Handling the Truth: On the Writing of Memoir by Beth Kephart

When I look at vendor's catalogs or review journals, I marvel at how many memoirs are being published. While the starting point of the memoir flood can be debated, many people agree that there are more now than ever before. National Book Award finalist Beth Kephart, who has written five memoirs herself, has a vested interest in the genre and has written a guide for its writers called Handling the Truth: On the Writing of Memoir.

In Handling the Truth, Kephart draws from her experiences as a reader, a writer, and an instructor at the University of Pennsylvania. She quotes from both her favorite authors and her students in this how-to that somewhat parallels a course she teaches. Readers will find most of the book to be encouraging, cheering potential memoirists to write to discover and define their own lives, but she adds a good dose of caution. She warns that almost any truthful memoir is bound to upset some friends or family, which may not be worth the price of its publishing. Memoir writers must prepare themselves for the consequences of people reading versions of their past which they regret or reject.

In her guide, Kephart is especially critical of writers who have broken faith with their readers, posing fiction as fact. She extends her opposition from pure fabrications to memoirs that merely change names and details of stories to minimize hurt to others. Kephart thinks the writers of these books ought to admit they have strayed into fiction for the sake of readers and those who are trying to be truthful in their memoir writings. Likewise, she charges memoir writers who do strive for truth do diligent research and interview others to make sure their stories are fair. She asks writers seriously to weigh whether unflattering details are truly needed to tell the story before they are included.

The last section of Handling the Truth is filled with short reviews of what Kephart considers to be top-grade memoirs, which she encourages potential authors to read before starting their own memoir quests. Any reader who enjoys memoirs can find some additions to his or her reading list. You don't have to be a potential writer to enjoy this book. I found numerous useful comments about the memoir that my book club will be discussing this month. Kephart's book is a good addition to public library writing collections.

Kephart, Beth. Handling the Truth: On the Writing of Memoir. Gotham Books, 2013. 254p. ISBN 9781592408153.

What W. H. Auden Can Do for You by Alexander McCall Smith

When I picked up What W. H. Auden Can Do for You, my interest was more in its author Alexander McCall Smith than in Auden. I have read many of McCall Smith's mysteries and other books, while my reading of the poetry of Auden has been limited to school assignments. I almost always enjoy whatever McCall Smith writes, and this book was no exception.

That said, I think I should give Auden some time. McCall Smith has told me why he is devoted to the poet, and at my advanced age I may now be mature enough to appreciate the poetry. McCall Smith points out that a reader has to take Auden's verse slowly and reread puzzling bits of it to make any sense of it, but he assures readers that it can be rewarding to those who are seeking meaning in life. McCall Smith portrays Auden as a thinker of great compassion and tolerance who can both challenge and reassure readers.

What W. H. Auden Can Do for You is not literary criticism. Its twelve chapter are essays about what McCall Smith likes about the poet. None are long and should appeal to readers who enjoy or think they should enjoy poetry.

McCall Smith, Alexander. What W. H. Auden Can Do for You. Princeton University Press, 2013. 137p. ISBN 9780691144733.

Peppermint Twist: The Mob, the Music, and the Most Famous Dance Club of the '60s by John Johnson, Jr. and Joel Selvin with Dick Cami

Over 50 years ago, there was a dance craze that swept the world of rock and roll. Hank Ballard named the Twist in a 1958 song later made famous in a 1960 recording by Chubby Checkers. The media soon spotted a crowd of teens dancing the Twist at the Peppermint Lounge in New York. This obscure nightclub run as a front by organized crime unintentionally became the haunt of celebrities wanting to dance and be seen. John Johnson, Jr. and Joel Selvin with Dick Cami tell the story in Peppermint Twist: The Mob, the Music, and the Most Famous Dance Club of the '60s.

The "with Dick Cami" is an important part of the author equation, as Cami was the manager of the original Peppermint Lounge in New York and then the Miami Beach club which opened when the Twist craze was waning. He was not, according to this account, in the mob himself, but his father-in-law was an important mob boss, Johnny Biello. According to the authors, Biello tried to keep Cami on the legitimate side of his business, but readers may well understand why the FBI was suspicious of Cami. He certainly knew a lot of mobsters.

Peppermint Twist was promoted and catalogued as a book about music. It tells the story of the Twist, a body of Twist songs, and the singers who sung them, but more than half the book is about organized crime. From reading reviews I expected more about the music scene and am slightly disappointed. True crime readers, however, may be pleasantly surprised and enjoy this mob story with a twist.

