The Literarea 2014 Year End Book Review

From classic lit to philosophy to books of local note, my list of books read in 2014 is kind of diverse. There are the Two Richards of the 70s: Pryor and Nixon. The late, great David Foster Wallace and Christopher Hitchens make appearances. Old favorites like Kerouac and Burroughs were re-read. And even the round-headed fool, Karl Pilkington, show up. All and all, a "well rounded" year of reading. So enjoy the list along with a short review of each book. Note: RR denotes a book I've re-read for at least the second time.

1) “Fate, Time and Language: An Essay on Free Will,” David Foster Wallace, 252pg, 01/15/14

This is one of two honors thesis DFW wrote in college (he graduated summa cum laude from Amherst), one in Philosophy and one in English. “Fate, Time and Language” was for Philosophy (and requires some knowledge of Wittgenstein) while his English thesis became his first published novel, “The Broom of the System.”

2) “Wittgenstein,” Hans D. Sluga, 154pg, 01/15/14

Much of DFW’s Philosophy thesis builds off of Wittgenstein’s work – so I read this in conjunction with the first book.

3) “The Sword of Honor” (RR), Evelyn Waugh, 784pg, 03/09/14

I am so thankful that the late, great Christopher Hitchens personally turned me onto Waugh (and the correct order in which to read him). This book mirror’s Waugh’s experiences in WWII and is imbued with his unique humor and satire, second only to Wodehouse.

4) “The Last Interview and Other Conversations,” David Foster Wallace, 128pg, 03/14/14

While yes, this book has his last interview it also has interviews dating back to when each book was published. It’s really interesting to read about “Infinite Jest” just after it had been published (and he was living only 50 miles away!).

5) “Jokes My Father Never Taught Me: Life, Love and Loss with Richard Pryor," Rain Pryor, 224pg, 03/14/14

If it’s about Richard, I read it. And, aside from his autobiography, this one is about as essential as it gets.

6) “Furious Cool: Richard Pryor and the World That Made Him” (RR), David Henry & Joe Henry, 311pg, 3/18/14

I realized it’s important to separate the name of the authors, otherwise it looks they are married instead of simply brothers. An excellent meditation on what made Richard the greatest.

7) “The Jeeves Collection” (RR), P.G. Wodehouse, 789pg, 03/22/14

Another personal recommendation from ol’ Hitch. No other English writer in the 20^th century can touch Wodehouse when it comes dry wit and smart humor, although guys like Waugh and Kingsley Amis come close.

8) “Dostoevsky by Zweig," Stefan Zweig, 114pg, 04/02/14

Just a touch-up on my first “favorite author” before I launched into re-reading a few classics. I find that knowing about the author helps me appreciate the work more.

9) “Crime and Punishment” (RR), Dostoevsky, 545pg, 04/26/14

Get yo’ classics on! Sure, it’s 545 pages but it’s a dry heat…I mean, it’s a relatively fast read (especially if you don’t try to pronounce the names).

10) “The Haunted Life: and Other Writings," Kerouac, 208pg, 05/18/14

I am a bit skeptical when something “new” from the Kerouac estate comes out -- don’t misunderstand: I am a hardcore Kerouac aficionado. It’s just these things often can be just money-grabs in an attempt to milk a library that’s been pretty well milked. Not in this case. Very essential reading for the Kerouac fan as this was a manuscript that was famously thought lost decades ago (which Kerouac himself wrote about). This shows his first attempts

11) “The Portable Atheist: Essential Reading for the Nonbeliever” (RR), Hitchens, 499pg, 06/09/14

Really a good book no matter where your beliefs lie, with essays from the likes of Einstein, Twain and Mencken as well as more modern day writers like McEwan, Dawkins, Harris and Dennett.

12) “The Brothers Karamazov” (RR), Dostoevsky, 796pg, 07/18/14

Probably the first classic novel I read that wasn’t for a class. I never found it to be “hard” reading – just slow. A quick summary for those unfamiliar: there’s rich, miserly father with three grown-up sons of various degrees of temperament. Turns out that dad and the hotheaded son are in love with the same woman. The father is found murdered and the son is charged, but runs off with the woman in question. The rest of the story has to do with the trial and larger themes of morality and religion, etc.

