Yet More Book Reviews

Quicksilver: Volume One of the Baroque Cycle by Neal Stephenson, © 2003, Perennial, pp. 916 - "Enoch rounds the corner as the executioner raises the noose above the woman's head." So begins the epic that goes on for 2618 pages. Stephenson introduces his cast of thousands, most important of whom are Jack Steptoe (AKA, Quicksilver, Jack the Coiner, "Half-Cocked Jack," and numerous other names), Eliza, Daniel Waterhouse, Newton (Isaac, not Fig), and Leibniz. The characters move through slavery, the world of high finance, and international intrigue.

Inkheart, by Cornelia Funke, © 2003, The Chicken House, pp. 534 - "As Mo had said: writing stories is a kind of magic, too." And, thus ends this book. It is marketed in much the same way as the Harry Potter series. Funke is a writer who crafts her story well. This one tells the first part of the story of Mo and Meggie, along with some really good villains, and leaves the path open for the story to continue. It is similart to Potter in that the protagonist is young, but dispenses with the wizardry. In its place is the magic of words. I look forward to reading the other two books in the series.

The Man in the High Castle by Phillip K. Dick, © 1962, Vintage Books, pp. 259 - I love alternate history, especially if it is well-written. Dick, one of my favorite authors, out does himself in this work. Even if you don't like science fiction, alternative history, or speculative fiction, this is worth the read. The Germans control the eastern part of the U.S. & the Japanese control the West Coast. The middle is controlled by Americans. The "Man in the High Castle," is an author who posits what would have happened if the Allies had won the war.

The Confusion: Volume Two of the Baroque Cycle by Neal Stephenson, © 2004, HarperCollins, pp. 815 - The tales of Jack Shaftoe & Eliza continue. Stephenson weaves two stories, presented as separate novels in the introduction, effectively. This is an interesting (it better be at 815 pages) mix of history and fiction. What I like about this series is that Stephenson appears to have done his homework and the characters of Leibniz and Isaac Newton are believable, even when they are spouting philosophy. It is an excellent blend of thought-provoking concepts and high adventure.

Settling Accounts: Return Engagement by Harry Turtledove, © 2004, Ballantine Books, pp. 623 - This is the first book of the the third trilogy of Turtledove's Great War series. Featherstone launches a Hitler-like blitzkreig into Ohio and begins his own great solution, replacing African-Americans for Jews. Many of the characters continue on in the story, and some pass on. Again, Turtledove's strength is that of a historian, so the alternatives are plausible. Those readers familiar with WWII will be able to see parallels with these books, and should be able to predict what is going to happen in the next book.

Days of Infamy by Harry Turtledove, © 2004, New American Library, pp. 440 - In this alternative history, Turtledove posits what would happen if the Japanese would have followed up the bombing of Pearl Harbor with an amphibious assault. Turns out that the Army would have been no more prepared than the Navy and the Islands are lost. He develops several strong characters and a couple who are clearly meant to play larger roles in the books to come. If there are no more books to come, these characters are pointless.

The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara, © 1975, Ballantine Books, pp. 355 - This is the book, and man, who begot his son's, Gods and Generals. This is a camera whose lens keeps changing, giving the reader a multi-faceted view of the Battle of Gettysburg, and its aftermath. Particularly moving are the narrations of Chamberlin and Longstreet. It is interesting for me to contrast the historically accurate novels of the Shaaras with the alternate histories of Turtledove.

System of the World: Vol. 3 of the The Baroque Cycle by Neal Stephenson, HarperCollins, pp. 888 - In the final book of the trilogy, Stephenson goes back to the story of Dr. Daniel Waterhouse, a "Natural Philosopher" who is trying to resolve the conflict between Newton and Leibniz. At the same time, Jack Shaftoe has transformed into Jack the Coiner. There are too many conflicts in this one to recount them all. Basically, it is the transformation of the world from one of simplicity to one of technology. Many of the characters' descendents play a large role in Stephenson's other great novel, Crytonimicon. One wonders if he is going to try and fill in the intervening years between this cycle of books and the one above.

