Book Club: "Unbroken"

Laura Hillenbrand's Unbroken was not on my personal reading list. It seems the older I get the less interested I am in reading about pain and suffering. At last night's book club discussion I found out I wasn't alone.

Reading Unbroken was similar to watching Apollo 13 or Columbo -- you know the ending yet you're fascinated to learn how the characters arrive there. We knew Louis Zamperini survived the horrific events related in the book but wanted to learn how. In reading Unbroken I dreaded picking it up again each time I put it down. Yet once I began reading I was hooked.

Louis Zamperini grew up in Torrance, California, where he was best described as a young "hell raiser." His antics ranged from pranks to delinquency. Older brother Pete was handsome, mannerly, and reliable. Louis took the opposite route. It was the intervention of Pete that turned Louis' life around when he convinced the high school principal to allow the incorrigible Louis to participate in a school sport. Louis took up running and proved to be a phenomenon. He broke high school, state, and college records that eventually took him to the U. S. Olympic trials where Louis became the youngest member of the 1936 team. Although he didn't medal in Berlin, Zamperini's burst of speed during the last lap of the 5,000 meter race garnered international recognition. The 1940 Olympics were cancelled due to World War II and, with his running career sidelined, Louis joined the Army Air Forces. As a lieutenant, Louis became the bombardier on a B-24 Liberator in the South Pacific. When their plane went down in the Pacific, Louis was one of three crew members to survive the crash. Thus began a 47-day ordeal on a small raft in a huge ocean. After combating thirst, hunger, and sharks, Louis and the other remaining crewman were taken prisoner by the Japanese. Louis and the other POWs received brutal treatment at the hands of the Japanese, but Louis was singled out by the sadistic guard the men called "The Bird."

Hillenbrand recounts Zamperini's brutal treatment as a POW without going into the gory details. Still, the repetitive abuses were difficult to read. It's understandable that Louis and the other surviving POWs would have difficulty adjusting to civilian life after the war.

Our discussion included the topic of heroism. The news media covers stories about individuals to rise to the occasion, but Louis Zamperini's heroism lasted for years. Without knowing the outcome, Louis refused to be used as a Japanese propaganda tool in order to escape the sadistic treatment of The Bird. We talked about how war legitimizes psychopaths and how even upstanding people are degraded by its demands. Today we recognize the effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, but in 1945 the veterans were expected to man up and just resume their lives on their return. We discussed personality traits that make up a survivor and how the American POWs defied the guards in even the smallest ways to assert their self-worth. Louis demonstrated how corrosive anger can be when he became obsessed after the war with revenge against The Bird. It wasn't until Louis met a young Billy Graham that he was able to release his hatred and heal emotionally. Louis even returned to the Sugamo Prison Camp after the war -- a fete none of us believed we could do considering the treatment Louis experienced there.

Louis Zamperini was a flawed human being who survived unbelievable events. The determination that made him a track star and Olympian also saw him through his horrendous ordeals. Yet his unhealthy focus on The Bird served him ill after the war. The inspiration to be found in Zamperini's story is that even the most human of us can find the strength to survive the worst events. Louis Zamperini's story certainly puts into perspective our day-to-day trials.

Happy Holidays!

And a fabulous New Year.

What's the Answer?

We know that bans don't work (Prohibition, anyone?).

And there's the Second Amendment (although I'm not sure why we need a well-armed militia now that the British have retreated and we have a standing army).

I shake my head when folks seem to think that arming all the "good people" will make the "bad people" think twice before shooting. Members of the Mafia, drug cartels, and street gangs are heavily armed and yet this fact doesn't seem to stop armed assaults on them. Drug addicts aren't particularly logical when committing crimes to acquire their next fix. Plus, to be effective the "good people" would have to wear their holstered guns 24/7. And they would need to be so well trained that they wouldn't experience those initial stunned seconds when fired upon at the coffee shop, in the mall, or at the movies. Not to mention being well practiced with their weapon (I've seen hunting accident reports -- people can be idiots). Would armed amateurs really save lives, or increase the carnage with their crossfire?

