the WRATH of COCHISE

I like my history written with a little pizzazz, but unfortunately this book had a drowsy effect on me. Many reading sessions ended with my eyes trying to close. The book was informative and well written, but Terry Mort has to learn how to stimulate the reader. If you write a 303 page book about The Bascom Affair, don’t wait till the last 63 pages to tell the reader what actually happened. In between the incident and the ensuing ten years the reader learns more about the Mormons, the stagecoach, the Chiricahua  Apache lifestyle and West Point than the actual skirmish. A lot of the text was repetitive observations. Okay, enough is enough, I know the Chiricahuas don’t plant crops. They raid, steal, and murder...I get it. I think Terry Mort has talent, but he needs to learn how to tell a story with more fluidity. On the other side of the coin, I found the Indian Wars leading into the Civil War to be very illuminating. Did Cochise really think he won the war when the US Army left to fight the Confederacy? The style Mort used to write this book didn’t give this reader that commiserating feeling that I got reading Dee Brown’s Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee . The Indian tribes mentioned in this book come across to me as vicious murdering aggressors. Even though Mort wrote about the white man’s attacks against the Indians, the real atrocities that Mort relayed to the reader were done by the various Indian tribes. Did Cochise’s Apaches really tie-up people upside down on wagon wheels over a slow burning fire and cook the victim’s brain while still alive? Did he really spreadeagle his victim and start a campfire on his stomach? If the white man did things other than hanging and shooting Indians, he didn’t mention it, save a occasional scalping.

The tale starts off in 1861 with Apaches attacking the John Ward ranch in the Sonoita Valley in Southern Arizona. Ward goes to Fort Buchanan to complain. The Army sends 2nd Lt. George Bascom and a patrol out to find the perpetrators. Ward says that Cochise took cattle and his twelve year old stepson. Cochise’s people live seventy miles away in Apache Pass between Mexico and Arizona. They alternately attack Mexico and Arizona and make off and on treaties with both countries. The patrol sets up camp by the stagecoach station and sends word that they want to talk to Cochise. On the second camp day, Cochise, his brother, one of his wives, nephews, and a few warriors show up at 2nd Lt. Bascom’s camp. Inside the tent, Bascom accuses Cochise of attacking Ward’s ranch and kidnapping the boy. Unbeknownst to Bascom, that accusation is a huge insult to a Apache. Since Cochise is listening to a broken Spanish translation from Ward, he is paying close attention to demeanor, tone of voice, and body language. Then, the shavetail ( a newly commissioned officer with no experience ) Lieutenant tells Cochise that they are prisoners until his Apaches find Ward’s boy and the cattle. Cochise tells him he didn’t do it and slashes his way out of the tent. All of this happens in the first seventeen pages, and doesn't get back to the scene until chapter eleven, page 237. This incident starts a ten year war between the Indians of the Southwest and the US Army, miners, and settlers.

According to Mort: ”Congress had a long standing aversion to the idea of maintaining a professional army of any size.” The US Army only had 31,024 officers and troops, while State volunteers numbered 73,532. Since Congress didn’t take the Indian problem seriously, it was allowed to fester for years. West Point grad, George B. McClellan ( yes, that McClellan ), said of the volunteers: “ They are useless, useless, useless, expensive, wasteful and good for nothing.” Three years before the incident (1858 ), the army only had 16,367 people, and only a small portion protecting our western expansion against savy ambushing Indian tribes. The author covers a lot of ground in this book including the lengthy so-called Mormon Wars. Mark Twain once visited Utah and saw Mormon women and: “He thought they were homely creatures and opined that a man that marries sixty of them has done a deed of open handed generosity.” Twain was known to be against what he called “ the savages “ and the writings of James Fenimore Cooper. I guess he didn’t like The Last of the Mohicans or The Deerslayer . By the way what does all those quotes from The Iliad by Homer have to do with this book. Okay, I get that the Troy and Indian Wars lasted ten years, but that’s it. This was an educational book, but if you have read my previous reviews, I like my non-fiction to read like fiction and this book was far from it. I have to put my neutral face on and say “huh?” I was taking a nap.

RATING: 3 out of 5 stars

Comment: I’m not surprised about Mark Twain’s comments, since he was a known racist. To criticize the great books written by James Fenimore Cooper is sacrilegious poppycock. I know, I know, Twain was a great writer and only reflective of his times, but his thoughts could have been kept to himself, and I’m a big fan of his novels. So who else do I think was a great western writer?

How about the great Zane Grey ( 1/31/1872-10/23/1939 ). Here is a man that went to the University of Pennsylvania on a baseball scholarship. He actually played one game in the major leagues, but ultimately became a dentist. He started to write as he was quickly bored with dentistry. He once said “ The Indian story has never been written. Maybe I am the man to do it.”

