Why this book: Selected by the SEAL Book club I’m a member of. I listened to the book on audible, but wish I’d read the hard copy, which includes pictures, maps, lists of participants and acknowledgments and would have permitted more easily reviewing portions to get clarity on parts I may have missed.
Summary in 3 Sentences: Winter Fortress describes the full context and details surrounding the British SOE and Norwegian Kompani Linge special operations resistance movement and their successful operations to damage/disable the Vemork heavy water plant and and a subsequent follow-up raid, which significantly impeded Nazi efforts to develop an Atomic bomb. The book additionally provides important context, with information about how the raids fit into the overall Norwegian resistance movement against the Nazis, as well as the competition between the Alllies and Nazi Germany to develop an Atomic bomb. We get to know the various key players in the operations, their lives and their struggles to succeed in their very challenging missions.
My Impressions: An excellent narrative history of the famous Norwegian commando raids designed to interrupt Nazi efforts to develop an Atomic Bomb. Bascomb describes the extensive planning, and preparations to conduct two raids – one against the heavy water plant in Vemork near Riuckan Norway, and one later, to sink a ferry transporting heavy water to Germany. I had read the 1st person account of one of the main participantsin the raids (Skis Agains the Atom, by Knut Haukelid) quite a few years ago, and this book provides much needed and appreciated context to the raids themselves. In this book Bascomb treats us to stories about the lives and characters of the key participants in the raids, their extensive training and suffering to await the “go” signal to conduct the raids, as well as where and how the raids fit into the entire Norwegian resistance movement against the Nazis. We also learn where these raids fit into the years-long race between the Nazis and the allies to develop an Atomic bomb. and of the brutal methods the Nazi’s used to suppress the resistance,
I was thoroughly impressed with the research Bascomb did to create this excellent book and to bring the reader into the lives and challenges of the key participants in the raids.
In The Winter Fortress, we accompany the participants in their years long to struggle train and prepare for and then after insertion into Norway, to remain hidden and survive in the remote mountains and plains (the Vidda) outside of Riukan while the Nazis desperately searched for them. We also learn of a tragic unsuccessful early effort that cost many commando lives, while also alerting the Nazis to the intent of the Allies to attack the plant. We learn of the extensive planning and preparation of the commandos to successfully get into the Vemork plant that the Nazis had done all they could to secure. Subsequently, how the few remaiing commandos overcame the extensive efforts to prevent a raid on their shipment of heavy water to Germany. We are involved in the training and planning in the UK, coordinated between the Norwegian and British special operations teams, the political issues involved, as well as the on-going efforts in Nazi Germany to develop a bomb before the Allies, a bomb which Hitler believed would win the war for Germany.
Bascomb does an excellent job providing important and engaging detail behind one of the most important special operations in recent history, and does it in a captivating way, to engage the reader with the participants, their struggles, mistakes and successes in planning and conducting these unique special operations. For those interested in special operations history, I can’t recommend this book highly enough.
Why this book: Suzanne Giesemann was invited by a good friend of hers who is also in our discussion group to join us for one of our discussions. I was impressed with her – she is affable, credible and it was a joy to have her share her thoughts and experiences with our group. Also, as a retired Navy Commander, she has automatic credibility with me. I have been reading other books in this genre (Proof of Heaven, After) and it was enlightening to get Suzanne’s take on how these books address life-after-life phenomena.
Summary in 3 Sentences: Suzanne explains how she transitioned from the Navy into her unlikely role as an “evidentiary medium” connecting with souls who have already left this world and are available “on the other side” to be contacted by those who may have the means. This is Suzanne’s amazing story of one such soul who went by “Wolf” and her regular contact with him over years, almost to the point that she was channelling him, as he gave her guidance and direction to lead her and his family to profound new insights into his life and the “greater reality.” One of the messages of her book is that we should pay attention to events that we often dismiss as coincidental “synchronicity” – this book is an encyclopedia of synchronistic events in her life, many of which she ultimately realized were subtle and important messages to her, rather than random coincidences.
My Impressions: A fascinating and enjoyable read. It is an autobiographical account of Suzanne Giesemann’s experience as a medium connecting with one particular young man who had died as a result of a lightening strike. That fact drew Suzanne to this case, since her step daughter had also been killed by lightening, and communicating with her is what drew Suzanne into her role as a medium.
As a medium, Suzanne trained herself to open the portal between her consciousness and the consciousnesses of those who’ve already passed. She shared some of what that process has been for her – how she meditates, and calms herself to open the portal between her and “the other side.” There appear to be a number of variables determining whether and how clear her communication will be between her and the soul with whom she is trying to connect. One of those variables seems to be the desire and willingness of the soul which has passed to communicate back to those still living.
It was clear that Wolf, who felt very misunderstood in this life, was keen on clarifying some of the messages that he had left for his family, and to resolve some unfinished business with his parents. It seemed from early on that Wolf was actively orchestrating the connection between Suzanne and his parents, by nudging circumstances to drive them together. When Suzanne agreed to sit and try to connect with Wolf, the connection was unusually strong and clear, and over time – years – they communicated regularly and, it seemed, pretty clearly – not only when whe went into her receive mode, but Wolf also would initiate contact, by interrupting her life with a message or insight. Suzanne would get a “sense” that Wolf was present and wanted to communicate, and she would stop what she was doing, and “listen.”
The messages Wolf left for Suzanne not only explained some of his confusing behavior during his life, initially for the benefit of his parents, but as he developed his relationship with Suzanne, also explaining his life to her. But perhaps more important was his intent to provide insight into the greater reality into which his and all of our earthly existence fits – what he referred to as the One Big Web that connects all of us, and all that we do. The extensive contact Suzanne had with Wolf, and the message of love and acceptance that he passed to her from so many different directions, led Suzanne to put the entire story of Wof and his insights and message into a presentation which she called “Heart Gifts,” which she has shared with a broad number of audiences around the world.
The skeptic must confront these facts about this case: It was clear that while still alive, Wolf had anticipated his own death. In his communication with Suzanne, he gave her information and details about himself and his life that was subsequently validated – in many cases, information and “tidbits” that even his parents didn’t know.
