Thanks for all these great suggestions!
. . . It’s also a complete and total load of bullshit.
Lissa, most of the ones I’m following up came from your post. Thanks for the suggestions!
Whoa, Eve! That’s pretty hefty statement! Care to explain? I am really curious…
And Lissa, if you have more suggestions, I am a voracious reader and could always use more books!
“Mawia Wiva” has “I wanted to be Mommy” syndrome—like the wanna-be actress daughters of some other famous stars, she has a real self-image problem because she wasn’t as pretty, talented and disciplined as Mommy (I might note that daughters of stars who have no show-biz aspirations don’t show this tendency).
In Maria’s book, there are a lot of self-contradictions; she “remembers” conversations that took place when she was very little, and often in languages she’d previously said she didn’t speak. She also inadvertantly hangs herself with her own words, coming across as very self-pitying and sympathetic to the wrong people. She tries to portray Marlene as a heartless, self-absorbed monster, but through what she writes, you actually come off admiring Marlene and totally disgusted with her daughter.
True, I am a Marlene fan, but I lean more toward Stephen Bach’s biography: she does not come off as perfect by any means, but he had no ax to grind, as Maria did.
For good, readable history, I’d suggest “The Johnstown Flood” and “The Path Between the Seas” by David McCullough, and “Henry VIII: The King and His Court” and “Eleanor of Acquitane” by Alison Weir.
Thanks Bunnylady, I’ve read all of Allison’s Weir’s stuff… I had an English royalty thing going on before I started law school.
Thanks Eve for clearing that up!
I love Allison Weir and add to her Carrolly Erickson (sp?). Her bios of Anne Bolyen and marie Antoinette are fantastic. I’ll also add the reading list I give my students It’s rather long but covers many different genres. I’ll tell you right now, I’ve compiled it from many different sources over the years. Also, I have not read all these books myself but they have been recommended to me.
Fiction
Amado, Jorge
The War of the Saints
A funny, poignant look at Afro-Brazilian culture.
Cary, Joyce
The Horse’s Mouth
This is my “desert island” choice. It is one of a “triptych” about a painter, his mistress, and her husband. Each is told from the point of view of one of the three characters, this one is from the painter’s vantage. He is a bum who lives on a boat in the Thames in the ‘30’s (the story was written in the 40’s.) Beyond the many belly laughs, it is a profound description of the relationship between the artist and civilization, full of quotes from William Blake. It was made into a movie in 1960 with Alec Guinness playing the lead role.
Chevalier, Tracy
Girl with a Pearl Earring
Art history comes to life! A wonderfully imaginative and detailed portrait of t he time and place of the Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer.
Cooper, James Fenimore
The Last of the Mohicans
The fifth of Fenimore Cooper’s novels and the second of the Leatherstocking series, this is an amazingly suspenseful story written in 1825 about the French and Indian war. Cooper draws you into the story immediately with action and great characters:
Hawkeye, Chingachgook, and Uncas. The language is refreshing and challenging, creating a vivid picture of the landscape and scenes of conflict. If you want escape into a great adventure, learn some US history, and expand your vocabulary at the same time, this is the book.
De Bernieres, Louis
Corelli’s Mandolin
Forget the terrible movie, this is a compelling story that takes place mostly on a Greek island occupied by Italian troops in World War II. Tragi-comic with wonderful descriptive passages and rich characters. “Sweeping saga” genre. Moving and satisfying.
Faulkner, William
A Fable
A mostly ignored Faulkner novel, this work is a war story of sorts that takes as its central event an act of anti-war, a mass mutiny in which, for a few brief moments, World War One goes quiet because the soldiers in the t renches simply refuse to fight.
Faulkner, William
Go Down, Moses
Not easy reading and not simply a tool for the reader’s light enjoyment, this novel (or perhaps collect ion of short stories, as the debate goes) has the most beautiful single piece of writing I have ever encountered. It is the cent erpiece called Panta-loon
in Black. Imagine that “not to be missed” were not a cliché and read it.
Faulkner, William
Light in August
This book will stop you in your tracks. With wonderfully confounding lines like, “Memory believes before knowing remembers” it tells the story of Joe Christmas, who might be white and might be black – he doesn’t know. He is a man who doesn’t know who he is.
Franzen, Jonathan
The Corrections
Talk about a dysfunctional family! Really, really funny. Also sarcastic, ironic, and cynical.
Garland, Alex
The Beach
They made a bad movie out of it, it’s true, but this is an important book. It seeks to express the struggle of the twenty-something slackers who are continually looking for a perfect existance in a responsibility-less paradise. Interesting, too, because Garland identifies and uses many of the influent ial cultural icons of the
now thirty-something generation X – Jaws, Gameboy, Viet Nam, etc.
