Sand and Foam

Posted on January 30, 2010 by smellincoffee

Sand and Foam
© 1926, 1943 Kahlil Gibran
112 pages

I am forever walking upon these shores, 
Betwixt the sand and the foam, 
The high tide will erase my foot-prints, 
And the wind will blow away the foam. 
But the sea and the shore will remain 
Forever.

A few years ago,  I read Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet after being stirred by some of his words available through a quotations site.  It proved to be an enriching read, and I have maintained an interest in reading more of his works since. I was able to do that this week when reading Sand and Foam, a collection of aphorisms initially published in 1926.  Unlike the Prophet, which set its poetry and sayings within a general plot,  Sand and Foam is a straightforward collection of small sayings, most of which consist of only a line. There are exceptions, as is the case above. The aphorisms have a mystical feel about them: Gibran never speaks directly, but through poetry. Worship of truth, beauty, and love are common in the book, which is appropriate for Gibran. He is a deeply religious man, but in a universalistic sense. This particular printing contains illustrations by Gibran, typically of the human form. This is a must-read for those who enjoy Gibran, but recommended generally. The book may be read online here.

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Letters from a Stoic

Posted on January 28, 2010 by smellincoffee

Letters from a Stoic
© 1969, 2004;  translated by Robin Campbell
253 pages

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Seneca’s appearance in The Humanist Anthology piqued my interest, so I purchased Letters from a Stoic soon after finishing it, specifically the Penguin Classics edtiion translated by Robin Campell. Seneca’s letters, along with Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations and Epictetus’ Enchiridion, comprise the only Stoic texts that have survived the march of time. The letters are Seneca’s side in an extended exchange between himself and his friend Lucilius. They are often written in resposne to Lucilius’ questions or complaints to Seneca as he pursues the philosophical life, but often Seneca takes up the stylus to muse upon a subject and share his reflections. His musings — and resulting lectures — typically result from happenings in his own life, and almost all reflect teachings and values from the philosophy of Stoicism inside them. Seneca acts a teacher to Lucilius, encouraging him to practive philosophy more actively and expand his horizons. He often quotes from Epicures, the father of a school the Stoics held in opposition to themselves, in an effort to show Lucilius that wisdom is not held in monpoly by just those we admire. Campbell’s translation is quite readable, and the letters as a whole convey a sense of Seneca as being an observant and stern old man full of advice and more than few wry comments.  He comes off as a bit grumpy at times, but that is a subjective matter and never detracted from his words.

The letters are more varied and greater in volume than the Meditations or The Art of Living, and I suspect that the format — personal letters — will make it easier for readers to relate to Seneca than to the other Stoic writers, although Aurelius and Epictetus both provide more information on Stoicism proper than does Seneca. Epictetus teaches its fundamentals, and Aurelius constantly reminds himself of them, but Seneca takes Lucilius’ knowledge of Stoicism for granted and advises him on practicing the wise life.  I’ve been reading through the letters a little at a time for several months now — off and on — and have enjoyed them greatly, making this an easy recommendation. If you are interested in reading some of his works, Heisodos at “Works and Days” has been commenting on individual passages for some time now. We appear to be using the same translation.

Related:

  • The Consolations of Philosophy, Alain de Botton. Seneca is the source of one chapter as philosophy as a consolation for anger. Similarly…
  • Seneca on Anger, a television special inspired by de Botton’s work and hosted by de Botton himself. 
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The Motorcycle Diaries

Posted on January 28, 2010 by smellincoffee

The Motorcycle Diaries: Notes on a Latin American Journey
© Ernesto Guevara (Ocean Press 2004)
175 pages

“Along the roads of our daydream we reached remote countries, navigated tropical seas and traveled all through Asia. And suddenly, slipping in as if part of our fantasy, the question arose:
‘Why don’t we go to North America?’
‘North America? But how?’
‘On La Poderosa, man.’

I know very little of “Che” Guevara except that he is regarded as a revolutionary, idolized and hated by many. When I saw The Motorcycle Diaries on a reccommended reading list, I decided it might serve as an introduction to the man. The story begins before Guevara does the things for which he is so famous:  at this point, he is but a student nearly finished with his medical education. He and his friend decide to drive their motorcycle La Poderosa northward:  The Motorcycle Diaries is the chronicle of their journey, written after the fact and augmented by Guevara’s musings on how his perceptions have changed.  As the two journey up the western coast of South America (through Chile and Peru before traveling east to Venezuela),  they are taken by both the beauty of the land, the hospitality of strangers, and the misery of working conditions for many, particularly miners. Although Guevara’s political sentiments do not appear often, when they do they are expressed with a strong passion. Most memorable  are his opinions that the time has come for politicians to stop talking about their accomplishments and actually do something to help the working people and that the United States’ interference in the affairs of nations like Chile must end if the people of those nations are to prosper. As said, I do not know much about Che the man and found the book to be of most inference when he waxed poetically about the landscape or described the living conditions of people.

