Patriotism or Other Reasons

Patriotism or Other Reasons

I have no intention of taking any respect or gratitude away from those who serve in the military. Our current yeah, troops mentality, however, tends to take away from the full reality, good and bad, of serving. Posting pictures and slogans to say we support our troops gives a false sense of having done our duty and is a backlash from the shameful public treatment of the Vietnam Veterans. I wonder if we didn’t hide our heads in the sand and swing too far to the other side.

Even in my father’s post WWII generation, when the draft still existed and the Korean conflict was underway, many chose to enter the Navy rather than be drafted as combat infantry in the Army. They saw no reason to risk their lives for a fight they didn’t believe was vital to their country’s welfare. The handling of Vietnam left countless men and women emotionally scarred, sick, or both.

A friend of mine lost her husband six years ago. He suffered from two rare cancers traced back to his exposure to Agent Orange. He was a Marine and proud to be one, deeply devoted to his fellow Marines, but had little respect for the politicians who handled what he considered the debacle of Vietnam. What does that do to the soul to have to follow orders you don’t believe in?

Lack of Options

Many go into the military because of a family history of service or a true calling to serve the country. A great many others through the generations joined the military to pay for the college education their families couldn’t afford to give them. Too many, perhaps naïve of or ill-suited to military life, go for reasons having to do with a lack of other options.

Not everyone has the ability to learn through our traditional educational system or has the aptitude or opportunity to learn traditional trades such as plumbing or electrical work. There are a disproportionate number of people of color serving, yet the vast majority of officers, especially higher up, are white.

There have been a number of investigations into the poor treatment and outright molestation of female members of the military. The topic of women in combat seems to have overridden the topic of their treatment for the moment but will certainly come front and center as everyone adjusts to a greater presence of women on the front lines.

Being Grateful

By all means, we should be grateful for the sacrifices of our military. That doesn’t mean we should romanticize military service and overlook its internal problems and the social problems that may lead to service without a true understanding of the sacrifices required that have the potential to crush unprepared young souls.

                                                                             

NY Review of Books

The New York Review of Books

I recently bought an introductory-priced subscription to this monthly periodical printed on newsprint, about sixty pages, and somewhat bigger than a Sunday newspaper insert. It reviews books coming on the market, mostly nonfiction, though some fiction and poetry. The layout at first confused me as I expected straightforward reviews of books.

Whether discussing one book or several books on one specific topic, the reviews are full articles that give an overview of the subject, often from the viewpoint of the writer of the article, who goes on to discuss the book on the subject in question.

The June 8^th edition for example explores one book on the rising return of religion in China and two books on Egypt’s current political structure. For the first, I wasn’t always sure when a point came from the author of the article or the author of the book on it, though it was mostly documented. Either way, I found the information fascinating that religion is expanding unimpeded as long as it doesn’t send up red flags to the current political powers. Protestantism for instance is accepted and growing rapidly, whereas Catholicism—with its loyalty to an outside power, the Vatican—has been stonewalled. The second article was more clearly from the author’s point of view since he discussed two books on the subject of Egypt’s current power structure—a dictatorship that has dealt violently with dissenters.

American Politics

With the new administration and so much controversy surrounding it, it isn’t surprising that many of the reviews center on works about those controversies and how Donald Trump won the presidency. Two books in particular talk about the role of Facebook in getting political messages to voters and the dangers of hacking in regards to politics.

I found it interesting that one article about the firing of FBI Director James Comey had no accompanying book, the article a sequel, I gather, to a previous article about his role in Hilary Clinton’s loss—before my subscription, so I haven’t read it. This one was interesting and a good review of what I had heard on the news, though nothing new was added to what I have already heard.

Advertising

Most of the advertising is for books—the majority nonfiction, but novels as well—sprinkled with ads for cultural events or offers from museums, universities, etc. Unobtrusive, they blend into the surrounding articles and are interesting to explore.

If anyone is interested, the website for subscriptions is: www.nybooks.com/customer-service

Missing Mom

Missing Mom

This is the first year I don’t have a mom to remember with presents on Mother’s Day, an odd feeling. She is of course greatly on my mind. With the illnesses she suffered, I wouldn’t wish her back, and I am very grateful that, considering her physical state, she went as peacefully as she did. It doesn’t stop the many times I come across something on TV or in a store or just something going on in my life I wish I could tell her about. All normal reactions, I know, and the knowledge that I can’t talk to her face-to-face leaves a sad aftertaste, more bittersweet than mournful at this point.

My mom showed love in her extravagant giving of presents on birthdays and holidays and in meals she took great pride in preparing. Her homemade lasagna, apple pie, roasts and gravies—just a drop in the bucket of her repertoire—spoiled me for store-bought or restaurant representations. None taste as good as Mom’s.

Mom’s Quirks

She used to enjoy buying me clothes. Let’s just say we had vastly different tastes in styles, though I have to admit she got better at it as I got older. I rarely replace things that are still wearable. She teased me that she bought things for me that she liked because she knew she would be seeing them for a long time. She rarely got rid of anything either, which being the one who had to wade through it all when she sold her house and moved closer to her kids, I can attest to. Unfortunately she saw no reason why that tendency should stop her from buying more.

