Central Park
Author: mkaustin221
Men to Avoid in Art and Life
Nicole Tersigni’s Men to Avoid in Art and Life is a recent book that provides hilarious feminist captions to classical paintings involving seeming concerned and well-intentioned men. It starts with a chapter entitled “The Mansplainer,” and that’s all you really need to go. I will just add that until this book I had never realized how many ways women can be depicted rolling their eyes in the face of masculine attention. This is a fine little book!
Stranger in the Shogun’s City — A Japanese Woman in Her World
Amy Stanley’s Stranger in the Shogun’s City — A Japanese Woman and Her World provides an unexpected and remarkable window into early 19th century Japan. Stanley, a history professor at Northwestern University, has carefully pieced together the life of Tsuneno and her family from their correspondence and various public records. The result is a highly unusual and profoundly human story. In this day and age, it’s not particularly shocking for a young person to leave her family and head to the big city. But there was nothing usual about the way Tsuneno chose to break with her family and spend her life in Edo (now Tokyo). I confess it never would have occurred to me that such a woman could ever have existed, and particularly not in Japan in the early 1800’s. Tsuneno’s life would seem to have been unique, and yet how much do we really know about the universe of women living in Japan in that era?
The inability of Tsuneno’s family to control her seems unfathomable, and yet that was undeniably the case. How did she even think to escape her secure and comfortable home? Fortunately, as much as Tsuneno’s family disapproved of her decision to live on her own in Edo, the family ties were never completely severed. Tsuneno and her exasperated family exchanged frank and often exasperated letters, and these letters and other records have been preserved.
Born in 1801 into the large family of a Buddhist priest and his wife, Tsuneno never fit the traditional mold and ultimately decided to got to Edo, where she lived in poverty . Her move to Edo in 1839 followed failed arranged marriages and divorces and was not supported by her family. In Edo, Tsuneno scraped by on her own initiative, even after she married a poor and unaffiliated samurai. Tsuneno’s work as a maid to a city magistrate put her right in the middle of public affairs.
Stranger in the Shogun’s City not only tells the story of an independent woman in the early nineteen century Japan, but it also provides a wealth of more general information about what life was like in those times. I highly recommend this book!
Writers and Lovers by Lily King
Lily King’s Writers and Lovers is one of the best books I have read in a long time. It follows the struggles of Casey Peabody as she tries to keep writing her novel. Casey is shell-shocked from the recent loss of her mother and leads a generally miserable, impoverished life. Still, she keeps writing, and resists easy diversions from her goal. She is offered outs, but declines. Her courage is remarkable, although she doesn’t seem to feel particularly courageous. She also faces desolate periods when she can’t write, and yet she persists.
The novel is very focused on writing and yet doesn’t dwell all that much about the act of writing itself. Instead you have a young woman who pursues her writing with considerable discipline, even as she deals with loss and romantic opportunities. This is someone who is willing to live in poverty and is drained by personal loss, but who still goes about the business of writing.
For me the book isn’t so much about the glory of writing as it is about pursuing an important goal while also living your life and dealing with the stuff that happens along the way. It is about being an adult and realizing that early success isn’t going to happen, that choices have to be made and that there will be lots of struggle. But it is also about being a kind person who does learn when and how she is willing to accept the kindness and help of others. Casey doesn’t need to be a maniacal asshole in order to write a great novel. She just needs to keep her focus, which requires strength and courage.
I loved this book and highly recommend it.
On the Laps of the Gods
On the Laps of the Gods by Robert Whitaker is a harrowing tale of racial violence that began when black sharecroppers decided to join together in Arkansas in 1919. Local white landlords had been ripping them off for years, when the sharecroppers worked out a feasible and distinctly non-violent plan to help get themselves paid what they were owed in a year when profits were expected to be very high. The pelting, horrific white-on-black violence that resulted turned the victims into villains; and the ensuing legal travesty unleashed yet more violence.
It is particularly disturbing to realize that this bold, murderous attack barely seems to rate a footnote in American history. Robert Whitaker has done a great service by bringing this terrifying saga to the forefront. He painfully illustrates that the initial mob violence was only the starting point. After that the white community as a whole joined together to throw due process out the window and to make victims pay. It was stunning to see how even the prosecutor who knew he had no case against the sharecroppers, nonetheless doggedly performed what he perceived to be his “duty.”