Zane’s greatest book is Riders of the Purple Sage ( 1912 ). Wikipedia says: “Riders of the Purple Sage tells the story of Jane Withersteen and her battle to overcome her persecution by members of her polygamous Mormon Church, a leader of which, Elder Tull, wants to marry her. Withersteen is supported by a number of Gentile friends, including Bern Venters and Lassiter, a famous gunman and killer of Mormons. Throughout most of the novel she struggles with her "blindness" in seeing the evil nature of her church and its leaders, trying to keep both Venters and Lassiter from killing her adversaries, who are slowly ruining her. Through the adoption of a child, Fay, she abandons her false beliefs and discovers her true love. A second plot strand tells of Venters and his escape to the wilderness with a girl named Bess, "the rustler's girl," whom he has accidentally shot. While caring for her, Venters falls in love with the girl, and together they escape to the East, while Lassiter, Fay, and Jane, pursued by both Mormons and rustlers, escape into a paradise-like valley by toppling a giant balancing rock, forever closing off the only way in or out.” The Mormon theme seems to be popular.

Another great book by Zane was The Long Star Ranger ( 1915 ). Wikipedia says: “Buck Duane is the son of a famous outlaw. Though an outlaw is not always a criminal, if the Rangers say he is an outlaw, its just as bad – he's a hunted man. After killing a man, Duane is forced to 'go on the dodge'. Duane turns up at an outlaw's hideout, still revolting at the idea of outlawry. Worse still, all the men he kills haunt him, for years. At the outlaw hideout, he meets a kidnapped, beautiful young woman and desires to see her free. In the second part of the book, Duane joins the Rangers, who want him to clear the frontier of outlaws, in return for the governor's pardon of his illegal deeds.” A great novel!

The third novel to talk about is Tonto Basin ( 1921 ).  Wikipedia says: “The story begins with 24 year old Jean Isbel in the last stages of a multi-week trip from Oregon to the frontier in Arizona where his family had moved four years earlier to start a cattle ranch. As he nears his destination he meets a woman in the woods, and falls in love at first sight. As they part they learn that they are mortal enemies. She is Ellen Jorth, and her family is locked in a deadly feud with his.

Jean dreads the part his father, Gaston, wants him to play in the feud. He can’t get Ellen out of his mind. They meet again and his words awake in her doubt and fear that her father, Lee Jorth, is not an honorable man but in fact a horse thief and cattle rustler. As events unfold her fears are proved true. Through thick and thin Jean Isbel defends Ellen’s honor and believes the best of her.

The feud erupts into fatal gun battles, first at the Isbel ranch house, and then at the general store in the nearby town. Most of the Isbel and Jorth clans are killed, with several of their allies. The remnant of the Jorths flee with Ellen in tow to a hide-out hidden in a deep box cañon.

Jean and his allies track them and there is a deadly gun battle in the woods nearby. Ellen is forced by one of the three remaining Jorth allies to flee once again. During their flight their horse is shot out from under them. Ellen now on foot meets one of the dying Isbels and finally learns the certain truth that her father, family, and their allies were horse thieves and cattle rustlers as she feared.

When she finally makes her way back to the hide-out, she arrives just after Jean has been forced to take refuge in the loft, unknown to her. One of the two remaining rustlers attacks her with rape in mind but is interrupted by the arrival of the other rustler. Ellen discovers Jean during this interruption. When the rustler returns a few minutes later, Ellen is forced to kill him to protect herself and Jean. A minute later Jean kills the last rustler.

The story ends with Jean and Ellen declaring their love for each other.”

BORN ON A MOUNTAINTOP

“Kilt him a b’ar when he was only three.” Grab your coonskin cap, powder horn, toy musket, rubber tipped arrows and get ready...Davy’s back! It’s Davy Crockett, the legend that will not go away. I was ten years old when Walt Disney decided to promote “Frontierland” at Disneyland by hiring Fess Parker to portray Davy Crockett for five episodes between December 1954 and February 1955. Well, Bob Thompson has written a book reminiscent of “On the Road with Charles Kuralt ”, except the author is stalking only one person... the famous Davy Crockett. Mr. Thompson retraces Davy’s life throughout Tennessee, Alabama, Baltimore, Washington D.C., Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, and finally San Antonio, Texas, where he meets his demise at the age of 49. This is a wonderful book, but still leaves the reader with the question - What made Davy famous to begin with? So many of Davy’s accomplishments are agreed upon or rejected as myth by so many historians and eye witness accounts that the reader doesn’t know what to believe. Does it matter? I don’t think so since little proof exist about many of the exploits of the late 1700’s and 1800’s frontiersmen. Did Daniel Boone and Kit Carson (see Blood and Thunder) really do all the things the pulp novels and almanacs say they did? It is known that many of the stories were made up for monetary purposes only, and as the years went on, a copious amount of them were accepted as pure lore.

