Here's A Song I Thought About A Lot Today For Some Reason

Book Report: "Deception," by Philip Roth

Deception by Philip Roth

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Philip Roth is a good writer, and I'm sure from a technical standpoint this is an excellent book. But as a nonacademic, the post-modernist structure of this book gets to be a bit much.

The book purports to be a series of conversations between an author, named Philip; an English woman who may or may not have been his mistress, a Czechoslovakian woman who may or may not have been a prostitute, and Philip's wife. The wife discovers the book and is convinced it describes actual affairs Philip has had, although he denies that they occurred anywhere except in his mind. After the confrontation with the wife, the conversations go back to the English woman and Philip discussing what he told the wife. The book leaves the reader to form his own opinion about whether any of the conversations actually occurred or are made up in Philip Roth's head.

I can take a little post-modernism, but by the end of this book, I was longing for just a straight forward story by an author who doesn't insert himself into the middle of it.

Insincere bigotry

This is the best discussion I have seen anywhere on the gay marriage debate, and how the evidence in the recent California trial should shut up any reasonable opponent of gay marriage. The post is called Insincere bigotry and is published on a blog called slacktivist

Book Report: "Zeitoun," by Dave Eggers

Zeitoun by Dave Eggers

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Don't read this book if you don't want to be upset by the U.S. government. This is a nonfiction book in which Eggers follows what happened to a Muslim family in New Orleans before, during and after the Katrina Hurricane. The husband, a building contractor, insisted on staying in New Orleans during the storm, sending his wife and children to stay with relatives in Baton Rouge. He was well-prepared and in the immediate aftermath of the storm, he was able to assist many people and animals with a canoe he owned. A week later, however, after National Guard and police from other places were sent in to maintain "order," things turned chaotic for him. He wound up getting arrested in his own home, held in a Guantanamo-style cage for several days and then put in a prison. He was not permitted to call his family nor a lawyer; he was not told the charges against him, and he was held without access to even a judge for three weeks before he was released.

Eggers is an excellent writer and this book contains no hint of the self-importance that turned me off about his first book, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. This book actually is a heartbreaking work of staggering genius and it's not about Eggers.

Book Report: "Letting Go," by Philip Roth

Letting Go by Philip Roth

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is another extraordinary Roth book. He excels at showing, not telling. It is a psychological study, in the Henry James tradition (from what I've been told about Henry James, I haven't read much of him,)set in Chicago, mostly, about a trio of young people who become involved with each other while at the Iowa Writers' Workshop and then wind up teaching at the University of Chicago. As always in Roth, being Jewish, is a big part of the book. What I like about Roth is he describes situations and conversations and let's the reader figure out motivations rather than spelling them out. The book is a little short on plot, but very interesting.

And Now For A Moment of Truth

A friend of mine sent me this by email. It's probably all over the internet, but it's too good not to use.










Life can be summarized in 4 bottles....

S**t!!! we're on #3!



.

Book Report: "Generosity" by Richard Powers

Generosity: An Enhancement by Richard Powers

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This is one of those rare books to which I award more than five stars. It is a tour de force by the smartest man I know. Powers has almost created his own genre, an in-depth exploration of neurological puzzles in a way that is very understandable and readable by a lay audience.

In Generosity, Powers explores the extent to which emotions are controlled by genes. A young woman from Algeria is in Chicago, taking a night class in writing and entrances the teacher and the class with her constantly sunny outlook on life despite hardships that would cause normal people to despair. Eventually her genome is mapped by an entrepreneurial scientist who claims to have isolated a "happiness" gene. Who this person is turns out to be way more complicated than her genes, and Powers does a great job of explaining the nature/nurture duality of all of us.

For someone not used to post-modernist literature, Powers's style might take some getting used to. He inserts himself, as the author, into the book, repeatedly reminding the reader that this is a story that Powers is making up, as he goes. Powers starts the book by sketching the writing instructor stating right up front that "I picture him in the . . . " later saying, "The blank page is patient, and meaning can wait. I watch until he solidifies." At another point, describing a lunch between the instructor and a psychologist who becomes his girlfriend, Powers comments, "Over date pudding, she tells him about negativity bias. I'm not really sure if she tells him this over date pudding, of course, or even if she tells him at this lunch at all. But she tells him at some point, early on. That much is nonfiction: no creation necessary." At another point he writes, "And, by a minor coincidence I don't know how to handle any other way, Candace Weld reads the Time article. . . ."

