Friday, July 31, 2009

The Soul of Medicine

tales from the bedside

By Sherwin B. Nuland


This is a simple book of collected stories from a group of physicians who are asked who their most memorable patient was. The stories range from tragic to humorous and give a human perspective on what physicians experience every day. This was an interesting read and a great gift for any aspiring physician or retiring physician. It is also not a bad question to ask if you ever find yourself at dinner with a bunch of doctors!

Book 39

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Wolf at the Table

By Augusten Burroughs

This book is a son's search for why his father didn't love him, instead treating him with indifference and cruelty. His mother and him were close as she tried to make up for what his father lacked but she was also a little bit wacky, as detailed in his first book Running with Scissors. What drives the book is really Burroughs writing. He writes with words painting a distinct picture, more of the landscape of experience than image. Each little story he tells from this time period in his life make up the tapestry of that story.

"In Mexico my mother wore thin-soled sandals and looked over her shoulders. She watched me through large, dark sunglasses and said, "We had to get away from your father. He's not safe to be around right now."

This is my first clear memory of my father: I am in Mexico, I am five, and he is not safe to be around.

I could not fathom what this meant. The things I knew that weren't safe included furious dogs, putting a fork in a toaster, rushing water. How was he like these things?

Everywhere we went, an awareness followed us: we were fleeing. The feeling tainted even the food we hastily ate out of the cans stacked in her suitcase, a measure of economy. I was not allowed to have ice because it, too, was unsafe."

Page 13

Book 38

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Child 44

By Tom Rob Smith

Set in Stalinist Russia, Child 44 is a riveting novel about a husband and a wife trying to survive the wretched times. That survival takes many forms - crisscrossing hands with spies, vengeful colleagues, the fear and forces of the Stalinist system and ending in the hands of a serial killer. The unfolding story forces a question about vocation and how we relate to what we do, in particular in situations of destitution. As the story unfolds it reveals the reality of life in Russia at this time, leaving the reader with more than anticipated about the history of this time period. I love the way this story is spun to keep you guessing and how it intensifies as the story moves forward. This is Smith's first novel and I look forward to reading his future work!

Excellent excellent book, compared to Gorky Park which I am not sure I have read!

"If he discovered that there were no similar cases, no other murdered children, then he could be sure that the brutal punishments he'd been instrumental in bringing about had been fair, just, and appropriate. Though he mistrusted Leo and resented the doubt he'd stirred up, there was no escaping that the man had posited a very simple question. Did his work have meaning or was it merely a means to survive? There was nothing shameful about trying to survive - it was the occupation of the majority. However, was it enough to live in squalor and not even be rewarded with a sense of pride, not even to be sustained by a sense that what he did served some purpose?"
Pg 274

Book 37

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Out of Range

By CJ Box

Defined as a mystery by the New York Times Review, this book is more of a crime novel meets western; maintaining the best attributes of each and carefully bringing them together. It is very well written and engaging, the book did not necessarily stick to either genre's formulas so it was also somewhat surprising.

Wyoming is the setting for this story, out by the Great Tetons, where a game warden Joe Pickett faces bears, extreme conservationists, land grabbers, developers and outfitters. Within the little stories of this small town with big britches is a mystery that Joe starts to unravel. In the back drop of some of America's most beautiful landscape, this story depicts American people today and the many different views, priorities and agendas that can be found and need to be managed in one small town.

"He embraced the wilderness around him as he would his daughters and welcomed the real danger and beauty it presented. He felt alive, and alert." Pg 206

Book 36

Club Dead through Definitely Dead

By Charlain Harris

I read a whole host of vampire books on my vacation to Fredericksburg, TX. I read book 3 - 7 in the Sookie Stackhous series. What can I say that won't give away the plot?

Sookie is a telepath. She tends to get involved with the supernatural. First vampires and then . . . lots of other stuff. How do I tell you about it without ruining the story?


If you watch the True Blood series, you have already seen the first book. They made the books into a television show on HBO. I have not seen the television show.

