The Room Where It Happened by John Bolton

 

The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir by John R. Bolton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

There was a great controversy about even buying or reading this book. Being a bit of amateur civics and politics follower it was hard to resist the hype. Ever see a movie trailer show all the good parts of the film and then when you see the whole film you realize those were all the best parts? It was like that. Should have Bolton testified during the impeachment of Trump? Yes. Would it have changed the outcome? No. So why not read it anyway? It gives us a glimpse into the dumpster fire that is this administration's symbol.

The few things I picked up on in this book.

One: John Bolton likes to take notes, notes and more notes. I’m sure he has in his original notes when he used the White House bathroom.

Second: Bolton is so arrogant it borders on comedy. In the beginning of the book he was a bit more human. Occasionally he’d throw in a one-liner as if to see if you’re paying attention. The meat of the book is tedious in long segments unfortunately.

Thirdly: The book is a foreign policy geeks heaven. There are long sections of foreign policy details that will make an average person's eyes gloss over and probably nod off in boredom. I really had to plow through this myself.

Fourth: To paraphrase a former Secretary of State the President is a f’n moron. Trump truly didn’t get the concept of why we had troops stationed in places like South Korea and Germany. Seemed oblivious to history and only took a “what have you done for me lately” type of attitude. It was purely transnational. He'd harp on many NATO country's financial or military participation share as if he were squabbling about a golf club member's fees. Unless of course their leaders would flatter and suck up to him. Loyalty and appearances on Fox News seemed to be the only job requirements. Not to mention all the wasted effort in trying to give North Korea’s Kim Jong Un an autographed, by Trump, copy of a ``Rocket Man” CD. Seriously?

The book itself starts off interesting but kind of slogs through a lot foreign policy details that I think would bore an average reader. The infamous Ukraine phone call (the one that led to impeachment) is towards the end doesn’t really reveal more than we already know. Unless you're really a civics and current political events geek I’d probably skip this one.


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Goodbye Eddie

 

In my youth.

 

I couldn't believe the news of Eddie Van Halen's passing from cancer yesterday. A guitar hero's hero. He was the guitar God of a generation.He had a nonstop smile and lightning quick fingers on an electric guitar. No matter where or what he was doing he seemed to be having the time of his life in that moment. His music had an amazing way of lifting your spirits. In essence the group was a party band that made it big, especially in the early days with David Lee Roth at the microphone. The music was uplifting, energetic and sometimes naughty but never got too dark.

 

I loved them and had their famous logo scribbled on school book covers, notebooks or anything with a flat surface while a teenager. They seemed to match the intensity, attitude and energy of adolescence. Coincidentally lead singer David Lee Roth left and the band took on a more mature sound just as I hit adulthood too. Eddie was still Eddie though. 

 

I'm forever grateful for his music that brought joy to millions of fans. The music itself lives on. Thank you for music and my heart goes out to his family at this time. 

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a book I've seen on countless "must-read" or "favorites" book lists. I've had this on my shelf for quite a while and when I recently saw in the news that the now famous bus where the protagonist Chris McCandless died in the Alaskan wilderness in the early 90's was removed due to being a dangerous location where others have made treks to see because of the book’s fame. I finally decided it was time to pull it off the shelf. I was glad I did.

It is the story of the retracing and trying to understand Alex McCandless and his journey across America after shunning his family and then civilization he lived upon land living upon edges of the society he scoffed at. I couldn't help draw a similarity to Jack Kerouac's "On the Road" which was about a journey across America on the edge of society that also caught people’s imagination.

After finishing college Alex pretty much left everything behind. Donated his $25K his parents gave him and packed up his beat-up Datsun and hit the road. He had often done this in the past but this time he had next to nothing pulling him back, not even family. He spent the next two years floating between society and loner. He eventually abandoned the car after it was flooded by a flash flood and hitchhiked, walked, and even used a canoe for a bit. He would connect with certain people along the way often making a big connection with them in even a short amount of time. They were often left curious and puzzled about how this intelligent, well-read, and hard-working young man was traveling like this.

He eventually ends up in Alaska for the adventure he’d been working up to. He set out and “into the wild” as were his last words he sent to an acquaintance. Tragically four months later he would be found starved to death in an abandoned bus which had been his base. The story is a retracing of his steps, as much as possible, and a deeper goal of trying to figure out his motivation and why he did this.

