Book 48: Moshi Moshi – Banana Yoshimoto

Banana Yoshimoto is the unlikely pen name of the Japanese writer Mahoko Yoshimoto. Looking online, she has quite a back catalogue of titles and considerable popularity around the world — though when I picked up this title I knew none of that.

This isn’t the ‘Tokyo ghost story’ that one prominent reviewer said it was…but it is set in Tokyo, so fans of that city (like me) are off to a good start. The story is set in the hip suburb of Shimokitazawa and follows the fortunes of a young lady whose father has just died in a suicide pact with an unknown woman. The young lady slowly adjusts to the reality of her situation through deepening relationships, a supportive community and great food.

There were shades of Murakami here with the surreal dreamscapes and frequent food diversions— and I did enjoy the slow, gradual set up. I also enjoyed how small unremarkable details of ordinary lives (in that Japanese way) become full of meaning and interest.

There was considerable soul searching and emotional conversation from the start of the book, and as these reflections continued through the chapters it became clear that the plot would centre around the personal growth that comes with overcoming trauma. This was fine unto itself, but for me, the essential plot events that would have elevated the story never came and I was left slightly underwhelmed. There was enough here to keep me turning the pages but I’d say that was more in expectation of twists that never came than a result of the story itself. So a mixed bag for me but I did enjoy exploring some of Tokyo — and I’ll take international travel where I can find it at this stage!

Book 46: Me Talk Pretty One Day – David Sedaris

On finishing my first David Sedaris book, Naked, a few weeks ago, I started on another. ‘Me Talk Pretty One Day’ is another collection of short humorous essays based on the author’s autobiographical adventures— this time mostly based on experiences living in France.

This was an entertaining read although for me, it didn’t reach for the comic heights of the best stories in Naked. There’s still plenty to enjoy here if Sedaris’s humour is your thing and the consistency of his writing is again of the highest quality. For me these stories are a welcome counterpoint to the crazy times we find ourselves as they add some much needed humour to the days.

These stories lend themselves to audio rather than the written word, so as before I listened on scribd with the author narrating, as only he can. This time, a few of the essays were recordings of live performances, which I found to interfere slightly with the consistency of the collection but it was interesting to see how his delivery changed when performing to a crowd.

In short —another fine collection of amusing, well-written stories. The man has this format absolutely down, so I’ll continue slowly working my way through his back catalogue.

Here’s a taste from Me Talk Pretty One Day:

“For the first twenty years of my life, I rocked myself to sleep. It was a harmless enough hobby, but eventually, I had to give it up. Throughout the next twenty-two years I lay still and discovered that after a few minutes I could drop off with no problem. Follow seven beers with a couple of scotches and a thimble of good marijuana, and it’s funny how sleep just sort of comes on its own. Often I never even made it to the bed. I’d squat down to pet the cat and wake up on the floor eight hours later, having lost a perfectly good excuse to change my clothes. I’m now told that this is not called “going to sleep” but rather “passing out,” a phrase that carries a distinct hint of judgment.”

David Sendaris – Me Talk Pretty One Day

Recommended.

Book 43 : Benjamin Franklin – Walter Isaacson.

Walter Isaacson did an outstanding job on his biography of Steve Jobs, so when his work on Benjamin Franklin came up on Scribd, I pressed ‘play‘.

What impressed most about Franklin’s life was the breadth of the man. In today’s world of hyper-specialisation the range of his interests and accomplishments were startling:

He was, during his eighty-four-year-long life, America’s best scientist, inventor, diplomat, writer, and business strategist, and he was also one of its most practical, though not most profound, political thinkers. He proved by flying a kite that lightning was electricity, and he invented a rod to tame it. He devised bifocal glasses and clean-burning stoves, charts of the Gulf Stream and theories about the contagious nature of the common cold. He launched various civic improvement schemes, such as a lending library, college, volunteer fire corps, insurance association, and matching grant fund-raiser. He helped invent America’s unique style of homespun humor and philosophical pragmatism. In foreign policy, he created an approach that wove together idealism with balance-of-power realism. And in politics, he proposed seminal plans for uniting the colonies and creating a federal model for a national government.

