from John: The Pioneers by David McCollough

Why I chose it:

My mom, my wife Julie and I routinely trade books.  My 85 year old mom and wife both put me to shame on volume: they each read at least 50 books a year.

So, I read it and liked it and thought it would provoke a lively discussion.  I love McCollough’s work (though I have not read it all) and thought it would be a good read.  I was not disappointed.

My critical thoughts:

McCollough has many talents, but two seem relevant to this book.  He ferrets out important but underreported (or underrealized) events in American history and brings them to live.  Besides his obvious writing skill I have found his real and deepest talent to be bringing history to live by getting to know the people who made it, making their full humanity (good and bad, everywhere in between) come to life.  For me at least, his books are closer to biographies than histories.  I love the depth we get, the way he shows us the way real people dealt with real issues, problems, biases, roadblocks, etc.

This book really brought to life a vital chapter in (white, Anglo)American History.  Though a modest history buff, and blessed with a very good history teacher for a father (how I longed throughout this book to discuss it with my long dead father!) I really had virtually no knowledge of the Ohio settlement history, the Northwest Ordinance, the importance of the education and anti-slavery elements of the Ordinance and the important ways in which westward settlement was impacted for a century by the Ordinance itself and the settlement of the Northwest Territory.

I love discovering new knowledge and most of this, certainly the people with the exception of those well know on the national scene, and their efforts to settle Ohio was new to me.

I was disappointed at his glancing treatment of the Native American population and his lack of pointed insight into how this affected them.  A deep point he could have explored and chose not to was the fierce determination to stop the spread of slavery juxtaposed with their willingness to take the land from the original inhabitants at any cost, even to genocide.  This juxtaposition hangs over all of white/Anglo American history and I was disappointed that such a great writer and thinker chose to not develop this theme overall.

This led to me believing that the book, ultimately, gives too much “heroic,” character to the white settlers.  What they did was amazing, powerful, and lasting.  But we get just the good, not the amazing, powerful and last impact it had on the nations original inhabitants.

Critical reactions:

https://slate.com/culture/2019/05/pioneers-mccullough-frontier-history-book-review.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/13/books/review/david-mccullough-pioneers.html

https://historynewsnetwork.org/article/174189

Final thoughts:

I  believe McCollough is much like the pioneers themselves.  A good person in most respects, but also flawed, as is the human condition.

Both his prodigious strengths and his flaws (less than his strengths) in my opinion, are on display in “Pioneers.”

I think the final thought I have is this: white westward expansion was going to happen regardless of the New England Pioneers and the Northwest Ordinance.  Native Americans were completely and totally fucked the moment Columbus set foot on a Caribbean island.

The people of New England who drew up the Ordinance were more good than bad and saved the nation from our “Original Sin,” of slavery much more than I had ever realized.

They also were part of the belief that the land was ours, that the original inhabitants were inferior to us and so did not deserve it.  Many (not all) believed that this was God’s plan for the Nation.

Much other discussion could certainly happen on that point alone.

With Respect - JK

from Glenn: Kazuo Ishiguro’s Klara and the Sun invoked a shedload of Ape reactions, from “boring” to “what the f…?” to Clark’s eloquent, enthusiastic explication of spiritual themes he found evocative and compelling. Discussion was animated from the start, proceeding from some initial skepticism to appreciation. We found plenty to talk about:

Technology/AI

Was the idea of an “Artificial Friend” unbelievable? (Early on Doc brought up The Wizard of Oz for comparison’s sake.) As we considered that question, I think we sorta accepted the possibility of such a creation, given technology’s relentless rush, especially in AI. A robot (did anyone in the book ever use the word “robot”?) so programmed and with next week’s advances in AI learning capabilities… okay, maybe. However, and remarkably, we spent far more time discussing Klara, not as a piece of tech but as a person. We become closer to her, our trusted narrator, than anyone else in the book. We understand her motivations, her “program.” She shows us how she learns about life among humans. We learn from her singular perspective some of what it is to be human…

We humans, as seen through the eyes of

How did Klara measure up to the book’s other characters, both artificial and human? What kind of society would create artificial friends for their children? Are humans as afraid of being lonely as Klara surmised? Would we risk “lifting” children genetically to give them competitive advantage? Could we really befriend, use until “obsolete,” and then junk such fully realized beings? What if we could capture and then replicate the essence of a person? Would such a creation include the “human heart”?

Parable of the Sun

Clark refocused the group’s attention on the many ways in which Klara was programmed to care for others, to strive to be the very best friend possible, much like Christianity teaches us to be our brother’s keeper, to “minister” (Clark’s word) to one another. Clark said that he believes humans have much the same God-given purpose in living. Through Klara, Ishiguro reminds us: We were born to serve. (I hope I’m doing justice to what you said, Clark.) As Klara needed the life-giving power of the sun, Christianity teaches so should we put our trust in God. Josie’s sunlight cure was a miracle of Klara's faith, her devotion to service and her reverence for her god. The lesson is clear. ("What would Klara do?")

