Powerful- painful and difficult to take in at times.
I think I鈥檝e coined a new term; 鈥淏oomer Lit.鈥�
鈥溾€eople who like this sort of thing will find this tPowerful- painful and difficult to take in at times.
I think I鈥檝e coined a new term; 鈥淏oomer Lit.鈥�
鈥溾€eople who like this sort of thing will find this the sort of thing they like.鈥� [in review of a book] Abraham Lincoln
鈥淭he Women鈥� is an intense story filled with tragedy, a little gratuitous for find measure that may resonate with a certain demographic but it ends up like an over- sugared cup of espresso. Bing! Bam! Boom!
That鈥檚 just it鈥擨 don鈥檛 fully feel it.
Hannah did her research, and from what I know about Vietnam, much of it lines up. But there鈥檚 one aspect that doesn鈥檛 sit right: the collective denial鈥攅specially by men鈥攐f women鈥檚 involvement in the war, or even the notion that women could be heroes. I know that simply isn鈥檛 true.
Then again, this is the Boomer generation we鈥檙e talking about鈥攁rguably one of the most indulged cohorts to ever come along. Their self-absorption shows up at every turn, even in current politics. This 鈥渕e first鈥� mentality has become nearly pathogenic for democracy.
The story is compelling, but it鈥檚 weighed down by a relentless string of tragedies鈥攕o much so that it veers into the territory of legend, rather than reality. It starts to feel like listening to someone stuck in a perpetual 鈥渨oe is me鈥� narrative. When you鈥檙e in an Eeyore state of mind, it seems like the sky is always falling.
What doesn鈥檛 resonate for me is the sheer volume of hardship thrown at Frankie. It鈥檚 as if she鈥檚 trapped in a reverse-Pollyanna story, lurching from one disaster to another. Everything but the kitchen sink gets tossed her way.
I think about the history of New Mexico Latinos鈥攈ow much tragedy is baked into our story. We鈥檙e a proud people, shaped by a blend of Indigenous and Moorish influences, steeped in machismo, and yet we lost the war for the American Southwest without even fighting the invasion. The 1848 loss鈥擭ew Mexico, Arizona, Texas, Colorado, Wyoming, Nevada, and California鈥攚as swallowed up by Manifest Destiny and the Gold Rush. That kind of cultural defeat bruises a collective masculine ego. It diminishes, ignores, and erases. Sounds a lot like what happened to Frankie.
That鈥檚 the kind of blow that feeds a victim narrative. And honestly, what else could we expect from a generation that came of age during the post-WWII economic boom, when rural families and the generationally poor suddenly experienced abundance鈥攁nd spoiled their kids in the process? Of course they grew into adults who expect the world to cater to them. Of course they became demanders鈥攐bligate ones鈥攂elieving life owes them something.
That mindset shows up everywhere, no matter which side someone took during the Vietnam War. I could go on about the gratuitous sex scenes and the endless parade of horrors Frankie endures, but again, the story might鈥檝e worked better had it focused on just a few incidents鈥攐r told a broader range of women鈥檚 stories. That鈥檚 where the title feels like a misstep. The book claims to center on women, plural, yet the narrative mostly sticks to one woman鈥檚 saga. The two other women are relegated to supporting roles鈥攈onorable mentions as they marry, raise families, or become activists.
The tragedies here feel so inflated, they border on myth. I doubt they occurred with the kind of hyper-concentration Hannah describes.
As a New Mexico Latino, I know my people were deeply involved in Vietnam. We had one of the highest participation rates per capita. I worked at the VA hospital from 1982 to 1987. I know the stories. I know the sacrifices. And I know, for a fact, that the idea women weren鈥檛 involved is false. Vietnam vets, male and female, stuck together鈥攁nd they still do. They even vote as a bloc, which is part of how we ended up with such a strong Trumper contingent. It鈥檚 strange, but not surprising. Boomers often vote in ways that protect their own interests rather than thinking of the collective good鈥攂e it domestic policy, workers鈥� rights, or climate change.
It鈥檚 a 4-to-5 star book if we treat it as a collection of wartime experiences. But its biggest failure is in trying to force all that into one single, overloaded character arc. I get why it was written that way鈥攂ut in the end, it reads like a hyperbolic Boomer self-narrative, epic in tragedy, and inflated to near myth.
I wonder if this is a theme Hannah repeats in her other books....more
This guy seems entirely full of himself鈥攁 legend in his own mind. I can鈥檛 imagine what kind of woman would be drawn to, let alone desire, someone likeThis guy seems entirely full of himself鈥攁 legend in his own mind. I can鈥檛 imagine what kind of woman would be drawn to, let alone desire, someone like him.
