The Splendid And The Vile by Eric Larson

 Any book which helps us understand history better is always welcome. Also this period of history needed to be explained. If anyone really asked how did the elevation of Churchill to the office of Prime Minister of England at the age of sixty-five contribute to the  outcome of the war, this is the book  to read.

Churchill rose to power at a time of history that was suited for him. He was not a man to give up or aback down. He seemed to hold a philosophy of if a person attacks you you attack back. Hitler seems to feel if he could destroy Britain, Churchill and the British people would give in. With the previous PM, Chamberlain, that would have been possible, but they picked on the wrong PM. This book covers the first year of  Churchill's term as the Prime Minister .It also involves the people around Churchill such as his wife, his son, his daughter, his counselors. And the enemy, Hitler, Goebbels, Rudolf Hess and others. Churchill's objective was  to get America to join him in the fight but it seems Roosevelt was afraid of the congress that kept him neutral. It wasn't until Pearl Harbor that he got the message. This book is well research and I recommend it to history buffs , not that  the general public wouldn't also enjoy it. It is an easy read and delightful. 

It is published by Crown and runs for about $32.00 in hardcover. You can find it in softcover. Your local bookstore should have it or you can find it in the library.

I, Saul by Jerry B. Jenkins

   

Sure, this one is a book that has been out for a while. The copyright is  2013. Yet I still think it is a book that bears reading. Especially if you like stories of Biblical characters.

    Done in two voices which alternate, moving from today, well, the present, you can read the twenty first century or twentieth-- it really doesn't slow down the story-- and in the second voice of the prisoner Paul in the city of Rome awaiting execution back in the days of Nero.

    In the present day we have a seminary  professor  in the state of Texas, in a seminary just down the way from Dallas Seminary, trying to establish himself, getting a call from a fellow travel guide in Israel asking for  help. Seems he has discovered a memoir by the Apostle Paul written concerning his early education as a Pharisee and his life as a strict protector of the law. 

   The other viewpoint is the first century. Paul in the pit at Rome. awaiting execution. Doctor Luke is helping him write his memoirs. They must hide it from the Roman guards or it will be destroyed.

   Back to the present. It is discovered and  some people don't want it published.

  This is Jenkin's attempt at a thriller. It is a good read but not much of a thriller. It did bold my interest and I was not bored. The idea of a memoir of Paul is somewhat possible but as to Paul having done so, well, I don't really think he was that much of a person who worried about rehashing what was already recorded. 

    As I read the Scripture, he doesn't come across as that type of personality. He would have just been   restating what had already been said. In Acts, he doesn't seem to be that way.

    This book may still be on the shelve some where, But if you can't find it there in your local bookstore you can always try biblio.com. 

    This book is published by Worthy Publishing and my copy was about $16.99. You may find it for less online.

Where I Was From

                                                           

      Here we have a collection of essays by Joan Didion concerning  early California history. As a writer  She wrote lots of books.  Her writing can be looked at as in the style of new journalism.

    A good place to start with her writing is with  Slouching Toward Bethlehem  or The White Album. Maybe even at her 1070 book Play it As It Lays.

    This book of her essays is not a good place to start. It is a bit disjointed with lack of transitions.

     Maybe that is the form of this movement of new journalism, but it still makes for a style that is, in my opinon, not easily readable. She uses inclusive pictures of social unrest and psychological fragmentation. This seems to be her style. It may not be for everyone.

    I was handed this book as the 2022 Santa Monica Reads choice for discussion. It should be a good discussion generator