A local charity got three suitcases and five thirty-gallon bags full of clothes that no longer fit her before she moved. Should I feel bad that I had to sneak out most of it along with a truck full of household items she wouldn’t be able to fit into her new apartment? Considering we still filled a moving van with the stuff she couldn’t possibly give up, I’m voting no.

Mom’s Legacy

When it became clear that Mom was dying, so many people from the nursing home came to say goodbye. I managed to hold it together except when I saw the tears in their eyes. Their caring was not a perfunctory part of the job. They truly liked my mom and would miss her as a person. She had a way about her, a joy in simple pleasures—coloring, visiting with people, meals—plans for the future, mostly get-togethers with her family, and a stoic acceptance of her illnesses that kept her going for many years past the time most medical professionals would have given her. We began to call her the Ever Ready mama.

I’d like to be a fly on the wall in heaven to see if Mom directs the angels and other inhabitants on fashion and social get-togethers. She’d be good at it.

Invitation to a Retreat

Writers’ Retreats

A number of retreats exist in many states and internationally. All basically provide lodging, meals, and uninterrupted time for their guests to write. Most are for a week or two and usually cost hundreds to thousands, not including transportation to and from. Time is allocated for some socializing or sharing of your work with other writers.

There are a great many more writer’s conferences throughout the country, which offer opportunities to speak to agents and give classes on various topics ranging from poetry to fiction and all the intricacies one must master in each genre—characterization, creating suspense and tension, the difference between a haiku and iambic pentameter—and classes in the business of writing—publication, promotion, self-publishing.

Conferences usually have a set number of class periods scheduled with a choice between two topics for each. Last year at the Write Angles Conference, a yearly one-day, affordable conference in Holyoke, they had, for instance, classes on internet resources for writers, how to develop your main character, poetry (I don’t remember the specific topic since I didn’t take that class), and a forum with the guest agents to discuss log lines—one sentence of under fifty words that describes the main idea of your novel or nonfiction piece, often used for promotion and on a book jacket to lure in readers.

An Invitation to a Hybrid Retreat

As I haven’t managed to sell any of my writing yet, I can’t afford more than the local Holyoke conference. I would like to configure my own combination of a writers’ retreat and learning experience to concentrate on perfecting and sending out my short stories, start a new novel, explore the online world of writers, and learn how to navigate Twitter.

The ideal situation would be to have someone else who can take care of the chores and cooking and someone, possibly the same person, knowledgeable about the intricacies of the internet and good at teaching them to barely computer-literate people like me. I would like another writer or two to join me and share their experiences in writing and trials and tribulations in the business of writing and publishing.

The location has to be decided, maybe along the lines of an out-of-season and more affordable beach house or a cross-country train trip (I know someone who is going to California, a nine-day trip, for just over $200.00) and the time. I’m open to suggestions. We also need to find the person or people who can help in allowing the writers the full freedom and time to write and learn. I hope those reading this share it with anyone they think might be interested and message me. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

Mystery/Thriller Series

Novel Series—Murder Mystery/Thriller Fiction

Heather Graham writes a series called the Krewe of Hunters about an offshoot group of FBI agents who deal with murders than include paranormal elements. The Hidden, the second one I’ve read, stands alone fine though, over all, I don’t care for the series. I have problems with murder mysteries in general, especially when the identity of the killer becomes obvious fairly quickly or when, as in most of the books I’ve read, you don’t get enough information to do more than whittle the suspects down to a few of the usually large cast of characters. I find it rare to find a book that gives you all the clues you need to figure out the killer but still keeps you in suspense for most of the story.

The Hidden is about the ancestors of a murdered couple from the 1800s who are being systematically eliminated at a ranch for tourists in Colorado. The main character works at the museum on the property and calls in her ex, a new member of the Krewe of Hunters, when she is accused of one of the murders. The investigation is two-pronged—find out who kills the ancestors to figure out the motive and killer of the present murders. I liked the characters and the writing style. I just wasn’t that invested in the outcome.

Historical Series

I read the first book of a trilogy by Greg Iles, Natchez Burning, about the hate crimes associated with the Civil Rights Movement in the sixties that cause further violence in the present to keep the perpetrators safe from prosecution and business consequences. Mayor Penn Cage, an ongoing character from other books, those stories briefly explained in the backstory, is also a novel writer and former prosecuting attorney. Chapters from his point of view are written in the first person. Others are written in third person and blend well in keeping the tension high as Cage, his father, and fiancée become embroiled in investigations of former Klan members and a behind-the-scenes Machiavellian sociopath who ordered most of the bloodshed.

The book is over 700 pages and ends some of the story threads while leaving others unsolved for the next book, which I look forward to reading. I don’t care for graphic sadistic violence but a lot of what was in this book was based on history, and it doesn’t pay to glide over past horrors just to stay comfortable. Makes them too easy to repeat.

On the other hand, Gabriel’s Woman by Robin Schone, a sequel to The Lover, which I haven’t read, is about two male friends who survived as children by allowing themselves to be trained as prostitutes in 1800’s England and France. Rape and pedophilia weigh heavily in the plot and were used primarily to create tension and create sympathy for Gabriel, the main character, who is unable to trust others but must learn to if he is to defeat a longtime enemy bent on the torture and death of Gabriel and his friend, Michael. Human trafficking still goes on today, obviously, but this book has no pretension of adding to our social conscience. Sordid, though I liked the characters and cared what happened to them. Choppy and confusing backstory from the first book, which I have no desire to read.