eapenc
Hennepin County Library
eapenc's Completed Shelf
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When Christians Were JewsWhen Christians Were Jews, BookThe First Generation
by Fredriksen, PaulaBook - 2018Book, 2018
eapenc's rating:
Added Jan 24, 2024
France on TrialFrance on Trial, BookThe Case of Marshal Pétain
by Jackson, Julian, 1954-Book - 2023Book, 2023
eapenc's rating:
Added Dec 29, 2023
MorgenthauMorgenthau, BookPower, Privilege, and the Rise of An American Dynasty
by Meier, AndrewBook - 2022Book, 2022
eapenc's rating:
Added Dec 29, 2023
The YugoThe Yugo, BookThe Rise and Fall of the Worst Car in History
by Vuic, Jason, 1972-Book - 2010Book, 2010
eapenc's rating:
Added Dec 29, 2023
Dying We LiveDying We Live, BookThe Final Messages and Records of the Resistance
by Gollwitzer, HelmutBook - 1956Book, 1956
eapenc's rating:
Added Dec 29, 2023
Two Roads HomeTwo Roads Home, BookHitler, Stalin, and the Miraculous Survival of My Family
by Finkelstein, Daniel, 1962-Book - 2023Book, 2023
eapenc's rating:
Added Dec 29, 2023
eapenc's rating:
Added Nov 21, 2023
Three RocksThree Rocks, Graphic NovelThe Story of Ernie Bushmiller, the Man Who Created Nancy
by Griffith, Bill, 1944-Graphic Novel - 2023Graphic Novel, 2023
eapenc's rating:
Added Nov 09, 2023
Comment:
I grew up reading comic strips in the Fifties and I always liked Nancy and Sluggo. This graphic novel by cartoonist Bill Griffith is a graphic and narrative tour de force, and a labor of love. I laughed a lot, even through the epilogue, which may be the funniest part of the book. The era when Ernie Bushmiller decided he wanted to become a cartoonist through his death in the eighties covers the rise of newspapers, their need for some entertainment to keep readers engaged beyond the news, the rise of syndication, the grind of producing daily and Sunday strips, and the ever changing cultural fashions are instructional for today, not in a pedantic way but through the vehicle of Bushmiller's "daughter" Nancy. Bushmiller was very demanding on himself and also on the three assistants he needed as the syndications grew to over 800 newspapers. I learned that Ernie's demanding minutiae led to Nancy's having a minimum of 67 but no more that 103 spikes in her hair, I recall. I laughed at this, as I did throughout this book.I grew up reading comic strips in the Fifties and I always liked Nancy and Sluggo. This graphic novel by cartoonist Bill Griffith is a graphic and narrative tour de force, and a labor of love. I laughed a lot, even through the epilogue, which may…
An Uncertain HourAn Uncertain Hour, BookThe French, the Germans, the Jews, the Klaus Barbie Trial, and the City of Lyon, 1940-1945
by Morgan, Ted, 1932-Book - 1990Book, 1990
eapenc's rating:
Added Sep 13, 2023
Comment:
The topic sounded interesting, namely Vichy and the trial of Klaus Barbie in Lyon. It really VERY BADLY needed an editor. Klaus Barbie and his trial are fobbed off in some throwaway text at the end of a painful book to read.
I did understand why Churchill in most of the dramas on Netflix is perplexed about quickly the French army's resistance to the Nazis collapsed. Well this story is explained in much detail, and it is shameful, as they just decided that it would be better to preserve one's homestead and lifestyle than to die in a hopeless defense of France. Vichy, under the 83 year old Marshal Petain was all about accomodation, and even the idea of covert resistance was out of the question. The British, they all firmly believed, would fight the Germans even if their island would wind up being invaded.
A story of French insouciance taken to the extreme.The topic sounded interesting, namely Vichy and the trial of Klaus Barbie in Lyon. It really VERY BADLY needed an editor. Klaus Barbie and his trial are fobbed off in some throwaway text at the end of a painful book to read.
