This book caught my eye a number of times in various bookstores before I ever purchased it.  At first I thought it would be a book following the veins of film noir, and the one time I briefly turned it over, I hastily scanned the back until I got to the word Chicago.  Unless the book was a racist diatribe on Michael Jordan’s ascendancy as the greatest basketball player ever within the fabled Windy City (which I highly doubted), I did not think Chicago or this book had anything to offer.  But I eventually succumbed to the lure of the eerie cover.  The cover was too intriguing, so I picked it up and quickly became engrossed in one of the most interesting true stories I’ve ever read.

Unbeknown to me, Chicago hosted the World’s Fair in 1893.  To Chicago, this was a victory over other great cities in the United States, including New York, St. Louis and San Francisco.  It was a bitter fight to the finish and when it finally came down to the final vote, men and women crowded the streets awaiting the outcome. Competition between the cities became so intense that a prominent New Yorker pledged himself to be vivisected by Jack the Ripper were Chicago to win.  Residents of Chicago promptly telegrammed him the good news.

Chicago was a city in turmoil.  Far from being united, the city was a mess of civil servants jockeying for power, unions wielding a heavy hammer, and an inordinate amount of criminals patrolling the streets looking for victims.  Once the announcement had sunk in, committees needed to be formed, architects reined in,  and a plan had to be hatched.  Paris had held the last great World’s Fair and unveiled their crowning achievement, the Eiffel Tower.  Chicago wanted to not only rival the Parisian fair but outdo it.  The task was enormous.

Amidst the frantic preparations, backstabbing, bribes, problems, confusions, and general political debauchery that accompanied this undertaking, a more sinister note was being struck.  A serial killer was running loose in the streets of Chicago and preying on the young, single women who were coming in droves to find work in the rapidly expanding urban area.

Larson intertwines two stories that are equally as engrossing as they are different.  In one he explores the architects and engineers of the World’s Fair as they work to do the impossible.  Their vision of a White City built along the waterfront of the great lake encountered setback after setback.  The shocking number of people that had to work together to create one vision in of itself creates a memorable read.  But Larson pairs that with the story of Herman Mudgett, who changed his name to Holmes once he moved to Chicago and proceeded to embark upon one of the most shocking series of killings imaginable.  Handsome, personable and uncannily intelligent, Holmes immerses himself and his prey in a web of lies that is nearly untraceable.  While the world turns its eyes to Chicago and the development of the World’s Fair, Holmes proceeds to stalk those same streets and leaves the charred bones of his victims behind.

Well written, suspenseful and utterly engrossing, Erik Larson brings 1893 Chicago and, perhaps fortunately and unfortunately, its fascinating and frightening characters to life.

Larson, Erik. The Devil in the White City.  New York: Vintage Books, 2003.

The oldest of three children, Robyn “Robbie” is raised in dubious circumstances relatively close to the border of both Zimbabwe and South Africa. Moved to Botswana at the ripe old age of seven, Robbie and her family leave their life in New Zealand behind to take a chance (unnecessarily) at a new life. Already in Botswana are her grandparents, one of which is famous for his work as an airman and as a fearless inspector of vicious wildlife. His devilish attitude delights his grandchildren and promotes in them an unhealthy disregard for all things potentially dangerous.

The family is as dysfunctional as it is endearing. Robbie’s father takes on the role of doctor and flies from village to village regularly to make check-ups and administer aid. He also sets up shop as a local doctor taking patients several times a week. His main competition is another local doctor and various medicine men. Surprisingly, the competition is fierce. The promise of Western medicine does not entice the expected devotional patients as one might expect. Mom takes on the role of teacher. Her three students are her three children, and they work on different areas of education: remodeling, exploring, and playing. These lessons become intertwined with unimportant aspects of schooling such as mathematics and grammar, but the kids benefit from their “student-centered” learning. Their ability to problem solve, think independently, and speak their mind creates opportunities for them later on down the road.

But living in southern Africa is no picnic. Her dad becomes embroiled in the AIDs epidemic, working to fight against superstition and the government. When they move further south they become exposed to the racial divide in South Africa as well as the conflict in Zimbabwe. It is the families ability to navigate the treacherous waters and the unflappable nature of each member which drives the story onward and roots the reader in their bizarre and amazing lives.

Recommendation: Frankly, this book is awesome. At one point in my life, I heard a Miss Washington speak to a group of students that life is not about the destination but about the journey. This book is a testament to that very idea. This autobiographical look at a family built upon the principles of independent thought is filled with harrowing stories of danger, hilarious stories about hilarity, and heart wrenching tales of people fighting for survival in an environment at once inhospitable and convivial.