Just as Whitaker makes sure we get the full flavor and impact of this horrific display of civilly sanctioned murder, he also improbably provides a local hero in the form of Scipio Africanus Jones, a local black attorney. Jones was indefatigable, brave, daring and imaginative. It is as if this one case called upon everything he had ever learned and every helpful relationship he had ever fostered. The way in which he proceeded to change the law is stunning and beyond heroic.
For those of us who are lawyers or who like legal strategy, this book is unparalleled. Whitaker lays out the remarkable way in which one brilliant lawyer who refused to quit could change the legal landscape of the country. One argument led to another and when one path was cut off, another was found. One only wishes it could happen like this more often.
In the Laps of the Gods presents a gripping and essential piece of American history, and Robert Whitaker writes it brilliantly. I am so glad I read In the Laps of the Gods. I needed to know about what happened in Arkansas in 1919 and thereafter. It can’t be forgotten or shrouded and longer. I highly recommend this book.
The Knowledge, a Stellar Murder Mystery by Martha Grimes
Martha Grimes writes wonderful mysteries featuring Scotland Yard detective Richard Jury and his oddball friends. With The Knowledge, she has completely outdone herself, and Patty Haigh is the reason why. Patty is the most fascinating child protagonist ever, which is all I will say about her because readers deserve the pleasure of discovering Patty for themselves. I won’t even attempt to describe Patty or the part she plays in this wildly fun murder mystery which careens back and forth between London and Kenya and features wild animals, precious jewels, diabolical villains and some truly endearing loyalties.
We can all use some diversion about now, and The Knowledge, featuring Patty Haigh, is perfect! What a discovery!
The Marriage Bureau for Rich People by Farahad Zama
In these unsettled times, Farahad Zama’s The Marriage Bureau for Rich People offers the perfect read. The Marriage Bureau is warm, funny and clever. There’s not a lot of nasty in this novel. Instead you are drawn into the lives of the basically decent yet charmingly imperfect characters who are doing the best they can within their social and financial constraints.
The plot revolves around the marriage bureau the newly retired Mr. Ali starts on his porch. The bureau’s clients and their potential arranged marriages provide thoughtful texture and depth to the story. Mr. Ali is wonderfully observant and often quite good at his job. Better yet, Mr. Ali’s wife and their grown son force Mr. Ali to be a lot more interesting and reality oriented than he might otherwise be. The other part of the story involves Aruna, the young, impoverished assistant who is almost whimsically hired by Mrs. Ali. Aruna has an impoverished, difficult life, and her employment in a marriage bureau at times provides a grim irony. Still, Aruna is kind, intelligent and intuitive, She is also reasonably attractive. In short, Aruna is the perfect Jane Austen heroine.
Indeed this is a Jane Austen-like novel, so there is a lot of joy and humor in watching the story unfold. These are essentially good, kind people who have their troubles and their foibles. The author’s considerate treatment of his characters and his spot-on observations of their lives makes this a wonderfully warm and often funny book.
This was Farahad Zama’s first book. He has written few more, and I am tempted to find them. He tells a good story in clear, uncomplicated prose. I need this kind of book right now; we all do. Stay well!
The Wild Beasts of Wuhan, an Ava Lee Novel by Ian Hamilton
Given the current Coronavirus pandemic, I had to pick up Ian Hamilton’s The Wild Beasts of Wuhan, his third Ava Lee mystery. Apart from its fantastic title, this is the first book I’ve ever seen that has Wuhan in the title. In any event, I’m very happy I started reading The Wild Beasts of Wuhan, because it is is a deftly plotted and very fun mystery.
Ava Lee is a highly compensated, very cool collector of very large debts. She is also a specialist in some type of martial arts I’ve never heard of, but suffice it to say she can take anyone out. Quickly. Working with her highly connected Hong Kong based “Uncle,” Ava attracts demanding and dangerous clients and and then uses her special skill set and Uncle’s connections to find the money. Needless to say, this is very dangerous, and Ava comes up against all manner of villains, who add considerably to the richness of the story.
This mystery starts in Wuhan, China, but forces Ava Lee to travel to Hong Kong, London, Ireland, the Faroe Islands and New York. Ava’s travel arrangements and wardrobe selections feature prominently. I’m not sure why, but then why not. Ava also has an intense but troubling relationship with her girlfriend back in Toronto, so she juggles that along with her perilous mission.
