Category: Reading

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Education Globalization Reading

Latest read: State of Denial

So I reached the finish line of Bob Woodward’s three part series on Bush at War. State of Denial: Bush at War, Part III is hard hitting to say the least. Not sure why I could not get through it earlier. I’ve been on a reading tear of late, but also pulling duty on our bathroom update for our first born.
State of Denial: Bush at War, Part IIIAs the book clearly shows, there are a lot of issues that have turned into stumbling blocks for the Bush Administration. It clearly shows we are involved in another disaster: Vietnam 2.0

Amazed that Woodward closed the series and his book with feedback from Robert McNamara, former US Secretary of Defense during Vietnam.

Pick your poison: is it worse that Bush could not admit during five minutes of questioning that no weapons of mass destruction (WoMD) were ever found in Iraq — or was it Johnson’s Gulf of Tonkin resolution? Your pick.

Did McNamara micromanage the war like Donald Rumsfeld? Are we today supporting an army in Iraq as weak as the South Vietnamese Army? Probably if the time frame was the ARVN following the Tet offensive.

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Design Education Reading

Latest read: Catching the Big Fish

It was great to see David Lynch’s new book Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness, and Creativity with a eye catching cover to match.
As a fan of his work going back to Blue Velvet (Special Edition) and Twin Peaks…I could not get by without mentioning Wild At Heart, Lost Highway, Mulholland Drive and of course Eraserhead.

It was also nice to see a NYTimes article about his latest work, Inland Empire.

The focus is his experience of transcendental meditation and its effect not only on his films, but his paintings too.

He gives artists the opportunity to dig deeper and “catch the bigger fish in the river” — applying those lessons to their work. It was an opportunity to get David’s view of his own creative process including how he came up with the red room in Twin Peaks.  A must for anyone finding David Lynch creative.

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Education Milwaukee Reading

Latest read: The Gulag Archipelago

I am not sure why this title The Gulag Archipelago: 1918-1956 came to my reading list…other than Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn as author. In college August 1914: The Red Wheel 1: A Narrative in Discrete Periods of Time was on my reading list. The story of his own family and Imperial Russia’s role in WWI.
The Gulag ArchipelegoWith the holiday break at MIAD almost over I found time to finish this work’s first volume and re-examine my interest in Soviet history. For the better part of the 1900s – all too often – it delt with this type of control by the communist party in Soviet Russia.

Solzhenitsyn’s writing is so powerful. Soviet oppression beginning after the 1917 revolution and extending into Stalin’s post WWII Russia is one of the most horrific periods of the 20th Century. The amount of suffering and the power of the Checka was overwhelming to read story after story. And reading how many ways the Soviets could torture people…made me think about the amount of suffering and torture that occurred in “break away” Soviet republics and Warsaw Pact nations in 1968. Czechoslovakia and Poland come to mind.

So is it actually possible to torture someone by forcing them to standup for four or five days? Solzhenitsyn clearly proves this was just one of so many terrible treatments people faced for not supporting the communists. His writing provides too many details of the number of vivid examples…all based upon his own stay in a Gulag and the interview with hundreds of fellow prisoners. Solzhenitsyn wrote this in volumes and multiple sections. This is only Volume I Section I “The Prison Industry, Perpetual Motion.” As much as the first section is horribly depressing, his writing in section two is even more compelling.

I must now also acknowledge that Volume II has been to difficult to read. The detail’s provided by Solzhenitsyn too intense, depressing and horrific. The details of torture by the Soviets… A Russian ship carrying prisoners that breaks down at sea, is offered assistance by a Japanese boat — only to be waived off. Dead prisoners were then pushed overboard. Many unknown deaths by systematic torture how all too well the horrors of the Soviet Gulags.

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Education Milwaukee Reading

Latest read: The Life of Mozart

It was a real joy to read Edward Holmes work The Life of Mozart based around a series of letters by the Mozarts. This is really a must read for anyone wanting to learn more about Mozart’s communication with his family and his amazing life.
life of mozartDon’t judge this book The Life of Mozart by its cover — especially if this book was published in 1845! From touring Europe and the excitement his operas, to his father’s wish not to raise his young children in London — a city lacking the influence of God.

I was amused to learn of a gift given to Mozart by a Polish count in exchange for a composition (when Mozart had “free time”) to feature violin.

After a year the Count wrote Mozart asking for his composition…only to receive a reply which indicated Mozart had no free time to compose! The Count’s reply: since Mozart had no problem holding a gift of gold for a year maybe he should consider returning the gift…and surprisingly Mozart did…while he continued to struggle financially with his wife and children.

Another example were two letters written by Mozart at age 22 to his father and sister while he was touring Paris with his Mother. After she suddenly died he wrote a letter home to prepare them for her death. Then four days after she died he wrote a second letter announcing her death…just before he departed Paris for Saulzberg with her body.

Edward Holmes work is wonderful. Please consider at the time (1845) of this release Mozart’s fame was not fully realized. A wonderful book worthy of a second read.

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Education Milwaukee Reading

Latest read: Mozart’s Wife

I picked up a couple of books including Mozart’s Wife after a long period (maybe a year) when I spent more time listening to his music than reading about his interesting life.
Mozart’s WifeIn my previous Mozart book post it was great to learn more about him from a scholastic point of view….building upon previous reads….but I came across Mozart’s Wife by Juliet Waldron. Historical fiction and romance?

Giddy sugarplum or calculating bitch? Did I miss author Juliet Waldron on Springer?

Providing a fictional account of Constanze life. Some parts more interesting than others.

Not really compelling enough for me. I may consider Anges Selby’s “Constanze, Mozart’s Beloved” but today I picked up Mozart and the Enlightenment (again) and re-read a chapter about his opera Cosi fan tutte. It is truly a great opera!