JOHN ADAMS by DAVID McCULLOUGH (2001)

I feel sorry for John Adams. I think he is the most undervalued of our Founding Fathers. Here was a man who was one of the leaders in the push for independence and who worked tirelessly for the cause. He was the one who negotiated the final peace treaty with England, and who negotiated loans from Dutch banks when they were needed most. As president, he held the nation to a steady course, building a strong naval defense while ensuring a peace, all while war with France would have been the politically popular move. He was intellectually brilliant. He was a faithful husband and friend. He was man of incorruptible integrity who never spoke ill of an adversary for political gain, while being subjected to some of the most malicious attacks ever endured by a president.

So why doesn't he get the popular recognition today received by some of his contemporaries? In modern eyes, the Alien and Sedition Act, particularly the limitations on the press, is the primary blot on his record. Although he didn't sponsor the act, he didn't veto it when it passed in Congress.

Mainly, I have come to believe, he is undervalued because he was not a politician. Along with Washington, he believed that political parties were harmful to the emerging democracy. Thus he was caught between the Federalists, led by Alexander Hamilton, and the Republicans, led by Thomas Jefferson, both of whom did all they could to undermine him. He knew from the beginning that Hamilton was not his friend, but he believed that Jefferson was, until he finally realized that he, too, was secretly plotting against him.

And yet later in life, when both he and Jefferson were retired, Adams forgave him and began an extensive correspondence. That's more than most would have done, but Adams was a strong adherent of Christian precepts, including forgiveness.

More than any of the Founding Fathers, Adams' life is an open book, because he preserved his letters and writings, including his letters to his wife. In contrast, Jefferson destroyed much of his private correspondence. (He had many things to hide, as it turns out.)

These were the opinions I gained from reading this highly recommended biography of our second president. Privately, I also believe that Adams was undervalued because he did not look the part. He was relatively short and fat and not impressive in appearance, in contrast to the tall and patrician-appearing Washington and Jefferson.

This is an extremely well-written biography which reads much like a novel, seamlessly including massive research. I highly recommend it as a way to re-evaluate our second president.

THE COMMITMENTS by RODDY DOYLE (1989)

This short novel by the Irish writer Roddy Doyle reminds me very much of the mock-documentary movie This Is Spinal Tap. I know a movie has also been adapted from this book, but I have not seen it. This is the story of a group of Dublin working-class youths who style themselves as a soul band. It chronicles their small triumphs and petty tribulations, as greed, egotism, and women tarnish their dream. It is hilarious.

Warning: All of this is written in the vernacular of a specific time and place, and thus many terms and phrases are unfamiliar to the American reader of the here and now. However, this does not distract from enjoyment.

This novel provided me with a day's pleasant distraction and enjoyment. It is highly entertaining.

-------------

Doyle's 1993 novel Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha won England's Booker Prize.

THOMAS JEFFERSON THE ART OF POWER by JON MEACHAM (2012)

This is the second Jefferson biography I have read (American Sphinx, reviewed 9/17), along with several other accounts of the fathers of our nation. Contrary to the other authors, Jon Meacham paints a largely favorable portrait of our third president. For instance, he calls it "pragmatic" that Jefferson accused his predecessors of aspiring to be monarchs, yet behaved more like a monarch himself, wielding unprecedented executive power while president, in addition to indulging himself in a lavish lifestyle. He includes the smallest details of Jefferson's daily life, yet leaves out the instances when Jefferson secretly used others to defame his opponents and then lied about it if he got found out, or when he expressed conflicting opinions to different people at the same time. He does comment on Jefferson's lifetime avoidance of conflict with others, but presents it as an admirable trait rather than mentioning that it often meant that Jefferson shook someone's hand while stabbing him in the back.

Meacham also admits that Jefferson owned hundreds of slaves and fathered at least one child with his slave Sally Hemmings. (How could he not, with the current DNA evidence as proof.) However, he somewhat excuses this as being typical of the times in Virginia. He does not comment on the ironic fact that this same man proclaimed that "all men are created equal."

The sub-title of this book accurately reflects Jefferson's greatest talent -- he knew how to gain power. While Washington and Adams were our first leaders, Jefferson was our first politician, not above lying to achieve his desired ends. Meacham skirts around this issue, but even his favorable account reveals that Jefferson's public words did not always match his actions.