Robbie’s narration of the life of her family reflects the love that she has for her parents, grandparents, and siblings. It would be easy to think that she would be frustrated by the free-wheeling nature of her upbringing, but she instead finds the strongest and weakest parts and tempers them so that the reader believes that this unlikely journey might just be the way to go.

This is the kind of book that almost urges you to take risks and follow your ideas and ideals. A life of perfection may not quite be the life worth living. Robyn Scott’s book is an endearing portrait of why that might just be the way to go!

Scott, Robyn. Twenty Chickens for a Saddle: A Memoir of Africa, Penguin Books, London, 2008.

Currently Reading: Perdido Street Station by China Mieville

In the Hole: The Better of McSweeney’s, Volume One, edited by the people at McSweeney’s

His successful career in journalism has moved him from Zimbabwe to London and then, finally, New York. He transits between the two in order to keep an eye on his aging parents who continue to live in the country they call home. Each time he touches down in Harare airport his situation becomes increasingly tenuous and desperate. During these trips he learns that his father has a secret past, that the driven man with the clipped British accent and stubborn tenacity is not really the man he knows. While Zimbabwe is caught in maelstrom of political and social he turmoil, he is swept up in his own personal storm. The history of his father becomes intertwined with the unfolding history of Peter’s home country, and the two stories provide a rich context for understanding the current situation.

Recommendation: This is the third book I’ve read about Africa recently. The first was reviewed here (What is the What), and the second was the The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency about a fictional female detective in Botswana. Of those two, The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency was the least depressing. And maybe depressing is the wrong word. After reading When the Crocodile Eats the Sun, I felt an overwhelming sense of helplessness.

Here is a leader, Robert Mugabe,  driven by power and greed to lead his country into desperate times. What makes the situation appear so daunting is the breakdown of social systems. As Mugabe’s war veterans take over farm after farm and displace the workers and owners, there are no police to fight against the unjust actions. They claim that “it [is] a ‘political’ matter beyond their jurisdiction”. Even the police are scared. Since the police do nothing, people must take their own action to protect what they have worked for, and the dominoes begin to fall. Farm owners are killed. Their employees are killed, raped, threatened, beaten and terrified.

George Godwin, Peter’s father, has been a kind and fair employer his whole life. He treats his employees with respect and dignity, but even that gets taken away from them by the war veterans. They force one of his retired employees, a sweet and decent woman named Mavis, to demand payment for her services, though she has been paid generously all her life. Finally, George is forced to admit that “this is extortion” and although he “has never given a bribe in his life, for whom bribery is anathema, who believes that the briber giver is just as morally corrupt as the briber”, he must give in or face certain retribution. This is what humanity is reduced to.

The story of Peter and his family and of their experience in Zimbabwe is powerful and humbling.  Peter’s role in this country is also in conflict, and the reader can sense that Peter struggles internally with his decision to leave.  There are many people unbalanced by the ongoing troubles.  Some benefit enormously and some do not.  We only hear about the happenings through Godwin, and the narrations all bear traces of tragedy.  I wonder whose stories would not.  My heart aches for those caught in the midst of this crisis. Even now, as I read articles online about Zimbabwe’s state, I have hope that the things can turn around. The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe recently released a 500 billion dollar note in an effort to keep up with the swift-rising inflation. Bush ordered new sanctions to be placed on Zimbabwe to help fight political violence. Mugabe has agreed to talk with Morgan Tsvangirai about sharing power in an effort to heal the country.

Godwin, Peter. When the Crocodile Eats the Sun. Back Bay Books, 2008, New York.

Currently Reading: City of Thieves by Daniel Beinoff

On Deck: American Gods by Neil Gaiman

Review: Liz Gilbert, socialite, author, journalist, realizes her life is spiraling out of control. As her marriage falls apart, she begins to question her direction. Rock bottom starts to appear when she finds herself searching for answers on the floor of her bathroom. She claws through the rest of her divorce and tries to hold herself together. Solace comes in the form a new lover, but even this turns into a tumultuous relationship. She orbits this man in an erratic spiral, and, just before she enters the atmosphere in a fiery ball destined to burn up and fall to the earth a charred and useless rock, she comes to a decision.

Liz returns to her fundamental love: travel. She chooses to lose herself in far off countries in order to rediscover her soul, to find a way to live life less like an emotional roller coasters, and to find her bliss. There are three stops on her trip. Coincidentally (or not) they all begin with the letter “I”. Italy is the first. India is the second. The third is Indonesia, in particular Bali. Each country offers itself to her in different ways, hence she eats, prays, and loves.