Frankly, I smell bullshit.
Then again, maybe there鈥檚 an audience for a man wielding a thesaurus, drowning his literary love potion in syrupy obsequiousness toward women while simultaneously downplaying his supposed brilliance and charm鈥攁ll in a single run-on sentence.
I鈥檓 disappointed he missed the chance to recount how he saved a busload of nuns and blind orphans from certain death, by steering a six-ton vehicle with failed brakes down a 25-mile mountain riddled with hairpin turns.
I had expected something insightful, perhaps an exploration of the feminine mystique. Instead, I got a kitschy cash grab from an over-adjective-slinging, alliteration-obsessed, self-identified Lothario.
This one goes straight to the pile of books that feel like a sad waste of money.
I enjoyed the read. it was a great book to read around the holiday season and the end of the year. It is empowering in the way that involves acceptancI enjoyed the read. it was a great book to read around the holiday season and the end of the year. It is empowering in the way that involves acceptance, letting go and recognizing we determine what is best for us. ...more
Louise Davidson is an excellent t writer. Her recipes are fun, uncomplicated and easy to replicate. I鈥檝e neDavidson knocked it out of the park - again
Louise Davidson is an excellent t writer. Her recipes are fun, uncomplicated and easy to replicate. I鈥檝e never been disappointed in her books and this one is no different. Buy it, you鈥檒l appreciate the value and expertise....more
So many delicious, easy to follow recipes. i鈥檝e culled numerous keepers to add to our family鈥檚 all-out aExcellent, easy to follow traditional recipes.
So many delicious, easy to follow recipes. i鈥檝e culled numerous keepers to add to our family鈥檚 all-out and legendary Thanksgiving dinners. Buy the book, you will not be disappointed....more
Andrew Jackson鈥檚 a terrible Human Being. His legacy was a harbinger of current political turmoil. John Ross doesn鈥檛 fare any better as his role in 鈥減rAndrew Jackson鈥檚 a terrible Human Being. His legacy was a harbinger of current political turmoil. John Ross doesn鈥檛 fare any better as his role in 鈥減rotecting鈥� his people鈥檚 intersect seemed attached to dishing out funds to himself and his cronies.
Steve Inskeep is generous singing a pass to John Ross while holding Jackson and his cronies to steal lands protected by US treaties with the Cherokee.
Read this book to gain a solid base of understanding a lot how American policies dealing with indigenous populations. ...more
Take Brinkly offers a comprehensive, on biased explanation of American history. He does an excellent job and it鈥檚 entertaining me. I really enjoyed thTake Brinkly offers a comprehensive, on biased explanation of American history. He does an excellent job and it鈥檚 entertaining me. I really enjoyed this and recommended hardly to anybody who has any curiosity about American history. It鈥檚 well documented and thoroughly research....more
unapologetically sweeping refutation of the violence myth
The Better Angels of Our Nature is a powerful and moving work of non-fiction that should be unapologetically sweeping refutation of the violence myth
The Better Angels of Our Nature is a powerful and moving work of non-fiction that should be mandatory reading for every high school graduate. It offers a sweeping overview of human history, documenting the steady decline of violence over time.
Steven Pinker鈥檚 prose is both engaging and informative, marked by an unapologetic tone that reflects a deep intelligence. He skillfully marshals facts to challenge popular, often nativist theories designed to incite fear and unrest鈥攖actics frequently used by those seeking to consolidate power.
This book is destined to become a classic cornerstone in our understanding of human nature. Read it, and gain a richer perspective on the progress of humanity....more
I didn鈥檛 enjoy it. The author seemed to guide readers too much. It would have been better to present informatMeh - it was okay. Seemed like a diatribe
I didn鈥檛 enjoy it. The author seemed to guide readers too much. It would have been better to present information and let the facts speak for themselves....more
Arendt, an enigmatic soul filled with incongruities proved to be a voice of conscience that spoke truth to power, yet seA no-punches pulled biography
Arendt, an enigmatic soul filled with incongruities proved to be a voice of conscience that spoke truth to power, yet seemed to give a pass to Nazis whose express intent was to eliminate her people.
I suppose a high-altitude vantage point helped her see evil as more than a volk-vision fraught with clannish inclinations.
Evil maintains its purchase when good people look the other way. Perhaps that best captures the irony of Hannah Arendt. ...more
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