In the Presence of Mine Enemies by Harry Turtledove, © 2003, New American LIbrary, pp. 454 - Here, the Germans have won, Jews have been mostly exterminated, and some exist in hiding within the Reich in the 21st Century. Most of Turtledove's books revolve around war, and it is refreshing to see him take on something with more meat. Granted, this one deals with the result of a war, and has some martial conflict, but that resembles more of the Yeltsin type intervention than anything else. I look forward to seeing how Turtledove moves this one forward, as Democratic reforms begin to sweep the still, totalitarian Reich.

Marching through Peachtree by Harry Turtledove, © 2001, Baen Books, pp. 408 - While I like Turtledove's alternate history novels, when he tries to do fantasy it just doesn't seem to come off. This oneis all war, all the time, and a thinly veiled fantasy about Sherman's march through Georgia. I do like Turtledove's Darkness series, but this one just doesn't come up to that standard.

Memory by Linda Nagata, © 2003, Tor Books, pp. 416 - The silver comes, and is the memory of the gods. This is a departure for Nagata, more fantasy than sf. Her characters live on a world created by two gods who begin to war with each other. It is almost as if the silver, which, when it comes, takes beings, things, buildings into itself, only to deposit them somewhere else at some other time. Jolly, the main character's brother, is taken by the silver after he calls it when he is seven years old. When people are taken, it is assumed they are dead. After seven years, he contacts Jubilee, his sister, and the main character, and she and her uncle set off to save him, and the world. This is a quick read, and a compelling story.

Pollen by Jeff Noon, © 1995, Crown Publishers, pp. 335 - Part mystery, part mystic, part mystifying, Noon returns to the world of Vurt where people can escape reality by taking feathers which transport them to the world of dreams. Only problem is: there are those in the dream world who want to be part of reality, and they are doing something about it. Noon's world is inhabited by regular people, though not so many of these, hybrids, and just a collection of very strange beings. That is not to say that this book is not enjoyable: it is. This one features a non-dreamer, "dodo," cop who does her best to find her daughter and save the world. That is, as much as it can be saved. You have to read this one yourself to see what I mean.

Century's Ebb: The Thirteenth Chronicle by John Dos Passos, © 1975, Gambit Books, pp. 474 - This is Dos Passos' last book. For me, it is almost as strong as the U.S.A. trilogy. He incorporates his usual camera's eye technique and focuses on people he feels are influential individuals of their time. At the same time, he weaves fictional stories of two characters, seemingly unconnected, but tied together. These are not as strong as in the earlier books, but the editor's note does say that this was not necessarily finished. It takes the reader from just before the Depression to the orbiting of the moon.

The Warden by Anthony Trollope, © 2003, The Modern Library Classics, pp. 209 - This is the first novel in Trollope's Barchester series. As Louis Auchincloss points out in the introduction it is the story of conflict between tradition and new social standards. Septimus Harding is beneficiary to a legacy that was meant for the Barchester poor house, given to him by the Bishop. John Bold tries to address the inequity of how the money is dispersed, while reconciling his love for Harding's daughter. Harding, even after Bold withdraws the suit also recognizes the disparity and acts upon it.

Archangel by Sharon Shinn, © 1996, Ace Books, pp. 390 - One of the things that I have tried to do is read as many female science fiction writers as possible. Those of you who are versed in the genre know that there are only a comparative few. Ms. Shinn spins a good yarn. Her characters are ful and her concepts are interesting. Samaria is a planet colonized in its distant past by a ship called, Jehovah, and the ship still orbits dispensing knowledge and justice. On the planet there are beings called angels who sing prayers to the god. This novel tells the tale of a period of transition between two archangels, the incumbent is no longer a believer and has "fallen," and the incoming who is a firm believer.