Benjamin Franklin – Walter Isacsson P.2

Unlike many biographies that have a clear arc, the stages of Franklin’s life were so varied and diverse as to almost seem a patchwork of multiple lives. The passage above is only a partial list as well — you can’t help but marvel at the man’s cognitive bandwidth! His set of accomplishments was extended by the uncommonly long life he led (he was 81 when attending the Constitution Convention of 1787) dying in 1790, at 84 years old.

Franklin had little formal education but an incredible capacity for innovation, self improvement and hard work. He was a strong believer in guiding principles — so much so that he developed a list of 13 virtues that he logged on a weekly basis. The virtues were:

1. Temperance. Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.
2. Silence. Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation.
3. Order. Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.
4. Resolution. Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.
5. Frugality. Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; i.e., waste nothing.
6. Industry. Lose no time; be always employ’d in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.
7. Sincerity. Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak accordingly.
8. Justice. Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty.
9. Moderation. Avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.
10. Cleanliness. Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, cloaths, or habitation.
11. Tranquillity. Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.
12. Chastity. Rarely use venery but for health or offspring, never to dullness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another’s peace or reputation.
13. Humility. Imitate Jesus and Socrates.

What doesn’t come through in these virtues is the kindness and good humour of the man. He was a great conversationalist and by all accounts interested in people of all stripes. While Isaacson doesn’t sufficiently explore the emotional distance he had from his wife and son, it seems that the great man was well-disposed to almost everybody else.

Full-scale biographies like these require quite an investment of time, but this biography ended up being a worthwhile read. From a historical perspective, Franklin played a crucial role in the establishment of the USA as a country, being the only man to sign all four foundational documents: The Declaration of Independence (1776), The Treaty of Alliance with France (1778), The Treaty of Paris (1783) and The U.S. Constitution (1787), so for those unfamiliar with how the States came to be, Franklin’s story serves as a good primer.

Generally this is a meticulous and well-written portrait of one of America’s founding fathers, a man of considerable gifts and talents, and an obvious role model for those of us who wish to live life to the fullest.

Recommended.

For a suitable musical accompaniment, have a listen to the glass armonica. Franklin invented the instrument in 1762. Both Mozart and Beethoven wrote pieces for the instrument….

Book 41: Shoe Dog – Phil Knight

This year, I’ve been getting through the great biographies and ‘Shoe Dog’ is up there with the very best.

Shoe Dog is Phil Knight’s memoir and it’s a terrific read. In fact, I’d say it’s as good as biographies get and that’s coming from someone who has no love of Nike.

What most surprises here is how well Knight writes. He has a keen eye for detail and he’s able to communicate the kind of wisdom that comes from decades of difficult reflection. It’s heartwarming, intimate and a wholly satisfying account that’s hard to put down.

The ungainly cast of misfits and savants that populate the story are a highlight, and his descriptions absolutely brilliant:

For the most part Werschkul’s presence was welcome. He had the kind of go-go motor we liked, and the credentials we always looked for. Stanford undergrad, University of Oregon Law. He also had a compelling personality, a presence. Dark, wiry, sarcastic, bespectacled, he possessed an uncommonly deep, plummy baritone, like Darth Vader with a head cold. Overall he gave the impression of a man with a plan, and the plan didn’t include surrender or sleep.

Shoe Dog, P.323

THE JUDGE IN our case was the Honorable James Burns, a notorious figure in Oregon jurisprudence. He had a long, dour face, and pale gray eyes that looked out from beneath two protruding black eyebrows. Each eye had its own little thatch roof. Maybe it was because factories were so much on my mind in those days, but I often thought Judge Burns looked as if he’d been built in some far-off factory that manufactured hanging judges. And I thought he knew it, too. And took pride in it.

Shoe Dog, P.240

In the final chapter, Knight speaks to the importance of hard work and study in overcoming our many crises. He acknowledges the role luck plays in all our lives and offers this advice to people making their way:

I’d tell them to hit pause, think long and hard about how they want to spend their time, and with whom they want to spend it for the next forty years. I’d tell men and women in their midtwenties not to settle for a job or a profession or even a career. Seek a calling. Even if you don’t know what that means, seek it. If you’re following your calling, the fatigue will be easier to bear, the disappointments will be fuel, the highs will be like nothing you’ve ever felt.

