deals). His call to arms for the civic minded audience urged us to protest the City Government ‘stealing’ tax dollars from libraries, community colleges, mental health organizations, etc. and giving that money to wealthy corporations as incentives to build (develop) luxury hotels in the Country Club Plaza or Crown Center. Not being a citizen of Kansas City, nor having a vote or a say in what it does or does not do with its tax money, I did not know how helpful or fruitful any protesting I might do would be. I can see his point, as I don’t care for the practice of providing tax incentives to large corporations in the dubious hope that they will produce a boon in the local economy or provide more jobs (which will most likely be outsourced to the Asian continent as soon as the incentives expire). And on that sour note, with much applause and cheering from the audience, the introduction continued and Mr. Neely ascended the stairs to the podium.
I enjoyed Mr. Neely’s talk and took several pages of notes (if you really want to give yourself a headache, try and decipher my scribblings here). I have not read any of Mr. Neely’s books, but I may in the future. He began with a dissection of the Corning letter. He fascinated me with contextual tales of the ‘true’ use the Writ of Habeas Corpus was put to during the Civil War, specifically several cases across one hundred days during the Summer of 1863.
Mr. Neely rated and graded several Presidents (only dead ones) on his civil liberties scorecard, using three questions as criteria: 1) Was the internal security system proportionate to threat? 2) Once the system was in place, was it used for other purposes, particularly against vulnerable people (minorities, dissenters, non-citizens)? and 3) When the threat ends, is the system sunsetted? He gave John Adams a D, Woodrow Wilson a C- and FDR a D. Lincoln, he left to us, asking ‘What grade would you give him?’
The Question and Answer session began at 7:30 p.m. The audience asked great questions and the event began to wrap up shortly before 8:00 p.m.
I spent a great evening with friends and learned several things I didn’t know before. I also have a better understanding of the movie I watched just a few days ago, The Conspirator, and the legal landscape during and after the Civil War.
Red Tails (2012)3.5 to 4 out of 5 stars
As an early Valentine’s Day dinner and a movie date, Terry and I dined at Red Lobster Sunday afternoon and visited the AMC Barrywoods movie theater to watch Red Tails on a ‘big’ screen. Neither of us had been to this particular theater in years, since we prefer to watch the few movies we see each year on the biggest screen in the Kansas City metro area, #7 at the Legends 14 Phoenix Theater. We enjoyed the close proximity of the handicapped parking though, something not readily available at the Legends. We bypassed the concession stand, having just stuffed ourselves on seafood, and saved our pocket books from the incredibly overpriced snack items for sale (especially as compared to the prices at the Phoenix theater).
While I had heard of the Tuskegee Airmen, I knew next to nothing about their service during World War II. So I cannot verify the authenticity of the film with respect to historical facts. I can affirm a well told tale with fantastic visuals, heart-thumping aerial dogfights and a bit of romance that overcomes race and language barriers.
The Devil In The White City: Murder, Magic, And Madness At The Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Read in January 2012
I wanted to give this four stars, and I leaned heavily toward a 3.5 star rating, but ultimately, I settled for three stars. I liked it, but I did not love it. Bright gems gleamed amid the offal, but not enough of them to dazzle my mind’s eye with the gleam of the White City.