I have family who hunt, I played with cap guns when young, I am not anti gun. I don't see the need for individuals outside of the military or law enforcement to possess automatic or semi-automatic weapons. But outlawing them or their ammo clips won't eliminate their existence.

What we can work on is our cultural attitude toward weaponry.

We'll never completely prevent tragedies such as those that rocked our world this past week. But shouldn't we strive to make them extremely rare occurrences?

It's All in the Wrist

I chuckled as the camera panned through the office scene during a recent episode of Upstairs Downstairs. The dialogue was serious as the characters acknowledged that war with Hitler's Germany was inevitable. But I was amused by the actress pretending to type, seen only briefly in passing.

In typical Digital Age fashion, her wrists were sharply bent while her fingers tickled the typewriter keys. Anyone who has ever used a manual typewriter knows you cannot hit the keys with sufficient force when the heels of the hands are resting on the desktop. It was a brief, anachronistic moment that I found amusing.

I learned to type on manual and electric typewriters and still hold my wrists and forearms in the alignment necessary to operate these vintage machines. I think it helped prevent repetitive motion problems.

But believe me, I never want to go back to the carriage return, white out, carbon paper, and realigning documents to make corrections. Worse yet - retyping entire letters after they were edited!

I love my compact iMac keyboard with keys that respond to the tap of a finger!

Second Try: "Curse of the Mistwraith"

The first book in The Wars of Light and Shadow fantasy series by Janny Wurts was a hard slog for  most of our members. I read and enjoy fantasy novels, but my effort to complete this book was more like homework. I wasn't alone in my feelings.

First, the good stuff. Janny Wurts has done a phenomenal job of world building. The setting is complex and well planned. Her magic has a logical source (allowing for the reader's suspension of disbelief) with the necessary rules and limitations. Ms. Wurts populates the novel with characters that are all too human in their ambitions and foibles.

Wurts excels in her descriptive writing. She selects just the right details and describes them in such a manner that places the reader on the spot. We can see, smell, and feel the world that the characters inhabit.

Wurts explores the perception versus reality theme, particularly in the character of Arithon. He is the illegitimate son of the Queen and pirate enemy of the King of Amroth. Arithon has natural musical talent, a heightened sense of empathy, and innate magical ability. As the last of his paternal lineage he is destined to reign over Etarra, but Arithon would prefer a life as a master bard. A magical curse and strong sense of duty sends him on another course that pits him against his half brother, Prince Lysaer. When the reader first encounters Arithon he is portrayed as a cruel and unprincipled enemy of Amroth. As the novel progresses, however, we learn that Arithon is actually a caring and conscientious young man who places the needs of others above his personal desires.

The problem with the novel, I decided, was pace. Wurts never breaks up her descriptive paragraphs with short, pithy dialogue or action. Flip through the pages and there is a paucity of white space. As much as we enjoyed her exploration of character and setting, the endless diet wore us down. There was no relief from angst-ridden interior dialogue or descriptive passages.

The first novel in the multiple-book series has a large population of characters that confused us. Especially since there were similarities in names. Each time we picked up the book we had to reorient ourselves. "Is this character the sorcerer, or the captain of the men-at-arms?"

It took most of us about a third of the way into the novel to get hooked. And just about the time we were avidly following the characters -- we were slammed with lengthy descriptive paragraphs that bogged us down.

We agreed that this is not a novel for an e-reader -- which three of us were using. Wurts created a detailed map of the fantasy world not available with our Kindle versions. Although the map can be accessed on her web site, when I printed it out for reference it was so fuzzy I couldn't read it. Both the printed and e-book versions include a lengthy glossary of characters and locales; however, it is a major pain in the rear to move back and forth in an e-book. I was frustrated by the inability to flip pages for quick reference. We suspected much of our confusion while reading the novel would have been remedied had we been reading the printed version. By the time I finished the book I was desperate to hold a real book!

