Shelved: Roundup of Book Posts August 2024

 

The Cruise of the USS Codfish

I Shouldn't Even Be Doing This!: And Other Things That Strike Me As Funny.  Bob Newhart.  Hyperion, 2006.  256 pages.

A short time ago, the world lost a legend when Bob Newhart passed away.  He was one of the most unique and talented comedians ever, and, by all accounts, an extremely nice guy, one of my favorite performers.  He started his comedic career in clubs in the late 1950s, became the king of comedy albums and a favorite talk show and variety guest in the 1960s, the star of a long running hit tv show in the 1970s and another in the 1980s, acted in some big movies, and reintroduced himself to new audiences in great guest appearances in the 2010s.  His autobiography, originally published in 2006, returned to bestseller lists following his death, so I gave it a listen,  The audiobook version is only a few hours long, and it is read by him, a definite bonus.  As you would expect, there is nothing salacious or scandalous.  In fact, real autobiographical details are sparse, not much more than he would have discussed as a talk show guest, but the book is full of some of his greatest bits and the stories and inspirations around them.  This is a real treat for Newhart fans.

Book talk with author

A Deeper South:  The Beauty, Mystery, and Sorrow of the Southern Road. Pete Candler.  University of South Carolina Press, 2024.  400 pages.

Here's another in the umpteen dozen books that fall into what must be one of the biggest genres of nonfiction literature these days: a travelogue of the South designed to investigate and explain what makes the American South the most mysterious, confusing, interesting, misunderstood, demonized, and romanticized region of the United States, usually focused on race.  This  one is written by a member of one of the most privileged families in Atlanta, the Candlers, the wealthy, philantropic, and politically prominent family connected to Coca-Cola, among other enterprises.  As books of this genre go, it's  a good one.  Candler is a good writer.  I enjoyed the journey, - although "enjoyed" doesn't seem the right word - and I learned things and made note of places that I would like to visit myself, so I recommend it to readers of southern history and travelogues.  His description of the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery took me there, masterfully. Two things stand out beyond that.  First, Candler is a few years younger than me, and he attended Atlanta private schools that charge about $50,000 or more a year tuition today, but I was shocked to learn that my public school education in small-town south Georgia was better than his.  He constantly refers to things he learned nothing about in school, but they were all part of my education.  Secondly, this was the worst edited book that I've read in years, perhaps ever.  Apparently, the University of South Carolina Press doesn't employ proofreaders.  I ran into grammar errors, spelling errors, wrong words, and repeated words every few pages.  I was so frustrated by the errors that it became difficult reading. (And while I'm complaining, the covers of the paperback both are permanently curled from normal reading.)

Author podcast appearance

Chaos:  Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties.  Tom O'Neill with Dan Piepenbring.  William Heinemann, 2019.  356 pages.

It's one of the most infamous crime sprees in American history, culminating in the bloody slaughter of seven adults in August 1969, at the hands of  The Family, a group of hippies under the control and direction of a self-proclaimed messiah/devil named Charles Manson.  In 1999, journalist Tom O'Neill was contracted to write a piece for the movie magazine Premiere focusing on the impact of the murders on the entertainment industry 30 years later.  As he got into the story, the story developed into an obsession that consumed the next twenty years of his life.  He interviewed hundreds of people and scoured thousands of pages of documents and discovered mountains of evidence that make it clear that the story we all have been told, the story promulgated by prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi in one of the best selling true crime books in history, Helter Skelter, is not the true story.  What he found is shocking.  The real story is full of police incompetence and massive coverups, and Bugliosi intentionally withheld evidence from court, fellow prosecutors, and defense attorneys and even allowed, if not encouraged, witnesses to perjure themselves on the witness stand because he crafted the story of Helter Skelter in order to make his career and fortune.  (Spoiler alert: Bugliosi was a bad, bad man.)  Charles Manson and the Family and/or their victims had deep connections to the entertainment industry:  producers, writers, executives, The Beach Boys, The Mamas and the Papas, Warren Beatty, Candice Bergen, and many others.  They also enjoyed a weird protection from authorities.  Manson and the people under his control were arrested numerous times before the murders, for auto theft, credit card theft, robbery, contributing to the delinquency of minors, drugs, and many more.  Even the accusations could have been used to revoke Manson's parole and reincarcerate him.  Yet, in every case, Manson and the others were released without charges or explanations.  Police officers told O'Neill that they were ordered to leave the Family alone.  Why?  O'Neill spent decades trying to figure out why, and his quest leads him into a deep dive into COINTELPRO, Chaos, and MKUltra - three incredibly illegal, unethical, and destructive secret projects conducted by the FBI and CIA which seemingly prove that government is never to be trusted.

 

author talk

Sunshine State Mafia:  A History of Florida's Mobsters, Hit Men, and Wise Guys.  Doug Kelly.  University of Florida Press, 2024.  194 pages.  

Almost from its inception in America, organized crime has had a home in Florida.  Crime family leaders quickly recognized that Florida was a safe haven from both winter and law enforcement.  Like every other American, mob figures viewed the wide open state as a vacation playground at first but then started running very successful bootlegging, gambling, prostitution, extortion, money laundering, and drug smuggling operations which made them lots of money and inspired some locals to go for their own piece of the action.  Doug Kelly is a licensed private investigator, security expert, outdoorsman, columnist, video producer, and writer who has crafted this short, but informative history of organized crime in the Sunshine State, based on his own experiences, research, and lots and lots of interviews with retired law enfordement members,  It opens with a quick introduction to the organization and inner workings of organied crime and then delves into the stories of the infamous like Al Capone and Tampa's Trafficante family as well as the lesser known figures who carved out their own local fiefdoms built on illegal activities like bolita, the popular lottery ball game imported from Cuba.  It's a good read if you're into organized crime history or Florida history.