13) “Cities of the Red Night” (RR), William S. Burroughs, 332pg, 08/02/14

The weirdest of the weird writers, this book involves cities under the grip of a radioactive virus with all kinds of mutants. It’s been described as an “opium-infused apocalyptic vision” – that actually might be an understatement.

14) “The Dharma Bums” (RR), Kerouac, 244pg, 08/10/14

Sometimes this book gets overlooked but it’s Kerouac at his most joyful with my favorite of all the Kerouac protagonists, Japhy Ryder. It chronicles his time California after Kerouac became deeply immersed in Buddhism (talkin’ 1956, folks), and the summer he spent as a fire lookout on Desolation Peak. This book is often credited for bringing Buddhism to popular culture and helping instigate the “rucksack revolution” of the ‘60s. It also didn’t hurt that Jackie Kennedy was photographed in Life magazine reading the book.

15) “The Moaning of Life," Karl Pilkington, 358pg, 08/16/14

I’ve been a fan of Karl Pilkington ever since I first heard him on Ricky Gervais and Steven Merchant’s podcasts in the around 2005. He’s one of those genuinely unique people who looks at life in a very different (and oftentimes hilarious) way.  A couple Karl-isms:"It would be odd to go out with a twin, as when the other one gets married you would know that their husband also fancies your wife," and "Look at swans...they stick with their partners for life. Saying that, I've always wondered if that's because they all look the same, so there's no point in running off with another swan."

16) “Tudor Adventurers: The Voyage of Discovery that Transformed England," James Evans, 328pg, 08/26/14

When you read/hear/watch something about the Tudor era, obviously the focus is on the craziness surrounding the revolving monarchial situation and the quest for a male heir – which means you hear about Tudor life on land. What you never hear about is life on sea. And when you consider we're talking about the 1550s, any person willing to take to the waters beyond his own coastline? That takes cojones, my friend. And to attempt to find a northern passage to either the east or west to reach "Cathay", aka China? That takes cojones mas grande.

17) “Blood Meridian” (RR), McCarthy, 331pg, 09/10/14

What a terrifyingly awesome book that I really hope is never made into a film! It’s actually pretty “un-filmable” unless they are willing to go with an X-rating – and mind you, it wouldn’t be because of sex, but because of violence (babies skewered on mesquite bushes, massive slaughters, etc.) and nudity (for a good portion of the book, the Judge is either nude, partially nude or wearing a suit made of skin – oh, and he kills children and puppies).

18) “Black Is the New White," Paul Mooney, 272pg, 09/11/14

When it comes to the life and times of Richard Pryor THIS is the guy I’d really like to interview/talk to. Paul Mooney (who’s better known to the younger kids from his appearances as Negrodamus on The Chappelle Show) was Richard’s creative/writing partner since the late ‘60s. He was the only one who was always in the inner circle – and yet I rarely see him in any documentaries about Pryor, and when he is, it’s usually a short clip. Definitely a comedy genius in his own right.

19) “The Subterraneans” (RR), Kerouac, 111pg, 09/28/14

This barely qualifies as a novel in terms of page length and I guess that’s because Kerouac wrote it in a burst over three days and nights. It follows his rocky love affair with “Mardou Fox” in San Francisco, as well as their fellow artists and writers.

20) “The Gutenberg Galaxy: The Making of Typographic Man," McLuhan, 294pg, 10/02/14

Anybody who asks me about favorite writers has undoubtedly gotten an earful about the brilliant Marshall McLuhan, often considered to be the first “media guru.” The insights he had in the early ‘60s still reverberate today – even more so in today’s “electronic age” he wrote about 50 years ago. Here's the guy who predicted that color TV would impact on sports viewing by displacing more static sports (baseball) with more visceral, snow-related activities (X-Games, anyone?). Here's the guy who predicted electronics would allow tribal, third-world countries to leap into the 20th century, without having the cultural development leading up to it, thereby remaining tribal (Middle East, anyone?). And he had a bit role in "Annie Hall.”

