George Packer thinks the United States is in trouble and we better get our shit together quickly because the country is going down the tubes fast. Part of Packer’s analysis of our dire state of affairs centers around the divisions in America and who is winning…and who is losing.

“The financial crisis of 2008, and the Great Recession that followed, had a similar effect on the home front. The guilty parties were elites–bankers, traders, regulators, and policy-makers…. But those who did the suffering were lower down the class structure: middle-class Americans whose wealth was sunk in a house that lost half its value and a retirement fund that melted away; working-class America thrown into poverty by a pink slip. The economic collapse was triggered by fraud, but no financier was ever charged with a crime. A Wall Street trader told me that the crisis had been ‘a speed bump’ in his world.” (p. 107)

I agree with Packer’s analysis, but I’m not to sure of his “solutions.” In effect, Packer wants America to progress from a divided country into a unified one. The pathway includes more equity and equality. I’m dubious that the current political system will address these problems. They won’t deal with immigration, gun control, voting rights, or climate change. Why would Packers’s “elites” push for a more equal union? What do you think? GRADE: B+

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Prologue — 3 Strange defeat — 13 Four Americas — 63 Equal America — 141 Equalizers — 165 Make America again — 187 Epilogue — 217 FURTHER READING — 221 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS — 225

Denis Donoghue, one of my favorite literary critics, died recently (1928-2021) and I thought I would honor him by reading (or rereading) some of his books that gave me pleasure over the years. I thought I would start with The American Classics (2005) which Donoghue wrote after teaching a graduate course called FIVE IN AMERICAN LITERATURE at New York University. To Donoghue’s surprise, he found that most of his students had very little exposure to these “classics.”

“It turned out that none of the students had read all the books. Some of them had read one or two of them, but only in excerpts: two or three of the more agreeable chapters of Walden, the “Custom-House” introduction to The Scarlet Letter, a few anthology poems from Leaves of Grass. When I pressed the matter, I was allowed to think that Ayn Rand had a more palpable presence in their high schools than Whitman or Melville. The students did not dispute that the five books are somehow privileged in American culture, but so are the heads on Mount Rushmore; stared at rather than otherwise appreciated. I gathered from the students that the five books had little provenance in their own early education. To Kill a Mockingbird meant more to them.” (p. 2)

In High School English class, we read The Scarlet Letter. I didn’t like it (neither does Donoghue). We read selections from Walden and Leaves of Grass. We read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer but not The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

In the chapter on Whitman, Donoghue quotes the prickly critic Yvor Winters who wrote, “The doctrine of Emerson and Whitman, if really put into practice, should naturally lead to suicide.” It’s nuggets like this that made me want to read Denis Donoghue.

Have you read these American Classics? What do you think of them? GRADE: A

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Introduction: After Emerson — 1
1. Emerson and “The American Scholar” — 23
2. Moby-Dick — 55
3. The Scarlet Letter — 101
4. Walden — 137
5. Leaves of Grass — 177
6. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn — 217
Afterword — 251
Notes — 263
Acknowledgment — 281
Index — 283

Hard Case Crime’s latest omnibus in their Nolan series includes Fly Paper (1981) the third novel in the Nolan series and Hush Money (1981) the fourth novel in the Nolan series. Max Allan Collins’s informative “Introduction” provides the backstory to these novels and their context in the Nolan series.

Fly Paper concerns the attempt by a desperate man to hijack a plane and hold it for ransom. The hijacker’s Bad Luck includes having Nolan, a professional thief and all-around hardass, on the plane. The hijacking scheme takes a surprising turn because of Nolan’s canny interference. GRADE: B

The second novel in Double Down is Hush Money. A Vietnam veteran returns from the war seeking vengeance on the local crime family who caused his father’s and mother’s death. The Chicago Family (aka, Mafia) approaches Nolan with a proposition: they would pay Nolan $100,000 to settle the dispute between the veteran assassin and the local crime family.

Nolan knows how to locate the assassin and has a bargaining chip to expedite the agreement. But the local crime family has other ideas in defiance of the Chicago Mob. Double-crosses abound!

Hush Money expands the character of Nolan. Yes, Nolan’s expertise as a thief helps his chances to avert more killings, but when the unexpected happens, Nolan knows how to deal with it. You can read my review of the first two Nolan novels here. If you’re a fan of caper novels and suspense, the Nolan series features action and surprising plots and plenty of thrills for your Summer enjoyment. GRADE: A-

I discovered the Moody Blues back in 1967 with Days of Future Passed, a fusion of rock and classical music. For the time, Days of Future Passed was ground-breaking. The Moody Blues’ most successful singles include “Go Now“, “Nights in White Satin“, “Tuesday Afternoon“, “Question“, “Gemini Dream“, “The Voice” and “Your Wildest Dreams“. The Moody Blues sold 70 million albums worldwide, which includes 18 platinum and gold LPs. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018.

