Take a Girl Like You (NYRB Classics)

Take a Girl Like You (NYRB Classics) by Kingsley Amis

In the 1960s, young adults behaved badly. The book centers on a man that is trying to put the moves on a girl. The girl likes him, but doesn't want to go all the way. There is also a girl that is pretending to be French that puts the moves on her. There is also a married couple behaving badly. Everyone is depraved in a different way. The book ends with the girl getting drunk and being raped by the guy that was trying to put the moves on her. They treat it as something normal and meet afterwards - though she says she does not want to be with him. It's hard not to feel sick after reading this dated book.

The Waste Makers

The Waste Makers by Vance Packard

I often think of older products being made to last longer with higher quality, replaceable parts. However, this book, written ini 1960, laments the poor quality and planned obsolescence at the time.  I guess no matter how bad things are now, they can get worse. Some areas seem to be carrying right on with the tend line outlined. Other areas may have gotten a bit carried away. He praises Japan for getting population growth under control. They sure did. Now there population has been declining rapidly. 

Much of the waste is in the mindset. Companies want people to buy new things. They update products frequently to drive new sales. They add gimmicks (such as fins on cars) that differentiate, even at the expense of greater resource consumption. Media has become part of the marketing machine. (It was interesting to read that there may have been an alternative. We take the influence of media so much for granted today.) So much of our society is predicated on waste. On one hand it is depressing. However, it does mean there is a lot of area for improvement.

Dennis the Menace Ambassador of Mischief

Dennis the Menace Ambassador of Mischief by Hank Ketcham

This collection of earl Dennis the Menace comic strips consist of many experiences of "innocent mischief" by the boomer era boy. He drives his parents and neighbor crazy with the many bits of curiosity. He causes great grief, but people still manage to care for him. Many of the details go back to a long idea time, but things are still relatable today.

The Boxcar Children Collection Volume 2: Mystery Ranch, Mike's Mystery, Blue Bay Mystery

The Boxcar Children Collection Volume 2: Mystery Ranch, Mike's Mystery, Blue Bay Mystery by Gertrude Chandler Warner

Mystery Ranch - their grandpa has not got along with his sister. The children go to visit her. She takes a liking to the children and decides to leave the ranch to them. There was a friendly guy they saw on the train. He was a uranium prospector who discovered there was Uranium on the land. They set up a mine, while keeping land for the aunt. They also defeat the attempts of others to swindle the ranch from the aunt for cheep.

Mike's Mystery - The kids return a year later to find the ranch is now a big uranium mining operation. One of the swindlers returns to try to damage the ranch and take revenge on Mike who "talks to much". They are able to catch him and get Mike's mom set up in a pie making business.

Blue Bay Mystery - Grandpa takes the kids on a trip on a ship to the south seas. They do their schoolwork on the ship there. they are then dropped off on the island with Grandpa and an experienced man to spend time living and learning there. They discover another boy is on the island. He had been shipwrecked many months ago. He had lived for some time with a sailor who recently disappeared while swimming. (He may have fallen to sharks.) They take the boy back when the are picked up and are able to reunite him with his family.

Throughout the stories, the children are often able to quickly job whether a character is good or evil by looking at them. Is this a skill that has been lost as people attempt not to be prejudiced? It is an interesting line to be drawn. The kids also have a huge amount of optimism and everything seems to turn out well in the end.

Mike's Mystery: The Boxcar Children Mysteries, Book 5

Mike's Mystery: The Boxcar Children Mysteries, Book 5 by Gertrude Chandler Warner

The children travel out to spend time near their grandfather's uranium mine. They meet up with their old friend Mike and his dog. One day, Mike's house is burned down. He barely rescues his dog. Later, they hear some guy spread a rumor that Mike burned the house down. The kids defend their friend and then set out to find the man and the mystery of the burn. They eventually solve the case - a man had tried to burn the house to distract people while they dynamited the mine. (They man was part of a group that tried to swindle others out of the mine.) They also help set up Mike with a place where his mom can bake pies and they can have a new place to live. It is a nice mystery with just enough twists to keep it interesting and feasible. This appears to be a "classic" book written by the actual author.

Green Eggs and Ham

Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss

This is a classic Seuss book. It has very few words, but repeats them over and over. Sam I Am tries to get him to eat Green Eggs and Ham. He refuses. Sam offers many different ways to eat it, and he keeps refusing until he finally gives in - and then discovers that he actually likes green eggs and ham. You can't help but read it faster and faster until it reaches the end.

Oliver

Oliver by Syd Hoff

Oliver is an elephant. He has a "roll with the punches". He is on a ship with other elephants destined for the circus. However, the circus doesn't need him, so he goes into town. He tries the zoo, but he is not needed there. He tries to be a pet, but it doesn't quite work out. Eventually, he starts playing with kids. He has fun, and then starts dancing. Nobody pays attention to the circus parade due to the dancing elephant. He then finds his dream job of joining the circus.

Harry and the Lady Next Door

Harry and the Lady Next Door by Gene Zion (Author), Margaret Bloy Graham (Illustrator)

The lady next door sings high and loud. Harry does not like this. He tries to get low sounds, like mooing cows or the fireman band to counteract the sound. However, this just gets Harry in trouble. Later his family takes him to see a park concert by the fireman band. However, the big horn lost his breath (due to Harry's escapades). They have a singing contest instead. Harry runs away. He hears some low noise coming from a watering can and carries it to the contest. The singing contestants freak out when they see the frogs. However the lady next door keeps singing and wins. The prize is the chance to study music in a far away land for a long time. Harry is elated. He also enjoys hearing the foghorn of the boat as it goes away.