21) “The Nixon Tapes: 1971-1972," Brinkley, 784pg, 11/08/14

Overall, this book reaffirms that Nixon’s modus operandi on international issues was to make foreign leaders think he was unstable. Not a tough sell, that. Here are a few of my favorite quotes:

Re: North Vietnam:
“We’re going to do it and I’ll destroy the whole goddamn country, believe me. I mean destroy it, if necessary. And let me say, even the nuclear weapon if necessary.”

Re: confronting Soviet aggression:

“You and I (Kissinger) should act towards everybody as if we were going right off the cliff.”

Re: the Soviets and Vietnam:

“I don’t want them to have any impression that I was affected one iota by public opinion, by polls, by anything of that sort.”

And, finally:

“I won’t say anything foolish – but I will do things that are rash as hell, ‘cause I don’t give a goddamn what happens. I don’t care. I really don’t care.”

22) “Girl With Curious Hair” (RR), David Foster Wallace, 331pg, 11/25/14

One of my favorite books of short stories by DFW, this one really shows the breadth of his creative skills – the stories mix fact and fiction, sometimes using real-life characters (Lyndon Johnson, Alex Trebek, Pat Sajak, David Letterman). The “title track” has an “American Psycho” quality to it (this was published in ’88, whereas AP was published in ’91).

23) “The Feminine Mystique," Betty Friedan, 562pg, 12/06/14

Another Peorian who had a tremendous impact on American culture (if you have to ask, the other is Richard Pryor, of course)! The publishing of “The Feminine Mystique” helped usher in the second wave of feminism in the ‘60s and Friedan went on to found the National Organization of Women. Hopefully, there will be some type of permanent display or some type of public recognition in her memory in Peoria at some point in the future.

24) “Peoria Stories: Tales from the Illinois Heartland," Ken Zurski, 187pg, 12/13/14

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Peoria is very unique in that a city this size has such a deep and rich history of national import. And Zurski highlights those that related to major achievements – Lindbergh’s flights here before his flight across the Atlantic, the city’s involvement in the rise of the automobile and the early days of American broadcast comedy.

25) “Becoming Richard Pryor," Scott Saul, 608pg, 12/27/14

A very interesting look back at Pryor’s early years, starting with his family’s background in Peoria and concluding with the death of his grandmother in 1978. As someone who’s pretty well read on the subject, I really appreciated the depth of detail and the research that went into this book. It literally goes year by year, from Richard’s birth, showing his many moves, the schools he bounced around and how he developed as a young, energetic, creative child in a very adverse environment.

26) “War and Peace in the Global Village” (RR), McLuhan, 191pg, 12/31/14

I can go on and on about this book so I’ll just leave you with a quote, from this book that was published in 1968:

“All the non-industrial areas like China, India, and Africa are speeding ahead by mean of electric technology. This has profoundly disturbed the American image, for all these backward countries are tribal in the noblest sense of the term. That is, they have never had a nineteenth century; they have entered the twentieth century with their family kinship systems and closely integral patterns of association still in tact…To be surrounded by rapidly developing countries whose patterns of culture are widely divergent from our own has certainly upset the American image, at least among the elders.”

Cat marks 85 years on the NYSE

Caterpillar Inc. Chairman and CEO Doug Oberhelman rang the opening bell today on the New York Stock Exchange to mark the 85^th anniversary of the company’s listing on the NYSE, considered the world’s foremost securities marketplace.

Of the approximately 3,200 companies listed on the NYSE, Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT) is among only 2 percent that have been listed for 85 years or more.

“Not only are we celebrating 85 years on the NYSE this year, but next year we will also celebrate the 90^th anniversary of Caterpillar as a company,” Oberhelman said. “Both milestones are a testament to the strength of our global brand, our dedication to customers and strong reputation with stockholders for financial strength and performance through the years. In 2014, the strength of our balance sheet and strong cash flow positioned Caterpillar to repurchase $4.2 billion in stock and to pay $1.6 billion in dividends. Caterpillar has paid a cash dividend every year since the company was formed in 1925 and has paid a quarterly dividend since 1933. We are proud of delivering that consistency and value over the decades.”

Caterpillar is also giving Wall Street traders and New York City the opportunity for an up-close look at Cat® machines used in a variety of industries. On display in front of the NYSE are a mixer truck, wheel loader, skid steer loader and backhoe loader.

