Maybe this week’s list is inspired by the internet-less time I spent isolated by the flood, but we’ve got books, podcasts, and Netflix recommendations (okay, Netflix is on the internet, but I guess I make a distinction for some reason).
The Taking of K-129: How the CIA Used Howard Hughes to Steal a Russian Sub in the Most Daring Covert Operation in History
by Josh Dean.
This book came out a couple years ago and tells a story already covered by a few other very good texts, but Dean’s book is more comprehensive and engaging. He goes into elaborate details about the development of the U2 and what would become the SR-71 spy planes and at first you’re asking what high-flying aircraft have to do with recovering a Soviet submarine, but he shows clearly how the apparatus behind their conception and development leads directly into this project. It’s quite a page-turner and the technology involved for the time is unbelievable.
Okay, this is three books, but I’m lumping them together because they really are of a piece:
Bunker Hill: A City, A Siege, A Revolution
Valiant Ambition: George Washington, Benedict Arnold, and the Fate of the American Revolution
In the Hurricane’s Eye: The Genius of George Washington and the Victory at Yorktown
all by Nathaniel Philbrick
Shortly after the musical Hamilton came out I OD’d on Revolutionary history. First there was the Ron Chernow book that inspired Lin-Manuel Miranda, which led to the excellent David McCullough1776, and my interest petered out partway through the rather exhaustive (752 pages or 26 audiobook hours) The Glorious Cause: The American Revolution: 1763-1789 by Robert Middlekauff. Frankly, I didn’t think I ever needed to tread into that war again. Then I was at Bookshop Santa Cruz (love, love, love, love, love) and saw Philbrick’s In the Hurricane’s Eye in the new release section. I loved Philbrick’s In The Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex about the actual even that inspired Moby Dick – his narrative voice animated this opaque period of seafaring and really stuck with me. After the success of that book he went in directions I just wasn’t interested in (I’m sure the story of the Mayflower is fascinating and all, but, yeah, I’m still not ready to go there) and I hadn’t followed him since. However, reading the jacket of Hurricane at Bookshop Santa Cruz (Yes, I’m going to keep plugging that place) I saw it was the third in a Revolutionary War trilogy, the titles alone intriguing enough to investigate. I’m so glad I did. If you’ve read about the Revolutionary War then you’re familiar with the places and a lot of the names, but it’s the framing of the stories that is new here, as are many of the details from primary documents. Bunker Hill filled in a lot of the blanks I had in the lead-up to actual fighting. Valiant Ambition compared and contrasted two iconic historic figures that on first glance we might assume to be complete opposites of each other, but when you look at them more closely are made of very much the same mettle – to a point. And Hurricane finishes the war by suggesting weather – in the Carribean as well as the prevailing winds in the seas of the colonies – played possibly a greater role in ending the war than the battle of Yorktown. Phew, did I really go on that long about these books? Guess I did!
The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure
by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt
Alright, sit down and buckle up because this ish is controversial. Lukianoff and Haidt deliver a blistering critique on the contemporary culture of everything from “trigger warnings” to “microaggressions,” and more. What I like about this book most is it logically and unflinchingly addresses what many on the political right decry as rampany “Political Correctness”. It’s not done in a partisan way, but rather looking at the underlying philosophies and methodologies that have gotten us to this point in American cultural discourse. The book is a wonderful expansion of an article the two wrote for The Atlantic and it’s still online. If you’re intrigued you may want to first read the article to see if you’re on board for the book.
One last thing: all five of those books above I checked out from the library – either Kindle or audiobook versions. The links above all go to Amazon, but there still is a thing called a public library and they’ve taken great strides in keeping up with our digital consumption. Just sayin’.
The Umbrella Academy
Netflix
Both Umbrella Academy and the below Russian Doll have a lot of buzz around them, so it’s not like I’m uncovering buried treasure here. That said, Umbrella Academy follows a family of superheroes who have gone their separate ways since their childhood crime-fighting time. They get back together after their father dies and must work to figure out how to stop the impending end of the world. Great characters, great action, great music. Here’s the trailer.
Russian Doll
Netflix
This one is a little more abrasive. I’m not giving away anything to say it’s a Groundhog Day-type time-loop, but that’s all I’ll say about the plot because it’s best if you go into it knowing as little as possible. I will say, though, give it a chance – hold on through at least episode 3. Fern and I started watching it and weren’t through the first episode before I was thinking “I’m not sure I give a crap about this character…” Hang in there. There’s eight half-hour episodes, and the build and payoff is well worth it. Extremely enjoyable. But I’m not even going to post the trailer here. Seriously, just watch.
