Book Review: Concepcion: An Immigrant Family's Fortunes (OT)

Concepcion: An Immigrant Family's Fortunes, by Albert Samaha (Riverhead Books, 2021, 384 pp, $28)

Concepcion

This reviewer was excited to receive Concepcion to review due to her background in the expatriate and refugee communities, although very little experience with The Philippines per se. However, the book could easily have been two books, like several that have been reviewed here.

Most books about immigrants are about refugees, perhaps those arriving during or right after World War II, with a few stories "starring" Vietnamese refugees and with even fewer about a smattering from other countries. 

Concepcion is very different: the family Concepcion from The Philippines was quite upper class in the old country with doctors and lawyers and athletes and actors, so, saying goodbye to such a lifestyle to start over in America was a long and serious group decision. The extended family's relocation took many years, with one family member after another arriving solo (eight children plus aunts and uncles and a grandfather).

Second-Guessing the Move?

From movie sets and recording contracts, from household servants in The  Philippines to loading and unloading airplanes with a 50-mile one-way commute, but in America, sometimes a Concepcion family member would question the family's trans-Pacific relocation. But in America, you don't have to pay bribes at the post office or airport.

The move was disadvantageous for some of the elders but a good decision for the younger generation, and the family was all together and remained so, regarding the decision. "But what to do with the knowledge that your comfort has come at the expense of your elders." (p. 115)

Much Food for Thought

An excellent book for book club discussions, Concepcion makes the reader think about his own family and what they would have done in similar circumstances, but mostly examine whether the Concepcions did the right thing. 

In addition, the average American family is nuclear with a working dad, a stay-at-home mom, a boy and a girl and a dog. If no longer reality, at least this nuclear family still exists within the minds of readers. The Concepcions, however, buy a house as an extended-family-house where they will live as an ever-changing group for a few years until they get on their feet, one by one, and move closer to work or purchase their own nuclear family's abode. The author, for example, though American-born, lives with aunts and uncles and cousins and shares a bedroom with his mother.

The Second Story: Unmemorable

This reviewer almost panned the book - we are not required to read beyond 50 pages, or to review, if we consider a book to be 'not worth it.' I did, however, continue and am glad I did. However, you can feel free to skim the first part of the book. 

Even though the entire book is carefully researched and tells the story of centuries - of the history of the Pacific lands exploration by Magellan and of the 'occupation' by Spain and the US and Japan, these paragraphs, alternating with the family's narrative, is extremely dry and historical with reams and reams of names the reader cannot keep track of. Sort of reminds one of historical Russian novels. . . . 

Writing Style

Written by a college-athlete turned journalist, Concepcion is a book worth reading and discussing. The author's writing style is so varied and comfortable that I am seriously considering reading his other book, Never Ran, Never Will: Boyhood and Football in a Changing American Inner City - antidote to inner city gangs? Or, another treatise on the place of football in American society, including its rare future for the average high-school boy?

Book Review: Orwell's Roses (OT)(George Orwell's world, Animal Farm, Nineteen Eighty-Four, and roses)

 Orwell's Roses, by Rebecca Solnit (Viking, 2021, $27, 308 pp)

"In the spring of 1936, a writer planted roses."

George Orwell, ne Eric Blair, born in India and schooled at Eton, essayist and author of Animal Farm* (Burmese Days and Nineteen Eighty-Four), was a man of war, being born right after a war, growing up during WW1, being wounded in the Spanish Civil War, and adulting during WW2, coining the term Cold War and then succumbing himself from TB in 1950 at age 46. But he also loved green things and growing things, planting things.

The very British Orwell, a political pragmatist and writer, planted seven rose bushes in 1936 that are still blooming today. Our author, Rebecca Solnit, setting out to find trees that are still living contemporaries of Orwell, instead, discovered the roses, an almost accidental error of nature and time, at the little cottage leased by Orwell. She goes on to compare the goodness and badness of roses (and coal) throughout.

A Short History of the World, or, "Bread and Roses"

Not only prose about the man George Orwell and his short life, Orwell's Roses is also about his other profession, that of a gardener - of roses, of vegetables, of trees and chickens and goats. And primarily about the comparison and contrast between the imaginary solitary world of the writer and the pragmatic earthy rustic world of the farmer. Both are in balance, in Orwell's world.

Bread refers to tangible things and roses refers to the intangible: the pragmatic and the idealistic person or society. The phrase Bread and Roses was adopted by the Bolsheviks and by the Suffragettes and by the South Americans in their fight for independence. 

Solnit manages to bring in authors and events from all over the world, as only a liberal arts person can. And she manages to tie them all into the life and times of Orwell. Case in point: 2 + 2 = 5** or "Wheat can become rye" as said by the Russian anti-geneticist Lysenko, not the geneticist Bateson.

