Grasping for the Wind

Spear Throwing is a Feminist Activity

Here's an interesting article at The Economist about how the practice of throwing the atlatl (spear) is actually a feminist ideal as the science behind it allows people to throw spears with amazing force without needing lots of body mass or muscle.

Anyone know of any characters from literature that are spear throwers? Most of the books I read use spear throwers as cannon fodder.

Book Review: The Dead Guy Interviews by Michael Stusser

*Genre: Nonfiction, Humor, Trivia
* ISBN: 0143112279
* ISBN-13: 9780143112273
* Format: Paperback, 304pp
* Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
* Pub. Date: September 2007

Michael Stusser’s Dead Guy Interviews first appeared in the pages of the trivia magazine Mental_Floss. Drawing on the known, the rumored, and his sense of humor, Stusser writes fictitious interviews with noted personalities from history. People like George Washington, Genghis Khan, Chairman Mao, Nikola Tesla, Mae West and others all sit down for an “interview” with Stusser.

He has now collected and expanded his interviews in a collection. The Dead Guy Interviews is a hilariously presumptuous collection of interviews with 45 dead personalities. Often focusing on the flaws or the rumors, the interviews give the reader interesting trivia (sometimes little known) about these people.

Each interview begins with a short description of the life of each person, noting their achievements, and whatever else made them famous. Reading these is essential, as much of the interview builds on these facts.

As part of the interviews Stusser writes, he also includes descriptions the actions of the people as they are interviewing. Genghis Khan breaks something, or Tesla electrocutes himself. These add flavor and character to the words of the interviews.

These interviews are quite funny, although Stusser often has to resort to rumored sexual escapades or being caught in lies to create the humor. Of course, that is not unlike most journalists of today, always on the prowl for a wif of scandal. I thought that the interviews often focused too much on these rumors, rather than relating interesting facts in a creative way.

Stusser also has a liberal bias. When he writes the interviews of known conservatives or prudish figures of history he will often mock those positions. Yet when encountering promiscuous or progressive figures of history, his interviews support their "progressive" views. For instance in the interview with Darwin this exchange is made:

MS: Let’s talk about the theory of “creationism” –

CD: Bible stories.

MS: Well today they’re calling creationism, Intelligent Design. Any thoughts on that label?

CD: I guess I’d have to say that any intelligent designer that made 99.9 percent of every organism he or she designed go extinct, couldn’t be all that intelligent.

MS: You really did anger some Bible Thumpers with your theory of evolution.

CD: I can understand that. If you want to keep telling the Adam and Eve story – creationism - it’s hard to allow for evolution. We either got put on the earth by god as fully formed people, or we evolved from something a little less human.

Obviously, Stusser is using the contention provided by Darwin's theory to create humor, its just that often his humor is often at the expense of more conservative type people. Even though I am a conservative myself, I would laugh at these becasue I know that Stusser was just trying to be funny, but I still think he needed to poke fun at the liberal types a bit more too.

But Stusser does find ways to mock everyone he “interviews”. All of these famous people from history have strange habits, weird escapades, and pithy words that can be mocked. And it is funny most of the time. Where possible, Stusser draws on famous quotes from the figures to add a grain of truth to his interviews. Wilde’s interview often answers with lines from his book and letters, or Lincoln’s has a smattering of the Gettysburg Address. This adds a truth and veracity to the interviews that lets you know that Stusser did some research and the facts as he relates them can be trusted.

This is a book I recommend that all fans of trivia read. It is funny, creative, and an unusual way to get your daily dose of trivia. Teachers might find this a useful tool in the classroom; although they will need to read it carefully to censor those things they believe their students are not ready for. As I said, rumor and innuendo provide the basis for a few questions in each interview. It is also just a good (dare I say it?) bathroom book. Each interview is only 3 to 5 pages long, and makes for a more interesting read than the wife’s Southern Living.

Fans of Mental_Floss and lovers of trivia will enjoy this book. I hope Stusser does another. After you read it, look for more in the pages of Mental_Floss. Or check out these that were posted online to celebrate the release of the book:

[Video] Sigmund Freud (This one really has a lot of sex in it, but then it is Freud after all.)
[Text] Queen Isabella I
[Text] Benjamin Franklin
[Text] George Washington
[Text] Huey Long
[Text] Charles Darwin

A Year of Reading 2008

This is a continually updated list of all the books I have read in the year 2008. Links are to reviews I have written for some of these books. You can also look at my list for 2007.

January February March April May June
July August September October November December

January

Series 65: Uniform Investment Adviser Law Exam Manual by Kaplan Financial
The Prodigal Troll by Charles Coleman Finlay
Instant Knowledge by the editors at mental_floss
The Somnambulist by Jonathan Barnes
In The Beginning by the editors at mental_floss
Eberron: Bound by Iron by Edward Bolme
Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder
Bash Down the Door and Slice Open the Badguy edited by W. H. Horner
Hunter's Run by George R. R. Martin, Gardner Dozois and Daniel Abraham
A Bit of Madness by Emmanuel Civiello and Thomas Mosdi
Goblin Hero by Jim C. Hines
The Shadow and Night by Chris Walley
Dragon Outcast by E. E. Knight

February

Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse edited by John Joseph Adams
Breach the Hull edited by Mike McPhail
Confessor by Terry Goodkind
Blood Ties by Pamela Freeman
Sojourn Volume 6: The Bezerker's Tale by Ian Edgington and Greg Land
Forgotten Realms: Neversfall by Ed Gentry
Infoquake by David Louis Edelman
The Golden Cord by Paul Genesse
Grimspace by Ann Aguirre

March

The Death of the Necromancer by Martha Wells
Madhouse by Rob Thurman
The Dead Guy Interviews by Michael Stusser
The Hidden City by Michelle West
Klassic Koalas: Ancient Aboriginal Tales in New Retellings by Lee Barwood
Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie
Growingold with B. C. by Johnny Hart

April

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
Small Favor by Jim Butcher
Heroes Adrift by Moira J. Moore
Misspelled edited by Jule E. Czerneda
Flash Fiction Online, April 2008 edited by Jake Freivald
Rolling Thunder by John Varley
Empress by Karen Miller
Phytosphere by Scott Mackay
Goblin War by Jim C. Hines
Return of the Sword edited by Jason M. Waltz

May

Shadowmarch by Tad Williams
Forgotten Realms: Obsidian Ridge by Jess Lebow
Iron Man: Beneath the Armor by Andy Mangels
The Court of the Air by Stephen Hunt
Bloodheir by Brian Ruckley
The Martian General's Daughter by Theodore Judson
The Four Forges by Jenna Rhodes
Midnight Never Come by Marie Brennan

June

A Darkness Forged in Fire by Chris Evans
Wizards edited by Jack Dann and Gardner Dozois

July

August

September

October

November

December

January February March April May June
July August September October November December

A Year of Reading 2007

The Year is Done! I hope you had a great one and have high hopes for 2008. Below is a list of all the books I read in 2007 (I like to keep track because I am just that hyper-organized). The final five have reviews written that I just haven't posted because every review deserves a suitable amount of time at the top of the blog. You will see them in January of 2008.

January February March April May June
July August September October November December

January

Tuf Voyaging by George R. R. Martin
Condensed Knowledge by the editors at mental_floss
Crown of Stars by Kate Elliott
In the Ruins by Kate Elliott
Gifts by Ursula K. Le Guin
Changing Planes by Ursula K. Le Guin
The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson
The Ladies of Grace Adieu by Susanna Clarke
Monks and Mystics by Mindy and Brandon Withrow
Outposts: Journeys to the Surviving Relics of the British Empire by Simon Winchester
Dying of the Light by George R. R. Martin
Life@Work by John Maxwell
The Children of Men by P.D. James
Forgotten Realms: Frostfell by Mark Sehestedt
The Druids by Peter Berresford Ellis

February

The Magic of Recluce by L.E. Modesitt, Jr.
Forgotten Realms: Sacrifice of the Widow by Lisa Smedman
Dragon Champion by E. E. Knight
Forgotten Realms: Double Diamond Triangle Saga by Various Authors
Outwitting History by Aaron Lansky
Forbidden Knowledge by the editors at mental_floss

March

Three Blind Mice and Other Stories by Agatha Christie
Witness for the Prosecution and Other Stories by Agatha Christie
Rome 2006 by Rick Steves
Supplement to the Italian Dictionary by Bruno Munari
Keats and Italy by Various Authors
The Last Sin Eater by Francine Rivers
Teacher Man by Frank McCourt
Night by Elie Wiesel
Dachshunds for Dummies by Eve Adamson
Legend by David Gemmell
Midshipwizard Halcyon Blithe by James M. Ward

April

Forgotten Realms: Depths of Madness by Erik Scott de Bie
The Regatta Mystery and Other Stories by Agatha Christie
The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman
Shakespeare's Kings by John Julius Norwich
On Becoming a Leader by Warren Bennis
The Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain
Black Gate: Issue 10 Spring 2007 by John O'Neill (ed.) and Howard Andrew Jones (ed.)
Forgotten Realms - Unclean: The Haunted Lands, Book I by Richard Lee Byers

May

Dragon Avenger by E. E. Knight
Eldest by Christopher Paolini
Scatterbrained by the editors at Mental_Floss
The Prestige by Christopher Priest
Real Estate Finance for Investment Properties by Steve Berges
The Clerk's Tale by Margaret Frazer
The Bastard's Tale by Margaret Frazer
The Hunter's Tale by Margaret Frazer
Forgotten Realms - The Gossamer Plain: The Empyrean Odyssey Book 1 by Thomas M. Reid
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
The King's Buccaneer by Raymond E. Fiest
The King Beyond the Gate by David Gemmell
The Unhandsome Prince by John Moore
A Fate Worse than Dragons by John Moore
Maskerade by Terry Pratchett
The Truth by Terry Pratchett
Carpe Jugulum by Terry Pratchett

June

Interesting Times by Terry Pratchett
The Fifth Elephant by Terry Pratchett
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
Night Watch by Terry Pratchett
Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett
A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah
The Restorer by Sharon Hinck
Another Fine Myth/Myth Conceptions by Robert Asprin
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
Father of Dragons by L. B. Graham

July

Black History Through Blue Eyes: The Debt the World Owes to Africa by James Seymour
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
Forgotten Realms: Scream of Stone, The Watercourse Trilogy Book III by Philip Athans
The Case of the Missing Books by Ian Sansom
Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser
Lud-in-the-Mist by Hope Mirrlees
Dangerous Visions edited by Harlan Ellison
The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
The Widow's Tale by Margaret Frazer
A Rhyming History of Britain by James Muirden, David Eccles (Illustrator)

August

More Than A Hobby by David Green
Real Estate Investment Trusts: Structure, Performance, and Investment Opportunities by Su Han Chan, John Erickson, Ko Wang
Tipperary: A Novel by Frank Delaney
Explorer's House: National Geographic and the World It Made by Robert M. Poole
Forgotten Realms: The Howling Delve by Jaleigh Johnson
A Life Well Spent: The Eternal Rewards of Investing Yourself and Your Money in Your Family by Russ Crosson
Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank
The Telling by Ursula K. Le Guin

