Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania

The story of the sinking of the Lusitania has fascinated me for a long time. This latest book by Erik Larsen was a complete submersion into the history of the incident of German aggression against American citizens and shipping that decided the United States leadership's step away from isolationism and forced the US entry into World War I.

What this book does better than any other recounting of the sinking of Cunard's luxury liner is put a human face on the ship's manifest of passengers while also painting an incredible picture of the British government's communications intelligence and the German government's aggressive U-boat campaign to disrupt all international shipping in the seas that surround Britain and Ireland's shores.

Into this dangerous environment, Cunard continued to sail its civilian transport liners. To boot, some of the ships' holds were taken up with ammunition and weaponry that were to serve the British war effort against Germany. People, blithely off for a visit with relatives or traveling for specific business, were placed in the delicate position of being deemed party to aggression against Germany. Britain's code breakers knew of increased U-boat surveillance of the seas around England, but did nothing to communicate the danger to the civilian ships passing through the region. They feared discovery by German counterintelligence. British government policy blatantly ignored the need to escort civilian ships to the point that one becomes convinced that the leadership was aware that collateral damage would occur and hoped it would bring the US into the war as an ally sooner rather than later.

The Lusitania, cruising into the waters where U-boats were preying on all forms of ships, made a drastic encounter that, with one perfect torpedo hit, caused the ship to sink within thirty minutes of the strike. Imagine almost two thousand people moving through the ship to attempt to get to life boats. Imagine life jackets that have not been demonstrated for passengers being donned improperly. Imagine a massive ship that begins to list to one side, thus incapacitating the life boats all along that side. Imagine a crew that is ill-trained for launching the remaining life boats. Imagine the disaster.

This book was a real page-turner. Larsen followed several passengers on their voyage, the captain of the German U-boat that sunk the Lusitania, several of the British intelligence officers, and Woodrow Wilson, as he absorbed the ever-increasing aggression of the German navy against American ships and citizens.

Larsen puts a number of faces and lives front and center that tell the story of the Lusitania in a far more interesting and gripping fashion than any history book that I ever used to understand the naval disaster and how it brought the US to the brink of war.

A really good book that I highly recommend for anyone hooked on history ...

Seven Days In the Art World - Sarah Thornton

What an interesting book!

Being somewhat obsessed by art, art museums, the creative process, and art history, I found this book really eye-opening. My reading made me aware of just how unaware I am about the actual goings on within the world of the art. Everyone has a different angle, it seems. When you walk into an art museum and see the work in the different galleries, what's there is a culmination of a series of deliberate wranglings by artist, agent, gallery owner, collector, museum trustee, curator, and yes, passive observer. All are wrapped up in this symbiotic relationship that serves to deliver 'ART' to the world. The decisions that every one of those players make help to set taste and aesthetic standards that reverberate around the world, hither and yon in an ever-changing see-saw of art shows, media events, gallery openings, museum exhibits, art auctions, fantastic thefts, news stories, social reactions, and new artistic avenues. Art is always in flux, always moving toward the next big thing, always reacting to society's thrum, always rubbing up against morals and politics and leaving paint stains or make-up smears or stone dust or film clippings for people to brush off. Look at. Laud . Ignore. Buy. Sell. Rant on. Art is all about action and reaction.

Sarah Thornton has a pretty good gig. She got to explore the different facets of the art world in order to give us a full face view of its players. Her take is like reading a cultural study in an anthropology class ... different social roles within a sub-culture get a section for exploration and discussion. When the book is considered as a whole, one gets a thought-provoking Gestalt to ponder.

If you are intrigued by the artist's world, check this book out. Highly readable, unintimidating, pretty complete in its scope, and NOT at all dry and didactic.

Apples- Frank Browning

This is the time of year for apples. There's no disputing it. I went to the orchard the other day with my daughter and there were college kids, young mothers and tykes and the first foliage tourists all enjoying the views from the top of the hill at Alyson's Orchard. The farm stand was loaded up with the first 'early apples' - Macintosh and Golden Crisps, all sorts of squashes and gourds, the last plums, and of course, pumpkins. We were there for bags of apples,though. I had just finished Frank Browning's book on apples, timely to say the least.

Theories and mythology abound regarding the origins of the apple and Mr Browning has given us a rich exploration of the origins of apples from the mountain sides of Kazakhstan along the exploration routes between Asia and Europe. Some of the most interesting parts of the book are the pages that discuss theories about how apple seeds traveled thousands of miles with nomadic peoples and explorers and wild animals to drop and grow in isolation for hundreds of years, creating apple varieties that vary widely. His book tells of breeding programs across the ages that have created the most known varieties of apples, the use of apples within the cider industry, the politics of apple propagation, and the history and myth of the apple as a sacred image. The genetic aspects of the apple are explored also. Some of that knowledge went a bit over my head, but I got most of it if I read closely and really thought about everything Browning was putting forth. The book was really interesting and to boot, it ended with a chapter that included some great recipes. Of course, I have made a couple - a terrific pork shoulder braised in cider, apples, and mushrooms and an apple cake that is lovely to look at and even better to tuck into! Seasonal reading and seasonal eating - it doesn't get much better than that!

This is not a long book, but it is chock full of information. Browning is an NPR reporter and his writing style reflects a newsman's short, bulleted style of presenting information. He doesn't waste words, but is clear and direct in presenting the story of apples. His chapters are well organized and flow logically. He mixes the human interest aspects of apple propagation and botany really well with the technical information so that one is drawn on further into the book and not turned off by 'dry presentation of minutae'. He even includes a recipe for apple stack cake that comes from the area of Kentucky where he and his family have lived and tended an apple orchard for years. It's obvious he has great love for the orchard life, as he's given the world a great read that's all about the apple!