Benefit held for crash victim
WSU vs. Milwaukee
Badin Spirit Olympics
Book Nook provides readers with insights into the world of books. Vick Mickunas takes you into the center of the publishing world with the latest book buzz, book reviews, and exclusive chats with authors..Home > Blogs > Book Nook > Archives > 2007 > April
April 2007
Red Sox or Yankees??
The New York Yankees soap opera continues as Yankees manager Joe Torre simmers on the hot seat. The Yankees are in last place after twin pummellings the past two weekends by their arch-rivals, the surging Boston Red Sox.
Yankees owner George Steinbrenner gave his manager a somewhat tepid endorsement today. “The season is still very young, but up to now the results are clearly not acceptable to me or to Yankee fans,” Steinbrenner said in a statement. “However, Brian Cashman, our general manager, Joe Torre, our manager, and our players all believe that they will turn this around quickly. I believe in them. I am here to support them in any way to help them accomplish this turnaround. It is time to put excuses and talk away. It is time to see if people are ready to step up and accept their responsibilities. It is time for all of them to show me and the fans what they are made of. Let’s get going. Let’s go out and win and bring a world championship back to New York. That’s what I want.(The Boston Herald)
We are barely a month into the baseball season and things are already heating up. I’m going to sit back and enjoy it. While I do, I have a couple of lovely books to guide me through this torrid rivalry.
The Lyons Press has just published the ideal reading companions for true fans of these teams. “The Red Sox Fanatic” and “The Yankees Fanatic” were written for diehard fans.
These books are brimming with team trivia and classic quotes. Here are a couple of examples: “When I hit the ball exceptionally hard, I could smell the leather start to burn as it hit the wooden bat.” (Ted Williams)
“Here we go again.” (Joe Torre before another series with the Red Sox)
And we still have May, June, July, August and September left to go. I can’t wait to see who is left standing come October.
Ah, let’s get a beer and a brat, and enjoy a pitcher’s duel in the sunshine. Batter up!
Permalink | | Categories: secret passions
Power—the ultimate aphrodisiac
Richard Nixon has been on my mind a lot lately. Last week I interviewed the historian, Robert Dallek. He has a new book, “Nixon and Kissinger—Partners in Power,” (Harper Collins). So, I’ve been thinking about Nixon.
You know how when you think a lot about someone how it seems to somehow increase your odds of a meeting with that person? No, I didn’t encounter the Ghost of Richard Nixon. Still, I was delighted when I turned on the television last night and “All The President’s Men” was airing on PBS.
I had to watch it. Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford turned in some brilliant performances portraying the Washington Post reporters, Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward. Their investigation of the Watergate scandal took down President Nixon and many of his men, Haldeman, Ehrlichman, Mitchell, Dean…it followed a pattern, if you know what I mean.
Robert Dallek has written about a number of presidents, Lyndon Johnson, Ronald Reagan, John F. Kennedy, and now, Nixon. I asked Dallek how he approaches these presidential biographies. He told me that “I like to let the argument, the story, tell itself. These folks are then damned out of their own mouths.”
Nixon and Kissinger doomed themselves by egotistically preserving the damaging conversations that Nixon taped and Kissinger had transcribed. You see, they were planning to write their memoirs and they wanted accurate records of their historical utterances. Big mistake.
Dallek has made a study of their triumphs, and their failures. He told me that “ All these presidents want you to think they walk on water but of course they’re all deeply flawed.”
Henry Kissinger had transcripts made of his phone conversations, 20,000 pages worth. He did not want them made available for public consumption during his lifetime. In 2004, the transcripts were made available. Dallek had hit the motherlode. One thing that amazed Dallek was how Kissinger, the owner of an enormous ego himself, was able to feed Nixon’s desire for ego gratification with fawning statements.
Dallek explained to me that “what’s surprising is how he strokes Nixon in good times and in bad and how almost cloying he is with the president.”
Kissinger actually agreed to an interview with Dallek. I asked how that went? Dallek said: “he let me interview him, if you want to call that cooperation.” Apparently, Kissinger didn’t offer many useful insights during that conversation.
Fortunately, for the sake of history, we have all those transcripts of Kissinger saying things that he might live to regret.
History can be brutally seductive.
“Power is the ultimate aphrodisiac.” (Henry Kissinger)
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scribbles and scraps-chapter 4
Upcoming book with a Dayton connection: Martha Moody’s new novel will be out in August. “The Office of Desire” (Riverhead) is set in a small medical practice in the fictional city of Midburg, Ohio. Moody knows a bit about that setting, she practiced medicine for years in the Dayton area. Moody’s last novel, “Best Friends,” continues to sell well.
Book that will drive you buggy: “The Song of Insects” (Houghton Mifflin) by Lang Elliott and Wil Hershberger. One of my favorite parts of summer evenings is the insect chorus that surges forth from the trees and shrubbery. This lovely book has photos of these insect musicians. The book includes a CD of these whirring tunesmiths in hypnotic action.
Cookbook of the week: The Library of America is publishing an amazing collection of recipes and stories about food this week, “American Food Writing—an Anthology of Classic Recipes,” edited by Molly O’Neill. 250 years of American food writing has been assembled by O’Neill, a Columbus native who has written about food for many publications, including the New York Times. It’s a stunning range of writing from the likes of Herman Melville, H.L. Mencken, Ruth Reichl, and Michael Pollan. This book would make a lovely gift for that foodie in your life.
Beverage that pairs well with reading: GNARLY HEAD Old Vine Zinfandel.
Buddy’s latest mischief: I’m re-seeding an area in my yard where a contractor left some tire tracks. Every time I get that grass seed started Buddy remembers that those tracks are his own special catbox.
Most anticipated new book: “A Thousand Splendid Suns” (Riverhead) by Khaled Hosseini. His book “The Kite Runner” catapulted this writer into the spotlight. Can he top that success? Doubtful. Still, worth a read. Who knows?
Scribblin’ and scrappin,’ I’m Vick Mickunas.
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would you buy a used car from Dick Cheney?
What a difference a day makes. The Harper Collins publishing house put on a clinic today on how to create buzz for a new book. It’s by the former director of the CIA, George Tenet.