Shoe Dog, P.341

I began this as an audiobook on scribd. It’s not read by Knight, but the perfectly paced conversational style had me switching to my kindle copy half way through. I wanted to see what how this looked on the page, for there’s a rhythm and cadence to the writing throughout that invites reading from the page.

You need not have any interest in Nike, sports or running shoes to enjoy this book.  It’s a fascinating story of realising dreams, triumphing over adversity and carving out a life worth living. It’s filled with humour, warmth and humanity and should be at the top of everyone’s TBR list.

Highly recommended.

Book 40: Horns – Joe Hill

Joe Hill is an author I hadn’t heard of before ‘Horns’ and like many of the books on my Amazon ‘Wishlist’ I can’t recall where I got the recommendation, still, I picked it up a few months ago and recently finished it.

I won’t spoil the read— but I will say it’s a peculiar, strangely enjoyable read.

The book starts with the lead character waking to horns on his head after a hard night out drinking. As the character deals with his bizarre transformation, he navigates the mundane challenges of his own life, family and relationships. The intensity builds as unnerving secondary characters bring complications and intrigue to the plot.

This is a dark fantasy with gothic elements. The writing is sharp and clever, the characters believable and the twists unpredictable. There’s elements of Neil Gaiman in the style and fans of his will feel at home for much of this. I had no idea what to expect from ‘Horns’ but in the end, I thoroughly enjoyed it, and am on the lookout for more of Joe Hill’s work.

Here’s chapter one for a taste:

IGNATIUS MARTIN PERRISH SPENT the night drunk and doing terrible things. He woke the next morning with a headache, put his hands to his temples, and felt something unfamiliar, a pair of knobby pointed protuberances. He was so ill—wet-eyed and weak—he didn’t think anything of it at first, was too hungover for thinking or worry. But when he was swaying above the toilet, he glanced at himself in the mirror over the sink and saw he had grown horns while he slept. He lurched in surprise, and for the second time in twelve hours he pissed on his feet.

Joe Hill – Horns P.1

Highly Recommended.

Book 38: Permanent Record – Edward Snowden

The reason you’re reading this book is that I did a dangerous thing for a man in my position: I decided to tell the truth.” 

Edward Snowden, Permanent Record

Permanent record is Edward Snowden’s memoir, published in 2018. You’ll know the basic story: Snowden was a US intelligence community contractor who revealed the extent of the American government’s mass surveillance programs and capabilities.

Snowden is a highly divisive character—he’s been labelled as a traitor, a hero, a dissident, a spy, a patriot and everything in between: In ‘Permanent Record’ you hear his side of story.

Snowden writes with clarity, circumspection and great intelligence. From his childhood in a military family, to his career as a highly regarded analyst for the CIA, Snowden documents his experiences and later his growing unease with the way the US intelligence extended its covert surveillance to entire populations. The eventual sacrifice he made in releasing the documents to the press was extraordinary, and you get a real sense of how hard the decision was for him. He was walking a perilous path for months and could have been arrested and imprisoned for life at any point. Remember this was a guy in his 20s, living in Hawaii on a great wage with a girl he loved. He literally gave it all up for the American people:

“I myself had sworn an oath of service not to an agency, nor even a government, but to the public, in support and defense of the Constitution,” 

Edward Snowden, Permanent Record

Snowden always believed that the systematic mass surveillance program was a clear violation of the US constitution, principally the fourth amendment —an amendment that only gives the authorities the right to search property with ‘probable cause’. It’s interesting then that just last month, seven years after Snowden exposed the surveillance, a US federal court ruled that the NSA’s collection of metadata was in fact illegal. Snowden himself couldn’t believe it:

Despite the ruling, a pardon for Snowden seems unlikely…

Closer to home, I found it interesting to note that when the US paints China as a technological menace by the way they surveil their population, the US government is not only do exactly the same thing — it’s also likely that they are surveilling and recording information of the citizenry of other sovereign countries:

What China was doing publicly to its own citizens, America might be—could be—doing secretly to the world.”

