#364 Musings Beyond the Bunker (Monday May 30)
Good morning,
Happy Memorial Day! The Summer unofficially kicks off this weekend, ending with Labor Day weekend in September. As the Fifth Dimension suggests, “Let the Sunshine In!”
Memorial Day, originally “Decoration Day,” initially arose through early commemorations of the war dead from the Civil War, when graves would be decorated with flags and flowers. While its first formal celebration occurred in Waterloo, New York in 1866, some historians trace its beginnings to celebrations by the formerly enslaved shortly after the South’s surrender. The first nationally recognized Decoration Day was on May 30, 1868, at which event President James Garfield spoke at Arlington National Cemetery. Garfield was gunned down less than four months later, dying not of his wounds, but of the horrific medical care that too late accepted the scientific advancements of the era (namely, germ theory).
GREATEST BOOKS OF THE 2020s
After culling through the greatest books of each of the eight prior decades, beginning with the 1940s and continuing through the 2010s, I thought I’d highlight a few more recent books from the onset of the 2020s. Technically, of course, I’d only have a year and a half to review (decades begin in the “one” year—1991, 2001, 2021, e.g., because there wasn’t a “year zero”). But I’m going to cheat and include books from 2000 through now—an era in which we have been living with a pandemic, economic calamity, and the rise of authoritarianism and anti-democratic forces—here and abroad.
Here then are the “early returns” from this decade. There are a few more in a short period of time, probably due to the greater down time during the pandemic!:
Klara and the Sun, by Kazuo Ishiguro. Another dystopian future, centered on relations with “artificial friends,” available at the corner store. But AI, being what it is, leads to the friend becoming more human, more aware, and more reflective.
Hoax: Donald Trump, Fox News, and the Distortion of Truth, by Brian Stelter. One of many, many books about this disastrous period in the history of our country, democracy, media and truth.
The Glass Hotel, by Emily St. John Mandel. The “big story” in this novel is a Maddoff-like Ponzi scheme. But the grifter is the husband of one of the protagonists (her half-brother musician is the other). This really is a story of the attractiveness of “big profits,” believable or not (see, e.g., crypto-currency or tulip bulbs), and how people deal with trauma, betrayal, and loss.
The Splendid and the Vile, by Erik Larson. Another of Larson’s gripping true stories related in novel-like structure, language, and dialog. WW II seen through the eyes of the Churchill family.
The Cactus League, by Emily Nemens. Nine chapters (innings) about the people in and around a fictitious team playing in Arizona.
Hidden Valley Road, by Robert Kolker. A great story of a story plagued by mental health issues—the story of the family and the history of society’s response to mental illness.
What Are You Going Through, by Sigrid Nunez. Like Nunez’s other work, interesting stories of ordinary people (and animals).
The Lincoln Highway, by Amor Towles. This follow-up to A Gentleman in Moscow was worth the wait. Set in post-war America, the novel follows the road trip of some juvenile delinquents set free.
Harlem Shuffle, by Colson Whitehead. The prolific two-time Pulitzer winner hits another home run. Stories of 1960s Harlem, vivid characters scratching by through means both legal and not, filled with passion and compassion.
Memorial Drive, by Natasha Trethewey. The story of a young Black girl whose former stepfather killed her mother. A memoir of domestic violence and profound trauma.
The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet, by John Green, a great collection of essays about our world—big ideas and small observations.
Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir. The author of The Martian (yes, read that too and see the Matt Damon film) provides another science-heavy story. This one is about an astronaut who wakes up after a long journey not knowing who he is or what his mission might be. As he travels the stars, he attempts to save humanity and, along the way, the civilization of a friend he meets.
Hopefully some of these books will find their way into your Summer reading list. Next week, a summary of books about the decades and their seminal events, from the WW II days of the 1940s through the post-9/11 decade of the 2000s.
Have a great week,
Glenn
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