A Charmed Life: September 2012

Many of you may have noticed that Chablis' desire to blog is not quite what it used to be. Still, this is the best method we have of mass communication to friends and family, so I hope you all can forgive my dull post.

Lest you think I am very strange for not only the act of posting here, but also the substance of the post, I wanted to explain myself. I wrote, and then published, this post for the following reasons: (1) I am now preparing to write a law review article to be published and it has been very long since I have written anything beyond a memo. The article is about the Clean Water Act, and I won't explain it because I don't want you to fall asleep quite yet, but this post will, I hope, get the creative writing juices flowing. (2) My chief failure in life is pride, and therefore, I can't help but think my thoughts on the subject of literature are worth sharing with others, and (3) I wanted to let everyone know that despite the infrequent posts here, we are doing well and still wish to communicate to our dear friends. Blogging is an interesting, unilateral form of communication, and apparently, somewhat feminine in nature. Still, I think it's important to keep that communication going. I have gently complained to Chablis about her infrequent posts, as I think I enjoy them more than anyone. Don't be afraid; she will do more and much better posts than me in the future.

This past year I have read the following books, in descending order of those I enjoyed most:

1. The Man Who Ate His Boots, by Anthony Brandt- This is my new favorite adventure book. The story follows the true, futile struggle to discover the Northwest passage in the late 18th and early 19th centuries by British explorers. It especially follows Sir John Franklin, who died in the Arctic. His first trip was an overland expedition from the southern end of the Hudson Bay to the Arctic coast, where the McKenzie river drains. The journey north was in the winter, and as if in a Jack London novel, their coffee would freeze minutes after it was poured in their cups, yet they slept in canvas tents. They took too long to get there, spent too much time at the coast and ran out of food before they turned around. Franklin experienced what the author calls "unspeakable suffering" and survived, in part, because he literally ate his boots; hence the title. On the return trip, the man in charge of pulling the canoe decides it is too heavy, so he "accidentally" breaks it. Sure enough, they came across a deep, wide river within a few miles, and no way to cross it. The surgeon in the party decides to try to swim across. He gets about 1/3 of the way in the freezing water, decides he won't make it, so he turns around. The other men had to save him because he could not quite make it back to shore. The author describes the scene with powerful precision. I felt like I was there, suffering with the men, looking across the river in despair, watching the bony figure of the surgeon, as he was pulled out the water more dead than alive. The book was awesome, and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys adventure stories. I kept wondering to myself- "why haven't I heard about this before?" The author is remarkably good and the story is incredible.

2. The Idiot, by Fyodor Dostoyevsky- This book is said to have been Dostoyevsky's favorite, and I can see why. It's not without the typical, difficult passages provided by this author. For example, the young radical, Hippolite often breaks into long, senseless speeches in the narration, some of which last up to 20 pages. Still, the protagonist, Prince Myschkin, is what makes the book so good. As a quick example, when first introduced to some young ladies, they laugh at his simpleness and then they ask Myshkin to tell them a story. He launches into a deep and moving true account of a man who was condemned to die. The man was taken to the spot where he was to be killed and was then saved at the last moment (as an all too obvious interesting side note, Dostoyevsky experienced this himself). The girls are simultaneously horrified and captivated and they ask if the man learned a great lesson from his experience and thereafter cherished every moment of life, to which Myshkin says no, he lived as before, procrastinating and squandering his life. Myshkin is a man of innocence and purity; he is simple, yet profoundly wise (I don't know how that's possible, but it works here). I know Myshkin is fictional, but I could not help but think about him, sympathize with him and admire him for weeks after reading the book. Some critics say Myshkin is a symbol of Christ in the story, but I did not quite catch that (by the way, I'm confident there were many things in this book I did not catch; Dostoyevsky is a genius). To me, he was the child we see when Christ tells us to become one. I loved it.

3. Descartes Bones, by Russell Shorto- This somewhat obscure book was a very pleasant surprise. The book follows the bones of Rene Descartes, the great French philosopher. He was the innovative thinker, most famous for writing the often quoted, but perhaps misunderstood "I think, therefore, I am." Following his death in Sweden, his bones were dug up and transported throughout Europe over the centuries. The author follows the journey of his literal bones, but more significantly, describes the impact of Descartes through the centuries, and therefore provides an excellent and fascinating history of philosophical thought from the 14th century to today. In the introduction the author states there are three kinds of people in America: close-minded conservatives, militant liberals and then the third category: thinkers (though I think he left out a large category that might be labeled: the indifferent). The book, he says, is addressed to those thinkers. My favorite part was his analysis of the question of whether humans have souls, or whether there is nothing more to the brain than chemical responses. At one point in this analysis he states that those who believe there is nothing more than a brain are forced to admit that all their aspirations for good are based on nothing more than "moral speculation." The author provides such analyses brilliantly because he explains it all in simple terms using the arguments of the great philosophers. I really enjoyed this book.