Readers of the New York Times were greeted this morning by a front page story about Tenet’s new book, “At the Center of the Storm: My Years at the CIA.” The headline says it all: “Ex-C.I.A. Chief, in Book, Assails Cheney on Iraq.”
When it comes to selling books, timing is everything. As the Democratic Congressional majority is drawing lines in the sand in an effort to convince the Bush administration to begin withdrawing troops from an increasing unpopular war in Iraq, one can only wonder at the timing of this book release.
One might say that the timing is impeccable. The book, which has not yet been released rode this publicity rocket straight up the charts. The book is already up to #3 in sales at Amazon.com. We’re looking at an Oprah-like sales response here.
According to the New York Times article, Tenet felt like Vice President Dick Cheney “slam dunked” him by using a statement out of context: “Mr. Tenet admits that he made his famous “slam dunk” remark about the evidence that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. But he argues that the quote was taken out of context and that it had little impact on President Bush’s decision to go to war. He also makes clear his bitter view that the administration made him a scapegoat for the Iraq war.”
“A copy of the book was purchased at retail price in advance of publication by a reporter for The New York Times. Mr. Tenet described with sarcasm watching an episode of “Meet the Press” last September in which Mr. Cheney twice referred to Mr. Tenet’s “slam dunk” remark as the basis for the decision to go to war.“(The New York Times).
Yesterday, like most Americans, I didn’t even know that this book existed. Today, I want to read it. The real “slam dunk” here was performed by Tenet’s publicists over at Harper Collins. The publicity blitz will continue when Tenet makes an appearance this Sunday on “60 Minutes” on CBS Television to promote his book. It’s not Oprah but it is almost as good.
The conflict in Iraq has spread to the halls of Congress. The bad news that greets us each morning in the newspaper is good news for some people—bad news sells books. This book will sell like hotcakes for a while and be forgotten long before we can forget about that other “slam dunk,” the “easy” victory that they sold us over there in the shifting sands of Iraq.
Extra! Extra! Read all about it! In bookstores everywhere.
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Death Cab for Cutie orders lunch
Back in my younger days I was involved in some catering projects for rock bands. I served barbecued ribs to the Grateful Dead (Jerry begged for more). I proffered stir fry to the Talking Heads (David Byrne threw me out of the dressing room), and I washed Van Halen’s dirty dishes (odd, they also threw me out of their dressing room?)
Suffice it to say, I had lost touch with the culinary desires of the musicians of today—until now. I’ve been checking out a cookbook,”I Like Food, Food Tastes Good—in the Kitchen with Your Favorite Bands” by Kara Zuaro (Hyperion).
I have learned a lot. Death Cab for Cutie swears by the veggie sausage and peanut butter sandwich. The Decemberists are a bit more carnivorous, they like pork loin with poblano chilies.
The featured bands (over 100 of them) provided the recipes for their favorite munchies.
The Mountain Goats like something called Tato Mato. John Darneille aka The Mountain Goats recounts his poverty days in the small town of Colo, Iowa. Tato Mato is based on that most divine of vegetables, the TATO (that would be potatoes).
As you might expect, there are lots of beverage recipes. Here are a couple from bands with Ohio connections: Swearing at Motorists aka the former Daytonian, Dave Doughman prescribes the “The John Glenn.”
Ingredients: Tang Instant breakfast drink— Absolut vodka (or your favorite brand, or whatever you can get with those drink tickets).
Directions: “Follow directions on Tang to make a pitcher of the astronaut’s favorite elixir. Depending on the desired taste and effects pour vodka into a glass 25-50 percent full, then finish filling the glass with Tang, shake or pour, then enjoy. For a ‘Buzz Aldrin.’ substitute Jack Daniels for vodka.”
(note* I am probably the only person on the planet who has interviewed Dave Doughman, John Glenn, and Buzz Aldrin…I can’t imagine either astronaut touching this stuff. And knowing Dave, that’s the joke here—Dave, it’s all yours).
They Might Be Giants offers up the “Countrypolitan.” John Flansburgh of TMBG once attended Antioch College (for all of 5 minutes).
Ingredients: 2 parts vodka (not infused). 1 part Cointreau. 1 part cranberry juice (not cranberry juice cocktail). 1 part pomegranate juice. A liberal amount of fresh lime juice.
Directions: “Shake with ice, and strain into a martini or champagne cocktail glass. (Makes one drink—increase quantities to make a whole pitcher).”
That’s what some of our most happening musicians are eating (and drinking) these days. Now I’m up to date. Times change. I hear Eddie Van Halen has had his last Blue Nun and AC/DC is still guzzling whatever beer is handy.
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are you a Boomer?
I’ll admit it. I’m a Baby Boomer. I was born in that generational surge that followed WWII. All those soldiers came home from the war. They were ready to settle down, raise families, live the good life, and forget about the war.
A new book examines my generation. “The Boomer Century—1946-2046—How America’s Most Influential Generation Changed Everything” by Richard Croker (Springboard) pays homage to us. When I said my generation I guess that I should have said “the ME Generation.”
This book is the companion to the PBS Documentary, “The Boomer Generation.” Croker interviewed lots of famous Boomers. We’ll look back at all the trends. We were the television generation and the rock and roll generation. We marched for peace (some of us) we rocked out at concerts, singing along with lyrics like “I hope I die before I get old” (The Who) and “what a drag it is getting old” (The Rolling Stones). Little did we know.
Are you a Boomer? What’s your favorite memory from living in this incredible generation?
I’m Vick Mickunas and I’m a Boomer.
Permalink | Comments (3) | Categories: clearing the cobwebs
remembering David Halberstam
We’ve lost another one. David Halberstam, an exceptional writer, has died in a car wreck, near San Francisco. Halberstam died doing his job, he was on his way to interview the former New York Giants quarterback, Y.A Tittle.
Halberstam wrote widely and he wrote well. He wrote about politics and war. He wrote about sports; baseball, basketball and football. He seemed to follow a pattern of writing very serious books on serious subjects (The Viet Nam War, the Korean War, The World Trade Center tragedy) that alternated with more light-hearted topics, like “The Summer of ‘49,” a book about the 1949 pennant struggles between the Yankees and the Red Sox.