Johnson, John, Jr. and Joel Selvin with Dick Cami. Peppermint Twist: The Mob, the Music, and the Most Famous Dance Club of the '60s. Thomas Dunne Books, 2012. 289p. ISBN 9780312581787.

Yellowstone: Early Travelers Tell Their Tales by M. Mark Miller

Is it better for travelers to read about places before or after their visit? The answer to that question depends, of course, on the readers. I like to do some of both. Bonnie researches places to which we traveling very thoroughly before we go, and I rely on her for much of the planning. I read enough to know what I want to see and have an idea of what happened there. I often read more afterwards, when I know the lay of the land.

Having recently been to Yellowstone National Park and to its most famous attractions, I am now reading more about the park. I started with Adventures in Yellowstone: Early Travelers Tell Their Tales collected and edited by M. Mark Miller, twelve traveler's reports about trips taken between 1839 and 1904. In that period, public knowledge of Yellowstone grew from a few explorers' tales to many widely-spread and accurate descriptions published for tourist publications. The first personal account in this collection was written by a trapper who escaped an Indian attack and survived being lost in the woods. The final piece was written by a noted travel reporter who took a luxury five-day tour by stage coach, staying at each of the Yellowstone's five hotels, one each at Mammoth Hot Springs, the Norris Geyser Basin, the Upper Geyser Basin (home of Old Faithful), the shores of Lake Yellowstone, and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River.

Though the twelve journal writers had various reasons for being in Yellowstone, they shared an enthusiasm for its natural beauty, incredible waterfalls, and geothermal wonders. Some encountered bears, while others were caught by early snowstorms. One cared for a companion who accidentally fell in a scalding hot spring. All of their stories included drama and great historical details.

Adventures in Yellowstone serves as a good introduction to the park's incredible history and may please readers who have fallen in love with its grand scenery.

Miller, M. Mark. Adventures in Yellowstone: Early Travelers Tell Their Tales. Twodot, 2009. 264p. ISBN 9780762754144.

One Summer: America, 1927 by Bill Bryson

To learn what happened in the summer of 1927 - perhaps your parents or grandparents were born that year - you could go to a library that still has newspaper microfilm, which you could slowly scan reel by reel. It might take you weeks to read it all. As an alternative, you could read the 1927 issues of Time magazine*, which was a fairly new publication. That would save you a little time over the newspapers. What I suggest, however, is that you read or listen to Bill Bryson's One Summer: America, 1927. You'll save much time and be humorously entertained.

The ever-bright Bryson presents 1927 as a pivotal year in American history, showing that many great events did occur during the warmer months of that year, which Bryson stretches from May into October. That stretch of the idea of summer may seem beyond dictionary definition, but it is fair as none of the major summer stories really resulted from the action of just one day or even week. Most took months to settle. Cheerfully Bryson introduces, develops, and eventually concludes many of the most-reported stories of that summer:

• Charles Lindbergh's solo flight across the Atlantic and his struggle with fame
• the murder trial of husband-slayer Ruth Snyder 
• the lengthy Western States vacation of President Calvin Coolidge 
• Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig's season-long home run contest 
• the no-government-funds-will-be-used relief campaign for Mississippi River flood victims directed by Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover 
• the somewhat-disputed outcome of the second Dempsey-Tunney "exhibition" (prize fight) in Chicago 
• Henry Ford's abruptly stopping of production of the Model T to retool his factories for a new unnamed automobile which led to a shortage of stock in showrooms across the country
• Al Jolson's starring in the first talkie, The Jazz Singer 
• Al Capone's public appearances and his statements about the popularity of vices in Chicago 

That is not all. There are too many story lines to mention all here, but this list gives you an idea of how many big splashy headlines there were that year. (There was also one important unreported story -
four international bankers, representing the U.S., Great Britain, France, and Germany, secretly establishing policies that would lead to the 1929 crash of stock markets.) Bryson works his way through the summer, dealing out entertaining installments of all of these stories.
I especially liked a change-of-pace chapter Bryson devotes to the books of 1927. Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Faulkner, and other authors that we still read were writing, but bestseller lists were dominated by authors who we no longer recognize, except for Zane Grey and William Rice Burroughs. Grey and Burroughs get detailed Bryson-style biographical profiles. Bryson also concludes the book with obituaries of major and minor figures from the year. The last to die was Anne Morrow Lindbergh in 2001.

