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“Cat’s Cradle” by Kurt Vonnegut

I think Vonnegut’s writing finally clicked for me sometime near the end of this book. Up until that point, I felt like I was missing something. Yes, I understood it as satire, but something this absurd had to have a much larger meaning that I just wasn’t getting. I felt the same thing while reading “Slaughterhouse-Five” as well.

In both cases, it took me most of the book to get over that hump. But once I did, they are glorious works to behold. I think, for me, the larger meaning is that the world is beautiful and doomed. I find that his mindset is similar to Colonel Kurtz in “Apocalypse Now”. What do you do when you find out that we are all on the edge of chaos? That at any moment, your perfect world can turn to shit, or you can die? You either embrace the darkness, lose your mind and go live in the jungle, or you appreciate the beauty of the world and laugh in chaos’ face.

I don’t know about anyone else, but I like Vonnegut’s approach better.

“Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era” by James M. McPherson

It took what seems like months to get through this 952-page tome. Oh, that’s right, it almost did take months. The reasons I picked it over the many other Civil War books is because it covers the entire war in one volume and because it won the Pulitzer Prize. It was well worth the time invested.

While I’m sure it’s not as thorough as other longer books on the subject, given that I’m not reading it in an academic context, it was the perfect amount of thorough for my purposes. It was well-written, easy to read and easy to follow, but the battle scenes could have been clearer. It was hard to follow all of the different characters in the different battles. By the time you get to the parts where he’s describing specific battle maneuvers, you’re sufficiently lost unless you’re a war historian.

Where the book really shines is when it gets into the social and cultural impact of the conflict. It’s astounding how deeply ingrained slavery was into Southern society. So much so that the South convinced themselves that they were fighting the cause of freedom (of their right to hold slaves). Oh, the delicious irony!

The epilogue goes on to examine the concept of liberty and the implications of it being completely upturned after the war. Absolutely fascinating stuff!

“Slaughterhouse-Five” by Kurt Vonnegut

I can see why it’s such a cult classic. Right from the beginning, Vonnegut is daring you to completely disregard the plot, which thanks to the time-traveling Billy Pilgrim, jumps around from before his birth to after his death. A lot. It’s a surreal experience and makes you focus on the themes and ideas behind the words rather than the plot.

The book is about the firebombing during World War II by the allied forces of Dresden, a city of no strategic importance or military value, nicknamed the “Florence on the Elbe.” Vonnegut himself was there as a P.O.W. and witnessed the firebombing as well as the aftermath. This event and the lead up to and aftermath of this event are the core of the book, but the plot also concerns Tralfamdorians, an alien abduction, a pornstar named Montana Wildhack and other such absurdist elements. What Vonnegut plainly states in the intro and then emphasizes with the plot is that there is no sense to be made of an atrocity, so he just lays it all out for the reader to absorb. What’s most disconcerting is that it’s written in such a breezy, easy-to-read style that I found myself glossing over the most horrific descriptions of war. The book is obviously not meant to elicit a sentimental or emotional response (in fact it seems to be overtly set against doing this), yet by the end it hits you like a punch to the gut.

What it amounts to is one of the most unconventional and effective antiwar novels I have ever read, and one that I’ll be re-reading to pick up things I know I missed and to get the full impact of it.

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” (Book 7) by J.K. Rowling

After 7 incredible books, this volume closes things out nicely. I found myself reading the last 100 or so pages so fast that the action seemed to go by far too quickly and the book was over before I knew it, almost anticlimactically. Although, I think some of this can be chalked up to the quality of Rowling’s actions/battles, which is one of the very few things I find lacking in her writing (also see S.P.E.W.; WTF J.K.? WTF?).

And while there’s no way not to predict the ending (are you really wondering who wins?), she does it in a way that’s still surprising and satisfying and with just about all of the major characters having a role to play at some point. I especially liked how much Neville came into his own. He was particularly badass in this. Also, ending everything at Hogwarts was a nice touch. That place was as much a character as anyone else.

Taking the books as a series, Rowling really came into her own. Just skimming back over the first book right after reading this one, the improvement in the quality of her writing is stark, and with very few missteps. She sure can spin a yarn, and over the course of 4,000 pages at that. Nicely done, Ms. Rowling.

“The Savage City” by T.J. English

By the end, I felt a true appreciation of the current incarnation of New York City, apparently “the safest big city in the America,” because it was forged in blood and violence. English does an excellent job of intricately weaving together the stories of 3 men (a wrongfully convicted kid from the streets, the leader of the New York Black Panthers, and a corrupt cop on the take) to tell the story of a pivotal time in New York City’s history (1963-1973). Frequently reminded me of The Wire in that it paints a complete portrait of a city in chaos and tells the story of a system that is hopelessly corrupt and stacked against the underclass.

Beginning with the nonviolent civil rights movement, through the Black Panther Party, and all the way to the Black Liberation Army, you can see the oppression of too many years first smoldering and then violently striking back. It’s also heartbreaking to see the story of George Whitmore, who was beaten non-stop into confessing for multiple crimes, and who finally breaks free after almost a decade of fighting the legal justice system.

Worthy reading for any New Yorker.

“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” (Book 6) by J.K. Rowling

What a ride. So dark that it hardly resembles the decidedly children’s books the first couple were. Magic battles between good and evil. Deaths of major characters. I can hardly wait for the final installment.

“Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” (Book 5) by J.K. Rowling

This is the first in the series that felt a bit indulgent. At 896 pages (hardcover edition), it would have benefited from some heavy-handed editing. There are entire chapters early on detailing Harry and his friends cleaning out rooms in the headquarters of the Order.

Once it gets going though, it really gets going. The appearance of Umbridge, the private lessons from Snape, and all the smaller battles leading up to the group’s trip into the Department of Mysteries and the final battle against the Death Eaters, where Harry’s friends finally come into their own, are handled just beautifully.

Again, the length is my only complaint. I think up to a third of it could have been cut out without impacting the plot. I think even Rowling herself regretted this later on. Otherwise, just a top-notch book as usual.

“Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” (Book 4) by J.K. Rowling

I’m beginning to feel like a fanboy now. Each book is better than the last. The climax here is built up to so well and is so good that I literally couldn’t put the book down for about the last 100 pages. Now, I finally understand why everyone was obsessing about this series when the books were still being released. If Book 5 weren’t already out, I would wait in line for it upon it’s release. But it is out, so I’ve already begun reading it.

“Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” (Book 3) by J.K. Rowling

The first 2 books were decidedly children’s lit with just a touch of danger thrown in. With this one, Rowling definitely veers more towards adult themes with the arrival of Sirius and the Dementors (who are downright scary). She also seems to be getting better as a writer as the series progresses. The story and characters here are really very well-defined and vivid, especially in the climax sequence at the end of the book when the mystery of Sirius, Lupin and Pettigrew is revealed. I remember liking the 3rd movie better than the first two, but the escalation is even more apparent here in the books.

My review of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Book 2)
My review of Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone (Book 1)