2023 Year Book End Review - only 41 days late
Is it too late to post a year-end book review? Definitely not. In fact, I’m 41 days wiser than last year, and this year’s review will be 41x better because of the added wisdom that comes with age.
Favorite Book: The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson
Larson writes a biography about one of the most unique world leaders from our modern era: Winston Churchill. Churchill led a fascinating life, from his heavy drinking and smoking to his daily bath routine and famous all-night dinners at Chequers. He was odd and peculiar. He hated people who whistled, he was emotionally intense, and he was very persuasive. Most notably he was able to convince one of his friends, Lord Beaverbrook, Minister of Aircraft Production, not to resign on 14 different occasions.
Despite his oddities, Churchill was elected, or should I say destined, to lead his country against the Axis powers. He was the right man for the job. From the book, the reader gathers that Churchill was made for this role. The stars aligned and a prophecy unfolded, and in walked Churchill.
This is a must-read that shaped how I viewed both Churchill and the war. I’ve read quotes or heard people say that they view Churchill as the MVP of WWII, and after reading this book, I have to agree.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Favorite Author: Erik Larson
I read three Erik Larson books this year, all of which were great, including The Splendid and the Vile, detailed above. Larson has a gift for writing historical stories from the perspective of an unbiased storyteller. His creative use of vocabulary and prose draws readers into the time period, opening imaginations and casting readers into a dramatic journey, discovering the unfamiliar and unknown.
Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America
The Chicago World’s Fair, which took place in 1893 and dubbed the “White City” due to its all white, ivory hued buildings, coincides with the story of H.H. Holmes, one of the first known serial killers. Larson captures the readers’ imaginations as he describes the scale and size of the fair. Chicago’s Jackson Park 630 acres were transformed into a collection of 200 buildings that became one of the greatest architectural displays in history; buildings loomed with large domes, Roman pillars, and monumental fountains, and the park’s actual earth mass was reshaped to bring focus to the scenic lakefront, littered with lily pads and picturesque sail boats. While the historic world fair was under way, H.H. Holmes crafted plans to murder and con his way to success.
Holmes benefited from the onslaught of visitors brought in by the fair. He renovated a hotel down the street. Now finding victims was as easy as letting them check in. His loquacious personality made it easy to disarm and charm victims. Holmes, a reckless liar and cheat, eventually overextended his criminal reach and brought suspicion upon himself. Larson tells the gripping, antiquated true crime story of a depraved murderer.
Aside from the crimes and life of Holmes, you learn about the lives of the people responsible for the fair: Frederick Law Olmsted, the designer of the fair’s landscape, who also designed Central Park, and two of the greatest architects of the time, Daniel Burnham and John Root, who built the first modern-day skyscraper of 21 floors. Through much death, hardship, and struggle the fair took shape and form. With untowardly timelines and a lack of support, critics claimed the fair was an impossible task, but much to their own chagrin, the fair was a sensation.
*Disclaimer: Larson takes some liberties in the gaps of knowledge surrounding Holmes. Many reviewers pointed this out, saying it diluted the validity of this book. I do not hold this opinion, but thought it was worth noting.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
In the Garden of Beasts
What did life look like in Germany as Hitler rose to power? Larson answers this question by telling the story of the US’s German Ambassador, William Dodd.
Dodd, an unlikely candidate for ambassadorship, was selected for the job as a last resort. No one wanted the position. The rumors of Nazi Germany were spreading. Hitler was rising to power, instigating violence and promoting the jailing and deaths of his opposition. The Berlin ambassadorship was not an easy sell as the candidate would have to uproot and plant his family in a politically, tumultuous country where the rising party opposed basic human liberties. It was only after FDR exhausted all other candidates, that Dodd was chosen.
Dodd, besides being the last choice, did not fit the regular mold. As a former professor of history at the University of Chicago, he was thrust into the ambassador brotherhood where individuals were expected to be independently wealthy and host lavish parties on their personal dime. Dodd, in contrast to his peers, was not extremely wealthy. He broke all the norms. He was more focused on writing his great history book about the US Civil War and the South. He abstained from the social norms and did not want to take part in the fraternization. His goals were at odds with the US’s goals and ultimately led to an early retirement. The book also highlights the life of William’s daughter, Martha, who gets romantically involved with Nazi soldiers and a KGB spy. Her romantic choices ignited controversy that shadowed much of Dodd’s tenure and created an intriguing storyline within themselves.
The author, a masterful storyteller, refrains from passing moral judgment upon the Dodd’s and weaves together an untold tale of political cabals, intrigue, and danger.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Required reading for all Okies: Boomtown by Sam Anderson
In an enchanting narrative, Anderson, a sports journalist, walks the reader through the origins of Oklahoma City, intermingling anecdotes of OKC’s own basketball team, the Thunder. Anderson vividly paints the beginnings of an infant city, showcasing how the unorthodox nature of the Land Run and the events following the creation of a city in one, mesmerizing night give rise to the OKC known today.
