May 2004 Non-Fiction and Biography Book Reviews

The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the
by Erik Larson

Crown

ISBN# 0-6096-0844-4
Suggested Retail Price: $25.95 or as low as $10.00 from Amazon.com!

This magnificent wall-to-wall description of the trials and tribulations of building a World's Fair has my vote for a top slot in the best books from 2003. The author dug into US history to describe just what is involved in the nitty-gritty of producing a world wonder in an old park area of Chicago that looked like an impossible feat at the start.

America was moving toward the 20th century when two very bright men stepped forward to pursue the dream of Chicago hosting a brilliant world's fair. One was the fair's architect, Daniel Hudson Burnham. He was famous for being the father of some of this country's most important structures, including the Grand Central Station and the Flatiron Buildings in New York.

Chicago seemed an unlikely choice for a big World's Fair because of its weather. It was often either too hot or too cold. But Burnham convinced everyone that it could be done. He got approvals and promptly enlisted the talents of Frederick Law and others to begin the work. Then they began to change a swampy park into the wonder of White City. The book takes us through planning stages and the many obstacles that had to be overcome. The details are fascinating. The result was a fairyland of light and unbelievable buildings and displays. Just to read the details of the building of the world's first Ferris Wheel is hypnotic. The scope of it all and the successful results gave the world a brighter look at what was generally cold/hot dusty/dirty Industrial Age city at the time.

The author introduces us to the title character, "The Devil," who lived in Chicago at the same time. He was an unbelievable villain who began as an unethical druggist and moved on to build a huge building that he named, The World's Fair Hotel. His name was Henry Holmes and he had a built-in crematorium in the hotel where he disposed of young women and anyone else that got in his way. It is beyond understanding why it took so long to trap him because he never believed in paying any of his bills, and the hotel, it's furnishings and the infamous furnace were all built on loans that never were paid.

That particular Devil is not the most interesting part of the book. The meticulous following of the construction and the people who became involved in the enterprise is a wonder of writing. There are a few pictures of the fair, but the author is so generous with flowing descriptions that you can visualize White City without any real images of it. Read the joy and difficulties that go into creating a real World's Fair.

The Impossible Musical
by Dale Wasserman

Applause Books

ISBN# 1-5578-3515-2
Suggested Retail Price: $25.95 or as low as $16.33 from Amazon.com!

Dale Wasserman has written a book that takes us through and behind every minute of the production of the Broadway musical "Man OF La Mancha." He does this with grace and clear insight into the life and inception of the idea of making a play and then making a musical about the author of "Don Quixote," Miguel de Cervantes. The idea came in 1958 when he was visiting Spain and a news report hinted that he was there to research the book for a possible play. He wasn't, but then he got curious and tried to learn enough about the book and it's author to consider writing a play.

Wasserman was already famous as a playwright and screenwriter. His list of major works includes "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest" and the epic film starring Kirk Douglas and Tony Curtis, "The Vikings," as well. Many of his productions won him every award they give in Hollywood and New York from Oscars to Tonys.

Wasserman loved show business and worked in every possible aspect of the business until he found his best work was to be the writing and directing of theatrical successes.

From the minute you begin to read this book the author takes you along the route from inspiration to completion. It is a very readable bible of the works and effort required to produce such a major event. Yes, it took years, and Wasserman takes us through every action that finally brought this beautiful musical to its glory. As we learn how his decisions came to him from love of the story and his experience in the business, we become a part of process.

This chronicle is so well written that it holds the reader from the beginning to the end where we are treated to the whole Man of Lan Mancha script to read. The music is going though my head as I remember how beautiful it was.

Little People: Learning to See the World Through My Daughter's E
by Dan Kennedy

Rodale Books

ISBN# 1-5795-4668-4
Suggested Retail Price: $24.95 or as low as $1.22 from Amazon.com!

This is an extraordinary story for any parent to read. It is touching and inspiring. The author, Dan Kennedy, tells the story of his first born child. The year was 1922. The new baby, a girl, was diagnosed with Dwarfism. She was bright and normal in most ways, and the family was told she could expect to have a normal life span.