The author tells the reader that the idea for this book came about as he was driving with his daughters, Lizzie and Mona, and the Burl Ives song came on the radio: “Born on a mountaintop in Tennessee...” (The Ballad Of Davy Crockett). This piqued the girls interest in Davy, Andrew Jackson, and eventually, Abe Lincoln. It also lit a fire in Bob Thompson and stimulated him to hit the road and find the real Davy Crockett. So off to Tennessee he goes. He finds Davy to be a semi-illiterate poor farmer of nine siblings. The author finds many museums and the Davy Crockett State Park in Tennessee with curators and relatives of Davy’s willing to tell their stories. Davy, still unknown at twenty seven, joins the Tennessee militia to fight the marauding Creek indians, who are on a murdering rampage. Davy runs for Colonel in the local militia and wins. His beloved wife Polly dies and he marries a widow with two kids, Elizabeth Patton. He runs for state legislature and wins. Other than the fact that he was elected to a state office, a known bear hunter, and an indian fighter, I still don’t see how his legend started. He was a dirt poor tenant farmer. Davy then runs for Congress as the advocate for the poor man and wins. While in Congress, other congressman considered him a hick. ”He had been told that he did not understand English grammar. That was very true. He had never been six months at school in his life.”

Davy makes an enemy out of President Andrew Jackson.  Davy can’t get his poor man’s free land bill passed but gets re-elected anyway. Davy is still a poor tenant farmer, but his uniqueness earns him some tall tales. His slogan “Always be sure you are right, then go ahead” appears in almanacs along with other suspect quotes by Davy. Many books are written about Crockett’s adventures, true or not. Davy is defeated by a Jackson crony. “At age 45, he was a dirt poor tenant farmer once again.” Davy later wins election to congress from a new district in Tennessee. While congress is in session, Davy takes his autobiography (most likely written by a friendly congressman) on tour! According to Bob Thompson, this is probably the first book tour in the USA. Unfortunately, hobnobbing with the rich and famous while on tour causes Davy to lose the support of his poor Tennessee voters. He is defeated by a peg-legged Adam Huntsman. Davy forgot the country saying, “Don’t get above your raisin’ “, meaning: “Don’t forget who you are; don’t leave your people behind.” Davy’s reaction to losing his congressional seat was ”Since you have chosen to elect a man with a timber toe to succeed me, you may all go to hell and I will goe to Texas.” Davy Crockett, “half man, half legend-was setting out for his last adventure of his life at age 49, but he was still dirt poor. And we are only half way through this intriguing book. The best is yet to come because the author and several Crockettologists discuss Davy's death at the Alamo. A Mexican officer's manuscript and The Dolson Letter put Davy's reputation in jeopardy. I found this part of the book mind-blowing! This is a must read book.

I’m still mystified by this iconic hero, known as Davy Crockett. Published Crockett almanacs state that the following are some true happenings: “He halted a charging bear just by staring at him.”; “He sang duets with a friendly buffalo who had a fine bass voice.”; and Davy is reported to have written this last entry in his journal at the Alamo: “Pop, pop, pop! Bom, bom, bom! Throughout the day-no time for memorandums now. Go ahead!-Liberty and independence for ever!” I don’t know, what do you think? (Just kidding.) Many historians believe (according to the author) that Davy didn’t know anything about Texas’s fight for independence when he wandered into the skirmish between the Texians and Gen.Santa Anna of Mexico. He saw it as an opportunity to finally get his own land for his family (he had six children from two wives) and a way to get back into politics as the representative for the new territory of Texes (the spelling at the time). Bob Thompson says that four movies were made about Davy in the early 1900s; then, interest about Davy Crockett waned until Walt Disney decided to resurrect Davy with Fess Parker, who, by the way, played Daniel Boone in the 1960's. This is a remarkable book for any reader interested in history and folklore. As a side note, there is no known meeting between Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone, even though they were alive together for 34 years and Kentucky (Boone) and Tennessee (Crockett) abut each other. Go figure.