Out of the Darkness by Harry Turtledove, © 2004, Tor Books, pp. 524 - This is the final book in the quartet. Turtledove ties most of the loose ends together, and still tells a good story. It is amazing to me that he churns these books out, and keeps track of his daily life. Again, the series parallels WWII with magic instead of technology.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, © 2005, Arthur A. Levine Books, pp. 652 - Yes, someone dies; yes, Draco Malfoy reveals how truly bad he is; yes, Harry triumphs at the end; and, yes, some people might be upset. Overall, this book shows Harry maturing even more than in the last book. Rowling hasn't lost her touch, though I'm disappointed that Hagrid doesn't play a very important role in this one. What's next, Mrs. Rowling?

The Will of the Empress: The Circle Reforged, by Tamora Pierce, © 2005, Scholastic Books, pp. 320 - This is a book in the Winding Circle series. Sandry, and three other teens, Daja, Tris, and Briar, are powerful wizards, even though they are so young. As a group, they were elevated to full wizards at a very young age. Sandry lives with her uncle and is called back to her native land by the Empress. Sandry intends to return to her uncle, but the Empress has other plans. This is a well-told tale, and Pierce, who has many other books in print, is innovative in her conception of this world. An excellent read that pulls the reader along.

Poison by Chris Wooding, © 2005, Scholastic Books, pp. 273 - Poison's little sister, Azalea, is kidnapped by the Phaerie King, and she sets off to rescue her. This is an engaging little book that has many twists. Wooding is a good writer, and puts an interesting perspective on story writing, in general. You have to read the book to get that last sentence.

The Financier by Theodore Dreiser, © 1912, World Publishing Co., pp. 503 - This is the first of three in Dreiser's trilogy and it examines the world of finance in mid to late 19th century Philadelphia. As a realist, Dreiser's fiction is somewhat dry, but he does tell a compelling story. Frank Cowperwood, the financier of the title, rises meteorically, crashes just as spectacularly, and begins to rise from his ashes like a phoenix. A good read for those who enjoy realist fiction.

Tathea by Anne Perry, © 1999, Shadow Mountain, pp. 522 - I am a big fan of Anne Perry's mysteries, but I'm not so sure about this one. It seems heavily didactic and forced. The protagonist of the title through personal loss brings back the "Book," from God, and proselytizes her world. It is a decent story, but somewhat transparent. There is also a transcript of the book at the end to let the reader know what it is Tathea believes. Jury's still out on this one.

Jovah's Angel by Sharon Shinn, © 1997, Ace Books, pp. 389 - I really liked Archangel, but this one tends to drag. Shinn's characters do not have the sense of life that the one's in the first book had. It is an interesting dilemma that she presents in this one, and perhaps the best scene is when the reluctant Archangel confronts her god.

One Man's Bible by Gao Xingjian, © 2002, HarperCollins, pp. 450 - An expatriate Chinese man reflects on life before and after the revolution. It gives insight into life in Communist China from the perspective of an expatriate writer. Overall, an insightful beautifully written book.

Come Armageddon by Anne Perry, © 2000, Ace Books, pp. 502 - It is 500 years later and the final battle is about to commence. Tathea has survived all these years, with little explanation of why she has survived, since no one else on this world has an extended life time. What became clear to me was that unlike our Bible that frees individuals of responsibility, one is forgiven for one's sins just by asking, this book requires sacrifice, both physical and spiritual. This is a better book, though a little predictable, than the first.

The Titan by Theodore Dreiser, © 1914, World Publishing Co., pp. 552 - The second book of the Cowperwood trilogy finds the progagonist in Chicago. It examines his trials in both the social and financial worlds. When he first arrives, he and his wife believe that if they become rich, they will be able to enter "Society." They find out that money cannot buy everything, and that usually it only arouses the wrath of the already rich.

Alleluia Files by Sharon Shinn, © 1998, Ace Books, pp. 474 - The third book of this series brings the reader back to a vivid tale. It is 150 years since Alleluia stood in as Archangel and confronted her god. Society has progressed into a more technological state, and there are doubters who purport that Alleluia left a document that stated the truth about god. This is a story about the search for those files, and how the world deals with their revelations.

