HENRY CLAY: THE ESSENTIAL AMERICAN by David and Jeanne Heidler
Random House; May 4, 2010, 624 pages
Henry Clay, (1777-1852), is a name many of us somewhat recognize from 19th Century U.S. politics. He was “The Great Compromiser”; the mastermind behind both The Compromise of 1820 and of 1850, both of which avoided a national calamity. With Daniel Webster of Massachusetts, and South Carolina’s John C. Calhoun, Clay was part of the “Great Triumvirate”. This trio of powerhouse politicians, with their spellbinding oratory, was the bridge between the Founding Fathers and the men who brought about the dissolution of the Union and civil war. And if nothing else, Clay is remembered as the consummate politician – a man who could be vicious on the floor of debate but convivial afterhours – think of Tip O’Neill and Ronald Reagan after pretty much anything. He was also a favorite of Abraham Lincoln’s. All of the above is superficially true, but Henry Clay’s story is deeper than that and told very well here in The Essential American.
Henry Clay was one of, and at times, the most dominant figure in American politics during the first half of the 19th century; his political career running from 1809 until his death in 1852. He was a lion of both the House and the Senate. When he took the floor in Congress, which he did often, it was an event, usually a long event. With his baritone voice he captivated both his peers and the spectators crammed into the Congressional viewing galleries.
Last Updated on Monday, 16 August 2010 17:34
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CAN’T BE SATISFIED: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF MUDDY WATERS by Robert Gordon
If you are a blues fan then Muddy Waters’ name and legacy are easily recognizable. He brought the Mississippi Delta sound to Chicago, electrified it and redefined the genre. Two young British musicians, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, lifted the name of one of Muddy’s songs when they named their newly founded band. Jann Wenner did the same when he started his new magazine in 1967. When Bob Dylan went “electric”, his first song was entitled Like a Rolling Stone. Guitar legends Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page are or were huge Muddy Waters fans. The adage goes “The Blues had a baby and they called it Rock ‘n’ Roll.” Muddy Waters was the “baby’s” godfather. So regardless if the name rings a bell, Waters’ influence on the music we listen today is prevalent.
Robert Gordon’s book is an attempt to give us the story of McKinley Morganfield’s, (Muddy’s real name) life; from the Mississippi cotton plantation where he was raised, his move to Chicago and then attaining world-wide fame. I use the word attempt because much of what we know of Muddy’s life is either what he decided we should know or what his friends and fellow musicians felt comfortable sharing. Muddy was virtually illiterate, so there is very little documentation. What we have are a lot of stories and anecdotes. The author does a very good job in parsing through these, confirming what he can while still giving us an engaging story.
Gordon also does a very good job in analyzing Muddy’s impact on music and his subsequent legacy - First, his influence among his fellow bluesmen, then on the new musical genre of rock and roll and finally across the Atlantic Ocean and the birth of the British invasion.
And because the stories go hand in hand with Muddy’s, the book also chronicles the evolution of the Chicago blues scenes and Chess Records. This includes such lesser known musicians such as Otis Spann, Little Walter and Jimmy Rogers, among others.
Can’t Be Satisfied may not be the perfect biography, but as stated above verifying much of Muddy’s life is difficult. And at times the metaphors in this book are somewhat overwrought –“His notes float like crimson leaves that skip in the wind.” - just to highlight one. All in all though, particularly if you are a blues fan, this is a very good read.
GO DOWN TOGETHER: The True, Untold Story of Bonnie and Clyde by Jeff Guinn
Simon & Schuster, March 10, 2009, 480 pages
Over the last 10-12 years I have noted a positive evolution in “True-Crime” books, i.e. true history books as opposed to pasting together anecdotes, headlines and using questionable sources and quotes, all the while propagating legends and myths about their subjects. Authors have become much more diligent in their research, separating fact from fiction, and writing coherent and engaging books. Go Down Together, is a perfect example of this recent literary phenomenon.
Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker have been romanticized over the years as a Romeo and Juliet couple – specifically with 1967 film starring Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway – this book dispels that myth. Both came from dirt-poor religious Texas families. Bonnie was a gregarious dreamer; Clyde a small-time hood. The two met at a party and it was love at first sight. After Clyde’s release from prison in 1932, they began their life as outlaws on the road and the following two years were anything but glamorous. At the time they were barely 22 years old.
As criminals, the two were almost comically and usually tragically inept. For instance while serving time at the hellhole, Eastham Farm Prison; Clyde chopped off most of two toes on his left foot to avoid the grueling 12-14 hour a day work detail. Less than a week later, after his mother’s continual petitioning, he was released – foot bandaged and on crutches.