In my book, Halberstam was truly a legend. I had always wanted to interview him. Halberstam was 73. He will be missed.
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a conversation with Ann Hagedorn
1919 was a strange year. You probably don’t remember it. World War One had just ended. America was in quite a state. Ann Hagedorn, an Oakwood native, has written an exceptional book about that very strange year.
The book is “Savage Peace—Hope and Fear in America—1919” (Simon & Schuster). I asked Hagedorn about it.
Vick: This book, how did you get the idea?
Ann: “Oh dear, that always seems like the simplest question and it never really is because it’s a combination of the flow in the unconscious mind that’s always happening, always pulling in new things, and then the very obvious, on the conscious level.
So, I would say that on the conscious level, I came up with the idea probably through three different things; one-just plain curiosity about the year between World War One and the Roaring Twenties.
I was curious about what happened in America in the aftermath of the war. I’ve always been fascinated by the aftermath of war so I was curious about a year that I knew nothing about except the Paris Peace Conference (at Versailles). So I wanted to know what happened in this country during that time. And, also, the president (Woodrow Wilson), was gone for most of the year so that made it doubly interesting to me.
I’m very interested in the aftermath of war as a topic anyhow because I think war is a habit that’s hard to break and we have this illusion; wars never end when we believe they end and when we are told they end. They never end in cease-fires, right?
They go on and on because it’s a mentality, it’s a habit that is very hard to break. So the devastation of war can go on and on in peacetime and so I thought that it would be interesting to look into the distance….Distant mirrors are important to us because it gives us the safety of distance to look at ourselves…
I think 1919 is the first year of the 20th Century. Wars don’t end the moment they say they do. Centuries don’t end exactly in the double ‘00’ years. I really think that’s the first year of the 20th Century. So much of what happened shaped the American Century.
I’ve lived most of my life in the 20th Century. I was curious about that year (1919), the sources of the kind of paradigms that have existed for most of my life in this country. Boy, that year is where it all began. So much happened, so much that shaped this nation for the rest of the century. For the people of my generation it shaped our identities in a way, our sense of who we are as Americans, who we are as citizens of a democracy.
I had this curiosity on an intellectual level. And then there was the curiosity that was unconscious…I think as we get older not only do we want to connect the dots between our nation’s past and present but I think that also we want answers to questions that popped up as we were kids…
It’s one thing to be drawn to a subject and it’s another to write a book about it. As I got into it I realized that my only regret was that I didn’t ask for a two volume set. Because there’s so much in that year, it’s unbelievable. It’s shocking. I had no idea when I was going into it how much happened.”
My conversation with Ann Hagedorn ran for the better part of an hour. Hopefully, this excerpt provided some sense of 1919, a turbulent year in America.
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Book Expo America
Once a year I immerse myself in books by attending Book Expo America. This annual conference moves around. Last year it was held in Washington, D.C. This year it returns to the heart of the publishing industry, New York City.
BEA is a complete book overload. The Jacob Javits Convention Center will be a sprawling expanse of books and book people as far as the eye can see. It’s book heaven.
I’m perusing the BEA event program and I’m trying to decide my priorities. You cannot do everything that you want to do so one needs to assess the options. Should I attend the Saturday Book and Author Breakfast? Khaled Hosseini, the author of “The Kite Runner,” will be there with his latest book, “A Thousand Spendid Suns.” Stephen Colbert, author of “I Am America and So Can You” is slated to be Master of Ceremonies. Now that, should be an experience!
Let’s see, who else will be at the BEA ? Ken Burns, Alan Alda, Alan Greenspan, Ian McEwan, Rosie O’Donnell, Alice Sebold, the list goes on and on. Everybody will be pushing their latest book.
It will be overwhelming. I’m really looking forward to it. BEA runs the first weekend of June and I’ll be blogging live from the convention floor.
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another family crisis
Now and then we climb into the time machine and look at the Dayton of a century ago. Here is another excerpt from “Family Crisis” (Reynal & Hitchcock) by Sherlock Bronson Gass. He lived in Dayton during the 1890’s.
“The wagon had been facing east on the south side of the street. One block ahead was the bridge over the canal. The bridge was not a turnbridge like those at Jefferson, and Main, and Ludlow, but a high one taking off from an embankment. Along the canal at this point and below the embankment and the bridge were narrow wharves where a string of canal boats were usually tied up for loading and unloading. The tow-path went under the bridge on the far side of the canal. The bridge took off just where Canal Street came into Fifth from the north. The slope curved steeply up from canal level to bridge level, with a rail or fence along the brink made of cast-iron panels between iron posts.”
“What Arthur saw when he came out of the drug-store was the back of the wagon disappearing eastward and the flotsam of the street crowd sucked in behind it. Not exactly eastward, either, for there was no one in the wagon to keep the right rein taut. And Dolly, going at racing speed, was cutting a diagonal down the block through the traffic toward the railing that guarded the brink of the embankment, What had apparently happened, Arthur calculated, was that someone had exploded a firecracker under Dolly’s heels, and she was living up to someone’s expectations.”
“As for Arthur, he acted like a man. There wasn’t much he could do, but what there was could not have been done better. He lost sight of the wagon. The crowd closed up behind it so that he couldn’t follow at his usual needle-prick speed, but he did his best. Toward the bridge the crowd thickened so that he had to worm his way to the front. When he got to the paling to which, by calculation, Dolly would have sidled, he saw that there was one panel gone. He pushed to the gap, and there, beyond the narrow wharf below, and beyond a canal-boat tied up to the wharf, was Dolly up to her withers in midstream. The wreck of the wagon was behind her, and pieces of it, laundry hampers, bundles of linen, and stray shirts and collars were floating away downstream in the sluggish current.”
That’s how horse and wagon ended up in the canal back in the 1890’s. You might be be wondering, “was there a leap at the brink? But Dolly was blind, and there was nothing but the paling to warn her that there was a brink.”
Permalink | | Categories: memories of Dayton
a top Amazon reviewer bites the dust
John “Gunny” Matlock, the former #6 customer reviewer at Amazon.com has kept his word and vacated the site. Last week, “Gunny” fessed up in an Amazon posting that his book reviews were in fact, the products of a consortium of 27 different reviewers. I just checked the reviewer rankings over at Amazon and Mr. Matlock’s listing is gone.
