R 6K R RARTS0102OK6 BOOKScameronmcwhirter.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Revi… ·...
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ARTS0102-A-K A@6 -Composite Proof 12/29/04 0:25 0:00 RARTS0102OK6 FARTS0102OK6 Arts 6K 6K R R R R *SRZ02OK006CY* *SRZ02OK006CY* *SRZ02OK006MA* *SRZ02OK006MA* *SRZ02OK006YE* *SRZ02OK006YE* *SRZ02OK006KB* *SRZ02OK006KB* Blue Red Yellow Black Blue Red Yellow Black K6 Sunday, Jan. 2, 2005 / The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Societies and stupidity RANDY CURWEN / Chicago Tribune Deforestation on Easter Island doomed prehistoric inhabitants. Looking at bad eco-decisions of past clarifies dangers ahead By CAMERON McWHIRTER [email protected] When I was a kid, my parents were part of that early wave of Northern sub- urbanites to vacation on Hilton Head Island. My childhood memories, from the early ’70s, were of running along empty beaches and climbing over aban- doned Civil War forts. The island was crawling with wildlife; the ocean was teeming with jellyfish, dolphin and crab. I recently returned to the island on assignment, after three decades. I was horrified to discover the island of my youth transformed into a shopping mall and a parking lot. In 1970, the island’s population was about 2,500. In 2000, the census put the permanent population at 33,862 — an increase of more than 1,250 percent. Did my parents have any idea what was going to happen to Hilton Head when they first came down? Did the island’s developers? Islands and people who live on them play a large part in Jared Diamond’s new book, “Collapse.” Pulitzer Prize winner Diamond (1997’s “Guns, Germs, and Steel”) uses the contained environments as test cases to show how human societ- ies manage — or don’t manage — lim- ited resources. He examines a range of ancient and modern societies, many of them on islands, to see how cultures inadvertently make stupid, often fatal, decisions about natu- ral resources. Skeptical readers should not write off this book as another eco-rant condemning houses, cars and tele- phones. Diamond is too thoughtful, too careful, to fall into flabby emotional harangues and finger- wagging. Employing a stock- pile of archaeological, climatological and historic data, he illus- trates how communi- ties, from prehistoric Easter Island to Greenland, have made choices — not obvious, large mistakes but a series of important, smaller decisions — that lead to cataclysm or chronic destitution. He then proceeds to argue that mod- ern societies, from Haiti to Montana to China to Rwanda, are making similarly thoughtless decisions (deforestation, overmining, overpopulation) that could have equally dire consequences. Diamond, a professor at UCLA, has produced a book that, though occasion- ally too professorial in its tone, is persua- sive and important. He shows that many decisions made about how to use forests, land, livestock and water seemed logical at the time, but were not carefully thought out. This book is not about saving the snail darter; it is about saving people. The case studies of ancient island cul- tures are the most intriguing. Environ- mental mistakes doomed thousands. What were they thinking? Diamond tries to find out. They were not illogical peo- ple, certainly no more illogical than we are. But they made choices influenced by greed or competition or social codes and ended up committing slow-motion sui- cide. One of Diamond’s most glaring exam- ples of human short-sightedness is Eas- ter Island, where the prehistoric people cut down all the trees to haul stone stat- ues and build homes. The logging was so intense, the inhabitants eventually defor- ested the entire island. When the food supply ran out, people couldn’t escape because they did not have enough wood to build boats large enough to handle the ocean. The survivors were starved or reduced to cannibalism. Another example is ancient Green- land, where Vikings brought their Euro- pean culture and agricultural methods to a harsh, northern environment. When weather stopped boats from arriving, the civilization collapsed and everyone died. Meanwhile, neighboring Inuits, long adapted to the harsh climate, prospered. Diamond uses this survey of human folly as a qualified warning for our glo- bal society. At the close of the book, he ticks off a dozen ways modern society is heading for serious environmental crisis — from deforestation to using up limited resources like oil and water. “Our world society is presently on a non-sustainable course,” he writes, “and any of our 12 problems of non- sustainability that we have just summa- rized would suffice to limit our lifestyle. . . . They are like time bombs with fuses of less than 50 years.” “Collapse” doesn’t suggest we should abandon technology and become hunter-gatherers. Diamond