Steve Goddard's History Wire

Book Alert / Where One Voice Ends, Another Begins

Where One Voice Ends, Another Begins -- 150 Years of Minnesota Poetry, Edited by Robert Hedin, Minnesota Historical Society Press '07, $28.95, 260 pages, ISBN #0873515846. Index of authors, titles and first lines, selected bibliography, unillustrated.

How quaint when one of fifty states decides to trumpet its contribution to the literary arts. As if Minnesota were so special. The publisher even beats its breast by listing the contributors on its back cover. Oh well, in the interests of equal time, here goes, Minnesota!

OK, OK, you have F. Scott Fitzgerald, who wrote about that Gatsby fella. Bring on some more: Louise Erdrich? My wife says, "She wrote Love Medicine, you dummy. And Tales of Burning Love." Fine, that's two, I said. Who else you got? How about John Berryman? (Recovery, Homage to Mistress Bradstreet) Really? He's from Minnesota?

OK, I see which way the wind is blowing. You've still got some heavyweights in the dugout? Patricia Hampl? I'm supposed to know that name? Oh, wow, she's the one who writes memoir after memoir about her life -- you'd think she was 100 years old! Yeah, matter of fact, I did read Florist's Daughter --I love father/daughter stories. Who did you say Mary Karr was? Only the author of Liar's Club? I see I'm fighting a losing fight -- I'm outta here!!

Book Alert / A Thousand Hills

A Thousand Hills -- Rwanda's Rebirth and the Man Who Dreamed It by Stephen Kinzer, Wiley '08, $25.95, 380 pages, ISBN #0470120150. Index, bibliography, source notes, grouping of b&w glossy images.

Rwanda President Paul Kagame is "obsessed with a single outlandish dream: to make Rwanda the first middle-income country in Africa, and to do it in the space of a single generation."

Before you consign this communique to the dustbin of outtakes from global political life in 2008, consider a few things: After 1994, when Paul Kagame and his rebel army stopped the most devastating genocide since the Holocaust, Rwanda poised itself to create a path to reconciliation, thereby stunning the developed world.

As journalist Stephen Kinzer writes, "Kagame grew up as a wretched refugee, shaped one of the most audacious cover operations in the history of clandestine warfare, and then emerged as a visionary leader with radical ideas about how poor countries can climb out of their misery."

To build his narrative, Kinzer plumbs interviews with Kagame as well as people who knew him throughout his life. He writes that, historically, Kagame was "a bitterly angry student, recounts his early fascination with men of action ranging from Che Guevara to James Bond, and explains how he built a secret revolutionary army...."

Kinzer has been the New York Times bureau chief in Istanbul, Berlin, and Managua, Nicaragua and is the author and co-author of several other books.

Life and Letters: In the Ring -- Letter From Norman Mailer

The New Yorker:

To Beatrice Mailer:

August 8, 1945

Sweet Baby,

"The news of the atom bomb has created more talk out here than the news of V-E day, and as much as President Roosevelt’s death. I feel very confused about it. (This is written after just the barest communiqué. I don’t know what it’s done.) I’m understanding now how the bonds of self-interest affect thought.

"A good part of me approves anything which will shorten the war, and get me home sooner, and this is often antagonistic to older more basic principles. For instance I hope the peace time draft is passed because if it’s not, there may be an agonizingly slow demobilization. In the same sense I approve of an instrument that will kill under optimum conditions many people in one instant.

"But really what a terrifying perspective this is. We’ve always talked of humanity destroying itself, but now it seems so near a thing, so much a matter of decades, of a very easily counted number of bombs. This atom smashing business is going to herald the final victory of the machine. It had always been no more than pleasurable calculation in the physics I studied, a remotely attainable dream, and even then a terrible one, for the atomic energy in a mass the size of a pea is enough to drive a locomotive so many fantastic times about the earth."

                                           (Click above link to read more)

When Wall Street Bet On Elections

Slate.com:

"John McCain's stock has been falling steadily since Sept. 15 at Intrade, where you can purchase futures contracts pegged to the outcome of the presidential race. Similar results can be found at the Iowa Electronic Markets, an 'educational' venture run by the University of Iowa business school. Although a lot of money is trading hands at the gambling sites, newspapers aren't paying attention the way they did a century ago when Wall Street went gaga for election wagering.