Writing Style

Author Rebecca Solnit writes as if you and she are friends and you already know who is who, therefore, very conversationally and in long convoluted sentences that illustrate her excitement. As a result, you race through the book and look forward to the first sentence of each chapter - sort of like a theme with variations.

Literary Themes

Orwell's Roses is not a strict biography: rather, it mentions the famous people he knew, the famous people of the times, the roses that keep cropping up in his life - in bouquets, in gardens, on walks, and in the words of his voluminous essays, no matter what the main topic of said essay. Plenty of quotes from his various essays, nearly going from one to another, yet conversationally so. And plenty of quotes from his letters and from others' essays, sometimes making the book seem to be a collection of quotes, connected by prose.

We get to know the man, his illnesses and his refusal to let them keep him down.

Orwell's Roses makes me want to reread Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four and to purchase Burmese Days. I encourage you to do the same and, if you don't have the time to read a whole book, refresh yourself with the Cliff's Notes versions!

And a Film (Or Two)

After Cliff''s Notes, watch either film version - or both: the first, in 1956 with Edmond O'Brien and Michael Redgrave

or the second, in 1984 with John Hurt and Richard Burton.

*"an allegory for the corruption of the Russian Revolution into Stalinism" (p. 9)

** as in Nineteen Eighty-four taken from Stalinist Russia

Book Review: Deadheading and Other Stories (Stories of the South, including Petunia the Pittie)

Deadheading and Other Stories, by Beth Gilstrap (Red Hen Press, 2021, 229 pp, $15.95)

An uncommon picture of the Southern Belle: do you remember high-school? Author Beth Gilstrap does, remarkably well: you are there again, not wanting to take a shower after gym class, running to catch a ride with your backpack thumping against your back with every step, cutting out photos in Yearbook Class. And your boyfriend. . . .

An Anthology of Southern Life

Contemporary Southern Life told in 22 stories, short and longer, from 2 to 20 pages, culminating in the title story, "Deadheading." I especially love "Bone Words," two pages of zygomatic, occipital, mandible and the horned beetle family, Lucanidae. Love those Southern names too: Lula, Ona, Janine, Maddie, Reese, Gammie and Pawpaw.

"Like Air, or Bread, or Hard Apple Candy" 

Petunia the pit bull is a 70-pound puller and Grenada wonders why she didn't get "one of those little dogs you can scoop up into a sack and throw on your shoulder like nothing, like air, or bread of hard apple candy, . . ." (p. 89)

Plotless yet Engaging 

Have you ever wondered if the South was really different, or why? Read Deadheading and immerse yourself in another culture - separate yet similar, possibly slightly ghoulish. Fortunes rise and fortunes fall but when they rise, they don't rise very high and when they fall, it is familiar: the cycle will repeat unless one moves out of the South. But can one actually move or is the South embedded in you?

Book Review: Underneath, A Novel (OT)(morbidly obese mother kills her children)

Underneath, A Novel, by Lily Hoang (Red Hen Press, 2021, 260 pp, $16.95)

In a word, wow!

A "Fictionalized True-Crime Novel"

We know how it ends and yet we still find it mesmerizing. We know she kills all four of her children but we read on to find out how - and why - and when.

Told primarily by the last, the oldest child of four (from three separate men), to be murdered by her morbidly obese mother, Underneath is spell-binding. You almost want to read it in one sitting but you can stop anywhere and come back to it. You also want to rescue the child narrator who is more adult-y than her young mother whom she loves because, of course, we love our mother. And you may also, just maybe, want to rescue even the mother - as a child, that is.

You will want to understand how and why but you really can't. You do sympathize, you do follow this true tale of revenge, or, rather, redirected and misplaced revenge. Does crime pay? In the end?

Who Can Benefit from Underneath?

Anyone who has a problem, anyone who doesn't fit in (doesn't this describe us all at some time?), anyone who eats when upset (don't we all have our comfort food?), anyone who has been bullied or has seen someone else being bullied - you may not solve your own situation but you will feel that others understand. 

And you will understand the title and the cover illustration, but maybe not the color of the cake on the color.

Written by a five-time author-English professor, Underneath's story will stay with you, one you will want to discuss with others.

Stylish

Author Lily Hoang has melded prose and not-quite-poetry and has varied the voice - from the story being told by the mother as a young girl to being told by the girl who is no more. Hoang interweaves conversation and narrative so well that even though she does not tell you who the narrator is (and it changes), the reader knows. And the astute reader will notice several chapters with identical titles. . . . all, food for thought - and for discussion, but not English class discussion. Rather, average person discussion.