Apparently, Amazon decided to take action. There are thousands of “inactive” reviewers on the site so his ranking could have languished there for years. His sudden removal from the list following his admission seems to indicate that somebody decided to do something about it. Of course it is possible that “Gunny” asked to be removed.
Clearly, the campaign to clean up the Amazon customer reviewer system is starting to bear fruit. Harriet Klausner, the #1 reviewer has posted a mere 2 reviews in the last 10 days. Grady Harp, the former #9 reviewer has now been moved to #8 as the result of the removal of “Gunny”.Mr. Harp is another reviewer who has attracted a degree of criticism. He continues to post reviews but he seems to be varying the patterns that have attracted the attention of some cynical observers.
I will keep you posted on any further developments.
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Making lies come true
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales spent the day on the Congressional hot seat. He is trying to save his job. The scandal that has been building momentum for months now seems destined to sweep him off the rolling deck of the USS Justice Department.
I have been following the case. As he testified today before a Congressional committee, a protester held up a sign behind him. It read: “I HAVE NOTHING TO HIDE BUT THE TRUTH.”
Even Arlen Specter, a Republican, has been gnawing on poor Alberto. As I watched the coverage I remembered a book that I read a few years ago. I fished it out of my stacks with the hope that it might help me to comprehend this current mess.
The book is “The Concise Book of Lying” by Evelin Sullivan (Farrar, Straus & Giroux/2001). This little gem examines the history of telling lies. Why do we do it? How do we do it? Does anything good ever come out of it?
Sullivan cuts right to the chase. She says that “language is the politician’s tool, and one reason we’ve all become distrustful of what “public servants” tell us is that we’ve been alerted by experts to “doublespeak,” language aimed at distorting, misleading, and otherwise deceiving.”
Let’s call it a “perversion of communication.” She states that “politicians and advertisers lost the trust of the informed constituent or consumer long ago because their dishonesty has been well documented. But the more we learn about lies in all areas, the more trust leaks out of the world.”
The trust has been leaking out of this administration for years. Weapons of Mass Destruction. Mission Accomplished. He (fill in the blank) has my full support. I don’t remember. I can’t recall.
Remember this; the truth hurts.
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scribbles and scraps-chapter 3
Most interesting book to cross my desk today: “In Europe—Travels Through the Twentieth Century” by Geert Mak (Pantheon Books). This is an advance copy of a book that has recently been translated from the original Dutch. Weighing in at 876 pages, it sold over 350 thousand copies in Holland. Wow! Now I know what to read on vacation. It will be published in August in the U.S.
Worst book I have read this week: “7—The Mickey Mantle Novel” by Peter Golenbock (The Lyons Press). This book should have died a merciful death before publication. It was slated to come out on the now defunct Regan Books imprint. Lyons bought the rights and published 250 thousand copies. I wonder if there are that many 13 year-old boys out there who want to read about baseball? OK, it’s mostly about Mickey Mantle’s imagined sexual adventures and it is beyond tacky. I felt compelled to wash my hands after reading it. EEch!
Buddy’s day: He spent the day catting around in the shrubbery. Now he’s tired and he’s taking a cat nap.
One good reason to live in a small town: I went to the post office today. About 30 minutes later I realized that the last time I saw my wallet was in the post office. I went back there and found it sitting right where I’d left it, untouched.
Favorite music to read by: “Jorma Kaukonen’s Stars in My Crown” (Red House). The former Jefferson Airplane/Hot Tuna guitarist now resides at the Fur Peace ranch outside of Athens. He went to Antioch here in Yellow Springs and I have interviewed him several times. Jorma can play that guitar!
Notable paperbacks out this week: “Suite Francaise” by Irene Nemirovsky (Vintage). The author wrote this novel before she was taken to a death camp during the Holocaust. Poignant-powerful, it sold well in hardcover…..also…”Everyman” by Philip Roth (Vintage). A legendary novelist faces mortality.
Beverage that pairs up well with a book: Bell’s Oberon Ale. It also goes well with baseball, barbecue, badminton, and bocce ball.
Scribblin’ and scrappin,’ I’m Vick Mickunas.
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Pulitzer books announced
The Pulitzer Prizes have been announced and some deserving books took home ten thousand dollar awards.
Cormac McCarthy won the prize for fiction with “The Road” (Alfred A. Knopf). Already boosted by Oprah, “The Road” is certainly deserving of the award. Other nominees were “After This” by Alice McDermott (Farrar, Straus and Giroux), and “The Echo Maker” by Richard Powers (Farrar, Straus and Giroux). The McDermott book would have also been a great choice. I have not read the Powers novel.
For distinguished biography or autobiography the award was won by Debby Applegate for “The Most Famous Man in America:The Biography of Henry Ward Beecher” (Doubleday). I was impressed by the selection of this book, which is just now coming out in paperback, as it was a bit of a sleeper. The favorite, “Andrew Carnegie” by David Nasaw (The Penguin Press) failed to win. I was relieved. The Carnegie book put me to sleep more nights than I can count.
The non-fiction winner was “The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11” by Lawrence Wright (Alfred A. Knopf). I thought another nominee, “Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq” by Thomas Ricks (The Penguin Press) was slightly superior to “The Looming Tower” but hey, Alfred A. Knopf puts out one superb book after another so I won’t argue with that choice.
For history the winner was “The Race Beat: The Press, the Civil Rights Struggle, and the Awakening of a Nation” By Gene Roberts and Hank Klibanoff (Alfred A. Knopf). I guess Knopf won the trifecta (note*There is an entire article in the New York Times Wednesday about the Knopf “trifecta.”). My sentimental favorite was “Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War” by Nathaniel Philbrick (Viking). I like Philbrick’s stuff and I’m sure he’ll write another one that could win in the future.
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one Holocaust was too many
Gun violence continues unabated in America. The tragic mass murders today on the campus of Virginia Tech are just one more example of a country awash with guns and insanity. With 30 dead, and counting isn’t it about time that we started passing some more restrictive gun laws in this country?
And who, exactly, is Ismail Ax?
