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Founding Brothers ::
I’ve always been annoyed with the pomp of American History. I also find the deification of the Founding Fathers to be more than I can handle. As a result, I haven’t read all that much history. But I was curious about this book, if only because I was intrigued by the title. Founding Brothers conjures up an image of equality, of humanity, and (potentially) fallibility that I thought I would find much easier to believe than all the mythological tales the history text books try to pawn off as fact. So I read it.
I found that Jefferson, Madison, and to a lesser extent Washington and Adams were all quite uncertain of their newly founded government, and were even less faithful that what they were creating could endure both the internal and external struggles it was facing. These Founding Brothers fought relentlessly with each other about their policies, and it seemed to everyone that if they made the wrong decision early on, the new nation would fall apart and the colonies would be brought back under English rule. It was during these battles that I saw the nuanced, conflicted, and human character of the Brothers.
Jefferson was especially intriguing. A relentless idealist who believed in a utopian government in which all of the laws would be effective only for a single generation, then be rewritten for the next generation. But during the first years of the founding of the Government, I also saw him as a pragmatist who abdicated on the issue of slavery because he felt that the inclusion of the southern states in the Union was more important than fighting for his personal belief that that institution was a moral abomination.* (As we saw in the following century, the southern states would have seceded when the legitimacy of slavery was questioned). Madison was also fascinating. On the one hand he believed very strongly in allowing for the dissent within the democracy, and he believed that the minority should always be protected. But this belief also manifested itself in his desire to ignore any abolishionist talk within the Congress.
Ellis’s thesis in Founding Brothers is that the success of the United States was not always as much of a foregone conclusion as it is today. Connected to that thesis was the Brothers belief that in order for the U.S. to be seen as legitimate by other, potentially threatening nations, all of the states would have to remain together. The Brothers believed that any dissent among the states would be a weakness, and thus all they fought for during the revolution would have been for naught. As a result, the issue of slavery was ignored and avoided by the Government and advocated by the southern states for years, in spite of the fact that it became increasingly clear that it was a fundamentally unfair and destructive institution that went against all of the beliefs on which the new government was based. The Brothers knew this was the case, and the struggle it caused within them (Jefferson especially) made me see them as actual human beings. That’s what I’ve been looking for in an American History book for a long time.
* Yes, I am aware that Jefferson had slaves, and the book makes clear that this was in fact the case. Both Ellis and I know about Sally Hemmings, as well. While these are important facts to understand about Jefferson, what is most important, at least in the context of this book, is the lifelong internal battle that Jefferson had between his ideals and his desire to help create a new government that allowed for freedom, consensus and dissent.
Cod: Biography of the Fish That Changed the World ::
I agree with what other people said about this book. It was eminently readable, expansive and epic despite its relative brevity. But a new idea I want to throw out is one of a new sub-genre of writing. I haven’t named the sub-genre yet, but the basic idea is this: a tale of history told from the perpsective of the desired object. So, Cod would be an example, because there are so many economic, political, and environmental issues surrounding it. Salt would be another example. (Which, coincidentally enough, is Kurlansky’s latest book.) It seems to be a great idea, one that would open a single story to a wide variety of interpretations in a way that the same story told from the perspective of the fisherman could not. Maybe that’s what creates the epic feel of this book. Or maybe Kurlansky is just a great writer. In any event, I look forward to reading more of his work.
Woody Guthrie: A Life ::
In one of the photograph collections in Woody Guthrie: A Life, there’s a photograph of Woody, standing up for an ovation at a folk music concert. By the time of this photograph Huntington’s Chorea had begun to have a significant effect on him, and he looked old and tired. Joe Klein describes the concert as an instance in which the greater community of folk musicians were beginning to canonize Woody. It’s a significant picture, and I found it symbolic of folk music generally.
The type of music written by people like Woody Guthrie, Leadbelly, and Pete Seeger, though it is not nearly as prominent in American culture as it once was, continues to have an effect on people. Most people know who Woody Guthrie was, and almost everyone knows the lyrics to at least one of his songs (even if they don’t realize it). It also has an effect on the music being written today. Whether it be the sound of bands like Uncle Tupelo or the politics of independent record labels, most of today’s counter-culture musicians (and even some of the mainstream ones) were influenced by what happened with the folk musicians of 60 years ago. However, folk music and its politics are not nearly as prominent in American culture as they once were. Most people learn about music from the media, not from their families and friends, and most people treat it as something you buy, as opposed to something you do. Also, it is hard to find new music that has the immediate political effect that folk music has today. When viewed from this standpoint, it seems that it is nearly dead, that the situation is hopeless, and that the folk era is over. Folk music itself seems like Woody Guthrie standing up in the balcony of the theater. It is very much appreciated, but it is tired, at it is hard to say what will happen with it next.
It is heartening, however, to read Joe Klein’s epic telling of Woody Guthrie’s life. Guthrie was central to that musical movement, and his work (if not his life) is important to remember. After reading this book, my secret hope is that one day that the political situation will be right, that our culture will be looking for something new, something simple, something we can all play and sing along with. And then we might see a rebirth of this important genre. Which is pretty impressive, considering how little I knew of him before I started.
Salt: A World History ::
I decided to read Salt because I couldn’t believe that anyone could write a 450-page book about something that was so ubiquitous. The fact that salt has always been so prevalent seems to preclude any drama or intrigue that makes for a good story. But as I read the book, I found that my original assessment, while not totally unfounded, was only about partially right.
It is true that salt has always been all over the planet. Its presence in the oceans makes it impossible for us to use it as a source of drinking water. What has proven difficult is our ability to procure and process it. Clever inventions, back-breaking work, and sometimes destructive industrial methods have always been required to get it from the oceans or from the mines to the marketplace. The salt industry has been the center of political control and social revolutions. From ancient China to the Roman Empire to Imperial England to twentieth century India, the mining and sale of salt has been at the center of a wide range of political and economic controls, as well as social revolutions (one of the defining moments for Gandhi was the protest he led against the English-dominated salt trade in India). And watching the way it has influenced humankind gives it a new, much more significant definition.
While salt may not be the single most sought-after compound in human history, its importance to humanity is surprisingly undeniable. We can learn a lot about human society simply by following salt’s trail. By placing it at the center of world history, it turns out that we can learn a lot about who we are, how we compete, how we try to control each other, and ultimately, what connects us all.
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