There are many interconnected messages Suzanne shares with us in Wolf’s Message. Here are the key messages I got:
– There is an afterlife – very different from our earthly existence, and that things that are important in our day-to-day lives on earth often have little significance “on the other side.”
-Those on the other side CAN influence life on this side – as evidenced by how Wolf nudged Suzanne to get her attention in order that they could communicate and that she would better understand his message.
-He repeatedly made the point that Love was the primary message and value coming from the other side – that it is the primary currency in this life and the next.
–Synchronicity should be paid attention to. Her book is FULL of so-called coincidences of synchronicity that indeed she subsequently realized had been sent as often subtle messages by Wolf or forces from “the other side” We should all pay attention to them – there are often important messages there – and who knows? They could well be from a guardian watching out for us from “the other side.”
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I went online for a summary of the key messages from Wolf’s Message, since it’d been a few weeks since I had finished the book These are the key messages from the book that ChatGPT gave me – and they are consistent with my reading of it:
-Consciousness survives physical death and we are more than our physical bodies.
-The heart and the intellect need to be brought into balance (one of Wolf’s key messages.)
-We are all interconnected – we are all part of a huge web
-Love is more fundamental than death
-Life is an opportunity to awaken spiritually.
Chat GPT summarizes Wolf’s messages throughout the book as: “You are not merely a physical human being. You are part of one interconnected web of consciousness. Love- not separation, fear or death – is the underlying reality.”
Why this book; Recommended as a book to read before my upcoming trip to Sardinia.
Summary in 4 Sentences: We learn early on what a “soul-child” is in Sardinia – a child who is given up to another adult – not a biological relative – to raise for whatever reason. This book is about the life of such a “soul-child” and her adopted mother in a small village in Sardinia in the 1950s. The “Accabadora” is the adopted mother – and denotes a person who is called upon to help a dying person (and their family) prepare for the transition between life and death – in America such a peson is called a “doula.” The book is about the life of the a young girl soul-child, how she grows up and her eventual estrangement from her adopted mother, departure from Sardinia, and eventual return and reconciliation.
My Impressions: A short book of 175 pages and beautifully written/and translated from the Italian. The story was simple and compelling, no overly dramatic “page-turning” events, but a simple and straightforward evocation of some of the identity issues of a child given up for adoption in her own village – in this case her continued relationship with her biological mother and siblings. We experience the somewhat narrow perspectives of many of those who live lives of routine and hard workin small rural villages, the pressure to conform and the power of gossip.
The protagonist is Maria, the soul-child herself, and we watch her grow up in the community where her biological mother and siblings also live, overcoming a bit of prejudice for having been farmed out from her biological family, and where all know her as a “soul-child,” vice a regular child in a regular family. That said, the main character in the book is Bonaria, the stern but fair, quiet and loving older lady who adopted her – who had no children of her own, but had been engaged to be married to a soldier who disappeared in “the Great War” – WW1. When he failed to return – she never learned what happened to him – she never married and was on her own to survive. She thereby became a talented seamstress to whom people came from near and far for her to make clothes and other items at home. She had always wanted a family and when she saw that Maria’s mother, nearly destitute had a fourth child, she offered to take the child in and raise her as her soul-child. As she grew up, Maria became her assistant and learned the trade of being a seamstress.
We and Maria learn later in the book that Bonaria’s occasional mysterious departures in the evenings were to serve as an “accabadora” – to quietly help the dying with their transition. Maria had no idea until later in the book, when the fate of the son of one of the more prominent families in the village took him to the edge of death. At this point Bonaria was faced with a challenge that put her in conflict with her own values and ultimately with Maria.
Maria subsequently left Bonaria’s home, went overseas to Turin where she worked as a Nanny for a couple of years, ultimately to return to Bonaria, when Bonaria was facing her own death.
I really liked this book – for its simplicity, its elegant writing, and how it evokes life in a rural village (I was reminded of village life as depicted in The Tiger’s Wife and Zorba the Greek)
Why this book: 1929 was selected by my SEAL Book club for our June 2026 session.
Summary in 3 Sentences: Sorkin is the well known author of the best seller Too Big to Fail about the 2008 recession and market hiccup, and he used that approach to describe what led to the 1929 market crash that led to the great depression. He introduces us to the financial and political leaders of the time, their characters, their strong beliefs and disagreements and the controversial decisions that over time led to the great crash of 1929.
My Impressions: I enjoyed this book which is written for the lay person, but not being terribly literate in banking and financial matters, I didn’t understand all of the banking and finance issues that were brought up. But that didn’t really detract from my interest in and enjoyment of the story. He writes historical narrative well, for the lay reader as well as the specialist. What most intersted me were theprovise of the key leaders in Wall Street and America who, together and unwittingly, made decisions that cumulatively led to the crash of the market. Some of these leaders included Mitchell, Morgan
Also, as I read the book, so much of what was happening sounded like an echo of what I hear in the news every night – about the market hitting new highs almost daily, and investment money flowing in. Reading the book was eerily similar to what I was hearing on the news every day about the markets
What most interested me were the profiles of the key leaders in Wall Street and America during the Roaring Twenties that led to crash: Charles Mitchell, known as “Sunshine Charlie” for his always optimistic view; Thomas Lamont, senior partner in JP Morgan; Carter Glass, US Senator and longtime unsuccessful advocate for banking reforem; President Herbert Hoover who inherited the momentum of the Roaring Twenties; John Raskob, a business titan of that era; Jesse Livermore, a legendary trader and speculator, and others.
Also it was interesting to note that in the Roaring Twenties was a period of signnificant technological transition for America, as automobiles became omni-present, travel by aircraft was commercialized and available to the wealthy, and the public was amazed at the new technology represented by the radio or “wireless,” which allowed people all over the country to hear music, public announcements, news and presidential speeches, and RCA was the leader in that technology. All that resonated with me and our world today, given the relatively recent development of the internet and the ubiquity of social media, online shopping, Spacex, AI, Spacex, Amazon, Meta. Then as now lots of new wealth being rapidly created and everyone wanted in on the skyrocketing profits. Relationship of national debt to GDP?