Golden, Arthur
Memoirs of a Geisha
A young girl gets torn from her family to live the life of a Geisha.
Gonick, Larry
The Cartoon Guide to the Environment
When I grow up, I want to be just like Larry Gonick. He’s brilliant at combining pictures, humor, and damn good reasoning to explain any concept, big or small. I’m recommending this book to anyone who wants the background to global environmental issues without the heaviness of many other good books.
Hornby, Nick
About a Boy
Although it has been turned into a major film recently, the book is a must read for something light and hilarious. A page-turner with some interesting things to say about growing up today.
Kingsolver, Barbara
Prodigal Summer
Three women and one grumpy old man – all endearing characters – in a story revolving around coyotes. Spring fever in the human, animal, and vegetable worlds. Fascinating details about the natural world and the struggles of people farming in it.
Kinsella, W. P.
Box Socials
By the guy who wrote Shoeless Joe , the novel upon which the movie Field of Dreams was based.
Maclean, Norman
A River Runs Through It, and Other Stories
What some might find surprising is that this book is not really about fishing. I mean, it is to the extent that Moby Dick is really about whaling. At it’s core it is the story of two brothers who find themselves leading divergent lives and struggle to maintain the common ground that once was the context of their relationship.
Wonderfully well written.
Maguire, Gregory
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
Delightful in its familiarity, strangeness, and its compassion for a character whom we think of as evil.
McEwan, Ian
Amsterdam
Biting social satire about two middle-aged men in contemporary England. A composer and a newspaper editor at the peak of their careers are connected by a political scandal involving a cabinet minister. A page-turner.
Radcliffe, Ann
The Romance of the Forest
This work is a little dark, but it keeps you on your edge, says Josh. It is a philosophical novel of sorts, a discussion of hedonism and values.
Steinbeck, John
Travels With Charlie
An American Classic. A great look at the U.S. circa early sixties. Forshadowing abounds. Fun, fun, fun read.
Stendhal
The Red and the Black
One of the great psychological novels of all time and considered Stendhal’s major work, this book has influenced writers of every nationality since it’s initial publication in 1830. It is one of the most astute and penetrating studies of middle class
mores in all of fiction. Incredibly romantic, this book is also a writer’s guide to circumlocution: how did he say that without saying it??
Vargas Llosa, Mario
The Feast of the Goat
One of the three giants of the Latin American novel boom, Vargas Llosa is well known for researching his historical novels thoroughly. In this book he takes on Trujillo, the cruel and racist dictator of the Dominican Republic. It is a suspenseful page-turner.
Vonnegut, Kurt
Player Piano
Vonnegut is amazing for seeing things that have not happened yet. This novel fits in very nicely with a lot of things I talk about in Physics.
West, Nathanael
The Day of the Locust
Tight, efficient, biting, and direct, this novella chronicles the misadventures of Tod Hackett, a young scene builder in 1930’s Hollywood. West’s descriptions of Hollywood still haunt me and make me laugh: “But not even the soft wash of dusk could help the houses. Only dynamite would be of any use against the Mexican
ranch houses, Samoan huts, Mediterranean villas, Egyptian and Japanese temples, Swiss chalets, Tudor cottages, and every possible combination of these styles that lined the slopes of the canyon.”
White, Randy Wayne
Any title in the “Doc” Ford series
Follow the adventures of “Doc” Ford, a former covert operative and now a modest marine biologist on the Gulf Coast of Florida. White writes with insight and a wry look at the world. Great stuff for that last half hour before bed.
Wolff, Tobias
In the Garden of North American Martyrs
My favorite collection from this master storyteller. I also recommend his two stirring memoirs This Boy’s Life and In Pharaoh’s Army. The latter of which is a revealing and often disturbing account of his experience in the Viet Nam War.
Zola, Emile
Therese Raquin
A very psychological portrait of an impoverished shopkeeper. Somewhat disturbing, really, it shows the consequences of murder and desire gone amuck.
Nonfiction
Abbey, Edward
Desert Solitaire
Love the high desert? Love America’s wild places? Love to rant? Get to know the original monkey-wrencher, Ed Abbey, as he writes about his years living among the sandstone and slickrock around Moab, Utah. For anyone who has spent time in the desert, it’s a must.
Adams, Douglas
Last Chance to See
Written with the same spark as his hilarious “trilogy,” this one is a less-read look at endangered species around the globe. How could anyone find humor in the loss of life and still care about wildlife? Any fan of Adams will enjoy his insightful travelogue and commentary.