President Bush expressed his dismay: “a White House spokesman said President Bush was horrified by the rampage and offered his prayers to the victims and the people of Virginia.”
With a disclaimer: “The president believes that there is a right for people to bear arms, but that all laws must be followed,” spokeswoman Dana Perino said.”
“Virginia imposes few restrictions on the purchase of handguns and no requirement for any kind of licensing or training. The state does limit handgun purchases to one per month to discourage bulk buying and resale, state officials said.Once a person had passed the required background check, state law requires that law enforcement officers issue a concealed carry permit to anyone who applies. However, no regulations and no background checks are required for purchase of weapons at a Virginia gun show. “Virginia’s gun laws are some of the weakest state laws in the country,” said Josh Horwitz, executive director of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence. “And where there have been attempts to make some changes, a backdoor always opens to get around the changes, like the easy access at gun shows.” (New York Times)
We remember the dead—“Where have all the flowers gone? Long time passing, where have all the flowers gone? Long time ago…when will they ever learn*?”
THE BATTLEFIELD
“They dropped like flakes, they dropped like stars,
Like petals from a rose,
When suddenly across the June
A wind with fingers goes.
They perished in the seamless grass,—
No eye could find the place;
But God on his repealless list
Can summon every face.”
EMILY DICKINSON (from Collected Poems of Emily Dickinson-Avenel Books-1982)
(*Lyric by Pete Seeger).
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are you a writer?
The Antioch Writer’s Workshop will be taking place in Yellow Springs July 7 through 13. Founded in 1986, it has served as a fountain of inspiration for thousands of writers who have been able to immerse themselves in the writing life for a unique week surrounded by kindred spirits.
Over the years I have had the pleasure of interviewing authors who came to Yellow Springs to participate. I have known many writers who have polished their craft at the AWW. Are you an aspiring writer? Perhaps this is the year for you to take your ambition to another level?
The noted novelist (and Daytonian) Katrina Kittle returns to the AWW this summer. A number of distinguished writers will be in attendance. Aspiring writers will be there. One never knows, the author with a dream of being published needs to show that manuscript to the right people? Two literary agents will be there. Who knows, perhaps you have potential?
For information or to register you can call 937-475-7357 or click on Antioch Writer’s Workshop. Live your dream.
Permalink | Comments (4) | Categories: secret passions
Amazon.com book reviewer shakeout
Here’s an update on the customer reviewer hubbub that I have been monitoring over at Amazon.com.
I have written a couple of blog posts about this situation. These posts stirred up a storm of comments, over 100 to date.
My first post, The Mysterious Harriet Klausner, was inspired by some research I conducted. Harriet Klausner is the #1 customer reviewer at Amazon.com. She reviews an astounding quantity of books. Apparently, I’m not the only person who has doubts about her prodigious reading. A second post, Bogus Book Reviews on Amazon.com?, attracted more comments and information.
As comments came rolling in there were two other Amazon Top Ten customer reviewers who were mentioned. These reviewers also aroused skepticism for their reviewing “feats.” The #6 reviewer, John “Gunny” Matlock, reviews many highly technical books. His reviews are frequently filled with spelling errors. It was pointed out by some commenters that this reviewer also had a presence on Amazon as a bookseller where he routinely sold the same obscure books he claimed to have just reviewed. Most tellingly, he described the books he had just reviewed as “unread.”
The #9 reviewer, a fellow named Grady Harp, attracted attention because every time he posted a review he automatically got 30 to 40 votes of approval of his review from other Amazon “customers.” I checked and it is true. Rather suspicious.
So, what has happened since this little investigation was launched? Well, as of this moment, the prolific Harriet Klausner, has written only 2 reviews in the last 5 days. To put that number in perspective; Harriet has posted as many as 40 book reviews in one day in recent weeks. 2 reviews in 5 days is a significant reduction. Is this merely a coincidence? Hard to tell.
An e-mail was sent to “Gunny” the #6 reviewer. It was sent to the seller of the books that “Gunny” had supposedly reviewed. The e-mail asked how “Gunny” could review books and then sell them as “Unread.” The book in question was a cookbook.He responded. Here is his reply: “Good Question. As I said, it was ‘inspected.’ I flipped through it, inspecting the quality of the paper, the printing, and to a lessor extent the content. It’s pretty easy to see how she did recipies. On other books, multiple copies.”
Harriet Klausner has not responded to her critics. “Gunny” has shown some courage and has posted comments on Amazon in response to the criticism. The other day he was asked (on Amazon) if he actually reads the books that he reviews. Here is his response as it appears on Amazon: “John Matlock- In reply to an earlier post To answer your $64,000 question — No. At last count we have some 27 reviewers. Some list reviews on Amazon under their own name. Most don’t want their name used in public (and after watching you guys at work I can see why), and their reviews are listed under my name. We only put the reviews on Amazon as a public service. The reviews are written for our newsletter and our own web sites. Since it seems to cause you so much grief, we’ve decided to stop sending the reviews to Amazon. It’s been fun.Bye”
I just looked at the most recent reviews from #9, Grady Harp. Suddenly, they are not getting 30 to 40 positive votes right away. They are only getting 10 to 12 positive votes now. Very interesting, eh?
So, Harriet Klausner has severely curtailed her reviewing for the moment. John “Gunny” Matlock has admitted that his reviews were actually being produced by a consortium of 27 reviewers and he claims to be resigning as an Amazon reviewer. Grady Harp has suddenly started getting fewer votes of approval for his reviews.
The majority of comments that have been posted on these threads indicate that the Amazon customer reviewer system needs to be changed so that these perceived abuses by reviewers can be curtailed.
Obviously, Amazon is in the business of selling books, and millions of other items. The Amazon system of customer reviews is a wonderful idea and a great way for Amazon to enhance revenue and create a sense of democracy among their clientele.
As in any democracy, there are abuses. Amazon owns this particular democracy and any meaningful attempts to prevent abuse of the customer reviewer system must come from Amazon.
Which begs this question: DO THEY CARE?
Permalink | Comments (48) | Categories: in the Amazone
the eMAILgate scandal
The New York Times has a front page story today about the expanding scandal that may go down in history as eMAILgate.
