Books Set in the United States: New York City

Forever, by Pete Hamill (2002)

Forever is a historical novel that follows Cormac O’Connor through his life as a young boy in Ireland in the early 1720s through 9/11 in Manhattan.  As a young boy, O’Connor thinks his name is Robert Carson.  His family is Irish, but not Catholic, and he is growing up under English Protestant rule.  His parents secretly teach him the Gaelic religion, its myths and language.  His mother is killed when struck by the carriage carrying the Earl of Warren.  A few years later, the Earl murders Cormac’s father.  In accordance with the Gaelic tradition, Cormac must avenge his father’s murder.  After learning that the Earl has left for America, Cormac boards a slave ship bound for New York City.  The year is 1740.

On the ship, Cormac learns the harsh realities of the slave trade.  He treats Kongo, a slave in the hold of the ship, with kindness by bring food and water to the slaves held in chains on the ship. Kongo remembers him and, later in New York, the two meet up and join an early rebellion against the British. Both Kongo and Cormac are wounded. Kongo brings the wounded Cormac to an African princess who heals Cormac and gives him the “gift” of immortality. Cormac will live forever, provided he never leave the island of Manhattan, or until he meets a “dark woman.”

The rest of the novel provides a wonderful history of New York City.  The book takes up through the slave trade, the great fire of New York in 1835, the waves of immigrants and their treatment, the changes of the city from the farmland/wilderness into the bustling city we know today.

Cormac must maneuver carefully to make a living, while maintaining a low profile. He must keep his secret of immortality to himself, which affects his relationships.  Eternal life is not all it’s cracked up to be.  Cormac gets jobs under assumed names and jumps from job to job to avoid the quiries as to why he doesn’t age.  He longs for intimacy, but fears loving a woman for fear that she will age but not he.  Cormac is, however, involved in many important events of the City’s history.  He becomes involved with George Washington during the American Revolutionary War.  He sees the violent gangs that arise in the 1820s and ‘30s.  He is witness to the Great Fire of New York.  Boss Tweed befriends him.

In 2001, he falls in love with Delfina, a beautiful young woman from the Dominican Republic.  He also encounters Willie Warren and his wife, Elizabeth.  Willis, now a prominent New Yorker, is a descendant of the Earl of Warren.  Does the Gaelic tradition of revenge apply to Willie?

As I read through this history, I did a lot of fact-checking.  Many of the things and people described are actual events, places, and people.  I enjoyed this book, but certain chapters dragged with too much detail.

Read: June 18, 2018

4 Stars

Books Set in the United States

A Dog’s Purpose, by W. Bruce Cameron (2010)

A Dog’s Purpose is a delightful little book about a dog that is told from the dog’s perspective.  We first meet the dog shortly after he is born to the feral Mother. He has three sibling ~ two brothers and a sister, whom he names Fast, Hungry and Sister.  The Mother teacher her litter survival skills.

Reincarnation is a theme in this book.  The dog has several lives, and with each one, he/she learns something new that will become useful in the next life.  We see life events through the dog’s eyes.  When the dog is neutered, he complains about having to wear an embarrassing cone around his next.  When the dog sees young lovers kissing, he refers to them as “wrestling.”

The dog can sense the feelings and emotions of humans often before the humans are aware of their own feelings.  The dog experiences both loving humans and humans that are neglectful and abusive.  The dog also describes his encounters with other animals.  His distain for cats and horses is amusing.

Seeing the world through the dog’s eyes gave me a greater appreciation for dogs.

Read: June 10, 2018

5 Stars

Books Set in the United States: New Jersey and Illinois

The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women, by Kate Moore (2017)

In the late 1890s, Marie and Pierre Curie discovered the element Radium.  By 1901, it was known to have harmful effects on the human body.  It was also believed to have healthful effects if consumed in small quantities.

The cumulative effect of radium, however, is extremely harmful.  During World War I, factories were employing young women (many in their early teens) to paint watch faces with a radium paint.  The girls found that the easiest way to apply the paint to the watch hands was to lick their brushes to make a fine point of their paint brush.  In some factories, this method was actually encouraged.  Later, when the factory owners learned this technique was harmful, this message may or may not have been passed on to the workers.

The jobs at the radium factories were coveted, as the jobs paid well.  Young girls encouraged their family members and friends to apply for such jobs.  At the end of the working day, the girls would be covered in the radium paint, making them and their clothes glow in the dark.

The book focuses on two dial-making factories ~ one in Orange, New Jersey and another in Ottawa, Illinois.  The book also focuses on several of the women who worked in these factories.

Symptoms of radium poisoning are not immediately apparent.  Many of the young women affected would not show symptoms until years after leaving the company.  Then, when they tried to seek compensation for their illnesses, the companies would deny all liability.

The author describes in painful detail the horrors of radium poisoning.  Many of the young women suffered from tumors of the mouth.  Their teeth would come loose and on many occasions, pieces of their jaws would simply erupt through the gums.  I can’t imagine how this could happen.  They visited dentists and doctors, all of whom were initially flummoxed by the strange symptoms.

It wasn’t until Harrison Martland began a series of experimental tests, that a connection was made between the symptoms and radium.  It would still take years and long court battles before the law caught up with worker safety.

I found this book to be enlightening (no pun intended) and couldn’t put it down.

Read: June 8, 2018

5 Stars

Books Set in the United States: Washington, D.C.

A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies and Leadership, by James Comey (2018)

I don’t generally read books by celebrities or political figures.  I was browsing in the library and A Higher Loyalty, by James Comey was on display.  I decided to give the book a try.

The book is very well written.  Also, Comey has a huge ego, which he acknowledges, and seems to rarely make mistakes.  He did bully a fellow classmate while in college, which he now acknowledges, but still regrets that event.  He also acknowledges that his has a reputation for being sanctimonious, so tries to humanize himself by recounting traumatic events in his life.  His interest in law enforcement began when he was in high school and was a victim of an armed burglary in his home.

A Higher Loyalty outlines Comey’s career in law enforcement from his days as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York.  While there, he worked under Rudy Giuliani, whose leadership style he disagrees.  He was a prosecutor for the Mafia, and learned about how the mob mind worked.  He would later compare President Trump’s leadership to how the mob bosses operated.

After working in the public sector, we went to work in the private sector.  It seems his motive is money, as he bemoans that the salary for a government worker was insufficient to cover costs of his growing family.  This seems somewhat insulting, considering he was in high enough positions to make more money than many Americans.

After Obama became president, Comey returned to government as the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  He was confirmed in that position in 2013, and knowing that the term for FBI Director is for 10 years, expected to last through 2023.

Comey describes the characteristics that make a person a great leader.  He describes steps he took to create a pleasant work environment for his employees despite the often stressful tasks of the job.

The last few chapters of the book describe the FBI’s investigation into Hillary Clinton’s email debacle, and the subsequent election of President Trump. He describes his encounters with the new president and the awkwardness he felt in his meetings with the president.

Comey gave a lot of insight into the function of the office of the United States Attorney and the FBI.  It was a fun and quick read.

Read: June 3, 2018

4 Stars