For me, the major takeaways and themes from the book include:
1. It was a slow-moving disaster, not a one-day event Sorkin frames the crash not as a sudden statistical anomaly, but as a deeply human tragedy fueled by greed, institutional hubris, and psychological denial. While modern memory often condenses the crash into “Black Tuesday,” Sorkin emphasizes that the crisis was a prolonged, agonizing process. The collapse of the economy and the stock market didn’t happen overnight; rather, it was a slow-rolling catastrophe that unfolded over months and years, exposing structural vulnerabilities bit by bit.
2. The Danger of Extreme Leverageas debt and subprime instruments triggered the 2008 financial crisis, the core driver of the 1929 bubble was excessive leverage. The “call money market” allowed everyday speculators, celebrities, and institutional players to purchase stocks on as little as 10% margin. This created an incredibly fragile house of cards where even minor downward fluctuations triggered massive, unstoppable margin calls.
3. Legalized Manipulation and “Stock Pools” Sorkin details how prominent Wall Street insiders, such as William Crapo Durant, exploited the lack of market regulations through “stock pools.”Wealthy investors would quietly band together to buy up shares in a specific company. They would artificially inflate the price by trading shares back and forth amongst themselves. After leaking bullish “tips” to the press to entice ordinary retail investors to buy in, the insiders would dump their shares at the peak—leaving the public with worthless investments.
4. Institutional Hubris and Blind Optimism. A major focus of the book is the psychological denial of elite financiers, including Charles Mitchell (Chairman of National City Bank) and Thomas Lamont (of the House of Morgan). Sorkin shows how these titans had too much financial and reputational capital at stake to ever publicly acknowledge a downturn. They couldn’t accept that they could be wrong. and ignored flashing red lights, dismissed skeptics, and attempted to use their own capital to prop up the market—firmly believing that the “Roaring Twenties” boom could be sustained indefinitely.
5. The Dismissal of Skeptics. Sorkin highlights the lonely position of those who saw the crash coming. Figures like legendary speculator Jesse Livermore warned that stock prices were ridiculously overextended. Instead of being heeded, they were dismissed as unpatriotic or fear-mongering doomsayers until the reality of the crash proved them right.
Conclusion: Sorkin makes the point subtly throughout the book and more directly toward the end, and one hears it in the interviews with him on youtube about his book, that he’s seeing many parallels today with what led up to the crash of 1929. And these days, just like back then, people are making so much money they chose to, want to believe that this time will be different. In our discussion afterward, I and others in our group who have shared our concerns with our financial advisors, heard in response that these advisors are also nervous about the “irrational exuberance” they’re seeing. They expect a “correction” and are watching many of the indicators of trouble to come (inflation rate, constantly rising national debt) but all say that now is not the time to get out of the market. There is fear and apprehension, but the exuberance, and the unprecedented profits continue.
Why this book: I read it in preparation for my trip to Sardinia with “Friends of Bob” in a few months (Oct ’26)
Summary in 3 Sentences: The author covers history, culture, art and more of Sardinia in a personal story – he is an American author and teacher, married to an Italian lady and they spend their time between America and Italy. He became interested in Sardinia, moved there for an indeterminate period, and shares his fascination with all that he learned there, visiting all parts of the island, researching its history and speaking to both prominent and regular folks. He covers a lot of the history, as well as current dimensions and challenges of those who live on the Island.
My Impressions:In Sardinia covers Sardinian history, culture, historical challenges, with a very broad brush, stopping at fascinating points along the way. He writes from a first person perspective, sharing experiences and insights he and his family have gained from living there for a year or so. The author writes very well – and comes to this new area of his and his family’s fascination from having previously written a number of books dealing largely with American culture and history.
I was amazed to learn that Sardinian history goes back not just centuries but millennia BCE and that archeologists are still finding and learning about different civilizations that lived there millennia before recorded history. I’ve learned that Sardinia is one of the richest places in Europe for archeological research, given that it has been isolated for most of its history from many of the wars and encroachments of civilization that the rest of Europe has experienced. There are thousands of stone Nuraghe – megalithic towers, edifices, ruins – all over Sardinia, built by the Nuragic civilization occupying the island for thousands of years before they eventually became subsumed in the Phoenician, Carthaginian, Roman, and then European and Italian civilizations.
In reading this book, I was struck by the many similarities I see with Scotland, where I have spent much time. Both are mountainous regions, isolated, to large extent insulated from major European civilizations, and which therefore developed unique and independent cultures. Both developed hardy rural populations of independent farmers living primarily in small villages, and were exploited by wealthy landowners from the more dominant European civilizations- the Scots by England; the Sardinians first by the Roman and then the Spanish, then the Savoyards (in SE France) and the Piedmont region of NW Italy, and finally and currently by the Italian government in Rome.
Both were treated essentially as colonies to provide resources, labor and soldiers to their dominant wealthy European overlords. In both cases their exploitation led to widespread resentment and then, rebellions which were brutally suppressed. In both cases, their hard scrabble male populations often turned to banditry and which led to the entire cultures being described and put down as barbarians, brigands and bandits. In both cases they were forced to provide soldiers to the armies of their overlords, and their soldiers were among the toughest and most effective fighting men, fighting for those who had exploited them. In both cases, they were eventually peacefully integrated into the dominant culture – Great Britain for the Scots, and the Kingdom of Italy for the Sardinians. But in both cases they remain generally self-governing, and fiercely and proudly protect their culture and cultural identity.
A few other interesting “facts” I learned about Sardinia from In Sardinia:
In 2006 Sardinian language became the official language of Sardinia, though much official work is still done in Italian. The Sardinian language has some similarities to Italian and Romance languages as a result of centuries of interaction Sardinia had with Italy, Spain, and France. But in addition to Latin, Sardinian includes elements remaining from other ancient languages. There is currently an aggressive effort to keep the Sardinian language alive, and nearly 80% of the population speak it.