Footnote: At the beginning of the book group meeting I was asked the usual question: why’d I pick the book? The main reason I gave was that I was so taken with Remains of the Day, my first Ishiguro, I promised myself I’d read another, and when Klara came along and generated so much buzz and was so well reviewed, I picked it up. After reading just the first half of the book I was sold. When Hal Cochrane, a relocated Ape, emailed that he thought it would be a good pick, he mentioned similarities he found in three of Ishiguro’s books: Remains, Klara and Never Let Me Go. I agree with him. The main characters are subjugated and service oriented. And their points of view have given me plenty of food for thought.

News of the World rehash

from Charlie: On June 21st the Apes met at the Forge (nice to be back in the old routine) to discuss News of the World. 

Generally this book was well received. The consensus was that this book might not be considered ‘great’ literature, but it was a very good, tightly written story with original and fully developed characters. The author gave the reader all that was needed in direct, simple, spare language in a natural, unforced pace. It was noted that at times the paragraphs seemed to lack continuity, which may have been of the author’s construct to impart salient points. At other times the writing was lyrical.

This book gave a unique snapshot of Reconstruction Texas of 1870; the effects of post Civil War poverty, freed slaves, chaotic politics and sympathies, and Union occupation, while dealing with ongoing Indian wars and an invasion of modern thought and technology. It was an interface of a frontier and a changing world. It also made tangible the pain and suffering of the settlers and Indians in the violent clash over contested land and culture. Johanna’s plight represented both sides.

The main characters, Captain Kidd and Johanna, were memorable, complex and endearing. Their interaction, although ultimately predictable, was none the less enjoyable in it’s development. They seemed to embody a theme of tangled events that lead us down life’s path, causing us to constantly adjust, even if we don’t want to. In the case of Captain Kidd it was circumstances in old age that overtake us, throw us off course and our reaction can bring out courage and the recognition of mixed blessings. For Johanna it was finding something to hold on to as she was tossed back and forth between drastically different and conflicting worlds.

So many novelists have difficulty ending their story in a believable and satisfying way. They often leave us hanging by just stopping at some random point, because the author doesn’t know how to end it, or they rush to a conclusion with implausible events and a tidy bow. This book had a rather drawn out tidy bow that was integrated with the rest of the story, fully formed, natural and I think for many of us it was satisfying.

from Marc: At our March 29 meeting we got together to discuss Jess Walter’s Beautiful Ruins.  Despite predicted gusty winds, everyone seemed to welcome being out in City Park and breaking out from the limits of zooming.

Several themes emerged as individuals shared reactions, including the book’s narrative structure, which bounced between April 1962 and recent events fifty years later.  Moving between Porto Vergogna, the tiny fishing village and imagined tourist extension of Cinque Terre, and the big show biz dream mecca of Los Angeles provided different worlds that seemingly have little in common.

The Apes’ consensus was that the author managed the challenges of far-flung locations and generations of characters’ lives seamlessly. 

Many of the main characters had to reconcile their dreams (a tennis court on the cliffs, writing a novel, enduring pitches to find a quality film concept) with realities, sometimes driven by personal words/codes/mantras they felt the need to honor.  More than one Ape observed that following “words to live by” led several characters to a degree of peace and satisfaction, even when dreams were not realized.

There was general agreement that Walter is a gifted writer, creating vivid images and situations, some funny, using descriptions and dialogue well.  Most found moments of beauty in the book, and nobody reviewed it as ruinous, at least as I can recall.

I want to thank the group for allowing me to be part of your book club as it approaches 27 years since it was founded. 

The War of the Copper Kings – CB Glasscock

From Clark: The Zoom meeting to discuss The War of the Copper Kings, Clark’s choice for January saw a reasonably attended group. The book was recommended to Clark by a Montana friend whose family are Eastern Montana pioneer figures with Clark’s friend being the singularly most colorful person he knows – a significant statement!

Overall, the book was judged to be an interesting story of corrupt politics, corrupt business, and an interesting picture of natural resource development unhinged. The book was written in the 1930’s, which made the lyric narrative kind of old timey. The consensus in the group was that the book bogged down at times, particularly during discussions of the legal shenanigans. Counselor Liggett, however, did not share that and found the legal discussions most arousing.

It’s amazing that a place like Montana, if not the outright winner of the all-time corrupt politics award, would be certainly on the short list. Normally Chicago, New Orleans, Tammany Hall are what comes to mind; not Butte, Montana. Interesting also that despite William A. Clark basically buying a Senate seat, which was universally recognized, that the state of Montana put up a bronze sculpture of the man in the capital.

Extra credit for those interested in Butte history:
Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune by Bill Dedman and Paul Clark Newell, Jr. This is the story of Willam Clark’s daughter who died in the early 2000’s.

https://buttepodcast.org/ This is a link to the NPR Podcast – The Richest Hill. It’s the story of the history and environmental devastation in Butte brought on by a century of mining. It’s still being updated with new episodes. Butte/the EPA have finally made a deal with ARCO, the last owner/bag holder in the superfund world, to clean up the mess. It’s a very interesting series, ideal length for neighborhood dog walks.

Political cartoon depicting Clark bribing state legislators, Oct 1900