I lived in Bryson's 1927 for about a week, and 2013 seems very futuristic now. Not everything has changed, however. Bankers are still causing lots of trouble.

Bryson, Bill. One Summer: America, 1927. Doubleday, 2013. 509p. ISBN 9780767919401. 

Audiobook. Books on Tape, 2013. 14 compact discs. ISBN 9780804127356.

* Bryson gleefully reveals the repetitively bad writing in 1927 issues of Time magazine at several points in his book.

National Geographic, October 2013: 125th Anniversary Collector's Edition: The Photo Issue

Much has changed since the National Geographic Society began issuing its bulletin 125 years ago. The early issues had no photographs. Now the monthly magazine is celebrated for its arresting photojournalism that shows the world to its readers. With its October 2013 issue, the Society celebrates its photographic heritage but not by reproducing its most famous images. There are books already doing that. Instead, through a series of new reports, it shows why its photojournalism is still important today.

That is not to say that some of the most famous pictures are not in the magazine. A few are in the short features that populate the front section of the magazine issue, and there is a foldout with more. But the emphasis is on the current state of the world, which is not promising. Jeffrey Gettleman and Marcus Bleasdale show how a corrupt government and rebel armies keep people poor and hungry in the mineral rich Congo. Robert Kunzig and James Balog present undeniable evidence of global warming in their article about the melting of glaciers. Tim Sullivan and David Guttenfelder take readers into the gray and oppressive streets of North Korea.

There are also articles to cheer readers. Martin Schoeller and Lise Funderburg reveal the "The Changing Face of America" in an article about people of mixed heritage. Schoeller's portraits of biracial men, women, and children are stunningly beautiful. Also, Tom O'Neill explains how Abelardo Morell has used the old technology of the camera obscura to create unique yet recognizable images of America's national parks.

Not to be skipped are the short pieces that feature bits of National Geographic's photographic history, including a chart that shows how frequently the magazine has included nudity. There have been 539 photos including bare breasts in 125 years, with a high of 20 in the September 1912 issue. I also liked Theron Humphrey's amusing photos of his dog Maddie who stands on small surfaces.

Digital editions are reported to have interviews with NG photographers. NG fans will find much to enjoy in this issue.

American Alligator: Ancient Predator in the Modern World by Kelby Ouchley

If you want to get the attention of preschool and elementary school children, carry around a copy of American Alligator: Ancient Predator in the Modern World by Kelby Ouchley. They'll want to see what you have. Then, when they tell you about the shark books that they borrowed from the library, you can say, "The jaws of an American alligator are much stronger than the jaws of a shark." Watch as their eyes grow big.

Being a publication from the University Press of Florida, however, American Alligator is not aimed at the younger reader. Instead, it is a serious assessment of the state of alligator conservation and the role of the alligator in modern America. The surprisingly good news is that American alligators have recovered from threatened extinction to thrive, thanks to the spread of wildlife preserves, limited hunting seasons, and the rise of alligator ranches to provide most of the hides for the leather goods and meat markets. The troubling news is that alligators have now adapted to urban environments and become pest animals in cities across the South. According to Ouchley, it is not the alligator's fault. People have dumped their overgrown pet alligators into canals, and most human injuries can be attributed to reckless behavior of humans. Normally an alligator wants to stay away from humans.

With numerous personal touches and good story telling, Ouchley has succeeded in writing an academic press book suitable for general readers. It will appeal to viewers of nature documentaries and students doing animal reports.

Ouchley, Kelby. American Alligator: Ancient Predator in the Modern World. University Press of Florida, 2013. 160p. ISBN 9780813049137.

Falling Upwards: How We Took to the Air by Richard Holmes

When I began reviewing for Booklist, Brad Hooper enlisted me to read new science titles. At some point I let him know that I would also review biography or history. So, Falling Upwards: How We Took to the Air by Richard Holmes was a perfect assignment - a book about the history of ballooning with generous technical details and biographical profiles. I chose it first from a shipment of books that Brad sent at the end of summer and was not disappointed.