Reunited with Bonnie, the two took to the road. Their few attempts at robbing banks failed miserably and most of their heists were robbing country stores and pharmacies, including the gumball machines. Most of the money they did steal went for fancy clothes which they hoarded, then lost in repeated raids by the police and then bought again. (To their credit they did regularly meet with their families – clandestinely - and shared their “wealth”.)
Clyde was successful at stealing cars, (Ford V8s), usually by taking cars with keys left in the ignition; fast driving, (in his socks), and breaking into state armories – by smashing padlocks – and stealing guns and ammunition. Bonnie stuck by his side and wrote bad poetry. I don’t believe she ever fired a gun – at least while committing a crime. On the run for most of two years, they slept in motor inns, abandoned farm houses or in their latest stolen car. They also had a knack for killing law officers.
The author chronicles their escapades, the pair’s rise to “fame” and then the manhunt which led to their grisly demise in Louisiana. And without getting too far afield, he explains the Bonnie and Clyde phenomenon/legend which still persists to this day.
If the subjects are of any interest, you won’t be disappointed – an excellent book.
KISSINGER 1973, THE CRUCIAL YEAR by ALISTAIR HORNE
Simon & Schuster (June 16, 2009), 480 pages
The author is a famed British historian who has written extensively on French and to a lesser extent, British history. Although I haven’t read all of his previous books, the ones I have, including his trilogy on the battles for France in the Franco-Prussian War, World War I and World War II, I found very good. When this book was published last year I noted the change in topic for this author as well as the minimal fanfare it received. After reading Kissinger, 1973, The Crucial Year, I now understand the minimal splash the book made, suggesting that the author’s change of venue may not have been a wise choice.
According to Horne’s introduction, he was approached to write a full length biography on Henry Kissinger. After assessing the task, including Kissinger’s own memoirs and literally the tons of raw data, i.e. the Kissinger papers, Horne declined the offer. Then after second thoughts Horne approached his publisher and Kissinger and requested this project – a year in the life of Kissinger volume – which sounded like a sound plan, providing a focus on the subject’s turbulent times.
Unfortunately the plan soon goes awry with the reading. First, for anyone familiar with Kissinger and the Nixon administration, there is very little if anything new here. Second, the author bounces back and forth in chronological time with anecdotes and observations while filling in the back-story of Kissinger’s actions, trips, failures and accomplishments as he dealt with the end of the Vietnam War, the Yom Kippur War, (the best section of the book), and détente. Lurking in the background is Watergate, which is mentioned repeatedly although never fully developed.
What this reader found most disconcerting though was the author’s insertion into the narrative of both himself - including dinners, lunches, banquets and private meetings with the subject and others over the last 30+ years – and inexplicably, the titles of just about every book he has written. At times it was unclear if this book was a dry run at an autobiography or at the very least least an attempt by Horne to be “coaxed” into writing one.
Much like Robert Dallek’s book of 2007, Nixon and Kissinger: Partners in Power, although for different reasons, I was disappointed after finishing this book. Walter Issacson’s 1992 biography – reviewed earlier in this section – is still by far the best on this subject.
This book’s author redefines the Type A personality; the overachiever of over-achievers - a blend of John Wayne, Rambo and James Bond. He’s a West Point Graduate, Army Ranger, Rhodes Scholar and commanded troops in Afghanistan – an extraordinary set of accomplishments and one would think his story would be an extraordinary one to read. Unfortunately – and I feel guilty writing this because you have to admire the author – I didn’t find The Unforgiving Minute an extraordinary book. In fact I found it flat, somewhat of a cliché and at times simply dull.
The story portrayed here I’ve read dozens of times before – the stark and at times brutal environment at West Point; surviving Ranger training; the naïve American in England; even the author’s time in Afghanistan comes across as stilted. Believe me not at all what I anticipated when I picked this book up.
Maybe I came to The Unforgiving Minute with too high of expectations. By all accounts this author is a unique young man, his book - at least for me - wasn’t.
The Daily Show takes on the construction of the mosque – err – Community Center at Ground Zero and steps way over the line. This clip should offend many which is of course why it is funny.
Cal Ripken was born on August 24th, 1960 in Havre de Grace, Maryland.Short-Stop and 3rd baseman for the Baltimore Orioles, where he played for his entire career – Do I need to go through this? – Ripken was Rookie of the Year, collected 3,184 hits, is a 19 time All-Star, (twice the MVP), a 2 time Gold Glover, 2 time AL MVP, World Series Champion and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007.