The parents were able to adapt to the special difference of their daughter. They learned that in some cultures, even today, dwarfs hold honored positions. They also learned that in Nazi Germany, dwarfs were used for experimentation. We all know that these "little people" were shown in freak shows all over the world.

Kennedy talks about the subculture of the "Little People," and the caste system that lurks beneath the surface in their own community. Kennedy spends a considerable amount of time talking about the current medical advances that could be used to combat Dwarfism and Down's syndrome. This is all very thought-provoking and brings to our attention the future problems we may face if we try to create designer children.

The Opposite of Fate
by Amy Tan

Putnam Adult

ISBN# 0-3991-5074-9
Suggested Retail Price: $24.95 or as low as $2.89 from Amazon.com!

When Amy Tan muses about her life, we are pulled into her world with pleasure. There is something about the clarity of her words that paints pictures as we are treated to bits and pieces from her illuminating life. She is amazingly and consistently excellent.

Amy tells us that her family believed strongly in fate. Amy has tried to turn this belief around, trying to find of the opposite of fate.

We are treated to tales about things like the ghosts that inhabit Tan's computer. She talks of her philosophy regarding Cliff's Notes, which are study guides made for students. She dwells on the "spectres" that bring illness. She also describes the fights with her mother and the family beliefs. When Tan takes us to an outdoor market in Shanghai, we know exactly how that looks and feels.

Amy Tan is a magical writer. She has invited us into her life and we are grateful for the tours as much as we were enchanted with her first book, "The Joy Luck Club."

The Billboard Illustrated Encyclopedia of Music
by Paul du Noyer

Watson-Guptill

ISBN# 0-8230-7869-8
Suggested Retail Price: $45.00 or as low as $8.00 from Amazon.com!

This is a huge book that measures 10-1/4 x 11-3/4". Its a hefty tome filled with the wonderful history of all the types of music that we love. The genre runs from Rock, Pop, Jazz, Blues and Hip-Hop all the way to Classical, Folk and more. You can just wander through the information, or look up your favorite genre or musical era.

I turned to the pages on jazz and found a wealth of information about my favorite type of music. All of the sections are filed with pictures both in color and black and white. Sometimes the picture is a cover of an album. You will find an explanation of the Chicago style of jazz. There is great picture of King Oliver and his band that shows a youngster named Louis Armstrong. Louie's band had just become famous and was moving up. One special touch that I enjoyed is a small printing of about four bars of music. This sample can give you a touch of the sound of this music.

As the book moves on into the Swing era section there is a "riff" for the drums printed and pictures of Gene Krupa and Count Basie. I still love all this music.

"Folk" music gets a large section that covers all types of folk music. The "Traditional" folk section covers all of those famous players of this special type of music and moves on "Political Folk and Protest Songs." Then there is Irish Folk and Contemporary Folk. You can move in the "Classic" music with "Baroque" and "Late Romantic" where you will find a lot of information.

There is no way you could cover the information in this superb book all at once. Go slowly. Enjoy carefully and save for future tours into this astounding collection of "The Billboard Illustrated Encyclopedia of Music."

Farley
by Frank. Phil

Pomegranate Communications

ISBN# 0-7649-0358-6
Suggested Retail Price: $12.95 or as low as $5.98 from Amazon.com!

This delightful book is a collection of the comic strip "Farley," written by Phil Frank and enjoyed by the entire San Francisco Bay Area. The strip appears every day in The San Francisco Chronicle, and we compare it to the only other strip worth reading regularly - the reprint of "Peanuts," which is always and forever charming and funny.