The book has a matter-of-fact silliness that makes it fun to read.

One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish

One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss

The title gives a clue as to what this book contains. It is a bunch of scenes that make sense, yet are nonsense. The words are easy to read. The rhyme and rhythm are great. There are fish and randomly-named creatures. There is also a bike for three (with a "pusher" up the hills.) It is a fun book that is easy and fun for beginning readers.

Are You My Mother?

Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman

My kid commented that this was a "long one" when we picked this book. They also noticed that some of the sight words had been highlighted before. In this classic book, the baby bird sets out to find his mother. He asks various animals and machines if they are his mother. None are. Then the big machine helps get him back home where he finds his mother. The story is good, though I am tempted to knock it for being so long.

The Incredible Journey (Homeward Bound)

The Incredible Journey (Homeward Bound) by Sheila Burnford

I recollected nothing after listening to this the first time. The second time didn't help either. Luckily it is short (~1 hour at triple speed.) There are animals in Canada. They also interact with some people. That is about it.

Island of the Blue Dolphins

Island of the Blue Dolphins is based on the true story of a girl that was left behind on an island off the California Coast. A band of otter hunters massacred many of her people. Those remaining went on a ship to the mainland. However, her brother did not make it. She jumped off to find him. After a short time on the island, her brother died. She continued to live on the island, surviving with what little she had. Many years later, a ship came to take her to the mainland. 

The story takes some liberties with the actual story. But, it is hard to know the details. She was the last speaker of her language. None of her people remained. She herself died of dysentery a few weeks after she arrived on the mainland. Today, the island is uninhabited. It seems a sad end to a people that may have been on their last leg. Could more have been done to save the way of life? Would it be worth it?

Rabbit, Run

Harry "Rabbit" Angstrom was the star of his high school basketball team. Now he is in a marriage he does not like. His pregnant wife finally pushes him over the edge with her vices. He decides to leave. However, he has trouble carrying it out. He is self conscious in his drive away. So, he goes to some place of comfort - his basketball coach's house. He ends up spending time with a woman of questionable character, but makes it back to see his wife and return the car. He continues to have some conflicts with his desires and the poor state of his life. A minister takes him under his wing to try to help. (The minister is very "human" with his own family squabbles.) Eventually, he returns home to his wife as the child is born. However, the child drowns in a tub and he is more concerned with his lack of guilt. Though he is an adult, Rabbit has trouble taking on responsibility with the vagaries of life. There are many people that want to help him. He is somewhat willing to accept the help, but still struggles with his own personal decisions. 

Night

As World War 2 was breaking out, people didn't regard the warnings that were given of bad things to come. They thought the Germans would continue to let them live in peace. Even when Jews were moved to Ghettos, there was still general contentedness with Jew self governance. However, that soon changed when they were hauled off to concentration camps. Survival often depended on lucky decisions. One had to be healthy enough to work, but not too healthy to have to put one's family in the furnace. The author jumped out of the infirmary when their camp was soon to be captured by the enemy, thinking all the sick would be killed. However, in that case, the sick were set free. (One can never know what will happen.) Sometimes small "bribes" given to a bully end up being for naught as the bully is soon chased away.
The book has a feel somewhat like Schindler's list. The concentration camps were part of the "coming of age" of a youth. It was the horror he lived through. He feels some regret about the poor decisions he made, as well as guilt about being a survivor when others did not. He was deeply involved in religious training before. He desires that we acknowledge the history to prevent it from happening again. It didn't seem possible when it happened. We should be careful to spot the signs before they happen again.

The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany

William Shirer was a journalist who lived in Germany during the rise of Hitler. The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich covers the life of Hitler and his rise and eventual fall from power. It is extremely verbose, and spends a lot of time covering the early stages of the third Reich (the time when the author was present in Germany.) He inserts plenty of his own opinion in the work. The author seems to have an extremely negative few of Hitler, with an underlying message that he only came to power because of his Stormtrooper thugs. However, that does seem a bit too simplistic. (Were these thugs requiring everyone to buy Mein Kaumpf?) He is quick to demean all aspects of national socialism. (The Nazi "arts" were constantly demeaned.) The rise felt like it was excessively colored by the knowledge of the impending fall.

The "fall" part is more rushed. Much of the space is devoted to the cruelty of the nazi regime. The "science experiments" may have had some intention of finding ways to help German troops, but they were primarily just torture and executions. The torture and extermination of the Jews had no excuse other then that the German's thought they were the source of problems. Even slavs were treated as inferior, with education of these "brutes" seen as something bad.
The book has a strong journalistic feel. It delves into the sensationalist and the strong personality. The historical actions are covered, but not in as great detail as the characters. Hitler's petty attacks and grudges are presented as a reason for Germany's defeat. If he would not have devoted effort to quash Yugoslavia, the Soviet attack could have been carried out earlier, leading to a more likely German victory. If he wouldn't have pandered to his "alies" (or stabbed them in the back) he could have kept his small empire without further conflict. The many attempts to assassinate Hitler are also given plenty of coverage. What would have happened if they had succeeded?