Ava Lee is a great character, who makes an clever mystery even more interesting. This novel focuses on the art business, in particular the business of art forgery. It is a great subject, which greatly adds to the fun of reading this book. I love Fauvist painters, particularly Raul Dufy, and they just don’t often show up in novels of any kind, so that’s a plus here.
I recommend The Wild Beasts of Wuhan because of its exceptionally interesting detective and clever plot set against the powerful back drop of the shady international art world. Throw in some an exceptional assortment bad guys and significant ethical issues, and you have a great story.
The Aspirin Age — 1919/1941
The Aspirin Age is simply fantastic. Isabel Leighton presents eclectic essays by wonderful writers who cover some of the hottest topics and players from the period between World Wars I and II. Obvious subjects such as Versailles, Sacco and Vanzetti, the Depression and Pearl Harbor are discussed succinctly and brilliantly.
I was even more taken by the essays on less events and individuals, such as Aimee Semple McPherson, the charismatic conwoman/preacher who led a scandalous life, hogged the headlines and collected millions of dollars from her devoted followers. I particularly loved Gene Tunney’s thoughtful essay on how he developed his strategy for beating the brilliant heavyweight boxer Jack Dempsey. Keith Munro’a piece on the phenomenon of the Dionne Quintuplets was great fun and, like the pieces on McPherson and Lindbergh, provides bemused insight on the creation and fostering of celebrity.
For presidential history fans, there are great treatments of the brazen corruption that flourished under the hopelessly unqualified President Warren Harding. Even better was Irving Stone’s essay on Calvin Coolidge, “A Study in Inertia.” “Huey Long: American Dictator” is another brilliant and highly timely piece. Corruption is nothing new, but these pieces delve into the particularities of the period.
On a more idealistic note, Roscoe Drummond’s piece, “Wendell Wilkie: A Study in Courage” is a tribute to a politician who courageously chose to do what he believed was right for the country, even though it meant losing a presidential election. I didn’t know much about Wilkie previously and was really moved by Drummond’s admiration for an heroic figure.
ˆThe Aspirin Age” is ideal, both for history buffs who are familiar with the period and for folks who aren’t so familiar with the period, but want to get some idea of what happened between the two World Wars. By focusing on some of the most noted and notorious individuals of the day, Leighton provides a highly entertaining and informative smorgasbord, while at the same time offering a reasonably comprehensive overview of the time.
I believe this wonderful book is out of print, but happily I was able to find a reasonably priced used book on line, and I am so glad I did!
Artemis at Carnegie Hall on December 7, 2019
I don’t normally write about jazz concerts, but the December 7 performance by Artemis at Carnegie Hall was beyond spectacular! I haven’t felt such chills since I heard Ella Fitzgerald sing at Carnegie Hall in the early 1980’s. This group is special, very special. Comprised of seven brilliant and innovative women musicians, Artemis is a multi-generational, multinational octet. Each Artemis musician — Cecile McLorin Salvant (vocals), Renee Rosnes (music director and piano), Anat Cohen (clarinet and soprano saxophone), Melissa Aldana (tenor saxophone), Ingrid Jensen (trumpet), Noriko Ueda (bass) and Allison Miller (drums) — is a jazz star in her own right. Yet, when these stars come together, they sound as if they have been playing together forever. They play with love and generosity and great enthusiasm. Artemis’s musicians are excited about what they are doing, and so is the audience. No review can hope to capture the profound experience of hearing Artemis.
I’ve been a huge fan of the brilliant Israeli clarinetist Anat Cohen for years. She has a busy career heading her own group, but with Artemis, Cohen is an equal member of a captivating ensemble that features brilliant solos by everyone. I had never heard the French/Haitian singer Cecile McLorin Salvant before, and obviously that’s been my loss. Salvant was absolutely stunning — her gorgeous voice was uniquely clear and mellow. I could listen to her forever.
Each member of Artemis could be singled out for high praise, and yet the most striking thing about Artemis is how the group plays together and how the individual solos all complement the overall impact of the group.
Artemis is unique and special. It is what jazz should be. Happily Artemis will be releasing its first album in 2020. Look for it!
The Literate Beagle 