I enjoyed the writing style of Erik Larson, which made it easier for me to read a non-fiction book. Granted, I do enjoy a well written history, but Larson included elements common to a mystery or crime fiction novel that kept me turning pages. That being said, however, the two halves of this book (the history of the Worlds Colombian Exhibition of 1893 and the escapades of Dr. H.H. Holmes (and his many aliases)) interspersed with seemingly irrelevant trivia did not a cohesive whole make. And even though I found some of the trivial excerpts jarring, they nonetheless touched me to the quick. Two or three examples come readily to mind:
Chance encounters led to magic. Frank Haven Hall, superintendent of the Illinois Institution of the Blind, unveiled a new device that made plates for printing books in Braille. Previously Hall had invented a machine capable of typing in Braille, the Hall Braille Writer, which he never patented because he felt profit should not sully the cause of serving the blind. As he stood by his newest machine, a blind girl and her escort approached him. Upon learning that Hall was the man who had invented the typewriter she used so often, the girl put her arms around his neck and gave him a huge hug and kiss. Forever afterward, whenever Hall told this story of how he met Helen Keller, tears would fill his eyes. (p. 285)
(Buffalo Bill) Cody upstaged the fair again in July, when exposition officials rejected a request from Mayor Carter Harrison that the fair dedicate one day to the poor children of Chicago and admit them at no charge. The directors that this was too much to ask, given their struggle to boost the rate of paid admission. Every ticket, even half-price children’s tickets, matter. Buffalo Bill promptly declared Waif’s Day at the Wild West and offered any kid in Chicago a free train ticket, free admission to the show and free access to the whole Wild West encampment, plus all the candy and ice cream the children could eat. Fifteen thousand showed up. Buffalo Bill’s Wild West may indeed have been an ‘incongruity,’ as the directors had declared in rejecting his request for a concession within Jackson Park, but the citizens of Chicago had fallen in love. (p. 251)
No one saw Twain. He came to Chicago to see the fair but got sick and spent eleven days in his hotel room, then left without ever seeing the White City. Of all people. (p. 285)
Another passage (pp. 285-286) recounted a passing of the torch from the pioneers of the west (in the person of Buffalo Bill Cody) and those of the future (in the person of Susan B. Anthony). This encounter, on a Sunday morning at his Wild West Show, “brought the audience to its feet in a thunder of applause and cheers. The frontier may indeed have closed at last, … but for that moment it stood there glittering in the sun like the track of a spent tear.”
I did not find the relation of Holmes’ psychopathic serial killings overly horrifying (and what does that say about me and/or our times?). But neither did I feel compelled to ferret out his motivations or worry whether justice would be served. Larson had to take some artistic license in recreating some of the murders, but nothing modern journalists or other ‘true crime’ authors haven’t done as well. Perhaps the suspense became ‘suspended’ for me since many of the quotes from Holmes referred to his Confession, which implies his capture, conviction and sentence execution.
I finished reading this book a bare two hours before attending the Common Grounds Book Group discussion sponsored by the Kansas City Public Library and featured in the Winter 2012 Adult Reading Program “Destination: Anywhere.” Librarian Katie Stover hosted the discussion in a corner of the Nine Muses Cafe’ at the Central branch. About ten of us (nine women and one brave young man named Alberto) joined in the discussion. The following are some of the questions and answers we tossed on the table among the tea and coffee.
Why is this such a popular book? A look at the behind-the-scenes of this Exhibition and how it came about on such a tight schedule (less than two years) and overcame calamities and catastrophes. Larson’s detailed research made you feel as if you were there, present, at the events occurring in Chicago in the 1890s. He accomplished this without the use of any dialog (beyond quotes from diaries and journals).
Why write these two stories together? And do you believe Holmes committed two hundred murders? Holmes creating his personal ‘deathatorium’ by designing and building his mansion and keeping everyone, including the construction workers, from realizing his real plans.
What happened to his first wife and child? In this respect, the author left us in the dark, never circling back to tie up those loose ends. Perhaps, no record existed to relate their fate.
Why did Holmes do it? Did he believe himself evil? Was he compelled by some physiological imbalance? Holmes was ambitious and driven (contrastingly, so was the lead architect for the White City, Burnham). Yet Holmes held no remorse for his action. He knew he was doing wrong, otherwise why would he have gone to such lengths to cover his tracks and conceal or destroy evidence? We all agreed that being a devil reflected a figure of speech, not a true personification of evil, because if you don’t believe in God, how can you truly believe in the Devil?
We moved on to lighter topics, pondering the ‘cool’ things that were introduced at the Exhibition (some of which still exist today), including: A Ferris wheel, hot dogs, shredded wheat, Cracker Jacks, alternating current electricity, inspiration for Walt Disney’s Magic Kingdom (his father was one of the carpenters who built the White City).
I mentioned the research I planned to do based on a couple of sentences found on p. 29: “Three years later a hotel they (Burnham and Root) had designed in Kansas City collapsed during construction, injuring several men and killing one. Burnham was heartbroken. The city convened a coroner’s inquest, which focused its attention on the building’s design. For the first time in his career, Burnham found himself facing public attack.” Again, Larson did not return to this tidbit, so I shall see what I can dredge up from microfiche or microfilm on the Third Floor of the Central branch.
