Saturday, January 26, 2008

Slavemaster President

by William Dusinberre

One thing I enjoy about reading presidential biographies is that instead of seeing the American presidents as two-dimensional caricatures, I get to discover them as real men with personal concerns and beliefs. While this book isn't a biography, it did offer an interesting picture of James K. Polk, showing why he might have made the decisions and support the policies that he did. I don't recall learning, way back when I studied history in school, much about Polk. Oh, I knew that he had run for president on the promises of annexing Texas and Oregon, and of not seeking re-election. But beyond that I don't recall anything else. I don't think we learned that Polk was an ardent Jacksonian. And I really doubt if we were taught that Polk was a slave owner. Well, he was, and Mr. Dusinberre has documented that aspect of Polk's life, giving a vivid picture of slavery from the slave owner's point of view, where human beings are property and business concerns often trump human compassion. It's rather... disgusting, really. The book then goes on to look at Polk's presidency and shows how his concerns as a slave owner might have affected it. That also was a trifle disgusting, seeing how the politicians at the time were so caught up in grabbing more territory and preserving the "peculiar institution" that seems to define the antebellum South. I'm sure there's a fair amount of bias in the book, but Mr. Dusinberre makes a compelling argument for his conjectures. The only real quibble I have with him is when he takes Polk and his contemporaries to task for not setting the country on a course that might have avoided the Civil War. It's far easier to run a nation with hindsight. Anyway, check it out, it's interesting stuff.

LibraryThing link

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Thursday, January 24, 2008

The Last Straw

by Lynn Johnston

In this For Better or For Worse collection, I noticed that the status quo shifts from strips that are one shot gags, to strips that are part of a longer storyline. Most of the storylines involve day-to-day events--like a yard sale, Hallowe'en, a business trip for Elly, or John injuring his foot. They're all served up with the classic Johnston sense of humor, which makes for enjoyable reading.

You might enjoy checking it out.
LibraryThing link

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Monday, January 21, 2008

Stink Alley

by Jamie Gilson

Stink Alley is the tale of Lizzy Tinker, an orphaned Puritan girl living in Holland in 1614 with the rest of the Puritan exiles from England. It's not an easy life. Not only is there the challenge to live up to the expectations of the Puritan leaders, but as refugees, the Puritans are stuck working lousy, low paying jobs. Lizzy manages to land a temporary job with a Dutch family, and intertwined with her interactions with the family's obnoxious 8-year-old son, Lizzy shares the story of the Puritan group's difficult journey from England. The theme of the book--a spunky, young girl straining against a repressive culture--is all too common, but this peek into the lives of the Pilgrims before they sailed on the Mayflower is different. Ms. Gilson does do a nice job of conveying life in 17th Century Holland without hitting the reader over the head with factoids. Reading Stink Alley wouldn't be a bad way to spend the afternoon, but it's not good enough to make me want to rush out and buy a copy.

Almost better than waiting room material.
LibraryThing link

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Sunday, January 20, 2008

Our Sunday Best

by Lynn Johnston

This second collection of For Better or For Worse Sunday strips, collected from the early '80s and printed in full color, is much the same as the first. Funny stuff.

Check it out.
LibraryThing link

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Saturday, January 19, 2008

Just One More Hug

by Lynn Johnston

Number Four in a series; collect them all. What can I say about this collection? Probably the highlight is when the Patterson family take a vacation out to Manitoba to visit John's sister and her family on the farm. Not only do we get a whole mess o' farm jokes, but it's also the first time in the strip--for me, that is--that Ms. Johnston strikes a deeper chord. When I read those strips, I'm reminded of my own childhood trips out to visit my rural relatives--not in detail but rather in feeling. It's a quality of writing which takes For Better or For Worse above your typical comic strip.