Are you a fan of the Moody Blues? GRADE: A

Tracklist

A1		QuestionWritten-By – Justin HaywardWritten-By – Justin Hayward	5:39
A2		The ActorWritten-By – Justin HaywardWritten-By – Justin Hayward	4:11
A3		The Word (Poem)Written-By – Graeme EdgeWritten-By – Graeme Edge	0:51
A4		Eyes Of A ChildWritten-By – John LodgeWritten-By – John Lodge	2:34
A5		Dear DiaryWritten-By – Ray ThomasWritten-By – Ray Thomas	3:47
A6		Legend Of A MindWritten-By – Ray ThomasWritten-By – Ray Thomas	6:37
B1		In The BeginningWritten-By – Graeme EdgeWritten-By – Graeme Edge	2:06
B2		Lovely To See YouWritten-By – Justin HaywardWritten-By – Justin Hayward	2:35
B3		Never Comes The DayWritten-By – Justin HaywardWritten-By – Justin Hayward	4:39
B4		Isn’t Life StrangeWritten-By – John LodgeWritten-By – John Lodge	6:32
B5		The Dream (Poem)Written-By – Graeme EdgeWritten-By – Graeme Edge	0:52
B6		Have You Heard? (Part One)Written-By – Mike PinderWritten-By – Mike Pinder	1:23
B7		The VoyageWritten-By – Mike PinderWritten-By – Mike Pinder	4:08
B8		Have You Heard? (Part Two)Written-By – Mike PinderWritten-By – Mike Pinder	2:08
C1		Ride My See SawWritten-By – John LodgeWritten-By – John Lodge	3:32
C2		Tuesday AfternoonWritten-By – Justin HaywardWritten-By – Justin Hayward	4:04
C3		And The Tide Rushes InWritten-By – Ray ThomasWritten-By – Ray Thomas	2:54
C4		New HorizonsWritten-By – Justin HaywardWritten-By – Justin Hayward	5:06
C5		A Simple GameWritten-By – Mike PinderWritten-By – Mike Pinder	3:18
C6		Watching And WaitingWritten-By – Justin HaywardWritten-By – Justin Hayward	4:21
D1		I’m Just A Singer (In A Rock And Roll Band)Written-By – John LodgeWritten-By – John Lodge	4:11
D2		For My LadyWritten-By – Ray ThomasWritten-By – Ray Thomas	3:54
D3		The Story In Your EyesWritten-By – Justin HaywardWritten-By – Justin Hayward	2:45
D4		Melancholy ManWritten-By – Mike PinderWritten-By – Mike Pinder	5:05
D5		Nights In White SatinArranged By – Peter Knight (5)Orchestra – The London Festival OrchestraWritten-By – Justin HaywardArranged By – Peter Knight (5)Orchestra – The London Festival OrchestraWritten-By – Justin Hayward	4:33
D6		Late LamentArranged By, Conductor – Peter Knight (5)Lyrics By – Graeme EdgeMusic By – Peter Knight (5)Orchestra – The London Festival OrchestraArranged By, Conductor – Peter Knight (5)Lyrics By – Graeme EdgeMusic By – Peter Knight (5)Orchestra – The London Festival Orchestra

I finally got around to reading Philip Roth’s The Prague Orgy after it sat on my shelves for decades. Roth generates mixed feelings in some readers and he certain does in me. The Prague Orgy is the epilogue to his trilogy Zuckerman Bound. The story follows Roth’s alter ego, Nathan Zuckerman, on a journey to Communist Prague in 1976. Zuckerman seeks to acquire the unpublished manuscripts of a Yiddish writer but the manuscripts are held by the writer’s ex-wife who hates her former husband and refuses to release them. Zuckerman’s delicate negotiations with the ex-wife are both humorous and tragic.

The Prague Orgy presents a series of journal entries by Zuckerman. Many of the entries show the frustration and demoralization of writers in a Communist society. My major quibble about The Prague Orgy–and much of Roth’s writings for that matter–is Roth’s negative portrayal of women. It’s clear that Roth was a bitter man. What do you think of Philip Roth? GRADE: C

Diane wanted to see Raya and The Last Dragon so we watched it on Disney+. A vaguely Southeast Asian country falls into chaos when the various tribes stop trusting each other and shatter the magic crystal that protects them from the Druun. The Druun look like swirling smoke and their touch turns humans (and dragons) into stone.