In order to save the coastline from tourism, they’ve passed a law prohibiting new construction within 3km from the coastline. This is to prevent coastal spoilage by aggressive developers wanting to build future major centers of tourism on the beautiful beaches and coastline. There is at least one such large tourist destination, Cosa Smeralda in NE Sardinia, which resulted in this law – to severely restrict or prevent future exploitation of their coastal resources.
There are several World Heritage sites on Sardinia to include Domus de Janas – groups of ancient tombs cut straight into rock over 5k years ago, and an old well-preserved Nuraghi from the Bronze Age.
There is an almost hidden mysterious ancient village “Tiscali” built entirely inside a massive hidden mountains cave. Very hard to see – one has to hike into the mountains to see these (apparently) fascinating ruins.
The town of Orgosolo is characterized by extensive beautiful and graffiti-like murals depicting life and various key events int the history of Sardinia. Reminds me of what I saw in Christ Church, New Zealand.
Sardinia’s population was decimated by the black plague that arrived from Europe in the 14th century, and an estimated 30-50 percent of the population died. Malaria- infected mosquitos also brought into Sardinia by foreign commerce in later centuries later became endemic and led to several thousand deaths per year into the 20th century, especially in the lowland regions. The government undertook to spray heavily with DDT after WW2, which essentially eliminated malaria as a threat.
Emilio Lussois a name of one of the most prominent figures in Sardinia during the 20th century and his name comes up a lot in Biggers’ book. During my hikes in the Dolomites, I was intrigued by my visits to various trenches and other remains from WW1 which inspired me to find and read Lusso’s book The Sardinian Brigade. This is his highly regarded first person account of trench warfare based on his experiences as an officer in the Italian Army fighting the Austro-Hungarians in Italy in the trenches of WW1.
During the 1930s and 40s there was a strong Fascist movement in Sardinia. The Fascists, with Mussolini’s support, essentially took over the country. Many Sardinian patriots were imprisoned and as a result of his anti-fascist, anti-Mussolini views Lusso was able to escape to France to avoid imprisonment.
I was surprised to learn that many in Sardinia resent NATO’s presence in Sardinia, specifically the NATO naval base in La Maddalena in the north, and because of NATO’s efforts to appropriate rural areas from farmers and shepherds for military training.
It was interesting to learn that all the way into the 20th century, Sardinians have been fighting the image of themselves as they were described by Roman visitors two thousand years ago. Biggers notes that “The image of the ill-clad plundering highlander remained a vibrant prototype for the next two thousand years.” So very similar to the Scottish Highlanders fighting the same image given them by the English.
There had been a malaria epidemic in Sardinia for years in the 18th and 19th centuries, caused by mosquitos inadvertently brought in by traders. In the post ww2 20th century, the Sardinian government was fed up with heavy negative impact malaria was having on Sardinia, killing hundres and thousands annually, and waged a successful campaign to rid the island of the mosquitos using DDT.
SHORTCOMINGS of In SARDINIA: I really enjoyed the book, though in several chapters Biggers went into detail on some things I wasn’t particularly interested in. But what did frustrate me was that he mentioned and described so many interesting and obscure places in Sardinia that were not included on the one map of Sardinia in the frontispiece of the book. Occasionally, I’d get my phone out to find out where ARE these places located, and how does one get there. The book needs lots more maps. Also he described several aspects of Sardinian history that assumed I knew more than I did. For example he referred to the Savoyards and the Piedmonts as absentee landlords exploiting Sardinia. Who were they? Nearly a whole chapter on Garibaldi – a key figure in Italian and Sardinian history – I knew the name but not much more. I repeatedly had to go to google, or ChatGPT for explanations that should have been included the book. That said, I have described the book to my friends as very well written for an intelligent audience, and I’ve strongly recommended it to my friends who will accompany me to Sardinia in a few months.
In Sardinia is expensive to buy ($50) but I got a copy at the Coronado Library. It is well written by a published author for an educated audience. But if you are not inclined to read the whole book, and you are planning to visit Sardinia, I highly recommend reading at least the following short chapters, between 4 and 10 pages ea, a total of about 75 pages of big print:
8. Monte Prama
16 Monte d’Accoddi
18. Valley of the Nuraghes
19. Girl Writer Found dead in Mystery Case
22. In sos logos de Angioy 23. Su Patriotu Sardu 24. Saving the Coasts
Why this book: Recommended to me numerous times by good friends, and it is also a recommended book in my Psi discussion group. I listened to it which worked well, as it was narrated with updates from the original publication, by the author, and includes updates on his experiences since its original publication in 2012.
Brief summary (edited from Amazon): Thousands of people have had near-death experiences (NDEs), but scientists have argued that they are impossible. Dr. Eben Alexander was one of those scientists. A highly trained neurosurgeon, Alexander believed like his colleagues, that NDEs feel real, but are simply fantasies produced by brains under extreme stress.
Then, Dr. Alexander’s own brain was attacked by a rare illness that completely shut down that part of the brain that makes us human – that controls thought and emotion. For seven days he lay in a coma, and as his doctors considered stopping treatment and pulling the plug on the systems that were keeping him alive, Alexander’s eyes popped open. He had come back – a medical miracle.
But the real miracle of his story was that while his body lay in coma and his brain showed no activity, Alexander journeyed beyond this world, had vivid experiences, and encountered an angelic being who guided him into the deepest realms of super-physical existence. This story would be remarkable no matter who it happened to. That it happened to Dr. Alexander makes it revolutionary.
My Impressions: A remarkable book that deserves its outstanding reputation. I, like so many others, finish the book believing the author’s description of his experiences, intrigued and inspired by what he claimed to be their implications, and asking myself, “Assuming he’s telling the truth about his experiences (it’s hard to doubt his integrity), what do I do with this?”
After describing his life and what preceded his NDE, then what he experienced while in a coma with no detectable brain activity, and then his return to his earthly life, he describes the reactions of his colleagues in the scientific and medical communities to his story. He understood their prejudice as scientists against believing such non-testable, not repeatable phenomena, because he had shared it – prior to having his own NDE. It has been frustrating to face challenges to the credibility of what he experienced. And then he dedicated himself to sharing what he beleives are the implications and spiritual meaning that can be derived from his unique experience. But it wasn’t unique – there have been thousands of such claims, but what was unique was that it happened to him – a man at the peak of science’s understanding of the physical principles of the brain. But he notes that science is still confused about “consciousness” what it is, what is its relationship to the brain, and which he now argues is separate from the biological brain.
There are several key conclusions that he draws from his experience.
1, WHO we are is much more than what is in our brain, our memories and our identity in our earthly life. We have a separate identity to which our consciousness is more closely tied.
2. We exist in multiple dimenstions, but our conscious awareness is limited to our physical selves and the physical world we live in. There is another dimension to our existence which is somehow connected to the larger reality which is spiritual, (somehow) beyond space and time. The “reality map” of our existence is much larger than we perceive.
3. He felt a “truth” while in that other dimension, that he was unconditionally loved by a being or presence that is beyond comprehension. And he says this truth applies to all of us – and that is the key reality of our existence
4. He said his experience was ineffable, beyond words to adequately represent, and he struggled to describe what he experienced and his insights with the inadequate tools of vocabulary. To describe what he felt and experienced would be like trying to build a rocket ship with a hammer and a screw driver (my analogy.)
5. That we are all connected on a level most of us don’t feel most of the time in our daily lives, but it there. He experienced a profound spiritual connection to this greater reality which if recognized and embraced, could/should be a primary source of our happiness
6. He experienced what he perceived as God – not the personal one that we learn about in Sunday school or church, but more of a “presence.” He called it “Om” rather than God, to distinguish it from the “God” we learn about in religion, which is a concept limited to our earthly experience and perceptions.
After reading this book, I contacted my friend John Alexander and noted that there were aspects of his experience while in his coma that (to me) had a flavor of western culture. I asked John if there had been studies that compare NDEs across widely divergent cultues – where were there similarities and where were they different. He pointed me to a book entitled After, by Bruce Greyson, another medical doctor, which I’m reading now.
Why this book: Selected by my Sci Fi reading group based on it being listed (somewhere) as an excellent modern Sci Fi Novel. Written in 1953 apparently it is one of the most read Sci Fi books of all time, though it is not so well known today. It was ground breaking in that it deals with psychic abilities and spiritual evolution.
Summary in 5 sentences. It begins with a description of a psychologically damaged young man who appears to be catatonic, but seems to have some awareness and connection to humans. Then suddenly we meet another character, a young girl who is psychologically abused by her mother, and two of her other children playmates. The three of them have psychic abilities, take care of each other and escape from their unpleasant home lives and link up at a cave-like dwelling in the forest, created by our first character. Then we meet a third dysfunctional character who joins the others, creating a rather bizarre communal existence, Then the story morphs again – ultimately coming together in a surprising climax which offers profound spiritual insights.
My impressions: Not an easy read, but worth it in the end. For much of it, I was having to guess what the hell was going on. The story changed directions multiple times, and I was struggling to see the connection between the different characters and stories, but I soldiered on with the faith that, like multiple pieces of a puzzle, floating separately in the air, they would somehow all come together as the story progressed. Which they did in the very end, with a powerful insight that may look a bit cliched today, but which was new and groundbreaking when it was first written. I believe the novel would have been better with more clues as to what direction the story was heading, and for me, the road to the end was longer and more winding than it needed to be.
One of the interesting twists in the story is that the main characters – each of whom was dysfunctional in mainstream society – each had a special psychic ability – telepathy, psycho-kinesis, teleporting, computer-like omniscience, mind reading, hypnotic powers – but alone the advantages of these abilities were limited.
I believe an important part of the charm of this story is how disconnected and strange it seems – for a while. And then when these interesting characters eventually come together, there is still no sense of direction, and we are still wondering WTF? But for those who hang in there, it does (finally!) come together well with a surprise ending. I felt like the concluding vision was very much in harmony with the vision that was is described in Proof of Heaven.
And at the end, after it all came together, I asked myself – and then what? He postulates a new human being that “bleshes” individuals with separate abilities and strengths into a single entity. “Bleshing” is a word he invents, combining “blending” with “meshing” to describe the process whereby individuals, each with different strengths and abilities, becomes a single entity which is functions as more than the sum of its parts. Which is pretty much the description of a good team.
One of the main points of the book is that these bleshed abilities without a moral compass can lead to very bad outcomes, by valuing an individual’s or team’s short-term well-being or goals above the well being of the greater humanity. I’d have liked the story to have continued a bit, to see how his team of bleshed individual characters with a new moral synergy, would deal with a morally complex situation that would test their bleshed abilities, and their new insights.
Some of they key themes of the book as I read it:
-People with disabilities often have abilities and super-powers that aren’t readily apparent.
-Dealing with parental abuse hurts children badly, but CAN be the hardship that develops great strength and power.
-We all have different strengths which alone are of limited value, but together can create a powerful synergy.
-Psychic powers and strength are morally neutral and can be used for evil, or good. It takes a strong moral compass to give these powers value to best serve the individual and humanity.
-Our “humanity” – our love for and connection to others – is ultimately the source of real power. And that means connection to and empathy for our fellow human beings.
Why this book: I was on a cruise on the Columbia and Snake Rivers in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho which had a significant Lewis and Clark focus. I’d recently read Steven Ambrose’s Undaunted Courage and my friend Rick Woolard who was on the cruise with me recommended this short book as a nice augmentation. I read it in a couple of days.
Summary in 3 Sentences: I’ve described this book as an excellent short, digestible description of the entire Lewis and Clark expedition with certain pieces injected from the perspective of Seaman, Meriwether Lewis’s Newfoundland Dog which accompanied him on the entire trip. Pringle tells us in the introduction that Seaman’s adventures during the expedition that he includes in the book reflect what L&C included in their journals, though he writes that he does include some of Seaman’s responses that only make sense given what is known (eg, he wagged his tail when Lewis returned to camp.) It was an excellent summary of what I’d read in Ambrose’s Undaunted Courage and written in simple language that a young person would be able to follow and enjoy – I sent a copy to my son to read to his children.
My Impressions: Short enjoyable read – about 195 pages of large print on medium sized pages, and though written in children/young adult language, this book provides an excellent overview and summary for anyone interested in learning about the entire Lewis and Clark expedition. He also points out several incidents from Lewis and Clark’s and journals from others in the Corps of Discovery about Seaman’s actions and contributions to the expedition which didn’t make the cut to be included in the other literature I’d read about the Corps of Discovery.
I’d recommend that someone interested in learning about the L&C expedition start with this book, and then move on to one of the other four highly regarded books on that expedition, to fill in the fascinating details. Those four books of which I am aware, are: Undaunted Courage by Ambrose, Lewis and Clark Among the Indians by Ronda (which I’m still reading), This Vast Enterprise – a New History of Lewis and Clark by Fehrman, and The Journals of Lewis and Clark Expedition Day by Day by Moulton (These last two I haven’t read, but they both come highly recommended by friends of mine who have read them.)
Why this book? I’ll be on a cruise visiting the region where Lewis and Clark moved toward the Pacific on the Colombia and Snake Rivers. I’ve read this book once, and later listened to an abridged version – both over 30 years ago. I wanted to re-read it.
Summary in 4 Sentences: As the title suggests, this book is largely about the Lewis and Clark expedition, but is also a biography of Meriwether Lewis as his life before, during and after through the lens of his leadership during the Corps of Discovery, also known as the Lewis and Clark Expedition. We learn about his childhood and upbringing, his almost familial relationship to Thomas Jefferson, and then about his activities, thoughts, (to some extent) his emotions and leadership during the over two years it took them to reach the Pacific Ocean and his decline after his return to St Louis. The last part of the book is a sad post script to his many successes during the expedition, and Ambrose tries to understand what led to his suicide, and concludes with a strong tribute to him. William Clark and Jefferson are strong and much admired adjuncts to the story, but Lewis is the main player.
My impressions. Loved this book (again!) Ambrose clearly had a love for his subject. As he explains in the introduction, for many years he’d taken family vacations into the Northwest and visited and camped in or near many of the sites where L&C had camped. He clearly enjoyed the research he did on the Corps of Discovery, and that love for his subject matter came through in his writing.
What I had forgotten from my earlier readings was the extent to which this book was also a life-and-times of Meriwether Lewis and Thomas Jefferson. Lewis was the primary chronicler of the Corps of Discovery and though not all, a lot of his journals and notes survive, Ambrose also reviewed the journals and notes of others on the Corps of Discovery and provided his own commentary on differences and discrepancies between them. He also refers to numerous other books and the research previous historians have done on the expedition. Ambrose’s perspective and writing makes the entire enterprise more readable and enjoyable for the lay, vice academic, reader. He provides not only the original texts (with original “creative” spellings) but also the perspectives of other researchers and writers, and then adds his own.
This was Thomas Jefferson’s project. He selected his protoge – Merriwether Lewis – to lead it and Jefferson makes the convincing argument that his background and character made him a near-ideal candidate to lead the expedition. He was a experienced and stong in the outdoors, was passionate about geology, and nature in general, and very detail oriented, which enabled him to make detailed notes on the flora, fauna, geology, and geography of what he encountered – nearly all of which were new to Western civilization. I say “near ideal” because he did apparently have bouts of depression, of which there were hints during his time on the expedition, but he was so focused on his mission, he seemed to sublimate those negative feelings. His previous time in the army served him well as a leader of men who were cut from the same cloth as elite soldiers – he respected him and they respected him. He also selected an outstanding candidate in William Clark to be his co-leader. Congress and others wanted there to be only one leader – Lewis – but Lewis himself insisted that Clark be a co-equal, and indeed that partnership appeared to work superbly.
It took over a year to prepare for the launch of the expedition from Saint Louis and Ambrose spends nearly the first quarter of the book not only describing Lewis and Jefferson and their relationship to each other, but also the extensive preparations that needed to be made, as well as Jefferson’s struggle to get funding to pay for the expedition.
The expedition lasted over two years, and nearly everything they encountered was new to Western Civilizations. Some of the Native Americans had never seed Westerners before, though all were aware that there were white people with new technology trading with tribes farther East – traders coming from British controlled Canada – and from the West – coastal tribes trading with (mostly British) ships pulling in along the northwest coast of what is today the US and SW Canada. Their encounters with the Native Americans were for me among the most interesting parts of the book, and Ambrose had separate chapters on “ethnographic” studies of a number of the tribes, take directly from Lewis’s notes and observations.
They had a number of close calls, not only with the physical challenges of moving all their group and gear upriver through unexplored terrain, but also with the Natives who lived there and considered it their territory. They had one very close call with the Blackfeet tribe – the most warlike of the numerous Indian tribes they encountered. WIth the more friendly and cooperative tribes, language was always a problem, and it frequently occurred that the one person who knew the Native language, had to translate it into sign language or French, and another one on the expedition who knew sign language or French would translate it from there into English. Communication always took a long time and often it was questionable how accurate the content was translated.
The men of the Corps benefited from very different sexual mores among natives, who believed that a man could gain the strengths and attributes of another man if his sexual partner had sex with that man. So as one friend of mine noted, who’d read this and other books on the expedition, there was a lot of “shagging” going on between the men and the native women, and Ambrose noted that when the Corps was camped on the Pacific Coast waiting for spring when they could recross the Rockies, sex was one of the few diversions the men had. There is nothing in the record that would indicate that Lewis or Clark participated.
One of the other things that struck me: Reading about the Corps of Discovery’s trip into the near Stone Age world of the American Northwest at that time, was like a confrontation of Western Civilization and the world of our ancestors. Simple necessities like eating and surviving became prime drivers. Those on the Corps had to become like a primitive tribe, and take care of each other for over two years, as they realized how very dependent they were on their teammates and their leaders, just to survive. They traveled with dogs and young horses (colts) which they brought to use for meat – which I have difficulty comprehending. And this chasm between primitive and modern life we saw in how the native Americans lived and reacted to the simple items brought by the Corps – needles, guns, iron implements of any type, mirrors, glass beads. That is hard for us to fully comprehend, who take for granted our modern conveniences, get our meat and whatever we need to live, by simply going shopping. Ambrose took us with them back into primal times before most of the comforts and conveniences we take for granted were available.
One of the most remarkable accomplishments of the expedition was that over the 2+ years they were gone, they only lost one man and that was to what later researchers believe was appendicitis. They did have a lot of very close calls. A number of the members of the expedition died relatively young, and some believe from the long term effects of syphilis, probably contracted from the native women. Lewis himself served as the Corps doctor, using some methods that current medicine believe had merit, and others (like bleeding) that probably did more harm than good. But that was a remarkable survival rate given the dangers and extreme conditions they encountered, and the lack of facilities or opportunities for healthy recovery from illness or accident.
Ambrose did spend some time on the aftermath of the expedition, and the challenges Lewis and Jefferson had in optimizing the incredible insights and results from it. There were so many urgent and challenging issues facing America at the time, and the excitement and future opportunities presented became background noise and a curiosity. Also, as a single young man (32 yrs old) Lewis was rather abruptly thrust into the role of short term national hero, public speaker, chronicler and publisher of his journals, and political leader when Jefferson appointed him to be Governor of the Louisiana Territory. His predilection toward depression had been held at bay during the expedition by his need to intensely focus on the enormous challenges of taking care of his men and mission. Afterward, with that pressure off, he succumbed to the many distractions of social life, alcohol, and a multitude of other duties and commitments – which opened the door for his depression to hit him full force. Ambrose discusses with compassion and insight, these sad truths and the circumstances which led to what most believe was his suicide.
This book is not just a great story but imparts insights about the politics and culture of the early United States, about native Americans in the far northwest during their earliest contact with Europeans, and about how men behave when forced to live together in a new and unforgiving environment. And it’s about heroism, as well as human frailties. Definitely worth a re-read.
Why this book: I’ve been a big fan of Frank Sinatra’s singing for a long time, but knew little about his life. I’ve been wanting to read this biography for years, but just wasn’t getting around to it. So I purchased it on audible and listened to it.
Summary in 4 Sentences: The book starts with what is known from several sources of Sinatra’s childhood and family life growing up in Hoboken, New Jersey and how through a driving ambition and belief in himself, he went from a kid on the street who could sing, to become a national and worldwide star. We follow Frank Sinatra’s rise from a decent night club singer to national phenomenon, and heart throb of young women, his many mistakes, his doomed marriage, his character flaws which he overcame with hard work, luck and help from friends, family and others who believed in him. The last part of the book is about Frank’s transition into young teen idol as a young adult, to what led to a significant downward turn in his popularity, his tumultuous love affair and marriage to Ava Gardner, and concludes in 1953 when his star begins to rise again, after winning an Academy Award for his performance in From Here to Eternity. The “rest of the story” – Sinatra’s career from being “the Voice” to becoming “the chairman of the board” will be told in part two, Frank – The Chairman
My Impressions: I thoroughly enjoyed Kaplan’s telling of this story, and Rob Shapiro did a great job narrating on audible the story that appears in print. I’ve told my friends that this book takes more than a peek behind the curtain of Hollywood’s glamour and celebrity to reveal a lot of ugliness in the “star-making machinery” during the glory days of music and Hollywood of the 1930s, 40s, and early 50s. Frank’s ambition and belief in himself gave him the energy to overcome disappointments and keep driving toward the stardom he so badly wanted and felt was his destiny, but it was also a big part of how he became very much his own enemy – his unbridled self-centeredness and ambition creating his many unhappy experiences. That said, his drive and sense for what would serve his ambitions supported his tremendous talent that ultimately pushed him to the top of the world of stars and celebrity.
Kaplan is unsparing in his admiration for Frank’s special talent for singing from the heart and putting emotion into his singing, and also unsparing in his reporting on Frank’s self-centeredness, his lack of responsibility to those who loved and supported him, and his routine exhibitions of poor character. But his charm, charisma and talent drew supporters who (usually) forgave him these flaws, and continued to support him, and offer him valuable advice, which he sometime took, often didn’t.
This biography of one of American pop cultures major heroes of the middle of the 20th century provides a lens through which we can look at American culture during that period. Radio and phonograph records were relatively new in America – creating new opportunities for musicians to become mega stars by reaching large audiences in the American population. During the 1930s and early ’40s, the big bands of Tommy Dorsey, Glen Miller and others provided a setting for dancing and partying and were all the rage . Bing Crosby was the first “crooner” who achieved mega-stardom breaking through the almost monopoly that the big dance bands had on the American tastes in popular music. Frank Sinatra created his own niche appealing to the young, so-called “bobby-socksers” – the teenage and young girls who swooned at Franks concerts. Crosby’s appeal and audience was a bit older, and grew when he began acting in movies. That’s when Frank looked for and got limited opportunities to get parts in movies, but without much success.
As the 40s progressed Sinatra’s star began to fade as other stars rose to prominence, Perry Como, Eddie Fisher and others. His misbehavior in his private life, his public philandering while married earned him many enemies in the press and many considered him to have been a flash in the pan. In the late 40s, his star was in decline, and many believed he was all washed up. But Frank’s drive and ambition were formidable and he would not give up on his goal of becoming and remaining a Hollywood, pop-culture star.
I was surprised to learn that Sinatra was an avid reader. When he read a book that was very popular in the late 1940s, From Here to Eternity by James Jones, he identified very much with the character Magio – a smart alecky precocious youngItalian kid from a poor neighborhood who kept getting into trouble. The story takes place in Honolulu just prior to, during, and immediately after the Japanese attack on Peal Harbor. When Frank learned that Hollywood would be making a movie from the book, he lobbied hard to get the role of Magio – to the point that he was signing his letters, “Maggio,” arguing convincingly that he was the ideal guy to play that role -it was him – who he used to be – a poor, smart-alecky kid from the streets of New Jersey. He was not the producer’s first choice, as his popularity was sinking and he had not been impressive in his previous movie appearances. But his persistent lobbying succeeded, he got the role, and as promised delivered a great performance for which he was recognized with the Academy Award for best supporting actor. This validation was key to turning his career around and at this point, in 1953, his popularity and self confidence were on the rise.
This is where Frank – the Voice concludes. For the rest of his life’s story – from 1953 until his death in 1998 – I’ll need to read or listen to part 2 – the next book Kaplan wrote: Frank – The Chairman.
It was a lot of fun to listen to this book – very well narrated – about the adventures, foibles, and private lives not only of Frank Sinatra, but also of the biggest Hollywood stars of the era – nearly all of whom became the TV stars I grew up with. I don’t follow Hollywood stars, but this book is a treasure trove of scandals, salacious gossip and social excess from that era. With all that ego driven narcissism, money and licentiousness, it would almost seem that they were all screwing each other, madly and with impunity. And Frank Sinatra was certainly one of the most prolific “cocksmen” of the era – he could and did get almost every beautiful woman he wanted before, during, and after his marriages to his first wife Nancy, and later, Ava Gardner. The last part of the book is very much about Frank and Ava’s very tumultuous marriage – which made him psychologically unstable, which hurt his career. This was in part due to Gardner’s own self-centeredness and apparent indifference to Sinatra’s hyper-sensitivity. The more she didn’t respond to his entreaties to be with him, the more it drove him crazy. Their behaviour before and during their marriage was toxic to both of them.
Here are a few of my key take-aways from the book:
Celebrity hustle – marketing and publicity teams, agents, the press, the struggle to find gigs – behind the glamour, we see very competitive, dog-eat-dog hustle for money, publicity, promotion, fame, opportunities for career enhancement. Frank depended on a whole host of people to get him gigs and help him get publicity and increase demand. He also sabotaged many of their efforts with his impulsive behavior in public and with key personnel.
The Perks of Fame and Celebrity – For Frank it was not just money, but sex – as much as he could handle(perhaps more!) it seemed. Multitudes of young attractive women wanted to have sex with the famous crooner and sex object and Frank was only too willing to fulfill their fantasies. Also the money, all the hangers on who wanted to bask in the reflected glow and glory of his success, and the power that gave him. He was “the man.” He got very used to spending a lot of money, he got used to luxury and living the high life – and when his divorce took much of that away from him, he struggled to cut back, and was often broke or deeply in debt. He had to borrow money and take a lot of work he didn’t really want just to financially keep his head above water. But when he had money, and even when he didn’t, he was very generous – loved to play the rich guy who could take the check and tip large – which he regularly did – taking good care of those who were important to him.
The banality of sex and beauty. Frank was obsessed with beautiful women, as most men are. But most men are lucky enough to NOT get what their genetic make-up tells them to want – to sleep with lots of beautiful women. Many or most of those women who desired Frank didn’t have a lot more to offer other than to be able to satisfy his immediate desire for sex and beauty. Fun to read about a guy who got what most guys want – and to see how that fulfillment and those pleasures were ephemeral, while the complications and the problems lasted a lot longer. For young men and women with strong sex drives, it is a bit like candy for kids – it’s so much fun to be able to satisfy the impulse, eat all you want, but over the long term, it is ultimately unsatisfying, unhealthy and unfulfilling. That said most of us men would still like to learn that lesson from personal experience rather than vicariously….
Importance of arranging to music Frank paid a lot of attention to the arrangement of the music behind his songs. He and his team were always looking for a song that would be a big hit, and take him to the top of the charts, garner him publicity and more demand from the public, which meant more fame, glory, women. However, a great song needs a great musical arrangement to accentuate the beauty and feel of the poetry in the lyrics. Frank finally discovered Nelson Riddle who was a master/genius at composing and arranging the instrumental backups to songs Frank chose (or were chosen for him) to sing. I now pay a lot more attention to the nuances of the arrangements of the music I listen to. The lyrics and beat are important – but the backdrop and musical arrangement are often give a tune or song its feel and power.
Frank’s Genius – what made him special as Kaplan repeatedly points out in this biography, Frank had a gift of singing from the heart – putting his personal emotion into his songs. In his best songs and classics, it feels like he’s singing to you the listener. When he was in his prime as a bobby-soxer idol, the young girls felt like he was singing from his heart to them. Later, when he was more mature, and feeling good about himself, that emotion came through in his singing and he sang beautifully. When he was down (often because of financial problems or his struggles with his second wife Ava Gardner,) his singing was flat and there was no “feel” to it. He worked a lot on his diction and pronunciation in songs to mitigate his Joy-zie accent. He also would study at length the lyrics to the songs he would sing, to get a sense for and internalize the feel that they imparted, so that he could put that into his voice as he sang. He sang a number of songs in his down period that were at best, unremarkable. After his career took off after his success in From Here to Eternity, there was more life and emotion and power in his singing and his popularity began to rise again.
Infatuation Much of the last part of the book is about his complete infatuation with Ava Gardner. She was in love with him, but not nearly as infatuated as he was, and while he couldn’t get enough of her, she started feeling crowded and began keeping her distance – he was a very demanding lover and partner. He actually attempted suicide a couple of times, and once almost succeeded – he was so distraught over Ava’s distancing herself from him. No amount of sex with other beautiful young women could relieve that pain. Most of us have been infatuated and love-sick at one time or another, and that helps the reader to have some sympathy for Frank – but his infatuation was epic and truly toxic, which doomed their marriage.
BUT I would argue that this romantic tendency of his – his unquenchable love of women, and capacity to fall madly in love, almost at the drop of a hat with a beautiful woman, usually for only a while (only in Ava’s case was it truly enduring) was what gave him the emotional resources that made his romantic ballads and music so powerful. He would draw on that well of emotional passion when he sang his sad, lovesick or exuberant songs about love – better than almost anyone before or since. It was his source of power, and his curse.
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