Edward Snowden, Permanent Record

Permanent Record is thoroughly engaging and revealing read. He does well explaining the technological aspects of the book without getting lost in the details. The meet with journalists in Hong Kong and the escape to Russia matches any thriller for excitement and the pace is snappy throughout. The book highlights the importance of privacy in the technological age but also invites us to consider how we wished to be governed.

Highly recommended.

Book 34: The Birth of Loud: Leo Fender, Les Paul and the Guitar Pioneering Rivalry that Rock ‘n’ Roll – Ian S. Port

Ian Port’s ‘The Birth of Loud’ is a fascinating account of how the electric guitar came to define a generation. It focuses in on the lives of Leo Fender and Les Paul, two very different men whose work would transform the sound of modern music.

The rivalry referred to in the title of the book was more between the well-established Gibson, and Fender’s new company, than the two men. In fact, Leo Fender and Les Paul met several times in the 40s exchanging ideas and notes on solid body electric construction, discussing the myriad of problems that came with the uncharted territory of the electric guitar.

The mild-mannered Fender created his company in ‘46 and after considerable trial, error and experimentation, released his Fender ‘Esquire’ (single pickup) and ‘Broadcaster’ (dual pick up) in 1950. These were the first commercially released solid body electric guitars:

The Fender Stratocaster followed soon after in 1954:

Despite how important these two guitars were, from a design perspective the author makes the case for the revolutionary Fender precision bass being Leo Fender‘s greatest achievement (and that’s to say nothing of his range of amplifiers!)

Paul Bigsby (of tremolo fame) plays a significant part in the story early on. His early hand built guitars predate Leo Fender’s efforts — leading some to accuse Fender of ‘stealing’ aspects of his designs, particularly the headstock. It doesn’t take a long look at some of his earliest designs to see where these accusations were coming from:

Les Paul for his part had almost no hand at all in the design of Gibson Les Paul. He simply lent his name to the guitar to boost sales for the company as he was a huge star in the 50s.

Les Paul did break ground in recording technology and multi-tracking but he wasn’t part of the design teams at Gibson. In fact the Les Paul didn’t sell well early and production stopped in ‘61 when it was replaced with the SG shape. It was only after the Les Paul began to find favour with musicians in the 60s (Clapton used one with John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers) that Gibson reintroduced the design in 1968.

Later in the story, as Fender and Les Paul feature less the author starts introducing some of the musicians who made these instruments famous. These short diversions into the lives of Buddy Holly, Clapton, Hendrix, Carol Kaye and James Jamerson are some of the highlights of the book.

‘The Birth of Loud’ is a terrific book. It’s conversational, easy to read and well written. It’s a cultural history of American from the ‘40s right through to the 70s as much as anything so you don’t need a particular interest in guitar to read this — but if you are into guitars, prepare yourself for an unforgettable journey. Found this title on Scribd and I’m delighted I did.

Highly recommended.

Book 33: Stalin, The Kremlin Mountaineer – Paul Johnson

Historian and essayist Paul Johnston tends to specialise in slender biographical studies that capture the essence of their subject without being weighed down with too many details. Over the last year I’ve read his works on Socrates and Mozart (both good) so I was interested to read his thoughts on Stalin.

In this short volume (it’s less than a hundred pages) Stain’s life whistles by at such an incredible pace that you’re left spinning. In many of the most important events, I wanted much more context and explanation but instead this was like riding a horrifying roller coaster of treachery, arch-villainy and execution, until before you know, Stalin is dead. You are left with an strong impression of the man as a monster—one that Johnson calls ‘one of the outstanding monsters civilization has yet produced’. This seems fair enough for someone who saw murder as the solution to all problems, but the picture painted is so one dimensional that you’re left wondering whether there might have been more depth and nuance to the man.

This book serves its purpose as a super short introduction to one of the most destructively evil men in history. Think of it as a short primer into Stalin’s life and times, but don’t expect an comprehensive overview —for that you’ll need one of the titles that Johnson recommends at the end.