4. Ultramarathon Man, by Dean Karnezez- This book is often cheesy, and I think the author indulges in some exaggeration, but still, I found it so entertaining that I read it in two days. The author is a famous ultramarathon runner. He is not fast, but at one point in his life, he was probably capable of running longer than anyone in the world. The book is his own narration of a 200 mile, continuous run he did in California. Along the way, he provides a number of interesting anecdotes, including an endlessly fascinating account of his first 100 mile race. I loved all of the little side stories. If you like to run, you will love this book.

5. A Disciple's Life, by Bruce Hafen- This is a biography of Elder Neal A. Maxwell, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles who died of leukemia a few years ago. The book was slow in parts and I was disappointed that it did not include more of Elder Maxwell's own work (I was hopefully anticipating an alliteration abundance), but I still enjoyed it. Elder Maxwell led a remarkable life. He volunteered to go to the front line in the infantry in Okinawa during WWII. When he got home he used all the money he had saved during the war, to serve a mission. He had a difficult childhood and was not extremely successful in the professional world, as is frequently true of many Church leaders; nor did he have a rapid rise to the top of Church leadership. The book was an interesting account of a remarkable man.

6. Undaunted Courage, by Stephen Ambrose- This is ranked lower only because when I read this last June, it was for the third time. This true story of the Lewis and Clark expedition is awesome. The story is endlessly interesting, very well written and simply fun to read. I know people close to me get tired of hearing anecdotes about the Lewis and Clark expedition, but I can't help it. I love the story. You may be surprised to learn that the story ends in tragedy. Merriwether Lewis is, unquestionably, a hero of heroes in this true story, but in the end he commits suicide under terrible circumstances. Still, don't let that deter you; the book is all about adventure, and I love it.

7. Into the Wild, by John Krakauer- Again, this is rated lower because I have read it multiple times before. This book follows Chirstopher McCandless; an unknown wanderer who starved to death in the Alaskan wilderness after spending over 100 days on his own in the wild. His was a Tolstoyan rejection of wealth, combined with a Thoreau like desire to live in the wild. The story is an admirable one and is written brilliantly. The author, who shares a deep sympathy with the protagonist, pours his soul into the book. It is excellent.

8. Believing Christ, by Stephen Robinson- I finally broke down and read this book that has so often been recommended to me. I confess, my friends were right; the book is very good. It is a simple, but profound explanation of the atonement of Christ. My personal favorite moment in the book is when he explains that when Nephi wrote "it is by Grace we are saved, after all we can do" what he really meant to say was "it is by Grace we are saved, after all, what can we do?" If that sounds like an absurd interpretation, I recommend you read the book; get read for what Stephen Covey fans would call a "paradigm shift." The book is ranked lower on my list because his ideas came as no surprise to me. Years with evangelical Christians pushed me into premature contemplation of these issues, but still the author does an excellent job here.

9. It's Not About the Bike, by Lance Armstrong- I was shocked at how well this book was written. He has, obviously, come into some hard times recently. However, the book is well worth reading. He wrote this book just after winning his first Tour; so it leaves you wondering, " ... and then?" I also know that he had a bit of a nasty divorce with the woman he raves about in the book, and even ends with an emotional account of the birth of their child. But still, I really enjoyed this book. One of the most fascinating parts was the description of his struggle to find a proper method of treatment for his cancer. A simpleton like me expects all the experts to share an opinion, but apparently Armstrong had a variety of treatment options available from experts who had significant disagreements with each other. He clearly chose correctly. This is a great book about life; not about biking.

10. Holes, by Louis Sachar- I read this one for a break, and surprisingly, I really enjoyed it. It was a fun and entertaining read, though I can't convince my daughter to give it a try.

