My wife Tina recently wore a T-shirt that reads: “Jane Austen. A glass of wine. And chocolate. Life is good.”
I’ll buy that concept. Well, sort of. I’ve never read Jane Austen (my bad), but I plan to read “Emma” soon. And I don’t drink wine or any other form of alcohol. But I’m down with chocolate. And reading continues to enrich my life.
Here’s a rundown on some books I’ve read over the last few months.
“News of the World,” a National Book Award Finalist, by Paulette Jiles has been described as “an exquisitely rendered, morally complex, multilayered novel about an aging itinerant news reader who agrees to transport a young captive of the Kiowa back to her people.” The writing is, indeed, exquisite and the powerful relationship between the old man and the young girl held my attention to the end. The book does what a good historical novel should do: take you to a different place, teach you something, and touch your heart.
That book prompted me to read “Simon the Fidler,” another Paulette Jiles novel set in the aftermath of the Civil War. “About an itinerant fiddler player, a ragtag band of musicians with whom he travels trying to make a living, and the charming young Irish lass who steals his heart.” I read several paragraphs more than once, just to savor Jiles talent for bringing the reader right into the setting.
Those books gave me great pleasure, while “Sandy Hook: An American Tragedy and the Battle for Truth” just got me mad. It describes how Alex Jones, the despicable founder of Infowars, promoted the conspiracy theory that the murder of 20 first graders and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012, was just a hoax planned by gun control advocates to promote stricter gun regulation. Not only that, but many of his listeners also harassed the parents of the students who had lost a child. The parents sued, and Alex Jones was finally brought to justice.
It’s no coincidence that Alex Jones and Donald Trump, a fellow big lie promoter, conspiracy enthusiast and shameless huckster, belong to a mutual admiration society. The day President Trump urged his supporters to “be there, will be wild” at the Capitol on January 6, 2021, Alex Jones spread his message to millions of his gullible listeners. “This is the most important call to action on domestic soil since Paul Revere and his ride in 1776.” If you have high blood pressure — or if you’re Trump supporter — you might want to pass on this book. If you care about the need to adhere to the truth to preserve democracy, this book’s for you.
Be prepared to be moved to tears if you read “My Friend Anne Frank: The Inspiring and Heartbreaking True Story of Best Friend’s Torn Apart and Reunited Against All Odds” by Hannah Pick-Goslar. You’ll learn about an extraordinary friendship between two girls during the time of the Nazi invasion of Holland; about the remarkable resilience of many people through unspeakable human challenges; and about the devastation that can occur when a truly evil power-hungry person flexes his muscles and might on the world. One can’t read this book without thinking about Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent havoc wreaked upon the lives of the Ukranian people. Members of Congress and ordinary American citizens who believe we should stop supporting Ukraine should read this book.
While I’m only halfway through “Trust” by Hernan Diaz, which won the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, I can say that it is definitely worth checking out. One reviewer wrote, “Trust is all about money, particularly the flimflam force of money in the stock market, and its potential, as a character says, to ‘bend and align reality’ to its own purposes.” The book jacket reads, “Trust elegantly puts four competing narratives into conversations with one another.” Diaz is a master at pulling the reader in and then changing course again and again. I’ve learned a lot about “the market” and a lot about how to craft a brilliant book.
That’s it for now. Feel free to send an email if you have books to recommend. Thanks.
David Treadwell, a Brunswick writer, welcomes commentary and suggestions for future “Just a Little Old” columns. dtreadw575@aol.com.
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