A Kingdom of Their Own (Joshua Partlow)

Joshua Partlow’s A Kingdom of Their Own recaps the Karzai family’s grip on power in Afghanistan in the years following the toppling of the Taliban regime in 2001.  American leadership placed their hopes for Afghanistan’s democratic success on Hamid Karzai, and Partlow tracks the complicated relationship between Hamid and the United States, as well as Hamid and his own family over the time of his leadership in Afghanistan.

Kingdom goes through great lengths to retell the story of American involvement in Afghanistan after the installation of Hamid as leader. American commitment included military support and financial resources, as well as business interests that "helped" to rebuild Afghanistan after years of destruction brought upon it by war, Soviet control in the 80’s, and Taliban control in the late 90’s.  Those business interests involved a few of Hamid’s brothers, who relocated back to Afghanistan after living in the United States for a time to help in the rebuilding process, as well as others who lined their own pockets for financial and political gain.  Partlow asserts that the United States was fighting not just insurgent terrorists but wayward and unethical Afghans and then began to fight with the Karzai administration over how to manage the various conflicts in Afghanistan.  In time, the Karzai-US relationship deteriorated to the point where the Americans were essentially persona non grata.

Partlow briefly touches on Afghanistan’s complicated tribal history to help preface the geopolitical environment in the country, adding additional meat to a thorough entrée of discussion on the billions of dollars spent propping up Hamid and (by proxy) his brothers during a bit more than a decade.  All in all, A Kingdom of Their Own  is a technical, at times wonky, book.  Nonetheless, Partlow’s well-researched work provides a critical and needed perspective on the War on Terror’s lesser known front and how both sides made many mistakes along the way.

MY RATING - 3

Mission: Jimmy Stewart and the Fight for Europe (Robert Matzen)

Robert Matzen’s Mission: Jimmy Stewart and the Fight for Europe is a detailed account of the beloved actor's military service in the Army Air Corps during World War II.  Stewart was drafted and chose to serve, pitching his developing love of flying to serve his country as part of “The Greatest Generation” of numerous military veterans who sacrificed time and their lives in various war theatres around the world.

Stewart is a favorite actor in this household, with It’s a Wonderful Life one of the films that endears us to him.  Our appreciation of Stewart and his down-to-earth demeanor led me to want to review this book.  Matzen did not disappoint, going into great detail to highlight not just Stewart’s service in the military but bringing attention to several stories on the Allied front as they served under him in England and on several bombing missions over Europe.  Sprinkled in were accounts from the German front, specifically highlighting a German Luftwaffe General’s story as the war unfolded.

Mission captures Stewart’s guarded, quiet, personality at its core and how World War II changed him and so many other men who fought in it.  He was pained by the battles and the loss of men under his watch, bearing those scars for the duration of his life.  Mission spends little of its pages devoted to Stewart’s years after World War II but does a great job of capturing the essence of Stewart and how he treated those under his command with the same respect and decency that would have made Mr. Smith proud in Washington.

MY RATING - 4

The Interestings (Meg Wolitzer)

Meg Wolitzer’s The Interestings is one of those books that get very differing opinions.  Some readers say that the characters are unlikeable so they don’t really care what happens to them very much.  It seems that you either become emotionally invested in these characters or you don’t -- there’s not much of an in-between.  I found The Interestings enthralling for about 90% of it, and then the unrealistic ending really let me down.

The Interestings are a group of friends who meet every summer at the Spirit-in-the-Woods camp.  It is here where they are free to be themselves, and when camp ends, it is understood that they are friends for life.  Readers see Jules, Ash, Ethan, Jonah, and the others grow up, get married, become successful (or not), and have children, and since they’ve “known” them since they were teenagers, it’s not difficult to root them on.  Wolitzer really spends the time developing each one of them, which is why a few events toward the end seemed like quite the cop-out to me.

However, the last few pages aren’t the be-all and end-all of The Interestings.  The best kind of realistic fiction novels are when readers can see themselves mirrored in the characters, and that’s precisely what tends to happen here.

MY RATING - 4

The Murderous History of Bible Translations (Harry Freedman)

The Murderous History of Bible Translations by Harry Freedman is a concise, entertaining, and informative look at the history of Bible translations over time.  It covers both the butchering of language in translation and of those who dared translate the Bible in the past.  Freedman's work is a very solid read that highlights the ebb and flow of controversies that have arisen in translating the best-selling book of all time.