RATING: 5 out of 5 stars

Comment: Davy Crockett, a man with hardly any formal education, is credited with many sayings and axioms.The reader has to determine if they are real or fabricated. The following Crockett quotes are reported to be true and are provided by Wikiquote:
“I would rather be beaten and be a man than to be elected and be a little puppy dog. I have always supported measures and principles and not men. I have acted fearless[ly] and independent and I never will regret my course. I would rather be politically buried than to be hypocritically immortalized.” This is from a letter, after Davy was defeated in the 1830 election.
“I am now here in Congress... I am at liberty to vote as my conscience and judgment dictates to be right, without the yoke of any party on me, or the driver at my heels, with his whip in hand, commanding me to ge-wo-haw, just at his pleasure. Look at my arms, you will find no party hand-cuff on them!” Part of a letter reported in Davy’s 1834 book A Narrative of the Life of David Crockett .
“I am sorry to say I do doubt the honesty of many men that are called good at home, that have given themselves up to serve a party. I am no man's man. I bark at no man's bid. I will never come and go, and fetch and carry, at the whistle of the great man in the white house, no matter who he is. And if this petty, un-patriotic scuffling for men, and forgetting principles, goes on, it will be the overthrow of this one happy nation, and the blood and toil of our ancestors will have been expended in vain.” From Davy’s tour to the North and Down East in 1835.
“I must say as to what I have seen of Texas, it is the garden spot of the world. The best land & best prospects for health I ever saw is here, and I do believe it is a fortune to any man to come here. There is a world of country to settle.” From a letter to his children on 1/9/1836, a couple of months before his death.
“We have the right as individuals, to give away as much of our own money as we please in charity; but as members of Congress we have no right to appropriate a dollar of the public money.” In a speech to the US House of Representatives.
“Although our great man at the head of the nation, has changed his course, I will not change mine. ... I was also a supporter of this administration after it came into power, and until the Chief Magistrate changed the principles which he professed before his election. When he quitted those principles, I quit him. I am yet a Jackson man in principles, but not in name... I shall insist upon it that I am still a Jackson man, but General Jackson is not; he has become a Van Buren man.” Davy talking about President Andrew Jackson.
“I have never knew what it was to sacrifice my own judgment to gratify any party and I have no doubt of the time being close at hand when I will be rewarded for letting my tongue speak what my heart thinks. I have suffered myself to be politically sacrificed to save my country from ruin and disgrace and if I am never again elected I will have the gratification to know that I have done my duty.” Comment by Davy on his final election defeat on 8/11/1835.  

the GOLIATH STONE

It’s 2051 and a ‘dinosaur killer’ asteroid is heading for earth. Is this the same asteroid that the Watchstar people sent a rocket  with nanotechnology into outer space to meet twenty-five years ago? The craft’s mission was to bring the asteroid into earth’s orbit for mining purposes. But when the nanobots reached the asteroid, they were never heard from again. Welcome to the world of puzzlement and wonder. By that I mean it’s a world of: nanorobotics ( bots ) killing, or curing people; politics too muddled to understand ( at least for me ); indian tribes that are now the athletic and intellectual elite of the world; and people who could change their appearance and health by the type and amount of bots put into their system. I’ve read many of Larry Niven’s books, and this is the first time that I didn’t understand every concept. Is it his writing partner, Matthew Joseph Harrington’s fault? By the way, why do all these sci-fi writers take on partners? This book gave me a dose of author Vernor Vinge’s addling thoughts. I did like the book, but didn’t like having to refer to Wikipedia for scientific lucidity. Also as usual, Niven gets away with having way too many named characters by having a ‘cast and crew’ list in front of the novel. How about 51 notable personage, including the three main bot entities.

When The Briareus Project failed to bring back an asteroid into earth’s orbit for industrial mining, the company dissolved. However the main nano engineer, Dr. Toby Glyer, switched gears and became a physician in Switzerland who cures ailments with bots. Rocket scientist and test pilot May Wyndham is a patient/lover of Toby’s. They live in a world similar to Ayn Rand’s John Galt in Atlas Shrugged . By that I mean they live in their own world with discerning intellects who have given up on world politics and squabbles. The leader of The Joint Negotiating Alliance of Indian Affairs ( JNAIT ), Mycroft Yellowhorse, is in Toby’s circle of friends. His group is now recognized by most of the world as a nation, having their own currency and stamps. He is joined by a disillusioned and fired Department of Homeland Security analyst, Alice Johnson. These four will arrive in Ecuador against the backdrop of the Olympics ( the Indians filled with bots are dominating ) to figure out how to stop the 200 billion ton asteroid travelling at four miles per second and guided by nanorobotics.

Meanwhile China tries to stop the asteroid with catastrophic results ( you will have to read the novel to find out what happened ). Now it’s a race between the U.S.A. and the JNAIT to see who can build a spaceplane capable of stopping the asteroid. Both nations have good reasons to get there first. Meanwhile, the bots on the asteroid are watching all this transpire with their huge bot-made telescope! The second half of the novel is filled with tension and new developments. Like Niven’s Footfall , this is where he earns his reputation as one of sci-fi’s foremost authors. Whereas I might have been a little discombobulated with some of the scientific premises of the novel, It’s still classic Larry Niven and highly recommendable.

