The Way of Ignorance, Finished

I finally finished The Way of Ignorance by Wendell Berry. For me this was a slow read and I stopped and started a couple of times and read other books in between. But Ignorance made me think so I plodded through it at times. The last time I wrote about this book I compared it to an Yvon Chouinard book, Let My People Go Surfing. Reponsibility is important to both authors, and local responsibility especially. As I finished Berry's book, this became more evident as he shared letters to and from friends.

The title comes from a poem by T.S. Eliot called "East Coker," which is from the book Four Quartets.

                       In order to arrive at what you do not know, 

                      You must go by a way which is the way of ignorance.

There is much I don't know, but the first step to understanding is to admit the lack of knowledge. This book helped me think through some ideas. A Big thought is the concept of soil health. The last story puts forth the thought that soil health is not of result of limiting or excluding human or animal access to "wilderness." A new idea is that in nature periodic disturbances help health. These disturbances can be fire, floods, or grazing. Remember the stories of bison grazing in the past? Cattle can take their place now. As a preview, there is a story of cattlemen combining their herds into one of over a thousand and letting them graze together. Destructive? No. It depends upon how long the cattle were allowed to graze in one place. And it requires us to rethink our perceptions of what land should look like. That grazed land looked very disturbed right after the cattle went through, but six months later the land was covered in grass and green.

In our local mountain area, happens to be a national park, there are many trees dying. A combination of drought and a beetle infestation. But a new theory is also too many trees. There hasn't been a fire in the area in 50 years. Hasn't been a disturbance to stimulate growth.

Admit our ignorance, rethink our ideas and build health. Good ideas to consider.

A Couple of Books

After finishing Let My People Go Surfing by Yvon Chouinard I started back in to The Way of Ignorance by Wendell Berry. Haven't finished Ignorance yet, but I have been struck by how the two books dovetail in many ways.

Chouinard told tales of how he climbed and created a business, but he hammered away most about the responsibility we have to the world we live in, both individually and corporately. He gave details how Patagonia has been shaped as a company to minimize its footprint and damage to the world. He admits there is damage, but effort must be made to have as little impact as possible.

This is one of the first Berry books I have read and it is a collection of essays and talks he has given. The theme of localism comes through loud and clear, but the idea is localism builds whereas the opposite, globalism, has no one being responsible for what happens. Soil and water and people are materials to be used, not built. The end result is we all die somewhere in the future.

As Chouinard says, "The problem is like [environmentalist] David Brower said, there’s no business to be done on a dead planet."

The Emerald Mile by Kevin Fedarko

Kevin Fedarko is a writer that is also a Grand Canyon river guide. This is a story about the fastest trip down the Colorado River, and it is about much more. There is a history lesson of the discovery of the Grand Canyon by modern man starting with Cardenas and the conquistadors and continuing to the river guides and the engineers of the Bureau of Reclamation. It has a geology story as any tale of the Grand Canyon must be.

But it is at its best a story of humans and nature. Both the authorities and the eccentrics are portrayed in an honest light and all are influenced by the river and the Canyon. This book made me want to look for other Fedarko books.

Wisdom of the Last Farmer by David Mas Masumoto

The subtitle seems to sum up the idea behind this book, "Harvesting Legacies from the Land." This book became a thought provoking meditation for me. It touched on some of Masumoto's themes from other books, but this time he dwelled in the realm of fathers and son and the lessons they teach other. I kept thinking of my father and grandfather working on a ranch and the calm way they taught me when I was trying to solve a task. During my high school summers the simple enjoyment I gained from having breakfast with my father before he went to his office and I to the ranch I was working at that year. I learned he had been where I was and he knew what was before me. And he let me learn in my own time.

The poignant moments we as sons have when our parents struggle with health issues seems always to be hovering around in this book. But it is as a benevolent specter walking beside us, not a haunting ghost. Masumoto weaves in and out of the past and the present telling of the good and the bad and the unfair.

This is a journey we all will take.