The book should be  of obvious interest to those interested in Che Guervara, as well as to those interested in living and political conditions of South America during the time.

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Teaser Tuesday (26-1)

Posted on January 26, 2010 by smellincoffee

For me, the sea has always been a confidant, a friend absorbing all it is told and never revealing  those secrets; always giving the best advice — its meaningful noises can be interpreted any way you choose. For Alberto, it is a new, strangely perturbing sight, and the intensity with which his eyes follow every  wave building, swelling, and then dying on the beach,  reflects his amazement.

Ernesto Guevara, p. 35 of The Motorcycle Diaries.

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Into the Wild

Posted on January 21, 2010 by smellincoffee

Into the Wild
© 1997 Jon Krakauer
207 pages

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Well over a year ago, perhaps closer to two, a friend of mine asked me if I had heard the story of Christopher McCandless, a young man who left society to live off the land in the Alaskan wilderness, perishing in the course of finding whatever it was that pulled him out there. At first his story had no interest for me, but a year later — after reading Walden — I was very much interested in reading the accounts of people who lived lives free from society, either on the road or in the wild. Into the Wild and Jake Kerouac’s On the Road are the only books I know of (presently) that are themed in such a way.

Krakauer presents McCandless’ story well, not only going into Christopher’s background but recounting the lives of people who have perished in similar ways. Krakauer attempts to find their motivations, drawing from accounts of the lives of these men and others like himself who felt a similar call but survived. McCandles himself seems to be possessed by a need to throw himself into the wildness of life and prove that he is worthy of it.  He views taking on the wilderness – as he does for many months before hitch-hiking into Alaska —  as a spiritual challenge.  Krakauer lavishly describes the natural background McCandless and others journeyed through and and died in.  He relates strongly to McCandless, seeing him as a kindred spirit – and for him, to understand McCandless’ life and death is to better understand himself. He thus treats his subject sympathetically, but is quick to reproach him for being unprepared.

 Into the Wild proved to be a stirring read. While I have no interest in “living off the land”, I’m sympathteic to his desire to be immersed in the glorious beauty of nature. His story gripped me, and the effect he had on the lives he encountered often shocked me. Whatever your opinion of his life and death, this is a story worth contemplating at the very least.

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This Week at the Library (20/1)

Posted on January 20, 2010 by smellincoffee

Books this Update:

  • The Gangs of New York, Herbert Ashbury
  • Asimov Laughs Again, Isaac Asimov
  • Lamb: the Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Friend; Christopher Moore
  • Under and Alone, William Queen
  • The Lives of Dax, ed.  Marco Palmieri
  • The Best American Short Stories 2008, ed. Salman Rushdie
  • The Chamber, John Grisham

I’ve been flirting with the idea of doing review posts once every two weeks instead of every one week, but two week intervals are more difficult to remember than one-week intervals. (This is why I pay late fines so often.) January has been a good month for reading so far.  I started out with some comments on The Gangs of New York, which I mostly read in the tail-end of December. Herbert Ashbury’s work was thorough, if a bit dry in parts. I still may read him, though.

While reading through Ashbury, I treated myself to Asimov Laughs Again, a collection of jokes and anecdotes  gathere by Asimov. The collection isn’t up to par with the original work, and is heavier on humorous anecdotes than jokes, but Asimov fans will enjoy cozying up with  the good doctor.

Lamb: the Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Friend, is one of the funniest books I’ve read. It’s also the best fictional account of Jesus’ life I’ve read, which is saying something given that the book is meant as humor and not as a serious treatment. With the exception of fantasy elements, the plot is more believable — and the characters developed better — than in any other Jesus novel I’ve read. It’s outlandishly funny to boot, often in the style of Monty Python.

I moved on to nonfiction next with William Queen’s account of his two years undercover in the Mongols Motorcycle Club, an outlaw biker group notorious for its violence. Queen navigates this world through dumb luck, a street cop’s experience, and more than a little courage. It takes its toll on him, as the account shows: he frequently finds more sympathy and “brotherhood” from his hoodlum marks than he does his DEA friends.

I then treated myself to a book I’ve been waiting to read for a long time, The Lives of Dax.  The book is a collection of short stories, each  with an emphasis on the life of a Dax host, of which there have been eight. The stories, each penned by a different author, are nestled within a ninth short story set in the life of Ezri Dax, the “current” Dax host. (Explaining what I mean by “host” would take too much space here: see the individual comments for background.) The collection is fairly strong, especially for a Star Trek fan. Most of the characters are new, but Dr. McCoy and Sisko have their moments in the sun.

