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kurtwombat's reviews
890 reviews
The Rise and Fall of Dodgertown: 60 Years of Baseball in Vero Beach by Rody L. Johnson
3.0
Memory is that which gives us the illusion of existing while vanishing before our eyes. That is the joy and sorrow and shortcoming of this book. This trek though the history of the Los Angeles (formerly Brooklyn) Dodgers long time spring training and minor league facility feels like an ongoing chat with old friends. That is it's joy. A nice chat indeed--memories of players and fans and team personel representing virtually every year in the life of Dodgertown. From the comic (players sneaking out after curfew) to the serious (race relations as the Dodgers broke the local color barrier), the book makes these events feel like a part of your personal memory. But they are memories without much reflection. The constant skimming left me wanting to rest on certain topics--such as the racial issues in Vero Beach or a better understanding of the ongoing real estate issues between the Dodgers, Vero Beach and the FAA (Dodgertown actually being on the same property as an air field). But on the whole I appreciate the memories I now have of he glorious formation of Dodgertown, growing up a Dodger fan these memories mean more to me than many of my own. And I even appreciate the sad decline, as the existence of Dodgertown in Vero Beach is caught in the vice between money and change until finally it was gone. Even that sadness has stayed with me, though it seems to be fading faster than it should.
Boilerplate: History's Mechanical Marvel by Paul Guinan, Anina Bennett
4.0
A marvelous tale of the first mechanical man created in the late 19th century. Equal parts art book, graphic novel, history text--this Gump like adventure has the mechanical man Boilerplate moving through history but not in a way that trivializes like Gump...but as a critique of the world man created as the 20th century burst into being. Created with the intention of freeing man from war, Boilerplate instead was misused like new technology often is. Can almost be read as a straight historic text as Boilerplate's interaction with history is presented in a thorough and fleshed out manner. Each event is presented in a historical context, given a full background with tasty famous people mixed in all over the place. From the Boxer Rebellion to Teddy Roosevelt's mythic charge up San Juan Hill to the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, it's a delightful trip through time. Especially interesting to me was the original US/Korean conflict--known as the Korean Expedition of 1871. The art work is fantastic--original and recreations with Boilerplate inserted in history--historical photographs with Boilerplate inserted all seem to work. The work is effortless and never seems forced.
Smash Cut by Sandra Brown
2.0
There were a couple nice twists within this fast moving mystery romance but on the whole, too much romantic passion and not enough passionate mystery. The killer is as annoying as he is evil and obviously guilty from the get go. His habit of spouting movie quotes wears thin really fast—especially since the lines chosen are mostly over-played before appearing in the story (first line quoted is the box of chocolates line from Forest Gump—knew I was in trouble at that point). Every description feels like it is mundanely described twice as if that will make it more vivid instead of just using a clean fresh description. Maybe she’s just padding her word count. There are attempts to make you question who the killer is, but since the only other viable option presented is the romantic female lead, and you just know a happy ending is coming, so that limits the options really to one. I was practically praying for the irrational insertion of someone else just to make it interesting. The initial meeting and hook up of the romantic leads turns out to have occurred for such a ludicrous reason that I was angry for the rest of the book. Also frustrating that two adults who are supposedly at the top of their respective professional worlds (ace defense attorney and art gallery owner) seem to have the emotional maturity of twelve year olds. Especially frustrating is the male lead. Supposed to be the most sought after defense attorney in the country—which would seem to indicate a certain sharpness of mind—who loses any analytical ability the moment any distraction occurs. The conclusion does gather some steam…but by then I was just pushing through to finish it. Maybe I was creating my own steam.
The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell
4.0
Sarah Vowell makes even the most obscure history as accessible as dishing on the neighbors. Differentiating between the first band of folks coming over on the Mayflower seeking religious freedom and tolerance and those that followed them who sought to impose their own framework of ideas on the new world without a whole lot of tolerance does not whet the appetite of most readers. I started the book because it was Sarah Vowell—I have enjoyed other books by as well as her work on NPR—but almost stopped the moment I realized what the subject matter was. Fortunately, almost immediately she hooked me with her insight, humor and her knack for translating the language, intent and emotional life of the early Americans into contemporary terms that does not sell short who they were or what they believed. Her love of history is evident on every page. I knew virtually none of the people involved in this corner of history but I felt compelled to follow their stories none-the-less. The blend of politics and fear and hope and paranoia and just plain craziness that was mixed together into the cement of America’s cultural foundation is vividly rendered and ended all too soon. The ending felt a little bit rushed but I think that’s just because I was happy.
The Difference Engine : Charles Babbage And The Quest To Build The First Computer by Doron Swade
3.0
The Difference Engine as designed and partially built in the 1830’s was a mechanical device of some 4000 moving parts that could perform automated mathematical functions (logarithmic, trigonometric and polynomial). The brain child of mathematician/inventor Charles Babbage, the machine was never completed during his lifetime. However in the late 1980’s a working model was produced to celebrate Babbage’s work—remaining largely loyal to the original design and production abilities of the 19th century craftsmen. This book details both the original genius of Babbage’s life and work as well the recreation of it over 150 years later. Unfortunately, the modern part of the book and the building of the machine is more compelling than the Babbage part. The author was involved in that part himself, and that closeness to the story gives the tale more life. The detailing of Babbage’s life shifts gears, often awkwardly, between being straight bio and workshop treatise. There is a level of reality created by going back and forth from Babbage’s funding problems and frustrations and his work in the shop, but I felt it diminished the work in the shop greater than necessary. I would have appreciated more effort explaining the theories and processes involved in the ground breaking work and less on what an irritation Babbage could be to those around him. The idea of someone attempting to build a computer in the early part of the 19th century is fascinating (as anyone interested in the creative genre of steampunk already knows), and this book does percolate on occasion but not nearly as often as I wanted. The parallel frustrations of Babbage in the 1830’s and the author in the 1980’s at attempting to get their machines built was interesting too but by the time the machine was built, I was ready to move on.
