Tonight is the first event for the new book, and I've spent most of the afternoon at home with curlers in my hair and cucumber circles on the eyes...
Continue »
OK, so I got a little late to the party. But this book is the perfect amalgam of page-turning soap opera, magical realism, Barcelona tour guide, and heart-breaking coming-of-age story. Held my interest until the final pages, and then did not issue a Bronx cheer in my face like so many, but actually rewarded the time I'd invested. Thank you, Shadow of the Wind!
Nicholson Baker's no stranger to controversy. Although his first couple of books were modestly well received, he made a much bigger splash with Vox and The Fermata, both mixing explicit sexuality with finely crafted prose and high concepts you'd never find in a paperback smut novel. Since then his career has continued to careen all over the map, from The Anthologist, a poetry primer disguised as a novel, to Double Fold, a non-fiction diatribe lamenting the decline of the modern library.
In Human Smoke, Baker recombines his many varied skills in yet another configuration. It's non-fiction, yes, but it reads like a novel, almost like one of Vonnegut's later works: four or five interlocking narrative threads, each told in short chapters, often just paragraphs. And his penchant for stirring up trouble is in full force: I believe his premise could be loosely paraphrased as "Yeah, Hitler was a schmuck, but so were Churchill and Roosevelt." He contends that World War II was avoidable, that all the high-minded justifications offered for it were smoke and mirrors (and offers specific examples where opportunities for real humanitarianism were missed, deliberately ignored, or bafflingly and tragically sabotaged), and that all the principals involved were dead set on a major -- and profitable -- military operation.
Of course, this view has not sat well with any number of parties, and a debate has raged in the pages of literary and political journals. But I feel that Baker makes a strong case, and his brave and unswerving commitment to pacifism in the face of such scorn deserves to be heard.
Oh, and don't confuse this book with his more recent House of Holes, which I haven't read yet but looks like a return to the explorations he began with Vox and Fermata.
Gee, I thought I was the only person in the world who liked this book. It's trash, but well-written and very effective trash. It has the same structure as a porn novel, with sex scenes pretty evenly distributed throughout, but in between is an actual plot, with actual suspense. I'm surprised it hasn't been picked up by the film industry.
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No
(2 of 4 readers found this comment helpful)
An incredible (and I don't use the word lightly) rags- to-riches- to-rags- to-riches- to-... I lost count. Best known (if he's known at all) for inventing the eponymous musical instrument (think "Good Vibrations" or 50s sci-fi movie soundtracks) he also went in and out of the good graces of the various Russian regimes, was equally well versed with the worlds of music, science, intelligence, and high society. The film is a lively recounting of his roller-coaster life.
Powell's City of Books is an independent bookstore in Portland, Oregon, that fills a whole city block with more than a million new, used, and out of print books. Shop those shelves — plus literally millions more books, DVDs, and eBooks — here at Powells.com.
Don't Miss
Customer Comments
jraoul has commented on (8) products.
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
jraoul, January 1, 2012
OK, so I got a little late to the party. But this book is the perfect amalgam of page-turning soap opera, magical realism, Barcelona tour guide, and heart-breaking coming-of-age story. Held my interest until the final pages, and then did not issue a Bronx cheer in my face like so many, but actually rewarded the time I'd invested. Thank you, Shadow of the Wind!Human Smoke: The Beginnings of World War II, the End of Civilization by Nicholson Baker
jraoul, September 1, 2011
Nicholson Baker's no stranger to controversy. Although his first couple of books were modestly well received, he made a much bigger splash with Vox and The Fermata, both mixing explicit sexuality with finely crafted prose and high concepts you'd never find in a paperback smut novel. Since then his career has continued to careen all over the map, from The Anthologist, a poetry primer disguised as a novel, to Double Fold, a non-fiction diatribe lamenting the decline of the modern library.In Human Smoke, Baker recombines his many varied skills in yet another configuration. It's non-fiction, yes, but it reads like a novel, almost like one of Vonnegut's later works: four or five interlocking narrative threads, each told in short chapters, often just paragraphs. And his penchant for stirring up trouble is in full force: I believe his premise could be loosely paraphrased as "Yeah, Hitler was a schmuck, but so were Churchill and Roosevelt." He contends that World War II was avoidable, that all the high-minded justifications offered for it were smoke and mirrors (and offers specific examples where opportunities for real humanitarianism were missed, deliberately ignored, or bafflingly and tragically sabotaged), and that all the principals involved were dead set on a major -- and profitable -- military operation.
Of course, this view has not sat well with any number of parties, and a debate has raged in the pages of literary and political journals. But I feel that Baker makes a strong case, and his brave and unswerving commitment to pacifism in the face of such scorn deserves to be heard.
Oh, and don't confuse this book with his more recent House of Holes, which I haven't read yet but looks like a return to the explorations he began with Vox and Fermata.
Jake & Mimi by Frank Baldwin
jraoul, April 12, 2010
Gee, I thought I was the only person in the world who liked this book. It's trash, but well-written and very effective trash. It has the same structure as a porn novel, with sex scenes pretty evenly distributed throughout, but in between is an actual plot, with actual suspense. I'm surprised it hasn't been picked up by the film industry.(2 of 4 readers found this comment helpful)
Theremin:An Electronic Odyssey
jraoul, April 26, 2009
An incredible (and I don't use the word lightly) rags- to-riches- to-rags- to-riches- to-... I lost count. Best known (if he's known at all) for inventing the eponymous musical instrument (think "Good Vibrations" or 50s sci-fi movie soundtracks) he also went in and out of the good graces of the various Russian regimes, was equally well versed with the worlds of music, science, intelligence, and high society. The film is a lively recounting of his roller-coaster life.jraoul, February 11, 2009
Nah, on second thought, this is probably for the completist only. More casual fans should probably stick with Volume 1.(1 of 3 readers found this comment helpful)
1-5 of 8next