The widening scandal that has engulfed Attorney General Alberto Gonzales since the firing of a number of U.S. Attorneys last December has spread like a computer virus to some key offices in the White House. The problem involves e-mails, or the lack thereof. It seems that some e-mails that are key to the investigation have vanished.
These e-mails were sent on various e-mail accounts. A number were sent through the e-mail server of the Republican National Commitee by individuals in extremely sensitive positions, people like the influential presidential advisor,Karl Rove.
The Times article reveals: “It also exposed the dual electronic lives led by Mr. Rove and 21 other White House officials who maintain separate e-mail accounts for government business and work on political campaigns; and raised serious questions, in the eyes of Democrats, about whether political accounts were used to conduct official work without leaving a paper trail.”
Are we seeing the final days of Karl Rove’s influence? The Times piece indicates that his e-mails are of particular interest: “Representative Henry A. Waxman, the California Democrat who is chairman of a House committee looking into the use of political e-mail accounts, wrote a letter to the attorney general on Thursday saying he had particular concerns about Karl Rove”
Rove might have saved himself a lot of trouble if he had been able to read a book that just came out. “SEND—The Essential Guide to Email for Office and Home” (Knopf) by David Shipley and Will Schwalbe provides readers with some valuable information on how to Email safely.
A chapter that might have been of particular interest is: “The Email That Can Land You in Jail.” The authors point out some E-mail phrases that have landed the senders in court; phrases like: “DELETE THIS EMAIL!” and “Do NOT tell Joe.” My favorites are: “Can we get away with it?” and “They’ll never find out.” Time will tell, won’t it?
I found it ironic that Richard M. Nixon insisted on tape recording all those Oval Office conversations, discussions that came back to haunt him as the Watergate Scandal swept him out of office.
Today we have a different irony. Since 9/11, Karl Rove and the gang have stepped up domestic surveillance. Phones are being tapped. Emails are being monitored. That’s right, those missing Emails are out there somewhere and we can only imagine the potential damage to the Bush White House that could occur if, and when the “missing” Emails are found and revealed.
How ironic it would be if the stepped up Email surveillance that has come from this administration and laws like the USA Patriot Act ended up being the factor that allowed these smoking Emails to finally see the light of day.
Ah, eMAILgate! I can hardly wait. What a country!
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remembering Kurt Vonnegut
“I read the news today, oh boy, the English Army had just won the war. And though the news was rather sad. Well, I just had to laugh. I saw the photograph.”
“A Day in the Life” by Lennon and McCartney
There’s only one left now. With the news that Kurt Vonnegut has died we are seeing the last of that generation of American writers who served in WWII fading into memory. Norman Mailer is the only one left.
I discovered the novels of Kurt Vonnegut back in high school, books like “Slaughterhouse Five,” “The Sirens of Titan,” and “Cat’s Cradle.” They had a tremendous impact on my thought process. He had found his own way of writing. I loved it.
Vonnegut’s experience as a prisoner of war who survived the firebombing of Dresden was something that informed his writing and gave it a searing power that burned almost as hot as the deadly firestorm that had been unleashed on Dresden. He would never be the same after living through such a horror.
The obituary in the New York Times closes with a poem by Vonnegut called “Requiem” It contains these lines:
“When the last living thing
has died on account of us,
how poetical it would be
if Earth could say,
in a voice floating up
perhaps
from the floor
of the Grand Canyon,
“It is done.”
People did not like it here.”
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a ballyhoo out of the strike zone
The new Mickey Mantle “novel” just arrived in the mail. Originally scheduled for publication by the now defunct Regan Books. The book was picked up by The Lyons Press. They just did a Mantle-esque print run of 250 thousand copies.
“7—the Mickey Mantle Novel” by Peter Golenbock has already gotten some poor press. Nevertheless, the publisher was able to find some positive blurbs for the book. They must have made some solicitations to obtain them?
Ed Randall, the host of “Ed Randall’s Talking Baseball” on WFAN radio in New York says: “Mickey Mantle was a nice bunch of guys.”
Robert Lipsyte, a former columnist and sportswriter for the New York Times says: Mickey Mantle was the most fascinating ballplayer I ever covered.”
Richard Sandomir of the New York Times calls the book “a comic, wild, sad, and salacious reimagining of the late Yankee’s life….”
The front cover has a photo of the Mick clubbing a dinger. There is no title on the cover, merely a small warning tag. It reads: “WARNING : Mickey says: If y’all don’t want to read about sex, don’t buy this book.”
Now that’s MARKETING. I’ll let you know if the hype is merely tripe.
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a jerk named Don Imus
Don Imus has a big mouth. The other day on his radio show he made a racist remark about the Rutgers women’s basketball team. Now, Imus is trying to save his career. He has just agreed to have a private meeting with the young women who were the objects of his ridicule. It was a stupid and insensitive remark and it wasn’t the first time he has done such a thing.
Just ask Gwen Ifill. She was the target of another one of his ignorant quips a few years back. Funny, how Don likes to utter racist slurs. Actually, it’s not funny at all.
They just suspended Don for two weeks. That’s his punishment so far. Some critics, like the Reverend Al Sharpton, are calling for his job. They want Imus fired.
This whole thing pains me. Imus has written some books. That doesn’t matter to me. What matters is that this pompous jerk thinks it is OK to be a racist on the radio in front of millions of people.
Imus has been doing his radio show for a long time. One thing that I do admire about him is that he likes to talk about books. When he finds a book that he likes he keeps on plugging it. That’s a good thing.
Too bad, he’s such a jerk. If he does get fired it will not be a huge shock. Still, it’s too bad because he did some good things for books.
Is that smoke on the horizon? Is that Imus getting fired? Or, is it a book burning?
Books need all the help they can get but we probably don’t need Imus plugging them.
I think his stature as promoter of just about anything is circling the drain along with his career.
Thanks, Don, we can’t wait to read your memoirs. Please stop talking now. Enjoy your retirement, you nappy headed toadstool.
My apologies to toadstools.
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new audiobooks for kids
I was a kid, once. OK, I’ll admit it, I still am. So, I was thrilled to obtain copies of some new audiobooks for young readers (and listeners).