September

Black Gate Issue #11 by John O'Neill (ed.)
The Surrogates by Robert Venditti, Brett Weldele
Shadowstorm by Paul S. Kemp
Forgotten Realms: Swords of Dragonfire by Ed Greenwood
Forgotten Realms: Shadowstorm by Paul S. Kemp
The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie
Honored Enemy by Raymond E. Feist and William R. Fortschen
Murder in LaMut by Raymond E. Feist and Joel Rosenberg
Forgotten Realms: Storm of the Dead by Lisa Smedman
The Elephant and the Dragon: The Rise of India and China and What it Means for All of Us by Robyn Meredith
The Innocent Mage by Karen Miller
Union of Renegades by Tracy Falbe
Winterbirth by Brian Ruckley

October

Wind Follower by Carole McDonnell
The Sagittarius Command by R. M. Meluch
The Summoner by Gail Z. Martin
Making Money by Terry Pratchett
Crystal Rain by Tobias Buckell
Goblin Quest by Jim C. Hines

November

Scarlet by Stephen R. Lawhead
The Princes of the Golden Cage by Nathalie Mallet
Green Rider by Kristen Britain
The Phoenix Unchained by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory
Forgotten Realms: Stardeep by Bruce Cordell
The Awakened Mage by Karen Miller
Forgotten Realms: The Orc King by R. A. Salvatore
Ragamuffin by Tobias Buckell
A Prayer for the Damned by Peter Tremayne
The Blue Haired Bombshell by John Zakour
Hedge Hunters by Katherine Burton
Sails and Sorcery: Tales of Nautical Fantasy edited by W. H. Horner
Shimmer, The Pirate Issue edited by John Joseph Adams

December

Eberron: The Orb of Xoriat by Edward Bolme
Sojourn: The Sorcerer's Tale by Ian Edgington and Greg Land
Across the Face of the World by Russell Kirkpatrick
Forgotten Realms: Crypt of the Moaning Diamond by Rosemary Jones
Fellowship Fantastic by Martin H. Greenberg and Kerrie Hughes
Genetopia by Keith Brooke
The Tales of the Last War edited by Mark Sehestedt
Bad A** Faeries edited by Danielle Ackley-McPhail
Robin Hood and the Beasts of Sherwood by Clayton Emery
Tides by Scott Mackay
Auralia's Colors by Jeffrey Overstreet

January February March April May June
July August September October November December

Sword and Sorcery in History

Joseph McCullough is beginning a series on sword and sorcery in history at the Black Gate website. The first sword and sorcery character is Hereward the Wake from the 12th century manuscript De Gestis Herwardi Saxonis (The Exploits of Hereward the Saxon).

Book Reviews by Title

These are the my book reviews, categorized alphabetically by the title. (Click here for categorization by author.) "The" doesn't count towards the title.

You can also subscribe to an RSS feed of my reviews at librarything.

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

A

A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah
A Rhyming History of Britain by James Muirden (author) and David Eccles (illustrator)
Across the Face of the World by Russell Kirkpatrick
Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank
Are Women Human? by Dorothy Sayers
Auralia's Colors by Jeffrey Overstreet
The Awakened Mage by Karen Miller

B

Bad-A** Faeries edited by Danielle Ackley-McPhail (et al.)
Badger's Moon by Peter Tremayne
Bash Down the Door and Slice Open the Badguy edited by W. H. Horner
Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie
Beyond the Summerland by L. B. Graham
Breach the Hull edited by Mike McPhail
A Bit of Madness by Emmanuel Civiello and Thomas Mosdi
Black Gate: Issue #11 edited by John O'Neill
Black History Through Blue Eyes: The Debt the World Owes to Africa by James Seymour
The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie
Bloodheir by Brain Ruckley
Blood Ties by Pamela Freedman
The Blue-Haired Bombshell by John Zakour

C

The Children of Men by P. D. James
The Clerk's Tale by Margaret Frazer
Confessor by Terry Goodkind
The Court of the Air by Stephen Hunt
The Crown of Stars Series by Kate Elliott
Crystal Rain by Tobias Buckell
Condensed Knowledge by the editors of mental_floss

D

Dangerous Visions edited by Harlan Ellison
The Dead Guy Interviews by Michael Stusser
The Death of the Necromancer by Martha Wells
Dragon Champion by E. E. Knight
Dragon Outcast
The Druids by Peter Berresford Ellis
Dying of the Light by George R. R. Martin

E

Eberron: Bound by Iron by Edward Bolme
Eberron: The Orb of Xoriat by Edward Bolme
Eberron: The Tales of the Last War by Mark Sehestedt
The Elephant and the Dragon: The Rise of India and China and What it Means for All of Us by Robyn Meredith
Empress by Karen Miller
Eragon by Christopher Paolini
Explorer's House: National Geographic and the World It Made by Robert M. Poole

F

Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser
Fellowship Fantastic by Martin H. Greenberg and Kerrie Hughes
The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman
Flash Fiction Online, April 2008 edited by Jake Freivald
Forgotten Realms: The City of Splendors by Elaine Cunningham and Ed Greenwood
Forgotten Realms: Crypt of the Moaning Diamond by Rosemary Jones
Forgotten Realms: The Gossamer Plain by Thomas M. Reid
Forgotten Realms: The Howling Delve by Jaleigh Johnson
Forgotten Realms: Obsidian Ridge by Jess Lebow
Forgotten Realms: The Orc King by R. A. Salvatore
Forgotten Realms: Road of the Patriarch by R. A . Salvatore
Forgotten Realms: Shadowstorm by Paul S. Kemp
Forgotten Realms: Stardeep by Bruce Cordell
Forgotten Realms: Swords of Dragonfire by Ed Greenwood
Forgotten Realms: Unclean by Richard Lee Byers

G

Genetopia by Keith Brooke
The Gift of Pain by Paul Brand and Philip Yancey
Glory Road by Robert Heinlein
Green Rider by Kristen Britain
Goblin Hero by Jim C. Hines
Goblin Quest by Jim C. Hines
Goblin War by Jim C. Hines
The Golden Cord by Paul Genesse
Grimspace by Ann Aguirre
Growingold with B.C. by Johnny Hart

H

Hedge Hunters by Katherine Burton
Henry V (Classical Comics Edition) by William Shakespeare
Heroes Adrift by Moira J. Moore
The Hidden City by Michelle West
Honored Enemy by Raymond E. Feist and William R. Fortschen
Hood by Stephen Lawhead
Hunter's Run by George R. R. Martin, Gardner Dozois, and Daniel Abraham

I

Infoquake by David Louis Edelman
The Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain
The Innocent Mage by Karen Miller
Iron Man: Beneath the Armor by Andy Mangels

J

J. R. R. Tolkien: A Biography by Humphrey Carpenter
The Junior Books by Dave Ramsey

K

Klasssic Koalas: Ancient Aboriginal Tales in New Retellings by Lee Barwood
Knife of Dreams by Robert Jordan
The Know-It-All by A. J. Jacobs

L

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin
Legend by David Gemmell
The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson
Life@Work by John C. Maxwell

M

Madhouse by Rob Thurman
Magician by Raymond E. Feist
The Magic of Recluce by L. E. Moedesitt Jr.
Making Money by Terry Pratchett
Master of Souls by Peter Tremayne
The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
Midnight Never Come by Marie Brennan
Midshipwizard Halcyon Blithe by James M. Ward
Misspelled edited by Julie E. Czerneda
Monks and Mystics by Mindy and Brandon Withrow
Moon Gate by David Weldon and William Proctor
More Than A Hobby by David Green
The Mother Tongue by Bill Bryson
Murder in LaMut by Raymond E. Feist and Joel Rosenberg

N

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
Night by Elie Wiesel
The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

O

On Becoming A Leader by Warren Bennis
Outposts: Journeys to the Surviving Relics of the British Empire by Simon Winchester
Outwitting History by Aaron Lansky

P

Phantom by Terry Goodkind
The Pendragon Cycle by Stephen Lawhead
The Phoenix Unchained by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory
Phytosphere by Scott Mackay
Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder
The Prestige by Christopher Priest
The Princes of the Golden Cage by Nathalie Mallet
The Prodigal Troll by Charles Coleman Finlay

Q

R

Ragamuffin by Tobias Buckell
Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers
The Restorer by Sharon Hinck
Return of the Sword edited by Jason M. Waltz
The Rick Steves' Travel Guide Series by Rick Steves
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Robin Hood and the Beasts of Sherwood by Clayton Emery
Rolling Thunder by John Varley

S

The Sagittarius Command by R. M. Meluch
Sails and Sorcery: Tales of Nautical Fantasy edited by W. H. Horner
Scarlet by Stephen Lawhead
Shadow in the Deep by L. B. Graham
The Shadow and Night by Chris Walley
Shadowmarch by Tad Williams
Shakespeare's Kings by John Julius Norwich
Shimmer, The Pirate Issue edited by John Joseph Adams
Small Favor by Jim Butcher
Smoke in the Wind by Peter Tremayne
Sojourn: The Bezerker's Tale by Ian Edgington and Greg Land
Sojourn: The Sorcerer's Tale by Ian Edgington and Greg Land
The Somnambulist by Jonathan Barnes
The Summoner by Gail Z. Martin
The Surrogates, Vol. 1 by Robert Venditti

T

Teacher Man by Frank McCourt
Thud! by Terry Pratchett
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
Tides by Scott Mackay
Tipperary: A Novel by Frank Delaney
The Treasure Principle by Randy Alcorn
The Truth by Terry Pratchett

U

Union of Renegades by Tracy Falbe

V

W

Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse edited by John Joseph Adams
Wind Follower by Carole McDonnell
Winterbirth by Brian Ruckley

X

Y

Z

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Notes: A Lecture by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

These are my notes from a lecture given by Pulitzer prize winning author Laurel Thatcher Ulrich on September 19, 2007. This feisty gray haired lady presented a fascinating case for continued work in understanding the history of women, and in breaking down stereotypes. Phrases in quotes are direct quotes from the lecture.

“Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History”
A Lecture by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich (Pulitzer prize winning author of A Midwife's Tale)
Margaret Mitchell House and Museum Literature Center

See the webcast at www.atlantaforumnetwork.org

Books, Activism, Memory

- Read first few pages of Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History in order to define the phrase succinctly.
- Phrase comes from her first article in history in 1976 on Puritan Funeral Sermons
- Kay Mills found it, accidentally changed “seldom” to “rarely” hence two different quotes
- In 1996 Jill Portugal of one angry girl designs asked permission to print it on a t-shirt.
- Kacey Jones sang a song incorporating the term on Garrison Keillor’s Prairie Home Companion – the song can be found in the book.
- Sania Mirza, Indian Muslim tennis player has taken it as a slogan for herself

So what does “Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History” mean?

- Ulrich enjoys ambiguous titles for books
- Good Wives is about normal women dealing with prescriptions for good behavior vs. actual behavior
- Age of Homespun is about frontier violence and the intersection of Native Americans and the English
- Well behaved women are often characterized as Emily Dickinson types.
- Well behaved women are those who do what is appropriate for her culture and preserve the status quo
- “Well-behaved” is not referring to good or bad behavior (i.e. Rosa Parks was chosen as the example case against segregation precisely because she was well-behaved, yet she made history.)
- Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History is about “celebrating the impact of the women’s movement of the 60’s and 70’s on knowledge.”
- “Because women tried to make history they discovered the past.”
- Those who want to make history seek to know history.
- “Caring about history we make history”

Book Structure

- Book is set up with three women in three libraries in different time periods and countries.
- Christine di Pizan – 15th century “The City of Ladies”
- Elizabeth Cady Stanton – 19th century leader of women’s rights movement
- Virginia Woolf – reference to famous British Museum doodle leading to the writing of fictional account Shakespeare’s sister Judith where in frustration at lack of success, raped and abandoned she kills herself.
- Woolf was wrong – Elizabeth Carey was forced to marry like Judith but was popular writer (more popular than Shakespeare) in the same time; Artemisia Judelefsky – raped, seduced like Judith, became famous artist
- Tells stories and shows parallels between the three women and retells their stories through the lens of the scholarship of the last 30 years.

