Fahrenheit Keith 51

Read from Wednesday, December 8th to Monday, December 13th.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.  Bought this book at a used book store in Asheville, North Carolina over Thanksgiving.  It is one of my roommates favorite books, and I was ashamed that I had never read this classic.  Also, it is a short book, and after The War of the End of the World, I needed a quick read.  At a little over a hundred pages, it took me longer than it should have, due to some friends visiting for the weekend. 

I liked this book.  It is the simple story of Guy Montag, who burns books and houses for a living.  It is a futuristic world where books are illegal.  Society is dumbed down in order to stay happy.  However, Guy realizes quickly on that he is not happy after he meets a neighborhood girl who loves to explore and learn and love life and nature.  Guy questions his own job, his marriage, and his curiosity to read overwhelms him and he builds a collection of books.  He seeks out a retired English professor who agrees to teach him how to analyze what he is reading.  But Guy is quickly found out by the other firemen when his wife rats him out.  They force him to burn his own house down, but before he is arrested, Guy kills the fire captain, Beatty, and escapes town.  In the woods outside town, he meets a band of other renegade book lovers, and Guy learns that there are thousands out there just like him, and they have to wait patiently and remember books until this dark age passes.  The book ends with the city being destroyed by a nuclear bomb in a war. 

It is a simple story, and the action moves fast without too much buildup.  Guy changes from fireman to revolutionary too quickly in my opinion.  There were also questions I had about why Captain Beatty hated books so much, even though he could quote them endlessly.  Howevery, the story needs to be looked at for what it actually is, a fable about the perils of censorship and what the world could look like.  In the world in the book, it is not the government that imposed censorship, it was first what the public wanted.  It became so that each minority and interest group wanted certain passages blocked in each book, and soon the need for books disappeared entirely.  There was too much focus on the television and fast cars.  Even though Bradbury wrote it in the early 1950's, it's amazing how much he could predict the numbing entertainment forces that would distract us now. 

The world is destroyed at the end, but humanity always knows how to pick itself up and rebuild, and we need to learn from past mistakes, which are why books are so important.  The book ends on a hopeful note that things can and will change.  As a bibliophile, I loved some of the subject matter.  I hope my library and this blog can someday be the beacon of light that can help Guy in the future, haha. Three and a half out of five stars.

The War of the End of the Keith

Read from Saturday, November 27 to Tuesday, December 7.

The War of the End of the World, by Mario Vargas Llosa, a Nobel Prize winner.  This sprawling, massive epic masterpiece is one of the best books I've read in awhile.  It is the, believe it or not, fictionalized true story of a rebellion in the backlands of Brazil in the late 19th century.  I refused to let myself look up online what actually happened while I was reading the book, but when I did last night, I was amazed to see that the book followed very closely the major events and timeline of the rebellion.

I will do my best to sum up the plot, although there are so many characters and subplots that I will not do it justice.  In the state of Bahia, Brazil in the late 19th century, there is a wanderer, called the Counselor.  He travels from town to town repairing churches, putting walls around cemetaries, and telling the poor people about the coming of the end of the world and what they must do to prepare for it.  He travels for many years, and he gradually develops a following.  Llosa takes turns describing the backstories of many of these followers.  There is Abbot Joao, a murdering thief; Antonio Vilanova, a merchant; Big Joao, a former slave who killed his master; Maria Quadrado, who killed her newborn; the Lion of Natuba, a deformed hunchback; and the Little Blessed One, a bastard who wants to be a priest.  There are many others, and when they meet the Counselor and hear him preach, they are converted into 'the elect,' and they become his disciples.  They are reformed completely, and worship the Counselor, Jesus, and do only good.

The Counselor does not like the new Republic of Brazil, he liked the monarchy better.  He considers the Republic the anti-Christ, since they impose new taxes, allow civil marriage, and want to have a census.  The Counselor and his followers refuse to accept this, and they settle in a small deserted farm called Canudos.  There, they create their own society with their own values; no money, no taxes, communal labor and property, free love.  They build a temple and soon thousands of people pour into the city, they are pilgrims (the city eventually reaches an estimated 30,000 people). 

The government of the state of Bahia doesn't know what to do with these people.  They have stolen a farm that belonged to the Baron of Canabrava, a rich landowner sympathetic to the monarchist cause.  The state sends an army unit to break up the 'rebels.'  However, the people in Canudos defend fanatically and crush the force.  The government then sends a larger expeditionary force to Canudos.  The army wins the initial battle on the mountain, but the rebels, or jaguncos, launch a fierce counterattack and win.  There is political disagreement about Canudos.  Some claim it is supported by the monarchists in order to bring down the Republic, others claim that the republicans are setting them up so it looks like the monarchists aren't patriotic.  A Scottish communist, Gallileo Gall, is a pawn by the different parties, as he tries unsuccessfully to make it to Canudos because he believes it is a communist revolution. 

