What I'm reading ...

I have started Fascism: A Warning by Madeleine Albright. I am increasing interested in modern politics - trying to understand what is going on in the world, much of which is, for me, unfathomable. This book was recommended by Alastair Campbell in his recent book. Here’s the blurb:

A personal and urgent examination of Fascism in the twentieth century and how its legacy shapes today’s world, written by one of America’s most admired public servants, the first woman to serve as U.S. secretary of state.

A Fascist, observes Madeleine Albright, ‘is someone who claims to speak for a whole nation or group, is utterly unconcerned with the rights of others, and is willing to use violence and whatever other means are necessary to achieve the goals he or she might have.’

The twentieth century was defined by the clash between democracy and Fascism, a struggle that created uncertainty about the survival of human freedom and left millions of innocent people dead. Given the horrors of that experience, one might expect the world to reject the spiritual successors to Hitler and Mussolini should they arise in our era. In Fascism: A Warning, Madeleine Albright, draws on her own experiences as a child in war-torn Europe and her distinguished career as a diplomat to question that very assumption.

Fascism, as Albright shows, is not only endured through the course of the twentieth century, but now presents a more virulent threat to international peace and justice than at any time since the end of World War II. The momentum toward democracy that swept the world when the Berlin Wall fell has gone into reverse. The United States, which has historically championed the free world, is led by a president who exacerbates popular divisions and heaps scorn on democratic institutions. In many countries, economic, technological and cultural factors are weakening the political centre and empowering the extremes of right and left. Contemporary leaders such as Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un are employing many of the same tactics used by Fascists in the 1920s and 30s.

Fascism: A Warning is a book for our times that is relevant to all times. Written with wisdom by someone who has not only studied history but helped to shape it, this call to arms teaches us the lessons we must understand and the questions we must answer if we are to save ourselves from repeating the tragic errors of the past.

The Book of Two Ways - by Jodi Picoult

When I read a novel, I am looking for two things: I want a gripping story, with plenty of details, skilfully written; I want to learn something about the world. When I started reading this book, I was fairly sure that the author would deliver. Having read it, I feel, if anything, she over-delivers!

Things I learned about: Egyptology, hieroglyphics, quantum physics, medical procedures and brain surgery, modern art, the chemistry of tears, end of life care. The story is also quite emotional and this is something that I find is a particular benefit of skilled female authors: I can learn just a bit about the feelings and emotions that women experience.

The book has multiple timelines. It is not a gimmick - it really is needed to tell the story. At one stage I was concerned that I was slightly confused, but I eventually realised that a little timeline confusion was also a necessary part of the story.

At first, I found the ending a little unsatisfying. But, after a little thought, I concluded that it was the only possible way to end the book and was ingenious. I later saw that the author’s editor had guided her in this direction.

I have read a number of Jodi Picoult’s books and seeing how many more are available to be read is exciting.

I have a feeling that it will be a while before I come across another book as richly enjoyable as this one.

What I'm reading ...

I have started The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult. One of my favourite authors. It’s always nice to get stuck into one of her books. Here’s the blurb:

Dawn is a death doula, and spends her life helping people make the final transition peacefully.

But when the plane she's on plummets, she finds herself thinking not of the perfect life she has, but the life she was forced to abandon fifteen years ago - when she left behind a career in Egyptology, and a man she loved.

Against the odds, she survives, and the airline offers her a ticket to wherever she needs to get to - but the answer to that question suddenly seems uncertain.

As the path of her life forks in two very different directions, Dawn must confront questions she's never truly asked: what does a well-lived life look like? What do we leave behind when we go? And do we make our choices, or do our choices make us?

Two possible futures. One impossible choice.

Lovers at the Museum - by Isabel Allende

As expected. This was a very quick read - even for me! A simple, amusing story with well drawn characters that is curiously thought provoking.

What I'm reading ...

I have started Lovers at the Museum by Isabel Allende. This is a short story, which will make a change - nice to have something that even I can read quickly. This author is well thought of and I am sure I have read her work before, so I am looking forward to it. The work is pre-publication, which is interesting. Here’s the blurb: 

Love, be it wild or tender, often defies logic. In fact, at times, the only rationale behind the instant connection of two souls is plain magic.

Bibiña Aranda, runaway bride, wakes up in the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao still wearing her wedding dress, draped in the loving arms of a naked man whose name she doesn’t know. She and the man with no clothes, Indar Zubieta, attempt to explain to the authorities how they got there. It’s a story of love at first sight and experience beyond compare, one that involves a dreamlike journey through the museum.

But the lovers’ transcendent night bears no resemblance to the crude one Detective Larramendi attempts to reconstruct. And no amount of fantastical descriptions can convince the irritated inspector of the truth.

Allende’s dreamy short story has the power to transport readers in any language, leaving them to ponder the wonders of love long after the story’s over.

Abominations - by Lionel Shriver

This book was good read. Many of the pieces were thought-provoking. A few were amusing. All were well-written, as I would expect from this author. Some of the political views expressed are at variance with my own, but it is good to read well-written and carefully thought through articles that explain different points of view coherently.