Books and Ideas (14)

I read for ideas. Here are some of the ideas I have found in books.

Poland. James A. Michener.
Why read it? To learn why the Polish people are far more courageous than the Polish jokes that are their stereotype. It’s a novel, of course, but most of Michener’s “novels” are really loaded with information about his topics, almost an encyclopedia, but told in story form. Michener is Polish and he wrote this novel to help people in the rest of the world understand the peculiar circumstances that makes Poland what it is—a country beset by large powers that have torn it apart, brutalized it, yet produced people of courage who never give up trying to live productive lives.

Portrait of a Lady. Henry James.
Novel. Why read it? Henry James studies the relationships between the American character and the staid, aristocratic Europeans. In this novel, Isabel Archer visits American relatives who have lived for a long time in Britain and who have adopted the British view of belief in a stratified society with special emphasis on proper manners. Isabel’s American/British relatives enjoy observing her in action, watching to see how she deals with certain situations. Isabel is manipulated by the sophisticated and socially polished Madame Merle into marrying an aristocratic, impoverished aesthete who tries to control her after they are married. At first, Isabel rebels and leaves him, but then returns because of the marriage bonds.

Pensées. Blaise Pascal.
Why read it? The first half of Pascal’s Pensées is profound. At one point, I considered Pascal’s Pensées to be the Christian counterpoint to Islam’s Koran, “the only book needed in the world.” The second half of the book, arguing that the Catholic Church is the answer to the conundrums and dilemmas of humanity, is interesting, but less profound.

Pride and Prejudice. Jane Austen.
Novel. Why read it? Quite a few people say that Pride and Prejudice is their favorite novel. Austen’s view of marriage is both satirical and reverent. She makes fun of most veteran wedded couples who are, as is true in most marriages that I have observed, misfits, but the realities of marriage do not stop Elizabeth and Jane, her sister, from seeing marriage as their ultimate goal for achieving happiness in life. Elizabeth represents prejudice; Darcy represents pride. Elizabeth thinks Darcy is an arrogant aristocratic snob. Darcy thinks Elizabeth’s family—but not Elizabeth—is beneath his social standing as an aristocrat. Will they get together?

Profiles in Courage. John F. Kennedy.
Why read it? It is not easy to vote according to conscience if you are a politician. This book puts political courage into the context of the forces with which politicians must concern themselves, including loss of their careers if they act courageously. This book is as much about the abuse that politicians suffered in public as it is the tenacity with which they voted according to conscience.

Ragtime. E.L. Doctorow.
Novel. Why read it? In this novel, Doctorow presents an impression of the ragtime era, the period before WWI. These were the “good old days.” With vivid prose and facts, Doctorow paints a picture of a raw American society divided into a few very rich and many poor. It was the era of immigrants, slavery in the coal mines, women without equal rights and child labor. In this novel, you will gain a realistic view of just how “good” the “old days” were.

Essays and Lectures. Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Why read it? Because Emerson will make you think. He writes in sentences, each sentence suggestive, freighted with ideas. His sentences are like a stone skipping across the pond—each idea leading to other ideas in never-ending concentric circles He writes in prose but his images create poetry. When you read Emerson, be ready to think and to reflect for surprisingly long periods.