doesn’t argue we are headed for a “Road War- rior” dystopia. He does argue, without being hyperbolic, that our world in com- ing decades will have dramatically reduced quality of life as a direct result of our failure to manage the environ- ment. Wars over scarce resources will become common. Pockets of starvation will kill many. Epidemics will become more common. Our global society — all aspects of that society, from the first world to the third world, from international business to environmental activists — have a stake in cooperating to find a way to make the Earth sustainable, Diamond argues. Diamond’s book is dense reading. But his point is simple: We must be smarter than our predecessors. Cameron McWhirter is a reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. NONFICTION Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed. By Jared Diamond. Viking. $29.95. 575 pages. The verdict: Far from being another eco-rant, this is a reasoned look back and for- ward. What I’m Reading “I started out as a comic book artist so I’ve been reading a lot of graphic novels lately. I just reread ‘Ghost World’ by Daniel Clowes. The illustrations, I look at them over and over again, because they are so economical. . . . I also read ‘One Hundred Bullets’ by Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso. And I’m really looking forward to getting into ‘Locas,’ a collection of stories by Jaime Hernandez.” — Pete Hautman, author of “Godless,” winner of the 2004 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature STUART RAMSON / Associated Press BOOKS — From “Snow in July,” a novel by Heather Barbieri (Soho Press, $24) “The night my sister almost dies for the twelfth time, a foot of snow falls, which makes it harder, though not impossible, to save her.” OPENING LINE As if by magic, novelist Naipaul is thriving FICTION Magic Seeds. By V.S. Naipaul. Alfred A. Knopf. $25. 280 pages. The verdict: More an interesting apology than a terrific novel. By JOHN FREEMAN For the Journal-Constitution Nobel laureate V.S. Naipaul has proclaimed the novel dead so often you have to wonder whether he con- siders himself a eulogist for the form. On the eve of the publication of his new novel, “Magic Seeds,” he was at it again: “I have no faith in the survival of the novel,” the 72- year-old novelist said. “It is almost over. The world has changed, and people do not have the time to give that a book requires.” True indeed. Still, we need to keep in mind that Naipaul has always proceeded from doubt. After all, his has been an unlikely life. Born in Trinidad in 1932, he left the island on scholar- ship to England. After writ- ing four novels about his childhood home, including the incredible “A House for Mr. Biswas,” Naipaul began traveling. He visited India, South America, Africa and the American South, and returned with dispatches that were brilliantly opinionated, if occasionally unforgiving of societies beaten down by poverty. The novels that emerged from these journeys were barbed, curious and angry. With his last two works of fiction, though, there is a new calm to Naipaul’s writing. Published in 2001, “Half a Life” gently picked up the arc of Naipaul’s own life and turned it into a brief but pow- erful story: Narrator Willie Chandran is an Indian man who comes of age in England, begins to write and then travels into the world. He winds up making a home in Africa and lives there for 18 years. He leaves just as the war for independence begins. Loyalty to heart and home are not part of his emotional constitution. If Willie’s enigma in that first book was that he would always be living half a life, a cultural outsider pretending at comfort, in “Magic Seeds” he tries to break down that barrier. As the novel begins, he’s living in Berlin with his sister, who is full of fiery Marxist rhetoric. Finally, Willie goes to India to hook up with a guerrilla band. Willie gets involved with the wrong people and, after a period of wandering, killing and imprisonment, returns to London, chastened but illuminated. It’s hard not to interpret “Magic Seeds” as an act of atonement. Listen to Willie explaining how his world- view has changed: “Twenty years ago I wouldn’t have seen what I am seeing now . . . . I have come from a world of waste and appearances. I saw quite clearly some time ago that it was a simple world, where people had been simplified. I must not go back on that vision. I must understand that now I am among people of more complicated beliefs and social ideas, and at the same time in a world stripped of all style and arti- fice. This is an airport. It works. It is full of technically accomplished people. That is what I must see.” One of the things that made Naipaul an exciting writer to read in the past decade is the sense that this reversal might come. Could