The 48 Laws of Power - Robert Greene and Joost Elferrs
I like this book, and not because I agree with its lessons. It takes a bit of a darker view in human nature than I find convenient -- maybe even darker than is accurate.
But it has impacted me, not only for providing a darker view than sits well with my warm-and-fuzzy notions of people. I think it's an exquisite read. If you get beyond the possibility that Greene cherrypicks his examples, you can enjoy what I regard as the most wonderful thing in the world: the historical anecdote. The range of historical characters that this book (and the other two in the trilogy - The Art of Seduction and The 33 Strategies of War) draw upon are not particularly broad. This, however, is an asset, not a liability, in that it provides a measure of consistency as one navigates through a plethora of themes. Knowing - or trusting - that von Metternich did several things, each illustrating a different "law of power", helps create continuity and a somewhat larger window into themes and character than the size of the individual anecdotes would suggest.
Each law is accompanied by both observances of the law by successful people in history and transgressions Through it all, the author tries to remain morally ambiguous, though given who ends up where, I wonder if the author has a slightly nefarious disposition. (Nice actions, like forgiving your enemies, tend to not work out so well, while more brutal ones, like killing all threats to your power - including children - tend to be seen as observing the laws of power).
I think it's also a wonderful read because of the way the book is laid out. It uses the page better than most books I've read, and is reminiscent of a more useful way of taking liberties with traditional print than the excellent House of Leaves. The margins contain red quotations from great individuals in history. Finally, each law is accompanied by an image to make the law more memorable.
Again, it's probably a terrible way to live, by any measure. But it makes for an interesting, if somewhat disturbing, read.
First read in 2006.
The American Pageant: A History of the Republic - unknown edition - Thomas Bailey
I have no qualms about saying that in terms of learning, Mr. Zegers' AP US History class was pretty bad. But we all had a good time, and maybe in a high school US history class, that's the most that can be expected.
As it turns, out, however, I absolutely loved the textbook for the course. I think I read it cover-to-cover. For those of you who did not go to middling public schools, that's a pretty big deal. (Class of 2001 alums of the history course: that's how I was able to beat you on every exam. I read the book. Twice. I'm not smarter - let's explode that myth. I'm just more obsessed with history.)
Just about everything I know and understand about non-wartime US history comes from this book. (My understanding of wartime US history is supplemented by some PBS documentaries. :) ) It's still paying dividends - I recalled what the Pullman strike was when I recently visited the Hershey museum in Hershey, PA. (Hershey had in mind the lessons learned from that particularly disastrous experiment in planned industrial cities when he designed his community.) I can have a conversation with a former US history teacher, now dealing blackjack in Atlantic City, about the importance of the Emancipation Proclamation in keeping the British out of the conflict. I can understand, just a little bit, why neither Iranian presidential candidate is particularly keen on the United States, or why I'm kicking myself for not taking a picture of the Shah's gift to the Eisenhowers (a Persian rug).
I've still got a lot to understand about the history of the United States, and how that history shapes this country and the world. A biography of Curtis LeMay is on the list of books I will read. But without this book, I wouldn't have what background I do possess. I have no doubt that I would be a far worse citizen as a result.
Interesting side note: the Wikipedia entry on Thomas Bailey says that pictures of him are used as motivation in high schools across America for the AP US History exam, with the phrase "Bailey is watching you". I never doubted that I was alone in coming up with the idea, but I am particularly proud of my "Big Jackson is watching you" for our Electrodynamics course in grad school.
First read in 1999.
The Captain's Verses - Pablo Neruda
I've met many Chileans who hate Neruda. And I make no claims that he is the best Latin American, or Chilean, poet to have lived. But The Captain's Verses have definitely had an impact on how I view poetry, especially the potential for poetry to capture strong feelings of love through raw imagery and metaphor.
I have told a handful of people that I think I would only be able to say the words of "Soneto XVII" to someone I had been in love with for 25 years. To this day, I don't know if I've ever been in love with someone as much as the author appears to be in love with the inspiration of this poem.
I took a particular passage from "Tu Risa' and combined it with a modified black-and-white image of "Tank Man" and have the image on my desktop.
There is something revolutionary in his words, in every sense of the word, and that, sometimes, can be a beautiful, refreshing, life-restoring thing.
I make no apologies for the man, or his politics, or what they helped precipitate. But for his words, I have only the apology that I do not quite live as intensely as his words seem to call us to do, to stir the embers of uncivilized, angry thoughts burning away in the night to ephemeral, immolating greatness.
First read in 2004.
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