After this, I read another collection of short stories, this time in the self-advertising “Best of” series. The Best American Short Stories 2008 proved to be a good read of eclectic stories, most of which were thought-provoking. I’ll probably be reading more of this series in the coming year.

Lastly, I re-read an old favorite in John Grisham’s The Chamber, the stirring tale of a young lawyer who comes to the rescue of his grandfather, a convicted Ku Klux Klan bomber who has been sentenced to death. Young Adam Hall’s father was so ashamed of his own father, the aforementioned bomber Sam Cayhall, that he moved his family to California and changed their names. He could not run from the past, however, which haunts his family still — compelling Adam to come to his grandfather’s legal defense during his last days as a way of coming to terms with his family’s deep roots in the hateful Klan. The book is one of the two most serious of Grisham’s fictional works, and one of his better works in general in my opinion.

Pick of the Week:  Although The Chamber would have given Lamb a challenge were it not disqualified on the basis of being a re-read, Lamb has already become a favorite. Its characters are endearing and its story ever absurdly funny.

Upcoming Reads:

  • The Roman Way, by Edith Hamilton — assuming I find it. I don’t imagine I’ll be done with this one for a few weeks, though. If it’s like her The Greek Way, it will be a very involved read.
  • Wake Up!, Jack Kerouac. This is a novel of sorts inspired by traditional Buddhist accounts of Siddartha Gautuma’s search for enlightenment.
  • Storm of Steel, Ernst Jünger. I’m to read this war-related work for a European history class. 
  • The Motorcycle Diaries, Ernesto Guevera. I know little about the author except for general reputation, and the book appeared on a reccommended reading list. 
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The Chamber

Posted on January 20, 2010 by smellincoffee

The Chamber
© 1994 John Grisham
676 pages

As a high school senior, my second John Grisham read resulted from rescuing a battered copy of The Chamber from my library’s discard pile. The librarian warned me against reading the book, saying that it was “dark”. The titular chamber is a gas chamber (formerly) used by the state of Mississippi to execute prisoners condemned to death. One such person in Grisham’s world is Sam Cayhall, a longtime member of the Ku Klux Klan, convicted for taking part in the Civil Rights Movement-era bombing of a law office and the resulting death of two children. As Cayhall enters his last month of life, he is an angry old man with no friends except for his death row companions. The highlight of his life is that he has recently been able to fire his Jewish lawyers, whom he hates: he is now resigned to go to his death alone. But then a young and wholly inexperienced attorney arrives to see him, one representing his recently fired firm and one who reminds him of someone — his son, who fled to California twenty years ago and changed his and his family’s name to rid themselves of the legacy of Sam Cayhall.  This new arrival is in fact Sam’s grandson, back in Mississippi after his father spirited him away as a toddler. He’s come to meet his grandfather — and to rescue him from his fate.

Although The Chamber is advertised as a legal thriller — and although the law is a persistent element of the book — it often fades away into background, and the dominating theme of the book is one of reconciliation. Sam and his grandson Adam must come to terms with one another and Sam’s own past, for not only did his hatred destroy his and his victims’ own lives, but it continues to haunt the live of his family. Adam is utterly disturbed and ashamed of his family’s deep roots in the Klan, and his interest in his grandfather’s reclamation is in a way an attempt to come to terms with his family’s dark past. Sam is one of Grisham’s more agonizing characters, initially developed as a hateful old man for whom death seems “righteous”, but one who is humbled as his mortality becomes increasingly obvious. As Adam struggles to find a legal means of freeing his grandfather from Death Row or at least in postponing his execution, Sam has to make peace with himself and begins tugging on the reader’s sympathy.

The Chamber is one of Grisham’s better works. Like Grisham’s first work, A Time to Kill, it is much more serious than his latter works which seem to be more about entertainment than  challenging the reader with a moral dilemma. I read the book initially as a very conservative high school student, one with predictable opinions on everything from abortion to the death penalty, but even then this book made me think. At nearly seven hundred pages, there’s a lot here to go over, but the interpersonal conflict and theme of the book lend it easily to my reccommending it. If you give Grisham’s works a pass for being too much like pop fluff, try The Chamber.

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Teaser Tuesday (19-1)

Posted on January 19, 2010 by smellincoffee

Baley of “The Reader’s Book Blog” just introduced me to a little literary meme called “Teaser Tuesday” in which I ‘tease’ readers with two sentences from the book I happen to be reading at the time. The blog she got it from says:




 Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB ofShould Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

  • Grab your current read
    Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Since it’s Tuesday….
“How in God’s world could Sam Cayhall have become anything other than himself? He never had a chance.” – The Chamber, John Grisham, p. 557

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The Best American Short Stories (2008)

Posted on January 18, 2010 by smellincoffee

The Best American Short Stories 2008
© 2008 Salman Rushdie, editor.
358 pages

Although I’ve read quite a few short-story collections, most of them are by the same two familar authors — Isaac Asimov and Kurt Vonnegut. Even when I read a collection outside of those two,  I still never wander into unfamilar territory — I choose authors or subjects with whom I am familar.I decided to go exploring this week, though, after spotting an array of short-story collections in this series on my home library’s shelves.  I have no experience with the Best of Series, so I would be sailing into the unknown.