I have never gone up in a balloon, but I have always thought it would be spectacular to float over the earth, getting a grand sweeping view of town and country. It never looked particularly dangerous to me, but a reader of Falling Upwards will learn that it can easily become deadly. Several of the pioneers of ballooning lost their lives in accidents, some in particularly dramatic fashion. Most notably, thousands of people witnessed the death of French heroine Sophie Blanchard as she fell from the sky over Paris in 1819. Also, Thomas Harris may have jumped from a plummeting balloon to reduce the weight and save the life of the mysterious and beautiful young woman that he taken for a ride in 1824. Other balloonists barely survived unforeseen circumstances only to repeatedly test the skies again and again.

In the late 18th and throughout the 19th centuries there were always unforeseen circumstances. Weather forecasting was just a dream, and balloonists had no actual means to steer their balloons. They might lose air or catch fire at almost any point. Some balloonists fainted from oxygen deprivation when they flew too high. The perils were numerous, but experimenters persisted in believing balloons were the key to modern rapid transportation of goods, communications, and people. Only the success of the Wright Brothers in introducing powered flight brought the balloon dream to an end.

In Falling Upwards, Holmes tells many great stories, including how scientists first learned about the upper atmosphere firsthand and how the French used balloons to get letters and witnesses out of besieged Paris during the Franco-Prussian War. This entertaining history will appeal to many readers.

Holmes, Richard. Falling Upwards: How We Took to the Air. Pantheon Books, 2013. 416p. ISBN 9780307379665.

On Rereading My Reading Life by Pat Conroy

For the second time this fall, I have reread a book that I read within the past two years. Both were memoirs. Rereading is something I have done very little of in my life, as there are so many books still to read. This time the book was My Reading Life by Pat Conroy. Much was familiar, of course, but just like when I see a movie a second time, I noticed parts of the story that I had previously missed.

For instance, I did not recall Conroy discussing the lives of military children as a category, though he was one obviously. I met bunches of "military brats" when I went to college. As a elementary school student before that, I met many children of oilfield industry employees who were transferred into and out of my town. They were much like military children. What he says of military kids and I would add any children who frequently move rings true. What jumps out at me now, however, is a statement relating to the children who have always lived in one town. I found this on page 191:

When I was a child, my heart used to sink at every new move or new set of orders. By necessity, I became an expert at spotting outsiders. All through my youth I was grateful for unpopular children. In their unhappiness, I saw my chance for rescue… 

I guess every book has something to which the reader relates, and I found mine in this statement. It was a revelation. With one important exception, my closest friends were all boys who moved into town between fifth grade and high school, not the ones who had always been there. In the outsider, I think Conroy has described someone much like who I was. And the new kids were my chance of rescue, too. It is funny that I only realized this now, many years later.

Maybe I should reread memoirs more often.

I reread for the sake of attending a book discussion. Since several members of our book group are devoted Pat Conroy reader, one even brought an autographed copy, the discussion was particularly lively.

Conroy, Pat. My Reading Life. Doubleday, 2010. 337p. ISBN 9780385533577.

The Millionaire and the Mummies: Theodore Davis's Gilded Age in the Valley of the Kings by John M. Adams

In modern art museums, works of art or antiquity are usually accompanied by plaques identifying pieces, their creators (if known), places of origin, dates, and how the pieces were acquired by the museum. "Gift of" or "bequest" are familiar statements on such signs. In the Egyptian galleries of both Boston's Museum of Fine Arts and New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, many antiquities from tombs in the Valley of the Kings were gifts of the Gilded Age millionaire Theodore Davis. John M. Adams explains how Davis obtained these pieces in The Millionaire and the Mummies: Theodore Davis's Gilded Age in the Valley of the Kings.

If you have read about the politics of archeology, you know that modern nations are rarely willing to part with their antiquities, and Egypt is now very protective of its ancient treasures. Even in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Egypt had laws claiming that antiquities belonged to the state and should not leave the country. There were, however, loopholes in the laws, allowing Egyptian officials to give "keepsakes" to the rich Europeans and Americans who sponsored excavations of tombs. Over a fifteen to twenty year period when many tombs were discovered, Theodore Davis was the most active sponsor of Egyptian archeology and received many pieces as gifts of the Egyptian government.

Like many of the philanthropists of his age, Davis made his fortune through unethical means. As a lawyer working for banks and railroads, he saw opportunities to manipulate transactions to his own benefit. His own specialty seemed to be cheating cheaters. Three times he was investigated by Congressional subcommittees, but evidence of his crimes was never strong enough to convict him. He was aided by the perjury of associates and bribes to government officials as well as the fact that his accusers usually had much to hide themselves.

