Dark of the Moon - John Sandford (Virgil Flowers)
Broken Prey - John Sandford (Lucas Davenport)
The Translator - Daoud Hari (Darfur)
Family History - Dani Shapiro (author of Devotion)
The Territory - Tricia Fields (Mexican cartel/Texas border town)
These are library books and need to be returned before I go up north. My reading has strayed to easy fiction lately, books I can read in a night, fortunately or unfortunately...it is what it is...
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Book: The Innocent Man by John Grisham
or Murder and Injustice in a Small Town
The town is Ada, Oklahoma, and Grisham spares no words in describing the errors and sloppiness that occurred in nearly every aspect of this case, involving lawyers (prosecution and defense) and the law enforcers (police) in Ada. It is a true story that is sad, outrageous, compelling and nearly unbelievable. John Grisham had "never heard of Ron Williamson and Dennis Fritz" while the events in this story were taking place but saw an obituary in The New York Times which started him thinking and wondering about what had really happened. He began asking questions; he travelled to Ada and other towns, researched the facts, interviewed dozens of people and then wrote this book.
Ron and Dennis spent time on death row for a murder they did not commit. Especially before DNA testing became widely available, "wrongful convictions" did happen. As Grisham notes, the Innocence Project has exonerated 180 prisoners through DNA testing at the time this book was published.
There are heroes in this story too, or Ron and Dennis might never have been released from prison. Perhaps they would have been executed. Grisham tells of the dedication and integrity these men and women exhibited as a habeas corpus appeal brought the case to their offices. Finally, the egregious mistakes were acknowledged and the mishandling of the case exposed.
Throughout Ron's long incarceration, he was examined repeatedly, but sporadically, by mental health experts as he became increasingly unstable. This is another system that failed as Ron had issues of lack of followup, noncompliance when taking prescribed psychotropic medications, varying diagnoses and often a complete disregard of obvious and significant mental illness.
And there is the rather poignant tale of Ron as a promising young athlete, potentially a player in baseball's major leagues, and how that dream fell apart, and how through all the years, his sisters Annette and Renee supported him as best they could.
The town is Ada, Oklahoma, and Grisham spares no words in describing the errors and sloppiness that occurred in nearly every aspect of this case, involving lawyers (prosecution and defense) and the law enforcers (police) in Ada. It is a true story that is sad, outrageous, compelling and nearly unbelievable. John Grisham had "never heard of Ron Williamson and Dennis Fritz" while the events in this story were taking place but saw an obituary in The New York Times which started him thinking and wondering about what had really happened. He began asking questions; he travelled to Ada and other towns, researched the facts, interviewed dozens of people and then wrote this book.
Ron and Dennis spent time on death row for a murder they did not commit. Especially before DNA testing became widely available, "wrongful convictions" did happen. As Grisham notes, the Innocence Project has exonerated 180 prisoners through DNA testing at the time this book was published.
There are heroes in this story too, or Ron and Dennis might never have been released from prison. Perhaps they would have been executed. Grisham tells of the dedication and integrity these men and women exhibited as a habeas corpus appeal brought the case to their offices. Finally, the egregious mistakes were acknowledged and the mishandling of the case exposed.
Throughout Ron's long incarceration, he was examined repeatedly, but sporadically, by mental health experts as he became increasingly unstable. This is another system that failed as Ron had issues of lack of followup, noncompliance when taking prescribed psychotropic medications, varying diagnoses and often a complete disregard of obvious and significant mental illness.
And there is the rather poignant tale of Ron as a promising young athlete, potentially a player in baseball's major leagues, and how that dream fell apart, and how through all the years, his sisters Annette and Renee supported him as best they could.
Book: Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry
Wendell Berry has written many wonderful books and this is one of the best.
It is set in the countryside near the fictional town of Port William, Kentucky. It is Hannah's story and is a satisfying tale, full of nostalgia for a bygone era, that of the second half of the 20th century. It is the story of farming folk and hard work, of families bound by friendship and neighborliness. Hannah reminds me of my first mother-in-law, Virginia Phelps, a truly remarkable woman whose farm home was always a welcome respite from any trouble.
"I was beautiful in those days myself, as I believe I can admit now that it no longer matters. A woman doesn't learn she is beautiful by looking in a mirror, which about any woman is apt to do from time to time, but that is only wishing. She learns it so that she actually knows it from men. The way they look at her makes a sort of glimmer she walks in. That tells her. It changes the easy she walks too. "
Hannah raises her children and lives her life on the land, always appreciating what she has. It is a story of life in the country shortly before "screens" began to dominate our lives.
