Our book club read and discussed two of Louise Erdrich's books recently. We first read Plague of Doves and then Round House. Both books led to great discussions from our exceptionally able book club members.
I had read both books some time prior to their selection for discussion at book club. Therefore, I reread them both for discussion at the club. The rereading was very helpful. In fact I found Plague of Doves so rich in detail and complexity that I read it a third time after the club discussion and was very glad that I did.
Now I've just completed reading her The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse which was published in 2001. It was a National Book Award finalist. Perhaps not as complex as Plague of Doves it is the story of a very unusual and very effective priest on the fictional Little No Horse Reservation. While the plot, or at least the cast of characters, is less complex than Plague it is filled with profound philosophical observations.
Will I read it again? Perhaps. I've reread several books to refresh myself for book club discussions. In doing so I've discovered that very good books are even better upon rereading. Perhaps I only need about twenty books in my library that I just keep rereading. :)
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Friday, November 15, 2013
Reflections on the Military Draft
In today's Writer's Almanac (which I receive online) Garrison Keillor reports that on this date in 1940 75,000 American men reported for America's first peace time military draft. The draft continued until after the war, was ended but reinstated under President Truman during the cold war. It ended in 1973.
This paragraph is taken from the Almanac., "Most Americans were happy about the end of the draft, but in 1999 the historian Stephen Ambrose wrote: "Today, Cajuns from the Gulf Coast have never met a black person from Chicago. Kids from the ghetto don't know a middle-class white. Mexican-Americans have no contact with Jews. Muslim Americans have few Christian acquaintances ... But during World War II and the Cold War, American [men] from every group got together in the service, having a common goal — to defend their country ... They learned together, pledged allegiance together, sweated together, hated their drill sergeants together, got drunk together, went overseas together. What they had in common — patriotism, a language, a past they could emphasize and venerate — mattered far more than what divided them."
Ambrose makes a very good point. I remember having much more in common with James Early, a middle class African American from Cleveland than with Mike King a Caucasian from Louisiana. I've forgotten Rocky's last name but he was from the Bronx and was in legal trouble and enlisted to avoid going to jail...so much for Ambrose' emphasis on patriotism. But, for a farm boy coming off the farm in the 50s it was my first exposure to diversity. Linville Sims from Pumpkin Ridge, KY was in my company as was JohnWatne from Blackduck, MN, Bill Wright from El Paso, TX, Jerry Eldridge from Michigan City, IN...the list goes on.
As long as we have a military we should have a draft. Military duties now fall disproportionately on one group. Draftees...and those facing the draft...are the most vocal in opposition to war.
This paragraph is taken from the Almanac., "Most Americans were happy about the end of the draft, but in 1999 the historian Stephen Ambrose wrote: "Today, Cajuns from the Gulf Coast have never met a black person from Chicago. Kids from the ghetto don't know a middle-class white. Mexican-Americans have no contact with Jews. Muslim Americans have few Christian acquaintances ... But during World War II and the Cold War, American [men] from every group got together in the service, having a common goal — to defend their country ... They learned together, pledged allegiance together, sweated together, hated their drill sergeants together, got drunk together, went overseas together. What they had in common — patriotism, a language, a past they could emphasize and venerate — mattered far more than what divided them."
Ambrose makes a very good point. I remember having much more in common with James Early, a middle class African American from Cleveland than with Mike King a Caucasian from Louisiana. I've forgotten Rocky's last name but he was from the Bronx and was in legal trouble and enlisted to avoid going to jail...so much for Ambrose' emphasis on patriotism. But, for a farm boy coming off the farm in the 50s it was my first exposure to diversity. Linville Sims from Pumpkin Ridge, KY was in my company as was JohnWatne from Blackduck, MN, Bill Wright from El Paso, TX, Jerry Eldridge from Michigan City, IN...the list goes on.
As long as we have a military we should have a draft. Military duties now fall disproportionately on one group. Draftees...and those facing the draft...are the most vocal in opposition to war.
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