The author covers the chronological spectrum of Bible translations, starting before the time of Christ with what is now the Old Testament, continuing through the early era of Christianity, and then the subsequent violence that gradually arose as scholars tried to translate the Bible for the masses against the wishes of those who thought they knew better.  Bible burning became a noted pastime and "tradition" of sorts among those who either tried to suppress increased access to the book, or simply had an axe to grind against how a particular version was translated.

In addition, Freedman talks about lesser known translations and how they came about as a result of some form of discrimination or in a couple of cases, as a way for a particular culture to gain a better understanding...while leaving others confused as a result!

The combination of historical background, controversy, and the introduction of individuals that are rarely heard about makes for an informative story about humanity's struggle with and against the Bible.  If you have a background in history, religion, or sociology, this book is definitely for you.

MY RATING - 5

Ethics in the Real World (Peter Singer)

Ethics in the Real World: 82 Brief Essays on Things That Matter is a collection of opinion columns and short essays written by Peter Singer, a professor at Princeton University.  The book bridges a wide array of topics, fusing the classical realm of philosophy and logic with the modern perspective, where philosophy acts to advocate for values and takes positions on social, political, and economic issues.

Singer brings wide-ranging and not always politically mainstream thoughts to issues that range from romance to sport, money to animal rights.  His thoughts can be challenging to more conservative points of view, and they are expressed in more of a structured opinion-editorial way as opposed to a research-intensive method.  Some footnotes and reference bullets are incorporated at points when the author cites another writer's work.

Ethics in the Real World is a relatively quick read given the wide range of topics that are covered; every essay is less than six pages in length.  You may not agree with what is articulated and you may find offense at some of Singer's points, but credit should certainly be given at the wide scope of topics and depth of thought that he has taken.  

MY RATING - 4

Passwords to Paradise (Nicholas Ostler)

Passwords to Paradise: How Languages Have Re-Invented World Religions by Nicholas Ostler provides a thorough review of the relationship between languages and religions throughout the centuries.  Focusing on the world's major religions, Ostler offers a detailed look at the evolution of major faiths and the role that language played in each.

Ostler provides a chronological perspective to his work, starting with Buddhism and its spread from India to China.  Then he covers the development, spread, and subsequent denominational splits within Christianity before closing out with a look at Islam and its spread during the Middle Ages.  Within each, the author discusses the various adaptations of politics, religion, economics, and more in showing how these major faiths were shaped.  Substantial focus is given to Christianity, its origins in four languages, and how it adapted from its early beginnings to become the dominant force in European religion and political life for centuries.  Use of various languages and their English translations of numerous holy and scholarly works are provided to add additional context and value in showing the evolution of language in most of the primary world faiths.

Passwords to Paradise is very scholarly and was not a book one could breeze through -- such an approach did not appear to be the intent of Ostler, who is well-versed in over two dozen languages according to his bio.  It is a book that will make you think and will take some time to work through.  For those who are interested in learning the symbiotic relationship that religion and language have had over the centuries, this book is a great introductory tool.

MY RATING - 4

The Wonder (Emma Donoghue)

If you’re author Emma Donoghue, it’s probably next to impossible to top your masterpiece Room.  Not only is it well written and unbelievably popular (it was even made into an award-winning movie), but once it was published, the reader really hadn’t seen anything like it before.  However, The Wonder, her latest, comes very close to Room in its uniqueness and psychological suspense.

Lib Wright, an English nurse, is brought to an Irish village to observe a little girl named Anna. It is said that Anna hadn’t taken any food since her Confirmation, living instead from “manna from heaven.”  Both the local priest and Anna’s doctor want her watched 24/7 to make sure that this is in fact a miracle and that she isn't getting food slipped to her in any way.  Lib starts off firm and no nonsense with Anna, determined to find out what is really going on.  But when it becomes a matter of life and death, Lib fights with all her might for the little girl she comes to love.

Donoghue’s gift is that she can take an extremely tense situation and infuse it with love and warmth.  That’s what she did in Room and what she eventually does in The Wonder.  You’ll wait with bated breath to see if Lib can save young Anna.

MY RATING - 4