His journey seemed to have elements of past literary classics like “On the Road” by Jack Kerouac’s journey across the western states of America and also Robert Pirsig’s “The Zen and Art of Motorcycle Maintenace” for the same reason(I believe Alex McCandless was found with this book). Another that came to mind was Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger as the book has strong elements of a coming of age story and disenchantment with society in general.

There is also a strong element of a father-son conflict, even though Alex left everyone behind his relationship with his Dad seemed to be the lynchpin of some underlying resentment of past family matters. Alex’s closest relationship seemed to be with his sister(much like Holden Caulfield in Cather in the Rye mentioned previously) but even she was left in the dark as to his whereabouts.
Alex was not without his faults either. He seemed to have a stronger desire to do things on his own, or at least figure things out on his own. He did well in school and had a strong motivation to figure stuff out but as soon as someone offered help or tried to help him excel further he would shun or just ignore them. This trait would come back to haunt him later.

The book is well written and will stay with you long after you finish it. I can see a bit clearer why this was such a talked-about book. I’ll be hanging on to this one and will probably reread it in the future. Did Chris McCandless ever find what he was looking for? We may never know for sure.


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Promise Me, Dad by Joe Biden

Promise Me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship, and Purpose by Joe Biden
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A year in the life of Joe Biden. It cover's not only his personal life but is interwoven with his job as Vice President. He still manages to do his job meanwhile his son, Beau Biden, battles cancer that doesn't have a good prognosis, to begin with. Unfortunately, the world doesn't stop for that stuff. He deals with the crisis in Ukraine and the middle east. Back home there is a church shooting and police are gunned down in New York City.

Unfortunately, Beau Biden loses his battle with cancer and he is heartbroken. This coincides with the 2016(pretty much starts in 2015) campaign season ramping up. As much as he knows people are understanding of his personal loss pressure mounts for him to decide to run for President which his prospects looked excellent to be the next President. As we all know he eventually decided not to. The book goes more into why he didn't.

The book gives us a picture of what Joe is like and is heartwarming without being overwhelmingly sugar-coated like a Hallmark movie. It also shows in his job he can be tough when needed. In contrast, he can show empathy and decency when called for. With a deluge of books about the current President, this may give you a glimpse of what could be.

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WATCH: Joe Biden’s full speech at the 2020 Democratic National Convention

1776 by David McCullough

1776 by David McCullough
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I listened to this on Audible but I had read it before. A large part of it was that I love listening to David McCullough talk about history, I could listen to him for hours(which I did in this case). I'll just do a quick summary of the book here.

In short this is the first year and half of George Washington's taking command of the American forces in mid 1775 in Boston in which British forces are surrounded by the American forces. and ends in early January 1777 after Washington exceeds expectations and defeats Hessian's at Trenton, New Jersey and the British at Princeton, New Jersey. These were relatively small engagements but served as morale boost for the American's in general and solidified Washington's leadership(and perhaps his mythical status in American history). It also forced the British(and mercenary Hessian's) to take the Continental Army seriously.

We also meet a variety of people of the revolutionary period. We meet his two most trusted General's Henry Knox and Nathaniel Greene whom would serve Washington for the duration of the war. It was Knox's idea and follow thru to get the the artillery pieces at Fort Ticonderoga and trek them all the way to Boston which helped brake the siege. We also meet future Presidents John Adams and James Monroe(who served in Washington's Army). We also meet another founding father who was a young Artillery Captain, Alexander Hamilton(who's popularity has exploded in recent years).

The book only gives a passing glance to political goings on elsewhere outside of Washington's military actions. For anything leading up to the Declaration of Independence in July 1776(which unsurprising is probably what people first think of when you say 1776) you'd have to go elsewhere like David McCullough's epic biography of John Adams. This is pretty much a military history of George Washington during this time period.

David McCullough's storytelling is masterful and I highly recommend the audio version. I've read other military books and they can be dry and overly serious without much context, this is none of that. His descriptions are colorful and we get to know more about the people involved which point out the good and the bad of each side in this case(yes Washington had his faults). For those wishing to read about the American Revolution I'd certainly put this on the essential reading list.

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Enduring Vietnam by James Edwards Wright

Enduring Vietnam: An American Generation and Its War by James Edward Wright
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was born in the midst of the American War in Vietnam and it was over by the time I became aware of it. I had uncles that were there, one seriously wounded. The war itself wasn't if at all, discussed very much. In my reading the past year or so I've taken an interest in exploring this tumultuous event in our country's history. I've read many viewpoints from military and political narratives. I've also read personal accounts of the boots on the ground from the patrols to the large scale battles that went on. This one though seemed to blend those together to give an overall picture of the war not only overseas but how it was experienced on the home front without being politically charged one way or the other.