Crazy Love by Francis Chan

I finished three books about the same time and haven't written my thoughts on them yet. thought I would start with this one.

Crazy Love is a book about finding God's path in your life. Isn't that what many books are about? This one gives examples and tells stories in that vein. I can't remember much at this point, not good, but I have an overall feeling that the path that mainstream Christianity is promoting is not one that Jesus would likely be traveling. "We should also look to the roads less traveled in our journeys" is the message I'm taking away.

Irons in the Fire by John McPhee

Another McPhee book and another snippit of wisdom about the world. The is a collection of short and not so short stories loosely connected. Sometimes very loosely. But interesting none the same. Geology ties some of these tales such as in the use of gravel and geological zones to help solve the Coors murder in Colorado and to discover Plymouth Rock came from what is now part of Africa. Along the way we learn that the rock that many consider the beginnings of european settlement of North America is actually in multiple pieces and probably wasn't used by the Pilgrims for landing.

Two auto related stories tell of an exotic car auction and what happens to the mountains of tires that get discarded each year.  We learn of the voice recognition software with a blind English professor and a truly virgin tract of forest.

The title story is about cattle rustling and a brand inspector in Nevada. And McPhee is at his descriptive best in all of the stories.

The Botany of Desire--A Review of Sorts

This Michael Pollan book is like many of his books. He brings a quirky history to a subject and makes me think. The premise of the book is human desire. Desire for sweetness, beauty, intoxication and control. Pollan couples these four desire with plants that are historically connected to these desires. Pollan gives us the history of these desires as well as the current thoughts.

Apples, tulips, marijuana and potatoes. I learned something new about each and changed my view on a couple of the desires. I was also reminded that just beyond desire is greed, and not all we are told is truth.

Book Review: New Slow City by William Powers

Just finished this book and I am conflicted about what I think. I guess I had high expectations and that may be the root of the problem. The concept behind the book is to transform life in a city into living like you would not in a city. Live the "slow" rural life within a large city and not be captured and forced to frantically chase the urban dream.  First the bad.

I began reading and was rewarded with ideas of how to take time in our lives to enjoy things instead of trying to do more. The idea of opting out of some of the hectic inconveniences and keeping the good events is something we all could profit from. But isn't that called making a choice? The decisions the couple make such as the wife working full-time, read 50-60 hours a week, and the husband working only two days a week allow him to backpack and loll around the city. This reminds me of small organic farmers working to create a farming lifestyle, only to find that one or both of the farmers have off farm jobs to survive. It like an M.C. Escher drawing, something just doesn't seem right. As the book progressed these thoughts and feelings became more prevalent to me. It eventually made me look forward to the end of the book.

Then I realized the author was living his life his way. Nothing wrong with that. I don't want to live in New York, but that shouldn't stop him. And Powers did have some good ideas about living and utilizing a large city. Choose what you can and want to attend or do. He did reopen my eyes to looking for the forgotten in all settings. Large city or small town, there are things we take for granted or forget. Powers remind me to open my eyes. That good was worth the read.

Happy Thanksgiving & a McPhee Book Review

It may be a cliche, but I have much to be thankful for with family and friends heading that list. Thankful for a house, food and a job when I need one.

I am also thankful I discovered John McPhee. Brother-in-law K got me started years ago and I've just kept reading his stories and books. This on, Pieces of the Frame, is a collection of articles is a typical McPhee mix of topics all written about in a way that makes you interested in what will happen next.

The topics start in Georgia with two people in the wildlife service picking up roadkill and using the roadkill for food and science. We go to Atlantic City in search of Marvin Gardens, the real street named such. along the way we learn of the game Monopoly. We meet a real live member of the McBeth family and learn how Birnam Wood did move. Professional tennis, firewood the Head park Ranger and quarter horse racing are also written about.

You may or may not be interested in these subjects, but the wonderful thing McPhee does is draw you into the people of each story and there is where you get hooked. These people are just like you and me, but McPhee makes them special.