I am even more confirmed in my opinion that Jefferson is undeserving of the adulation accorded to him today. I believe that he was a champion of states rights mainly because he wanted his elitist, slave-holding lifestyle to continue, and that his first allegiance was always to Virginia rather than to the United States.

THE GRIP OF IT by JAC JEMC (2017)

It takes great deal of talent to turn a stock plot into a first-rate story; Jac Jemc is up to the task. This horror novel centers on the familiar haunted house theme, but it is a cut above most of the rest. It is a novel of the first tier -- literary, psychological horror rather then gore and mayhem and bumps in the night. It can be favorably compared to Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House and Henry James' The Turn of the Screw, which is high praise indeed.

A young couple moves from the city to the outskirts of a small town, hoping to help the husband break the gambling addiction which has almost destroyed the marriage. They buy an old, many-roomed house at a ridiculously low price, and, predictably, strange things start happening. Large dark spots appear on the walls and are mirrored in unexplained bruises on the wife's body; the house constantly groans or hums in a low register; they discover secret rooms and passageways; even the dense woods behind the house seem to be moving closer.

Narrated in revolving chapters by the husband and wife, the story as well as its language reflect the growing anxiety of the couple, along with the crumbling of the trust they have in each other and even in themselves. The wife says, "We can lose ourselves behind a trapdoor, whether in our minds or in the house."

The title of the book could well describe the hold of the story on my mind. I have seldom read a creepier or more disorienting book. I give it an A+.

MY GRANDMOTHER ASKED ME TO TELL YOU SHE'S SORRY by FREDRIK BACKMAN (2013; US translation 2015)

I didn't like this novel at all at first. Its central character is a 7-year-old girl who is unbelievably precocious and clever, too cutesy for words. The narration is third person, yet the entire book is written in the same tone as that used for the dialog of the girl.

But then I was sucked in and became invested in the characters and the plot, as unlikely as they are. Since the story is laced with fantastical tales told to the girl by her grandmother, the fantastical plot elements become more acceptable. As it turns out, fiction and fact are often closer than one would think.

The plot: On her deathbed, a wildly eccentric grandmother charges her granddaughter to find and deliver letters of apology to those the grandmother has wronged. As the quest proceeds, the girl learns to understand familiar people whom she only thought she knew.

This novel is heart-warming and often tear-worthy. It is, in fact, obviously and extremely manipulative. I equate it in my mind to watching the movie Beaches. I laughed, I cried, I was riveted. And afterwards I felt silly for letting my emotions overwhelm my brain.

I believe the main goal of fiction should be to help readers understand the world and the people in it. This type of feel-good book presents a less-than-realistic view of the world, yet it has its place. When life feels overwhelming, read this book to escape to a world where happily-ever-after can happen.

SIX SHORT REVIEWS

FATHERS AND SONS by IVAN TURGENEV (1862)

I had never read this Russian classic before. I expected it to be depressing and filled with characters behaving in bizarre ways, similar to the writings of Dostoevsky, Turgenev's contemporary. Surprisingly, this is instead a penetrating examination of the generation gap in two families, filled with realistic conversations and interactions. True, the novel does feature an untimely death, but it is not depressing as a whole, only sad for the potential lost.

One of the main characters is a young man who considers himself a nihilist, one who finds nothing to approve of in established society. The interesting thing about this is that the revolutionaries of the time saw the book as a criticism of their movement, and the right of the time saw the book as a glorification of nihilism. Turgenev reportedly had not intended the book to be political at all. Perhaps the lesson we can learn here is not to read too much into a book, but to take it at face value.

Recommended for its insights into family dynamics.


THE ALIENIST by CALEB CARR (1994)

I chose this book because I am currently watching the series on television. Contrary to the usual with an adaptation of a novel, in this case the filmed version is actually more intriguing.

The plot follows a psychiatrist in 1896 New York City who is pioneering in the art of criminal profiling. Along with a group of subordinates, he attempts to find the vicious killer who is targeting young boy cross-dressing prostitutes. It is similar to a plot of the television show Criminal Minds, except that it moves m-u-c-h slower and without the drama. In fact, it becomes tedious at times, filled with lengthy conversations about the investigations conducted and the conclusions reached. Despite the adventurous-sounding premise, it is not very exciting at all.