I enjoyed how the author made settings vivid. Iowa City, Iowa (I visited often while my daughter was in college) and New York City (I vacationed there earlier this year) are featured as are locations along the Nile River (where I'd like to go some day). I also enjoyed how Adams mixed stories from various periods of Davis's life to reveal his character gradually.

The Millionaire and the Mummies shows the Gilded Age in a critical light, identifying injustices that have not been forgotten. It also recounts the life of a very complicated man and his unusual family arrangements. It would make an excellent book discussion book.

Adams, John M. The Millionaire and the Mummies: Theodore Davis's Gilded Age in the Valley of the Kings. St. Martin's Press, 2013. 363p. ISBN 9781250026699.

The Tapir Scientist: Saving South America's Largest Mammal by Sy Montgomery

I'd like to get a job writing nonfiction nature books for children. Maybe I'd be assigned to great places like the Pantanal Wetlands in South America. I'd especially like it if I got to work with naturalists studying secretive wildlife. It would be worth fighting off the ticks and mosquitoes to get to see what so few people see. Author Sy Montgomery and photographer Nic Bishop were so lucky. They visited and worked with Patricia Medici, whose work is described in The Tapir Scientist: Saving South America's Largest Mammal.

Not everyone knows tapirs, stout mammals that look like a cross between elephants and pigmy hippopotami but which are most closely related to horses. Of the four surviving species, three live in South America and one in Asia. Little is known about the lives of these rare animals, whose babies resemble watermelons, so the work of Brazilian biologist Medici and her team is innovative and highly important to wildlife conservation.

Montgomery and Bishop have traveled to remote locations in the past. In Saving the Ghost of the Mountain, they report on their work with scientists studying snow leopards in Mongolia. In that and their new book, they vividly describe the daily work of dedicated biologists. I found both books fascinating, much like watching an episode of PBS Nature.

Montgomery and Bishop's books are usually shelved in children's libraries, where many of the best books can be found.

Montgomery, Sy. The Tapir Scientist: Saving South America's Largest Mammal. Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, 2013. 80p. ISBN 9780547815480.

Eighty Days: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland's History-Making Race Around the World by Matthew Goodman

Travel has long been praised as a transforming experience. In Eighty Days: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland's History-Making Race Around the World, author Matthew Goodman tells us how the lives of two young women of the Gilded Age, traveling alone when women were supposed to be chaperoned, were changed by circling the world.

In the 1880s, means of transportation were quickening. With the laying of railroads across continents, launching of ocean-crossing steamships, and the opening of the Suez Canal, trips that had previously taken months could be made in days. Jules Verne recognized the possibilities and delighted readers with his adventure novel Around the World in Eighty Days. With speculation about global travel running high because of Verne's book, journalist Nellie Bly consulted time tables and calculated a trip around the world could be made in only 75 days. In 1889, she proposed that the New York World send her on such a trip. The editors at first declined but later, feeling that they needed a big splashy story to stop a decline in their sales, accepted her idea.

An editor for Cosmopolitan magazine also recognized the opportunity for publicity and within hours of Nellie Bly's departure to the east sent his book reviewer Elizabeth Bisland west in an attempt to beat Bly back to New York. Women who had never met suddenly became rivals. In Eighty Days, the author recounts two difficult journeys while comparing and contrasting two novice travelers. He also uses incidents from their trips to introduce topics of the age, including the closing of he American frontier, British imperialism, the rise of the tourist industry, and the role of women in journalism. In the concluding chapters, Goodman describes how Bly and Bisland fared after their notoriety faded.

Because most of the story is about the journeys, Eighty Days will be found in the travel section of your public library. History readers should remember to look there for it and other entertaining historical travel adventures.

Goodman, Matthew. Eighty Days: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland's History-Making Race Around the World. Ballantine Books, 2013. 449p. ISBN 9780345527264.

audiobook: Random House Audio, 2013. 15 compact discs. approximately 19 hours. ISBN 9780385359726.

The American Scream

On Friday night after showing The American Scream to our film discussion group at the library, I had the worst nightmare that I can remember having since childhood. It involved my going into our kitchen and hearing a scream coming from the stew pot on the stove. Even in my dreams I should have known better than to lift the lid on the stew pot. I can't even begin to describe the horror.