One particularly moving moment was how the government was unprepared to notify families of soldiers who were wounded or killed, especially early in the war. The movie "We Were Soldiers" shows this too where taxi drivers dispatched with telegrams to give to family's telegrams of their loss. As you can imagine that didn't go over well. It was later changed that a member of the military and usually a local clergy member wound do it. Even then it was a harrowing experience not only for family members but those tasked with notifying usually didn't last long doing it as it was an emotionally draining experience. I have an 18-year-old son and couldn't imagine hearing that kind of news myself.

The book came closer to my personal quest in finding something about the Vietnam War to sort of paint a before and after picture about how it affected attitudes and society in general. It seems it started with high ideals with a sense of duty and obligation. What seemed to happen during the course of the conflict was those ideals seemed to drain away when the war, which didn't have clearly defined goals, dragged on and on and on. It wasn't a more traditional war of territorial goals but became a war of attrition and patience in which the opposition had more of.

It is an excellent book about this era and can be a good starting point to go deeper into a given area as it covers a lot of subjects and viewpoints that could be booked on their own. Anyone looking for a deeper understanding of this historic period should put this on their reading list.

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The Company of the Mad: The Stand Podcast

I binged this podcast the other night which talks about The Stand by Stephen King. It's fascinating and interesting to listen to if you're a fan of King and the book. This is just the first episode. Enjoy!

Trump Nation: The Art of Being The Donald by Timothy L. O'Brien

TrumpNation: The Art of Being The Donald by Timothy L. O'Brien
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was an interesting look The Donald before he got serious about politics. In short he's been much about selling an image rather than an a tangible item. To paraphrase someone else he's the poor man's image of a rich man. A weak man's image of a tough guy. The late iconic movie star John Wayne did this as he became a character all his own in an almost self parody. Instead of Wayne playing a part, the part was Wayne. It was John Wayne the sailor. It was John Wayne the Marine and of course John Wayne the cowboy. In turn it was Donald the real estate mogul. It was Donald the airline owner. It was Donald owning a football team. It was Donald owning(and bankrupting) casino's. It was Donald the deal-maker and so on.

The book ends just as he is riding the initial success of "The Apprentice" which is said to reinvent and repair Donald's image after the 90's beat him up a bit. This is before his start with birther-ism and one could say his spiraling towards his more darker side in politics. Up to this he had been relatively harmless minor celebrity riding a wave of popularity due to his show. His legacy may have gone relatively untarnished had his celebrity peaked here but obviously it didn't.

It's not a bad book if you're looking for a relatively unbiased look at Donald before he became politically decisive and controversial. He was no angel up to this point but he wasn't the leader of the free world either. It doesn't have the feel of an overly serious look at Donald himself or any of his shadier business practices or his outdated personal beliefs that would later come to life. The book sort of treats him as a modern day(as of 2005) P.T. Barnum which isn't meant as a dig but it was pretty much where Donald was at that point in history as he was sort of taken as a joke. It seems the joke was on us.



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Reading summary for July

Reading summary for  July:

White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo - Excellent thought provoking book on racism and White fragility. I highly recommend this one for incite into recent reaction to the murder of George Floyd and protests that exploded in it’s aftermath. It was helpful for me to begin to understand my own place in it.

The Fifties by David Halberstam - I had been on a reading journey of sorts regarding the 1960’s but wanted to look back into the 1950’s to see what influenced the turbulent 1960’s. It covers issues such as the development of the hydrogen bomb(AKA: “The Super” in the book), Korean War, MacDonald’s, Eisenhauer, Nixon, French War in Vietnam( which turned into our problem a decade later, Brown versus Board of Education, Little Rock, Rosa Parks, Rev, Martin L. King Jr, Elvis Presley, Joseph McCarthy and so on. Some of the beginning was a bit dry but got more interesting as it went along. It’s not just a chronological history but one in which many of the stories intertwined with each other. Each one of them could be a book onto itself (which most have I imagine). It’s sort of a book that can be a good starting point or reference for the decade. 

Books in progress:

Too Much and Never Enough by Mary L. Trump PH.D. - I’m about ¾ of the way through this and it’s certainly one of the better books on the subject of the current President. 