Super Freakonomics Book Comment

I offer these book reviews more as comments. I hear about a book and look into it, then decide to read it. These ideas come from family, friends, the radio, other books, and many other ways. I try to be eclectic in what I read, but tend to read non-fiction that teaches or challenges my thinking.

Super Freakonomics did a little of both. I learned that microeconomics is what one of the authors studies and this is more to do with what people do and the incentives that get them to do those things. The book also made me think about some of my beliefs about why things are the way they are. Child safety seats is an example. According to the authors and their studies of studies, child seats offer no more protection than adult seat belts. Starting with how the seat is often mis-attached to the car seat the authors show how claims of increased safety are overstated. This is one example of looking at the world we glide through with a different perspective. Much like The Invisible Gorilla.

Super Freakonomics was suggested by one of our sons that read it in a college class.

The Invisible Gorilla is a book based upon an experiment you can take. Search for "invisible gorilla videos."

Books and a Reason to Read

Years ago I found the Chism Heritage Farms blog while looking for farming info. I have followed since and get into lively discussions with Chris. I have learned much and I hope he has learned at least something.

He recently started a log and report about what he read in the previous week, here is the latest example. We, and others, talk books and thoughts and to me is a wonderful example of what the internet can be. With that in mind here is what I am reading now.

Daily I try to read Listening to Your Life by Frederick Buechner. It's a collection of his writings that have been broken up into daily segments. Two friends have been recommending Buechner for years and gave me this book to get me started. Great thoughts to help this average mind.

Before I went into the hospital for my recent surgery, I put out a call to family and friends for their suggestions of must read books. One of our sons suggested Dune by Frank Herbert. I've read science fiction in the past, but not this one. He raved about it so I am starting it in homage to his wisdom. So far it's been good.

The King of California Book Review

I had been wanting to read this book for years and only got my hands on it when a friend started purging his bookshelves. It is the story of the Boswell family, the Boswell Company and specifically J.G. Boswell the man that grew the company into the world's largest cotton grower. As I read and now after finishing, I have an uneasy quesiness about the events of the book. It is a history of a man, a family and a region over time. In some ways it reminds me of the unquiet settling of the West, maybe because the book is about one of the last vestiges of the unsettled parts of our country. Here is man trying to conquer his world. Usually there is much mess when one tries to overcome something, like the wrappers on the ground after a rock concert.

I have to also admit to being part of this story in a small way. My father worked in the water business talked about in the book. He interviewed for a job at Boswell, but decided not to take the job. One reason he gave was that he didn't want to raise his family on Corcoran. But because of him I have a working knowledge of the water systems of this region. I have discussed the politics mentioned and the dams involved. I have measured the excess water from the district I worked for that flowed onto Boswell and Salyer land. I have met some of the names mentioned in the book. I still have an uneasiness about the book, the story and what happened.

My first job out of college was as a part of a land leveling crew working to flatten the alkali soils next to Allensworth, just south of Corcoran, so they could be sold to Japanese investors. The soil was miserable and fit only for rattlesnakes and horned toads, which we had to make sure not to step on as we walked across the land. For someone that grew up on the east side of the Central Valley and its orchards and good soil, this land didn't seem worth the effort to tame. So as I read of the production that the Boswell Company got from this area I had to be impressed. But then the uneasiness lingered as I read about the costs involved.

The book reminded me of a similar boo I read years ago about the wine industry of Napa. The book tells the story of how men and women became successful by the world's standards. In both books, the things done to achieve those were chronicled also. We judge them by our own rules and say yea or nay to what happened. Hopefully we dislodge the log from out eye before complaining about the log in theirs.

Preliminary Book Report--The King of California

This is one of those books that hits close to home on a few counts. The town of Corcoran where much of the actions takes place is near here. I worked with a member of a cotton growing family mentioned in the book and this person grew up in Corcoran.My father worked 30+  years in the water business and had dealing with the Boswell farming operations. He had a chance to go to work for the Boswells, but chose to stay where he was. I worked at an irrigation district that dealt with Boswell Farming. I've been to Corcoran for various reasons and wanted to see if the authors take away some of what I have.