Chodrin, Pema
When Things Fall Apart
A great book for anyone under stress – keeps you human – great reminders for sane, compassionate living. Written by a Tibetan Buddhist nun.
Elkins. James
How to Use Your Eyes
This one is great!! ! It has amazing pictures and talks about how to see/look at grass, skies, clouds, mandalas, nothing, a face, an oil painting, a moth wing! Really an awesome book that combines science, art, history, and everyday phenomena.
Golabek, Mona & Cohen, Lee
The Children of Willesden Lane
A memoir of music, love, and survival. It’s a warm and moving story of the author’s mother, Lisa Jura, her family, and how she survived the Holocaust. After experienc-ing the Anschluss in Vienna, Lisa is sent to safety via the Kindertransport to England. She, and her music, survived.
Halberstam, David
The Fifties
An informative book on a period in which t he U.S. was changing dramatically. It is the era of the birth of fast food, Walmart, and the shopping mall
Hillenbrand, Laura
Seabiscuit : An American Legend
This story of the legendary and unlikely racehorse is apt to make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. It is an opportunity to learn something about an era you missed.
Johnson, Chalmers
Blowback: The Costs and Consequences of American Empire
Noted American scholar Johnson lays out the case for the idea that our “good intentions” often create more problems in the form of accumulating enemies. He exposes what many already know, that since the end of World War Two an “American Empire” has been established with its attendant arrogance and power politics toward the rest of the world. If you want to know why many around the world bear the U.S. a grudge, this is your book.
Kaufman, Jonathan
A Hole in the Heart of the World : The Jewish Experience in Eastern Europe
After World War II Recommended to me by Liza Cherney ’02, this book traces the stories of four multigenerational families from 1945 to 1989. Reading like a novel, it’s great non-fiction.
Lamott, Anne
Travelling Mercies
Local writer talks about her faith in a very funny and real way. The local backdrop personalizes it for Marin natives. All will enjoy, though.
McNamee, Thomas
The Return of the Wolf to Yellowstone
An excellent account to the reintroduction of the wolf to Yellowstone National Park. It describes the politics behind the decision as well as the impact of a predator on the ecosystem. Great accounts of wolf behavior, too.
McCumber, David
The Cowboy Way
A memoir of a “year-in-the-life” of a Montana ranch, this book provides an account of a modern cowboy.
Morris, Edmund
Theodore Rex
Morris won the Pulitzer for the first volume of this biography, The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt. This is a fascinating story of a phenomenal guy.
Musashi, Miyamoto
A Book of Five Rings
The master of strategy and a cultural hero from feudal Japan, Musashi is said to have killed his first man in a duel at thirteen. This is his tretise on strategy in swordplay. Modern Japan has since embraced it as a manual for corporate warfare.
Naht Hanh, Thict
Living Buddha , Living Christ
A fantastic spiritual read. It draws out the similarities between the two men and the religions they represent. Provides plenty for introspection and conversat ion.
Orlean, Susan
The Orchid Thief
A true account of Florida’s orchid growers. Full of flowers and characters that are stranger than those is science fiction. It’s a little slow to start, but it really grabs you eventually.
Ozeki, Ruth
My Year of Meats
A Japanese-American filmmaker sets out to document and expose the not-so-ethical practices of the American meat industry for a Japanese television show that equates great, meaty meals with great family relationships. A secondary plot makes this book wonderfully entertaining.
Seife, Charles
Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea
A fascinating journey through man’s struggles with zero. This easy to follow account takes you from Aristotle to Superstring Theory. Likely to appeal to those interested in history and philosophy, as well as math and science.
Shulman, James & Bowen, William
The Game of Life: College Sports and Educational Values
This is a book about how college athletics has dramatically changed over the past 50 years, how athletes as scholars and recreational competitors have diminished, and how sport has gone amuck. Awesome read.
Wow what a list! Thanks alot!
Try Steven Pinker’s The Blank Slate . You can find it here:
You’ll especially like it if you are tired of being force fed postmodernist uh… stuff.
I use caution when reading Erickson’s biographies. I’ve noted on a couple occasions that she has reported rumor as fact without qualifying it as a rumor.
**Eve, ** I never take any biography as the gospel truth on the subject, no matter how close they were to the subject in question. If the subject interests me, I’ll read as many biographies of that person I can find, and compare the contradictions. The truth usually lies somewhere in between. Each biographer has a different perspective, and often, the author’s opinions on a controversial detail make them try to convince the reader to agree, whether they realize it or not. I know that sometimes while writing a biography, an author can form a strong emotional reaction to their subject, and it sometimes flavors their writing and emphasis on details.