Listing on the NYSE is a globally recognized signal of corporate strength and leadership, reserved for companies that meet the NYSE’s stringent requirements for income, market capitalization, cash flow and ethical practice.

Some highlights of the company's history on the NYSE include:

Caterpillar Inc. - 85 Years on the New York Stock Exchange

• The company listed on Dec. 2, 1929, under the name Caterpillar Tractor Company. In 1986, the name was changed to Caterpillar Inc.
• In May 1991, Caterpillar became one of 30 companies in the Dow Jones Industrial Average.
• Caterpillar sales for 1929 were $52 million and the profit was $12 million.
• An investor buying one share of Caterpillar Tractor Company at $56.25 in 1929 would have an investment worth about $40,000* today, accounting for share price growth, stock splits and dividends over the past 85 years. (*As calculated at close Dec. 2, 2014)
• Caterpillar’s total shareholder return has sustained an annual compounded growth rate of 8 percent since the company listed in 1929.
• On Dec. 2, 1929, the first listing day, 1,882,240 shares were outstanding and 400 shares of Caterpillar stock were traded. On Dec. 2, 2014, there were more than 605,000,000 shares outstanding and about 4 million shares traded.

History shows that 1929 was a significant year for many reasons. Among them, in the list provided by Caterpillar:

• The crash on Wall Street in October 1929 has come to symbolize the beginning of the Great Depression.
• Automatic electric stock quotation board installed, NYC.
• Herbert Hoover became the 31st president in January 1929.
• First telephone installed in the White House.
• General Motors buys Opel.
• German airship Graf Zeppelin completes an around-the-world flight.
• Foundation laid of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
• American cartoonist Elzie Segar creates the spinach-eating, pipe-smoking sailor Popeye.
• Construction begins on the Empire State Building.
• Admiral Richard E. Byrd makes first South Pole flight.
• Vatican City becomes a sovereign state independent from Italy.
• Canadian National Railways places in service the first road diesel electric passenger locomotive.
• China regains tariff autonomy.
• Turkey introduces a high protective tariff to encourage local industry.
• The 1924 Immigration Act comes into force in the United States, to maintain the country’s ethnic composition.
• Confrontations take place between armed groups of Communists and Nazis in Berlin.
• The first regularly scheduled TV broadcasts (3 nights per week).
• George Eastman demonstrates first technicolor movie.
• President Hoover authorizes building of Boulder Dam (Hoover Dam).
• 1st hospital group insurance plan offered (Dallas Texas).
• Babe Ruth becomes 1st to hit 500 career home runs.
• Cubs blow 8-0 World Series game 1 lead, A's score 10 in 1 inning. Philadelphia A's beat the Cubs, 4 games to 1 in 26th World Series. 

FrizziToon: Happy New Year!

Frizzi: A Santa Story (or, Has the statute of limitations expired yet?)

For my money, going on Facebook is like reading a small town newspaper. It keeps you up-to-date on how everybody is doing, who’s kid has graduated or got married, who has a new grandbaby, or other such goings on.

One such Facebook friend is a guy I used to work with at a K-Mart in Terre Haute, Indiana. I was in college at the time. In fact, because the economy was awful by the time I graduated from Indiana State, I worked there a few years after that. It was a full-time gig and the benefits back then were a lot better than major corporations offer now.

Anyway, this guy I worked with, I’ll call him Rick, is now a semi-truck driver. And during the holidays, he becomes Santa Claus. He works at one of the malls, dresses like the iconic jolly old elf and allows excited youngsters to sit on his lap and tell him what they want for Xmas. As such, he posts pictures on Facebook.

I look at them and laugh. Rick does make a pretty good Santa. I wander if he remembers the time he asked me to come over to his house to play Santa for his little girl many years ago.

This had to be somewhere around 1984 or 85. Another friend of mine, a single mom, asked me to come to her house and play Santa for her little girl. She would provide the suit. I was a single guy and I liked her, so I said “Yes”.

After all, Ol’ Santa liked it when big girls sat on his lap.

However, word got around and pretty soon other mommies came up and asked me to play Santa for their little kids. How can you say no? Especially to a gaggle of mommies!