Harper Audio has just released 3 audiobooks of the poetry of Jack Prelutsky. The author sings his poetry on these hour-long recordings. Your grade schoolers (ages 4-8) will enjoy these humorous songs.
“The New Kid on the Block” features renditions like: “I’d rather take baths with a man-eating shark, or wrestle a lion alone in the dark, eat spinach and liver, pet ten porcupines, than tackle the homework my teacher assigns.”
My favorite is “A Pizza the Size of the Sun.” I was reminded of my favorite grade school ditty about gopher guts. This one has “Rat for lunch! Rat for lunch! Yum! Delicious! Munch munch munch! One by one or by the bunch- Rat, oh rat, oh rat for lunch.” Ah memories, the grosser the better.
“Something Big Has Been Here” has the whimsical “I am digging a hole in the ceiling in order to gaze at the sky, I began at the end of September, I intend to be done by July.”
These recordings will amuse your children and conjure up memories for you. That last one reminded me of a project my dad gave us back in ‘60’s. There was a spot in the back yard where they used to dump cinders from the old coal burning furnace. My dad gave us shovels and suggested that this would be the perfect spot to dig our tunnel to China.
We dug all summer long. Little boys digging up cinders found the going slow. Which gave us time for daydreams. By autumn we had cleared away a few inches of cinders as hard as iron. Dad must have been amused. We were. We spent many happy hours imagining the looks of shock on the other side of the world when we would come crawling out of our tunnel in China.
Share a dream. Read a book to your child today.
For the Book Nook, I’m Vick Mickunas
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more memories of Dayton
We pay another visit to Dayton, Ohio circa 1895. This excerpt is from “Family Crisis” by Sherlock Bronson Gass (Reynal & Hitchcock-1940)
“The National Cash Register Works—the “Cash”—had a special repute and a special atmosphere in Dayton and that dignity and elegance were almost academic. John Patterson, the president, was a pioneer in the creation of model working conditions for factory employees, especially for women. The factory itself was in an airy suburb, easily accessible by street-car. Sanitation, lighting and safety precautions were as near perfection as the most advanced appliances could make them. the working day was shortened below the normal. There were club-rooms, restrooms, dining-rooms. There were clubs for the cultivation of serious studies and of frivolous hobbies; there were lectures and concerts; there were competitive prizes for gardening and home decoration among cottagers surrounding the landscaped factory grounds. Lunch was supplied to all women employees, and they were allowed to come half an hour later, and leave half an hour earlier than the men, that they might have seats in the street-cars to and from work.”
“All this, it will be remembered, was pioneering in the face of a widespread indifference, not only of factory directorates and public opinion in general, but even among the class from which the beneficiaries came. There was actually a measure of opposition from the employees themselves, especially the men, who tended instinctively to resent what they felt to be a sort of paternalism. All these things cost money, they murmured, and they’d rather have the money and do what they wanted with it, than helplessly take what it pleased someone to offer them. They were beginning to bring a sort of doctrinal philosophy to bear on their status, and put their complaint on other grounds than those of personal desire.”
“Such talk was provoking to a man of naturally sensitive and irascible temper like John Patterson, but he went on the face of it, exemplifying at home and preaching abroad the merits of such a factory policy. It was, I think, a later discovery, rather than a prior motive, that good working conditions pay for themselves, that shorter hours, pleasanter surroundings, sanitation and diversified interests actually result in more and better work, and a livelier and more intelligent body of employees. It was natural that this discovery should become part of the propaganda that Patterson was spreading. It was natural too, no doubt, that the livelier and more intelligent body of employees should begin to think that all this was but another device of exploitation.”
(to be continued)
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scribbles and scraps-chapter 2
Winter has returned. I crept out of my cocoon to recall the sparkling moments of this April hibernation…
Things I took for granted: Comments from readers. I have not been able to post any today. Some readers e-mailed me wondering why not? Their comments had vanished into the maw of cyberspace. We take our internet connections for granted, don’t we?
Fun comment thread: Baseball haiku. See below.
Favorite beverage to drink while reading: Whole milk from an organic cooperative in Kalona, Iowa. That’s Amish country.
Book that really piqued my interest: “Age of Betrayal—the Triumph of Money in America, 1865-1900” (Knopf) by Jack Beatty.
Book I can’t wait to read: “Luncheon of the Boating Party” (Viking) by Susan Vreeland. She wrote “Girl in Hyacinth Blue,” a classic novel about great art. She is also a wonderful interview.
Favorite reading accessory: A blazing fire in the fireplace.
Favorite reading companion: The woman who shares my bed.
Musical accompaniment while reading: “Wonderland” by Badi Assad. I had the pleasure of getting to know Badi when she lived in Dayton. She is an extraordinary artist. Her version of “Sweet Dreams” by the Eurythmics is a knockout.
Favorite lap warmer and bookstand: that would be Buddy, who sez: “stressed out? Get a cat!”
Scribblin’ and scrappin,’ I’m Vick Mickunas.
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Duel of the Baseball Haiku
In honor of National Poetry Month and another baseball season, here are some baseball haiku from a new book, “Baseball Haiku-the Best Haiku Ever Written About the Game” (W.W. Norton).
1.Rookie’s first hit-
picked off at first
2.Manager,umpire
shadow-boxing
jaw to jaw
3.geese flying north
the pitcher stops his windup
to watch
4.summer afternoon
the long fly ball to center field
takes its time
5.perfect game, end of seven
in the dugout the pitcher
sits alone
6. a seagull high over right field gets out of the way 7.lost in the lights the high fly ball that never comes down 8.country field- home run rolling past the headstones 9.rumble of thunder the boy still looking for the ball in the tall grass (game over)
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secret passions
Well, I’ve kept my promise. I said that I would not write about baseball books again until the season was underway. I waited. Now, I have something to write about. Judith Regan the former publisher of the now defunct Regan Books imprint caught a lot of flak over an OJ Simpson book that she planned to publish a few months ago. That uproar led to her dismissal by Rupert Murdoch, the owner of Harper Collins which provided a corporate umbrella for Regan’s imprint. It has been alleged that Ms. Regan was shown the door after she made some anti-Semitic remarks to a Harper Collins lawyer. Maybe so. I seem to recall that she was removed after more bad publicity came out about another book she planned to publish, a novel about the former Yankee slugger, Mickey Mantle. The OJ book deal was killed and it looks like it will never see the light of day. The Mantle book, “7: The Mickey Mantle Novel,” by Peter Golenbock has been acquired by another publisher, The Lyons Press. They have just done a printing of 250,000 copies. The early publicity for the book a few months ago was uniformly bad. Mantle, who had a reputation as a boozer and hard partier is supposedly depicted in the novel as a boozer and a hard partier. The late slugger’s family is apparently perturbed about the portrayal of this iconic baseball star. I have not read the book. I plan to read it. I’ll reserve judgement until I do. I miss Mickey Mantle. And Richard Nixon. And Elvis Presley. I really do. They were fun to watch. Speaking of fun to watch, did you see that the Red Sox rookie Daisuke Matsuzaka struck out 10 batters today? Ah, baseball.