The Stoic by Theodore Dreiser © 1947, World Publishing Co., pp. 310 - Dreiser's final book sees Frank Cowperwood into his grave. The same struggles that he experienced in Chicago are revisited in an English adventure. Since Cowperwood continues his philandering ways, I'm not sure how the stoic of the title fits in. As a complete portrait of a certain type of man, it does give insight into how those people who are entrepreneurs think and operate. It seems to be an entirely separate set of ethics than for those of us poor folks.

Homeward Bound by Harry Turtledove, © 2004, Del Rey Books, pp. 597 - A continuation of the WorldWar Saga & Colonization series, humans go home, that is the home planet of the Lizards. This places the reptiles in a position that they have never been in: behind. Lizard society is stabilization personified, and when confronted with the unbridled expansion and technological impetuosity of the humans, they have no idea how to cope.

• Growing Minds on Becoming A Teacher by Herbert Kohl, ©1988, Harper Torchbooks, pp. 163 - I read this book to remind me why I'm doing what I'm doing. Part of the book is Kohl's own story and it is interesting to see how lives parallel each other. The second portion is about how to deal with classroom issues. The last section deals with content. The best thing about the book are the connections one is able to make with their own reality.

• Critical Teaching & Everyday Life by Ira Shor, ©1987, The University of Chicago Press, pp. 270 - This book ties politics into education, seeing the community college system as a hindrance, rather than a help to higher education, an extension of the industrial system of education (Pack as many facts into 'em as you can and ship them off to work), but makes the argument that there is a better way. He gives examples from his own college classes (remedial) of instances of critical inquiry (to his credit: successes and failures) that show teachers ways to integrate the same into their own teaching. My only concern is that his are paying students: how well do high school students buy into this?

This is not to say that I don't agree with him, but in the environment I teach in, I don't see room for it because of outside mandates to raise test scores.

• Teaching as a Subversive Activity by Neil Postman & Charles Weingartner, © 1969, Delta Books, pp. 218 - All I can say about this book is, "Why is it out of print, and why isn't it required reading in education classes?"  In this time of over testing, of standardized decision making, why aren't people reading and talking about this thirty year-old book?  It still rings true as a bell. The authors are, or were, advocating inquiry learning, not text-based, rote learning. This is a book that definitely is worth seeking out and paying whatever it takes, or digging it out of whatever box it is hidden away in, and reading or rereading. I suggest a campaign to Postman and Weingartner to demand that they revise the book to reflect the realities of today: what is their take on the Internet, and all of the other advances that have taken place in thirty years? Perhaps I just need to read some of their more recent work.

• The English Teacher's Companion: A Complete Guide to Classroom, Curriculum, and the Profession by Jim Burke, © 1999, Boynton/Cook, pp. 354 - Here's a book that I will be stealing freely from. Burke covers practically everything a teacher of language arts could conceivably come across. He covers each issue using everything from research to practical applications from his own classroom, and for the later, he usually includes student work to back up his point.  The book is a must read for any teacher. It is well-written, highly readable, and extremely practical. Of particular interest are the chapters on gender issues, legal issues, and technology. Since he is the coordinator of CATEnet, a listserv for California Teachers of English, he is highly qualified to speak to the technology issues that face the teachers of the present and future.

• The Tao of Teaching by Greta Nagel, Ph.D., © 1994, Primus Books, pp. 230 - Dr. Nagel takes precepts from Taoism, explicates them much like the Tao Te Ching, or I Ching, does with hexagrams. After she does that she illustrates the concepts with examples from primary, middle, and high school classrooms. I may be prejudiced, but it all makes sense, and this may reflect my leanings toward Taoist teachings, so take it with a grain of salt. Even if you don't believe in Taoism, this book gives some excellent advice on how to survive in the classroom.