"Such daily newspapers as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Tribune, the New York World, the Chicago Tribune, and the Washington Post kept their readers abreast of the latest odds and wildest wagers."

                                          (Click above link to read more)

Out in Paperback / Atlas of Bible History

Atlas of Bible History by HarperCollins '08 paperback, $25.95, 192 pages, ISBN #0061451959. Index, bibliography, chronology, dozens of b&w and color glossy images.

Recognizing that an appreciation for geography is crucial to understanding the roots of Judeo-Christian tradition, the editors of the Atlas have filled it with scores of maps, showing the change in facts on the ground over many centuries. A number of such changes have taken place over the past two decades, requiring updates of the Atlas from its original edition in 1990.

Since the editors wish to present biblical history against the backdrop of contemporary life, they recognize discoveries relating to travel, commerce, living conditions and social and religious activities. Then too, recent archaeological finds inform their narrative, such as the publication of the Cave 4 fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the discovery of Herod the Great's tomb at the Herodion, and discovery of an ancient village just north of Jerusalem.

The end result is a volume that will reward the scholar but be accessible to the educated layperson. And the trove of artworks, maps, and photographs make it a pleasure just to flip the pages.

Book Alert / Causes Won, Lost & Forgotten

Causes Won, Lost & Forgotten -- How Hollywood and Popular Art Shape What We Know About the Civil War, UNo. Carolina Press '08, $28, 288 pages, ISBN #0807832065. Index, source notes, no bibliography, b&w images sprinkled throughout.

Few aspects of American history generate as much literary productivity as the Civil War, in all its aspects. In his new book, University of Virginia historian Gary W. Gallagher examines how Hollywood has influenced how Americans feel about the war between the states. In a brief Q&A, Gallagher talks about factors that led him to write his book:

Q. In your opinion as a historian, how good a job does Hollywood do in teaching Americans about the Civil War?

A. I think it is important to remember that Hollywood's overriding goal is to provide entertainment that will earn profits...Almost no one in Hollywood would insist that a historical drama, above all, reflect the insights of the best historical scholarship -- at least not anyone who hopes to attract and satisfy paying customers. The complexity of scholarly investigation translates poorly to cinematic treatments in which images and sound often take precedence over dialogue. As a result, very few films get all the historical details right -- and most get relatively few right. Unfortunately, filmgoers often believe that what they watch is "real" history rather than primarily entertainment."

Q. Do you have a personal favorite Civil War film?

A. I think Glory (1989) is the best Civil War film -- well acted, faithful to the big historical questions, relating to the 54th Massachusetts and black soldiers in the war, and quite moving at many points. Gettsburg (1993), based on Michael Shaara's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Killer Angels, has some very good moments, as does Ride with the Devil (1999), which deals with the guerrilla war in Missouri and Kansas. I also like Pharaoh's Army (1995) a great deal. A small-budget production about the war in backwoods Kentucky that very few people have seen, it deserves the attention of anyone interested in the Civil War on film."

Out in Paperback / Legends of Paul Bunyan

Legends of Paul Bunyan by Harold W. Felton, Editor, Minnesota UP '08 paperback, $18.95, 418 pages, ISBN #0816654603. List of authors, bibliography, b&w images sprinkled through text.

In the words of poet Robert Frost:

"To drive Paul (Bunyan) out of any lumber-camp, All that was needed was to say to him, "How is the wife, Paul?" and he'd disappear. Some said it was because he had no wife, And hated to be twitted on the subject. Others because he'd come within a day, Or so of having one and then been jilted. Others because he'd had one once, a good one, Who'd run away with some one else and left him."

Whoa, come on! Robert Frost didn't create Paul Bunyan. Editor Harold W. Felton would agree with you....to a point. In fact, he writes, the legendary Paul Bunyan was created "in logging camp bunkhouses to men who spun exaggerated stories that combined hard work and fantasy. While the origins of Paul Bunyan and his sidekick Babe the Blue Ox are hazy, many storytellers have over the years contributed their own takes to produce an existing body of work...a true American legend....that matches the size of the lumberjack himself."

Felton's book includes dozens of stories and essays on the subject of Paul Bunyan, grouped under: The Spirit of Paul Bunyan is in America, The Baby and the Boy, The Man, The Wonderful Big Blue Ox, Babe; Food and the Kitchen, Paul's Fellow Workers, Pals, and Friends; Paul's Adventures with Contemporary Heroes, Paul and the Animal Kingdom, Paul's Great Inventions, and Paul's Vegetables.