If you want to learn some history of the Central Valley and the Tulare Lake basin, this book gives you that. In that way it is a glimpse for me into my families past and helps give a better understanding of the Depression. It is also the not so pleasant history of what an established group with do to other races and groups. So far the book explains the beginnings of the irrigation systems of the Central Valley.

Historically I'm only in the 1940's and the first of the dam building era. I look forward to reading on to the time of my life and my memories.

Think Like a Freak -- Book Review

What a title. If you have heard of the Freakonomics books, then you know the authors behind this book. The authors are economists and look at the world from that viewpoint. What you end up with is a different way of approaching a problem or issue. Along the way you learn that saying, "I don't know," is very hard for many people. Some people would rather be wrong than say that. So wouldn't it be nice to figure out who those people are before listening to advice?

The biggest lesson I learned from Think Like a Freak is incentive, both using incentive to get new results and understanding the incentive behind other's actions. If you can label the incentive behind people actions or thoughts, then you can modify or adjust the action. It's not always that easy though.

How Kobayashi became the hot dog eating champion by eating differently. Parents are a big reason students succeed or fail in school. How to kick a penalty kick in soccer. We tend to seek information that confirms our current beliefs. These and other actions are explained in unconventional ways. The book has many stories, one being stories are an effective way to teach people, that illustrate how some people truly think outside the box.

P.S. This is the second book I have read on the Kindle. I can see the benefit of storing many books on a single device. I'm more used to the format. And I still dislike the difficulty in skipping pages backwards to reread a passage. I have virtually given up the practice and wish there was a way around the problem. I will still use the Kindle for now though.

David and Goliath Book Review

Early in my coaching career I from time to time tell the story of David and Goliath as a motivator for athletic teams. Usually it was before our small school was to play a larger school. I even used the story in reverse to motivate a team that had too much confidence.  I stole the idea from a a friend and coach. This story of small vs. big has been in my thoughts. So when I heard of Malcolm Gladwell's new book, I was intrigued.

I wasn't disappointed. This is another example of thinking about the world differently than it might first appear. In typical Gladwellian fashion the author tells stories that show how the strong and powerful don't always win. If one thinks the power will always work we get a sense of ease over something we shouldn't.

After the story of David and Goliath we hear about a doctor on the front lines of the battle against childhood leukemia in the 50's, the 3 Strikes law in California, the 30 year battle in Northern Ireland and the story of a family dealing with the kidnapping and murder of their daughter. Each story is connected to the previous stories and Gladwell's ideas are woven through the book.

I personally on a bent to look at the world differently as I think we have more struggles ahead of us. Those that think will have a step up in these times. David and Goliath will help with this thinking.

To Read, or Not To Read

I consider myself a reader, though I don't read a much as some friends and family. I tend to read non-fiction and also try to persuade myself that these books make me think more. Sometimes yes and sometimes not. I just started the last book of Malcolm Gladwell, David and Goliath. I like Gladwell's writing and so far I have not been disappointed.

What I like about his writing is that he looks at the world differently and finds others with a similar bent to write about. This led to a discussion yesterday about a variety of topics, but the basis of the discussion was the thoughts from Gladwell and the writers of the Freakonomics books. I haven't read any of the Freak books, but intend to soon. The ideas for all of these books seem to come from people looking at numbers differently than is the norm. One Gladwell story is about how we choose a college determines some of our success, which is a common thought and choosing a prestigious university doesn't translate to success. They even tied our country's success in math and science majors to the colleges people attend.

Which makes you wonder about the "real" contribution of these major universities. The recent verbal blunders of the MIT economist Jonathan Gruber may seem rude, but they are consistent with his beliefs about other people. Gruber said that Obamacare was passed because of the "stupidity" of the American public. He also claimed the lack of transparency helped pass the law. Gruber was a well-paid advisor to the White House regarding the Affordable Care Act. Isolated incident?