Eh, go ahead and check it out.
LibraryThing link

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Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Old Home Town

by Rose Wilder Lane

This here's the Little House book that wasn't. Rose Wilder Lane is the daughter of Laura Ingalls Wilder and in 1935 she wrote this thinly veiled account of her home town of Mansfield, Missouri. It's not tied in with the Little House series, but knowing readers will realize that "Mother" is no one less than Laura, all grown up. The book is an interesting peek at life in a small town around the turn of the 20th Century. Ms. Wilder doesn't make it sound too inviting--the social conventions were stifling back then. It reads like an alien culture to this 20th Century boy. But the hopes and dreams of the characters are quite familiar. It's quite an enjoyable read.

You can check it out and still hold up your head in public.
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Tuesday, January 15, 2008

It Must Be Nice to Be Little

by Lynn Johnston

I don't have much to say about this third For Better or For Worse collection. The strips are amusing, but there's no great storyline or significant development in the lives of the main characters. It is the first time that we see a photo of Lynn Johnston's family, however.

It's funny waiting room material. Try not to laugh too loud.
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Sunday, January 13, 2008

More Than a Month of Sundays

by Lynn Johnston

This one's a collection of For Better or For Worse Sunday strips, from September of 1979 to February of 1982. As such, there's no real ongoing storylines, just a gag a week. It's a four color book and for some odd reason, it's no longer in print, despite the fact that these strips weren't included in the regular collections. Oh, well. It's on my shelf, so I can't complain.

LibraryThing link

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Saturday, January 12, 2008

Is This "One of Those Days," Daddy?

by Lynn Johnston

This second For Better or For Worse collection shows the development of some of the supporting cast and the beginnings of extended storylines. In this case we're treated to the visit of Elly's brother Phil and, later on, the Patterson's camping holiday at friend Ted's cabin.

Check it out, it's good!
LibraryThing link

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Thursday, January 10, 2008

James K. Polk

by John Seigenthaler

This was a book I had rejected initially, but turned out to be very satisfying indeed. I was looking for a biography of James Polk, America's eleventh president. I wanted a substantial biography, something that would not just recount the life of the man, but also reflect the zeitgeist of the era in which he lived. The pickings of Polk biographies at the Seattle Public Library were pretty thin. Besides the inevitable juvenile biographies, there were only a few volumes. This one had a page count that seemed to indicate a lightweight effort, a couple of others focused solely on Polk's presidency. So I chose a book called Slavemaster President, which seemed might halfway fit the bill. It didn't. But it turned out to be an interesting read in its own right. (more on that in its own review) However, it seemed like I would appreciate Slavemaster more if I had a quick briefing on Polk's life. So I borrowed this volume. It turned out that it's part of a series, The American Presidents, that tries to connect the events of each presidents life and career with the events and culture around him. 'Twas almost exactly what I was looking for. So anyway, James Polk. According to Mr. Seigenthaler, Polk was one of our most effective presidents. In his single term of office (having chosen up front not to seek reelection) he managed to complete the annexation of Texas, acquire the California territory, establish a fixed border between Canada and the U.S. and create an independent treasury. Yet he lacked the charisma of other effective leaders, like Jackson or Lincoln, and hence his name doesn't readily spring to mind when one thinks of the great American presidents. James K. Polk is a good political biography, showing the development of his career and life. It offers a glimpse of Jacksonian politics from the front lines in Congress and on the campaign trail in Tennessee. My only complaint is that it is too short. Check it out.

LibraryThing link

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Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Cameron Townsend

by Janet & Geoff Benge

Cameron Townsend is the founder of Wycliffe Bible Translators and associated organizations. His life seems somewhat easy, compared to some of the other subjects of the Benges' Christian Heroes series. Unlike missionaries of previous centuries, Mr. Townsend got to travel to the field by automobile and plane and had the blessings of 20th Century medicine. (Then again, you could argue that Townsend's predecessors never had to endure a plane crash, as he did.) Still bringing a worldwide organization dedicated to literacy and Bible translation into being is nothing to sneeze at. Like many biographies, it gets me feeling like I wasted my life. But that's my problem. Like their other books, the Benges present an interesting and inspiring life in an easy, readable style. I wonder if their stuff has ever been translated...