Enduring Vietnam by James Edward Wright - An interesting look at the American War in Vietnam. It’s neither a political or military historical but an overall look at how it affected society and how it had been different from our other wars, especially World War 2.

Promise Me, Dad by Joe Biden - It’s seemed I was over saturating with Trump books so I thought I’d take a look at who will hopefully be our next President. In short Joe is a complete 180 from the current White House occupant as far just being a decent human being. The book is set around the time his son Beau was diagnosed with the cancer that would eventually take his life. It is very good so far.

BOOKSTORES: How to Read More Books in the Golden Age of Content

We Were Soldiers Once....and Young by Harold G. Moore and Joseph Galloway

We Were Soldiers Once... and Young: Ia Drang - The Battle that Changed the War in Vietnam by Harold G. Moore

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

(Listened to Audible version) I'd say this is one of the most intense war time narratives I've ever read or listened to. Attention to detail has not been spared here. I listened on audio and I had to take frequent breaks as it was exhausting with all the action going on at the same time. Like many I had seen the movie this was based on but it was many years ago. I was born a year after the battle happened so I don't have first hand knowledge of the era but had uncles that were in the service(usually Marines) and one was wounded severely. You could say I grew up in the shadow of the Vietnam War era. Even my own service in the army in the 80's we'd encounter someone with the famous 1st Cav shoulder patch and it carried an aura of respectability.

Lt. Gen. Harold G. Moore (Associated Press)

I've read or listened to war time accounts from many perspectives from individual soldiers, platoon leaders, Generals all the way to White House. Lt. Col. Moore’s account gave a rare accounting from a field officer from battalion level. His attention to detail is incredible, so much so it almost is a distraction at times , at least when listening to the audio version as hearing everyone's full unit description in the midst of the firefight each time someone is introduced but I digress too much.

The book focuses on the battle of Ia Drang valley in November of 1965. The battle is narrated not just by authors Lt. Col. Moore and Joseph Galloway but also others that were there too including testimony from the North Vietnamese commander. The story is intense, fast paced and raw. The book gives a glimpse into the beginnings of what was to become a drawn out war. An excellent narrative of the American war experience in Vietnam.

Thanks to all who served there.

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The Korean War by Christopher Chant

The Korean War by Christopher Chant
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book on the Korean War is part of a larger series called the "The Military History of the United States". It is relatively short in length with a mix of text, illustrations, maps and photograph. As the series title may foretell it focuses primarily though it does give some historical background that lead up to the war itself. At a relatively short 136 pages it seems to give a concise summation of the war rather than a thoroughly comprehensive history of the war. It does provide the basics of what happened for those that are unfamiliar or new to the subject. It provides a decent starting point for those looking into this event. After this I'd recommend "The Korean War" by Max Hastings and "The Coldest Winter" by David Halberstam which are more in depth.

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Yes We (Still) Can: Politics in the Age of Obama, Twitter, and Trump by Dan Pfeiffer

Yes We (Still) Can: Politics in the Age of Obama, Twitter, and Trump by Dan Pfeiffer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As an avid listener of Pod Save America I was immediately drawn to this when I saw it on the book store shelf(along with the colorful graphics). The book is roughly drawn into different segments. First is a personal memoir of how Dan's political life grew and how he ended up in the Obama administration. Secondly is a look into the inner workings of the Obama Administration. The third is his personal insight into how we ended up going from Obama to Trump and the chaos we have in today's politics. Also thrown in is his directness(curse words and all), workaholicism, neuroticism, and how he met his wife. It isn't your typical droning preachy political book meaning as seriously as subject matter there are lighthearted moments and a bit of self-deprecating humor to let us know he's human and not just another faceless Presidential advisor. For those looking for some insight on what it was like inside the Obama years, this is a good place to start.

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HBO Band of Brothers: German General's speech

Destiny of the Republic: A tale of Madness, Medicine and Murder of a President by Candice Millard

Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President by Candice Millard
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Although he only served a short time I’ve found the story of James Garfield and his tragic ending a fascinating story. I first came along the story of his assassination thru “Assassination Vacation” by Sarah Vowell which led me later to a more in depth biography in “Garfield” by Allan Peskin. This book focuses though primarily on his assassination and the events and people involved.