From the get-go, the city’s formation broke all norms. The idea of a land run in itself was a terrible idea. People were allowed to race forth at high noon and lay claim to plots of lands. One person charged forward in a hot air balloon, others exploited the government’s lacking ability to monitor the event and snuck through the night before, and some were killed and trampled in the chaos. The birth of OKC, both strange and violent, resonates as a city where breaking the norms is built into the DNA of its bones. The odd beginnings set the tone for Oklahoma City’s story.
I will never proclaim to be a sports fan, but this book fires you up about the Thunder. Anderson, a sports journalist, writes about the rise of the Thunder and their success and points it back to one thing—OKC doesn’t make sense for an NBA team, but OKC was meant to have one.
My favorite part about this book is knowing the locations that Anderson references. The book’s opening scene describes a murder that took place right by the current location of Devon Tower. There are many other iconic locations referenced from the ugly-looking Braum’s milk carton on Classen to the abandoned golden dome on 23rd Street to Enterprise Square at Oklahoma Christian University. While Anderson is obviously writing about the city I live in, rarely do you get to read something that resonates so closely to home.
As someone who has never taken Oklahoma history, I found this book to be a great summary that filled me in on the weird, yet endearing aspects of Oklahoma’s capital. I beam with pride knowing the city I live in is so richly depicted in this delightful read, where I can see and feel the impact of its history.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️️️⭐️
Power Rankings
Here are my top 5 books from the year.
- The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson
- Boomtown by Sam Anderson
- Somewhere There Is Still a Sun: A Memoir of the Holocaust by Michael Gruenbaum
- Homegrown: Timothy McVeigh and the Rise of Right Wing Extremism by Jeffrey Toobin
- The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson
You may notice that two of the books were not mentioned in the reviews above, Somewhere There is Still a Sun by Michael Gruenbaum and Homegrown: Timothy McVeigh and the Rise of Right Wing Extremism by Jeffrey Toobin.
Somewhere There Is Still a Sun was one of my favorite books of the year, mainly because it piqued my interest in WWII, which also led me to reading Larson and a few other books surrounding WWII. Even though Michael Gruenbaum’s last name fills me with a slight bias, I can objectively say, I loved this book. Michael gives a detailed account of his time spent in a concentration camp and the reader learns about the horrors of the war from a child’s perspective. I hope to be releasing a full book review soon.
Homegrown gives the life account of Timothy McVeigh from birth to his execution in 2001. This book is a detailed biography and documentation of the events leading up to the Oklahoma City bombing and events after. While the title might turn off many readers who want to avoid a politically charged book, the book focuses largely on the facts of the story and events of McVeigh’s life. This book promises to inform your perception of Oklahoma City’s relationship with the bombing.
Postscript
2023 marked the end of an era in my personal life. On December 17th, I took a nap on my uncomfortable couch. In my dozed state, I was completely unaware that my life was going to change drastically in the next few moments.
Let me give you some background first. There are very few physical possessions that I value. If there was a fire in my apartment, I would save my journals. If I had time, I would save my guitars. But the first thing I would save, above the journals and guitars, is my Kindle. I have owned my Kindle for ten years. My Dad gifted it to me as I started college. Almost every influential book I have read in my life was read on this Kindle.
I once lost my Kindle for a month. It fell behind my bed, but I tore my house apart trying to find it. There is no doubt I would have kept tearing it apart and calling places if I was unable to find it. So I woke up from my nap on the somewhat warm, weathered Sunday. I stepped off the couch and accidentally stepped on my Kindle. I thought nothing of it. It has a strong, sturdy case. I did not read for the next three days, so it was on December 20th that I cried and mourned for the loss of a decade. I opened my Kindle while waiting for a friend at lunch and found that the screen was cracked and unusable.
Needless to say, this ended an era. I metaphorically set ablaze my version 2 Kindle in a funeral pyre, wishing it the best as it traveled towards Valhalla. I hesitate to say that I upgraded, but I am now on the version 11 Paperwhite. Nothing can replace the nostalgia that embodied my version 2 Kindle. I know this is dramatic. I wish it was a joke.
So all books for 2024 will be read on the Kindle Paperwhite, which means I am starting a new, personal chapter. Next year’s book review may be slightly out of sync with my usual writing and tastes. If I start reading romantic fantasy fiction, such as the Fourth Wing or A Court of Thorns and Rose series, you now know why. It’s most likely due to the fact that a piece of my inner being was shattered in a moment of carelessness and has been replaced with a newer, less appetizing substitute. In anticipation of the condolences extended, thank you for accompanying me on this odyssey of loss and renewal.