Although I don't usually like an author to act all authorly in his writing, I don't find Powers's playing around with the third wall as irritating as I might in a lesser writer. Or maybe I'm just prejudiced. In any event, read this book. Even if you're irritated at the tricks, you won't be bored.

Book Report: Anne Tyler Does It Again with "Noah's Compass"

Noah's Compass by Anne Tyler

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This is a typical Anne Tyler book in that it is full of quirky characters and it is written flawlessly. The thing I like best about Tyler is her respect for the intelligence of her readers. She does not spell everything out for you, but lets you figure out what is going on and what is motivating her characters by her descriptions of what they do. She does not overdo details by dwelling on non-essentials but knows exactly what to describe to give the reader a feel for what is going on. If you like Anne Tyler, you will love this book.

Book Report: "Goodbye, Columbus," by Philip Roth

Philip Roth: Novels and Stories 1959-1962: Goodbye, Columbus & Five Short Stories / Letting Go by Philip Roth


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I am a Philip Roth fan, although not an uncritical one.  I don't know anyone who depicts the richness of Jewish life in America with such warmth and humor but fearlessness.  I wish Amish/Mennonites had someone writing who was half as good.

This book is Roth's first one, published in 1959, and winning The National Book Award. I picked this book up at the library, thinking that Goodbye, Columbus, would probably be pretty much like the movie but not having seen the movie in many years I was ready for a repeat of the story.  I won't say the book is nothing like the movie, but significant details are changed.  In the book, the young man doesn't have an affair with the mother -- they never can stand each other, and he doesn't get the advice at the end to go into plastics. (Later Update:  As Anonymous Wendy points out below, I confused Goodbye, Columbus with The Graduate, which has nothing to do with Philip Roth. The only similarity is that Richard Benjamin kind of looks like Dustin Hoffman.)

The other five short stories in the book are the equal of or better than Goodbye, Columbus.  The Conversion of the Jews, is about a young boy who questions Jewish dogma, arguing that if God is all-powerful there could have been a virgin birth as preached by some Christians.  He gets in trouble with the rabbi and winds up forcing the conversion of his entire synagogue to Christianity.  Many Jewish Americans were highly offended by the story, while critics loved it.

The other stories in the book are Defender of the Faith,  Epstein, You Can't Tell A Man By The Song He Sings, and Eli, The Fanatic.  I won't take the time to detail all of them, but generally they follow the same themes as the first two I have mentioned.

If your only knowledge of Philip Roth is the scandal caused by Portnoy's Complaint, when it was published (it wouldn't raise many eyebrows now,) then you owe it to yourself to read some of his other works.  You will feel enriched.

JACK Report: Another Review in the New York Times

It's hard for me to believe what stars the JACK Quartet has become.  Another review in today's New York Times, the second in three days for four young men, the oldest of whom has just turned 30.  I think I'm just going to have to accept that they are a success and stop being so surprised.

JACK Report: A Big Hit At Bang On A Can

The New York Times has been very kind to the JACK Quartet, and now, once again, the newspaper has published JACK's picture, this time in connection with the Times review of the annual Bang on A Can Marathon Sunday.   There were 20 or so groups performing in the marathon, which ran from 12:00 noon on Sunday to 1:00 a.m. on Monday. 

A number of bloggers have also posted their impressions of the performances, many of them quite favorable to JACK.  Here's one who commented on another musician's reaction to JACK.  Here's another, who called JACK "the big hit of the day,"  at least up to the point that they played.  Here's another who did a live blog of the marathon and says JACK "just tore up Xenakis.  Here's another with a more general description of the marathon.

Tonight, JACK plays at Le Poisson Rouge, a concert which has gotten some advance buzz, including mentions in The New Yorker and The New York Times, and a blast from a conservative cretin at the National Review.  We'll see what the reviews say about that performance

Book Report: "Solar" by Ian McEwan

Solar by Ian McEwan


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Ian McEwan, the author of books like Atonement, Chesel Beach and Saturday; isn't known for his humor, particularly, but this book is very funny, in a peculiarly English slap-stick sort of way.  It's about a scientist who wins a Nobel Prize at a young age, and then spends the rest of his life basking in his laurels and acting the cad.  He is utterly immoral, ditching wives and mistresses on whims; stealing the ideas of associates, and looking for ways to make money without having to work.  His life takes a turn when the wife he has been cheating on, cheats on him with a contractor and a junior associate scientist.  The hero (or anti-hero), manages to kill two birds in what has become a McEwan trade-mark, the bad guy falling down.  It all comes to an improbable end in the desert in New Mexico, but McEwan is such an excellent wordsmith that you put up with the schlock.  This book was made for summer beach reading.  It is short and fun.