A third time, the federal army is called up to crush the city, this time an entire Regiment under the command of a famous Colonel, Moreira Cesar.  A journalist is sent along with him to document the campaign, and much of the remaining story is told through his perspective.  Cesar is very confident, and he has greater numbers, but thanks to guerrila tactics and the hostile terrain, the regiment is completely destroyed, and Cesar is killed.  This battle feels like it is the climax of the novel, but it is only halfway through..  The journalist escapes to Canudos with a dwarf and Jurema, a woman who lost her husband in a duel with Gallileo Gall.

In the final part of the book, the frightened journalist is telling the Baron of Canabrava all that he witnessed in those final months of Canudos.  He was held there, for his safety, because the government mobilized the entire army of Brazil from all the states to descend upon Canudos.  The inhabitants of Canudos fight and hold out for a long time using their guerrila tactics, but in the end, they are without food and ammunition to defend any longer, and street by street, the city is taken.  The entire town is destroyed along with everyone in it.  The journalist, Jurema and the dwarf escaped because the Counselor told them to leave in order to tell the world the story of Canudos. 

It is a fascinating, long story.  Llosa's storytelling technique is interesting as well.  It is told through the different perspectives of nearly every character in the story, each segment being only a couple of pages long, and each segment ending on somewhat of a cliffhanger, which compells the reader to continue.  The segments often overlap, so that many parts of the story are told a few times, but each from a different viewpoint.  The timeline can also be confusing as well, although I am sure it was done on purpose.  The reader finds out that Canudos is ultimately destroyed midway through the book because the journalist is relating the events to the Baron.  Even though you know what is going to happen, you still read on for the interesting story of what went down.

The book is often morally ambiguous.  There are no true good guys or bad guys in the book.  The journalist tells a good portion of the latter half of the book, but he is a coward, and not involved in the action.  The army and the generals seem to be good, decent people when their perspective is told, although they are seen as 'dogs' and the Anti-christ by the Elect.  Even though the inhabitants of Canudos are massacred by the end and there is a great amount of sympathy for them, they burn the homes of people nearby so they cannot feed the army.  They also desecrate the corpses of the soldiers.  The Baron, even though he is wealthy, is a good person as well, who is distraught over his wife's growing insanity.  In the end, it seems as if everyone loses, and everyone tries to figure out the lesson of that rebellious city.

Wonderful book, and I am looking forward to reading more by Mario Vargas Llosa.  Four and a half out of five stars.

Keith, Naked

Read from Tuesday, November 23 to Thursday, November 25.

Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby.  Read this book pretty quickly over the first few days of my Thanksgiving vacation in Asheville, North Carolina.  I read High Fidelity a couple of months ago and really enjoyed it, and this book was similar in a lot of ways.

Once again, Hornby centers his books around music and relationships.  Annie and Duncan are in a failing relationship in England, and Duncan is obsessed with Tucker Crowe, a singer-songwriter who was popular in the 80's and then dropped out of the spotlight suddenly and mysteriously.  Duncan and other fans post comments on a website, and when Annie makes a thoughtful critique of an album, she is contacted by Tucker Crowe himself, who is living in Pennsylvania with a son, a failing marriage, and a long line of ex-wives and other abandoned children.  Annie and Tucker begin an email correspondence, while Annie cuts off ties with the obsessed Duncan.  Annie struggles with the feeling that she has wasted so much of her life in a pointless relationship, and is desperate to finally live again.

Eventually, Tucker visits England, and spends some time in Annie's small seaside village with her and his son, while he is recuperating from a heart attack.  Annie has had a big crush on Tucker, and finally is able to get him into bed with her.  However, Tucker must eventually go back to the U.S. due to his obligations to his son and ex-wives.  The novel ends with Annie throwing off the constraints the society has placed on her and trying to emigrate to America to be with Tucker. 

It was a quick and easy, but fun read.  Nothing too difficult, but very enjoyable nonetheless.  I loved some of the characters, such as Tucker and his son, Jackson, and the obsessive Duncan can be amusing at times as well.  Annie was strange, but realistic, being very impulsive and indecisive at times.  I also liked the theme of music from both the perspective of the emotionally unstable musician, and at times clueless fans, who over-analyze every lyric and gesture.  The ending left more to be desired, however.  It ends abruptly with nothing actually happening, except for a change in Annie.  I actually hoped that her and Duncan would get back together.  Otherwise, a fresh, light read.  Three and a half out of four stars.

A Little History of the Keith

Read from Sunday, November 21 to Monday, November 22.

Actually, the world.  E.H. Gombrich's A Little History of the World originally written in German in 1935.  I picked up this book after a visit to the Corcoran Gallery of Art in DC.  Gombrich is most famous for his History of Art masterpiece.

