Book Review: RUSH

RUSH by Stephen Fried

Revolution, Madness, and Benjamin Rush, the Visionary Doctor Who Became a Founding Father

Crown Publishing

Benjamin Rush - physician, educator, pamphleteer, occasional federal appointee and signer of the Declaration of Independence - is an unsung Founding Father. He led a remarkable life somewhat on the edges of the Revolution and first years of the Republic. His influence, however, went well beyond what anyone familiar with that history might know.

Author Stephen Fried presents a detailed, nuanced and fascinating portrait the competing strands of Rush’s life Dedicated doctor and accomplished scientist, his naïveté and pride often derailed his accomplishments. A thoughtful and ardent revolutionary, he damaged his relationships with Washington and others with intemperate outbursts. Through his dedication to the ill - most notably during a horrific yellow fever outbreak in Philadelphia - he put himself and his family’s future at risk. 

With access to previously unpublished research, Fried shows how Rush’s actions around the edges of history helped shape the early days of the United States and the lives of the most well-known Founding Fathers. The book not only tells Rush’s worthy story, it adds to understanding of the major actions, decisions and foibles that led up to and immediately followed the founding of the United States. 

Rush also founded Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA - my younger son William graduated from there in 2015v with a classics degree.

Book review: Erebus, by Michael Palin

Michael Palin - best known to most from Monty Python and his televised trips around the world, from pole to pole, etc. - was also president of the Royal Geographical Society. All of this experience comes into play in ‘Erebus,’ a very detailed and delightfully engaging history of the Royal Navy ship Erebus, whose mid-19th-century voyage of exploration to the Antarctic was one of the most successful of the century, followed closely by a tragically unsuccessful attempt to penetrate the Arctic.

Even though Palin dispenses with his Monty Python heritage with one memorable paragraph, his humor suffuses the book - his descriptions of the ships, their crews, their voyages and many letters home have a light but deft touch, giving the reader a clear-eyed but not maudlin of the  challenges and difficulties of years-long voyages in the age of sail.

The book starts with the construction and outfitting of Erebus and her sister ship Terror, both so-called ‘bomb ships,’ tough, small craft designed as floating artillery platforms. Palin’s painstaking research covers every phase of Erebus’ construction, fitting out and early career - a wealth of detail for those with interest. Once the mission to the Antarctic is set, he turns the same eye for detail and story to the selection of the crew, introducing us to several officers and seamen who remain important characters - along with the ship - throughout the book.

His story of the Antarctic voyage covers science, Victorian English manners, adventure, privations difficult but not fatal, the politics of the Royal Navy and the scientific establishment, and a seemingly endless list of animals discovered, captured, preserved and consumed. The result is a highly readable, fascinating and unique vignette.

Throughout the book, Palin makes modern-day visits to places where the ships traveled - the Falklands, the Antarctic Ocean and more. The descriptions of these locales offer a contemporary connection to the voyage.

The description of the second, ill-fated voyage to the Arctic, is much less detailed since all records went down with the ship. Nevertheless, Palin succeeds in bringing it to life. It is less compelling than the first part of the book but well worth the read.

Published by Greystone Books, available at your local independent bookstore - try Warwick's of La Jolla.

On Desperate Ground, by Hampton Sides

Hampton Sides is an excellent historian and an engaging writer. In this book, as in his others - In the Kingdom of Ice is one of the most compelling books I have ever read - he latches on to an incident about which many know a little. 

In On Desperate Ground, his detailed telling of the story of - and the stories around - t the ill-fated 1950 advance to the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea and the heroic, terrible withdrawal of the American forces, including the storied First Marine Division, gives a rich understanding of the event and also places it into a broader political and historical context. And, along with the events and the forces that shaped them, he adds finely drawn portraits of individual protagonists - politicians, generals, officers, fighting men and civilians. Even if you’ve read biographies of Truman and MacArthur, there are insights here. If you know the military history of the campaign, you will learn more. And if you have studied actions of individuals and groups under dire circumstances, this book holds new portraits of courage, gallantry, callowness and redemption.

Sides weaves these three levels of the story. First, the macro-political and strategic featuring Truman, MacArthur, commander of the First Marine Division General O.P. Smith and Army Major General Edward Almond who had overall command of American ground forces. Next, the intricacies and details of the preparation for battle on the home front and the battlefield. Finally, intimate and harrowing stories of what happened to those engaged in the battle - soldiers and civilians on both sides.

