Recent Books (2 cents)

I have not published any references to recent books I have read, so here I go:

1. "The Adamses, 1735-1918" by Richard Brookhiser contains brief biographical sketches of John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Charles Francis Adams, and Henry Adams, four generations. It is a relatively short book, contains some interesting segments, but was, for me, inspiring. It may be that the Adams family just does not inspire. Remember, that a few weeks ago I heard Garry Wills talk about his new biography of Henry Adams, and it left me quite cold.

Two interesting tidbits. First, Brookhiser says that John Adams ranked 14th out of 24 in his Harvard class.....but that in those days, Harvard ranked not by grades but by social standing. Second, there is one John Adams quote that I repeat a lot (and misquote, of course). Its sentiments are right on, but it shows less than an adroit sense of human nature:

"I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study matematics and philosophy. My sons ought to study mathematics and philosophy.......in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry and porcelain."

Brookhiser's writing is grammatically correct and to the point, but it is not inspired. It is as if I had written the book. I would not go out of my way for this one, but would not avoid it, either.

2. "Lindberg" by A. Scott Berg. This book is long, almost three times as long as Brookhiser's. It is better written, and its subject is someone what more interesting. Lindberg was a daredevil (the first person to have to parachute out of airplanes four times to avoid being killed) in his youth, and certainly when he flew the Spirit of St. Louis to Paris. But then he turned scientist, working on a number of medical inventions (such as artificial heart pumps to permit more sophisticated heart surgery, and with Robert Goddard, rocketry), spent a lot of time avoiding publicity unsuccessfully, dealing with the kidnap and murder of the eldest son, being at various times very close to and virtually estranged from his talented writer-wife, traveling the world over again and again and again, and dying of lymphoma in his early seventies. While it seems clear that he was not a Nazi, he certainly was an America Firster, and an isolationist believing and speaking against entry into World War II, and while not a religious person, he clearly had a strong anti-Semitic streak in him. Not someone you would want to spend a lot of time with, although he clearly was attractive and had, when he wanted to, a great deal of charm. The book won a Pulitzer Prize. Worth reading.

3. "Tinasima", by Elena Poniatowska, who in spite of her name is a Mexican author, journalist and feminist. The book pretends to be fiction, but it is history based fiction (and probably as close to a biography as many books purporting to the a biography). I thought it was a terrific book.

Tina Modotti (the subject) is of Italian ancestry, raised in California and becomes photographer Edward Weston's model and later his mistress, moving him away from California (and his family) to Mexico. There, she becmes a photographer in her on right, Weston leaves and goes back to California, and she becomes involved in left-wing politics as well as her art, and becomes extremely well known amongst Mexican and communist circles. Eventually being forced out of Mexico, and having given up on her photography, she moves to Europe and eventually to Moscow in the 1930's believing that all the deprivations she sees are necessary to move to the communist paradise. She has a couple of other coworker/lovers, becomes a Russian spy, becomes a nurse during the Spanish civil war, and is eventually sent back to Mexico, where the movement has lost most of its steam. At an early age (I believe in her 40s), she get ill (presumably a form of cancer) and dies.

Shortly after finishing this book, I was at an elementary school book sale, and noticed a coffee-table size soft cove book about a woman named Lee Miller. After looking at it, I purchased it for $2 or so. Miller also started off as a photographer's model, and then herself became a photographer, and an excellent one, although she too left the craft for a long period of time, engaging in other artistic ventures, raising a family, and falling prey to depression. From what I have seen, Modotti's photographs are good; Miller's are spectacular.

By coincidence I saw an actual biography of Modotti for sale at Second Story Books in Dupont Circle. Looked at it; the facts seemed just as written in the novel, "Tinisima".

4. False Starts. I tried to find my next fiction book, but started three and stopped each shortly after I started them. Books by Ian Pears, Jennifer Egan and David Veronese. Still looking.