This is all a little surprising. Though there are plenty of grizzly images in documentary The American Scream, which shows three home haunters and their families preparing for Halloween, the film was mostly light and sweet. Some of the home haunters were obsessive in their efforts to put on a good show in either their basements or backyards, but they all seemed intent on having good fun. There were some family issues to sort out, but every family seemed to love being a part of the fun. I especially liked the father and son who volunteered as clowns for parties and community events when they were not preparing for Halloween. It all made me want to decorate our yard or go to a haunted house right away.

You might ask what there was to discuss in a mostly straight forward documentary chronicling a month of preparations for Halloween. I'd suggest examining the characters in the film and your own community feeling about the holiday. You'll probably start talking about your own Halloween memories. That's what the ten people who came to our discussion did.

Here is the trailer to give you a feel for the film: The American Scream trailer.

Mr. Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown

Mr. Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown feels like a dangerous book to me. I just read it and am feeling that I should blow off work today. Oh, I'll probably still go today, but maybe I'll skip tomorrow. Maybe not tomorrow, but sometime soon.

I'd like to read Mr. Tiger Goes Wild with young children. We'd all become wild animals and run about the park. But that may be too dangerous. We might all jump in a fountain.

I am feeling like spending the whole day outdoors, away from buildings and streets, out in the forest. Why is that? Maybe I will read Mr. Tiger Goes Wild again.

Brown, Peter. Mr. Tiger Goes Wild. Little Brown and Company, 2013. ISBN 9780316200639.

Bushville Wins! The Wild Saga of the 1957 Milwaukee Braves and the Screwballs, Sluggers, and Beer Swiggers Who Canned the New York Yankees and Changed Baseball by John Klima

Here is a good World Series book.

During the major league baseball playoffs, with my teams dropping faster than the autumn leaves, I turned from the television to my reading wish list and choose Bushville Wins! The Wild Saga of the 1957 Milwaukee Braves and the Screwballs, Sluggers, and Beer Swiggers Who Canned the New York Yankees and Changed Baseball by John Klima, a baseball story that I knew would end well. The subtitle and the pictures on the cover give away the ending to anyone not already familiar with the story. I knew the basics, having read two books on the baseball career of Henry Aaron, a key player in the saga. I read this history of the 1957 Braves over four or five days, still peeking at the current playoffs each night.

Bushville Wins! is a classic team history divided into three parts. The first tells how in 1953 the hapless Boston Braves became the first major league team to relocate in 50 years. The move gave the team a larger fan base and more capital with which to build on an already promising core of young players. The second part recounts the ups and downs of the team during the 1957 season, which threatened at times to be as disappointing as 1956 when the Braves were eliminated from the pennant race on the final weekend. In the final part, the author tells how the Braves beat the favored Yankees, who had won so many times before.

Being anti-Yankee all my life, I found Bushville Wins! a story to savor. The author describes how in the 1950s New York dominance of baseball had dampened national interest in the game. He asserts that the Braves' move to Milwaukee led the way to the spread of teams across the country and that their win in the World Series signaled that most champions would come from outside New York City in the future.

I enjoyed many entertaining stories about old players whose baseball cards I had as a kid - Eddie Mathews, Warren Spahn, Lew Burdette, and Bob Buhl. They were a spirited brotherhood dedicated to fun on and off the field. I also liked what in the 21st century seem strange details, such as Braves officials running a thousand telegraph lines into County Stadium for reporters covering the 1957 World Series. The author makes 1957 Milwaukee a lively destination for sports book readers.

Klima, John. Bushville Wins! The Wild Saga of the 1957 Milwaukee Braves and the Screwballs, Sluggers, and Beer Swiggers Who Canned the New York Yankees and Changed Baseball. Thomas Dunne Books, 2012. 323p. ISBN 9781250006073.

Henry IV Part 1 by William Shakespeare

Bonnie and I recently watched the Great Performances broadcast of William Shakespeare's Henry IV Part 1. Including both Jeremy Irons (above) and Tom Hiddleston, the film shot in historical locations in Great Britain promised to be entertaining. It proved fascinating, but I was a little confused throughout.

Shakespeare did not provide an explanatory prologue in Henry IV Part 1. Instead, readers of the play or viewers of the broadcast are from Act One thrown right into the plot with Henry IV (Irons) telling his court why he is unhappy with the news from battlefronts. Long passages introduce numerous characters, whose allegiances are questionable. I knew from previous Shakespeare experiences to wait and much will become clear. In the meantime, I tried to remember bits of British history and draw on my memory of reading the play in college.