Reading

• "You Gotta BE the Book": Teaching Engaged and Reflective Reading with Adolescents by Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, © 1997, Teachers College/NCTE, pp. 175 - A highly recommended book about using drama and visual arts to encourage readers to become engaged with the literature they are reading in class.  Most of the book is an examination of the nine case studies Wilhelm did with his 7th and 8th grade reluctant readers. For me, perhaps the most useful part of the book is "Appendix A" where he delineates the ten dimensions of reader  response, as well as ways to explore each of those with students. 

• Living by Fiction by Annie Dillard, © 1983, 1988, Perennial Library, pp. 185 - Much like Italo Calvino, Dillard explains clearly why people like me keep reading so much. This was my second read of this one, and probably won't be my last.

Writing

• Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott, ©1994, Anchor Books, pp. 237 - While this book is about writing, it seems more about life.  It reminds me of home, Northern California. It also reminds me that I need to pay attention to the details. It gives much the same advice as many of the other books on writing I've read, and raises the question, "Why do I spend so much time reading about writing, rather than writing?"

• Everyone Can Write: Essays Toward a Hopeful Theory of Teaching Writing by Peter Elbow, ©2000, Oxford, pp. 468 - When I picked this book up, it was with the expectation that the book would be similar to Writing without Teachers and Writing with Power. However, it was clear right from the start that the informal style of his previous books was not to be found here. Instead, Elbow writes in highly formal essays with tightly constructed arguments. Granted, there are digressions and fragments that mirror WWT & WWP, but they are few and far between. The arguments in the book are highly persuasive and help me to continue as a proponent of Elbow's philosophy. Highly recommended are the essays, "Toward a Phenomenology of Freewriting," Silence: A Collage," Voice in Texts as it Relates to Teaching," and "Your Cheatin' Art: A Collage." While the first two books mentioned can be applied on the secondary level with ease, much of this book is aimed at the postsecondary audience.  Still, I'm going to have to reread this after digesting it to see how I can modify it for my own use.  Particularly of interest is the concept of having students do much writing without grading it, but using more feedback.

• Writing the Memoir: From Truth to Art by Judith Barrington, © 1997, The Eighth Mountain Press, pp. 188; Writing Life Stories by Bill Roorbach, © 1998, Story Press, pp. 218; Writing Your Life: Putting Your Past on Paper by Lou Willett Stanek, Ph.D., Avon, pp. 177 - These three books are grouped because I read them to prepare for an in-service on memoir writing at the secondary level. All three are informally written with many amusing snippets of memoir. Each has exercises or suggestions for writing. I recommend any of the three and would say that if you were to read on the Barrington book is perhaps the best. I like the way she sets off issues such as tone, verb tense, and narrator, for example, into discreet blocks. The Roorbach book has excellent examples of memoirs with explications of the excerpts.  Rather than putting the exercises at the end of each chapter, like the other two books, he integrates them into the chapters.  Perhaps best of all, he includes as an appendix, his first memoir published.  In Stanek's book, the thing I like best is that for suggestions, she gives sentence starters. These will come in handy when doing memoir writing exercises in school.

• The Art of Writing: Teachings of the Chinese Masters, translated by Tony Barnstone and Chou Ping, © 1996, Shambala, pp. 94 - What a wondrous book! I was so moved by this book that some of the quotes have their own page. Much of the book is poems about different aspects or styles of writing. And there is a section with aphorisms about writing too. Highly recommended, if you can find it.

• Escaping into the Open: The Art of Writing True by Elizabeth Berg, ©1999, Perennial Books, pp. 223 - This is a well-written book to help wannabes be a writer. The question is: Why do I keep reading these books, instead of getting down to writing one?

• Room 109: The Promise of a Portfolio Classroom by Richard Kent, © 1997, Boynton-Cook, pp. 175 - This book reminded me of where I was as a teacher before CPS brought down the hammer on my school and moved me back there at my new school. This book is a must read for teachers who are looking for alternatives to the sit & git method of teaching and learning.