1984, first edition from Pantheon
Christopher Cerf & Victor Navasky
The Experts Speak: The Definitive Compendium of Authoritative Misinformation
Probably bought newish, for $9.95
Worn paperback with curly corners
B-
After deliberately mispredicting the 1980s in 1979, Cerf now, with the help of the editor of The Nation, collects hundreds of incredibly bad predictions, misstatements, and other errors from assorted experts. Some of the quotes are laugh-out-loud, but I do confess to wishing that this wasn't just a collection, that there was more analysis and/or more context. As with The Woman's Encyclopedia, this is basically a reference book, and I like a narrative. Also, some of these quotes have appeared in other of my books, so it doesn't feel as fresh as it once did. Still, who doesn't want to see everyone from Thomas Edison to Dixy Lee Ray getting things utterly wrong, and with great confidence?
This completes the extra-long top shelf of my horizontal-oriented (think landscape rather than portrait) bookcase. Normally I don't like to split years, but I had to in order to get 1990 onto this bookcase. I may re-divide down the road, but for now this shelf goes from Lady Oracle (1976) to this book. And, yes, Margaret Atwood is long overdue for another novel (Maeve Binchy has double the number of posts already!), but she will return next shelf....
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
First Lady from Plains
1984, 1985 Ballantine edition
Rosalynn Carter
First Lady from Plains
Possibly bought newish, for $3.95
Very worn paperback
B
At the time this book came out, Jimmy Carter's reputation was very bad. As Rosalynn notes, things soured in 1979, primarily but not exclusively because of the Iranian hostage situation. When Ronald Reagan, a man she completely disagreed with, came along with his glib optimism, Carter didn't stand a chance. So, yes, she's bitter here, but she also still believed in America, and in her husband. And she still does. She's still active for the issues she's been concerned with for decades, like mental illness, and she and Jimmy have been together 66 years.
I wish that the book hadn't gone so quickly through the time before Jimmy became governor. I'm still not clear what drew the Carters together. Yes, she thought he was handsome, and he was the brother of her best friend (and no doubt one of the few eligible men in the tiny town of Plains), but their courtship and even the early years of their marriage pass, as her childhood does, with just a page or two per year. It's really only during the presidential years that I get a sense of their relationship, how they supported each other, despite disagreements. I like how she shows what it was like to be the confidante of a complex and once powerful man, as with the Camp David talks, where we feel the tension of whether Begin and Sadat will ever sign a peace treaty. She also shows the delight of a small-town girl in the luxury and history of the White House. But I'm not sure that the book holds together as well as it could, and there are some glaring typos (like "side strips").
Both Rosalynn's father and her husband discouraged her from crying, so when she cries at the realization that Jimmy is going to lose in 1980, it's memorable. There is a sense, despite Rosalynn's honesty, of her often having to hide her negative feelings, including anger. Yet overall, she seems to have been one of the most "real" First Ladies we've had. Unlike the Cary Grant book, where I like the book better than the subject, I think I like Mrs. Carter more than I like this book, which is probably how I felt three decades ago.
Rosalynn Carter
First Lady from Plains
Possibly bought newish, for $3.95
Very worn paperback
B
At the time this book came out, Jimmy Carter's reputation was very bad. As Rosalynn notes, things soured in 1979, primarily but not exclusively because of the Iranian hostage situation. When Ronald Reagan, a man she completely disagreed with, came along with his glib optimism, Carter didn't stand a chance. So, yes, she's bitter here, but she also still believed in America, and in her husband. And she still does. She's still active for the issues she's been concerned with for decades, like mental illness, and she and Jimmy have been together 66 years.
I wish that the book hadn't gone so quickly through the time before Jimmy became governor. I'm still not clear what drew the Carters together. Yes, she thought he was handsome, and he was the brother of her best friend (and no doubt one of the few eligible men in the tiny town of Plains), but their courtship and even the early years of their marriage pass, as her childhood does, with just a page or two per year. It's really only during the presidential years that I get a sense of their relationship, how they supported each other, despite disagreements. I like how she shows what it was like to be the confidante of a complex and once powerful man, as with the Camp David talks, where we feel the tension of whether Begin and Sadat will ever sign a peace treaty. She also shows the delight of a small-town girl in the luxury and history of the White House. But I'm not sure that the book holds together as well as it could, and there are some glaring typos (like "side strips").
Both Rosalynn's father and her husband discouraged her from crying, so when she cries at the realization that Jimmy is going to lose in 1980, it's memorable. There is a sense, despite Rosalynn's honesty, of her often having to hide her negative feelings, including anger. Yet overall, she seems to have been one of the most "real" First Ladies we've had. Unlike the Cary Grant book, where I like the book better than the subject, I think I like Mrs. Carter more than I like this book, which is probably how I felt three decades ago.