Naipaul adapt to a world rap- idly changing? In fact, he can, or so it seems. Still, “Magic Seeds” feels more like an interesting apol- ogy than a terrific novel. Although Naipaul’s singular control over the ebb and flow of descriptive prose remains strong, there is something artificial about the dialogue. Sensing the direction this book is heading, Naipaul’s conclusion is hardly surprising. Indeed, there are no magic buds in this book, only the fruition of a life’s work. John Freeman is a writer in New York. Frederic Reglain V.S. Naipaul’s latest novel, “Magic Seeds,” continues the tale of peripatetic seeker Willie Chandran. H A R D B A C K F I C T I O N Best sellers H A R D B A C K N O N F I C T I O N P A P E R B A C K F I C T I O N 1. “The Last Juror” John Grisham 2. “Reunion” Nora Roberts 3.“The Kite Runner” Khaled Hosseini 4. “Angels & Demons” Dan Brown 5. “Blue Dahlia” Nora Roberts 6. “Skipping Christmas” John Grisham 7. “Trojan Odyssey” Clive Cussler 8. “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” Mark Haddon 9. “Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell” David Michaels 10. “Deception Point” Dan Brown 1. “America (The Book)” Jon Stewart, Ben Karlin and David Javerbaum 2. “Chronicles: Volume One” Bob Dylan 3. “Faithful” Stewart O’Nan and Stephen King 4. “His Excellency: George Washington” Joseph J. Ellis 5. “When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops?” George Carlin 6. “Eats, Shoots & Leaves” Lynne Truss 7. “The Games Do Count” Brian Kilmeade 8. “Sharing Good Times” Jimmy Carter 9. “How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Must)” Ann Coulter 10. “My Life” Bill Clinton 11. “Favre” Brett Favre and Bonita Favre with Chris Havel 12. “Will in the World” Stephen Greenblatt 13. “Sports Illustrated: The Anniversary Book” 14. “Learning to Sing” Clay Aiken with Allison Glock 15. “What’s the Matter With Kansas?” Thomas Frank P A P E R B A C K N O N F I C T I O N 1. “Reading Lolita in Tehran” Azar Nafisi 2. “A Short History of Nearly Everything” Bill Bryson 3. “Kiss Me, Kill Me” Ann Rule 4. “The Devil in the White City” Erik Larson 5. “Dreams From My Father” Barack Obama 6. “Flyboys” James Bradley 7. “Holidays on Ice” David Sedaris 8. “Tuesdays With Morrie” Mitch Albom 9. “Franklin and Winston” Jon Meacham 10. “The 9/11 Commission Report” The former president writes about the things that matter most: sharing life with his wife, Rosalynn; exploring the outdoors with his father and with black play- mates; making furniture; paint- ing; and going places with chil- dren, grandchildren and friends. The renowned pastor encour- ages people to discover their innate strengths and abilities on the road to suc- cess. A cowboy’s life is changed for- ever when he meets a 101- year-old woman who hires him to be a light- house keeper in the southern Bahamas. ● A D V I C E, H O W - T O A N D M I S C. 1. “He’s Just Not That Into You” Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo 2. “Your Best Life Now” Joel Osteen 3. “The Purpose-Driven Life” Rick Warren 4. “Family First” Phil McGraw 5. “Guinness World Records 2005” A D V I C E, H O W - T O A N D M I S C. 1.“1,000 Places to See Before You Die” Patricia Schultz 2. “The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2005” 3. “Cooking ’Round the Clock: 30-Minute Meals” Rachael Ray 4. “Bad Cat” Jim Edgar 5. “The Bush Survival Bible” Gene Stone — New York Times; additional information by AJC staff ● A memoir of a teacher’s life in Iran and the reading group she organized for seven of her female students. A convicted murderer in Clanton, Miss., threatens revenge against the jurors who convicted him. Shortly after his parole, the retri- bution begins. ● ● 1. “The Five People You Meet in Heaven” Mitch Albom 2.“The Da Vinci Code” Dan Brown 3. “State of Fear” Michael Crichton 4. “A Salty Piece of Land” Jimmy Buffett 5. “Black Wind” Clive Cussler and Dirk Cussler 6. “London Bridges” James Patterson 7. “Night Fall” Nelson DeMille 8. “Life Expectancy” Dean Koontz 9. “Whiteout” Ken Follett 10. “I Am Charlotte Simmons” Tom Wolfe 11. “The Christmas Thief” Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark 12. “The Plot Against America” Philip Roth 13. “Echoes” Danielle Steel 14. “The Godfather Returns” Mark Winegardner 15. “A Redbird Christmas” Fannie Flagg ● ● Humorous advice for Dem- ocrats on how to make it through the next four years.
Transcript of R 6K R RARTS0102OK6 BOOKScameronmcwhirter.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Revi… ·...
ARTS0102-A-K A@6 -Composite Proof 12/29/04 0:25 0:00
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K6 Sunday, Jan. 2, 2005 / The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Societies and stupidity
RANDY CURWEN / Chicago Tribune Deforestation on Easter Island doomed prehistoric inhabitants.