RATING: 4 out of 5 stars

Comment: I’m assuming that the reason for Niven’s partnerships with other authors is based on output. He can simply publish more books per year. His partners have included Edward M. Lerner, Robert Mandell, Jerry Pournelle, Stephen Hickman, Poul Anderson, Dean Ing, Gregory Benford, and illustrator, Sean Lam. These are all successful writers in their own right.

In Goodquotes.com, Larry was quoted as saying: “We need to take command of the solar system to gain that wealth, and to escape the sea of paper our government is becoming, and for some decent chance of stopping a Dinosaur Killer asteroid.” I’m assuming he was talking about the novel I just reviewed. Niven’s previous novel Bowl of Heaven written with Gregory Benford is not getting good reviews. Amazon shows a rating less than three stars with 129 customer reviews. This can’t be good news for Niven since I believe he wants Bowl of Heaven to be the first in a series similar to the many Ringworld novels.

I mentioned Poul Anderson in the first paragraph of this comment section. He was one of si-fi’s most prolific writers. He garnered seven Hugo Awards and three Nebula Awards before he passed on in 2001. Some of his notable works (courtesy Wikipedia) are as follows:
Tau Zero -” Tau Zero is a hard science fiction novel by Poul Anderson. The novel was based upon the short story "To Outlive Eternity" appearing in Galaxy Science Fiction in 1967. It was first published in book form in 1970.”
The Broken Sword - “The Broken Sword is a fantasy novel written by Poul Anderson in 1954. It was issued in a revised edition by Ballantine Books as the twenty-fourth volume of their Ballantine Adult Fantasy series in January 1971.”
Hoka! - Hoka! is a collection of science fiction and fantasy stories by Poul Anderson and Gordon Dickson. It was first published by Wallaby in 1983.”
Earthman's Burden - “ Earthman's Burden is a collection of science fiction and fantasy stories by Poul Anderson and Gordon Dickson. It was first published by Gnome Press in 1957. The story "Don Jones" was original to this collection. “
There Will Be Time -”There Will Be Time is a science fiction novel by Poul Anderson. It was published in 1972 in a hardback edition by Doubleday and in 1973 in a paperback edition by New American Library.”

DIVAS by the RIVER

The author sent me a copy of this novel to review:

I loved the atmosphere of this maiden novel by Juno Ross. Many years ago, I was in New Orleans for a few days, and in the evening I walked the streets of this wonderful city. I would pop in various clubs for a jazz set and a scotch, then move on to the next club for an encore till the wee hours of the morning. Now, thanks to Juno Ross, I know what goes on behind the scenes. I honestly didn’t think I was going to like this novel, until about 100 pages into it. The novel seemed to have way too many characters, which in my mind is a huge error. The reader doesn’t want to remember 30 plus people and what they do for a living. Most successful writers keep the named characters down to three to a maximum of ten ( see Cormac McCarthy novels, especially The Road (Oprah's Book Club) ). However, Juno managed to pull it off. I was able to remember who was who. Surprisingly, I didn’t have that nonplussed look, I was mindful that Stu was on guitar, and Hans on the bass ( both minor named characters ).  So congratulations to a new author, Juno Ross. Juno is just one of the many nascent authors that I have read this year who could be the bellwethers of future literature.

The story is not in New Orleans, but in the D.C./ Virginia area on the Potomac River. Basically we follow the aspiring careers of three jazz singers trying to make a success. We meet Lorraine Gilligan, a talented college student who can sing scat (skeep-beep de bop-bop beep bop bo-dope skeetle-at-de-op-de-day); Avis, the singer in her husband’s trio, who is unsure of the direction her family is taking; and Izzy, the cross-dressing heir to billions. Essentially, the chapters rotate between these three singers. Initially, I thought this style of writing was a bit muddled, but as the novel progressed, the reader saw how these chapters were going to unite. As I said before, we had a lot of characters, but we also had many jazz clubs, such as: The Fishtown Cafe, Gustave’s, Nitzka’s Restaurant, Mr. Cobblestone’s, and The Four Dudes. It’s amazing how the reader was able to remember all these facets. Now, we come to the important sidebar characters: Tips, Avis’s husband; Hardy Knox, the geezer emcee; Jim, the influential waiter; Contessa Baronessa L’Marquis, the wealthy 67 or 78 year old pianist; Dahlia, a singer; and William Leiderhaus, a bandleader/pianist. After a fashion, all of these characters and places collide to make a marvelous novel. I haven’t told you too much, so you have no reason not to buy your own copy of this avant-garde novel to enjoy.