Book 32: Out of Sheer Rage – Geoff Dyer

Geoff Dyer’s ‘Out of Sheer Rage’ was listed in one of book lists I uploaded to the blog. No idea which list, or which post, but at the time it looked good enough to buy.

The book was intended to be a sober, academic study on D.H. Lawrence. Instead it’s a highly entertaining narrative of a writer’s failed attempts to overcome indecisiveness, laziness, neurosis, guilt and artistic paralysis —all completely relatable to anyone who has tried to do anything worthwhile!

Take this book which is intermittently about Lawrence. Right now I profoundly regret ever having started it. I wish I hadn’t bothered. But if I hadn’t started it I would have regretted not having done so. I knew this and so I got on with it and now that I have got on with it I regret that I got on with it in the way I did.

Out of Sheer Rage – Geoff Dyer

The book is therefore not so much ‘a book about D.H. Lawrence’, as ‘a book about writing a book about D.H. Lawrence’ and for Dyer, this was no easy task:

I read Sea and Sardinia. More accurately, I read the first paragraph of Sea and Sardinia over and over until I felt sleepy.

Out of Sheer Rage – Geoff Dyer

There’s an enjoyable travel aspect to the book as he sets off to the far-flung places where Lawrence lived and worked. Predictably the trips turn out to farcical disappointments:

We had found it. We stood silently. I knew this moment well from previous literary pilgrimages: you look and look and try to summon up feelings which don’t exist. You try saying a mantra to yourself, ‘D. H. Lawrence lived here.’ You say, ‘I am standing in the place he stood, seeing the things he saw…’, but nothing changes, everything remains exactly the same: a road, a house with sky above it and the sea glinting in the distance.

Out of Sheer Rage – Geoff Dyer

‘Out of Sheer Rage’ was a thoroughly enjoyable, sometimes hilarious book. You need not have any particular interest in D.H. Lawrence to pick this one up, but by the end you may be tempted to pick up one of his novels (as I did). Steve Martin called this the funniest book he’s read but it’s also a catalogue of the conditions and foibles and that can undermine us, including of course, athlete’s foot:

I contracted athlete’s foot, that much is clear. I then began to suffer from a mild itchiness between my fingers, an itchiness so similar to the itchiness between my toes that it seemed to me that I was suffering from athlete’s hand. Logically enough I began to treat my athlete’s hand with my athlete’s foot cream – only to find, or so my doctor explained, that the athlete’s foot cream set off a terrible reaction in my hand which led to the original itchiness being consumed by an appalling outbreak of eczema.

Out of Sheer Rage – Geoff Dyer

Highly Recommended.

Book 31: Principles – Ray Dalio

Over 40 years, Ray Dalio grew the investment firm Bridgewater Associates from a one-man operation out of a modest two-bedroom house to being one of the most successful companies in America (currently managing $138 billion USD in assets). ‘Principles’ is Dalio’s philosophy of life and work. He shares here the essence of his accumulated knowledge and in the introduction he explains why:

I’m passing along these principles because I am now at a stage in my life in which I want to help others be successful rather than to be more successful myself. Because these principles have helped me and others so much, I want to share them with you.

Ray Dalio, Principles P.ix

Going in, I was unsure how much value I would get out of the book. I have zero interest in the world of investing and global finance, but based on some positive reviews I expected some of the principles to be broadly transferable. As it turns out, I found this book to be quite extraordinary.

‘Principles’ is divided into three parts, roughly of equal length: a memoir, life principles and work principles. As we move through the sections Dalio’s principles are introduced, developed, reintroduced, extended until a comprehensive world view emerges. ‘Radical transparency’ and ‘the idea meritocracy’ lie at the heart of these principles but guiding them is a strong systems approach built on incremental improvement.

This is a book to revisit and reflect on. Granted the ‘work principles’ section is heavily focused on the workplace and may not interest every reader but even there I found value in his thinking. In any case this is an important, potentially life-changing book and as such I’m going to use this blog to understand it better. Dalio created a series of 8 short animations that summarise the essential elements of the book and I’m to share each of them in the coming days.

For now let me just say that ‘Principles’ is a monumental achievement and highly recommended.