"Danny grew up with the knowledge of the old economy of the natural world that, for nothing and for pleasure, yielded in its seasons game and fish and nuts and berries and herbs and marketable pelts."
Such is Mr. Berry's talent that every page is soothing as Hannah recalls her life, of raising her children, of being a young widow, of marrying again, of living each day close to nature, of her faith and friends and family. The decency and basic goodness of these lives is offered to us, reminding us of what we can be.
PS: I bought this as a used book at a resale store somewhere. There is an inscription in the front:
Dear Nan,
I know you and Ike liked to read out back in the summer. I thought you might appreciate this beautiful story about loss and love and gratitude. The narrator, Hannah, reminds me a lot of you.
Love Mark
It's that kind of book.....
It is set in the countryside near the fictional town of Port William, Kentucky. It is Hannah's story and is a satisfying tale, full of nostalgia for a bygone era, that of the second half of the 20th century. It is the story of farming folk and hard work, of families bound by friendship and neighborliness. Hannah reminds me of my first mother-in-law, Virginia Phelps, a truly remarkable woman whose farm home was always a welcome respite from any trouble.
"I was beautiful in those days myself, as I believe I can admit now that it no longer matters. A woman doesn't learn she is beautiful by looking in a mirror, which about any woman is apt to do from time to time, but that is only wishing. She learns it so that she actually knows it from men. The way they look at her makes a sort of glimmer she walks in. That tells her. It changes the easy she walks too. "
Hannah raises her children and lives her life on the land, always appreciating what she has. It is a story of life in the country shortly before "screens" began to dominate our lives.
"Danny grew up with the knowledge of the old economy of the natural world that, for nothing and for pleasure, yielded in its seasons game and fish and nuts and berries and herbs and marketable pelts."
Such is Mr. Berry's talent that every page is soothing as Hannah recalls her life, of raising her children, of being a young widow, of marrying again, of living each day close to nature, of her faith and friends and family. The decency and basic goodness of these lives is offered to us, reminding us of what we can be.
PS: I bought this as a used book at a resale store somewhere. There is an inscription in the front:
Dear Nan,
I know you and Ike liked to read out back in the summer. I thought you might appreciate this beautiful story about loss and love and gratitude. The narrator, Hannah, reminds me a lot of you.
Love Mark
It's that kind of book.....
Book: What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank by Nathan Englander
A collection of stories about Jews and the Jewish experience, some set in Israel and others in the United States.
In the United States, I feel that the farther one lives from the east coast or a large city, the less likely one is to know many Jews, and it seems there is often a wariness or a mind set we non-Jewish people have when talking about Jews. This book throws light on what it means to be Jewish, which is reason enough to read it, and how can being Jewish today is tied to the Holocaust for so many.
In one story, Josh is the director of a summer camp on a lake, one side for young kids; the other sort of an Jewish Elder Hostel:
"John's office door is indeed perpetually open.....To anyone with any problem at all. Because of this, the air conditioner stays off--a waste. And because the old folks, at the best of time, can't hear anything Josh is saying, he's also forced to avoid the whir of a fan. This leaves the office sweltering, a nice touch that Josh appreciates, for people visit to complain, but no one dares stay long."
In my family, we were brought up to avoid those "not our kind" and when that becomes a part of one's psyche, it is often not easy to dislodge. But it is important we do. Reading books that describe other cultures and the different ways of living and dreaming can start the process of opening our minds to an understanding and acceptance of diversity in the faith, customs and choices of those sharing our global village in the 21st century.
In the United States, I feel that the farther one lives from the east coast or a large city, the less likely one is to know many Jews, and it seems there is often a wariness or a mind set we non-Jewish people have when talking about Jews. This book throws light on what it means to be Jewish, which is reason enough to read it, and how can being Jewish today is tied to the Holocaust for so many.
In one story, Josh is the director of a summer camp on a lake, one side for young kids; the other sort of an Jewish Elder Hostel:
"John's office door is indeed perpetually open.....To anyone with any problem at all. Because of this, the air conditioner stays off--a waste. And because the old folks, at the best of time, can't hear anything Josh is saying, he's also forced to avoid the whir of a fan. This leaves the office sweltering, a nice touch that Josh appreciates, for people visit to complain, but no one dares stay long."
In my family, we were brought up to avoid those "not our kind" and when that becomes a part of one's psyche, it is often not easy to dislodge. But it is important we do. Reading books that describe other cultures and the different ways of living and dreaming can start the process of opening our minds to an understanding and acceptance of diversity in the faith, customs and choices of those sharing our global village in the 21st century.
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