A Renaissance in Women’s History

- Christine di Pizan loved the Amazons (800 year kingdom).
- Ulrich retold the story of the Amazons in light of recent scholarship including funny story about Amazon.com being sued by a women’s bookstore called Amazon for copyright infringement. Amazon tried to say they were named after the river rather than Amazon’s of myth. Ironically the river was named by a Spanish explorer who thought he had found the ancient kingdom found in the myths.
- Quilt documentation projects came to light.
- Ordinary people asked new questions
- “academic historians do not own history.”
- Well-behaved women don’t think their lives matter so they don’t preserve their own history by keeping diaries, etc.
- So being misbehaved means preserving ones role in history, no matter how small

Questions

Where are we in terms of male response to women?
- “I’m a historian” not a sociologist
- Ulrich is depressed when she goes into bookstores and only sees books on war
- The book marketing world thinks history is for men and fiction for women – a holdover of the 18th century
- “Our knowledge of history is not very deep, let alone women’s history.”

Was there someone in this new book that touched her like Martha Ballard of A Midwife’s Tale?
- not in new book, no one ever will
- new book is about many women rather than being a microcosm like A Midwife’s Tale.
- Ulrich was touched by the new book’s multiplicity
- Ulrich had to rely on other people’s scholarship
- Writing out of her comfort zone
- Moved by how much scholars and good citizens have done in research.
- Elizabeth Cady Stanton/Jarrett Smith and abolitionist helps Stanton meet a slave named Harriett Powell. Ulrich does research on the underground Railroad and ends up connecting two disparate organizations in New York and Canada who have information on this person.

If Ulrich were to be a history advisor to Hillary Clinton’s campaign what characterizations should Clinton avoid or identify with?
- Hillary has an interesting dilemma, she is both new and old, but is likely the first female presidential candidate who can make it.
- Should not identify with Woodhull – first woman to run for President in 1870’s
- Nearly 20% of the women who have served in Congress have succeeded husbands who died in office.
- Hillary Clinton is in peculiar position of being a pseudo-widow because she is potentially following a husband into office that is not dead. She will be both helped and hurt by his legacy, unlike the ones who follow dead husbands.
- The more interesting question is why it has taken so long to get to this point in the US when other developed nations have already elected women.

How has technology changed getting published?
- it is harder to get published
- her first book was her Doctoral Dissertation, and now he own publisher won’t even look at doctoral dissertations.
- “The Internet is fabulous and terrifying” but is helpful in making connections.
- She would like funding of digitization of primary sources not just go to the 19th century notion of history.

Would we be better off if women had been ruling the world for a while?
- “NO!” Emphatically
- She is a social historian, great things happen when lots of people make small changes, not rulers.
- Women are not always better peacemakers, that is a stereotype.
- See her chapter on the Amazons.
- Women have been warriors for as long as men have and have been just as violent.
- Gender is an important variable but it doesn’t explain everything.

Why are we reluctant to elect women?
- women themselves have a lot do with Nixon’s veto of childcare act.
- Can make the argument that 19th century women had more effect on moral culture and society than men did (child-rearing)
- Women have had economic and political power in the past, but it was directed toward the home rather than those spheres as we understand them.
- Women had a new politics, a moral imperative (more important than the others even)
- Conservative women destroyed the early feminist movements, not just men.
- Activist women disagree.

What was Ulrich’s impetus for becoming not well-behaved?
- committed to study
- marrying young and having a lot of kids
- history changed her life
- Grew up in Mormon Rocky Mtn. West, Idaho.
- Heard about noble pioneers from childhood and felt diminished by their story leading to questions and research.
- Some of those pioneer grandmother’s were not so well-behaved.
- Mormon’s were just as radical in the 19th century as the Elizabeth Cady Stantons, even though they were polygamists as well as feminists and suffragettes.
- Ulrich’s stereotypes were blown away.
- Being a pioneer was creatively dealing with the circumstances, as women who make history should be today.

A Geographical History of Religion in 90 Seconds

Cup O'Links

Lots of interesting stuff going on the web lately.

Check out Michael Stusser's (author of the Dead Guy Interviews) interview with George Washington. Washington debunks the cherry tree myth, and the explains what was up with the wooden teeth!

Joe Abercrombie opines on the nature of maps in fantasy fiction.

Jason at Dragonmount describes Robert Jordan's funeral, including some pictures of his home and workspace.

Jerry Spinelli, author of Maniac Magee, answers a few kids' questions at Powell's books. If you are a child of the 80's you remember having to read that book about the kid who is always running. I get tired just thinking about it.

Ursula K. LeGuin has an excellent tongue-in-cheek story/essay on genre fiction.

Gresham and Lewis

Was CS Lewis a great scholar? Undoubtedly. Was he a great writer? No honest scholar today can doubt that for a moment. Now some of his stories are moving into the medium of film, he is becoming more known throughout the world, greatly accelerating a trend that has been slowly happening over the 40 years since his death. Was CS Lewis a great teacher? That, I think, is also unquestionable: he taught at Oxford and Cambridge universities, and teaches on today through his books. Was he a great theologian? Many of today's finest Christian scholars strongly believe so. Although he would never have laid claim to any of those titles, nor perhaps even have accepted them from others, he was all of those things and a great deal more besides.

Douglas Gresham remembers his stepfather C.S. Lewis in this article in preparation for the re-release of the play Shadowlands, a fictional account of Lewis' life.

Raise a Pint for Arthur Guinness!

Today be his birthday! Arthur Guinness (September 24, 1725 – January 23, 1803) was an Irish brewer and the founder of the Guinness Brewery business and family. Arthur was born in Celbridge and raised in Ardclough, County Kildare. Arthur set up his first brewery in Leixlip, but the first pint of Guinness was brewed in Celbridge in a pub where the Mucky Duck Pub currently stands.

In 1778, Guinness began to brew porter - the darker beer containing roasted barley and first drunk by London porters - and exploited Ireland's new canals to extend his market. In 1799, he brewed ale for the last time. Sales of porter increased threefold during the Napoleonic Wars, and in time St James's Gate became the largest porter and stout brewery in the world, its 'extra stout porter' becoming known simply as stout.

Check out the history of Guinness Beer here.

And check out his great-great-great-grandson, Dr. Os Guinness, here.

I, for one, am grateful to the man.

Book Review: The Elephant and the Dragon by Robyn Meredith

Genre: Business, Economics, Politics
ISBN: 0393062368
Pub. Date: August 2007
Format: Hardcover, 384pp
Publisher: Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc.

India (back office to the world) and China (factory to the world) have become major players in the world economy seemingly overnight. So what should the Unites States (buyer to the world) do about it? Robyn Meredith, foreign correspondent for Forbes, has detailed the history and effects of India and China’s rise in The Elephant and the Dragon: The Rise of India and China and What it Means for All of Us and what the US should do about it.

In nine chapters, Meredith writes the economic history of China and India in a clear, easily read fashion. Drawing on her journalistic background, the book is filled with quotes, facts, and stories that exemplify the drastic changes within these two countries, and the effects those changes have had on the United States.

Throughout the book, Meredith compares the drastic differences between these two countries. Although both were protectionist states until recently, India was democratic whereas China was communist. India’s rise results from its ability to offer white collar jobs at cheap prices, whereas China is the king of factory production. India’s poor remain largely unaffected by the economic changes, whereas even the most rural farmer in China is seeing a small improvement in his lifestyle. India’s infrastructure has failed to improve, whereas China’s has blossomed, especially in preparation for the Beijing 2008 Olympics.

The first seven chapters detail the meteoric rise of the tow countries in the economic playing field, both how it occurred politically and what the countries did right and wrong economically to move forward. The final two chapters deal particularly with the effect the rapid growth of the countries will have on the United States, and what Americans need to do to stay competitive in the global marketplace that now has two powerhouses poised to challenge America’s hegemony.

Meredith ultimately determines that America need to be wary of the change in geopolitics that will occur with China and India’s need for fuel and resources. Prices will rise, affecting both our economy and theirs. Meredith cautions that if the US does not take this into account, we may find ourselves in an economic battle of resources.

In the final chapter “A Catalyst for Competitiveness” Meredith cautions us against becoming either protectionist or allowing free trade free reign. She believes that the US should embrace the growth of China and India as a good thing for Americans as prices of goods decrease (especially with our recent housing market burst) and become more easily available. However, Meredith also says that in order to stay competitive we will need to improve education, build newer infrastructure, and create stronger economic foundations both at the company and government level. Although she bemoans the loss of jobs due to offshoring, she sets forth a logical and concise reasoning for the greater wealth and different jobs that are created by such offshoring. She claims that the four pillars mentioned before, if completed, will provide work for those whose jobs are removed to India and China. She ultimately concludes that "if inward-facing India and communist China can transform themselves, so can the United States of America."

Ultimately, Meredith provides as fair and balanced account of India and China’s entry onto the economic stage. Not pandering or partisan, the book fairly assesses the effect this has on the US economy and what we can do in order to stay ahead of the game. This is an excellent book both for as a primer in world economics, and for those interested in understanding the changes occurring to the US as a result of offshoring jobs. Highly readable, with clear and logical reasoning, anyone interested in learning more about the economic world we live in, and how it came to be will find The Elephant and the Dragon a worthwhile read.

Robert Jordan (1948-2007)

"Death is lighter than a feather, duty heavier than a mountain," — The Great Hunt

For those who haven't heard yet, James Rigney, better known as Robert Jordan, died yesterday at 2:45 PM from complications of amyloidosis with cardiomyopathy (cardiac amyloidosis). He was 58.

George R. R. Martin remembers him here.

His brother gives a touching tribute here.

Wikipedia has already been updated and has an excellent bio and links.

New York Times Obituary

He was a groundbreaking author, and his Wheel of Time series was, for all its flaws, a masterpiece of the fantasy genre. My hope and prayer is that his faith in God was the same as my own, and that he now resides at the feet of the Father and the Son.

My prayers are with his family.

"The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth comes again. In one Age, called the Third Age by some, an Age yet to come, an Age long past, a wind rose. The wind was not the beginning. There are neither beginnings nor endings to the turning of the Wheel of Time. But it was a beginning."

Movie Review: The Whole Wide World

Director: Dan Ireland
Cast: Vincent D'Onofrio, Renée Zellweger, Ann Wedgeworth, Harve Presnell
DVD Release: 07/29/2003
Original Release: 1996
Rating: Rated PG
UPC: 043396100459
Source: SONY PICTURES

Last night brought a pleasant surprise for me. My wife, in her Netflix meanderings, came across a small, low budget, but well directed film starring Renée Zellwegger (Chicago) and Vincent D’Onofrio (Law and Order: Criminal Intent) called The Whole Wide World (IMDB). The film is based on a memoir written by a woman named Novalyne Price. Rated PG, the film is filled with swearing, but has no sex scenes and one of the best cinematic kisses ever. The reason I mention it here, and want to talk about a movie, when I usually talk about books, is the subject matter.