I recommended Riva’s book because I thought it an entertaining read. In her defense, she does mention in her acknowledgements that some “prodded” her memory and filled in gaps. I think that for purposes of readability, she fictionalized some parts (most obviously the dialogue in the story of her grandfather, for example) and combined incidents to a single narrative. I, as a reader, would have appreciated it had she been clearer upfront that she intended to do so, but am willing to be tolerant of it, because I see it for what it is. In the story, she also tells of talking with those who had been a large part of her mother’s life over the years, and notes in passing that her mother knew she was writing a book, so I think she probably collected a great many stories (along with their errors) from those who were there, even if she wasn’t.
On to more recommendations!
*The Natural History of the Rich * by Richard Conniff
Another one I’m currently reading. I’d call it light reading, but it’s fun.
-
Why People Believe Weird Things *by Michael Shermer
Another enjoyable read. -
The Fifties * by David Halberstam
An excellent book on society and commerce in the 1950s. It tells the story of the founding of McDonalds, Holiday Inn, and Levittown in an entertaining, engrossing book. Highly recommended.
*The Times of Their Lives * by James Deetz, and Patricia Scott Deetz
The lives of the Pilgrims, with archaeological exploration of ruined Pilgrim dwellings.
*Suburban Nation * by Andres Duany, et al.
How the suburbs developed and the problems that they created in planning, development and the lives of their residents.
*A Midwife’s Tale * by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich.
Excellent book about the life of Martha Ballard, midwife, with exerpts from her diary and extensive discussions on women’s lives and commerce in early America.
*Stronger Than Dirt * by Juliann Sivulka
The history of personal hygeine products.
*Extraordinary Popular Delusions & the Madness of Crowds *by Charles MacKay, Andrew Tobias
A classic sociology book, and an excellent read. Among other crazes, it explores Tulipomania and the economic consequences when the fad disappeared.
*Hope in a Jar * by Kathy Peiss
The history of cosmetics.
- The Private Life of Chairman Mao *by Zhisui Li
I greatly enjoyed this book by Mao’s private physician.
*How to Do It * by Rudolph M. Bell
A book about 17th century advice manuals for women.
*Mental Hygiene *by Ken Smith
Highly recommended for camp value alone. The plot lines of dozens of mental hygiene films shown to kids in the 1950s-1970s, are explored at length, and in alphabetical order, too! There’s entertaining analysis of the social forces behind these films.
If you like fictionalized biographies, I recommend * The Autobiography of King Henry VIII * by Margaret George. She does make mistakes in accuracy, but it’s such a fat, (pardon the pun) juicy and enjoyable book that I have to forgive her.
If you’d like more, let me know.
Welding With Children by Tim Gautreaux was a really good book.
Lissa, I’d be interested in examples. I kind of feel about Erickson the way you do about Margaret George: I really like her writing so I forgive any little errors she might make. (But I’d still like to hear them!)
For just one example, in * Mistress Anne, * her biography of Boleyn, she states early on that Anne had a wen on her neck. This is an issue which is much contested by historians. IIRC, there is only one contemporary mention of any deformity, the rest of them appearing after her death when Anne’s reputation was tainted by rumors of witchcraft. (In my opinion, arguments against Anne having any deformities are more convincing. After all, even her most bitter enemy, the Spanish ambassador, who reported any rumor which might show Anne in a bad light, never made mention of any deformities, and he would have been gleeful to report any he had seen.)
Erickson’s errors are mostly small ones. I have many of her books, and it’s always been my opinion that she doesn’t do much research, getting the lion’s share of her information from other biographies, because she sometimes repeats the same errors that others have. She generally doesn’t mention debate over incidents, but just presents one side as fact and moves on. She’s not a very “deep” biographer-- more of a pop writer.
My objections to her work are mild-- after all, it doesn’t stop me from buying them. I’m just a person who notices these sort of things.
If you’re a Tudor fan, you might like * The Other Boleyn Girl * by Phillipa Gregory. Nit-picking historians won’t like it, because there are a lot of mistakes, but it’s enjoyable, nevertheless with good descriptions of ettiquette, costume, and social hirerarchy. It’s a fictional story told from the perspective of Mary Boleyn.
Well, you could wander over to the 50 book challenge (made up of Dopers and LiveJournalers) and read our reviews of what we’ve read in 2003. That might give you a big selection to mull over. http://www.livejournal.com/community/50bookchallenge/