Many people have commented over the years that the participants on Village 14 sure seem to have a lot of time on their hands.
So, I’d like to presume, that includes time to read books, right?
So tell us. what’s the best book you read this summer. Any why?
Hillbilly Elegy, by JD Vance.
Astral Weeks: A Secret History of 1968 by Ryan H. Walsh, which tells the history of the Boston music scene during that year. There is a wide focus, including, for example, Van Morrison’s year in Boston and the writing of Astral Weeks; the Jim Kweskin Jug Band’s demise and Mel Lyman’s formation of the Lyman Family, the Fort Hill Community in Roxbury, and the underground newspaper Avatar; “the night James Brown Saved Boston;” and the bands that were a part of the “Boston Sound.” Newton even makes an appearance, as the home of Timothy Leary.
Radical Markets by Glen Weyl. Resuscitates the great liberal tradition of Henry George and his 19th century peers.
Chernow’s Grant. Until reading this, I was under the impression that the North won the Civil War. By my count we are on Civil War IV.
A memoir called Educated by Tara Westover. She was raised by super religious conspiracy theorists who refused to send her to school. She wound up getting into BYU with no previous formal education.
I had two favorites, but since Educated was already mentioned…
Americanah, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. A beautifully written and entertaining story that is also a powerful examination of race and immigration.
@Jay– There is an absolutely amazing underground DVD of James Brown’s 1968 Boston Garden concert originally taken from the live feed on PBS. You can usually find copies available on eBay. I worked with James Brown several times as a concert promoter. He truly was the “hardest working man in show biz.” People should remember what a great thing he did for Boston in the aftermath of Dr. King’s murder.
Chernow’s Grant, Read several Civil War books, But this goes in great depth on the Administration of our 18th President
Beneath a Scarlet Sky – A Novel by Mark Sullivan. It’s the remarkable story of Giuseppe “Pino” Lella, a teenager during the German occupation of northern Italy toward the end of WWII. His story goes from escorting Jews across the Italian Alps to Switzerland to becoming a spy for the Allies while being the driver for the German officer who was the architect for Hitler in northern Italy.
@Mike Striar: Thanks for letting me know. I’ve seen a documentary about the show, and clips of it, but never a full recording–I’ll take a look. I’m sad that I never got to see James Brown perform live. I wish that more classic soul artists would play Boston these days.
“Hard to Forget: An Alzheimer’s Story,” by none other than Newton’s own Charlie Pierce (an occasional acquaintance). His reporting on the public and medical history of Alzheimer’s is stellar, and the personal and familial perspectives he offers are candid, honest, scary, poignant, even funny, all without self-pity. The man can write, period full stop.
A River Runs Through It, by Norman MacLean. One of my favorites, and I’ve been drawn back to it due to a son who loves to fish and is learning to love to read. And occasionally I’m haunted by waters as well, so there is some personal pull there. If you haven’t read it, if you have a sibling, if you have family you struggle to understand and help, I highly recommend it.
Also, to second what Mike said about James Brown, I recently heard a NPR report about that 1968 concert. What an amazing story.
Currently reading The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen. Will need to get further into it to comment, though it’s great so far and my husband and son both loved it. It intrigued me for two reasons: the Vietnam War era and its ending was a transformative period in my life. In addition, a member of my family was airlifted out of Vietnam during the last days of the war as a five year old and he’s been an inspirational influence in my life.
“Rocket Men: The Daring Odyssey of Apollo 8 and the Astronauts Who Made Man’s First Journey to the Moon” , by Robert Kurson.
@Jane The Sympathizer is one of my favorite books. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did. It captures, so well, what it’s like to be Asian-American minus the murders and assassinations.
“Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup”. The story of Theranos and it’s founder Elizabeth Holmes. How the great story we want to believe in was a fraud.
“Hue 1968: A Turning Point of the Vietnam War”. An in depth account of the seminal battle of the Tet offensive by a terrific storyteller, Mark Bowden (Black Hawk Down).
I also enjoyed two very different non-fiction choices: “The Halifax Explosion”, and “Tiger Woods” or how to screw up your kid…
The Sympathizer was a last summer fave and I’m really looking forward to “Astral Weeks”(my favorite album).
I’ll need to check out “The Halifax Explosion.” I read “The Curse of the Narrows” on the same topic and it was a great book. I went light this summer, topic-wise, if not page-wise, and read Stephen King’s “The Stand.” It’s one of his supernatural books rather than horror. I was going to Telluride for the Bluegrass Festival and wanted a book that took place in Colorado. It only has partial Colorado setting and is a beast for flying, at 1200 pages. But the flight time helped crank through it!
Okay, I’ll admit to not reading it cover to cover as my husband did, but Gene was excellent. I admire a scientist who can explain complex topics with a very readable style
“America for Beginners” by Leah Franqui. A road trip story by a first-time novelist featuring three unique and unlikely companions. A special book.