Looking at bad eco-decisions of past clarifies dangers aheadBy CAMERON McWHIRTER [email protected]
When I was a kid, my parents werepart of that early wave of Northern sub-urbanites to vacation on Hilton HeadIsland. My childhood memories, fromthe early ’70s, were of running alongempty beaches and climbing over aban-doned Civil War forts. The island wascrawling with wildlife; the ocean wasteeming with jellyfish, dolphin and crab.
I recently returned to the island onassignment, after three decades. I washorrified to discover the island of myyouth transformed into a shopping malland a parking lot. In 1970, the island’spopulation was about 2,500. In 2000, thecensus put the permanent population at33,862 — an increase of more than 1,250percent.
Did my parents have any idea whatwas going to happen to Hilton Headwhen they first came down? Did theisland’s developers?
Islands and people who live on themplay a large part in Jared Diamond’s newbook, “Collapse.” Pulitzer Prize winnerDiamond (1997’s “Guns, Germs, andSteel”) uses the contained environmentsas test cases to show how human societ-ies manage — or don’t manage — lim-ited resources. He examines a range of
ancient and modernsocieties, many ofthem on islands, tosee how culturesinadvertently makestupid, often fatal,decisions about natu-ral resources.
Skeptical readersshould not write offthis book as anothereco-rant condemninghouses, cars and tele-phones. Diamond istoo thoughtful, toocareful, to fall intoflabby emotionalharangues and finger-wagging.
Employing a stock-pile of archaeological,climatological andhistoric data, he illus-trates how communi-ties, from prehistoricEaster Island toGreenland, havemade choices — not
obvious, large mistakes but a series ofimportant, smaller decisions — that leadto cataclysm or chronic destitution.
He then proceeds to argue that mod-ern societies, from Haiti to Montana toChina to Rwanda, are making similarlythoughtless decisions (deforestation,overmining, overpopulation) that couldhave equally dire consequences.
Diamond, a professor at UCLA, hasproduced a book that, though occasion-ally too professorial in its tone, is persua-sive and important. He shows that manydecisions made about how to use forests,land, livestock and water seemed logicalat the time, but were not carefullythought out.
This book is not about saving thesnail darter; it is about saving people.
The case studies of ancient island cul-tures are the most intriguing. Environ-mental mistakes doomed thousands.What were they thinking? Diamond triesto find out. They were not illogical peo-ple, certainly no more illogical than weare. But they made choices influenced bygreed or competition or social codes andended up committing slow-motion sui-cide.
One of Diamond’s most glaring exam-ples of human short-sightedness is Eas-ter Island, where the prehistoric peoplecut down all the trees to haul stone stat-ues and build homes. The logging was sointense, the inhabitants eventually defor-ested the entire island. When the foodsupply ran out, people couldn’t escapebecause they did not have enough woodto build boats large enough to handle theocean. The survivors were starved orreduced to cannibalism.
Another example is ancient Green-land, where Vikings brought their Euro-pean culture and agricultural methods toa harsh, northern environment. Whenweather stopped boats from arriving, thecivilization collapsed and everyone died.Meanwhile, neighboring Inuits, longadapted to the harsh climate, prospered.
Diamond uses this survey of humanfolly as a qualified warning for our glo-bal society. At the close of the book, heticks off a dozen ways modern society isheading for serious environmental crisis— from deforestation to using up limitedresources like oil and water.
“Our world society is presently on anon-sustainable course,” he writes, “andany of our 12 problems of non-sustainability that we have just summa-rized would suffice to limit our lifestyle. .. . They are like time bombs with fusesof less than 50 years.”
“Collapse” doesn’t suggest we shouldabandon technology and becomehunter-gatherers. Diamond doesn’targue we are headed for a “Road War-rior” dystopia. He does argue, withoutbeing hyperbolic, that our world in com-ing decades will have dramaticallyreduced quality of life as a direct resultof our failure to manage the environ-ment. Wars over scarce resources willbecome common. Pockets of starvationwill kill many. Epidemics will becomemore common.
Our global society — all aspects ofthat society, from the first world to thethird world, from international businessto environmental activists — have astake in cooperating to find a way tomake the Earth sustainable, Diamondargues.
Diamond’s book is dense reading. Buthis point is simple: We must be smarterthan our predecessors.
Cameron McWhirter is a reporter for The AtlantaJournal-Constitution.