Farley is a strip of a different color. And its definitely Local Color. It is always up to date on San Francisco politics and the bizarre stories are filled with various animal or bird characters. Farley himself is a human and a reporter. We see him most often at his typewriter. Next to him is a black raven whose name is Bruce. Other characters are a bunch of bears that operate water front café called the "Fog City Dumpster." Then there is Orwell T. Catt, a feline with of questionable character. Orwell has held a long string of diverse jobs ranging from being bodyguard for the Clinton's cat, Socks, to the manager of the Steinhart Aquarium. Then there is the guru, Baba Re Bop, whose appearances in Willie ("His Willieness") Brown's Magic Mirror were side-splitters. There is much more quality in the way of humor, astute political commentary, and just plain fun here than Doonesbury has had in the last 20 years.

For many years, San Francisco had the pleasure of enjoying a daily dose of the late Herb Caen, whose columns made everyone understand what he meant by Bagdad by the Bay. It was a great loss to the City by The Bay when Caen died. There is something in the air of this city that breeds great writers like Herb Caen and Dashiell Hammet, and in the case of the Farley strip, great cartoonists. Charles Schultz was an adpopted Bay Area son, too. It's probably the crisp Pacific air coming in through the Golden Gate that sharpens the wits of these artists.

The Pirates and the Mouse: Disney's War Against the Countercultu
by Bob Levin

Fantagraphics Books

ISBN# 1-5609-7530-X
Suggested Retail Price: $24.00 or as low as $4.40 from Amazon.com!

In 1963, Dan O'Neil made his debut in the pages of the San Francisco Chronicle. Dan was the youngest syndicated comic artist in the country. It was the time of the 60's Counter Culture revolution. O'Neil took on the Walt Disney Empire and boldly used the famous mouse as a villain in his comic strips. This brought on a large lawsuit when the Disney Company accused O'Neil of copyright infringement and theft of trademark. O'Neil and his pals, who called themselves "Pirates," published comic books that showed the Disney characters doing very un-Disney-like things. The Pirates worked in a building that was owned by Francis Ford Coppola. Both sides had major law firms representing them. The litigation went on for some ten years moving all the way up to the Supreme Court.

The whole story is told by this author in a slightly humorous way, but covers every aspect of this famous case. Disney fan or not, this is a book you will enjoy because it was an historic time and involves interesting First Amendment issues.

Zen Cat
by Judith Adler, Paul Coughlin

Rodale Books

ISBN# 0-8759-6923-2
Suggested Retail Price: $14.95 or as low as $3.68 from Amazon.com!

This is simply a great little book for those of us who love cats and relate to their deepest thoughts. Each page presents us with a quotable Zen proverb and a wonderful picture of a kitty cat that matches the thought.

The adorable pictures will bring a smile to the kitty lovers and the thoughts are inspiring.

O'Brien's Collecting Toys: Identification and Value Guide, 11th
by Karen E. O'Brien

Krause Publications

ISBN# 0-8734-9652-3
Suggested Retail Price: $29.99 or as low as $6.80 from Amazon.com!

We dyed-in-the-wool collectors are struggling trying to keep up with the times. So are the flea markets and collectible shows that used to be on the regular schedule of any avid scrounger. The same goes for sellers, most of whom just over-collected at sometime and needed to thin the herd, so to speak. The Internet has created a whole new and profitable life for sellers and collectors.

For example, we attended a collectibles show recently. We used to have a table at this show ourselves to sell our Disney collectibles. This charming and comfortable old exhibition used to occupy exhausting hours of fun hunting. It's has shrunk dramatically in the last 5 years and that's a real loss. The Internet and eBay have really damaged the collectibles trade shows.

Shopping for collectibles by computer brings on a whole new set of problems, of course. How can you tell if the item is really what is described? Is the value overrated? Let me tell you that it is a lot easier to check out this very large reference than to try to hunt for reliable information about collectibles online.

There is a ton of important information here, including some advice and a section that will teach you how to use this great book. You can't go wrong. Every subject is listed alphabetically. Then there are abbreviations and clues to look for. A word about judging the condition of the item and some suggested prices make this work priceless.

I still love the excursion and touching of a live show. I like knowing the dealers, and I still will go to the shows for these reasons. With the book at my side I spend a lot of time online investigating my own favorite collectible character: "Minnie Mouse."