'Tis well worth checking out.
LibraryThing link

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Sunday, January 06, 2008

I've Got the One-More-Washload Blues

by Lynn Johnston

Now that I've finished reading all my Calvin and Hobbes books, I suppose I'll turn to my For Better or For Worse collection for light, breakfast reading. (On those mornings when I get up early enough to linger over breakfast.) This book is the first of the series, reprinting strips from 1979 and '80. It's an amusing look at family life, though the late '70s background sometimes gives the strip a nostalgic feel. The influence of Peanuts on Ms. Johnston is most evident in this volume--both in the art and writing. Some of the strips could be Charlie Brown or Lucy all grown up. It's only the start of tone of he best comic strips that have been out there these past 50 years or so, but it's well worth reading.

Check it out.
LibraryThing link

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Saturday, January 05, 2008

Slaughterhouse Five

by Kurt Vonnegut

Slaughterhouse Five is the tale of Billy Pilgrim, a man with three claims to fame. The first is that as a prisoner of war in World War II he was present for and a survivor of the firebombing of Dresden, Germany, an event (battle?) that claimed 25,000-35,000* lives. The second is that, for a time, he was taken to Tralfamadore, a distant planet, and lived in a zoo for the delight and edification of the Tralfamadorians. The third claim to fame is that Billy gets unstuck in time. His consciousness travels about from one point in his life to another, allowing him a unique perspective on life. Of course, Billy is just the vehicle through which Mr. Vonnegut examines the Dresden firebombing and suburban life in 1960s America. It's a bit of a bizarre world, peopled by pathetic nebbishes or self-deluded blowhards. When I first read the book, in my youth, I recall being taken with the character of Billy Pilgrim. I felt a kinship with him, a man floating helplessly along with the events of his life and the world around him. He seemed to accept his fate with a quiet wisdom. Reading it as a middle aged geezer--a man still caught in the currents of history, but aware that I have some ability (and responsibility) to direct my life--I realize that Billy is hardly a well rounded individual, but still a welcome protagonist in a quirky and interesting tale. Check it out.

LibraryThing link
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*figures from Wikipedia article. Slaughterhouse Five lists a figure of 135,000 killed.

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Thursday, January 03, 2008

It's a Magical World

by Bill Watterson

This is the final Calvin and Hobbes collection. Well, final in the sense of the original volumes collecting all of the strips. There are a number of other collections out there and I haven't a clue which was published most recently. This is the last one I felt compelled to buy to complete my collection. Anyway, it's quite an amusing book, as one might expect. The highlight of the book, in my mind, is the final storyline featuring Rosalyn, the babysitter. Watterson broke the shtick in a way that was amusing, yet heart warming. It's a pity that Calvin couldn't have been similarly reconciled to Moe or Miss Wormwood. (And, of course, there's Susie. Is there any hope at all for that relationship?)

Check it out, if only to say good bye.
LibraryThing link

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Little Evils

by Pete Abrams

Little Evils (I keep wanting to type "Little Elvis", because that what the title looks like) is "Megatome 02" of the Sluggy Freelance collections. It contains the contents of what were previously volumes 4, 5 and 6 of the collected Sluggy Freelance, which, of course, is the most nifty of all the web comics that are out there. Anyway, Little Evils doesn't contain any Elvis, just the spirit of Ayn Rand, possessing a talking ferret. There are also vengeful demons, invading aliens, a Caribbean vacation, demonic kittens, a lovestruck assassin, black-ops elves and puns. But don't let that scare you away. Little Evils makes for big laughs.

Woh-pah! It's on my shelf!
LibraryThing link

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Tuesday, January 01, 2008

The Pilgrim's Regress

by C. S. Lewis

This is an echo of Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, an early 20th Century allegory of a soul's journey through the spiritual dangers of the world to the eternal paradise of Heaven. It was a bit more readable than Bunyan's tale, but still a bit over my head. Mr. Lewis was and is quite more literate than I. Another stumbling block is that the story reflects the intellectual and philosophical world of the 1920s and 1930s. Would the tale be written today, I'm sure the characters would have to be changed. Or maybe not. Either way, it made for an interesting read.

It's very good waiting room material.
LibraryThing link

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