NONFICTIONCollapse: HowSocietiesChoose to Fail orSucceed. ByJared Diamond.Viking. $29.95.575 pages.The verdict: Farfrom beinganother eco-rant,this is a reasonedlook back and for-ward.
What I’m Reading“I started out as a comic
book artist so I’ve beenreading a lot of graphic novelslately. I just reread ‘GhostWorld’ by Daniel Clowes. Theillustrations, I look at themover and over again, becausethey are so economical. . . . Ialso read ‘One HundredBullets’ by Brian Azzarelloand Eduardo Risso. And I’mreally looking forward togetting into ‘Locas,’ acollection of stories by JaimeHernandez.” — Pete Hautman, author of “Godless,” winner of the 2004 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature
STUART RAMSON / Associated Press
BOOKS— From “Snow in July,” a novel by Heather Barbieri (Soho Press, $24)
“The night my sister almost dies for the twelfth time,a foot of snow falls, which makes it harder, thoughnot impossible, to save her.”
OPENING LINE
As if by magic, novelist Naipaul is thrivingFICTIONMagic Seeds. By V.S.Naipaul. Alfred A. Knopf.$25. 280 pages.The verdict: More aninteresting apology than aterrific novel.
By JOHN FREEMAN For the Journal-Constitution
Nobe l l au rea te V.S.Naipaul has proclaimed thenovel dead so often you haveto wonder whether he con-siders himself a eulogist forthe form. On the eve of thepublication of his new novel,“Magic Seeds,” he was at itagain: “I have no faith in thesurvival of the novel,” the 72-year-old novelist said. “It isalmost over. The world haschanged, and people do nothave the time to give that abook requires.”
True indeed. Still, we needto keep in mind that Naipaulhas always proceeded fromdoubt. After all, his has beenan unlikely life.
Born in Trinidad in 1932,he left the island on scholar-ship to England. After writ-ing four novels about hischildhood home, includingthe incredible “A House forMr. Biswas,” Naipaul begantraveling. He visited India,South America, Africa andthe American South, andreturned with dispatches thatwere brilliantly opinionated,if occasionally unforgiving ofsocieties beaten down bypoverty. The novels thatemerged from these journeyswere barbed, curious and
angry.With his last two works of
fiction, though, there is a newcalm to Naipaul’s writing.Published in 2001, “Half aLife” gently picked up the arcof Naipaul’s own life andturned it into a brief but pow-erful story: Narrator WillieChandran is an Indian manwho comes of age inEngland, begins to write andthen travels into the world.He winds up making a homein Africa and lives there for18 years. He leaves just as thewar for independence begins.Loyalty to heart and homeare not part of his emotionalconstitution.
If Willie’s enigma in thatfirst book was that he wouldalways be living half a life, acultural outsider pretendingat comfort, in “Magic Seeds”he tries to break down thatbarrier. As the novel begins,he’s living in Berlin with hissister, who is full of fieryMarxist rhetoric. Finally,Willie goes to India to hook
up with a guerrilla band.Willie gets involved with thewrong people and, after aperiod of wandering, killingand imprisonment, returns toLondon, chastened butilluminated.
It’s hard not to interpret“Magic Seeds” as an act ofatonement. Listen to Willieexplaining how his world-view has changed:
“Twenty years ago Iwouldn’t have seen what Iam seeing now. . . . I havecome from a world of waste
and appearances. I saw quiteclearly some time ago that itwas a simple world, wherepeople had been simplified. Imust not go back on thatvision. I must understandthat now I am among peopleof more complicated beliefsand social ideas, and at thesame time in a worldstripped of all style and arti-fice. This is an airport. Itworks. It is full of technicallyaccomplished people. That iswhat I must see.”
One of the things thatmade Naipaul an excitingwriter to read in the pastdecade is the sense that thisreversal might come. CouldNaipaul adapt to a world rap-idly changing? In fact, hecan, or so it seems.
Still, “Magic Seeds” feelsmore like an interesting apol-ogy than a terrific novel.Although Naipaul’s singularcontrol over the ebb and flowof descriptive prose remainsstrong, there is somethingartificial about the dialogue.Sensing the direction thisbook is heading, Naipaul’sc o n c l u s i o n i s h a r d l ysurprising.
Indeed, there are no magicbuds in this book, only thefruition of a life’s work.
John Freeman is a writer in NewYork.
Frederic Reglain V.S. Naipaul’s latest novel,“Magic Seeds,” continuesthe tale of peripateticseeker Willie Chandran.