For McCain and Company, A Historical Tie To Gambling

The New York Times:

"Senator John McCain was on a roll. In a room reserved for high-stakes gamblers at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut, he tossed $100 chips around a hot craps table. When the marathon session ended around 2:30 a.m., the Arizona senator and his entourage emerged with thousands of dollars in winnings.

"A lifelong gambler, Mr. McCain takes risks, both on and off the craps table. He was throwing dice that night not long after his failed 2000 presidential bid, in which he was skewered by the Republican Party’s evangelical base, opponents of gambling. Mr. McCain was betting at a casino he oversaw as a member of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, and he was doing so with the lobbyist who represents that casino, according to three associates of Mr. McCain.

"The visit had been arranged by the lobbyist, Scott Reed, who works for the Mashantucket Pequot, a tribe that has contributed heavily to Mr. McCain’s campaigns and built Foxwoods into the world’s second-largest casino. Joining them was Rick Davis, Mr. McCain’s current campaign manager. Their night of good fortune epitomized not just Mr. McCain’s affection for gambling, but also the close relationship he has built with the gambling industry and its lobbyists during his 25-year career in Congress."

                                          (Click above link to read more)

Paul Newman Dies at 83 -- Movie Star And So Much More

The Los Angeles Times:

"Paul Newman, the legendary movie star and irreverent cultural icon who created a model philanthropy fueled by profits from a salad dressing that became nearly as famous as he was, has died. He was 83. Newman died Friday at his home near Westport, Conn., after a long battle with cancer, publicist Jeff Sanderson said.

"Stunningly handsome, Newman maintained his superstar status while keeping his distance from its corrupting influences through nearly 100 Broadway, television and movie roles. As an actor and director, he evolved into Hollywood's elder statesman, admired off screen for his quiet generosity, unconventional business sense, race car daring, political activism and enduring marriage to actress Joanne Woodward.

"Annoyed by the public's fascination with his resemblance to a Roman statue and his Windex-blue eyes, Newman often chose offbeat character roles. In the 1960s, he helped define the American anti-hero and became identified with the charming misfits, cads and con men in film classics such as 'The Hustler,' 'Hud,' 'Cool Hand Luke' and 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.'"

                                             

                                            (Click above link to read more)

Book Alert / The Galloping Ghost

The Galloping Ghost -- Red Grange, An American Football Legend by Gary Andrew Poole, Houghton Mifflin '08, $25, 320 pages, ISBN #0618691634. Index, bibliography, source notes, grouping of b&w glossy images.

As George Clooney taught moviegoers in Leatherheads, professional football in the 1920s was, at best, a marginal enterprise, light years away from the cash cow it has since become. So when Harold "Red" Grange -- picked earlier this year as ESPN's "greatest college football player ever" -- chose to turn pro, his decision paved the way for him to bring professional football to the masses.

Journalist Poole transports his readers "from college football rallies to barnstorming tours, from the locker room to the White House to Hollywood," as he recounts "the rise and tragic fall of pro football's first national star." In a brief Q&A, Poole discusses the writing of his new book:

Q. Why is Grange so important?

A. Is it his statistics? His All-American honors? Grange was not only ranked the best-ever college player, he won championships with the Chicago Bears, and he is credited with popularizing the pro game....There wasn't much interest in the NFL before Grange, but the guy riveted the nation. He sold out Cubs Park (now Wrigley), the Polo Grounds, and the Los Angeles Coliseum, to name a few stadiums. The newspaper attention was enormous. The nineteen-game tour legitimized the NFL.

Q. How would Grange do in today's NFL?

A. "An impossible question, but a fun one to think about....Grange was an exceptional runner, but he was also a good defensive back, passer and kicker. In Grange's day, the players played both offense and defense and they rarely substituted, so it was much more of an endurance sport. And the players called their own plays; coaching from the sidelines wasn't allowed....The modern game has evolved into something quite different: it's much more of a specialty game, the players condition themselves all year, and coaches dictate their actions on the field....With his speed, smarts, and toughness, I think he would do fine in today's NFL."

Poole, a graduate of Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism, has written for The New York Times, Time, GQ, USA Today and Wired, among other publications.