Although David's selection has romance and a relatively happy ending, I found the book disturbing. The brutality of the German and Russian soldiers, the bombing and strafing by the German and Allied planes, the raping and pillaging, and especially the persecution of the Jews, it is a painful reminder of man's inhumanity to man. I am reminded of a book I read in high school called the "Painted Bird" involving a 14 year old Jewish boy enduring the atrocities in Eastern Europe at the end of the war. I also also am reminded of the book we read, "Slaughterhouse 5" involving the senseless bombing of Dresden. The story is told from the perspective of the German family fleeing their estate in occupied Poland. The family has to live with the guilt that they benefited under the Nazi's and the men fought for the 3rd Reich. On the other hand, the main characters are decent and one can say goodness won out, but just barely.
Friday, August 05, 2022
Tuesday, August 02, 2022
Paul
Our co-founder and good friend passed away last week. He was our most conservative, yet still non-Trumpian, voice. He was not shy to take up any opposing side on an issue and provided balance and perspective to our conversations. He believed in the power of individual ingenuity to solve the problems of the world and was against excess regulation. Although not the youngest, he continued to work as a mentor for others long after most of us had retired.
Paul did select more business related books than the rest of us. He had a passion for improving efficiency and empowering entrepreneurs. Many of his selections were challenging reads that greatly expanded our business knowledge, with the possible exception of "Who moved my Cheese". I vaguely remember Paul trying to upgrade the book club by providing the group with a list of 100 classic books that we could choose from. After one Hemmingway and a Tolstoy we all nixed the list. Paul's other selections brought to our group his interest in archeology, synchronicity, and simply stories of human kindness.
Paul's wit, charm, and insight will be sorely missed and I believe his voice will live on in our future meetings.
On Sunday, July 31, 2022, members of the book club attended Paul's celebration of life. Stanley spoke of Paul's unique personality, their involvement with the SPUSD, and their trips together. David read a letter from Bob about his long term friendship and spoke of his input to the club and to CAS. Bill spoke of his special talents in mentoring others in his professional life and what made Paul special. It was a moving gathering of friends and especially his extended loving family. Thank you Susan!
Midnight in Washington
We members of the No Name Book Club would like to thank you for your years of honorable service to our country and our district. We are a group of guys from the San Gabriel Valley that just read your book, Midnight in Washington. Mr. Higgins is hosting our gathering tonight just down the street from where you had your wedding reception in Altadena.
We found your book, on the one hand, a sad and painful reminder of the past several years of Trumpian politics in America. On the other hand, you reminded us of the brave women and men that have stood up for democracy including Yovanovitch, Hill, Vindman, Taylor, your fellow impeachment managers, and yourself. We recognize the courage it must take to stand up to the bully in chief, not to mention white supremacy and the Russians.
As a group, we come from a broad range of the political spectrum, however none of us identify with what has become of the Republican party. We have engaged in lively conversation for over 22 years and 270 books and still are the best of friends. Too bad our Republican Representatives, and many of the Senators as well, are unable to practice basic civility.
Keep up the good work, including your recent stand against Putin’s aggression in Ukraine, and know that you have the full support of our book club…for what it’s worth.
Our sincere thanks,
No Name Book Club