Book Review: Forensics, The Science Behind the Deaths of Famous People (OT)

Forensics: The Science Behind the Deaths of Famous People, by Harry Milman (Xlibris, 2020, 365 pp, $20.99 PB)

Playing Hooky

When I have nine literary and feline (yes, feline!) books to review in less than two months but, nevertheless, take the time to read a murder mystery instead, I am guilty of playing hooky but love the book I am committing a misdemeanor with, so I rush through it, feeling rejuvenated afterward. One such book that I picked up after the holidays at a book sale is Forensics: The Science Behind the Deaths of Famous People.

I picked up this book at my favorite local bookstore (actually the only one) for two reasons: I am fascinated by forensics having taken a class in Forensic Anthropology, plus the book has large print so I can read it at night when my bedside light is "not the brightest bulb on the block."

For Example

Each chapter-story begins at the end with the person's unfortunate demise, then the autopsy findings and his/'her cause and manner of death, followed by the person's life and career, and ending with a conclusion - all generously endnoted.

For example, Robin Williams knew he was failing intellectually, Marilyn Monroe had attempted suicide at least once or twice before she succeeded (empty sedative bottles and a locked bedroom door). Cass Elliott and Karen Carpenter* both had eating disorders and succumbed at about the same age - both singers, one obese and the other anorexic but in recovery, they live on in their talented music recordings. 

Four of the famous people in the book probably died of natural causes; 11 of overdoses, two were homicides and two were suicides, two drowned, and for most of them, drugs were implicated. Yes, drugs can kill.

Rumors still abound around some of these famous people: some are put to rest with additional information, as in the JonBenet Ramsey story. The author has read newspaper articles, publicly available reports, and he even studied the autopsy and toxicology results in coming to his conclusions - plus, he translates medical terminology into everyday language to make this a book you may just devour. 

People

Author Harry Milman has a PhD in pharmacology/toxicology with 40 years' experience. He has participated in more than 300 autopsies and testified in court and is an award-winning mystery novelist.

Of the 23 famous people depicted in Forensics, I was familiar with all but two (but then I'm old) and was aware that most had died prematurely and possibly under questionable circumstances.

Starting with Errol Flynn (1959) and ending with Carrie Fisher (2016), Forensics has what this reviewer really likes - short chapters that you can read in any order, plus a fascinating introduction** and a summary that mentions most if not all of the people discussed and postulates on the "lifestyles of the rich and famous." Additionally, to make this book a keeper is a nearly 30-page formulary, a listing and description of drugs from aspirin to caffeine to codeine to valium to benadryl . . . . 

As you conduct an Amazon search, you will come upon numerous other books about forensics that will entice you to read further. With the advent of programs like "CSI" and "Cold Case Files," college majors have sprung up. Reading Forensics will give you conversation-starters with your high-schooler or at cocktail parties. Or, if you are a famous-people junkie, you will also like Forensics.

*both were fortunate to have not joined the Twenty-Seven Club, whose musician members died at that age and include Jimi Hendrix. Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison of the Doors, Amy Winehouse, Kurt Cobain, Brian Jones of the Rolling Stone. . . . 

**the history of forensics begins with the first autopsy, Julius Cesar's, and follows through fingerprinting and more technical methods

PS - Did you know Elvis weighed nearly 350 pounds? 

Book Review: Gabby, The Little Dog That Had to Learn to Bark

Gabby, The Little Dog That Had to Learn to Bark, by Barby Keel (Citadel Press/Kensington, 2020, 215 pp, $15.95), Book 1 of 3: Foster Tails* (website: https://barbykeelanimalsanctuary.org/about/)

It must be hard to author a book: I have the utmost respect for anyone who undertakes such a task because I know I could never do it.

Having said that, a good book needs a good story plus magical writing. Or maybe just magical writing is sufficient if the story is ordinary. 

Gabby is a good story, however, this reviewer never felt she was part of the story but only on the outside, looking in at adorable Gabby.

The Sanctuary

In 1971, Barby Keel bought four acres in England to start an animal sanctuary that today temporarily houses 500 animals of many different species with about seven new animals arriving and leaving each day. Having lived through the bombing of WW2 and been raised by a distant mother, Barby (short for Barbara) had a rather difficult life up to the founding of the sanctuary (more like a shelter in the US). And even a rather difficult life afterwards but she remains an incredibly thankful person - thankful for being able to be of service to animals and thankful for her wonderful volunteers.

The Dog

Gabby is an enigma - eight years old but not housetrained, and afraid of her shadow, never having set foot on grass. She lived with an elderly couple and three other dogs, two of whom were large and afraid of nothing. Gabby ended up at the sanctuary when her people went to live in a retirement home: she was going to be fostered but Barby Keel fell in love with the little dog and her big eyes.

If you think housetraining a puppy is difficult, try housetraining an eight-year-old dog! Barby Keel knew to be patient with Gabby but housetraining still took months. Grass and car rides were things to fear and even communication was difficult with this little one who never whimpered, whined or even barked.

Who Saved Whom?