Monday, January 28, 2013
Hollywood Films of the Seventies
1984, first edition, from Harper & Row
Seth Cagin and Philip Dray
Hollywood Films of the Seventies: Sex, Drugs, Violence, Rock 'n' Roll and Politics
Original price unknown, purchase price $6.50
Good condition hardcover
C-
As with Hoberman and Rosenbaum's Midnight Movies, I am definitely not the audience for this book, or the movies it covers. You might think that the two books are mutually exclusive, but in fact some films are in both (and Cult Movies 1 or 2), such as Clockwork Orange. I find that Cagin and Dray handle violent content in movies, and more particularly the explanations of such directors as Kubrick and Peckinpah, in too unquestioning a manner, without even Rosenbaum and Hoberman's reservations, to say nothing of Danny Peary's consideration. That Dray and Cagin have a left-wing perspective makes their attitude towards violence even worse, as they fall into the trap of thinking that showing violence is condemning it. Also, they almost ignore one of the most significant political movements of the 1970s: feminism. Like "black" movies getting not much more than a paragraph, movies about women and the role of women in mainstream movies are discussed only sporadically.
But then this isn't really a book about the 1970s, or not entirely. There is in fact much more time spent on the late 1960s, or even the late 1950s, than on the late 1970s. In fact, 1977 to 1983 is mostly in the Epilogue. What we have here is another example, like Generation in Motion, of Baby-Boomers who have a very narrow view of what they might as well call The Epigonic Decade. While Cagin and Dray seem at first to be presenting the 1970s as the time when the concerns of the 1960s found fuller expression on the big screen (thanks to a new generation of film-makers), by 1977 "escapist blockbusters" have triumphed and the dream is over.
Of course, that I spent most of the 1970s watching Disney movies on the big screen and old movies on the little screen probably disqualifies me as an authority, but Hollywood cinema did include the following movies that they don't profile: Harold and Maude (1971), Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974), Foul Play (1978), and The Muppet Movie (1979). Any one of these is going to tell you more about the 1970s-- and sex, drugs, rock 'n' roll, or even politics-- than the likes of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest or Rebel without a Cause. And they're a hell of a lot more entertaining, too.
Seth Cagin and Philip Dray
Hollywood Films of the Seventies: Sex, Drugs, Violence, Rock 'n' Roll and Politics
Original price unknown, purchase price $6.50
Good condition hardcover
C-
As with Hoberman and Rosenbaum's Midnight Movies, I am definitely not the audience for this book, or the movies it covers. You might think that the two books are mutually exclusive, but in fact some films are in both (and Cult Movies 1 or 2), such as Clockwork Orange. I find that Cagin and Dray handle violent content in movies, and more particularly the explanations of such directors as Kubrick and Peckinpah, in too unquestioning a manner, without even Rosenbaum and Hoberman's reservations, to say nothing of Danny Peary's consideration. That Dray and Cagin have a left-wing perspective makes their attitude towards violence even worse, as they fall into the trap of thinking that showing violence is condemning it. Also, they almost ignore one of the most significant political movements of the 1970s: feminism. Like "black" movies getting not much more than a paragraph, movies about women and the role of women in mainstream movies are discussed only sporadically.
But then this isn't really a book about the 1970s, or not entirely. There is in fact much more time spent on the late 1960s, or even the late 1950s, than on the late 1970s. In fact, 1977 to 1983 is mostly in the Epilogue. What we have here is another example, like Generation in Motion, of Baby-Boomers who have a very narrow view of what they might as well call The Epigonic Decade. While Cagin and Dray seem at first to be presenting the 1970s as the time when the concerns of the 1960s found fuller expression on the big screen (thanks to a new generation of film-makers), by 1977 "escapist blockbusters" have triumphed and the dream is over.
Of course, that I spent most of the 1970s watching Disney movies on the big screen and old movies on the little screen probably disqualifies me as an authority, but Hollywood cinema did include the following movies that they don't profile: Harold and Maude (1971), Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974), Foul Play (1978), and The Muppet Movie (1979). Any one of these is going to tell you more about the 1970s-- and sex, drugs, rock 'n' roll, or even politics-- than the likes of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest or Rebel without a Cause. And they're a hell of a lot more entertaining, too.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Femininity
1984, 1985 Ballantine edition
Susan Brownmiller
Femininity
Original price $7.95, purchase price $3.50
Worn paperback
B
Almost a decade after Against Our Will, Brownmiller examines the title concept, which is not unrelated, since part of femininity is passivity, and it's harder for women to fight against rape if they've been trained not to fight. However, she is not entirely against stereotypical femininity. She admits to dying her hair and in her youth having taken pride in her pale skin. Her relationship to femininity is ambivalent, as I think most women's are. She talks about her personal experience, but also that of other women, of different times, countries, classes, and races. She also incorporates what she knows of the experiences of men, both straight and gay.
