Look at the Birdie

Look at the Birdie
Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
Copyright 2009

 I was in my late teens when a boy gave me Cat's Cradle.  I never told Drew how much the book affected me.  I became a Vonnegut junkie.  I saw so much of myself in him.  Vonnegut was a sullen smart ass that the world loved (still waiting for my adoration).  I have read all of his books, have several signed books, and God Bless You Mr. Rosewater is still one of my favorite books.  Despite my voracious appetite for all things Vonnegut, Look at the Birdie sat on my bookshelf for a long time.

Look at the Birdie is a compilation of fourteen of Kurt's unpublished short stories.   For the most part the stories reveal the chink in the armor of human nature.  They are tales of paranoia, pride, envy, and loss.   I think most of the stories must have been written while Vonnegut was in a dark place, they have a pessimistic quality.  I felt intrusive reading them.  Some of these stories were written a long time ago, there must have been a reason he didn't publish them.  Maybe they were just his idea of therapy, never meant to be read.  He spent tedious amounts of time editing his published works.  But the stories in Birdie are rough, lacking the tale tell Vonnegut humor (though others claim to see it).  None of the stories really stood on their own, but together they certainly provide a glimpse of raw Vonnegut. 

Because I relate to Vonnegut so well, I think his pessimism struck a chord with me.  Especially in its harshness.  I saw too much of my own negativity in his stories.  Now, I must work up the courage to read While Mortals Sleep. 

Lies I Told My Children (and Other Stories)

Lies I Told My Children (and Other Stories)
Karen McQuestion
Copyright July 2009

A book of cute short stories that I think most every parent can relate to.  McQuestion's stories kind of reminded me of The Bloggess, just  on a more PG scale.  From the safety of Metallica concerts for teenage boys, to just realizing you can't control everything, I had a smile on my face most of the time.

And you may lend it out on the Kindle, so I will gladly share.

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (A Barnes & Noble Classic)
By Mark Twain
Copyright 2005

First off, please let me thank whoever left this tome in the gym at the Residence Inn in Downtown Atlanta.  I am a huge fan of bookcrossing.com and love the book exchange shelves many hotels offer.

Twain

Now onto the meat of the matter: "Mark Twain, America's Beloved Humorist."  It is fair to say that I agree with this moniker.  In fact, I was watching the Mark Twain Awards on PBS and got downright angry when the honor was bestowed upon Will Ferrell.  Now don't get me wrong, Will is a funny man, but he is NO MARK TWAIN!  I think the award should only be given to those funny folk that embody Twain's satirical take on life:  George Carlin, Kurt Vonnegut, etc... Elf doesn't qualify.  But alas, I digress, again.

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court is about Hank Morgan, a nineteenth century man literally knocked into yesteryear.  He awakes from a blow to the head to find himself in the sixth century, at the height of King Arthur's reign.  Threatened with death, Morgan predicts the upcoming eclipse and is spared death and titled as a sorcerer of sorts called "The Boss."  It is a position that affords Morgan great opportunity to advance a "backward" civilization with modern comforts from his time such as factories, electricity and even telecommunications.  The Boss arrogantly rails against the nobility, false magic (namely Merlin), and religious control over state.  All of which eventually spell his doom, though his beliefs would make sense to us in the twenty-first century (and the nineteenth). 

I could have given my own sect the preference and made everyone a Presbyterian without any trouble, but that would have been to affront a law of human nature: spiritual wants and instincts are as various in the human family as are physical appetites, complexions, and features, and a man is only at his best, morally, when he is equipped with the religious garment whose color and shape and size most nicely accommodate themselves to the spiritual complexion, angularities, and stature of the individual who wears it; and beside I am afraid of a United Church;  (p96)

Could Ferrell have written that?  I think not, but he can write one heck of a baby landlord skit.  Twain's tale speaks to the industrial age in which he was living as well as our current political climate (or pretty much any political climate near election time).

...the citizen who thinks he sees the commonwealth's political clothes are worn out, and yet holds his peace and does not agitate for a new suit, is disloyal; he is a traitor.  (p129)

Intermingled with tales of Sir Lancelot complaining of smog from factories, are important asides about power of the the people.  It is EVERYONE'S duty to strive for what they think is right, even if it isn't a popular view.  (Though I do think Twain also peppered in a bit on the notion that an individual may be smart, but that a group can be swayed by the strongest sect.)  Always second guess authority. 

The book even touched on the importance of being aware of our impact, be it on the environment or those our fellow man.  Every action has a consequence and we need to think of those consequences before we act.

One thing I would like to note is that Twain's eloquence and breadth of knowledge stuns me.  I found it unfathomable that a "skilled mechanic" of the late nineteenth century could remember an eclipse in the sixth century, especially since astronomy buff me can't remember any recent ones. But the man from Hannibal, MO writes so well, that I'm not sure it's so unfathomable.  :)

All in all, a great read for someone who enjoys American Lit from the late 1800's (so basically, if you like Twain, you'll like this).

***Up Next: A Briefer History of Time by Stephen Hawking & Leonard Mlodinow**