Game of Shadows: Barry Bonds, BALCO, and the Steroids Scandal that Rocked Professional Sports by Mark Fainaru-Wada
4.0
When GAME OF SHADOWS arrived on the scene, the clamor was to know about Barry Bonds and what, if any, illegal drugs he took to fuel his pursuit of Major League Baseball’s all time home run record. To a lesser degree people wanted to know why. Those questions are answered painstakingly throughout the book. In fact, the presentation of Barry Bonds in this book is so brutal, like a villain from a penny dreadful novel, that if it wasn’t true he would have sued. Truth be told, I have been a Bonds hater since he signed with the San Francisco Giants---rival to my LA Dodgers. But even I often blushed at the broad strokes of distasteful behavior that he is shown to be capable of. That, however, is the prurient part of the book. What makes GAME OF SHADOWS a book of historical note is the depth it plumbs into the entire performance enhancing drug culture. The book was criticized upon arrival for not being all about Barry Bonds—as if the rest of it were just padding. Bond’s outsized personality is used to shine a light on the rest of what was going on at the time. Tempting to just use the term steroids when talking about performance enhancing drugs as a short cut, most people have some sense of what those are, but the book reveals that the many different drugs used come from many different places and medical disciplines. Following the drugs from creation to distribution to use is fascinating and the extent to which they have permeated the sports world—including to a very large degree our Olympic athletes who seemingly should have held themselves to a higher standard—is astonishing. Basically an extended newspaper article, the book remains fresh and lively throughout by deftly dropping one story line for another so by the end there is the feeling of having followed the story for months and staying on top of it the whole time. Don’t be scared off if you are not a baseball fan. Or a sports fan. The book reminds us that we may think we have air tight characters, but one wrong decision and we sink like stones.
The Best of Philip K. Dick by Philip K. Dick
4.0
Reading Philip K. Dick is to gradually have the ground under you tilt away from you. As you keep reading, the ground feels the same, still solid and supportive, but before you know it the tilt is just enough that you slide off your feet and land someplace you don’t recognize. Just a moment before you thought you were in control but Dick has taken over. The stories in this collection do a nice job representing Dick’s strength as a writer. My favorite is THE VARIABLE MAN where decisions are not made based on a human intuition for what’s right but on the probability of success. A sudden unexpected variable throws everything out of whack. Next favorite would be THE DEFENDERS where the Earth has been destroyed by war and the remaining combatants strike at each other from societies underground. Both these stories and much of his work deal with mankind abdicating his responsibility toward other humans, toward his planet and even himself and the inescapable price to be paid. This particular collection I got free on my Nook and is not the best. A couple of the stories are clunkers like THE EYES HAVE IT and THE CRYSTAL CRYPT but the highs are very high.
Civil War by Mark Millar
3.0
The crux of this story intrigued me. The Marvel world of super heroes face government certification—a process that requires surrendering their “secret” identities. Some are willing, some are not. The ensuing clash is told with great energy and vibrant vivid art work. The framing of the scenes involving multiple heroes balanced the colors to great effect. Quite fun to look at with 200 pages of rippling muscles, arched backs and elegant elongated athletic limbs all in distinct colorful costumes but the ending seemed more like a teaser for a grander project than this supposedly self contained 7 issue collection. A reasonable case is made for each side of this conflict with the crisis of conscience of Captain America being the highlight for me. While I don’t require stories to be wrapped up with a nice little bow, so much weight was given the impending final conflict that to have an ambiguous ending was a bit of a jaw dropper. Still a nice ride even though I didn’t care for the destination.
Chasing Moonlight by Robert Reising, R.W. Reising, Brett Friedlander
2.0
The most interesting part of this book, and it afflicts many biographies, is the mythologizing of the mundane. This book is afflicted more than most because it is largely about a myth. Moonlight Graham, so the story goes, was only offered the briefest glimpse of his greatest desire--to play major league baseball--and the seed of this disappointment remained planted in his soul even beyond the day of his death. The movie FIELD OF DREAMS blew this myth up to full blown Americana. In reading this fairly well written and researched biography, the tone differs from the text. You realize that he would have actually preferred football if he were given the size and despite fits and spurts of quality play, his baseball numbers in the minors for the most part were pretty pedestrian. Despite this he is presented as a can't miss prospect who always just missed getting that break. The twists and turns of a given life can seem important, but few have a lasting impact. Here, extra import is given to the mundane to help drive the narrative. Too much of this leads to a hollow biography. And that's how I felt at the end. Not enough is known about what Archibald Graham actually thought about the key moments of his life...or even what he thought those moments were. That's the problem with becoming famous after you pass, the interior life was too little remarked upon, especially for a private person, so that much is left to speculation and just enough hyperbole to fill a couple hundred pages. Also, as with most biographies, the early parts are the best. Cool to find out that a town near me that I have seen the sign for for years is actually named after his family. Many members of his family were famous in their own right, and despite the saintliness of a small town doctor Archie Graham, actually deserving as much or more praise for serving their relative communities. Funny thing was, when Archie couldn't play because of school or injury and age, he really didn't seem to miss it. We are all myths waiting to happen.