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secret passions
Investigative journalism requires some digging. If I don’t know the answers I begin to ask questions. The other day I was sleuthing around on Amazon.com. I noticed that there was a mild uproar going on where customers post their reviews. The top customer reviewer on Amazon, Harriet Klausner, seemed to be attracting a number of dubious comments for her reviews. So, I put up a post last Thursday expressing my puzzlement with the situation. As you can see, that post elicited a slew of comments. Suddenly, I had all this information being poured forth by commenters. Her critics were scathing, they say she cannot possibly read all those books and that her reviews are poorly written. They said many unflattering things about the #1 reviewer on Amazon. They also pointed to another Top Ten reviewer, a fellow who calls himself “Gunny.” They say that he is another bad reviewer who doesn’t read the many books he claims to be reviewing. He reviews many expensive, highly technical books. He is a bold one indeed. It was pointed out by commenters that “Gunny” writes reviews and then sells the same books he supposedly reviewed on Amazon as “unread.” As I have stated previously, I have a great deal of respect for Amazon. These seemingly bogus reviewers would seem to be a liability for Amazon. I cannot prove any of these allegations but the evidence is compelling. Each new comment adds more detail to this ugly picture. As a journalist, I’m wondering, does Amazon know that two of their top reviewers appear to operate with some questionable ethics? Should the appearance of impropriety on the part of these “book reviewers” be a cause for concern to the largest on-line bookseller on the planet? What do you think?
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in the Amazone
The story of NCR’s Building 26 was top secret for many years. Those secrets have finally been revealed in recent years. The DDN’s Jim DeBrosse wrote a book about it, “The Secret in Building 26: The Untold Story of America’s Ultra War Against the U-boat Enigma Codes” (Random House). It’s the story of Daytonian Joseph Desch and the top secret project that broke the German Enigma code in 1943. This event was one of the key elements in the turning of the tide which was so essential to the Allied victory over the Axis powers two years later. Aileen LeBlanc and Debbie Desch Anderson (Joe Desch’s daughter) made a film about it, “Dayton Codebreakers”, a documentary that aired on public television stations all over the country. The University of Dayton has purchased Building 26 from NCR. Recently, UD announced that they will be razing Building 26. There has been some opposition to the plan to demolish it. The debate over the fate of Building 26 is attracting national attention from the likes of the New York Times. What do you think? Should Building 26 be preserved OR demolished? (disclaimer)I served in a very small role as a consultant on the film DAYTON CODEBREAKERS. Here’s what I did: I read a book about cryptology.
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memories of Dayton
Did you get your POEM OF THE DAY today ? If you did then you know that it came with a special bonus for Passover which starts tonight, a recipe for Passover Egg Salad. During the month of April you can have a poem sent to you by e-mail every day. It costs nothing and it might make you happy. Can you risk a smile? Here’s how, click on this blue word: POETRY and sign up. Get April off to a good start by carrying a poem each day in your heart.
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secret passions
I have been enjoying a vintage flashback to the Dayton of a century ago. I’m reading “Family Crisis” (Reynal&Hitchcock) by Sherlock Bronson Gass. The book was published in 1940. I borrowed it from the author’s granddaughter. Gass sets the stage for his memoir in this author’s note: “The family was of a sort as numerous as any in the country—very middling middle class. The place was a medium-sized city in the Midwest—Dayton, Ohio. The years were the last five of the last century, a period already falling into perspective as, industrially, the end of an era—the end of smallness and independence, and the beginning of magnitude and subordination, the end of the man, so to speak, and the beginning of the corporation. And this struggle was precisely a small man’s struggle for independence during those years and in that world of industry.” Gass takes readers back to the long ago Dayton of the late 1890’s. The more things change the more they seem to remain the same. He declared: “I had come, not long ago from Chicago. But for all Chicago, I was a little stunned with the Dayton smoke that Sunday afternoon. Charlie met me at the station, and the station was dingy beyond belief. Under the arch of the trainshed smoke hung low and motionless. The whole Miami Valley, as I learned, has an extraordinary power of holding its breath in the heat and humidity of summer.” Downtown Dayton was rather different then. “What lay beyond, toward Jefferson Street, was bigger than the laundry, and better, but it was dingy as compared with the Main Street side. Beyond the fish-stall was a restaurant—dinner twenty-five cents and indeed a rare treat to us in the next five months—and beyond the restaurant, on the corner of Jefferson Street, Isaac Stern’s gents’ furnishing store. Gass continues our flashback tour of 1890’s Dayton: “Across the way a like change took place in the middle of the block. Behind the publishing house, from whose open windows came the exciting rhythm of the presses, was a dark alley, and then Billy Gray’s livery and sales stable; the Central Hotel in its blaze of red for the saloon, yellow for the Moorish balconies on the second floor, and blue for the shades of the top floor windows; after that a harness shop; and finally John Roth’s saloon—the White House—on the corner of Jefferson.” Gass recounts some rather unusual memories of life in long ago Dayton in “Family Crisis.” I’ll bring you more of his recollections in a future installment of FORWARD,INTO THE PAST.
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memories of Dayton
I miss Mickey Mantle
Bogus book reviews on Amazon.com?
should Building 26 be preserved ?
April is National Poetry Month
forward, into the past