H A R D B A C K F I C T I O N
Best sellers
H A R D B A C K N O N F I C T I O N
P A P E R B A C K F I C T I O N1. “The Last Juror” John Grisham2. “Reunion” Nora Roberts3.“The Kite Runner” Khaled Hosseini4. “Angels & Demons” Dan Brown5. “Blue Dahlia” Nora Roberts6. “Skipping Christmas” John
Grisham7. “Trojan Odyssey” Clive Cussler8. “The Curious Incident of the Dog
in the Night-Time” Mark Haddon9. “Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell” David
Michaels10. “Deception Point” Dan Brown
1. “America (The Book)” Jon Stewart,Ben Karlin and David Javerbaum
2. “Chronicles: Volume One” BobDylan
3. “Faithful” Stewart O’Nan andStephen King
4. “His Excellency: GeorgeWashington” Joseph J. Ellis
5. “When Will Jesus Bring the PorkChops?” George Carlin
6. “Eats, Shoots & Leaves” LynneTruss
7. “The Games Do Count” BrianKilmeade
8. “Sharing Good Times” JimmyCarter
9. “How to Talk to a Liberal (If YouMust)” Ann Coulter
10. “My Life” Bill Clinton11. “Favre” Brett Favre and Bonita
Favre with Chris Havel 12. “Will in the World” Stephen
Greenblatt13. “Sports Illustrated: The
Anniversary Book” 14. “Learning to Sing” Clay Aiken
with Allison Glock15. “What’s the Matter With
Kansas?” Thomas Frank
P A P E R B A C K N O N F I C T I O N1. “Reading Lolita in Tehran” Azar
Nafisi2. “A Short History of Nearly
Everything” Bill Bryson3. “Kiss Me, Kill Me” Ann Rule4. “The Devil in the White City” Erik
Larson5. “Dreams From My Father” Barack
Obama6. “Flyboys” James Bradley7. “Holidays on Ice” David Sedaris8. “Tuesdays With Morrie” Mitch
Albom9. “Franklin and Winston” Jon
Meacham10. “The 9/11 Commission Report”
The formerpresident writesabout the thingsthat mattermost: sharinglife with hiswife, Rosalynn;exploring theoutdoors withhis father andwith black play-mates; makingfurniture; paint-ing; and goingplaces with chil-dren,grandchildrenand friends.
The renownedpastor encour-ages people todiscover theirinnate strengthsand abilities onthe road to suc-cess.
A cowboy’s lifeis changed for-ever when hemeets a 101-year-old womanwho hires himto be a light-house keeper inthe southernBahamas.
●
A D V I C E, H O W - T O A N D M I S C.1. “He’s Just Not That Into You” Greg
Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo2. “Your Best Life Now” Joel Osteen3. “The Purpose-Driven Life” Rick
Warren4. “Family First” Phil McGraw5. “Guinness World Records 2005”
A D V I C E, H O W - T O A N D M I S C.1.“1,000 Places to See Before You
Die” Patricia Schultz2. “The World Almanac and Bookof Facts 2005”
3. “Cooking ’Round the Clock:30-Minute Meals” Rachael Ray
4. “Bad Cat” Jim Edgar5. “The Bush Survival Bible” Gene
Stone — New York Times;
additional information by AJC staff
●
A memoir of ateacher’s life inIran and thereading groupshe organizedfor seven of herfemale students.
A convictedmurderer inClanton, Miss.,threatensrevenge againstthe jurors whoconvicted him.Shortly after hisparole, the retri-bution begins.
●
●
1. “The Five People You Meet inHeaven” Mitch Albom
2.“The Da Vinci Code” Dan Brown3. “State of Fear” Michael Crichton4. “A Salty Piece of Land” Jimmy
Buffett5. “Black Wind” Clive Cussler and
Dirk Cussler6. “London Bridges” James Patterson7. “Night Fall” Nelson DeMille8. “Life Expectancy” Dean Koontz9. “Whiteout” Ken Follett10. “I Am Charlotte Simmons” Tom
Wolfe11. “The Christmas Thief” Mary
Higgins Clark and Carol HigginsClark
12. “The Plot Against America” PhilipRoth
13. “Echoes” Danielle Steel14. “The Godfather Returns” Mark
Winegardner15. “A Redbird Christmas” Fannie
Flagg
●
●
Humorousadvice for Dem-ocrats on howto make itthrough the nextfour years.