I found that I remembered comic parts about the Prince and his friend Falstaff better than any of the political and military history. Of course, on the screen the pub scenes seemed edgier than I ever imagined when reading. The prince was more wayward than just a school boy involved in pranks. Hiddleston brought the role to life splendidly.

Near the end of the video during the battle scene, Bonnie pulled down The Riverside Shakespeare (one of the few books that I have kept from college) and tried to follow along. She discovered that some very helpful lines were cut and the sequence of the action altered somewhat. After the play ended - its summation as brief as its introduction - I kept The Riverside Shakespeare out and read the play again over the next three nights.

I see now that while viewing I confused facts about the character Mortimer with that of the character Worcester. I also learned the Henry Percival the younger, called Hotspur, was a brother-in-law of Mortimer. Mortimer had been designated as heir by Richard II, who was dethroned and probably executed by Henry IV. Mortimer was a more important character than I realized. No wonder Hotspur had issues with the king.

Reading the play before viewing the broadcast would help, but conversely, viewing the broadcast helped me in reading the play. Make your choice.

The play is part of the Hollow Crown: Shakespeare's History Plays Series, produced by Thirteen New York Public Media's with NBC Universal International, and Neal Street Productions (who made Call the Midwife). I do want to see more. We were supposed to start with Richard II. We'll have to get the DVD from the library or watch online.

Searching for Sugar Man, a film by Malik Bendjelloul

At Thomas Ford, we are quite proud of our film discussion program, started by Aaron Schmidt in 2003. We have shown a lot of great out-of-the-mainstream films, constantly enlightening and entertaining our regular and occasional discussion group members. That said, I think there was a special buzz about the room when we showed Searching for Sugar Man, a documentary about the life of folk/rock singer Rodriguez. The film had gotten many positive reviews but few venues in the western suburbs of Chicago had shown it. There was elevated interest in our showing of the film. Rachel Hoover, our selector, made an excellent choice for our series.

Searching for Sugar Man tells an incredible story. Sixto Rodriguez of Detroit, Michigan was a successful if somewhat mysterious local musician in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He sought no publicity but did record two albums that sold very poorly in the United States. What no one in America noticed was that someone took copies of these albums to apartheid-torn South Africa where they became "the music of the times." Many former protesters attest that he was an inspiration for their movement. Most incredibly, Rodriguez never knew. He dropped out of the music scene, and worked in construction in a city that was falling apart.

This could be a very sad story, but it is not. The film is a celebration of music, much of it running through the soundtrack.

What struck me is the frequent comparisons of Rodriguez to Bob Dylan. I can understand how the social commentary in the lyrics of several songs suggests the comparison, but vocally and musically I think Rodriguez sounds much more like Don McLean and Jose Feliciano. The studio albums, which were recorded in London and California, were given rich orchestral treatment typical of the era. In interviews, his record producers repeatedly state they still can not figure out why he was not a star in America. Over 40 years later, the Coming from Reality album sounds very good to me.

It is nice to add that Searching for Sugar Man won numerous awards and that Rodriguez seems to remain a humble character not turned by fame. We can hope for more happy endings.

Searching for Sugar Man. Sony Picture Classics, 2013. 87 minutes.

The Longest Road: Overland in Search of America from Key West to the Arctic Ocean by Philip Caputo

The literature of travel is rich with grand journeys, including explorers crossing oceans or continents to discover unknown places. In his recent book The Longest Road: Overland in Search of America from Key West to the Arctic Ocean, Philip Caputo refers lovingly to the expedition of Lewis and Clark on numerous pages. His own long journey, however, was more in the tradition of John Steinbeck's Travels with Charley. In the 21st century, there are no blank spots left on our maps, but there are still discoveries to be made.

Late in the spring of 2011, Caputo set off from Key West, Florida with his wife and two dogs in a pickup truck pulling a vintage Airstream trailer. Their destination was Deadhorse, Alaska. With a jar, Caputo planned to mix waters from the Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic oceans, as he gathered impressions of the landscape and people of the United States*. Being a journalist, he had to have a quest. He chose to discover what held our diverse nation together.

Trying to stick to back roads as much as possible, much like William Least Heat-Moon in Blue Highways, he met a great variety of people, many still struggling to recover after the economic meltdown of 2008-2009. Most were philosophical when he asked his question about national cohesion. Others denied his premise, saying that the nation was coming apart.