This was a quick read.  Finished it in a little over 24 hours.  Admittedly, I was hurrying to finish it before my Thanksgiving travels, so I would have one less book to bring.  (Update: Just bought 15 books in North Carolina.  I've got a lot of plunder to haul back.)  It is quick mostly because it is aimed toward children, so I was able to fly through it.  Although that is not to say it was poorly written.  It was wonderful to soar through history and to see how everything fits in the proper context and timeline.

Gombrich takes the reader through the entire history of Western Civilization.  He briefly discusses cavemen, the Egyptians, Babylonians, Assyrians, Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Eastern religions, the Migrations after the fall of the Roman empire, Middle Ages, Age of Chivalry, Renaissance, Enlightenment, Reformation, Revolution, Industrialization, Imperialism, and ends with WW1.  Each chapter is short and simple, but Gombrich does not talk down to the reader.  He paints a beautiful picture of events and famous characters, using the art of storytelling.  Even though it is for children and most of the information I already knew, there are plenty of other facts that I learned.

It is from a German perspective, however, and so it gives special attention to the history of that land.  The East, China, Japan and India and the Middle East are briefly touched upon in certain chapters, and the Americas and Africa were barely mentioned, except in the terms of European colonialism.  Also, from a German perspective, it ends with a negative characterization of the Allied powers and Woodrow Wilson after WW1, and says that they screwed over the Germans.  Gombrich does have a final chapter that was added thirty years later, in which he apologizes for his impartiality, and explains the rise and terror of Hitler, which he did not expect to happen when he wrote the book originally.  Gombrich escaped the Nazis, and was able to move to England before war broke out.

Will definitely show this book to my kids someday.  Three and a half out of five stars.

The Picture of Dorian Keith

Read from Tuesday, November 16th to Sunday, November 21st. 

The Picture of Dorian Gray, is the classic only novel by Oscar Wilde.  I had always wanted to read something by Wilde, so I was excited to read this novel and see all his clever witticisms.  I also chose to read this because it was free on my Kindle, and I haven't read anything on my Kindle in a long time.  The story did not disappoint. 

Dorian Gray is a beautiful, vain, young English aristocrat, who has a portrait painted of him by Basil Hallward.  Dorian is worried that his beauty will someday fade, and makes the wish that the painting will age, and he will stay exactly the same.  Dorian quickly falls in love with a young peasant actress, and they become engaged, but when her acting falters, he breaks her heart and she committs suicide.  Dorian is distraught, and when he goes home he realizes that the painting now has a sinister smile.  It is the painting that is bearing all the look of his sin.  The painting is a visual representation of his conscience.  He hides the painting in his attic, unable to bear the sight of it. 

However, Dorian is persuaded by his best friend Lord Henry that the only way to experience life is to live by your senses.  Dorian sets off on a sinful life, devoted to experiencing every emotion and pleasure that life could offer.  Wilde does not explicitly state what these sins were, leaving it up to the reader to imagine for themselves based on their own conscience.  Many years pass with Dorian living this double life.  18 years pass, but he does not age one bit, while the painting grows hideous. 

One night, Basil confronts Dorian about his sins, and after showing him the painting, Dorian stabs him in cold murder.  He blackmails another friend into helping him cover it up and destroying the body.  Dorian by now is terrified of his conscience.  He goes off to the countryside with other nobles, but he is now hunted by the actress's brother, who vows revenge.  This man is accidently shot during a hunting expedition, and Dorian believes he is saved.  He swears a new life free from sin.  He believes he is finally changed.  However, upon viewing the painting, his soul is worse than ever, since it is all a charade and hypocritical.  Dorian stabs the painting, at which the spell is broken and his body is old and with a knife in its chest, while the painting is restored to it's original beauty.

Dorian Gray is the story of the corruption of the soul and conscience, and it caused an uproar for its indecency in 1890 London.  Many critics believed that Wilde actually practised many of these sins for himself, but they failed to see his warning in the book.  It is actually a very moral book with a strong message.  It is wonderfully written, and Lord Henry is a favorite character.  He is witty, espousing his many theories about humanity and culture.  Lord Henry lives for pleasure and critiquing all of London society.  He wants excitement, not boredom.

I have rented a movie adaptation of the book, and am excited to see its portrayal.  Four out of five stars.

NetherKeith

Read from Tuesday November 9th to Tuesday, November 16th. 

Netherland, by Joseph O'Neill.  I bought this book at a Barnes and Noble just to complete a 'buy two get one free' deal.  It was a slow book that gradually grew on me the more I delved into it.  It is the simple story of a Dutch immigrant, Hans, in New York City.  Left alone in the city after 9/11 when his wife left him to go back to London, he is morose and solitary.  But then he begins an unlikely friendship with a Trinidadian named Chuck Ramkissoon, who is charismatic, intriguing, with grand ideas and a sordid underside. 