The largest part of the book seems to focus on the archaic medical care that played a large part in his eventual death after being shot. Garfield had been shot on July 2, 1881 but didn’t die until September 19, 1882 from massive infections. The concept of germs was still new although it was widely accepted in Europe was still not accepted in the American medical profession. It didn’t help that he was under the care of an egomaniac, Dr. Willard Bliss, who micromanaged the President’s care that wouldn’t allow for any dissenting or differing opinions. Dr. Bliss and others probed the President with unsterilized fingers and other instruments that only worsened infection. Even when famed inventor, Alexander Graham Bell, tried to locate the bullet with a device he tirelessly worked to create told that Bell he could only look where Bliss thought the bullet was. Later when the autopsy it was done the bullet was nowhere near where Dr. Bliss thought it was.

Meanwhile the assassin Charles Guiteau was sitting a jail cell wondering when General Sherman was going to come rescue him and thank him as he too was a Republican “stalwart”. Obviously that didn’t happen. Charles had been seeking a government job because he felt deserved one because he wrote a speech stumping for Garfield the year before. Those were still the days of the “spoils” system where with each new President was usually barraged with those seeking jobs. Guiteau took his quest to the level of harassment and stalking. After months of this he finally decides to kill the President after he had a dream he believed to be from God. He decided that “If the President was out of the way everything would go better.”

The bulk of the book towards the end tells of the care, if you could call it that, he received in the hands of his doctor who either out of egotistical pressure or ignorance of proper care perhaps contributed to eventual death of the President. Even though the knowledge of dangerous microbes and the practice of sterilization were accepted by the medical community in Europe it had yet to gain much acceptance in the United States.

I was a little disappointed that Charles Guiteau’s afterward seemed to receive lighter coverage by the author in comparison. It would seem the Candice Millard didn’t want to focus too much on the assassin too much. The account of trial she does include makes it sound like a circus rival any in the modern day. Even though Guiteau tried to plead insanity he was still found guilty and hanged nearly a year to the day of him shooting the President.

I do recommend this if you’re looking more about President James Garfield, his assassination and why he didn’t die until months after his shooting. It does give fair amount biographical information about the President but the main focus obviously is about the assassination itself.

Other suggested titles:
Garfield: A Biography by Allan Peskin (1978)
Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell (2005)


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Neil Elwood Peart 1952-2020

Some late night in the early 80's I came across this video(shown above) and was blown away. It was unlike anything I'd heard. The music was intense and graphics high tech(at least at time,lol). It was at the moment I became a Rush fan for life. It was not your normal pop/rock music that was about boy/girl stuff or rocking all night long. It was also intense and took you along a journey you could get lost in the music awhile. It was perfect for stress relief. The album "Moving Pictures" that has this song has always been one of all time favorites. 

I later learned Neil was a private and introverted. He often shunned the limelight. He was also very well read was chief songwriter for band. He was an intense perfectionist about his craft and took it very seriously. 

Thank you Neil for the many years of music and joy you brought to the world thru your music and life. 

In Retrospect by Robert McNamara

In Retrospect: The Tragedy and Lessons of Vietnam by Robert S. McNamara
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As I was born in middle of the Vietnam War I had no firsthand knowledge of the event or Robert McNamara. I did have uncles that served there even one that was severely wounded. Like many in my generation it was a mystery with a controversial outcome that was sometimes just not talked about. In a sense we grew up in the shadows of Watergate and Vietnam War. The recent Ken Burns documentary renewed my interest in this era. I saw this in my local library and thought it would an interesting addition to my reading list on the subject as he was Secretary of Defense during much of conflict he was a central player.

The book is his attempt to explain his side of the story about what happened during his time as Secretary of Defense with two different Presidents. He tries to give insight into the decision making that went on between the two leaders regarding Vietnam and Cold War policy. There seemed a lot of dancing around the subject of sending in troops and the effectiveness of strategic bombing. Even the Gulf of Tonkin incident seems hazy yet it led to congressional approval to widen the war. One question that is debated is to what Kennedy would have done had he not been assassinated. Would he have escalated or eventually stayed out. The picture McNamara paints is that he was doing his best to be loyal to the President and it wasn’t his entire fault. In essence he lays a lot on President Johnson’s feet for the war.

In the end it is a memoir which one has to keep in mind it is just one person’s point of view. Someone writing about themselves will most times try and defend themselves whether purposeful or not. I don’t necessarily hold it against them. It is good book to get an insiders point of view of the Vietnam War at the highest levels of decision making in the White House. McNamara does come off as sincere and intelligent but with a touch of arrogance. The reader would have to be the final judge as to the accuracy of the information.


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