Enlightenment Now by Steven Pinker. People have always felt like the world is falling apart, and today is no exception. Pinker proves that things are getting better and tells us why. The trend is decidedly optimistic, but not a reason for complacency. Quite the contrary: the book stresses that humans have a remarkable ability to solve the big problems that confront them, so instead of brooding about the end of the world, we better get to work!
By the way, Greg, what a terrific thread to propose. Makes this site more like a Village and less like a debate platform.
I’d have to say Vodka Shot, Pickle Chaser. That guy Dave Kalis 🙂 tells a good story and its interesting to read it now when Russia is in the news so often.
@David Kalis – As president, I’d like to welcome you to the Village14 Shameless Huckster Club.
… I’ve read it and it IS really good.
@David Kalis – As president, I’d like to welcome you to the Village14 Shameless Huckster Club.
… I’ve read Vodka Shot … and it IS really good.
“Vacationland” by John Hodgman. But I also second Ted’s recommendation of Hillbilly Elegy – Read it on a few long flights last winter and highly recommend.
“Empire of Signs,” by Roland Barthes.
“The Unintended Reformation: How a Religious Revolution Secularized Society” by Brad Gregory
This summer I reread for probably the 20th time a book I’ve used as a geology reference and field guide for the past 17 years—–“Roadside Geology of Massachusetts” by James Skehan, SJ, Professor Emeritus in the Geology and Geophysics Department at Boston College. My copy is dogeared and falling apart. Unfortunately this has been out of print for the past several years, but there is a copy at the library.
I’ve been hooked on this state’s geology since I took a wonderful introductory course under Dr. Bob Nichols at Tufts in the 1950s. Skehan’s detailed and vibrant analysis is simply the best source out there. Through the rocks we see every day, you will come to visualize this area in ways you never imagined, but be prepared to be humbled at how insignificant our span of life and petty squabbles are in the greater scheme of things. The Grand Canyon is more fascinating to the eye than what we have here, but what we have here is actually far more complex and dynamic.
Here are are just a few of the interesting findings about the geology here.
1. The two most common bedrocks in Newton are Roxbury Conglomerate (Puddingstone) in the south of the City and Cambridge Shale (Mudstone) north of the Mass Pike. These were formed in violent volcanic eruptions about 650 to 700 million years ago as part of a giant formation centered at the time where the South Pole is now. Over many millions of years, they moved north with other formations and eventually collided with the rest of North America.
2. Southeastern Massachusetts ( centered around Norton and Mansfield) was the major coal producing center of America from before the American Revolution to the 1840s. This came from massive deposits of carbon that were deposited by dense vegetation 250 million years ago. This region produced coal for local use well into the 20th century, but it was inferior in quality to what was coming out of Appalachia.
3. Some of the very earliest forms of visible sea life in Braintree and Weymouth.
Both of my favorite books of the summer have already been mentioned but they’re worth mentioning again: Educated by Tara Westover and Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
I really enjoyed Hillbilly Elegy also.
One not mentioned here I would highly recommend is “ The Stranger In The Woods” by Michael Finkel, the true story of a man who lived alone in the Maine woods for 27 years. Well worth the read.
“How could this have happened?: Explaining the Holocaust” by Dan McMillan.
This lays out the major role that World War I had in laying the groundwork for World War Ii and the Holocaust. As we end the Centennial of “The War to end War” that cost my Granduncle Francis Yates and thousands of others their lives, I plan to read “The Vanguished” and “BloodLands’.”
If you haven’t checked it out, I highly recommend Post-Truth, by Newton’s own Lee McIntyre.
Great read about hot topics going on at the federal level but through a philosophical lens. And Lee is a great guy who you might remember as a strong advocate for dog parks in Newton.
@Bob Burke, it looks like Roadside Geology of New England can be bought new or used on Amazon.
I was interested to see that the author, James Skehan, is a Jesuit priest. It’s always refreshing to see religion and science agreeing.
I second Terry’s recommendation of Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup. It’s astonishing how many smart, well-respected people Elizabeth Holmes was able to swindle… the book can read like fiction at times.
Trust, but verify!
I also recommend Lee’s most excellent book, Post-Truth. (and not just because Bryan is thanked in the Introduction)
@Robert Welbourn. Unfortunately, this book has been out of print for more than 15 years and most of the few remaining ones being sold on line are in even worse shape than my own copy. And they want $130.00 and more for the few remaining unused copies. I’m just going to have my own copy rebound.
Jim Skehan is a Jesuit and my only complaint is that there’s almost too much detail in the book. It’s quite overwhelming at times.
There’s an old saying about Jesuits. When they are onto investigating something, they leave “no stone unturned”. In this case, that statement is both literally and figuratively true.
Great thread. I have read a lot of the books mentioned and now have my reading list planned out for the fall. Thanks Greg and everyone.