I’m starting to like this Southern Gothic genre, especially by new authors like Juno Ross. I know the classic writers, such as, Tennessee Williams, Harper lee, and William Faulkner have their vintage novels in place, but it’s time to welcome new writers to this popular genre. You might ask: What are some of the rules of Southern Gothic literature? Lets see, does Juno have a disturbed character? Yes, we have William Leiderhaus ( and a few more ). Do we have a ostracized person? Yes, we have Izzy. Does the novel have repressed people?  Yes, we have all the singers. If you put all these facts together, this novel fits the Southern Gothic genre requirements. I highly recommend this inaugural novel by Juno Ross.

RATING: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Comment: If you’ve followed my reviews and comments, you know that I’ve talked about Southern Gothic literature before. But not the great ‘jazz’ books. According to Theguardian here are some books that you can enjoy:
 
Coming Through Slaughter by Michael Ondaatje. “This is a brilliant novel imagining Buddy Bolden, the man many feel more or less invented jazz in New Orleans at the turn of the 20th century in New Orleans. There is no known recording of Bolden's music. And he spent the last decades of his life in a mental institution. Ondaatje's genius here is to re-invent Bolden and the world of Storyville – New Orleans Red Light District – and make us hear the music he played."

Jazz by Toni Morrison. “Set in Harlem during the Jazz Age, this is the story of interlocking characters in New York and how they made the journey north—tragic, ecstatic, terrible, thrilling. Morrison is one of the few authors who can really make her prose swing, can make you feel what jazz music meant, felt like, did to people, in its first great era."

 Pops: A Life of Louis Armstrong by Terry Teachout. “A terrific and comprehensive biography of the most important figure in jazz, Pops gives you a fully realised Louis Armstrong. And Armstrong not only changed the way music was played, he changed American popular singing. Tony Bennett once said, "If you're not singing like Louis, you're not singing American."
Who could forget Louis singing: “I see skies of blue...Clouds of white...Bright blessed days...Dark sacred nights...And I think to myself...What a wonderful world.” It doesn’t get better than that.

Sweet Thunder: The Life and Times of Sugar Ray Robinson by Wil Haygood. “Sugar Ray Robinson was a boxer, or course, but this wonderful biography taught me more about the world of jazz – its ecology – than almost any other. Here is a portrait of black America, the "Sepia World" from the 1930s on. Robinson carted an old record player with him along with records – Duke Ellington, Fats Waller – so he could warm up to music. Then, he would go into the ring, as Haygood writes, "guided by the jazz in his head and the beckoning lights". He loved musicians, and they loved him. He was "the first modern prizefighter to take culture — music and grace and dance — into the ring with him." The last time I saw Sugar was in the early sixties walking down the street in Waikiki, Hawaii with a beautiful girl on each arm. After all those fights, I couldn’t see a mark on his face.

Murder Takes Time

The author sent me a copy of this novel to review:

This is one of the better mob/mafia novels that I have read in a long time. How long? I have to go back to 1969’s The Godfather by Mario Puzo, and 1971’s Honor Thy Father by Gay Talese. I’m not suggesting that Mr. Giammatteo’s novel is in the rarefied air of the two previously mention novels, but it does deserve an honorable mention. This is a accomplished first novel by a self proclaimed full-time job headhunter, and part-time writer. Giacomo is amongst many new writers that I have read this year that deserve prominence with a major publisher. What does it take for a writer to get the proper recognition? I’m not saying that there aren’t any flaws in Giacomo’s novel, but there are a lot more positives versus imperfections. We will talk about that later.

The novel is about four friends living in Wilmington, Delaware, who starting at the age of six swear an oath of friendship and honor to each other. The story switches back and forth between their childhood and the present. The narrator sometimes is a third person, sometimes Nicky ‘the Rat’ Fusco (out of a story Det. Frankie ‘Bugs’ Donovan is writing?). They usually alternate chapters; although near the end, they narrate in the same chapter. I know it sounds confusing, but Giacomo’s writing style facilitates the reader through any confusion. His great job of artistic creation is a breath of fresh air. Anyway, as the boys grow up, they wind up in N.Y.C after some trials and tribulations (mostly, Nicky’s). Paulie ‘the Suit’, Tony ‘the Brain’, and Nicky ‘the Rat’ end up in the mob family of Tito Martelli. ‘Bugs’ Donovan ends up on the Brooklyn Police Department as a detective. Mobsters start dying horrible deaths. Bugs Donovan is on the case, or is he? What’s Nicky mad about? Why does Tony fear what Nicky might find out? Is Paulie involved? Believe it or not, the author provides the reader with many reasons to root for each character. As the gruesome murders continue, the plot thickens. The story burst outwards with more murders and suspicions. Who is doing all the killing and why? This is where the reader needs to buy his own copy of this exciting novel. Believe me, it’s worth it.

