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Rockin’ Down Memory Lane

December 3, 2010

keith — Sample the audiobook read by actor Johnny Depp.

He’s a songwriter, lead guitarist, and founding member of the legendary rock band the Rolling Stones. He’s an outlaw folk hero, a pirate hipster, and arguably the originator of the decadent “rock ‘n’ roll” lifestyle. He’s Keith Richards, and it should come as no surprise that everyone is clamoring for a copy of his long-awaited memoir Life. In fact, given Richards’ penchant for death-defying excess, Life’s most surprising characteristic might be that it’s much more than just a gossipy showbiz tell-all. Sure, the juicy bits are all there: the drug busts, the infamous Altamont show, his rocky relationship with Mick Jagger. But, as the NY Times writes, Life is also “a high-def, high-velocity portrait of the era when rock ‘n’ roll came of age…, an eye-opening all-nighter in the studio with a master craftsman…, and the intimate and moving story of one man’s long strange trip over the decades.” So, if you want to raise a little vicarious rock ‘n’ roll hell, know the secrets of the Stones, and glimpse some music magic, look no further than Keith Richards’ uncommonly candid new book Life. If you find, however, that this literary concert is temporarily sold out, please don’t be discouraged. Any of the following critically-acclaimed music memoirs are a great way to pass the time while you wait for Mr. Richards to take the stage.

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“The Bridge” author, David Remnick, at Harold Washington Library

April 10, 2010

David Remnick will discuss aspects of his latest publication, The Bridge: The Life and Rise of Barack Obama, at Chicago’s Harold Washington Public Library. Remnick is an editor at The New Yorker, and won a Pulitzer Prize in 1994 for his book, Lenin’s Tomb: The Last Days of the Soviet Empire.

Random House – Authors | Author Events David Remnick: CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY 400 S STATE ST … Chicago, IL 60611 312.799.5317 4/15/2010.

Susan M./RA

Dreaming of Reading

March 2, 2010

It has long been a fantasy of mine to go away for a weekend and do nothing but read. No commitments, no interruptions, just me and a book. So when an open weekend, frequent flyer miles, and an understanding husband presented itself, I jumped at the chance – an entire weekend alone in warm weather with nothing but my bathing suit and books (and my laptop. Although I crave solace, I can’t imagine being completely out of touch!).

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This Aught To Be Good

December 11, 2009

As January 1st rolls around and the first decade of this new century draws to a close, only one thing is certain: best of the decade lists! What better way to bulk up copy in magazines and on websites, fill those awkward holiday dinner table silences with heated arguments, and give us all something to talk about over the company punch/nog/(insert festive holiday beverage of your choice here) bowl at obligatory office celebrations? Anybody can (and will) post their best of 2009 lists, but why settle for just bickering over just one year, when there’s a whole decade worth of titles to feud, fuss, and write impassioned anonymous online comments about? So get ready to roll up your sleeves, browse through your bookshelves, and prepare your arguments in defense of your favorite books of the aughts. In the coming weeks we’ll post more lists as we find them. For now, head on over to Salon, where they’ve just listed their picks for the best fiction and non-fiction books of the last ten years. The list contains some obviously great titles and a few that are likely to cause some impassioned debate, both for and against their inclusion. So take a look, see if you agree, bemoan what’s been left off the list, and then drop us a comment and let us know what you think and tell us some of your picks for the best books of the last ten years. Happy debating!

The Meaning of Ichiro by Robert Whiting

August 25, 2009

“Americans liked Ichiro because, for one thing, he was a throwback to another time. He had reintroduced them to a style of offense that many MLB fans, accustomed to andro-induced sluggers and tape-measure home runs, had forgotten – an attack based on the single, the hit and run, and intrepid baserunning that had once defined the game.” – Robert Whiting, The Meaning of Ichiro

Robert Whiting’s book, The Meaning of Ichiro: The New Wave From Japan and the Transformation of Our National Pastime is a fascinating look at Japanese baseball – its history, its teams, its roots in martial arts, the tight grip that nationalism and corporate culture hold on players (and coaches), and how the pursuits of physical discipline, athletic perfection, and the “submergence of ego” destroy countless young players, as well as produce stars like Ichiro. You’ll read about Japanese managers who push their players in practice until they bleed, vomit, and collapse. You’ll read about how umpires in Japan are intimidated to change calls (offering insight into why the American rules protecting umps also protect the integrity of the game itself), as well as the details of a tortuous practice routine called “the 1,000 Fungo Drill.”

For those who enjoy reading stories about the clashes between players, agents and the front office, Ichiro has them in spades. Whiting’s book captures the inside negotiations, loopholes, crafty maneuvering, and bitter fights that finally cleared the way for Japanese players like Hideo Nomo and Ichiro to try their hands in America, (where before they were all but bound to Japan for life).

It’s also got stories about Americans in Japan, too. Pick up the book just to read the outrageous chapter in which former Mets manager, Bobby Valentine, leads one of the worst teams in Japan to second place and then gets sacked for it.

The book can get kind of dense, and it only covers the history of Japanese players in America up until 2003 (so you won’t find a mention of Cubs favorite, Kosuke Fukodome), but Whiting’s book is a portrait of how one sport and its fans can represent the nuances, peculiarities, and damning, as well as beautiful, aspects to a nation’s character. If you’re a baseball fan (or interested in Japanese culture) and you want to learn about Japan’s role in transforming MLB baseball into an international pastime, this one covers a lot of bases. (Jarrett D., The Loft)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JN9tsZP65l0&hl=en&fs=1&]

The Suicide Index

February 2, 2009

suicideindexphoto Wickersham, Joan. The Suicide Index. 2008. (155.937 Wicke.J)

When Paul Wickersham killed himself in 1991, he not only ended his own life, but also shattered the lives of his wife and two adult daughters, irrevocably altering their futures, as well as their pasts. Every former notion, thought, and memory of the man that they had known and loved so well is called into question by the final act of his life. Now, 16 years after the fact, his daughter Joan, attempts to make sense of the man, and the action that has come to define him. Rather than tackle the memoir as a straight chronological narrative, Wickersham tells the story in the form of an index. Imposing this formal, orderly structure on such a chaotic and emotional event allows her to bring a level-headed objectivity to the story and enables her to clearly organize the labyrinthine and erratic nature of her thoughts and feelings about her father’s suicide. Wickersham recreates her father’s life by skipping backwards and forwards through time, gradually unpeeling layer after layer of the man, searching futilely for a motive which she knows she will never find. As the details of the suicide and her family history unfold, painful truths about abuse, failures, and betrayals kept hidden for years are revealed, and to her credit, Wickersham never backs away from the conflict, confronting it head-on with an unflinching intimacy. Despite the heavy subject matter, the book never gets bogged down in despair. Wickersham’s beautiful writing is fluid and concise throughout, and she occasionally finds room for humor amid the darkness. This book will appeal to fans of biographies, memoirs, and psychology texts, as well as anyone personally touched by suicide. Wickersham puts a bold human face to an oft hidden topic. (Andy R. Reader’s Services)