Novalyne Price was from Texas, and in 1933 was a teacher at the school in Cross Plains. That’s not the interesting part. Novalyne was an aspiring writer, who discovered that in her town existed a man who had successfully sold many stories to many of the pulps. That man was none other than Robert E. Howard, creator of Conan the Barbarian and grandfather of the many sword and sorcery novels that fill bookshelves today. I was shocked that Hollywood had made such a movie. Directed by Dan Ireland, the film is a love story, and is classified as a romance.

Novalyne and Bob circle each other. What begins as Novalyne’s attempt to improve her writing moves into a friendship and progresses into love. But the trouble and conflict come from Howard’s extreme attachment to his ailing mother, and his stereotypical writer’s moods. Socially awkward and inept, unattractive and opinionated, Howard has few friends and no graces. Yet he is brilliant, an adept writer, who is very successful. Novalyne finds herself attracted to this beguiling man, who always insists that he walks alone. Although not without struggles. At one point Novalyne really rips into Howard and his opinions, "Well, yeah, that's right, thanks indeed, thank God! If it wasn't for teachers like me, there would be more individuals like you, socially inept, hatin the world, prattlin off pompous ideas that no one wants to hear in the first place. Bob Howard, if you do not take some initiative you are going to end up a miserable old man, sittin at home with no friends and no life. And another thing! Don't you ever EVER imply that I do not know how to teach, because then you really are talking about something that you know nothing about. Now why don't you run on home, your momma's waitin for you."

The film, scored by Hans Zimmer and Harry Gregson-Williams, is really a slice of life in 1930’s Texas. Not long out of the Great Depression, this story of love and life vividly portrays the rural life. Vincent D’Onofrio’s portrayal of Robert E. Howard is filled with vibrancy and zeal. His descriptions of the character and stories of Conan, with a fantasy sounding score in the background (even including swords clashing) draw the viewer in to the point that Conan becomes a very real person. The contrast between the personalities of Conan and Howard himself are striking, and one can see why Howard loved to write so much, or “spin his yarns” as he liked to call them.

It was neat to see the story of a genre writer so elegantly and lovingly portrayed. All the great writers get their biographical movies, but, except to us pulp or fantasy genre fans, Robert E. Howard is really an unknown. If you are married, your wife will likely enjoy the love story between Novalyne and Robert, although it is a sad story and does not end well. (Howard committed suicide at the height of his career, probably because he believed that "To make life worth living a man or woman has to have a great love or a great cause... I have neither.")

For the fantasy lover, the descriptions of Howard’s writing process, the character of Conan, and his unashamed writing style make watching this movie very worthwhile. You will see a glimpse of the last year's of Howard's life, and understand the life and world that drove him to write the stories he did. The Whole Wide World is a surprising film, unexpected and enjoyable.

If you don't mind spoilers, watch these clips of the movie set to the music of The Decemberists' "Engine Driver".

Six Years Ago...

Eternal Father, it is amazing love, that Thou hast sent Thy Son to suffer in my stead, that Thou hast added the Spirit to teach, comfort, guide, that Thou hast allowed the ministry of angels to wall me round; all heaven subserves the welfare of a poor worm...if the enemy gets an advantage through my corruption, let it be seen that heaven is mightier than hell, that those for me are greater than those against me. Arise to my help in richness of covenant blessings, keep me feeding in the pastures of Thy strengthening Word, searching Scripture to find Thee there.

- From the Valley of Vision, edited by Aurthur Bennett

A Little Bit of Validation

Mindy and Brandon Withrow have quoted me (I'm at the bottom) on their new website for the History Lives series.

"Monks and Mystics is an excellent text to use as a basis for an upper elementary or middle school Sunday school class on church history. It would also be useful in Christian schools. As a supplemental text it is perfect. Although an adult, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. So much so, that I ordered the first book the next day and plan to order any successive books as they become available. The stories were interesting and well-written…the Withrows do not shy away from using technical terms. Often the characters explain the terms in words that could be understood by a 9 year old in their speech to each other. (In truth I understood some of the terms better than I ever have before!)”

You can read my full review of Monks and Mystics here. Turns out, the newest volume Hearts and Hands: Chronicles of the Awakening Church is scheduled to release January 1 in the U.S and November 1 in the U.K. I have the first three, have enjoyed them all, and highly recommend them to all teachers and parents.

MLK: "I Have a Dream"

Today is a historic day, it was today that Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his "I Have A Dream" speech. This has been on my mind lately with the wildfire in the blogosphere about race in writing fantasy, and because I just finished reading Pat Frank's Alas Babylon, written in 1959, which highlights this issue to some extent. Everyone should read the complete speech, and not the textbook quotes so many are familiar with. So I reproduce it here.

"I HAVE A DREAM" (1963)

I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.

But 100 years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.

In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men - yes, black men as well as white men - would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check that has come back marked "insufficient funds."

But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and security of justice. We have also come to his hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end but a beginning. Those who hoped that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.

And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating "for whites only." We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no we are not satisfied and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.

Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.

Let us not wallow in the valley of despair. I say to you today my friends - so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification - one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day, this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning "My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my father's died, land of the Pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring!"

And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true. And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania.

Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado. Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.

But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.

Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi - from every mountainside.

Let freedom ring. And when this happens, and when we allow freedom ring - when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children - black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics - will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

Distribution statement: Accepted as part of the Douglass Archives of American Public Address (http://douglass.speech.nwu.edu) on May 26, 1999. Prepared by D. Oetting (http://nonce.com/oetting).

Permission is hereby granted to download, reprint, and/or otherwise redistribute this file, provided this distribution statement is included and appropriate point of origin credit is given to the preparer and Douglass.

Book Review: Explorer's House by Robert M. Poole

Title: Explorer's House: National Geographic and the World it Made
Author: Robert M. Poole
Genre: History, Non-fiction
Pub. Date: January 2006 (paperback edition)
Format: Paperback, 368pp
Publisher: Viking Penguin
Personal Rating: 4/5

Inventors, geography, and nepotism all find their way into the pages of Robert M. Poole’s history of National Geographic entitled Explorer’s House: National Geographic and the World It Made.

Beginning with Gardiner Hubbard and Alexander Graham Bell (best known for inventing the telephone) Explorer’s House tells the story of a great institution founded in 1888, the National Geographic Society, and its progeny, National Geographic magazine.

Poole has expertly portrayed the story of one of the world’s most successful magazines from its humble origins in a small office in Washington, D.C. to the billion-dollar a year company it has grown to be. He describes how a little gathering of men who shared and interest in geography that they wanted to promulgate hired a young man by name of Gilbert Grosvenor to be editor and manger of the little journal they produced for their members. Grosvenor went on to make the magazine the chief end of the society, using innovative publishing, marketing, and photography techniques to draw in several million readers today.

Poole’s writing style reflects the nature of his long association with the magazine. Each chapter is an article itself and could easily have found printing in any major newspaper. Poole explores the relationship of the Bell and Grosvenor family to National Geographic. It was this family and their talent and psychological make-ups that made the magazine successful and so a study of them and their correspondence gives the reader a best sense of the germination and growth of the magazine. Poole had unprecedented access to former employees, the National Geographic archives, and the Grosvenor and Bell archives, allowing him to tell the story as no one else has.

Many other characters come into the history as well. Maynard Owen Williams, first foreign correspondent; Robert Peary, arctic explorer; and Jacques Costeau, deep sea explorer, and beneficiary of one of National Geographic’s research grants; all play significant roles in the story of National Geographic. There is the story of opening Tutankhamen’s tomb, the first American climb of Everest, the conquest of the North Pole, and Jane Goodall’s research into primate behavior; all of which would not have been possible without the help of National Geographic and its society.

Ultimately, the book is excellent, although there are some flaws. Poole’s history some time skips backward and forward in time to often, making the reader very dependent on the dates mentioned. This lack of straightforward history is not extremely detrimental to the history, but the reader would be wise to pay attention to all dates mentioned. Poole also spends little time in the more recent past. The book was published in 2004 (begun in 2001) and glosses over a great deal of the 1990s and misses much of the early turn of the century.

However, for anyone in publishing, who has enjoyed National Geographic in the past, or historians of Alexander Graham Bell and his family, Explorer's House is both a helpful resource and fascinating story. Poole has shown how National Geographic’s devotion to geography, adventure, exploration, and learning has shaped American culture profoundly.

Maynard Owen Williams

Christians have always been at the forefront of trying to understand our world and everything in it. Many scientific discoveries and successful enterprise came from Christians wanting to understand the why of the world.

This is also true in the field of travel. National Geographic, in its very early stages, hired a young man by the name of Maynard Owen Williams to be its first foreign correspondent. Williams was actually a former Baptist missionary, who learned that while he was not called to a spiritual service, he could still serve God in a secular one, while still pursuing his passion for travel.

Williams was there at the opening of King Tut's tomb, he recreated the path of Marco Polo across Asia, and reported for National Geographic on many other wonders all over the world.

At the same time, even when those around him lived hedonistic lives, Williams continued to follow his Christian beliefs.

One story is told of his attempt to recreate the Marco Polo trip. He was only an adjunct to the party, which was led by a wealthy Frenchman. When the group reached China, the leader was very happy and excited as they were nearing their goal. As a result, he called for everyone in the party to have a drink in celebration. Williams refused because of his religious beliefs. This included the belief that the governing authority placed over him must be obeyed (this was the era of Prohibition in the states) and so he refused because he wanted to follow the laws of his country and his God even while halfway around the world! After his refusal he was ordered to drink by the Frenchman. Williams still refused, and rather than start and argument, walked away. The leader finally calmed down and everyone finished the journey, but Williams never compromised on following the law and God.

Maynard Owen Williams is a good example of what it means for a Christian to pursue excellence in one's calling whether it be sacred or secular.

Much of this information comes from Explorer's House: National Geographic and the World It Made by Robert M. Poole. You can also read many of Williams articles at National Geographic.com, in particular the one on King Tut.

"Never grieve for me if it is my good fortune to die with my boots on. That's what I most hope for."

- Maynard Owen Williams in a letter to Gilbert Grosvenor, editor of the National Geographic (1948)

Masterworks Tours 2008

For those of you who don't know, one of the things I do for a hobby (along with my father) is take home schoolers on trips to Europe every year to experience the culture and history.

We are currently accepting applicants to the trips for 2008. Next year we are planning on heading to Rome, Italy; Paris, France; and the Rhine Valley, Germany (including Munich).

Any home schoolers fifteen years old or older are more than welcome. Our prices include airfare from Atlanta but if you are coming from somewhere else, you will have to find your own transportation to Atlanta. However, if others are coming from your area, we would be happy to assist you connecting with them.

All that to say there are currently, 16 spaces for Paris, 15 spaces for Germany, and 15 spaces for Rome. Check out the website for more information, including a brochure with more detail and prices. Spaces fill up fast, so if you are interested, let us know.

You can contact me through the email me button above or by clicking email me on my blogger profile page.

Happy Lughnasadh!

I once participated in putting together a play called "Dancing at Lughnasadh" at Covenant College. I've always thought the story of Lugh to be a sort of twisting of the story of Christ's death and resurrection. This idea came from reading Stephen Lawhead's Paradise War Trilogy, where he shows how Lugh of the Silver Hand is a Christ figure in Celtic Myth. Of course, Celtic Myth is older than the history of Christ (I think.) But who's to say that there wasn't some common revelation or prophecy in the story of Lugh, that was twisted almost beyond recognition?

