Saturday, March 26, 2011

Black Hearts: One Platoon's Descent into Madness in Iraq's Triangle of Death

By Jim Frederick

Sometimes one of the best ways to study something like leadership is to look closely at instances that lacked it, to look at what happens when there is a vacuum of leadership. Unfortunately, that is what happened to this platoon and the results were a textbook worst case scenario. This difficult story is chronicled with great care and integrity. There is no blaming, no conclusive reason given for the events that took place - the story is simply told.

For anyone interested in military history this is a must read. For anyone interested in questions of why human beings do horrible actions it is a must read. For anyone who lives in our great, free country knowing the difficulties suffered by those who serve is essential and this book is a must read.

"Troop numbers, however, made this strategy untenable. US troops did the clearing, but there weren't enough soldiers to occupy recently purged areas. Iraqi forces were supposed to do the holding, but there were even fewer of them who were competent." Pg 18

Explaining the stress of patrolling areas with IED's:
"'It's like someone has a gun to your head and you don't know whether they're going to kill you or let you live.' remembered one soldier. Even in a firefight , as scary as those can be, at least you feel like you have some control over your destiny, which is why, let's be honest, they can also be exhilarating. You can fight back, there are people to engage, and even though some Americans might get shot or even die, an undeniable confidence remains because you seriously doubt that a bunch of insurgents, even a large group of them, will beat a group of Americans in a straight-up firefight. But IED's? They are inescapbable, they are frightening in an almost unimaginable way and they begin to weigh on you.

Every ride in a Humvee, every one, is an exercise in terror. You're riding with your butt cheeks and fists clenched, doing deep breathing to get control of your heart rate and your nausea the whole time, waiting for it, waiting for it, waiting for it." Pg 84

"By far the biggest complaint the men had with the Sportster TCP's was the way they were forced to look for IED's. Every morning around dawn, soldiers had to conduct 'dismounted IED sweeps.' essentially walking from their post to the next TCP and back looking for makeshift bombs . . . 'Every morning before conducting an IED sweep, you truly felt that this was the day that you were going to die.'" "The fear and the mental stress were cumulative. It was not so much that the men were asked to do something hazardous, it was the daily, grinding awareness that tomorrow they would have to do it all over again." Pg 114

Book 15

The Swan Thief

By Elizabeth Kostova

A great second novel by the woman who wrote The Historian. This book also revolves around history but this one centers on art and art history. There are also five love stories woven throughout this book that span centuries. I wish some of the characters were real and we were able to see for ourselves the amazing paintings described in the book. Very creative and compelling book.

Book 14

Friday, March 4, 2011

Happy

By Alex Lemon

A memoir about a young man challenged by a physical ailment dramatically impacting his life. Without knowing the author was a poet, I was consistently impressed and move by Lemon's artful, descriptive use of language. Easy and interesting read about one mans experience with his uncooperative body.

Book 13

Secret Historian

The Life and Times of Samuel Steward, professor, tattoo artist, and sexual renegade

Excellent book which inadvertently chronicles the United States attitude toward homosexuality over the past 75 years through the life of a very interesting, articulate, renaissance man.  As a side story, it also highlights the change in cultural language and the death of the art of correspondence by mail. Much of the material for the book was derived through extensive correspondence with intercontinental friendships. 

Through his long standing friendship with Alfred Kinsey and the encouragement he provided to Seward's already strong commitment to documentation, the book also explores sexuality in general and homosexuality  specifically. I was intrigued by this part of his life, carefully documented to an almost shameful extent. His unabashed self awareness and honesty was both challenging and inspiring.

Seward certainly seems like the kind of person I would have loved to sit down to dinner with. Perhaps a dinner party with John Waters, Michel Foucault, a few San Francisco police officers and Rock Hudson.

Book 12