JACK Report: A Nasty Cretin Gets His Comeuppance

I used to like to read National Review back when William F. Buckley was the editor.  Although conservative, he was intelligent, with a dry sense of humor (and, besides, I was more conservative back then when I was naive.)  The people running it now don't even try to write intelligently.  They have become part of the Tea Party snarling pack of  wild dogs determined to rip the flesh off any liberal or imagined liberal they can find.

But, I had to smile when I became upon Jay Nordlinger's article in National Review huffing and puffing about the leftist domination of new music.  His attempt to turn sounds into some kind of political statement is just stupid, but he did mention Son Number Two's JACK Quartet, and there is no thing as bad publicity in the arts world.  He lumps JACK in with the whole leftist music conspiracy, which is fine by me.  They could be criticized for a lot of things worse than being part of a leftist cabal.

Now another blogger, takes after Nordlinger with a vengeance.  He calls Nordlinger a "nasty cretin" and "an obvious idiot and a boor." I don't know why he's holding back.  I could give him some additional epithets, but Nordlinger doesn't deserve the time and space.  I will make sure that the blogger gets on JACK's mailing list.

Book Report: "Songs Without Words" by Ann Packer

Songs Without Words by Ann Packer


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Don't make the mistake I did and confuse Ann Packer with Ann Patchett.  Ann Patchett wrote some very good books, including Bel Canto and Truth and Beauty.  That's the author I thought I was getting when I checked out Songs Without Words.

I would call this "chick lit" except that it does a disservice to all the chicks I know and like.  It probably would be better labeled as "writers workshop" lit.  Some time, some place, someone told Packer that lots of detail enrich a story.  It does, when used with discretion.  But there should be a point to the detail. It should show you things about the character or plot that help you better understand the story. Pointless detail makes you want to scream "get on with the story!!!" 

The story is about how a family and its friends are impacted when their teen-age daughter tries to kill herself.  To complicate matters, the mother's closest friend lost her mother by suicide when she was a teenager.  The pressures that this action puts on the family are shown with great insight, knowledge that is probably only learned from first hand experience.  (According to my friend, Mr. Google, Packer's father committed suicide when she was a teenager.)  The weakest points are the beginning of the book when the family's life is too idyllic to be believable and the end, which is a little too much and-they-all-lived-happily-ever-after for my tastes.

I credit Packer with telling a story on a difficult subject, it's just that the book would be so much better if it had been more tightly edited. 

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Book Report: "Imperfect Birds" by Anne Lamott

Imperfect Birds: A Novel by Anne Lamott


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Anne Lamott is a good writer, there is no question in my mind about that.  I loved her memoirs, "Traveling Mercies," and "Plan B."  I was less enthralled with her novels, "Blue Shoes" and "Joe Jones."  Her latest novel, "Imperfect Birds," was published in April of this year and is a follow-up story to "Rosie," which came out in 1983.  The new book has the same strengths and weaknesses as the earlier ones.

"Imperfect Birds" has the feeling of fictionalized autobiography.  It's about a recovering alcoholic/drug addict mother and her teen-age daughter who is also a drug addict.  It depicts their conflicts and co-dependencies in what seem like very realistic ways. A number of Lamott's books touch on those themes, as she is a recovering drug addict.   Lamott is good at leavening the dysfunctions with humor.  Lamott is unapologetically spiritual, but doesn't use the language of conventional religion to convey her beliefs.  She certainly has not led a conventional "godly" life."

The weakness of Lamott as a writer is described by herself in her description of James, a writer who is the step-father of the troubled daughter.  I don't have the exact language at hand, but the gist of it is that James is very good at writing description and dialogue, which he gleans from everyday people and situations.  He is not so good with plot.  My wife and I were listening to the book being read as an audiobook on a recent trip and as the reader read the description of James's writing, by wife said, "She is describing her own writing."

The book is better than average because of its strengths.  It doesn't rate five stars because of its weaknesses.