Family Feud

This week, I finished reading George, Nicholas and Wilhelm: Three Royal Cousins and the Road to War, by Miranda Carter. (This is the book that was the one that had all appearance of being utterly dull). It was amazing. Book review over.

Alright, fine. I'll go a bit more in depth. I'm not going to go into the details of WWI and history and such, but I do want to give the impressions this book left, that you don't get if you just read the tragically uninsightful history books of K-12. So, if you don't know much about the world at the time, you are going to have to do some background reading.

What really stood out was how dysfunctional the royalty of Europe was during the mid-1800's to the time of WWI. This book is less a look at the historical facts and more a look at the mentalities, the motivations that drove George, Nicholas, Wilhelm, Queen Victoria, King Edward VII, and others. Honestly, if anyone needed Dr. Phil, or Nanny 911, it was the royal family, which was pretty much everyone royal at the time, because they literally were a family. Imagine that family reunion!!! And, based on this book, the family reunions of these guys could trump just about any family reunion you've ever been to. And they make an excellent example of why politics should NOT be discussed at family get-togethers. Really, though, it was fascinating to read about these people as a family first, and government leaders second. And to see how their family relationships impacted politics and affected the entire world.

Another thing that stood out to me was how utterly pointless WWI was. Honestly, it was just someone really anxious to blow things up and shoot guns and prove that they were king of the mountain. There was no other reason for it. It wasn't about anything other than egos. It was about empire, and being the biggest world power. Which, sadly, in some ways hasn't changed much.

As I read, I found it much more difficult to sympathize with Wilhelm, but as I reflect, he probably deserves the most pity. Socially inept, all he wanted was acceptance and respect, but everything he did resulted in exactly the opposite. And yet, because of his lack of social graces, it's very hard to sympathize with him. As things progress, I felt more frustration with Nicholas, as well, and yet, pity, also. He was a good man placed in the wrong place. But the story of Russia before the revolution that overthrew Nicholas gave a lot of insight into the history of Russia after Nicholas, and even up to the present day.

In the end, all you get is a sense of tragedy. There are so many what-ifs. Of course, none of those have guarantees, and there were so many factors at play, but still. Had even one of the many major decisions been made differently, the world could have followed a completely different course.

Anyway, it really was a terrific book, and despite how huge it looked, was far less daunting than it appeared.

Now, a little bonus today, if you would like to call it that. I read an article this week that really gave some excellent perspective to the gun issue. I have read several articles that have reframed the discussion for me. I decided that I would share this one: Living with guns the Swiss way. I think this brings up a lot of relevant points for reading informational literature, which may be the topic next time. But, I hope the article is as insightful for you as it was for me.

Where's MY crayon?

Lately, my nephew has taken a great liking the the Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson. Being the one who usually ends up reading them to him (somehow his mom can always finagle reading the latest library books), I can see why. There are three particular things I love about these books. And, by these books, let me specify. The ones I have been reading for the past couple of weeks are:

Harold and the Purple Crayon

Harold's Fairy Tale

Harold's Trip to the Sky

Harold's Circus

So, what is so great about these books? First, the art. I read these books and I absolutely love the simplicity. We're talking two colors, simple drawings, nothing fancy. And I love it because it is the kind of art a child would draw, and because it makes me feel like I could draw too. (Of course, if I were to try, it wouldn't go quite like my mind envisioned it, but still--it does make me feel like I could be an artist). 

Second, the stories are terrific. The plot is all about drawing things with a crayon and the adventures you can have doing so. Such a simple concept but so delightful. And again, it is so very much what a child would do. Maybe not with crayons, but with blocks or boxes or other toys. Children have a knack for taking simple, simple things and imagining great adventures with them. 

Thirds, the vocabulary. This stands out to me because Johnson isn't trying to dumb it down at all. My nephew is three and I know he doesn't understand what each and every one of those words means, but it doesn't matter. He enjoys those stories, and they are fun for me to read because they aren't dumbed down. This gives me hope for my own writing, because I love a clever turn of phrase and I always worry that I'm using words that are too big for my intended audience (which is generally younger kids). Seeing that vocab isn't a hangup for a young kid enjoying these books makes me think that my own writing could be published someday. 

So, there you have it. Three great reasons to love Harold and his wonderful purple crayon. Although, if it were my nephew with a crayon, he'd choose green. 

What kind of magic do you believe in?

I apologize for the delay in posting. There was a sudden and abrupt, albeit temporary change in my situation. I have become the single, surrogate mother of 5 kids for a week, starting last Saturday. And the Friday before that, I went to see The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey right after work. So, it's been hectic. Anyway...

Last week I finished reading Far West by Patricia Wrede, and I thought this is an author I should highlight. I have read three of her series: Frontier Magic, Regency Magic, and the Enchanted Forest series. Now, as I read Far West, I was struck by the system of magic Wrede creates in the series. It's very unique, not necessarily in how magic works, or the actual nature of magic, but in how magic is controlled. And it isn't just one way, it's at least three, thus far int he series.

But not only did she develop three views of magic for this series, magic is very different in the Enchanted Forest, and even between characters in the Forest, in terms of how people use and control magic.

And finally, there is a very different style of magic in the Regency series. It involves objects a lot more than her other series, and is less and inherited ability. (And, I love this particular series for the way it was written. So clever!)

This author really impressed me. I mean, it is hard enough to develop one magical world. She has created three. Granted, a couple of them are set in alternate realities, so there is a kind of blueprint to work off of, but she still had to adapt to fit in magic. It is amazing. And, it gets you thinking about magic, and what it is and how we use it.

Which is a topic for another day, but in the meantime, Patricia Wrede is an author to read.

Split second decisions

I recently had an interview and was asked to tell about the best decision and worst decision I've made, and the process I used to make the respective decisions. After the interview, I had this introspective moment where I had to wonder whether I would have answered the question differently if I hadn't just started listening to Blink by Malcolm Gladwell. The decisions I chose were both decisions made more intuitively, rather than reasoning through them, and parts of those decisions may or may not have been based on what Gladwell would term "rapid cognition." Which just so happens to be the topic of the book.

I've read Gladwell's stuff before and I've really liked the insights he gives. There's a certain logic to them, and I've seen his conclusions ring true. So, I was pretty confident I'd like Blink, and I was right. Lots of insights, and it kind of gives me a bit of ammo for when I feel like I have to justify some of my decision making processes or past decisions. He also explores the pros and cons of rapid cognition, how it can be a good thing, but the traps we need to watch out for. He doesn't give a checklist or anything for how to make it work--it's not a self-help book--but he does provide a lot of examples of how this can apply. I think basically, Gladwell's works give the reader a foundation. I come away from reading his stuff feeling like I know more, and because I know more, I'm more aware of my behavior and how it might be affecting me and others, and that in turn helps me modify the parts of my behavior that I feel could improve. So much better than having someone try to tell you how you should be.

So, no. I haven't really told you much about rapid cognition, or given examples or even a good synopsis of Blink. If I did that, you wouldn't have to read it, and he tells it way better than I do. I will say, if you are looking for some good non-fiction, Gladwell is a good author to check out, and Blink would be as good a place to start as any. But you might want to be careful about reading it in conjunction with an interview.*

*I will say, the interview went well--they asked for another one, so it would seem that despite my intuitive decision making, they liked me.