A true historian, Sides leaves the judgments about character, morality and success or failure to his readers. He is even-handed to a fault, even offering redemption to the most venal of the protagonists. He communicates the absolute horror of the battles and their aftermath without sensationalism, again leaving the reader to softly whisper ‘Holy shit’ at the endurance of the human spirit.

The book bears some poignancy. Sides interviewed survivors of the battle - the Chosin Few - as their numbers dwindled. The epilogue tells the stories of what happened to many of them in later life. Read it closely.

Like In the Kingdom of Ice, this is a very compelling read. Detailed enough to appeal to dedicated non-fiction readers and with characters, color and intricate stories that will appeal to those with a more casual interest.

Published by Doubleday. Borrow it from your local library, or buy it from your local independent bookstore - I recommend Warwick's of La Jolla.

Book review - Magna Carta, The Birth of Liberty - Dan Jones

Magna Carta
The Birth of Liberty

Dan Jones - Viking Press

A short and enjoyable read for anyone who thinks they (casually) know anything about the Magna Carta. In addition to a good description of what the document (or collection of documents) is and is not, the 200 or so pages have a vivid history of how it came to be, which involved a fair bit of combat and undermining (figuratively and literally) of enemies and allies of King John. There are some lessons for modern politics in here, although I can't quite draw a straight line from Runnymede to Brexit.

I'm not saying don't order it online, but purchasing from your local independent bookstore will make you a better person.

Book Review - Bucky F&%@ing Dent by David Duchovny

Book Review

Bucky F&%@ing Dent

David Duchovny

I don’t know why I read this book, but I did enjoy it. I generally do not read novels, but #PersonalBookAdvisor brought this one home for me. It sat for a while, then I saw David Duchovny plugging it on the Late Show. After a dozen or so pages I put it down, thinking “I’ll never pick that up again.’ The next night ,20 pages and a yawn. This went on until I finished it and I did not regret the time spent.

Part of the attraction is hearing Duchovney’s sardonic voice in my head. There are enough bright spots of writing to keep it moving along and interesting. Most of all, though, once I finished I realized there was a lot here. The story is about ambition thwarted by pride, potential done in (almost) by selfishness, and the redemption that comes from leaving history behind and getting on with what matters. And that’s only about the Red Sox pennant pursuit. Also, the inspiration of the story explained in the notes (go ahead, turn right to it) alone is worth the read.

If you are going to buy a book, go to your local independent bookstore. They can figure out what you want way better than an algorithm.

Diamonds – What Makes the Grade?

What gem labs have in common with Yelp, Rotten Tomatoes, your ninth-grade science teacher and the IOC.

  

Lots of things are graded – students, movies, restaurants and Olympic champions. Grades from trusted authorities like schools, movie critics and Olympic judges help us understand the world around us (or at least the finer points of figure skating) and to make informed decisions about what movie to see, where to have dinner or whether we are making the best of our education.

The same is true for diamonds. Diamonds from jewelers and retailers often come with a grading report that evaluates the  elements that determine the gem’s quality and its value. A grading report that measures the well-know 4Cs – color, clarity, cut and carat weight – against universally-accepted standards can help  consumers compare one diamond to another and to understand what goes into the value of a particular gem. 

Unlike at the Olympics, where athletes don’t get to choose their judges, consumers have choices for diamond grading reports. Some jewelry retailers, like the venerable Tiffany and the new brand Forevermark, part of the group that includes diamond miner De Beers, have their own reports or certificates for the diamonds they offer for sale.

Other retailers will have reports from well-known grading laboratories like AGS, EGL, or IGI. These labs may be privately owned or affiliated with a trade organization. There are also reports from third-party organizations like GIA.

While each type of laboratory has different characteristics and some specialize in certain types of gems, they all use the same system international diamond grading system, based on the GIA-created 4Cs.

I work for GIA; this post is personal.

Hitting the reset button

I'm getting back to this blog after a little time and a few changes.

Since my last post, my younger son started college; the older one graduated and started working; I've changed jobs and we moved to San Diego.

I've been thinking about a few things, and thought I'd start this up again. Maybe this time a few people will read it!

Here is a general, including-but-not-limited-to list of potential topics:

• The United States and the world - how we relate to the world and how others relate to us.
• The gem and diamond industry - since this is what I do now, I guess I'll write about it.
• Books - what I'm reading and what I think about it.
• Running - maybe if I write about it I'll do more of it.
• California v. Texas - my on-the-ground observations of the difference between the 12th and 14th largest economies in the world.
• Energy - issues big and small, from the domestic gas and oil shale boom to home energy efficiencies to national policy.