From Wikipedia:

In Celtic mythology, the Lughnasadh festival is said to have been begun by the god Lugh, as a funeral feast and games commemorating his foster-mother, Tailtiu, who died of exhaustion after clearing the plains of Ireland for agriculture. The first location of the Áenach Tailteann was at the site of modern Teltown, located between Navan and Kells. Historically, the Áenach Tailteann gathering was a time for contests of strength and skill, and a favored time for contracting marriages and winter lodgings. A peace was declared at the festival, and religious celebrations were also held. A similar Lughnasadh festival was held at Carmun (whose exact location is under dispute). Carmun is also believed to have been a goddess of the Celts, perhaps one with a similar story as Tailtiu.

Book Review: A Rhyming History of Britain by James Muirden

Author: James Muirden, David Eccles (Illustrator)
Pub. Date: October 2003
Format: Paperback, 213pp
Publisher: Walker & Company
Personal Rating: 4.5/5

I'm not much into poetry, (I can barely read Shel Silverstein), but I love British history. Anglophile that I am, I was glad to come across James Muirden's, A Rhyming History of Britain. Writing more for his own amusement and desire to remember, Muirden's couplets tell the sometimes sad but often hilarious history of the reigning monarchs of England from the Celts to the free love 1960's.

Coupled (see what I did there?) with David Eccles brilliant and hilarious illustrations, this book makes learning very fun. The poem is divided in to section s based on the ruling houses. York and Stuart, Hanover and the current Windsor, each of the foibles and successes of the kings and queens of England are laid out in charming verse.

Muirden himself describes the poem in this way,

This cheerful poem has been written
To tell the history of Britain;
For People puzzled by the Past—
If this means YOU, here’s help at last!

From Celts to Churchill, it relates
(With all the most Important Dates)
Our country’s convoluted course . . .
Why Richard hollered for a horse;
Why Eleanor was such a catch;
Why no one liked the Spanish Match;
The pros and cons of Laissez Faire;
Smart Georgian ladies’ underwear;
Why Charles the Second went to plays;
Why Queen Jane reigned for just nine days;
The causes of the Irish trouble;
The bursting of the South Sea Bubble;
That giant glasshouse in Hyde Park;
The First World War’s igniting spark . . .

I thoroughly enjoy this book. The couplets are easy to understand, although a little knowledge of English History will be necessary. Muirden does have to at times be convoluted in trying to rhyme some of the odder words or titles of people and that can slow the reader's speed.

I highly recommend this book to teachers as a tool for teaching English history (although I know that is not really in vogue anymore) or English teachers teaching Shakespeare or poetry. Some sections are have references to certain sexual acts, but are done tastefully and more by implication than otherwise. High School students will love it, and elementary students will miss it entirely (sort of a English history Shrek).

Anglophiles will chuckle at Muirden's jokes and curl up in laughter at David Eccles illustrations.

I highly recommend A Rhyming History of Britain as a way to enjoy poetry, learn a little history, and generally enjoy learning in a new and creative way.

Book Review: Black History Through Blue Eyes

Jim Seymour, in his semi-self-published book Black History through Blue Eyes: The Debt the World Owes to Africa argues that humanity owes a great debt to Africa because it is there, not Mesopotamia, that is the “cradle of civilization”. And that because of this Christians need to work toward racial reconciliation. Seymour's sees European Christians desire to make biblical history and Jesus "white" has led to many of the rifts we see today.

According to Seymour, the Garden of Eden was located in Africa (although at the same time acknowledging the breakup of the two continents of Asia and Africa to create the Red Sea, making it unidentifiable), Solomon was a mulatto (i.e. Bathsheba was black as was her husband Uriah the Hittite, a member of a northern black tribe descended from Ham) and Jesus was black on both sides of his family, although his features were more likely swarthy than African.

I admit I struggled with this argument, not because I felt that Seymour is incorrect, but rather that he fails to provide enough proofs. While this book is not really intended to be a historical argument or a theological one, Seymour indulges himself in arguing the point, but then fails to back it up with enough research. Other times he wildly asserts the black skin color of some of the Old Testament characters without any argument at all. On page 44, he states that, “Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Bathsheba are all women who ultimately trace their lineage to Ham, the traditional father of the black race.” But of these four, only Bathsheba’s black race is argued for in the book, the others get no other mention in the entire work. And even that is a little flimsy. Uriah the Hittite was black because the Hittites were black, by extension, his wife, who for all we know was a Hebrew, is therefore black also. It was unconvincing, as too many factors come into play. Also on page 44, Seymour states that Mary, mother of Jesus, was of mixed racial heritage, but no argument is made for or against it anywhere in the text.

Leaving this aside, the rest of the book is actually rather interesting. Seymour points out significant personages in the New Testament and Early Church who were African born (i.e. the Ethiopian eunuch, Augustine) and then some significant preachers in American History, none of whom I had ever heard of before. I learned a little about each of these, and challenged a few preconceived notions.

Using Acts 1:8 as his root text, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (ESV) Seymour argues that blacks have become like the Samaria of Jesus’ time. They were a mixed race shunned by the true Jews, much as whites have historically shunned blacks, whether intentionally or not. It is an interesting argument, and not developed enough in this text.

Ultimately, the book has poor arguments with not enough references, many spelling and grammatical mistakes, and relies on assumptions and half-facts. It is not a good book, but it did make me as a Christian rethink my approach to my black brethren (and Hispanic and Asian) and make me want to learn more about them. Fortunately, Seymour’s bibliography is excellent and will point the dissatisfied reader to perhaps better argued or better presented facts.

As an overview of the importance of blacks or Africans in Christian history it lacks punch, and as an argument for that importance it lacks backing or substance. I recommend finding another book if this is a topic important to you. If you are a casual reader unfamiliar with the territory, it might just get you rethinking your assumptions, but you will need to test Seymour's first. Seymour tried, but ultimately failed in his goal, and it is unfortunate, because his concern is valid, and his desire for racial reconciliation one all Christians should have.

Book Review: A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah

I’m not sure I really got the title of A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah. Perhaps the structure is the problem. If I move the words around to say “Gone a Long Way” well, that makes a whole lot more sense, but is perhaps a little less dramatic or sales-effective. Either way, Beah certainly came a very long way.

The memoir is Beah’s picture perfect remembering of his childhood in Sierra Leone. Born in the same year I was, while I was stressing over pimples and looking down girl’s shirts, Beah was a soldier in the Sierra Leone army. (For the geographically challenged Sierra Leone is on the western side of Africa near the more famous Liberia.) It’s frightening to think that here but by the grace of God go I. Beah has written in a very detached tone of how his childhood was stripped away from him.

In the 1980’s the RUF, a rebel movement, sought to overthrow the Sierra Leone government, much of the fighting took place in the southwest part of the country. Beah and his older brother, at the outbreak of hostilities, were away from his family at a rap and dance competition. Separated from their family, they did what they could to survivie and move away from the fighting. Eventually getting seperated, never to see one another again, Beah survives by being drafted into the government’s army, eventually coming to Freetown as part of a non-profits’ attempt to remove children from the war and rehabilitate them.

Beah’s story is dreadful. Although the writing can be difficult to read due to its matter of fact recitation of facts with little emotional context, it is worth the effort. I think in part the writing lacks emotion because of Beah’s experiences. If he were not to remain detached, the old angers would surface, and the animal nature takes control again. The story of his time as a child soldier is really sandwiched between the story of his childhood and early attempts at survival, and his rehabilitation. Beah rarely discusses some of the horrible things he did as a soldier, but when he does they are horrible enough to make you wonder at what more grievous atrocities he fails to mention.

Beah is sympathetic to the reader of his memoir even so. No one would like to have been him, not have their child become like him. His story is one of redemption from the very pits of Hades into the glow of civilization and responsible government. His story is, however being played out all over the world as both rebel movements and the governments they fight recruit younger and younger soldiers.

The flaw with the book is not really in Beah’s writing, but more in the marketing side. Although the subtitle claims it to be a "memoir of a boy soldier", it spends too little time on his memories as a soldier and much more on his time before and after those experiences. In truth, it would have been better billed as the memoirs of lost childhood and a return from instinct into reason than otherwise. Still, for all that, he does remember some of his years of soldiering, and it is enough to make the reader gasp at the depth of sin in this world.

Additionally, their was not enough history of Sierra Leone and the conflict included. A timeline was provided, but, perhaps in an attempt not to pass judgment or choose one side over another, little is told of the origins of the RUF or the country itself. That disconnect made it hard fro me as a reader to understand the book. The lack of a description of the political background seemed a detriment to me.

Anyone who loves Africa, or anyone who wants to know more about the destruction child soldiering can cause should read this book. It is stark in its reality and in the destruction to the psyche that war can cause, especially to impressionable young minds. I still can’t get over how when I was learning the rules of English grammar, Beah was shooting and killing people, just to survive in a man made hell. I am grateful for my situation now in more ways than I can count. Beah’s A Long Way Gone will change you as well.

For more on Sierra Leone from a personal perspective read: Live from Freetown or Sweet Sierra Leone

Book Review: The Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain

Genre: Travel, History, Humor

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts,” so concludes (or nearly so) the most irreverent travel book ever written, by that unique American humorist, Mark Twain. Hired to take ship on one of the very first cruises ever envisioned (a near flop, actually) and write about the experience, the thirty-seven year old and relatively unknown author begins to find the voice that would make him one of the most popular American novelists of all time.

The Innocents Abroad is a sequence of letters to several newspapers (later compiled by Twain into book form) that appeared in print for the purpose of belittling the idea of cruise ships and pleasure excursions. The year was 1867, and Twain took his mandate to heart. The Innocents Abroad is filled with cutting wit and satire, sometimes at his own expense, sometimes others. “It seems to me that whenever I glory to think that for once I have discovered and ancient painting that is beautiful and worthy of all praise, the pleasure it gives me is infallible proof that it is not a beautiful picture and not in any wise worthy of commendation.”

The ship was called the Quaker City and began its trip in New York and traveled around the curve of the Mediterranean, visiting Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Turkey and the Holy Land. Twain describes the trip in such an exciting and humorous fashion that the reader will easily see the sites as they were in the great Age of Travel, before the commercialization of it.

Twain is a man of the lower class, unused to the appreciation of art, architecture, and history in the “acceptable” ways, and so the reader will find that his descriptions of what he sees and learns are honest and forthright and lack any ostentation. Twain’s travel history really examines the things seen and heard while maintaining his critical wit. His writing is an example of how a travel journal should appear. He thinks on the things he sees, questions his reactions, and accepts or dismisses them. He describes in detail the things that move him, and lightly passes by those that don’t. He both praises and derides his travel companions, but in his conclusion (written a year after the book’s publication) maintains that some of them are still his dearest friends. In fact, his future brother-in-law was his cabin mate, although he didn’t know it at the time.

The book is enjoyable for its insights into a time period, a beginning of the Golden Age of Travel, and for its insights into the growth of a writer’s voice. The Innocents Abroad was only his second book, but remained one of his best selling, even after the publication of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

Any traveler will enjoy the book. It is a good book to read to learn how to journal about travel, and it also presents a slice of history not often mentioned in the history books. It is funny and thoughtful, and deliciously irreverent.

Book Review: Shakespeare's Kings

"I'll play the orator as well as Nestor,
Deceive more slily than Ulysses could,
And, like a Sinon, take another Troy.
I can add colours to the chameleon,
Change shapes with Proteus for advantages,
And set the murderous Machiavel to school.
Can I do this, and cannot get a crown?
Tut, were it farther off, I'll pluck it down."

William Shakespeare, Henry VI Part III

Genre: British History, Shakespeare, Medieval History
Pub. Date: March 2001
Format: Paperback, 432pp

Shakespeare and history. Not Shakespeare in history but rather Shakespeare as historian. Is Shakespeare historically accurate? What does the average playgoer know about the historical context of Shakespeare histories? What does he or she need to know? It is these questions that Shakespeare’s Kings seek to answer.

John Julius Norwich has attacked the problem of the historical accuracy of the great histories of Shakespeare’s plays about the Kings of England from 1337-1185. Drawing on contemporary records, that, theoretically, Shakespeare would have had access to, Norwich describes the history of England in summary and fast-paced fashion. He then analytically compares the truth with the accuracy of the stage. He finds that the plays are “…surprisingly accurate as far as it goes - seldom straying fare from the available sources, and then nearly always for perfectly justifiable dramatic reasons.”

If a reader picked up this book expecting to find a literary analysis of Shakespeare, he would find it wholly unsatisfactory. Norwich has actually taken on a much larger challenge. He wishes to set the historical context of the plays by showing them chronologically in history and then comparing the facts of history, one by one, to their treatment in Shakespeare’s dramas. The arguments and comparisons that Norwich presents give a depth and breadth to the plays that the casual observer would have missed.

Norwich prefaces his book with a chapter on Edward III and his son the Black Prince, about whom Shakespeare never wrote a play, and continues the story through the fourteenth century on to Richard III, the last of the Plantagenet kings. Henry V and Richard III are the most famous of the plays, he also wrote plays centered on Richard II, Henry IV, and Henry VI.

This work will be especially helpful as an overview of the period to the playgoer and the student of history. Succinct and exciting, Norwich weaves the mundane and the royal into a tapestry that is both exciting an informative. Norwich shows through reliable sources how close Shakespeare came in telling the truth in his plays. “His sources may have been few, and not invariably satisfactory; but where they were found wanting he always used his imagination to fill in the gaps.” Something every fan of the St. Crispin’s day speech in Henry V is extremely grateful for.

I highly recommend this book. On a scale of 1 to 5, with five being the highest, this book rates a 5. Written for lay people like you and me, history is made real and exciting.

Richard II

I'm currently reading Shakespeare's Kings, a comparative analysis of the historical plays of Shakespeare from Edward III to Richard III with the actual history (as well as we know it.)

I just finished reading the section on Richard II, the second king of the series. The following lines that Richard laments after learning that Henry Bolingbroke (soon to be Henry IV) will likely depose him were very moving.

What must the king do now? must he submit?
The king shall do it: must he be deposed?
The king shall be contented: must he lose
The name of king? o' God's name, let it go:
I'll give my jewels for a set of beads,
My gorgeous palace for a hermitage,
My gay apparel for an almsman's gown,
My figured goblets for a dish of wood,
My sceptre for a palmer's walking staff,
My subjects for a pair of carved saints
And my large kingdom for a little grave,
A little little grave, an obscure grave;
Or I'll be buried in the king's highway,
Some way of common trade, where subjects' feet
May hourly trample on their sovereign's head;
For on my heart they tread now whilst I live;
And buried once, why not upon my head?

King Richard is lamenting his loss of power and influence (Richard was a king who loved frivolity, usually at the people's expense). One feels sad for the King, even though the problems occurring in his kingdom were his own fault through selfishness and listening to unwise advice. Still, it's poetic isn't it?

Coffee Cantata

Part of the reason I love my wife so much is that she humors my strangeness. The random calling out of words for no particular reason being the most obvious (and friends from college will recognize that habit) but also my perverse interest in trivia.

So to humor me, at Christmas she bought me a calendar with a new trivia fact for each and every day of the year. I have loved it! I learned how David Bowie was the inspiration for magnetic poetry, the name of the murder capital of the world (which I forget now) and strange things about people I always knew of, but knew little about.

Today's (March 13)was the best I have seen so far. It describes how Johann Sebastian Bach (yes, the Bach) wrote an entire cantata celebrating coffee. Amazing!

According to my calendar, the story is of a young woman who loves to drink coffee (apparently in Germany in 1732 this was all the rage) but whose father requires her to give up coffee to get married. The daughter does so, but secretly vows to require her new husband to sign (sing?) a contract allowing her to drink as much coffee as she likes, after they are married.

Such quotes as "If I can't drink my bowl of coffee three times daily, then in my torment I will shrivel up like a piece of roast goat." and "Mm! how sweet the coffee tastes, more delicious than a thousand kisses, mellower than muscatel wine." will have any lover of coffee nodding their heads, I certainly was.

Who knew opera could be this cool?

The text of the libretto can be found after the jump. A must read, it's hilarious!

Recitative Narrator
Be quiet, stop chattering, and pay attention to what's taking place: here comes Herr Schlendrian with his daughter Lieschen; he's growling like a honey bear. Hear for yourselves, what she has done to him!

Aria Schlendrian
Don't one's children cause one endless trials & tribulations! What I say each day to my daughter Lieschen falls on stony ground.

Recitative Schlendrian
You wicked child, you disobedient girl, oh! When will I get my way? Give up coffee!

Lieschen
Father, don't be so severe! If I can't drink my bowl of coffee three times daily, then in my torment I will shrivel up like a piece of roast goat.

Aria Lieschen
Mm! how sweet the coffee tastes, more delicious than a thousand kisses, mellower than muscatel wine. Coffee, coffee I must have, and if someone wishes to give me a treat, ah, then pour me out some coffee!

Recitative Schlendrian
If you don't give up drinking coffee then you shan't go to any wedding feast, nor go out walking. Oh! when will I get my way? Give up coffee!

Lieschen
Oh well! Just leave me my coffee!

Schlendrian
Now I've got the little minx! I won't get you a whalebone skirt in the latest fashion.

Lieschen
I can easily live with that.

Schlendrian
You're not to stand at the window and watch people pass by!

Lieschen
That as well, only I beg of you, leave me my coffee!

Schlendrian
Furthermore, you shan't be getting any silver or gold ribbon for your bonnet from me!

Lieschen
Yes, yes! only leave me to my pleasure!

Schlendrian
You disobedient Lieschen you, so you go along with it all!

Aria Schlendrian
Hard-hearted girls are not so easily won over. Yet if one finds their weak spot, ah! then one comes away successful.

Recitative Schlendrian
Now take heed what your father says!

Lieschen
In everything but the coffee.

Schlendrian
Well then, you'll have to resign yourself to never taking a husband.

Lieschen
Oh yes! Father, a husband!

Schlendrian
I swear it won't happen.

Lieschen
Until I can forgo coffee? From now on, coffee, remain forever untouched! Father, listen, I won't drink any.

Schlendrian
Then you shall have a husband at last!

Aria Lieschen
Today even dear father, see to it! Oh, a husband! Really, that suits me splendidly! If it could only happen soon that at last, before I go to bed, instead of coffee I were to get a proper lover!

Recitative Narrator
Old Schlendrian goes off to see if he can find a husband forthwith for his daughter Lieschen; but Lieschen secretly lets it be known: no suitor is to come to my house unless he promises me, and it is also written into the marriage contract, that I will be permitted to make myself coffee whenever I want.

Trio
A cat won't stop from catching mice, and maidens remain faithful to their coffee. The mother holds her coffee dear. The grandmother drank it also. Who can thus rebuke the daughters?

Book Review: Condensed Knowledge by the editors at mental_floss

Authors: Mental_floss
Genre: Non-fiction, encyclopedia, reference
Pub. Date: April 2004
Format: Paperback, 352pp
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

I like trivia. When I was a kid, I used to get the magazine 321 Contact (formerly The Electric Company) and would always turn to the “factoids” page before reading any other portion. The little paragraphs of strange and unusual information were fascinating. Why the life cycle of fruit flies, the number of cells in a body, or wingspan of the albatross would interest me I have no idea. Nonetheless, they do.

When my wife pointed me to Mental_floss magazine (herself pointed there by a fellow teacher) it was a godsend. No adult magazines had made trivia fun like 321 Contact had done. But the magazine is limited, and comes only bimonthly. I needed my “knowledge fix”, but didn’t want to wait quite so long.

Enter Condensed Knowledge by the editors at Mental_floss. This reference book covers topics like history, philosophy, religion, pop culture, and literature all in short paragraphs grouped into related sections. There might be a section on four different physicists, or 3 countries that don’t exist. A reader might find short descriptions on five books every one should know, or 9 ways you need radioactivity. Such topical groupings and short, interesting paragraphs make this resource readable from beginning to end.

In fact, what Ambrose Bierce did for dictionaries, Mental_floss has done for encyclopedias. Smart, funny, relevant, and interesting each section will help “knowledge junkies get their fix” between their issues of Mental_floss.

The book is flawed in some ways. Sometimes the sections seem to be unrelated to the main topic (i.e. literature) and are sometimes not really related in the way the subsection purports them to be. This, however, is uncommon and most likely the writers fault. Each main section is written by an expert in the field so at times a layperson might not get the relatedness of the topic to the main section, whereas an expert might.

Some of the writing is stilted, or biased. Mental_floss trends liberal in its take on events and history follows that trend. The book makes a fair effort at being witty and balanced, allowing no ridiculous belief or strange philosophy to go without a pun or clever remark. But in this is its real strength. Nothing that passes through the book goes unscathed.

Teachers should have this book in their libraries. Use it well to teach the arts, history, philosophy, etc. It will make it fun and easy to interject interesting stories into dry textbooks and show how some of our greatest minds had some of the weirdest behaviors. This book is a valuable mine of information that any teacher afraid of garnering interest on a topic in class is likely to find a paragraph eminently suited to capturing that interest. Difficult concepts are expressed in layman’s terms.

This can lead to oversimplification, but the editors of the book acknowledge this and dismiss it as not relevant to the work at hand. They were not trying to write anything comprehensive, but to fill that need some humans have of knowing a little about a lot.

This book is enjoyable and fascinating. Full of fun facts, strange trivia, and funny remarks, I highly recommend it for any lover of trivia and anyone who enjoys a good factoid.

Book Reviews by Author

These are my book reviews, categorized alphabetically by the author's last name. (Categorization by title is available here.)

You can also subscribe to an RSS feed of my reviews at librarything.

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

A

Abercrombie, Joe The Blade Itself; Before They Are Hanged
Abraham, Daniel Hunter's Run
Ackley-McPhail, Danielle (et al.) Bad-A** Faeries
Adams, John Joseph Shimmer, The Pirate Issue; Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse
Aguirre, Ann Grimspace
Alcorn, Randy The Treasure Principle

B

Barnes, Jonathan The Somnambulist
Barwood, Lee Klassic Koalas: Ancient Aboriginal Tales in New Retellings
Beah, Ishmael A Long Way Gone
Bennis, Warren On Becoming A Leader
Bolme, Edward Eberron: The Orb of Xoriat; Eberron: Bound by Iron
Brand, Paul The Gift of Pain
Brennan, Marie Midnight Never Come
Britain, Kristen Green Rider
Brooke, Keith Genetopia
Bryson, Bill The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid; The Mother Tongue
Buckell, Tobias Crystal Rain; Ragamuffin
Burton, Katherine Hedge Hunters
Butcher, Jim Small Favor
Byers, Richard Lee Forgotten Realms: Unclean

C

Carpenter, Humphrey J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography
Chapman, Gary The Five Love Languages
Civiello, Emmanuel, A Bit of Madness
Cordell, Bruce Forgotten Realms: Stardeep
Cunningham, Elaine Forgotten Realms: The City of Splendors
Czerneda, Julie E. (ed.) Misspelled

D

Delaney, Frank Tipperary: A Novel
Dozois, Gardner Hunter's Run

E

Edelman, David Louis Infoquake
Edgington, Ian Sojourn: The Sorcerer's Tale; Sojourn: The Bezerker's Tale
Edwards, Kim The Memory Keeper's Daughter
Elliott, Kate The Crown of Stars Series
Ellis, Peter Berresford (see also Peter Tremayne) The Druids
Ellison, Harlan Dangerous Visions
Emery, Clayton Robin Hood and the Beasts of Sherwood

F

Falbe, Tracy Union of Renegades
Feist, Raymond E. Magician; Honored Enemy; Murder in LaMut
Finlay, Charles Coleman The Prodigal Troll
Forstchen, William R. Honored Enemy
Frank, Pat Alas, Babylon
Frazer, Margaret The Clerk's Tale
Freedman, Pamela Blood Ties
Freivald, Jake Falsh Fiction Online, April 2008

G

Gemmell, David Legend
Genesse, Paul The Golden Cord
Goodkind, Terry Phantom; Confessor
Graham, L.B. Shadow in the Deep; Beyond the Summerland
Green, David More Than A Hobby
Greenberg, Martin H. Fellowship Fantastic
Greenwood, Ed Forgotten Realms: The City of Splendors; Forgotten Realms: Swords of Dragonfire

H

Hart, Johnny Growingold with B.C.
Heinlein, Robert A. Glory Road
Hinck, Sharon The Restorer
Hines, Jim C. Goblin Quest; Goblin Hero; Goblin War
Horner, W. H. (ed.) Sails and Sorcery: Tales of Nautical Fantasy; Bash Down the Door and Slice Open the BadGuy
Hughes, Kerrie Fellowship Fantastic
Hunt, Stephen The Court of the Air

I

J

Jacobs, A.J. The Know-It-All
James, P.D. The Children of Men
Johnson, Jaleigh Forgotten Realms: The Howling Delve
Jones, Rosemary Forgotten Realms: Crypt of the Moaning Diamond
Jordan, Robert Knife of Dreams

K

Kemp, Paul S. Forgotten Realms: Shadowstorm
Kirkpatrick, Russell Across the Face of the World
Knight, E. E. Dragon Champion; Dragon Outcast

L

Lackey, Mercedes The Phoenix Unchained
Land, Greg Sojourn: The Sorcerer's Tale; Sojourn: The Bezerker's Tale
Lansky, Aaron Outwitting History
Lawhead, Stephen Hood; Scarlet; The Pendragon Cycle
Lebow, Jess Forgotten Realms: Obsidian Ridge
Le Guin, Ursula K. The Left Hand of Darkness

M

Mackay, Scott Tides; Phytosphere
Mallet, Nathalie The Princes of the Golden Cage
Mallory, James The Phoenix Unchained
Mangels, Andy Iron Man: Beneath the Armor
Martin, Gail Z. The Summoner
Martin, George R.R. Dying of the Light; Hunter's Run
Maxwell, John C. Life@Work
McCarthy, Cormac The Road
McCourt, Frank Teacher Man
McDonnell, Carole Wind Follower
McPhail, Mike (ed.) Breach the Hull
Meluch, R.M. The Sagittarius Command
Mental_floss Condensed Knowledge
Meredith, Robyn The Elephant and the Dragon: The Rise of India and China and What it Means for All of Us
Miller, Karen The Innocent Mage; The Awakened Mage; Empress
Moedesitt Jr., L.E. The Magic of Recluce
Moore, Moira J. Heroes Adrift
Mosdi, Thomas A Bit of Madness
Muirden, James & Eccles, David (Illustrator) A Rhyming History of Britain

N

Norwich, John Julius Shakespeare's Kings

O

O'Neill, John (ed.) Black Gate: Issue #11
Overstreet, Jeffrey Auralia's Colors

P

Paolini, Christopher Eragon
Poole, Robert M. Explorer's House: National Geographic and the World It Made
Pratchett, Terry Thud!; The Truth; Making Money
Priest, Christopher The Prestige
Proctor, William Moon Gate

Q

R

Ramsey, Dave The Junior Books
Reid, Thomas M. Forgotten Realms: The Gossamer Plain
Rivers, Francine Redeeming Love
Rosenberg, Joel Murder in LaMut
Rothfuss, Patrick The Name of the Wind
Ruckley, Brian Winterbirth; Bloodheir

S

Salvatore, R.A. Forgotten Realms: Road of the Patriarch; Forgotten Realms: The Orc King
Sayers, Dorothy Are Women Human?
Schlosser, Eric Fast Food Nation
Sehestedt, Mark (ed.) The Tales of the Last War
Setterfield, Diane The Thirteenth Tale
Seymour, James Black History Through Blue Eyes: The Debt the World Owes to Africa
Shakespeare, William Henry V (Classical Comics Edition)
Smith, Alexander McCall The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency
Snyder, Maria V. Poison Study
Steves, Rick The Rick Steves' Travel Guide Series
Stusser, Michael The Dead Guy Interviews

T

Thurman, Rob Madhouse
Tremayne, Peter (see also Peter Ellis) Badger's Moon; Master of Souls; Smoke in the Wind
Twain, Mark The Innocents Abroad

U

V

Varley, John Rolling Thunder
Venditti, Robert The Surrogates, Vol. 1

W

Walley, Chris The Shadow and Night
Waltz, Jason M. (ed.) Return of the Sword
Ward, James M. Midshipwizard Halcyon Blithe
Weldon, David Moon Gate
Wells, Martha The Death of the Necromancer
West, Michelle The Hidden City
Wiesel, Elie Night
Williams, Tad Shadowmarch
Winchester, Simon Outposts: Journeys to the Surviving Relics of the British Empire
Withrow, Mindy and Brandon Monks and Mystics

X

Y

Yancey, Philip The Gift of Pain

Z

Zakour, John The Blue-Haired Bombshell

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

William Wilberforce

William Wilberforce will be played by one of my all time favorite actors Ioan Gruffudd! I think this movie will be great. Mr. Gruffudd is an excellent actor who distinguished himself in the A&E Hornblower series. It opens February 23 and stars a lot of other good British actors. Amazing Grace looks to be a great movie about a significant and notable man, whose contribution to history is incalculable.

A Reminder of Bravery

Since President Bush's announcement that he will be sending more troops to Iraq, I would like to point you to a piece that moved me the first time I saw it two years ago. Homeward Bound celebrates our troops and the sacrifices they make each an every day. You will need Flash Player in order to view it. This slideshow will both gladden and sadden your heart.

I also recommend visiting Captain KJ's blog. She is serving in Baghdad, and her stories of her time in service are telling. I enjoy her honest protrayal of her experiences in Baghdad.

Book Review: The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson

Author: Bill Bryson
Genre: Memoir, History
Pub. Date: October 2006
Format: Hardcover, 288pp
Publisher: Broadway Books

The fifties were a good time to be a kid. This is the premise of Bill Bryson’s latest book The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid. Using his own memories of growing up in the fifties (he was born in 1951) he expounds on the people, the culture, and the politics of the time. He wanes nostalgic about growing up in Des Moines, Iowa and what it was like to grow up in a town where downtown was for everyone, not just tourists.

For me, this was an opportunity to see the world in which my parents grew up. My parents are close-mouthed people (and my grandparents too) so learning about this volatile and interesting time in their lives is difficult. Bryson spends the majority of his time on the fifties and his life as a nine year old boy much affected by the comic books he read. So the childhood of those born in the very beginning of the Atomic Age, as my parents were, was made open to me.

Although I usually abhor cursing in books, Bryson is subtle with his use and it does not detract from the memoir. His liberal political leanings are obvious in that the objects of many of his jokes are Republicans or social conservatives. However, this also does not detract from his story.

Bryson paints an interesting picture of a time when anything is possible, man is invincible, and logic in comic books is non-existent. It is an easily read (it only took me a day) fascinating memoir and history of life in the 1950’s.

Book Review: Monks and Mystics by Mindy and Brandon Withrow

Author: Mindy and Brandon Withrow
Genre: Historical Fiction, Non-fiction
Pub. Date: January 2006
Format: Paperback, 223pp
Publisher: Christian Focus Publications

Over the weekend, I completed reading Mindy and Brandon Withrow’s book Monks and Mystics. A book geared to the 9-14 age range, the book presents church history from both a fictional and factual perspective. It part of the History Lives series that began with Peril and Peace, a book about ancient Christians. Vignettes of some of the more significant persons in the Medieval Church, written as fiction stories but based on historical documents, dominate the text. In between, short chapters containing significant facts about the period are presented.

While in no way comprehensive, this book does an excellent job of both making history interesting and real to the age range it targets, and of teaching church history to children. I would, in fact, think it an excellent text to use as a basis for an upper elementary or middle school Sunday school class on church history. It would also be useful in Christian schools. As a supplemental text it is perfect.

Although an adult, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. So much so, that I ordered the first book the next day and plan to order any successive books as they become available. The stories were interesting and well-written (although on pg. 77, there is on paragraph that repeats, something the editors must have missed) and capture well the characters of the historical figures.

To an adult, some of the language might feel condescending or childish, but the Withrows do not shy away from using technical terms. Often the characters explain the terms in words that could be understood by a 9 year old in their speech to each other. (In truth I understood some of the terms better than I ever have before!)

It is unfortunate that these books are printed by such an unknown publisher. They are available at Barnes and Noble and Amazon, but only online. It is unlikely they will make it into the stores and I wonder if the major Christian retailers will pick them up. They are a valuable resource for the Christian family, so I recommend buying them before they go out of print.

Book Review: Outposts: Journeys to the Surviving Relics of the British Empire by Simon Winchester

Author: Simon Winchester
Genre: Non-fiction, Travel, British History
Pub. Date: June 2004
Format: Paperback, 362pp
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

Anguilla, St. Helena, Grand Cayman, The Falkland Islands, Hong Kong, Gibraltar all have one thing in common. In 1984, they (and a few others) were all that was left of the British Empire. At it’s height in the Victorian period, Britain ruled (or at least governed) a large portion of the known world. The discovery of these last relics of empire is the subject of the book Outposts: Journeys to the Surviving Relics of the British Empire by Simon Winchester.

Known particularly for his work on The Professor and the Madman, and The Meaning of Everything, two books on the history of the Oxford English Dictionary, Winchester is a geologist turned journalist a career for which he was eminently suited. His love of the islands he describes in this work is evident both in his many return visits and the way his words lovingly caress the history and cultures he finds in them.

The majority of these last outposts of empire are islands that are far removed from any continent, with the exception of Gibraltar (a peninsula) and Hong Kong. Hong Kong is an island in part, but contains portions of the continent of Asia within its boundaries. St. Helena, Ascension Island, Tristan da Cunha, Bermuda and the Falklands all sit in the Atlantic Ocean. Gibraltar guards the entrance to the Mediterranean across from Morocco, Pitcairn is in the Pacific, and British Indian Ocean Territory is self-explanatory.

Winchester journeys to all of them over the course of three years and in side trips from his day job as a journalist, and even as in the case of the Falklands he is there in that capacity particularly. He watched the Falklands fall to the invading Argentines in 1982. People of my own generation know nothing of this event (this was the first I had heard of it) but it was important, with 1300 dead as a result.

The majority of the book is given over to laments over the sorry state of Britain’s island territories. Whether it is financial decay, as in the case of St. Helena, or moral decay, as in the case of the Cayman’s, each and every colony has had to sacrifice something of its Imperial character in order to survive. Much of this is blamed, by Winchester, on racism with a helping of poor communication. (I did wonder as I read this in 2007, whether the advent of satellite technology for the masses had had a significant effect on the colonies.)

Winchester claims that Britain is racist and wishes to deny the colonies full citizenship because they are not white. They are always governed by whites, he points out, and the poorest of them are usually people of color. I find this argument flimsy in this day and age, and find it more likely that the colonies are more forgotten than deliberately persecuted.

Hong Kong has, since the writing of this book, returned to its native China. The fears that it would be swallowed by the Communist machine are unfounded, as the China itself moves closer and closer to truly free trade (while still committing human rights abuses, I know, but changes are occurring).

Many of the colonies have turned into tax shelters, vacation spots, or American military bases. Winchester laments this although he says, “Perhaps...it was because one associates British Imperial relics, and associates them rather fondly, with sadness and decay, with the sagging verandah and the peeling paint, the wandering donkeys and the lolling drunks, and with a generally amiable sense of indolence and carelessness.”

It is this ultimately that is the value of this book. The reader discovers the empire as it was once, before technology changed it, a new morality consumed it, and empire became an evil idea. This book is a must for all travel book buffs, and a pleasant read for the amateur historian.

Book Review: The Druids by Peter Berresford Ellis

Author: Peter Berresford Ellis
Genre: History, Celtic
Pub. Date: May 2002
Format: Paperback, 324pp
Publisher: Avalon Publishing Group
Series: Brief History of Series

Often have I read books by one Peter Tremayne. His ancient Irish mysteries are superb. But did you know that Tremayne is actually a pseudonym for Peter Berresford Ellis, the noted Celtic scholar? The Druids is one of his academic works. Although written for the layman, it is still an academic work.

Ellis’ argument is that the New Age conception of who and what the Druids were is just that, new. The historical druids are something other than what popular literature and the New Age movement has led us to believe. In this work, Ellis show us, both from external and internal sources, who the historical druids actually were.

For the most part, they were and intellectual class in Celtic culture, akin to modern day professors, priests, and other intelligentsia. Interestingly, the closest modern equivalent we have is in India in the caste of the Brahmins. Much of The Druids is taken up with showing these similarities of cultures, Celtic and Hindu, traced back to the hypothesized Indo-European language (and cultural) root.

Ellis also does not fall into the trap of taking the ancient sources at face value. He recognizes that human nature is little changed in its history and that the sources we must rely upon might be simply propaganda either for or against a particular culture. Just as we moderns demonize cultures we do not understand, so too did the Romans to the Celts. And of course, the Celts tried to make themselves look better in their own writings.

Ellis is mistaken in some of his statements about Christianity. I don't think he understands evangelical Christianity at all. His statements about Christianity seem to be rooted in knowledge of Anglican and Catholic theologies. This does not in any way harm, the work as a whole, as these statements are few and far between.

The Druids is an excellent primer for those interested in Celtic culture, particularly the druids. Readable without being too pedantic, the work presents Celtic culture objectively and argues its point succinctly. I would recommend it for history buffs and the casual reader alike if one wants to know the real druids.

Your Favorite Wonder

If you haven't seen this already, a company called New Wonders is having a fun vote for your favorite wonder of the world. You have to sign up for a "membership" but that doesn't mean anything and you can opt out of receiving any info from them, if you so choose. It was fun, and if you like history or have traveled at all you should vote. There are only 218 days left to vote! They'll be announcing the winner at Lisbon in 2007.

I picked these for my favorites:
The Alhambra
Timbuktu
The Colosseum
A German Castle whose name I can't spell
Stonehenge
The Pyramids
and Machu Picchu

Book Review: The Mother Tongue by Bill Bryson

The Mother Tongue: English and How It Got That Way
Pub. Date: November 2001
Series: Harper Perennial
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Read an Excerpt

For some time now, I have been a closet philologist. I have studied words, learned all I could about those who study words, and played more games of Scrabble with my grandmother-in-law than any one person can be expected to. I love words, word origins, and playing with words.

In looking for easy to read books on philology, books for the amateur, I came across Bill Bryson’s The Mother Tongue. Better known for his travel memoirs A Walk in the Woods and In a Sunburned Country, this early work of his traces the history of the English language in a humorous way. Where most philologists take themselves much too seriously, Bryson finds humor in the fact that in the English language word pronunciations don’t always follow spellings, that the English language loves to steal words from other languages, and that no one has ever been able to regulate its growth.

English is, according to Bryson, both the most versatile of languages, and the one most taught elsewhere in the world. English is rapidly becoming the universal language of business, law, and learning.

Through 250 or so pages, Bryson traces the in outs and outs of the etymologies of words, the spelling or them, word games, and in the best chapter of all, the fine art of swearing. Swearing in English is actually easier to do than in almost any other language oddly enough. Bryson ensures that you will see the humor in this situation.

An easy read, Bryson writes for the layman, the newcomer to philology. He wants the reader to see the beauty and usefulness of the language. Often this is done by humorous comparison to the foibles of other languages.

English grammar is shown to be a construction based on another language, rules of spelling are shown to be rather arbitrary, and some of the quirks of philologists of the centuries (such as Noah Webster, James Murray, and even J.R.R. Tolkien) are enjoyed in all their majesty. Bryson takes potshots at philologists by showing (in all seriousness) how often they make mistakes in their own writing.

The one failure of the book is to address the new creole of text messaging. Highly phonetic, this style of writing is slowly creeping into the language in the form of slang. Of course, his failure to deal with this growing English bastardization is due in large part to the fact that the original publication was in 1990, although the copy I read was a republication in 2001.

If you have an interest in philology, funny words, etymologies, or would like to know why we swear the way we do, this is an excellent introduction.

Today is National Tartan Day

Today is National Tartan Day! A celebration of Scottish Americans and all they have done for our country.

Celebrate the Irish, whether ye be one or no

These are teachers who work at my wife's school. Florida Today highlighted how these teachers appreciate more about the Irish than beer and brogues. Meg O'Malley's is an Irish pub in Melbourne, Fl. just down the street from my house.

March 17, 2005

POWERFUL PROSE

English professors regularly meet to discuss strength, beauty of Irish writing

BY TOM BREEN
FLORIDA TODAY

Fans of Irish works. English teachers Dan Doerr, left, Tom Jackson, Greg Smith, John Harbaugh and Terry Moore meet regularly at Meg O’Malley’s. “An Irish pub is certainly a great place to discuss Irish literature, don’t you think,” Doerr said.

Almost every Friday, as dusk settles in, five English teachers from Satellite High School converge at Meg O'Malley's in downtown Melbourne.

Finding a fairly quiet corner, prior to the influx of musicians and boisterous crowds, they share a taste or two, as the Irish say, and talk about the travails of the week just passed. That's what people do in pubs -- nothing unusual about that.

But, suddenly, many of the masters of Irish literature appear, lyrical ghosts passing through on a Friday afternoon along the Atlantic coast.

And that's why these teachers are truly here -- to celebrate the literary spirits of Irish icons such as James Joyce, Brendan Behan, Samuel Beckett, George Bernard Shaw, William Butler Yeats and many others.

So, on this St. Paddy's Day, as the Guinness flows in a mighty river across Brevard County, remember the Irish are a lot more than beer and leprechauns and priests and politicians.

They're also about "producing what I think is the best writing in the world," said Terry Moore, son of a British mom and an Irish-American dad. "All of it is so philosophical, so dark, so humorous."

That's exactly how Dan Doerr feels about the writing that mesmerizes him.

About two years ago, Doerr, a colleague of Moore, wanted to "share my love of Irish literature with my fellow teachers."

He had taught at Satellite High School in the 1970s, left to work in the finance business for 20 years, and returned in 2002 to teach English again.

"When I was in graduate school at Emory in the 1980s, I studied under one of the most-famous James Joyce scholars, Richard Ellmann," Doerr said. "He hooked me on Irish writing. And I've always wanted to share it with other people. So we started this group."

In addition to Moore and Doerr, other Satellite High English teachers in the group include John Harbaugh, Tom Jackson and Greg Smith.

"An Irish pub is certainly a great place to discuss Irish literature to read aloud to one another, don't you think," Doerr said, his smile wide.

Some of the five, like Moore, have Irish blood, but some, like Doerr, have none.

"It's not about blood, it's about great literature," Doerr said.

"This is about like-minded people getting together and talking about something they love," Harbaugh added. "It's just so much fun to do that."

And while the five English teachers can work some Irish prose and poetry into their high school curricula, it's not enough to satisfy their yearning for such works.

These days, the teachers, in their visits to Meg O'Malley's, have been focusing on James Joyce (1882-1941), the great novelist especially known for experimental language in "Ulysses" and "Finnegans Wake," and Brendan Behan (1923-1964), a playwright and author whose themes mostly focus on the English-Irish struggle.

Joyce, of course, often dominates the readings, because of the complexity and controversy surrounding his work.

"Both 'Ulysses' and 'Finnegan's Wake' are powerful, beautiful stuff," Doerr said. "Ulysses uses Homer's Odyssey as a model for the book, but everything is tied to Dublin. And it all takes place in one day. Amazing. And Finnegan's Wake is pretty much Joyce's managing to pack much of the literature of the world into one book. It's a gigantic word puzzle, and it's a lot of fun trying to figure out how to tie every character together."

To some people, Joyce can be difficult to understand. Some critics even have gone so far as to say he writes gibberish.

But the Joyce skeptics simply are not looking deeply enough into him, failing to interpret "all of his allusions; he writes about anything and everything, about the whole world."

"Finnegans Wake," which draws from a song of the same name about a "gentle Irishman" who had a "brogue both rich and sweet," also gives the group the opportunity to discuss the richness of Irish music, Moore said.

On another Friday night, when Joyce was resting, the group turned to Behan's play "The Hostage."

A dark work that focuses on the kidnapping of a young British soldier by the rebel Irish Republican Arm, this play "packs all of Ireland into one rooming house. He creates an interesting and arresting story."

"The Hostage," in part, is influenced, as are so many other works, by the work of Beckett, the enormously influential Irish playwright, Samuel Beckett (1906-1989), the author of "Waiting for Godot." Beckett, along with dramatist and critic Shaw (1856-1950) and poet Yeats (1865-1950), and others too, will find their way onto the teachers' private stage.

So, if you're ever in Meg O'Malley's on a Friday afternoon and you hear five men reading aloud to each other, you'll know who they are and why they're there.

And, if you're real quiet, you can listen too, to the ghosts of Irish literature past, to writing like this from William Butler Yeats' poem "The Two Trees:"

BELOVED, gaze in thine own heart,

The holy tree is growing there;

From joy the holy branches start,

And all the trembling flowers they bear.

The changing colours of its fruit

Have dowered the stars with metry light;

The surety of its hidden root

Has planted quiet in the night. . . .