The wry wit of her first book is still present in this her second, but there's also a sense of what might be called middle-aged feminist burnout, not only that Brownmiller was then in her late 40s, but also that the 1970s had turned to the 1980s. She doesn't blame other women for "giving in," for instance wearing skirts and make-up, and she admits that she doesn't want to seem boring and judgmental. She acknowledges that femininity can be fun, if it's a woman's choice rather than something imposed by loved ones and/or society.
If I had to pick one detail that was most interesting to me on this reread, it was the mention of how First Ladies were/are expected to be slender, with Jackie Kennedy and Nancy Reagan as extreme examples. I wonder what Brownmiller later thought of Barbara Bush, but maybe people didn't hold Barbara to that standard because she fit more into the grandmotherly image, white hair and all.
Susan Brownmiller
Femininity
Original price $7.95, purchase price $3.50
Worn paperback
B
Almost a decade after Against Our Will, Brownmiller examines the title concept, which is not unrelated, since part of femininity is passivity, and it's harder for women to fight against rape if they've been trained not to fight. However, she is not entirely against stereotypical femininity. She admits to dying her hair and in her youth having taken pride in her pale skin. Her relationship to femininity is ambivalent, as I think most women's are. She talks about her personal experience, but also that of other women, of different times, countries, classes, and races. She also incorporates what she knows of the experiences of men, both straight and gay.
The wry wit of her first book is still present in this her second, but there's also a sense of what might be called middle-aged feminist burnout, not only that Brownmiller was then in her late 40s, but also that the 1970s had turned to the 1980s. She doesn't blame other women for "giving in," for instance wearing skirts and make-up, and she admits that she doesn't want to seem boring and judgmental. She acknowledges that femininity can be fun, if it's a woman's choice rather than something imposed by loved ones and/or society.
If I had to pick one detail that was most interesting to me on this reread, it was the mention of how First Ladies were/are expected to be slender, with Jackie Kennedy and Nancy Reagan as extreme examples. I wonder what Brownmiller later thought of Barbara Bush, but maybe people didn't hold Barbara to that standard because she fit more into the grandmotherly image, white hair and all.
The Lilac Bus
1984
The Lilac Bus
Maeve Binchy
(see Dublin 4 for more information)
B-
Tom takes seven people to Rathdoon and back to Dublin every weekend on the vehicle of the title. Each chapter has a different perspective, so we see how the driver and passengers view each other, as well as the townspeople that they all know, like Celia's alcoholic mother. The stories aren't all neatly tied up, but then this novella only covers one weekend (with flashbacks). Themes and issues from before, not just alcoholism, but adultery, homosexuality (more here than in Dublin 4 or London Transports), and of course family, are addressed. There's not as much of a sense of a little Irish town as in Light a Penny Candle, because of the split in setting (including on the road) as well as the length being less than that of the 1982 novel. I didn't like Nancy, even after she had her "clueless person's realisation" ala Transports (maybe because I can see that same penny-pinching in myself at times, though not to that extreme), but the rest of the characters are interesting, flaws and all.
The Lilac Bus
Maeve Binchy
(see Dublin 4 for more information)
B-
Tom takes seven people to Rathdoon and back to Dublin every weekend on the vehicle of the title. Each chapter has a different perspective, so we see how the driver and passengers view each other, as well as the townspeople that they all know, like Celia's alcoholic mother. The stories aren't all neatly tied up, but then this novella only covers one weekend (with flashbacks). Themes and issues from before, not just alcoholism, but adultery, homosexuality (more here than in Dublin 4 or London Transports), and of course family, are addressed. There's not as much of a sense of a little Irish town as in Light a Penny Candle, because of the split in setting (including on the road) as well as the length being less than that of the 1982 novel. I didn't like Nancy, even after she had her "clueless person's realisation" ala Transports (maybe because I can see that same penny-pinching in myself at times, though not to that extreme), but the rest of the characters are interesting, flaws and all.