Someone else read a passage the summed up the wonder of the White City (from p. 254):
For many visitors these nightly illuminations were their first encounter with electricity. Hilda Satt, a girl newly arrived from Poland, went to the fair with her father. ‘As the light was fading in the sky, millions of lights were suddenly flashed on, all at one time,’ she recalled years later. ‘Having seen nothing but kerosene lamps for illumination, this was like getting a sudden vision of Heaven.’ Her father told her the lights were activated by electrical switches. ‘Without matches?’ she asked.
Another person contrasted this divine vision, with the irony of boys chasing excitedly after the train carrying Krupp’s gun, which in but a few years would be used to kill them as war erupted across Europe.
Our discussion wrapped up by musing about how easily Holmes faded from one alias to another, how he avoided his creditors and mesmerized women by the dozens. We wondered why only an uncle of one of his wives (some of which he was married to concurrently) saw through Holmes’ beguiling veil to the heart of his dastardly deeds.
Eisenhower 1956: The President’s Year of Crisis–Suez and the Brink of War by David A. Nichols
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
When I read non-fiction, which isn’t often enough, I tend to favor biographies or histories. I picked up Nichols’ detailed microscopic compilation of a critical year in the life of President Eisenhower based on a review my uncle wrote. Being born and raised and still living in Kansas, I have an understandable preoccupation with one of our most famous and respected residents.
The extent of Nichols’ meticulous research impressed me. His delivery of the facts and circumstances and thoughts of key players (gleaned from personal notes and diaries) brought me to the center of the conflicts and the crises. I queried many older friends and family on what they remembered of 1956 (since I wasn’t born until eight years later), most of whom were too young at the time to really remember the Suez Canal crisis.
That didn’t stop me from feeling an echo of the anxiety and the beginning of our national belief in ‘mutually assured destruction’ (MAD – a very apropos acronym, don’t you think?). Eisenhower’s early understanding of the true horrors of thermonuclear warfare paved the way for his campaign of waging peace, even at the expense of some short-sighted WWII Allies. (For a great glimpse into an early (and now classic) apocalyptic novel, please see Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank, originally published in 1959 – click here for my review).
While reading this book, I visited the website for the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum. I learned the current exhibit entitled ‘Eisenhower: Agent of Change‘ ran until the end of January and the Library celebrates fifty years in 2012. As soon as I finished the book, I convinced my husband we needed to visit Abilene, since I could barely remember the last/first time I visited the Eisenhower Center (probably forty years ago or more). We spent a pleasant Saturday exploring the Museum, Library, boyhood home (intact and preserved on the grounds), the grounds and the final resting place of Dwight, Mamie and their son Doud (who died at the age of 3 in 1921).
I’ve been following a debate which crops up quite frequently in reading circles: Why can’t I resell my ebook? Both readers and authors have joined in the discussion threads at these GoodReads SciFi & Fantasy Book Club topics: e-Book Piracy and Do you care if you own a work?
One of the best links posted happened to refer to Scalzi’s Whatever blog post a year ago entitled Why in Fact Publishing Will Not Go Away Anytime Soon: A Deeply Slanted Play in Three Acts. Well worth the time and will definitely have you smiling, if not laughing out loud before you reach the stunning conclusion.
All of this got me thinking about the media used over the centuries to store our content.
Out of all of the media types (and obviously many that I’ve left out like the ever popular 8-track tape), which ones can you read without the benefit of proprietary equipment or electricity?
Imagine yourself a visitor to Earth in the far future, to an Earth either abandoned (because we migrated to other planets or galaxies by discovering FTL) or lifeless (because we didn’t see the writing on the wall and continued our parasitic existence to extinction). What format has the best chance of being understood and surviving to be reviewed? In our mad dash to digitize everything, for convenience and experience, what do we leave for posterity?
I have boxes of albums from the 70s and 80s in my basement I can no longer listen to because I don’t own a turntable. I even have a few 8-tracks and Beta tapes holding content hostage. I have crates of recorded VHS tapes of movies, television shows and family gatherings, which I could possibly view, if my ancient VCR still functions and the magnetic tape hasn’t degraded or been demagnetized. I have a project back-burnered for the moment to review several thousand slides taken by my father, his brother, his father and my aunt in the hopes of converting them to a digital photograph format.
I fear there will be no Rosetta Stone to help our alien visitors nor a still functioning DVD reader or Internet to Google the translation. Our binary epitaph of bits and bytes may languish forever locked in silence and darkness while the humble book shines forth as a beacon of historical hope.