Raya is a warrior princess who searches for the Last Dragon (and the last hope of defeating the Druun). Another warrior princess, Namaari, seeks to stop Raya. So there are plenty of cartoon fights.

I had no trouble with the storyline, but the “theme” of this movie is you have to trust others. In my experience, trust needs to be earned. Not in Raya and The Last Dragon. Despite examples where trust is betrayed, the story insists on the characters trusting to Make Everything Better. Other than that quibble, I found Raya and The Last Dragon entertaining. Diane did, too. Are you a fan of Disney animated movies? Any favorites? GRADE: B

Ronald Brownstein makes his argument for 1974 being a pivotal year early in Rock Me On the Water: “In film, 1974 saw the release of Chinatown, The Godfather Part II, The Conversation, and the great Vietnam documentary Hearts and Minds; the filming of Nashville, Jaws, and Shampoo; and the completion of the first-draft screenplay for a space adventure called Star Wars. In television, the year brought together the transformative comedies All in the Family, M*A*S*H, and Mary Tyler Moore (along with the Bob Newhart and Carol Burnett shows) on a CBS Saturday schedule that has been called the greatest night in television history. That year, Joni Mitchell, the Eagles, Jackson Browne, and Linda Ronstadt all issued career-redefining albums on Geffen’s label, and Bob Dylan and the Band and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young mounted record-setting concert tours with him.” (p. 3)

Brownstein captures the tenor of the time perfectly. As he moves through 1974 month by month, he alternates his analysis of what was happening in film, music, and television.

My favorite chapter of Rock Me On the Water is “November Breakthrough.” For years Linda Ronstadt struggled to move from small clubs to larger venues. And, Ronstadt wasn’t happy with the quality of her earlier albums (or their paltry sales). Brownstein asserts that the change that turned Ronstadt’s career around was her selection of Peter Asher as producer of her classic Heart Like a Wheel album. Brownstein shows how each song on the album was included to produce a unique effect.

If you’re interested in all the creative energy of the early Seventies, Rock Me On the Water shows how the artists, performers, and decision-makers produced the incredible movies, TV, and music of that era. What were you doing in 1974? GRADE: A

Table of Contents:

Prologue: Magic Hour in Los Angeles 1

1 January Hollywood’s Fall and Rise 11

2 February The Republic of Rock and Roll 40

3 March The Greatest Night in Television History 76

4 April Already Gone 100

5 May The Ballad of Tom and Jane 131

6 June From Chinatown to Jerry Brown 165

7 July Hollywood’s Generational Tipping Point 196

8 August The Icarus of Los Angeles 229

9 September Three Roads to Revolution 258

10 October The (White) Boys’ Club 291

11 November Breakthrough 325

12 December Transitions 352

Acknowledgments 391

Notes 397

Index 429

Niall Ferguson sees plenty of problems ahead. Sure the Covid-19 Pandemic killed millions over the globe and continues to raise havoc in Asia and Africa. But Ferguson sees more problems just as dire: climate change, global warming, cyber terrorism, political unrest, health concerns, and racial inequality.

I’m an optimistic guy, but it’s hard to come away from Doom: The Politics of Catastrophe without a sense of foreboding. When you start a book with Chapter One titled “The Meaning of Death” you know you’re in for a rough ride.

How do you feel about the Future? What do you think is the gravest problem that faces us? GRADE: B+

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations xvii

Introduction 1

Chapter 1 The Meaning of Death 19

Chapter 2 Cycles and Tragedies 43

Chapter 3 Gray Rhinos, Black Swans, and Dragon Kings 69

Chapter 4 Networld 105

Chapter 5 The Science Delusion 141

Chapter 6 The Psychology of Political Incompetence 175

Chapter 7 From the Boogie Woogie Flu to Ebola in Town 213

Chapter 8 The Fractal Geometry of Disaster 251

Chapter 9 The Plagues 285

Chapter 10 The Economic Consequences of the Plague 319

Chapter 11 The Three-Body Problem 345

Conclusion Future Shocks 379

Acknowledgments 397

Notes 399

Index 457

Katherine St. John’s new novel, The Siren, is being marketed as a “Beach Book.” Fair enough. The plot revolves around a movie production in the Caribbean. When movie star Cole Power hires his ex-wife, Stella Rivers, to act in his son’s film, The Siren, Cole launches a series of events on the isolated island that will unearth long-buried secrets — and unravel years of lies.

The Siren slowly discloses a number of mysteries. Each character has “baggage” that they’re trying to hide. But each day of the movie shoot reveals more clues to past transgressions. The conclusion ends up stormy and full of suspense. I’ve you’re looking for a Summer novel with plenty of puzzles and thrills, give The Siren a try. GRADE: B