Recommendation: It would be easy to label this book as a read geared more for women than men. In fact, I was hesitant to read it for that exact reason. But I told myself that it is important to expand my horizons. Besides, there were plenty of good ‘chick-flicks’ that I had enjoyed watching. I am an admitted fan of “You’ve Got Mail” (f-o-x), “As Good As It Gets” (sell crazy someplace else, we’re all stocked up here), and even “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants”. I’m just kidding about that last one. I haven’t seen it or read the book… yet.

So I picked up Eat, Pray, Love, read the prologue and set off on this true story about a woman in search of rekindling her soul. Somewhat surprisingly, I found her writing to be entertaining and funny. Her journey is populated by many interesting, generous, and puzzling characters. Of all her problems, comedic wit and self-defacing introspection is not one of them. Her relationship issues do not fall outside the lines of unfamiliar, and I think that she and I share some of the same philosophies about world travel. Having been to Rome, I enjoyed reading about her eating exploits. Dazzling. Despite my valiant attempts, I had a hard time not giving into the temptations of Italian cuisine: pizza anywhere and anyhow you like it, more pasta than water , and sweet, sweet, sweet, sweet, sweet gelato. If I’d had my druthers, I probably would have tried to eat Italy right off the map. Liz Gilbert gave it a good shot.

The book slowed down a little once she got to India, and I started becoming more and more reluctant to continue reading. While this is the story of her travels, I often thought her artistic license took over the true events. It is impossible to recount details accurately from memory, but I think she filled them in a little too nicely. Her finely turned phrases during the course of conversation brought up memories of Steven Spielberg’s giant T-Rex foot in the Lost World (watch the scene where it steps on that guy and lifts him off the ground… is the footprint really that big?).

All in all, once she got to Bali I was ready for her story to be over. Even her hilarious Balinese guru whose wisdom is nicely countered by his attempts at English and his constant reminder that he “is very empty in [his] bank” could not quite keep me engaged. I imagine her own trip was fantastic, but I don’t think I enjoyed the ride quite as much as she did.

Gilbert, Elizabeth. Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India, and Indonesia. Penguin Books, New York, 2006.

Currently reading: Soon I Will Be Invincible by Austin Grossman

On Deck: When the Crocodile Eats the Sun by Peter Godwin

Valentino finds other boys and girls like himself who have so far escaped death, and they decide to walk to the expected safety of Ethiopa hundreds and hundreds of miles away. They make up a larger group which has become known as the Lost Boys, and together they confront many faces of death. At one point he and others stand on the banks of the Nile. Behind them ring out the gunshots of those who would drive them away. In the river lurk crocodiles already feasting on fleeing refugees who chose to swim for it. It is incomprehensible choices like these which Valentino must regularly face in his journey.

Valentino tells this story from Atlanta and the reader is immediately plunged into his situation of distress. Robbers take advantage of his kindness by binding and gagging him on the floor of the apartment he shares with another Sudanese refugee. As he narrates both his trials crossing Sudan and the trials he faces in the United States, the reader is presented with all of Valentino’s deepest hopes, loves and sorrows. Within his story there is a compassion, a wit and a kindness that are miraculous solely for the fact that they can exist within a person who has faced the very worst in humanity. Valentino also reminds us of the very best that is within ourselves.

Recommendation: I have read almost all of Dave Egger’s work and his writing is unique. Those who have read A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, You Shall Know His Velocity, or How We Are Hungry know that his style of prose is all his own. When I picked up this book and began reading it, I discovered that the voice I had learned to enjoy so much was gone, and in its place was the voice of Valentino Achak Deng who narrated his story to the author over several years. This book is both a novel and an autobiography, and the heart beating at the core is the heart of Valentino.

This book, more than anything else, brought to light a conflict I had never really understood or even fathomed. The eloquence of the book transforms the story into a beautiful but vivid example of the type of conflicts that plague this world and end in far too much bloodshed and violence. While the story of Valentino’s epic trek to find succor amazes and distresses me, his descriptions of life in America were equally compelling. What Americans so often take for granted were completely inaccessible to this Sudanese man from a small rural village. His experiences with those who took advantage of his ignorance angered me, and his stories of those who helped inspired me. I hope that you, too will be inspired to help. Please visit these websites, www.valentinoachakdeng.org, www.sscw.org, or others like them for more information.

Eggers, Dave. What is The What. Vintage Books, New York, 2006

Currently Reading: The Fourth Bear by Jasper Fforde

On Deck: The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories by Susanna Clark