I did understand why…
Fancy Bear Goes PhishingFancy Bear Goes Phishing, BookThe Dark History of the Information Age, in Five Extraordinary Hacks
by Shapiro, Scott J.Book - 2023Book, 2023
eapenc's rating:
Added Aug 30, 2023
Maris & MantleMaris & Mantle, BookTwo Yankees, Baseball Immortality, and the Age of Camelot
by Castro, TonyBook - 2021Book, 2021
eapenc's rating:
Added Aug 30, 2023
My HijackingMy Hijacking, BookA Personal History of Forgetting and Remembering
by Hodes, Martha, 1958-Book - 2023Book, 2023
Added Aug 30, 2023
While Time RemainsWhile Time Remains, BookA North Korean Defector's Search for Freedom in America
by Park, Yeonmi, 1993-Book - 2023Book, 2023
eapenc's rating:
Added Aug 17, 2023
Comment:
Yeonmi Park and her mother, with her father's sacrifice, escaped from North Korea into China with little food and minimum clothing. Crossing the river into China, they thought they had found safety, but instead they were captured and sold as slaves into the sex trade. Any father with a daughter would have to fight off tears reading this account.
Very few people escape North Korea, and those who do usually are lost in China. North Korea wants only one narrative, that Kim II Sung. So, Park's vivid, detailed descriptions of life in North Korea, where there is no private property or contact with the outside world, life, food and water, and primitive housing are all supplied by the god-man Kim II Sung. Our news media report nothing first hand about North Korea, so to read a current, first hand account of growing up in a totalitarian state like North Korea is worth it. Yeonmi points out the irony of her experience with the fact that North Korea is a full member of the United Nations, and as such should subscribe to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights!
Yeonmi gets admitted to my alma mater, Columbia College which she proudly notes was founded before our republic and the Declaration of Independence. Grateful for being welcomed to America and to a way of life which erases the NK way, she is completely disillusioned by what the faculty and administrators tell her about the books, ideas and music of privileged white men, including most of her Core reading list. Her description of the Student Code of Conduct is funny and sad.
Because of the exciting escape of two women from North Korea and because of Park's fervent desire to open minds about the truth in North Korea, she becomes a desirable speaker at very high profile events where her fellow speakers include luminaries like Hillary Clinton and Harvey Weinstein. Park's presentations were about her life in North Korea, and they were raw, passionate and personal; in this way, she begged her audiences to get tangibly involved in saving the Korean people from 21st century mental, emotional and physical enslavement. The audiences seemed restless and eager for the talk to end, which puzzled Park. Hillary Clinton, who followed her, did nothing but speak about all the reasons she deserved to be President and everyone seemed engaged. For a new, educated immigrant this made no sense.
At a conference organized by Jeff Bezos, he asked her, "How did you find the strength to keep going in your journey and not despair?" Bezos seemed to be choking up. Park said her father always gave her advice about life from when she was a little girl. She mentioned an example of a Korean childrens doll which was stuffed with a rounded, wide base. Like the doll, Dad said, "Yeonmi-ya, whenever life knocks you down, find your balance, get back up, and move forward." Park broke down, and Bezos was publicly in tears. He privately asked what he could do, Yeonmi gave many suggestions, but nothing happened.
With some training in economics, she had her epiphany. Bezos had indeed created one of the largest, most powerful businesses in the world. But really, it was a massive, global bulletin board and shipper for everything which China manufactures. North Korea is a convenient partner for China in strategic and business matters, beyond the sex trade which would not reflect well on China if it were widely known. So, of course, no matter what Jeff Bezos believed and felt as a human being, he was going to do anything to risk his business. Welcome to the reality of global economics and politics.
Yeonmi Park earned her A.B. in Human Rights, with a minor in Political Science. She went to live in Chicago with her husband and son. Our domestic politics continue to haunt her, as the book tells. It took a lot of courage to tell the truth about North Korea, and it's not about missiles but about a 21st century humanitarian disaster of starvation and human degradation. Bravo Yeonmi-ya, your Dad would be proud.Yeonmi Park and her mother, with her father's sacrifice, escaped from North Korea into China with little food and minimum clothing. Crossing the river into China, they thought they had found safety, but instead they were captured and sold as slaves…
eapenc's rating:
Added Jul 28, 2023
eapenc's rating:
Added Jul 28, 2023
Comment:
On this topic, nothing interesting or insightful.