Mickey Mantle passed away on August 13, 1995 of liver cancer after battling alcoholism for many years. “The Mick” was a 7-time World Series Champ, 3-time league MVP, 16 -time All-Star and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.
Based on the novel Shoeless Joe by W.P. Kinsella, directed by Phil Alden Robinson and starring Kevin Costner, Amy Madigan, James Earl Jones, Burt Lancaster, Gaby Hoffman, Timothy Busfield and Ray Liotta, the film Field Of Dreams premiered on August 21st, 1989. Costner, a farmer in Iowa, decides to build a baseball field in the middle of his cornfield after a “voice” tells him to. The voice also sends him east to find James Earl Jones and Burt Lancaster. This puts a minor strain on Costner’s marriage and a major strain on his finances. But something magic happens on that baseball diamond once it is built. Even if you’re not a baseball fan it’s difficult not to like this movie. If you are fan – this film is a classic. This was Lancaster’s final movie.
Based on the John Ball novel, directed by Norman Jewison and starring Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger, the film In The Heat Of The Night premiered on August 2nd, 1967. While visiting his family, Poitier, a Philadelphia homicide detective, is reluctantly pulled into a murder investigation in small town Mississippi. Just as reluctantly, Steiger, the small town police chief, realizes he needs Poitier to solve the crime – regardless of his and his fellow town members’ racism. Poitier even earns a grudging respect from Steiger by the movie’s end. At times the movie is a little dated and maybe even corny but remember this was 1967 so it is still worth the viewing. And Ray Charles does sing the title song.
The Democratic National Convention opened in Chicago on August, 26, 1968 and conflict immediately erupted both on the Convention floor and out on the streets of Chicago. Inside the International Amphitheater a line was quickly drawn between hawks and doves concerning the handling of the Vietnam War and the party platform. Outside orchestrated demonstrations against the war quickly turned violent when Chicago Police and the Illinois National Guard were called in to quell the demonstrations. Stuck in the middle was then Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, known for his iron fist grip on the city, who hoped to showcase Chicago with the Convention. Unfortunately what many of us remember of this event was the rioting in the streets and not the debate on the Convention floor. Just one more traumatic event in a year filled with turmoil.
Thirty-six years after Richard Nixon resigned the Presidency, the one word Watergate is still synonymous with the scandal that forced him to that decision as well as being the yardstick used to measure the seriousness of any new and future political scandal. (Is it worse than Watergate?) The persistent fascination is that two years of a White House cover-up over a “third rate” burglary led to the downfall of the leader of the free world – who happened to be a man that many Americans loathed. The investigation also gave the American public – and the world – a glimpse inside the Nixon White House and into the psyche of Richard Nixon; his pettiness, his thin skin and need for secrecy - as well as the inadequacies of the men who surrounded, worked for and advised him. At times the Watergate saga was much like watching a slow motion train wreck.
Jimi Hendrix’s debut album with Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell, Are You Experienced, was released in the US on August 23, 1967. The album was recorded in England – Jimi had gone there to launch his career – and includes Purple Haze, Foxey Lady and Hey Joe and the electric guitar never sounded the same again.
Blues legend John Lee Hooker was born on August 22nd, 1917 near Clarksdale, Mississippi. The son of a sharecropper, Hooker was a self-taught musician and with his guitar made his way north to Chicago just like Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf and a multitude of other blues musicians to record at Chess Records. He gained national fame after his appearance/performance on Maxwell Street in The Blue Brothers film and went on to perform with Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana Stevie Ray Vaughn and Van Morrison among others. Hooker was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991. He passed away in 2001.
On August 2nd, 1876, James Butler “Wild Bill” Hickok was shot and killed while playing poker in a saloon in Deadwood,located in the Dakota Territory. Prior to his final stop in Deadwood, he’d been a Union soldier during the Civil War, specifically as a scout and a marksman. After the war he became a stagecoach driver and then a lawman in Nebraska and Kansas. After turning in his badge Hickcok had toured the East with Buffalo Bill and after giving an interview with Harper’s magazine was now famous as a gunslinger – Wild Bill claiming that he had killed at least 100 men. If the number seems preposterous, it should be noted no one argued with Hickok’s claim.
On the very warm Chicago evening of July 22, 1934 John Dillinger exited the Biograph Theater after watching “Manhattan Melodrama”, (a gangster movie), starring Clark Gable, William Powell and Myrna Loy. With Dillinger was his new girlfriend, Polly Hamilton, and her “landlady” Anna Sage—“The Lady in Red”—who was really dressed in orange that evening.