In the middle 1990's Gruber headed a study that concluded that Roe vs. Wade was the reason the country was experiencing a lower crime rate. His reasoning was that fewer poor babies were being born since the 1973 Supreme Court decision. Less babies born in the 70's, fewer young poor adults in the 90's, less crime in the 90's. Seems a bit logical if you have a dim view of poor, single parent young people. And you forget that the crack epidemic had been squashed and New York had implemented the Broken Window policy.

My real thoughts are that one needs to look beyond the norm and think. Gladwell's books make me do that.

A Place of My Own Review and Using a Kindle

I just finished A Place Of My Own by Michael Pollan. You might recall that Pollan is primarily known as a food writer, The Omnivores Dilemma, In Defense of Food and other books. There is much to read by Pollan about food and worth the effort. This book is different as it's a 2 1/2 year journey building a writer's hut for himself.

Many of us, I know I do, have an almost innate desire to build. From childhood to present I have constructed and deconstructed various buildings, rooms and spaces. Pollan describes the entire process of talking to an architect friend who designs the 8' by 16' building. We get to be a fly on the wall as they discuss Craftsman vs. Modernism vs. Post-Modernism and their effects in building design. It was a bit slow at times, but informative as to why buildings today look like they do.

There is a ongoing description of the classic architect vs. builder divide over a building. The architect that is designing art is certainly to come into conflict with a builder that tries to construct a building that will stand and not leak in a rain storm. It was interesting to revisit this schism and Pollan even offers a historical basis for the split.

The main of the book though is the description of Pollan, a carpenter novice, building the hut with a hired hand who is opinionated as well as skilled. They discuss every detail as they build. I also found the sections interesting when Pollan goes to a local craftsman to have the windows built. The craftsman explains why the architect's design is flawed, ow it is flawed, why the windows will fail soon because of no water seal, and how to solve the issue.

Ultimately it is a good book about the desire for shelter and rest and the construction of that desire.

This is the first book I've read on a Kindle. I was generously given one for my post op recovery as I would be reading. Overall I liked the system. I enjoyed being able to change the font size of what was being read. With the larger fonts I was forced to scroll to a new page more often but that was worth the larger size and less eye strain. I disliked the effort it took to go back and reread a section, or refer to a diagram. With a book you can hold a place with your finger. Not so with the Kindle as you have to scroll back to the page desired and this could be more than a few screens.

I also have to further investigate a issue I had with my eyes watering. It only happened at night and after a day of reading. The backlighting of the Kindle didn't contribute to this, but I can't prove this idea. When the eye watering would start I would make the font larger and if it continued I would have to stop. Reading a laptop screen or a regular book usually stopped the watering. Again I have only this anecdotal evidence. I am looking forward to another book to see what happens.

Maureen also used the Kindle and she would jump from book to book and that shows the Kindle's ability to hold a library of books, truly a good thing for a reader.

Time On My Hands

I've been thinking of this scene lately.

I just had a "procedure" and have been forced to lay about for going on three days now.  I have been spending hours each day on the internet trying to learn new things, but mostly rehashing the same subjects and sites. I currently have two books started but not finished. I have a stack of unread books on shelves that I want to read sometime in my life. I now will have the time.

This five day respite I am now in the midst of will be lengthened to six months in the near future. In Billy Crystal's life list, I have skipped from the 50's procedure to the 60's surgery in short order. I will be up and about some in the six months, but mostly will be sedentary. This has led me to go through the unread book list and put them in order to read. But I know there are many wiser than I that have read some good books. I want your suggestions. I'm thinking of those Top Ten on your list of books read. Books you suggest to others.

Now I will suggest a few guidelines. I'm thinking of two or three books in different categories. I have been reading mostly nonfiction for the last few years. I would like to branch out a bit. Below I will suggest some categories and list some books I have read and enjoyed. I will also list some authors that I have read and liked. Thank you for your help and let the eduction begin.