It is the game of cricket that arguably saves Hans from himself.  He finds peace in it's simplicity and nobility.  The cricket players in New York are all South Asian or West Indian, but they take care of each other and welcome Hans.  While reading this book, I researched more about the game of cricket, because to be honest, I did not have any idea how it was played.  Gratefully, now I have somewhat of an understanding of the game and the differences and similarities to baseball. 

Chuck takes Hans under his wing, and talks about his big plans to build a giant cricket stadium and clubhouse on an abandoned air field.  He teaches Hans how to drive, and introduces him to many of the other immigrants in New York.  However, when Chuck reveals his criminal activities as a gangster, he pushes Hans away.  Hans has by now has changed considerably, and is more sure of himself, and realizes that he must go back to London to spend time with his son and try to win his wife Rachel back.  In the end Rachel does come back to him, and they work on saving their marriage.  Hans learns that Chuck had been killed in some deal gone wrong. 

It was a slow book, written as a reflection on the past by present day Hans.  He delves into his memories growing up in the Netherlands with his single Mother.  It is slow, but beautiful and rich.  O'Neill writes many lines as if they were lines of poetry.  It is an inner journey that Hans must navigate, and the relationship with Chuck is complicated and at times a little unbelievable.  However, I did enjoy the book in the end, and would look to more titles from this author. 

Four out of five stars.

The Name of the Keith

The Name of the Rose, by Umberto Eco.  This was a hefty tome that was recommended to me over a year ago.  I wrote the name down and have been meaning to buy and read it ever since.  Finally I attempted it, and although it was long and difficult book, I was very satisfied with the book by the end, having trouble putting it down. 

It is the story of a murder mystery in an Italian Dominican Abbey in 1327.  It is told from the point of view of Adso of Melk, writing the story when he was an old man, although he was a young teenage novice when the events happened.  He accompanied William of Baskerville, a Franciscan monk that was in charge of investigating the murders.  William used reason and logic to try and piece together the clues, instead of the superstition and diabolical leanings of the monks.  It takes place over the course of seven days, and there are new developments every night, as monk after monk is mysteriously killed.

The main reason why William was at the Abbey was actually to attend a debate between a delegation of Franciscan monks and representatives of the Pope in Avignon.  The Franciscan's wanted the pope to accept the notion that Jesus was poor and owned nothing, and therefore ensure the safety of their Order.  The Pope, however, did not want to admit that, otherwise all his riches would seem contrary to teachings of Christ.  That is the underlying subtext, and so William must hurry to solve the murders so they do not interfere with the meeting, for if the meeting does not go well, the Franciscans could be found guilty of heresy and hunted down.

The web unravels for William as he discovers that the murders revolve around a mysterious book that had been taken out of the forbidden, labyrinth library.  William and Adso discover the map of the library, and decipher a riddle that allows them to enter a secret room.  There they discover the murderer, Jorge of Burgos (a reference to Jorge Luis Borges, one of my favorite writers), who had poisoned the pages of the book, so anyone reading it would touch the page, and touch their mouth, and soon die.  The book is Aristotle's lost work on Comedy, and how laughter can be beneficial.  Jorge does not believe in laughter, and thinks that it would lessen the fear and devotion to God.  He runs off with the book, eating the pages as he goes, and William and Adso give chase, but accidently set the library on fire.  Jorge burns with the book, and William and Adso escape, but the entire Abbey soon catches fire and is destroyed.

I rented the movie last week and watched it as soon as I finished the book.  It was okay, but it is impossible to fit a 550 page book into a two hour movie, so there was a lot of stuff left out and glossed over.  I didn't like in the movie how much attention was focused on Adso's brief love affair with the peasant girl.  I also wished the final scene with Jorge was elaborated, so that there was more of a reason behind his rationale of poisoning the book.  Sean Connery played William and a young Christian Slater played Adso.

I enjoyed this book immensely.  William is similar to Sherlock Holmes and his assistant Adso/Watson. Logic is the guiding force that can shine the light on the mysterious workings of the Abbey.  I feel much smarter after reading Umberto Eco.  He explains in great depth about the intricacies of European politics at the time, and the relationship between the Church and the monks and the peasants.  Of course it was difficult to understand a lot of what was being discussed.  I had to Wikipedia some bits of history to understand better, like Fra Dolcino, and the move to Avignon, and the differences between Dominicans and Franciscans.  I also did not like how much of the book was in Latin.  Whole passages had to be skipped over, and certain key lines as well. I wished they had footnotes so the reader could follow along better.

All in all it was a great read.  Started off slowly, but the tension built into a wonderful second half of the book.  Four and a half out of five stars.