Q3 2024 Reading Review

The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War - Erik Larson is probably the greatest historical non-fiction writer in the United States. If you haven't read Devil in the White City or the Splendid and the Vile you should start there and then make your way to The Demon of Unrest later. While still a great book - it does tread on very worn ground - the American Civil War. The uniqueness of this book is how he captures the fervor and sentiment of the time leading up to the war. Specifically he focuses most of his attention on South Carolina and Charleston in particular to capture the sentiments of the deep south. It is here that the South eventually attacked Fort Sumter. It is here that a bombardment of the fort that killed no living soldier - (essentially a bloodless attack) - is what would spawn the death of 750,000 soldiers in the Civil War. Let us remember - despite many calls from the modern boobery in this country that the Civil War wasn't about Slavery it was about States Rights -- the Civil War was 1000% about Slavery (and all the economic spoils that came with it). When the state of Mississippi voted to secede on January 9th 1861 the delegates were very clear about their motivation. "Our position is thoroughly identified with the institution of slavery - the greatest material interest of the world. A blow to slavery is a blow at commerce and civilization." Given all the poorly worded talk about Civil War that gets bandied about these days - This book is a good call from the past - a ghost of caution and warning that never seems too far away. 

Night Vision: Seeing ourselves through dark moods - What if dark moods were ok? The author of Night Vision argues that things like sadness, depression and anxiety are not to be run from but rather embraced. We as a society try to avoid the things that are, in truth, a very natural part of being human. Yet, too often they are buried away or looked at as a weakness, or things that cause undue suffering. Inside these dark places she argues we can find compassion, empathy and actually become more human. Night vision is about opening yourself up to the darkness and allowing it to improve you - not swallow you whole. It's an interesting way to approach the emotions we all have. A short but thought provoking read. 

"Why talk about your sadness? To give people in your life a chance to love you. Sorrow craves acknowledgement and expression, not repression or cheering up. Pain is a sign of vitality, and acknowledging it gives us eyes to recognize it when it's sitting across the kitchen table. People in pain are not broken. They're just in pain." 

Broken: The Suspicious Death of Alydar and The End of Horse Racing's Golden Age - This is essentially a more in depth follow up the the book that exposed the financial collapse of Calumet Farm written in the 1990's called WILD RIDE. The author goes back through court testimony, evidence and interviews and then approaches the death of the champion sire Alydar from a few new angles. If you don't know the history, Alydar mysteriously broke his leg after kicking his stall and was euthanized 2 days later. The farm collected nearly $40M in insurance money on the death of the horse. Many in the racing community believe the leg injury was made to look like an accident but was an intentional hit placed by the farm manager JT Lundy. Lundy was scrambling to avoid bankruptcy and losing the farm. In the end the author does pull on a few new strings and points not only to Lundy but also a corrupt bank who was awarded most of the Lloyeds of London insurance money as the likely culprits. In this story - everyone loses. The farm goes bankrupt, the horse dies a tragic death, the insurers and banks lose their money and almost everyone walks away worse than before -- not a Hollywood ending - just the brutal reality of life. 

The New York Game: Baseball and the Rise of a New City - As much an origin story about Baseball as it is a look into the political, socio-economic and racial forces that shaped the expansion of New York City from the mid 1880's from the mid 1950's. Two prominent characters in the book happen to be Babe Ruth and Arnold Rothstein and I have read detailed books on their lives prior to picking this one up. This puts everything together under one big tent and is a great historical read. Thanks again to Greg Hay for this one. NYC from the 1880s through 1929 seems like one of the most transformative moments in any American city. From The Gilded Age, electricity, subways, sky-scrapers, the fixing of the world series, immigration challenges and the eventual stock market crash of 29 creates a fifty year period unrivaled by few other places. 

The Mona Lisa Vanishes: A Legendary Painter, A Shocking Heist and The Birth of a Global Celebrity - I must admit this book has drawings in it! I didn’t realize it was for a junior audience. I think it’s written for middle school age kids. That said, it's not terrible. It’s over 200 pages and is actually a fast and fun read. It details the theft of the Mona Lisa in 1911 and how it was rediscovered in 1913. There is a good bit on Da Vinci and his life and how the painting came to be in the first place - in many respects more interesting than the heist itself.

The Final Leap: Suicide on the Golden Gate Bridge - The great news first. As of January 1st 2024 nearly one-hundred years after the debut of the Golden Gate Bridge it finally has a suicide net in place to help prevent/deter the act. The bad news? The bridge, despite being the most photographed man made structure in the United States has been the top suicide site in the world. Since 1937 there have been more than 1500 suicides that are documented but the true number is well over 2000; as many bodies are never found, or pulled out to sea. This book is more than just an account of the morbid yet alluring draw of the place and interviews the many people responsible for its care. It also talks to the families of victims and even documents several of the rare survivors of attempted suicide (nearly 40). It’s a tough book to read but it’s important to process what the bridge has represented to so many beyond being a modern marvel of architecture. At one point in the book the author states “Suicide doesn’t stop the pain. It simply transfers it to the ones that loved you that you leave behind.” Let's hope that now, 97 years later, the new prevention nets keep more good people with us for much longer and reduce those ripples of pain. 

European Pattern Races 2024: I wanted to sort and organize a list of every stakes race in Ireland, England and France in a spreadsheet based on month and type of race, Listed Stakes, Group 3, Group 2 and Group 1. I had to buy a physical book to get the data to do it. This is that book. 

The Horse: A Galloping History of Humanity - Tim Winegard opens the book stating "The domestication of horses was nothing short of an equine revolution in transportation, traction, trade, and war. It was the complete transformation package of civilization. When the multifaceted power of the horse was finally harnessed, it permanently altered the fabric of humanity and led to the foundation of history." 

From there Wingard takes back to 3500 BC and delivers nearly 500 pages on how the horse impacted civilization as we know it today. Stops along the way include the Egyptians and chariot war, the Assyrians and the first calvary, the Xiongnu plains raiders in China (the reason the Great Wall was built), The Mongols, Alexander the Great, the conquest of the Incas and Aztecs through to the Comanche and Sioux in the Americas. Fun fact, the expensive and beautiful brownstones of New York City were built with steps to a second floor to help avoid the piles of horse manure that had piled up on the city streets during the gilded age (when 200,000 horses roamed the streets). This is a history lesson wrapped inside of the story of equus. A long one - but very informative. Highly recommended.