Rick caught wind of this stunt, too, and asked if I would stop by his house. What’s another house on Santa’s route? I recruited our friend, Todd to drive me. Todd brought along his friend, also named Todd, and off we went in Todd’s Cheyenne truck, blasting some festive Led Zeppelin to spread some holiday joy.

The first five houses went off without a hitch. Each mom greeted us at the door, briefed me on what to say to her kid(s) and grabbed her Kodak disc camera for the obligatory photo session. We were then rewarded with cans or bottles of frosty holiday cheer and once suitably refreshed, continued on our holiday rounds.

Once we entered Rick’s subdivision, one of the Todds turned to me and said Rick asked him if we could stop by the house of one of his neighbors. “Of course,” I said, “Do you know the address?” “No,” Todd replied, “but Rick said it was three doors down from his house.”

“On, Todd, on Todd,” I bellowed and let out a great Santa-esque belch.

We screeched in front of a small ranch house. I asked Todd once again if this was the right house and once again, he said it was. “Go on, man, they’re waiting for you! We’ll wait for you here in the truck!”  So, I hopped out of the truck and bounded up to the house.

I crept up to the picture window and looked inside. It was picture-perfect. The scene was right out of a Christmas made-for-TV movie. One of the holiday specials, “Frosty”, “Rudolph”, “Charlie Brown”, I can’t remember which, was on TV. A little girl and her baby brother were trimming the tree. I smiled. Working retail tends to sour one’s take on the holidays that, back then, didn’t start until AFTER Thanksgiving.

This was perfect. I vowed to give those children my best Santa performance. With that, I tapped on the window pane once, maybe twice. The kids turned toward the window and stared.

“Ho! Ho! Ho! It’s Santa Claus! Ho! Ho! Ho!”

The children looked at each other in disbelief. Then, they started to shriek with glee. They danced around their tree and shouted, “It’s Santa Claus! It’s Santa Claus!”

I took it all in. I liked it. Made me feel all nice and warm inside. So, I ho-hoed some more and I chuckled and waved. The kids squealed even louder. “Mommy! Mommy! Quick! Come here! It’s Santa!”

It could not have been choreographed better. In comes Mommy. She was wearing a Christmas apron and had brought in a tray of freshly baked cookies. I could smell those cookies from outside the window. Now, I was really happy! Santa was going to get him some cookies!!

Mom looked out the window at me. I waved and laughed.

“Merrrrry Christmas, everybody!!”

And Mommy kept staring at me. And kept staring at me.

“Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas,” I chimed! “C’mon, Mommy! It’s cold outside! Let ol’ Santa in and give him some of your cookies!”

That’s when Mom screamed at the top of her lungs, dropped the tray of cookies, grabbed her babies and shoved them into the kitchen.

And that’s when I high-tailed it back to the truck.

The two Todds were laughing. “What happened?”

“Drive!” I said. “Drive now! Drive fast and drive far away!”

I told them what happened. And that’s when the driver Todd shared with me the following nugget: “Man, you were at the wrong house. We were three doors UP from Rick’s house, not three doors down!”

The Xmas refreshments had apparently gotten to Todd the driver. Remember, this was back in 1984 or 85 when one could drive under a festive influence without too much concern.

We made it to Rick’s house without a hitch but his daughter didn’t get the best visit from Santa. By now, I was tired and ready to get out of this costume.

Maybe that’s why Rick started to play Santa. I probably gave such a crappy performance to his kid that he decided to do it up right the next year and, as it turns out, several years since.

That night, when we left Rick’s, we drove past the house where Santa caused all of the commotion. Mom was on the front porch sobbing, telling the story of Santa the peek-freak to police. Neighbors came over. I think some had rakes and pitchforks. One neighbor brought what looked to be his son’s Red Ryder B-B gun. They did not see Santa and his elves drive past, slouched down in their sleigh.

Nowadays, I’m grayer and fatter. I can’t go into stores this time of year. One time, I went to the mall wearing a red shirt and was immediately surrounded by a gang of children, telling me what cell phone they wanted for Xmas. They were followed by a gaggle of mommies, all of which wanted me to bring them a brand new car with a bright red bow.

I can see Rick now, at the Terre Haute mall with a line of kids stretching all the way back to Hohman, Indiana. I hope that some of those kids belong to the two children that Santa had traumatized on that holiday once upon a time.