11. In My Time, by Dick Cheney's- This is Cheney's autobiography. I have also read Bush's Decision Points (and to be fair, I read Clinton's autobiography and plan to do the same for Obama after he writes a tell all about his presidency). Cheney's book is very similar to Bush's, except it is written better and more forcefully. Cheney is more partisan than Bush. He holds more animosity towards his political enemies, but he also has no delusions about his own historical significance, unlike Bush. Still, I could not help but feel persuaded by his arguments. For example, I had always thought that Scooter Libby deserved to go to jail. I think it would be difficult for anyone to walk away from this book feeling anything but outrage for how Libby was treated by the press, the specially appointed prosecutor and even the courts. I need to get off this soap box before I offend the one or two people who will have read this far. Let me hedge by saying Cheney is a polarizing figure and I do not have a great deal of admiration for him; he has accomplished nothing in his life outside of politics. Still, the book is worth the read.

12. The Eternal Husband, by Fyodor Dostoyevsky- Honestly, I struggled a bit with this Dostoyevsky. The story was not quite as inspiring or interesting as many of his others. I began writing a plot summary, but half way into it realized it would be more confusing and dull than helpful, so let me just say it was a bit slow for me. Still, I am glad I read it. There were a few points that were very interesting. For example, in the beginning the main character is hopelessly depressed and lost in feelings of guilt as his recalls his past mistakes. He then tries, unsuccessfully to stop dwelling on his guilt because the truth is, he is who he is and if the same circumstances were before him today, he would act the same way. Interestingly, the man does, in fact, change during the book. He discovers he has a daughter; a pitiful little girl who dies in the story. This discovery makes him less selfish, more mature and brings him to greater understanding. It's a decent book, but I don't recommend it if you are not already a Dostoyevsky fan.

13. Environmental Science for Dummies- This was my attempt at some self-education for my job. Chablis finds it very interesting that I have become environmentally conscious recently, and she often laughs when I do or say something that leans toward environmentalism. I am not a tree hugger. However, I have noticed a strong correlation between my understanding of the environment and my concern for its future.

14. To The Rescue: A Biography of Thomas S. Monson, by Heidi S. Swinton- I'm waiting for the backlash from my LDS friends on this one, but here it is folks- I did not like it at all; not even a little bit. I put a "customer review" of the book on Deseret Book's website. To my surprise, they allowed it to be displayed, but they buried it. Here's what I wrote- "The overwhelming majority of the book consists of ambiguous praise of Pres. Monson. Please do not mistake me; I admire and sustain him, but this author ceaselessly sings his praises without giving any meaningful insight into his life. The book is also full of awkward transitions, empty quotes and irrelevant anecdotes. For example, the author describes, at length, a time when he shot and made two basketball shots while visiting a Church gym and includes a copy of his third grade report card, to make sure you're impressed. Yet, the book leaves you frustrated and wondering at questions that would actually provide insight; questions like- Why didn't he serve a mission after his extremely short time in the military? Does he ever wish he did serve? Why was his father inactive? How does he feel about that? How has he come to be financially successful with so little time in the professional world? Etc. For such an expensive book, one would hope to find more than exaggerated praise and rehash of his talks, yet that is all this book contains. Pres. Monson asked the author to write the book, but reading it left me frustrated and wondering why he would provide her a constructive monopoly on something that should be free for all members, and why he would permit so much shameless praise to be published. For me, the book raised far more questions than it answered." I hope you don't mind me quoting myself. It may have been because I read it immediately after reading Elder Maxwell's biography. Elder Maxwell, interestingly, volunteered to be at the front line in Okinawa, while President Monson deliberately chose the Navy Reserves because it would minimize his time in service and potential for danger. Elder Maxwell also served a mission as soon as he got home, but President Monson apparently (I have to guess here, because it is not mentioned) chose not to go. I have to be careful here, lest I hold up a standard of perfection to my leaders. But still, the author gives you the impression that he walks on water; or rather that he carries helpless widows to safety, while walking on water. I'm not saying he should, I'm saying the author should not pretend he does. Regardless, I did not like it and had to put it down out of frustration. Those of you who liked it, feel free to tell me I'm wrong.

In an attempt to avoid being called a literary snob, I also read a couple of Louis Lamore books, but did not enjoy them. I also tried and failed to read a few books this year- For Whom the Bell Tolls, by Hemingway- couldn't get into it. Catch 22- had to put it down because I hated the protagonist. Tolstoy's translation of the New Testament- he is brilliant, but scriptural interpretation is not his area of expertise, and a few others.

If any of you have a great book you would like to recommend to me, or if you have any thoughts about these books, let me know- scottadamsjag@gmail.com. I would love to hear your thoughts.

Saturday, September 29, 2012

Scott's Trespass

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Our annual trip to Utah.