The books are very entertaining, worth the read.

Books 32 - 35

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

The Trail of the Fox: The Search for the True Field Marshal Rommel

By David Irving

"Between Rommel and his troops there was that mutual understanding that cannot be explained and analyzed, but which is the gift of the gods . . . The men knew that 'Rommel' was the last man Rommel spared; they saw him in their midst, and they felt, 'This is our leader!' He knew how to make them feel somehow immortal."

- Major Friedrich Wilhelm von Mellenthin in an interview with the author, Pg 117

Written in the 70's this book is still considered one of the essential histories of Field Marshal Rommel. A brick of a book weighing in at 455 pages, it rolls quickly due to the writing style and the intrigue of Rommel himself. The author also has access to many of the people close to Rommel to get first hand accounts of the mysterious history of Rommel's end to help piece together this convoluted story.

Most of the book is the exciting and compelling character of Rommel and his extraordinary feats on the battlefield. Countless stories of his unconventional, bold strategies (bordering on reckless at times) coupled with an intense bravery and commitment to being with his men that fostered deep love for their brazen Field Marshal.

"However tough the strain he seemed inexhaustible. He seemed to know just what the enemy were like and how they would probably react. His plans were often startling, instinctive, spontaneous and not infrequently obscure. He had an exceptional imagination, and it enabled him to hit on the most unexpected solutions to tough situations. When ther was danger, he was always out in front calling on us to follow. He seemed to know no fear whatever. His men idolized him and had boundless faith in him."
- Theodor Werner's own writing to the author

The convoluted story of the last few years of his life, near the end of the Third Reich, is full of blatant misinformation, intentional hoodwinking and feigned loyalty. In some ways, reading this book made me think about how naive the world was back in WWII. The chicanery Rommel used routinely on the battlefield included creating fake tanks in Africa, made out of wood and cardboard to trick the enemy into thinking they had more armaments than they actually had, to later in the war, having his own trusted staff plotting the Reich's demise feeding false intelligence information to Rommel to get him to change his course of military action.

Much to my surprise, though, Rommel was loyal to Hitler and the Reich. Granted, he was sadly surprised to hear rumors of massive executions and killing of prisoners of war. Keep in mind, the military were not the Gestapo, they were soldiers defending the homeland like any soldiers. But he did sign his loyalty to Hitler oath, required of all military leaders, just a year or so before his death.

According to Irving, even though it has been claimed otherwise elsewhere with people who had other intentions in promoting it, Rommel was not a willing participant in the plot to kill Hitler. He had convoluted conversations with the plotters which led them to believe he was a supporter, nothing more, but in reality his disagreement with Hitler that coincided with the plot was a military one. He did not think they should pursue so many fronts, the one in the west as well as the one in Russia. He truly believed this division would be the death of Germany. He was bold enough to share this information, with the plotters urging and under their false intelligence information, with Hitler in an untimely manner right as the assassins were taking action. Wounded at the time from an air attack, presumably directed specifically at taking Rommel's life, which resulted in a car accident he was at the time of the assassination in a coma and then after that recouping from a head injury that he should not have survived.

The assassination did not kill Hitler so obviously there was a price that had to be paid. Generals were hung. Commanders ratted out other commanders as well as their superiors. Many lives were lost as Hitler had his revenge. But Rommel, always a favorite of Hitler's, was spared the shame and the execution. Instead he was asked to do the heroic thing and commit suicide. Out of consideration for his loyalty and years of service he was even provided a cyanide pill to spare him the problem of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. This conveniently enabled the Reich to give him a hero's funeral claiming natural causes resulting from his accident and allowing his wife to receive the benefits of a Field Marshal's widow. Controversy has ensued ever since then as the mystery and intrigue of Rommel lives on.

Named as one of the "Best Dressed" of the 20th Century in 1999, shortly after the author of that list was fired for being pro-Nazi!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/282554.stm

Book 31