An Ordinary ManAn Ordinary Man, BookThe Surprising Life and Historic Presidency of Gerald R. Ford
by Smith, Richard Norton, 1953-Book - 2023Book, 2023
eapenc's rating:
Added Jul 21, 2023
The Noise of TypewritersThe Noise of Typewriters, BookRemembering Journalism
by Morrow, LanceBook - 2023Book, 2023
eapenc's rating:
Added Jul 21, 2023
Shakespeare's BookShakespeare's Book, BookThe Story Behind the First Folio and the Making of Shakespeare
by Laoutaris, ChrisBook - 2023Book, 2023
eapenc's rating:
Added Jul 21, 2023
eapenc's rating:
Added Jul 21, 2023
Nuclear FollyNuclear Folly, BookA History of the Cuban Missile Crisis
by Plokhy, Serhii, 1957-Book - 2021Book, 2021
eapenc's rating:
Added Apr 16, 2023
The Lost Mandate of HeavenThe Lost Mandate of Heaven, BookThe American Betrayal of Ngo Dinh Diem, President of Vietnam
by Shaw, Geoffrey D. T.Book - 2015Book, 2015
eapenc's rating:
Added Apr 14, 2023
Comment:
I've read many volumes about the Vietnam War era, but this is the best and the most authoritative and informative book. Author Geoffrey Shaw, is a historian with a Ph.D. from the U of Manitoba, and it is thoroughly footnoted for the reader to look into the basis for his statements. The widely accepted narratives of this period are based on poorly documented, self-serving books and articles, from those in the Kennedy Administration, American generals such as H.R. McMaster, and our own press gurus, particularly David Halberstam.
Ngo Dinh Diem was a highly educated, experienced and principled man who was President of Vietnam. A devout Catholic and a Confucian, he saw parallels in the principles of both these faiths. Above all, and for his entire career, the people regarded him as someone who could not be bought, scrupulously honest and ethical. Even the French colonizers, who feared his nationalism, regarded him as a great asset for understanding what was going on in the country, down to the hamlet level. Diem's brother, Ngo Dinh Nhu was Diem's trusted political advisor and very capable administrator.
Diem, who was born in the North, had an absolute faith in the need to regard Vietnam as a unified nations, after the inevitable exit of the French colonizers. Ho Chi Minh was Diem's adversary in the struggle to establish a Communist stronghold in the North and to eventually eviscerate the South by unconventional terror and erosion of the people's confidence. Britain had used a strategy called the Strategic Hamlet Plan successfully in Malaysia, and its architect Robert Thompson was happy to share it with Diem, and it was working very successfully, despite the propaganda against the program which originated by Ho's large network of infiltrators, abetted by the U.S. press which published unverified, unsubstantiated claims that Diem's program was not working, and his brother Nhu was a tyrant and receiving bribes.
President Diem and his brother Nhu were both assassinated in a coup, viciously murdered in a gruesome ritual evisceration by Vietnamese generals who wanted a larger role in post-colonial Vietnam. What about the U.S. role in the assassination of a duly elected President of a nation which was an ally? In a footnoted telephone call with Senator Eugene McCarthy in 1963, President Lyndon Johnson said, " [We] killed him. We all got together and got a goddamn bunch of thugs and we went in and we assassinated him. Now, we've really had no political stability since then." Madame Nhu, the widow of Ngo Dinh Nhu, whom our press refers to as the "Dragon Lady," said,
"Whoever has the Americans as allies does not need any enemies.....I can predict to you all that the story in Vietnam is only at its beginning."
The widow Nhu was absolutely correct. A struggle for hearts and minds became a conventional war, run by American generals commanding both South Vietnamese armies and American troops. As always, our general staff in their war colleges are fighting the last war. "....57,000 American lives, eight years of dissension in our country, huge increases in the public debt, and the inflation that afflicted us throughout the 1970s. The actions of the Kennedy administration set the stage for all this." Ambassador Frederick E. Nolting.