Classic "School" books--Shakespeare, To Kill a Mockingbird, Lord of the Flies, 1984. I haven't read all the Classics a person should read, so what should I not miss?

Suspense/Westerns--I like Bourne and True Grit.

Sci-Fi/Fantasy--I used to read Bradbury, but haven't for years.

History/Politics/Geography--Lincoln Unbound, Undaunted Courage, Citizen Soldier, Napa, Sontag & Evans, Rediscovering America (John Muir). I tend to stay in this area, but would like other subjects.

Sports--Baseball certainly, but I also like sports biographies as they usually have to overcome some adversity.

Farming/Urban Gardening--I like narratives about how other people are doing these things and making it work for them.

Spiritual/Religious/Make You Think--Books in The Bible, Walden, Autobiography of Gandhi. It's good to drink deep sometimes even if you have a tough time swallowing.

Travel--Undaunted Courage, Travels with Charlie, Blue Highways, No My Mercedes is Not for Sale. There are many and I am forgetting some I've read and enjoyed.

Authors I Read--John McPhee and Malcolm Gladwell.

I have given these as suggestions for suggestions only. I am forgetting much and many, and certainly consider myself the most unread English major I know.

One Last Strike, A Book Review

 

Up front I'll say I am a Tony L Russa fan. As a baseball coach I fell in like with him after reading George Will's book, Men at Work. Many times I like to think too much over small details, and baseball gives so many small details to think about. La Russa seems to be the same type of coach. I am nowhere in the same league as La Russa, but I try to learn something every time I read abut him.

One More Strike by La Russa with Rick Hummel is about La Russa's last season managing the St. Louis Cardinals. He had decided to retire mid season, but kept it a secret. Part of the book is about the process he went through to make that decision. It is rare that coaches are given that opportunity and I was curious how that decision evolved.

The unique addition to this is that the Cardinals were down 10 games late in the season and eventually won the World Series. To have an inside version of the story was fascinating, and something I enjoyed reading as a coach. Each season is different for a team and the Cardinals and La Russa proved this in 2011.

The defining of the imperatives La Russa demands of his players and the methods to personalize them with each player was impressive. It was a show of why good coaches are good and being just a bit off is all it takes to finish below first.

Baseball fans will enjoy this book and coaehes will learn from it.

A Book Review: A Paradise Built in Hell by Rebecca Solnit

I've been thinking about the future and specifically about what the world might be like if some of the current scenarios go down as they have been projected. One that keeps popping up is the Zombie Apocalypse. The idea that society has only a thin veneer of good covering over our evil. As a Christian I believe that we have an evil heart, but Jesus has given us a direction around that. I used to teach Lord of the Flies and subscribed to the idea of a society over time becoming less helpful to individuals as others in the society gain power. I've never really thought this would happen, but many do. I was reading one day and this book was recommended. It's being used in a college class and sounded interesting even with the title. The subtitle really caught my eye, The Extraordinary Communities That Arise in Disaster.

The book tells the stories of five disasters/catastrophes within recent history: the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, the 1917 Halifax munitions explosion, the 1985 Mexico City earthquake, 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina. Along the way other disasters are mentioned and discussed.

The first part of the book celebrates the good things that ordinary people do in a disaster, but the last part of the book focuses on the problems created by government, mostly the Bush Administration. The book was published just after President Bush left office, so many of the current government issues addressed were under his watch. Overall, leaders from many different parties and beliefs did bad in the name of "helping" their citizens.

Solnit does a good job of explaining her premise that individuals on their own will help each other in a disaster. She defines our preconceived disaster paradigms, and gives sources for how we come to those ideas. She also uses past scholarship to show us how people have acted under the stress of these crises.

The book is worth the read, and I would have difficulty giving a  thoroughly good summary. I came away having a belief in the good of people and was reinforced in my suspicion in government. Solnit gives examples of people doing good and I needed that at this time.