The author does provide an interesting look at the grimy underworld and glittering society world of that time and place.

I give this "thriller" a B-.


THE ORPHAN'S TALE by PAM JENOFF (2017)

This popular novel has an interesting premise: In the middle of World War II, a Jewish aerialist finds refuge by performing under an assumed name, harbored by a non-Jewish circus owner; meanwhile, a teenage girl is cast out of her Dutch family because of her affair with a German officer and is also sheltered at the circus. To further complicate matters, the Dutch girl brings with her a Jewish baby which she rescued from extermination. When the circus travels to Nazi-occupied France, they all face the danger of detection.

Unfortunately, the plot is filled with so many implausibilities and so lacking in coherent character development that it becomes unbelievable.

I give this a B+, for its core plot, but a C for its execution.


THE TOWER OF DAWN by SARAH J. MAAS (2017)

This Young Adult fantasy novel reads like a blend of Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, and a PG-rated romance novel. The plot includes a malevolent force awakening in the land (LOTR), a ruling family scheming for power (GoT), and two sexy (but non-explicit) love stories (countless YA romance novels). And magic. And giant fighting birds. And fierce horseback fighters. Sorry, no dragons.

This was completely unsuitable for my 12-year-old grandson, for whom I bought it. My teenage granddaughters would not like it either, I don't think, because they are not fantasy fans. It is #6 of the best selling Throne of Glass series, which I did not realize when I bought it. The author does do a good job of catching the reader up on the story without using long background exposition.

This novel is well done for what it is -- a copy of more successful efforts. Recommended for 14 and above.


ISAAC'S STORM by ERIK LARSON (2000)

In 1900, a "storm of the century" hurricane almost wiped Galveston, Texas, from the map. The U.S. Weather Service meteorologist stationed in Galveston at the time was Isaac Cline. This is the non-fiction account of Isaac and the storm.

Author Erik Larson is well known for his novelistic approach to non-fiction, particularly for his award-winning The Devil in the White City. Isaac's Storm lacks the suspense and drama of that effort; nevertheless, it is particularly relevant in this year of multiple monster storms. When man confronts nature, nature almost always wins, despite the sophistication of scientific knowledge.

Of course, Texans will find this particularly interesting.


LAST ORDERS by GRAHAM SWIFT (1996)

Four men go on a road trip to scatter the ashes of their dead friend, each one with differing memories of his life and their experiences together. Narrating in revolving chapters, the main characters reveal secrets and old grievances.

This is novel about ordinary people with everyday drama in their lives. Its plot would not seem to be enough to carry a whole novel, but it does because it is so well written.

Last Orders is extraordinary. It was awarded England's Booker Prize in 1996.

THE MEMORY OF RUNNING by RON McLARTY (2004)

I could cite many reasons not to like this novel, and yet I liked it anyway -- very much.

The "hero" is a 40-something, overweight, alcohol guzzling, chain smoking looser who spends his days at a low level assembly line job and his nights in a bar drinking and watching TV. He doesn't have a girl friend; in fact, he has no friends at all. Then his parents are both killed in an automobile accident and in the very same week he learns that his long-lost sister has also died. Talk about a falling-down life. It's hard to imagine this man as the central character in a novel.

Then he impulsively jumps on his childhood bicycle and embarks on a cross-country ride from Rhode Island to California to claim his sister's body. Along the way, he meets many unusual people -- some who help him and some who try to kill him. Some of these encounters, but not all, are humorous. All are a bit unbelievable.

But most unbelievable of all is the fact that a grossly overweight man could manage to ride even ten miles, especially on a decades-old one-speed bike. Or that a junk-food glutton, drunkard, and heavy smoker could give up all his addictions cold turkey with no problem. The reader must suspend disbelief and go with the flow or perceive the journey as metaphorical.

Along the way our hero also finds himself, or rather, the person he used to be before the stresses of a dysfunctional family and a schizophrenic sister changed him.

So I was able to ignore all the lapses in logic in the plot and the annoying habits of the hero, and feel the warmth and sympathy that the author has for his character. Life is hard, for some harder than for others, and sometimes it defeats us, but not always.