It is also amazing how many actors in this drama exerted an influence way above and beyond their competencies and what their official titles suggested. One particularly toxic character was roving Ambassador Averell Harriman, son of billionaire railroad mogul Edward Harriman who waged a titanic struggle with James J. Hill to build the first transcontinental railroad. Averell Harriman was educated at Groton and Harvard, and he was a major fundraiser and financier of JFK's first presidential campaign; he reminded Kennedy of this fact when he created an Ambassadorial role for himself with no oversight by the Department of State. His role in the drama was most unsavory.I've read many volumes about the Vietnam War era, but this is the best and the most authoritative and informative book. Author Geoffrey Shaw, is a historian with a Ph.D. from the U of Manitoba, and it is thoroughly footnoted for the reader to look…
eapenc's rating:
Added Mar 30, 2023
Comment:
This is a great book on many different levels. Terry Teachout is himself a musician, in addition to being a great biographer of musicians, like Duke Ellington. Armstrong's life saw him helped by a Jewish family when he and Mom were desperate for food and shelter; from them he learned the importance of family life with husband and wife, something he would year for all his life. Fate Marable ran riverboat cruises up the Mississippi River, even touching Minnesota, and he took a young Armstrong under his wing to join Marable's big band. Louis had a prodigious talent on the cornet, which Teachout explains in details covering specific dates, places and lineups. Armstrong would spend his life, almost to his death, playing gigs 200+ nights of the year, with all kinds of lineups, with white and black musicians: everyone wanted to be part of the magic he created on the bandstand.
Armstrong had a lot of wives. He had a temper like Mt. Etna, one never knew when he would go off, and then it would pass. He was generous, self-effacing, and viewed himself as an entertainer. Later when jazz became cool, and an "art form" judged by self-appointed music, culture and literary critics. Satchmo was called an "Uncle Tom" even though he had personally lived through taking bands through the segregated South before any of these gurus were born. Just when he was written off, he would find a way to come back, through his music and commitment to experimenting. He had his last house in Corona, Queens. "Hello Dolly" was his late life, unexpected hit which took the Beatles off the top of the radio charts. I remember it well: bravo Satchmo. This is a great read.This is a great book on many different levels. Terry Teachout is himself a musician, in addition to being a great biographer of musicians, like Duke Ellington. Armstrong's life saw him helped by a Jewish family when he and Mom were desperate for…
Call Me IndianCall Me Indian, BookFrom the Trauma of Residential School to Becoming the NHL's First Treaty Indigenous Player
by Sasakamoose, Fred, 1933-2020Book - 2021Book, 2021
eapenc's rating:
Added Jan 05, 2023
eapenc's rating:
Added Dec 13, 2022
Comment:
As far as going through the various theories of small and week forces and the contents of the voids, this is not easy going. But for anyone interested in the realities of scientific theories and the timeframes of progress, this is a great view from a train. It's about people, being in the right place, accidental encounters, where and how a paper is published, and who might read your paper and has a better idea to push the field forward. It is fascinating in this regard, and it is not written by a no nothing journalist but by a leader in the field himself. Very enjoyable.As far as going through the various theories of small and week forces and the contents of the voids, this is not easy going. But for anyone interested in the realities of scientific theories and the timeframes of progress, this is a great view from…
Directed by James BurrowsDirected by James Burrows, BookFive Decades of Stories From the Legendary Director of Taxi, Cheers, Frasier, Friends, Will & Grace, and More
by Burrows, James, 1940-Book - 2022Book, 2022
eapenc's rating:
Added Dec 02, 2022
Comment:
This is a wonderful book to read for many reasons. About a father and son relationship, where the son James Burrows wants to get into the theater and his father is the legendary Abe Burrows. It's about the the investment James has to make working for relatively low wages for hours and hours of unpaid work, being a gofer, stage repairman, and counselor to temperamental budding stars. Eventually he produces and directs so many shows we all know. The ones I remember are The Mary Tyler Moore Show, its spinoffs like Rhoda, Cheers, and Frasier to name a few. Burrows forms his own personal ethos about the hierarchy of who matters in his programs: the audience is first, the script is next and writers, but the casts--the artists--have to have their say too. What a process, and every week! As examples, some parts of the final scripts are shown, and when I read several from Cheers and Frasier, I laughed out loud because they are so funny, and I still remember the shows! This would be a nice gift for budding show biz types in the family. A great read.This is a wonderful book to read for many reasons. About a father and son relationship, where the son James Burrows wants to get into the theater and his father is the legendary Abe Burrows. It's about the the investment James has to make working…
Comment: