In A Recent Memoir, Senator John McCain Rests His Case

Anyone who has followed the saga of Sen. John McCain or ever reacted with emotion to his words or actions will recognize the man speaking in this farwell volume.

The Restless Wave is a plain-spoken and often painful personal accounting; a résumé of a contentious career and a defense of controversial political decisions. It may inspire or enrage. But it is less an effort to provoke such conflicting responses than a paean to McCain's idea of America.

McCain wants to celebrate the America he knew — or perhaps only imagined — in the full flower of its global pre-eminence. Call it heritage or call it myth, it is a concept of America that McCain clearly feels he personifies, and one he senses is passing even as he reaches the end of his own life.

This is a man who should have leave to speak his mind. He has served more than 30 years in the U.S. Senate, after serving almost as long in the U.S. Navy. He suffered more than five years in a Vietnamese prisoner of war camp, ran twice for president as a Republican, once as his party's nominee. Through it all, he has been stubbornly individual, at times cantankerous and even exasperating to friend and foe alike, relishing his political persona as "The Maverick."

At its best, the prose in The Restless Wave has some of the terse effectiveness we associate with the 20th century writer Ernest Hemingway. And on his final page, McCain returns to the model of the Hemingway character he calls his hero, Robert Jordan of For Whom the Bell Tolls. That novel ends with Jordan lying wounded on open ground, armed to fight one last battle that he knows will end with his death. "The world is a fine place and worth the fighting for," Jordan says to himself, "and I hate very much to leave it."

To this, McCain adds his own response: "And I do too. I hate to leave it. But I don't have a complaint. Not one. It's been quite a ride. ... I made a small place for myself in the story of America and the history of my times."

Politics and Presidents

So the debates have begun and everyone is gearing up for the upcoming election. The issues are many as are the opinions. Here are a few works of fiction with politics and presidents at the forefront, in no particular order. A little fantasy/science fiction, a little mystery and some historical fiction. Check one out.

Poisoned Politics by Maggie Sefton

The President's Shadow by Brad Meltzer

President's Daughter by Jack Higgins

President's Assassin by Brian Haig

The President's Daughter by Mariah Stewart

The President's Vampire by Christopher Farnsworth 

The Next President by Joseph Flynn

The President's Nemesis by Michael Beres 

A President in Peril: A Snap Malek Mystery by Robert Goldsborough

All the President's Menus by Julie A.Hyzy

By Order of the President by W. E. B. Griffin

The Last President by John Barnes

The President's Lady: A Novel About Rachel and Andrew Jackson by Irving Stone

Can't Get Enough Hamilton?--A Reading (and Listening) List

Hamilton fever is about to take over Chicago. With previews of the musical opening last week and the regular run beginning in mid-October, interest in all things Hamilton is spiking.

Those already infected with the Hamilton bug may want to learn more about the play and the period of American history that Hamilton’s creator, Lin-Manuel Miranda, makes come alive on the stage. 

Here are some suggestions to enhance your knowledge of Hamilton:

·         If you are not already hip-hopping to the songs from the musical, you may want to check out the recording from the original Broadway cast:

Hamilton: Original Broadway Cast Recording by Miranda, Lin-Manuel 

·         For even more information on the music, take a look at the complete libretto:

Hamilton, the Revolution: Being the Complete Libretto of the Broadway Musical, with a True Account of Its Creation, and Concise Remarks on Hip-Hop, the Power of Stories, and the New America by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeremy McCarter  

·        

Hamilton was inspired by the following biography:

Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow 

(The Chernow biography is also available on audio. Settle in for 35.5 hours of leisurely listening by the highly regarded narrator, Scott Brick). Electronic versions of both the book and the audiobook can be checked out through the library’s My Media Mall service.

·         If you are interested in gaining further historical background about early American history, you might start with one of these nonfiction titles:

The Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation by Joseph J. Ellis

The Quartet: Orchestrating the Second American Revolution, 1783-1789 by Joseph J. Ellis

The Heartbreak of Aaron Burr by H.W. Brands

Affairs of Honor: National Politics in the New Republic by Joanne B. Freeman

War of Two: Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr,and the Duel That Stunned the Nation by John Sedgwick

Ladies of Liberty by Cokie Roberts

Lafayette in the Somewhat United States by Sarah Vowell 

Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power by Jon Meacham

·         For fiction lovers, try:

Burr by Gore Vidal

For even more suggestions, just ask a librarian!

This Week in April History - Read More About It

A co-worker and I were talking about April 15th and how it was U.S. tax day - but so much more has happened on that day. Just take a look at these other April fifteenths in history. 

On April 15, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln died at 7:22 a.m. He had been assassinated the night before at Ford's Theater. It was a tragedy that had a great impact on our nation. For a fictional account of Lincoln's life try the classic book Lincoln: a novel by Gore Vidal. For a recent book on his cabinet try the award winning title Team of Rivals: the Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Goodwin Kearns. And for a off-beat, but thoughtful title try Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell. Vowell manages to make connections about the players in the plot that will astound you.

On April 15, 1912 in the early morning the RMS Titanic, a British passenger liner, sank in the North Atlantic Ocean. This sailing tragedy has managed to change shipping and passenger standards that are still in use today. For a fictional account of the adventure try The Dressmaker by Kate Alcott. For an encompassing illustrated volume look at the title  Titanic: an Illustrated History by Donald Lynch.

 On a brighter note Leonardo da Vinci was born on April 15, 1452 in Vinci, Italy. He was interested in the laws of science and nature, which greatly informed his work as a painter, sculptor, inventor and draftsman. His ideas and his body of work - which included "The Last Supper" and the "Mona Lisa" - have influenced countless artists and made da Vinci a leading light of the Italian Renaissance. Take a look at his brilliance in The Da Vinci Notebooks : a Dazzling Array of Da Vinci's Celebrated and Inspirational Inventions, Theories, and Observations. Or explore Ross King's non-fiction book Leonardo and the Last Supper.

Just a reminder that history is all around us. Find it at your library!

Blood and Beauty

Can we say it in one word? Borgia. Yep, that infamous family. Sarah Dunant's book Blood and Beauty starts up the tale just as Alexander VI takes up his papal throne in 1492 and proceeds to wine, dine and bribe the great houses of the Italian states. And on the chess board is his teenage daughter Lucrezia.  Which family will be the most advantageous to marry into? And what about his son Cesare? Some how becoming a powerful cardinal is not going to be enough for the ambitious and lethal young man.

The author takes the reader for a journey with glimpse of the chaos and glamour that was the Italian Renaissance. It really was a time of great contrasts. Wondrous paintings by artists on the Vatican's walls vs. political assignations on the dark side streets of Rome. Great piety shown by their holy men vs. backroom power deals. Powerful Italian city states vs. a  backwater Rome that needs to be rebuilt.  Hmm, how modern it all seems...

Dunant makes us take another look at the 'evil' Borgias - were they the worst people as the rumors suggest? Or were they merely surviving the best they could in such an environment? This book lets you decide for yourself as Dunant leads the reader through the family's tale. There are characters to love and hate, and whether you find yourself feeling for Lucrezia who seems to bring death where ever she goes, or are you seeing her as a product of her position and time - that is for the reader to decide. Alexander VI is the proud papa who loves his children and wants them to have the best. Cesare is a genius at seeing political patterns and does not let being in holy orders stop him.  But I would not want him next to me at any dinner party.

Dunant lets the tale flow and brings us this fictionalized version of a true story that is stranger than fiction. You can't make some of the things they did up. Because they did them! A great saga of a controversial family during tumultuous times. Highly recommended for lovers of  long books of  historical fiction.

For more on the Borgia family try the fictional TV series: The Borgias  or a history of the family by Ivan Cloulas.

Timely Topics - Political Fiction

Here is a small selection of books, each with a different take on what can play out during the course of a political campaign. Ranging from the classic to the irreverant, read one of these and then try to decide what's stranger, reality or fiction.

All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren - Set in the 1930s, this Pulitzer Prize-winning novel tracesthe rise and fall of demagogue Willie Stark, a fictional character who resembles the real-life Huey "Kingfish" Long of Louisiana. Stark begins his political career as an idealistic man of the people but soon becomes corrupted by success and caught between dreams of service and an insatiable lust for power. As relevant today as it was more than fifty years ago, All the King's Men is one of the classics of American literature.

Kissing Babies at the Piggly Wiggly by Rob Dalby - Newlyweds Laurie Lepanto and Powell Hampton organize the mayoral campaign of Hale Dunbar, in which they are assisted by the eccentric Nitwitt widows and hampered by Dunbar's long-lost girlfriend, Gaylie Girl.


Echo House by Ward Just - An epic chronicle of American political fortunes, Ward Just's twelfth novel is his masterpiece, realized through the minds and pulses of men and women who strive to save the nation--or themselves. "Echo House" takes readers through a maze of furtive power alliances and misalliances, involving two dozen characters from one Washington, D.C., family, over nine decades of history.

Election by Tom Perrotta - A comic story about a philandering high-school history teacher in the midst of a student-body election gone haywire.

Domestic Affairs by Bridget Siegel - Tapped to work for a Georgia governor's presidential campaign, fundraiser Olivia Greenley, believing she has landed her dream job beside a candidate of unimpeachable values, unexpectedly falls for the governor and is forced to keep their subsequent affair a secret at all costs.

Spotlight on Joel C. Rosenberg

Prior to becoming a writer of Christian suspense stories, Joel C. Rosenberg worked in a variety of prestigious jobs: he's been a political consultant, a communications expert, and a presidential campaign strategist, among others. In his current career as an author, he draws on his in-depth knowledge to instill his books with intricate, accurate details about terrorism and the Middle East. An evangelical Christian, the conservative Rosenberg uses biblical prophecy to write eerily prophetic and timely stories. Look for spellbinding narratives and fast-paced action in his novels. His book

The Ezekiel Option was awarded best fiction novel for 2006 by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association. He is the author of two nonfiction books; Inside the Revolution (2009) and Epicenter: why the current rumblings in the Middle East will change your future (2006).

Twelfth Imam Series

The Twelfth Imam (2010)

The Tehran Initiative (2011)

Jon Bennett and Erin McCoy Series

The Last Jihad (2002)

The Last Days (2003)

The Ezekiel Option (2005, Award Winner)

The Copper Scroll (2006)
Dead Heat (2008)

Political Thrillers

Can’t get enough of politics—try one of these popular fiction titles.

Inner Circle by Brad Meltzer
Beecher White a young archivist working in the National Archives and his childhood crush accidentally happen upon a priceless artifact a 200 year-old dictionary that once belonged to George Washington hidden inside a desk chair. Keen to discover why the President is hiding this important national treasure the two soon find themselves entangled in a web of deception. Conspiracy and murder that will reveal the most well kept secret of the U.S. Presidency. This fast-paced thriller will keep you reading.

American Assassin by Vince Flynn
Mitt Rapp a student at Syracuse University broods over the tragic deaths of his girlfriend and many other classmates on the bombed Pan Am Flight 103 until he is recruited and trained by the CIA and receives his first assignment; to kill the Turkish arms dealer who sold the bomb that killed his friends. A must read.

Our Kind of Traitor by John Le Carre
In LeCarre’s latest novel he delves into the world of international money laundering and the Russian mob. Perry Makepiece former Oxford tutor and his girlfriend, lawyer Gail Perkins take a vacation to the beautiful island of Antigua to sharpen their tennis game. Dima aka Dmitri Vladimirovich Krasnov challenges the couple to a tennis match, but he wants much more than a friendly match of tennis. He wants them to help him escape the Russian mob, but his former bosses decide he knows too much.

Athena Project by Brad Thor
A group of female warriors from the nation’s elite counter-terrorism unit deploys on a dangerous international assignment. Their code name is Athena Project. The Athena Project is a program to train and field teams of Special Forces made up of entirely of women. Athena Project’s next assignment is to capture Nino Biachi, a Venetian arms dealer. Then they are sent to the Paraguayan jungle to investigate the WW II era weapon known as the Kammler device; a weapon that has the power to quite literally change the course of civilization.

Run Before the Wind by Stuart Woods
Will Lee runs away from his life of wealth and privilege to spend a quiet summer on the coast of Ireland. What he needs is peace and quiet, but there is no peace on this troubled island. Restless and dissatisfied, Will dreams of shipbuilding and sailing on the calm Irish Sea, but an explosion of violence drags Will into a game of terror and revenge. Hatred, rage and deadly secrets send Lee running for his life from a bloody past that is not his own and he will find no sanctuary on the sea.