Haunted Idol: The Story of the Real Cary Grant
1983, 1985 McGraw-Hill edition
Geoffrey Wansell
Haunted Idol: The Story of the Real Cary Grant
Original price $3.95, purchase price unknown
Worn paperback
B-
The title sounds like the sort of low-budget '40s movie that Cary Grant would not have starred in, but Wansell sees the actor as haunted by his childhood, particularly the mental illness of his mother. While there are times I felt sorry for Grant reading this book, I like him less because of it, mostly due to the way he treated his wives, especially Numbers 1 and 4, hitting them and limiting their freedom. Wansell addresses the controversy over Grant's sexual orientation a couple times, to note rumors about Grant and live-in pal Randolph Scott, and Chevy Chase's homophobic remark which led to a slander suit that was settled out of court. Wansell seems to think the fact that Grant was involved with so many women is answer enough, and doesn't consider the possibility that Grant was bisexual.
Grant suspected Wansell wanted to write about him because Grant was almost 80 and not likely to live much longer (he'd die the year after this edition came out), but it was more that Wansell found him a fascinating enigma. Grant was always ambivalent about revealing his selves (there are a few "Archibald Leach" jokes in his movies), both fearing and desiring exposure, as with his medical experiments with LSD in the '50s. I still enjoy the Cary Grant onscreen, in the more than a dozen of his movies I've seen, but it's a shame that he wasn't half as cool in real life as his costar and friend Rosalind Russell was.
Whew, only 30 years to go for this project!
Geoffrey Wansell
Haunted Idol: The Story of the Real Cary Grant
Original price $3.95, purchase price unknown
Worn paperback
B-
The title sounds like the sort of low-budget '40s movie that Cary Grant would not have starred in, but Wansell sees the actor as haunted by his childhood, particularly the mental illness of his mother. While there are times I felt sorry for Grant reading this book, I like him less because of it, mostly due to the way he treated his wives, especially Numbers 1 and 4, hitting them and limiting their freedom. Wansell addresses the controversy over Grant's sexual orientation a couple times, to note rumors about Grant and live-in pal Randolph Scott, and Chevy Chase's homophobic remark which led to a slander suit that was settled out of court. Wansell seems to think the fact that Grant was involved with so many women is answer enough, and doesn't consider the possibility that Grant was bisexual.
Grant suspected Wansell wanted to write about him because Grant was almost 80 and not likely to live much longer (he'd die the year after this edition came out), but it was more that Wansell found him a fascinating enigma. Grant was always ambivalent about revealing his selves (there are a few "Archibald Leach" jokes in his movies), both fearing and desiring exposure, as with his medical experiments with LSD in the '50s. I still enjoy the Cary Grant onscreen, in the more than a dozen of his movies I've seen, but it's a shame that he wasn't half as cool in real life as his costar and friend Rosalind Russell was.
Whew, only 30 years to go for this project!
The Book of Lists 3
1983, Bantam edition from later that year
Amy Wallace, David Wallechinksy, and Irving Wallace
The Book of Lists 3
Original price $4.95, purchase price $2.95
Very worn paperback
C+
About as good as the first book, not as good as the second. Pretty much more of the same, including the chapter "Encores," which updates popular earlier lists. As they observe in the introduction, there had been some spin-off books by other people, not just the "rock" one. The intro also says, "Like our previous books, The Book of Lists 3 tries to provide a balance between the lighthearted and the serious. It is fun to read a list of...murder victims who were the hardest to kill." If that's the Wallaces' idea of lighthearted fun, I'm surprised these books aren't more disturbing.
As far as topicality goes this time, there's of course a lot more of Reagan, and M*A*S*H makes the favorite TV series lists for Lucille Ball, Dick Van Dyke, and Phil Silvers (who also of course pick their own shows). My favorite trivia is that "Let's get out of here!" is the most common line of movie dialogue, which may still be true.
http://blog.seattlepi.com/movielady/2010/05/21/lets-get-out-of-here-the-most-used-piece-of-dialog-in-film-history/
Amy Wallace, David Wallechinksy, and Irving Wallace
The Book of Lists 3
Original price $4.95, purchase price $2.95
Very worn paperback
C+
About as good as the first book, not as good as the second. Pretty much more of the same, including the chapter "Encores," which updates popular earlier lists. As they observe in the introduction, there had been some spin-off books by other people, not just the "rock" one. The intro also says, "Like our previous books, The Book of Lists 3 tries to provide a balance between the lighthearted and the serious. It is fun to read a list of...murder victims who were the hardest to kill." If that's the Wallaces' idea of lighthearted fun, I'm surprised these books aren't more disturbing.
As far as topicality goes this time, there's of course a lot more of Reagan, and M*A*S*H makes the favorite TV series lists for Lucille Ball, Dick Van Dyke, and Phil Silvers (who also of course pick their own shows). My favorite trivia is that "Let's get out of here!" is the most common line of movie dialogue, which may still be true.
http://blog.seattlepi.com/movielady/2010/05/21/lets-get-out-of-here-the-most-used-piece-of-dialog-in-film-history/
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