The unknown, at least in this case, turned out to be a very interesting place. Salman Rushdie has collected a set of stories, twenty all told, that  exhibit tremendous variety.  There are stories of family, science fiction, fantasy, culture, friendship, and love in here. Most of the stories lack the conventional conflict-climax-resolution plot format,  not that this hurts them.It lends many of them a certain air of authencitiy, as if this is something that could happen in your life or mine: as the story comes to its end, the reader is left to mull over the consequences of what happened, since the narrator isn’t doing it for us.  Rushdie has included no fluff: all of the stories left me pondering at their end. A few are worth mentioning here:

  • “The Year of Silence” by Keven Brockmeier is set in a city whichexperiences period outbreaks of silence that always lead to spikes in the quality of life and seeks to create a constant atmosphere of silence  — and experiences the consequences.
  • “Man and Wife” by Katie Chase may have been the most disturbing story in the collection, as it is set in an altered United States in which arranged marriages between older men and young girls is common.
  • “The Quality of Life” by Christine Sneed explores the consequences of an inescapable affair.  
  • “Vampires in the Lemon Grove” by Karen Russell is the story of two very old vampires who subsist on lemons from a exquisite grove in Italy and have found that being immortal isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
  • Thomas Wolff’s “Bible” sees a woman kidnapped by a “terrorist” who turns out to be a concerned parent.
  • “Buying Lenin” by Miroslav Penkov is the story of a young Russian-American immigrant buying “Lenin’s body” off of eBay to make amends with his cranky Communist grandfather. 

All told, this amounted to an interesting collection. I’ll probably be reading from the Best Of series more as the year develops.

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The Lives of Dax

Posted on January 13, 2010 by smellincoffee

The Lives of Dax
© 2002 various authors, ed. Marco Palmieri
367 pages

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One of the more interesting species introduced in Star Trek Deep Space Nine were the Trill, a symbiotic race consisting of two species: humanoid hosts and slug-like symbionts, which fit inside an abdominal pocket and join minds with the hosts. The resulting personality is a combination of both the host and the symbionts. There are far more symbionts than hosts, and so symbionts are passed along from generation to generation, being joined to hosts who prove themselves worthy in the eyes of the Trill Symbiotic Commission. The symbiont retains its memories and personality, and becomes ever more knowledgeable and seasoned as the generations tick by.

One such symbiont, Dax, constituted two characters on Deep Space Nine, both of which are displayed on the cover. Lieutenant Commander Jadzia Dax, in the rear, served as DS9’s chief science officer for six seasons until her demise, at which point the Dax symbiont was hastily placed inside Ezri Tigan, who subsequently took the name Ezri Dax and received an assignment as counselor. Dax’s preceding hosts were frequently mentioned, and in one case (“Facets”) even temporarily brought to life through an ancient ritual, but not until The Lives of Dax were Dax fans given a thorough look at their lives.

The Lives of Dax is in effect a collection of short stories, as each preceding Dax host (Lela, Tobin, Emony, Torias, Audrid, Joran, Curzon, and Jadzia) is spotlighted in a story. These stories are book ended by Ezri Dax’s attempts to come to terms with her new and totally unexpected status as a joined Trill. The stories were all written by different authors, although one DS9 veteran, S.D. Perry, contributed to two.  Most of the stories are written in the third person and focus on Dax as the main character, but two differ by focusing on Leonard McCoy and Benjamin Sisko as main characters. Interestingly, the Sisko story, featuring Curzon Dax, is told in the first person. Although Ezri’s story is set in the Deep Space Nine relaunch period, the stories themselves are placed at various times over several hundred years (No dates are given, only surmised given the history that unfolds within them and the lifespans of the hosts.)

I think the collection fairly strong: I thoroughly enjoyed all but two stories, and they weren’t badly done. The book obviously recommends itself to DS9 fans and less so to Trek fans in general. I think the book is also enjoyable by non-Trek fans, as elements traditionally associated with Star Trek — the main ships, their crews, latent philosophy — are by and large absent.  Although McCoy and Sisko both tell two of the Dax’s stories, they are the only “intrusion” of this sense and knowledge or affection for them is not required. As they are both “young”, their personalities as seen on the shows have not developed yet.

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