King Leopold's Ghost by Adam Hochschild

This is a very good book which shows vividly the horrors of colonialism. It seems to me to avoid the twin dangers of historical revisionism and romanticism. The point is well made that the historical record is largely colonial, since the early Africans didn't write. Nevertheless, the African view is painfully easy to see. The severed hands say it all.

The best chapter of this book, in my view, is a discussion of Conrad and his experience in Congo and his later novel, Heart of Darkness. It is amazing how clearly this serves as a window, through a European eye, to see what really was going on.

Livingston seems well-sketched. Stanley is surely better than described, and receives more than his share of psychoanalysis.

Leopold's sanity is questionable. He seems very interesting, very complex, and drawn in detail. The author really makes a good case that Belgium's Congo policy is a result of Leopold's actions and drive. Certainly others were willing to comply and bear partial responsibility. It is interesting that Leopold could pose as anti-slavery yet hold an entire country in virtual slavery.

A couple of amazing black Americans play roles in the book and add much interest.

Conrad saw things clearly and described their essence. His experience in the "dark continent" was life-changing.

Kric Krac by Edwidge Danticat

This is an evocative account of several generations of Haitian women and voodoo and tradition. It is very true to Haiti and the Haitian diaspora to the U.S. I learned several things about Haitian culture and beliefs. It is written in an interesting style of short paragraphs, sometimes alternating narratives with each paragraph. It is definitely female-centered and speaks volumes about Haitian experience.

On the Road by Jack Kerouac

This book is a tale without a plot, except endless travel and a quest to experience the next experience for its own sake. It is aimless and valueless and yet has a certain morality of its own. Alcohol and drug use are hidden themes, sexual conquest also is understated and always present. A quest for honesty and transparency is juxtaposed with duplicity and lying. The narrator, Sal, is a vague, observing presence. Dean, the protagonist, is ever-present, bigger than life, gradually degenerating into a caricature of himself, a bundle of colliding thoughts and ideas from an amphetamine-like drive. It is obviously a book that is either opening up a new generation or describing the first scenes of a radical change. The young men have no discernible parents. While by today's standards their nonconformity is tame, by the standards of the day they were wild. The seeds of cultural decay are on every page and the harvest is now apparent.

George Bernard Shaw by G. K. Chesterton

An engaging literary and very clever book. It begins with an interesting discussion of what an Irishman is from an English point of view. Secondly, I was interested in GKC's view of Puritanism, which is very negative. I fancy this is due to its socio-cultural "baggage" as well as its protestantism. It's interesting to see Shaw, an atheist, critiqued as a Puritan, doubtless on the basis of psychology and upbringing. The middle part of the book deals with Shaw's plays and theatre criticism, much of which was lost on me. The latter part speaks of Shaw's religious views and is where GKC shines most brightly. The golden nugget I found is the following quote:

"You are free in our time to say that God does not exist; you are free to say that He exists and is evil; you are free to say that He would like to exist if He could. You may talk of God as a metaphor or a mystification; you may water Him down with gallons of long words, or boil Him to the rags of metaphysics; and it is not really that nobody punishes, but nobody protests. But if you speak of God as a fact, as a thing like a tiger, as a reason for changing one's conduct, then the modern world will stop you if it somehow can. We are long past talking about whether an unbeliever should be punished for being irreverent. It is now thought irreverent to be a believer."

The Blue Nile by Alan Moorehead

Dealing with the Blue Nile from 1798, this is a companion to "The White Nile" by the same author. The books describe the two branches of the Nile in southern Sudan. This is a wonderful book with good research and good stories. It mainly is an account of amazing men who overcame unbelievable obstacles to explore and conquer the area of the Blue Nile. The upper reaches of this river are so rugged that for centuries the map of it was a dotted line. James Bruce discovered its source. He was a Scot, a protestant who studied Arabic and explored the upper Blue Nile and down to Cairo. Returning to England, he was ridiculed and not believed; 17 years later he published his books.

Next the book describes Napoleon's conquest of Egypt. What fascinated me was the fact that after conquering Egypt he went up the coast of Palestine to Syria and conquered until he beseiged Acre unsuccessfully and had to return to Egypt. Prior to that, after a brilliant conquest of Egypt, the fleet that had brought him was destroyed by Lord Nelson, leaving Napoleon stranded in Egypt for many months. Napoleon brought many famous French scientists with him: Monge, Berthier, Davont, Lannes, Junot, Murat. Denon, an artist, was drawing the beautiful temples and monuments not previously seen by Europeans, but always was rushed because the columns had to advance and to fall behind left him vulnerable to raids by Bedouins. Desaix took columns far up the Nile and chased the Mamelukes, the fascinating lords over the Egyptians who were not Egyptian but adopted male slaves from the Caucasus regions who had no children but bought young boy slaves from the Caucasus to perpetuate their lines. The scientists reported their findings to France in a multi-volume work.

The final part of the book is a fascinating tale of Napier's mission to rescue kidnapped English subjects from Thomas, king of Ethiopia. This was a massive military effort launched from India with boats, trains, elephants and artillery. The contrast with the French invasion is very interesting and shows the change in warfare.

Interesting references include
R. E. Chesmon's "Lake Tam and the Blue Nile," Macmillan 1936
James Bruce "Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile" 1804
F. B. Head's "The Life of Bruce, Murray" 1836
Jonquiere's "L'expedition d'Egypte"
W. G. Browne's "Travels in Africa, Egypt, and Syria: 1792-1796"

In Patagonia by Bruce Chatwin

This book is a series of 97 vignettes which eventually tie together in style, theme, content and wistfulness. Charles Milward, cousin of the author's grandfather, had found a brontosaurus that turned out to be a mylodon - a great sloth. "It took some years to sort the story out." Traveling through Patagonia in search of stories about his family, he finds many cultures and stories that intertwine: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid followed south by Pinkerton detectives; penguins, condors, albatross; stories of ill-fated voyages which may have influenced literature such as Coleridge's Ancient Mariner, Poe, even Darwin, who argued with the orthodox chief officer Fitzroy. Dante and Donne speak of straits and Magellan and fire islands. There's a discussion of Tierra del Fuego and the Indian language in "The Uttermost Parts of the Earth" by Lucas Bridges. A good book written in a subtle and engaging manner - curiosity evoking more curiosity.