Gabby was the little rescue dog but the reader will find that it was also Barby who needed rescuing.

The Story and the Writing

It is hard to write a dog book and keep on topic (unless the dog is the voice). And so it is with Gabby: much of the book relates Barby's story, her background, the volunteers at the sanctuary, the other animals, the summer Open House and the winter Bazaar fundraisers. And her recovery from surgery. 

Now you know the basics of the story. Most people watch a movie for the story and read a book for the story - or at least start a book for the story. Books that are finished are strong in story or strong in the story-telling. Gabby is the story of a woman, her childhood and family, and the sanctuary she founded. I wish it had been more about Gabby the dog - and maybe shorter.

If you liked Gabby, you will be interested in the first two books in the Foster Tails series. You can read them in any order.

*Will You Love Me? The Rescue Dog that Rescued Me (2020) and The Puppy No One Wanted: The Little Dog Desperate for a Home to Call His Own (2019), the first two books in the Rescue Tails series

Book Review: Gunfight (both sides, gun rights and background checks)(OT)

Gunfight: My battle against the industry that radicalized America, by Ryan Busse (Public Affairs Books, 2021, 338 pp, $29)

Gunfight will surprise you. You, the reader, are probably anti-gun due to the horrible mass shootings over the past few decades and you have most likely wondered why Congress can't pass legislation against 'assault rifles' and for stricter background checks. What is wrong with the National Rifle Association anyway? Do they really like killing animals and people or are they responsible gun owners who hunt and like the challenge of shooting competitions for accuracy? Or maybe they just want to sell more guns. Maybe all three?

Gunfight begins with the other side of the story: a country boy who hunts and shoots targets to practice accuracy, responsibly. He brings home rabbits and partridge for dinner. He gets a new rifle one year that he cherishes. When he graduates from college in the 90s, he finds his niche selling rifles, a commodity that ebbs and flows with whichever political party is in power - a virtual boom (when the Democrats are in power) and bust (when the Republicans are) business. He begins to collect old rifles and to appreciate those well-made as does his company, Kimber, maker of high-quality rifles. 

Study History or Make History. . . .

Eventually, fringe elements and extremists, generally not those who are veterans, band together and gain prominence in the NRA. (Military veterans, on the other hand, learn and practice gun safety above all.) The formerly marginalized become motivated by guns and irrational fears into banding together politically and doing as the NRA directs for it has the money and the power. 

An Eye-Opener

Learn about the Assault Weapons Ban of 1994 under President Clinton. Learn about the Brady Bill, the Stand Your Ground law, the tragedy of Columbine and its effect on weapons sales, learn more about unhinged and unpredictable people as well as those who use crises to push gun-control. And did you know Smith and Wesson is based in the UK and that 20% of guns are Smith and Wesson?

Learn about re-branding, making the AR-15 (the civilian cousin of the military M-16) into a common rifle that many shooters and hunters want and have, though it used to be for military use only. It's all about re-branding. And the author's company, Kimber, finally gets on the bandwagon.

So, what's it all about? The methods of the NRA in the ebb and flow of gun sales that mirror the nation's politics, though in an upward curve, regardless of mass shootings. Former President Trump (the Trump Slump chapter) used the same methods to gain power - supported by those who were formerly invisible and downtrodden but now armed and playing soldier with a band of brothers.

Two Books in One

Are you in business or marketing? Did you join a small company and help to make it successful in your industry or do you want to? Does your industry have its ups and downs and do you need to weather them? If you answered yes to any of these, Gunfight could serve as a blueprint for how to make a small company larger and more profitable. 

The author never loses his integrity that served him so well in the beginning. It is the world around him that changed causing him to leave the industry after three decades of building it. 

Just look at the cover as it tells the whole story.

Then read the comments from those who read the book first - state governors, senators and representatives, professors and authors we are familiar with.

What Did I Like About It?

Written as a memoir, Gunfight is mesmerizing. and full of footnotes. The reader is riveted to the story, beginning in the very beginning - at a demonstration the author attends with his young sons. I also like chapter titles (not merely chapter numbers) and the fact they were fairly short (makes the book easy to put down and pick up again). The author lives in Kalispell, Montana, near where I grew up. And because I almost purchased an AR-15 before they were popular (and spent 24 years in the Army), this book really hit home with me. When one grows up in the West, one is a different kind of person, so I understood the author's viewpoint. And, to admit it, this reviewer is a life member of the NRA and a conservationist like author Ryan Busse.

What Did I Not Like About It?

I found the history and politics a bit detailed for me, who lived these decades but was paying attention to other things. I wish the author had explained more thoroughly so I wasn't quite so lost as to what happened when. Of course, I could have taken notes. . . . 

Misfire

Also out now with a review in the Washington Post is Misfire: Inside the Downfall of the NRA, by Tim Mak.