I listened to the audiobook, which I mostly enjoyed. Some of narrator Pete Larkin's interpretations of regional accents, however, made me cringe. I can imagine some listeners being offended, especially if they recognize themselves as the original voices.

In The Longest Road, Caputo expertly weaves his subplots of repairing the Airstream, finding good meals, walking the dogs, and sharing a very small space with his wife around the story of the journey across the continent. I particularly enjoyed the part from the Great Plains, along the Yellowstone River, and across the mountains. I think many readers will long to follow.

Caputo, Philip. The Longest Road: Overland in Search of America from Key West to the Arctic Ocean. Henry Holt, 2013. 304p. ISBN 9780805094466.

Audiobook. HighBridge Audio, 2013. 10 compact discs. 11 3/4 hours. ISBN 97
81622311958.

*He mostly zips across a stretch of Canada.

An Appreciation of National Park Bookstores in Wyoming

When we visited the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone national parks in September, Bonnie and I wanted to see many things, including mountains, waterfalls, beautiful lakes, Old Faithful and other geysers, hot springs, and a long list of wildlife. We saw four bears (two black and two grizzly), a gray wolf, bald eagles, river otters, bighorn sheep, pronghorn, elk, and many herds of bison. Sadly, we never saw a moose, despite repeatedly going to their favorite locations. What we did not expect to see in abundance were bookstores.

For several years, the decline of brick-and-mortar bookstores has been a frequent topic in the news. From what we saw in September, they thrive in the mountain air, as our national parks preserve bookstores along with wildlife. The stores might not be built with bricks, however. The one near the hot springs basin at Norris (Yellowstone) is in a log cabin. Most of the others were inside very modern visitors centers. I was impressed with their rich offerings.

As you might expect, big beautiful photo books aimed at visitors wanting souvenirs of their visits claimed central display space, often flanked by travel guides filled with practical information and field guides identifying local flora, fauna, and geology. Every store was well stocked with local histories, biographies, and memoirs, and I saw books about the parks' most celebrated animals, especially bears, wolves, and bison. All had children's books, and most had several shelves of fiction, featuring novels set in the parks. The bookstore at Canyon Village Visitors Center (Yellowstone) even had a selection of science journal article reprints about geothermal forces, wildlife population dynamics, and the ecology of wildfire.

Just like any modern well-run bookstore, these bookstores also sell gifts. We saw lots of plush toys, tasteful carvings, mugs, and such. The store in the Colter Bay Visitors Center (Grand Tetons) even sold binoculars. Only a few sold T-shirts, which were usually found at the nearby gift shops, but they all sold bear spray. Every shop in western Wyoming must sell bear spray!

My favorite bookstores were as follows:

1. Colter Bay Visitors Center (Grand Tetons) 
2. Norris Information Station (Yellowstone) 
3. Canyon Village Visitors Center (Yellowstone) 
4. Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitors Center (Grand Tetons) 
5. Old Faithful Visitors Education Center (Yellowstone) 

So, if you are planning a trip to the national parks in Wyoming, do not worry that you are not taking enough to read. The bookstores have much to offer. And if you do not see any moose, you can at least buy a book about them at a national park bookstore.

Mr. Wuffles! by David Wiesner

Have you seen Mr. Wuffles! by David Wiesner? Mr. Wuffles is a cat who is very bored with typical cat toys. Jingle bells, yarn balls, shuttlecocks, ribbons through spools, cloth goldfish, and polka dot mice lay untouched against the baseboard of the room in which he rests. Most still have their price tags attached. Disinterested, Mr. Wuffles does not notice when a little gray spaceship lands among his toys. Then the colorfully-robed Insectoid people cheer their successful landing. What bad timing!

Insectoid scientists must not have designed their spacecraft to withstand attacks by felines. Mr. Wuffles bats and rolls the spacecraft about the hardwood floor, and a tiny trail of smoke escapes through the command deck's window. The tiny Insectoids hold their heads as they examine their equipment. How will they ever escape the dangerous watch of Mr Wuffles?

In Mr. Wuffles!, Wiesner has created a wonderful fantasy accessible to children who do not yet read. The only bit of dialogue is in Insectoid, a language that has not yet been decipher by anyone speaking an earth language. We are all equals as readers of Mr. Wuffles!, earthlings.

Wiesner, David. Mr. Wuffles! Clarion Books, 2013. 9780618756612.