I found interest with other characters, as well, which means the writer did his job. Sister Thomas, Mamma Rosa, Gina, Johnny Muck, and Angela were excellent sidebar characters to this tale. Now, for the flaws. I know Giacomo grew up in the Wilmington area, but do six year olds really smoke? Could all these murders against hardened criminals really have been accomplished by one man? Finally, I found the ending a little predictable and hackneyed. However, I enjoyed the story... it’s not Mickey Spillane, but who is?

RATING: 4 out of 5 stars

Comment: The Godfather spawned many famous quotes such as: “I believe in America. America’s made my fortune.”, or... “Look, we are all reasonable men here. We don’t have to give assurances, as if we were lawyers.”, or... “I like to drink wine more than I used to. Anyway, I’m drinking more.”, or... “It doesn’t make any difference to me what a man does for a living, you understand. But your business is a little dangerous.”, or... “I don’t like violence, Tom. I’m a businessman. Blood is a big expense.”, and the most famous of all...”I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse.” Wow, do you remember when in the book these quotes were made and by who?

The 1997 film Donnie Brasco also had many famous quotes. How about this one...”If I come out alive, this guy, Lefty, ends up dead. That’s the same thing as me putting a bullet in his head myself.”( Donnie Brasco ), or...”When they send for you, you go in alive, you come out dead, and it’s your best friend that does it.” ( Lefty ), or...”How much did you give that guy? A wiseguy never pays for his drinks.” ( Lefty ). My favorite lines are when Donnie says...”You think I’m a rat?”, and Lefty says...”How many times have I had you in my house? If you’re a rat, then I’m the biggest mutt in the history of the Mafia.” Well, if you saw this classic film: Bark! Bark!

After reading Giacomo’s, Murder Takes Time, it seems to me that he followed the advice Mickey Spillane once gave. According to brainyquote.com, he said...”Nobody reads a mystery to get to the middle. They read it to get to the end. If it’s a letdown, they won’t buy anymore. The first page sells that book. The last page sells your next book.”

The HOBBIT

The following is the second guest review from my nine year old grandson, Kai Ohlarik:
 

The Hobbit is a great book. I enjoyed the author’s style because it is very creative; for example, in the beginning of the book, the characters meet trolls, but he made the trolls turn to stone in the sun, instead of the trolls just being unaffected by the sun like normal trolls.

The story is about Bilbo, the hobbit, and his unexpected adventure to retrieve the dwarves lost treasure from Smaug, who is a dragon. Bilbo, on his adventure, is accompanied by a company of 23 dwarves. On their journey, they have to deal with goblins and wargs, who eventually team up. By the end, they are being hunted by the lakemen, elves, goblins, and wargs. Will they ever get the lost treasure back? Read the book to find out.  

Bilbo, a very lively hobbit, lives in a town where all the houses are carved into hills. I admire Bilbo’s bravery the most, because he puts himself in risky situations to show he is brave. Gandalf, a good hearted wizard, was responsible for Bilbo’s whole adventure. I admire that Gandalf never gives up; for example, when they were all hiding from wolves in trees, Gandalf started throwing flaming pine cones at them, and he kept throwing them till the wolves ran.

I thought this book was the best I ever read. I like it more than anything. I would recommend this book because I think it is very well written, and I think it is very exciting. I would recommend this book to fourth graders and up, especially fantasy lovers.

RATING: 5 out of 5 stars

Comment: Kai is now tackling the more difficult three-book epic, The Lord of the Rings. J.R.R. Tolkien is considered the father of high fantasy, even though many fantasy authors have preceded him with vintage novels. The first one that comes to mind is Lewis Carroll’s Alice's Adventures In Wonderland , which was published 90 years before Tolkien’s trilogy. The second novel that I recall is Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver's Travels, published 229 years before Tolkien’s classics. Recently, the author of The Pecan Man , Cassie Selleck, saw my grandson’s picture on this blog and said, “Best to you and your grandson! Keep ‘Im reading!” Cassie says that using her southern gothic ambiance.

BETWEEN MAN and BEAST

Is this a non fiction book that reads like fiction? Yes and no. There was plenty of history, but it could have been presented with a little more panache. If you have read my reviews, you know that this style of writing is my favorite genre...but don’t do it half way. I liked this book, however it could have been written in a way that would have resulted in many nail-biting chapter endings. Monte Reel, you were so close to perfection! You have a 5’ 3’’ unknown explorer who had the guts to stand up to a furious gorilla charge as your main character. According to your own research, the first white man to encounter this highly debatable relative of man is Paul Du Chaillu. You wrote an interesting tale, but you had the wherewithal at your fingertips to tell it in a more intoxicating style. This explorer, Paul Du Chaillu, in 2013 is practically incognito. Nobody in the mid to late 1800s understood who he was, just imagine what today’s students know about Du Chaillu. Nothing! I see a book that could have been written with more flare and page turning capabilities. Okay, enough said, it was still a reasonable success.