Regrettably, other than the member who recommended the book, none of us are interested in pursuing the remainder of the books in the series. I recommend Wurts' writing for her world building and descriptive writing. But if you're looking for fast-paced adventure, this isn't your book.

Our book club is taking a break over the holidays. We'll meet up again in January to discuss Laura Hillenbrands' Unbroken.

Book Club: Let's Try That Again

The October discussion topic for our modest little book club was to be Janny Wurts' Curse of the Mistwraith. I say was because only one of us in attendance had completed the book -- and she was the one who had recommended it and was enjoying it for the second time. The rest of us were generally a third of the way into the book.

I have to admit, I read maybe 19% into the book and then skimmed another 10% before our session last night. I read and enjoy science fiction and fantasy, so I was well aware that fantasy novels can start out slow as the author establishes the setting and rules of magic. For some reason I found CotM more difficult than usual to engage my interest and comprehension. My personal preference would have been to become grounded with one key character before the whole cast steps on stage. I know novels are supposed to begin in the middle of the action, but there were so many characters, locations, historical events, etc., coming so fast and furious -- I felt overwhelmed. It also didn't help that by the time I settled down to read I was tired and dozing off.

However, by the time I had skimmed a third of the way into the book, I was getting into the story. The other members of our book club had similar experiences. In CofM Wurts has created a dense fantasy setting with an elaborate history and backstory. Definitely not a book for skimming, as I was attempting to do. Wurts has written the novel in a formal style with many descriptive passages -- reminiscent of Victorian novels and appropriate for the tone of the story about a long ago and far away culture. It needs to be approached at a slower pace. And it did hook most of us (one member didn't have her interest piqued and another said she must be too literal-minded to read fantasy).

So -- we've agreed to finish the book and discuss it in November.

Guess I'll go back to the beginning to refresh my memory before continuing where I left off and give the novel more attention.

We also agreed that this is not a book for an e-reader. It contains a glossary of characters and places at the back of the book and I find it a hassle to flip back and forth on my Kindle. Also, the traditional book includes a map, which is missing in our e-books. Bit of a Luddite here when it comes to literature.

With the help of Melody Snyder of Simply Organized, we spent two days sorting through our garage. We managed to toss out and recycle quite a bit of stuff. And we discovered a lot of items we'd forgotten about, not to mention all the family mementos stashed away for decades.

My mother found the Meier & Frank gift box containing The Oregonian issue announcing the attack on Pearl Harbor. In an identical box I came across my father's letters written while in the Army. Last night I sorted them by date (1940-45) and began reading the letters.

Rather than take the chance of being drafted my father joined the Oregon National Guard (41st Infantry Division) as a band member (trombone). He'd started playing professionally in Portland, and he was a member of the popular Woody Hite Band. The Guard was stationed at Fort Lewis (Tacoma, Washington) and environs, so he could make weekend trips home when issued a pass.

So far I've read through his 1940 correspondence and I'm well into 1941. My father was not impressed with the Army and he counted down the months of his one year commitment. The infantry made a trip to California (outside San Francisco) for maneuvers and his descriptions of the mock battles are pretty funny. As they prepare for the return north the men are hearing rumors that they may not be released when their time is up.

At midnight last night I decided to go to bed -- I'd not yet come to the December 1941 correspondence.

It's interesting reading the thoughts and feelings of my 20-year-old father. He declared his mother's cooking the best in the world, teased his younger brother who was completing high school, and talked music with his father (violinist with the symphony). He asked about his high school buddies, and complained when the band unit lost several good musicians who returned to civilian life. He repeatedly asked his parents to send more stamps (note the 3 cent price) because they weren't always available at the base canteen. He sent money orders home to have most of his pay deposited in a savings account.

Reading the letters of a young man who'd rather be home playing his trombone with a jazz band and enjoying his mother's cooking is even more poignant knowing what was to come. My grandparents would soon have two sons fighting at opposite ends of the globe.