This is the story of Paul Du Chaillu of dubious parentage being brought up by the missionaries' John and Jane Wilson in Gabon, West Africa. Eventually, Wilson gets Du Chaillu a job as a French teacher in Carmel, NY. Once in America, Du Chaillu’s African stories get to John Cassin, head of Philadelphia’s Academy of Natural Sciences. Paul earns a paid expedition back to Africa to find and send back specimens of unknown animals and birds. He sends back many stuffed specimens over the next three years, but becomes famous for being the first white man to encounter a gorilla. Once back in America, Paul finds that there is little interest in his findings, and The Academy of Natural Sciences refuses to reimburse his expedition expenses. When Paul tries to display his gorilla skins in NYC, he is out maneuvered by P.T. Barnum’s Broadway museum. Monte Reel’s prose had this reviewer rooting hard for this would be explorer with no credentials.

During this time period, Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species is published in England, sparking debates pro and con. Suddenly Paul’s encounter with gorillas becomes meaningful. Richard Owen, superintendent of all the natural history collections at the British Museum, invites Paul to England to " show and tell " his African expedition experiences. Guess what? England loves him! Since Paul isn’t a “educated” explorer, he has his backers and attackers. Stories are written about him by the great Charles Dickens and William Makepeace Thackeray in their respective magazines. All is good! Not. Here comes the attack on his story and qualifications by England’s zoological society’s head, John Gray, and a jealous retired explorer, Charles Waterton. Ladies and gentleman, let the gorilla wars begin! This is where the novel gets intriguing and the ensuing chapters magnetic.

I haven’t read Reel’s first book, The Last of the Tribe , but I have to say that Monte Reel has the knack for writing novels about uncommon subjects that are irreproachably researched. My only criticism is his occasional lack of verve. If you don’t know what I mean, read Robert Klara’s FDR's Funeral Train , Candice Millard’s Destiny of the Republic , or Erik Larson’s The Devil in the White City . Nonetheless, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and profoundly endorse Monte Reel’s latest book.

RATING: 4 out of 5 stars

Comment: It has been said that the 1933 film King Kong , created by Merian C. Cooper was inspired by Paul Chaillu’s adventures in Africa. According to Wikipedia: “ Cooper's fascination with gorillas began with his boyhood reading of Paul Du Chaillu's Explorations and Adventures in Equatorial Africa (1861) and was furthered in 1929 by studying a tribe of baboons in Africa while filming The Four Feathers. Paul’s influence in books and movies is quite incredible. Darwin’s theories seem to be alive in this movie also: “Merian C. Cooper wanted King Kong to be more of an ape, but Willis O'Brien wanted King Kong to be more of a human being. A compromise was met with King Kong being made into an apeman.”

In 1949, the movie Mighty Joe Young also had the flavor of Paul Du Chaillu’s adventures: “In Africa, the girl Jill Young trades a baby gorilla with two natives and raises the animal. Twelve years later, the talkative and persuasive promoter Max O'Hara organizes a safari to Africa with the Oklahoma cowboy Gregg to bring attractions to his new night-club in Hollywood.” The oddity here is that the actor, Robert Armstrong, plays a similar showman in both movies: Carl Denham in King Kong and Max O’hara in Mighty Joe Young. Armstrong played a similar part for a third time in Son of Kong ( 1933 )

White Pongo ( a 1945 film ) relates to some of Monte Reel’s storyline: “Hunters and scientists venture into the jungle to track down a savage albino gorilla, which they believe could be the missing link between man and ape." Sounds like the title of Reel’s book, doesn’t it? This 1856 expedition to Africa has had a lasting impression on Hollywood, even though the average human has never heard of Paul Du Chaillu.

Finally, as a sidebar to Monte’s book, here is what some tribes in Africa thought about America’s slave trade: “One of them confessed to Paul that his tribe had heard stories about the fiercely cannibalistic ways of white men. Paul's first instinct was to laugh him off as a simple minded fool. But the legend hadn't been conjured from thin air. When Paul tried to assure him that white men didn't eat black men, the man confronted him with a direct challenge: explain why they bought and sold Africans as if they were cattle, not human beings."Why do you come from nobody knows where, and carry off our men, and women, and children?" the man asked Paul. "Do you not fatten them in your far country and eat them?”