Book Group: Demons by Fyodor Dostoevsky

With all my talk about books, I thought it would be nice if we all read the same book at the same time, followed by an online discussion. With that in mind, I invite you to join me as I read the following books over the next several months, at the rate of one book every one to two months (depending on the size of the book), and according to the loose schedule indicated below:

1. Demons by Fyodor Dostoevsky (April-May)
2. Absurdistan: A Novel by Gary Shteyngart (June)
3. Brigham Young: American Moses by Leonard Arrington (July)
4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling (August)
5. The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion; and A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis (September)
6. Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow (October)
6. The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan (November)
7. READER'S CHOICE (December)

For those that decide to join me in reading the above-listed books, please recommend a favorite book, or something on your reading list, for the month of December. It would be fun to read something that I didn't pick.

Now, rather than burden you with administrative details or with a pathetic plea to read along and participate in what is sure to be a delightful discussion of each book, let me introduce our first book--Demons by Fyodor Dostoevsky.

Demons by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Inspired by the true story of a political murder that horrified Russians in 1869, Fyodor Dostoevsky conceived of Demons as a "novel-pamphlet" in which he would say everything about the plague of materialist ideology that he saw infecting his native land. What emerged was a prophetic and ferociously funny masterpiece of ideology and murder in pre-revolutionary Russia.

From the forward
Demons is a novel of ideas run amok.

"Here, in what many consider the darkest of his novels, Dostoevsky inscribes the fundamental freedom of Judeo-Christian revelation--the freedom to turn from evil, the freedom to repent."

"The demons, then, are ideas, that legion of isms that came to Russia from the West; idealism, rationalism, empiricism, materialism, utilitarianism, positivism, socialism, anarchism, nihilism, and, underlying them all, atheism."

"The world reflected in the novel is already in a state of parody. . . . The issues, the passions, the oppositions, the polemics, the conspiracies are serious, all too serious. It may be said that this world is in a very serious state of parody (demons always want to be taken seriously)."

Translation
Several individuals have translated this book into English. Some call it "The Possessed"; others call it "Devils"; and still others call it "Demons." After reading various translations of Dostoevsky's other novels, I recommend reading the new translation by Richard Pevear and larissa Volokhonsky. Here are links to buy a copy from Amazon.com: paperback / hardcover.

Reading schedule
Demons is a large book, consisting of three parts. I will be reading each part according to the following schedule:

Part I - April 20
Part II - May 11
Part III - June 1

I will initiate discussion for each part on or after the date listed above.

Dostoevsky
Here are two links with more information on Dostoevsky, the man and his writing:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fyodor_Dostoevsky

http://www.eckerd.edu/academics/qfm/qfm%20files/Foltz%20-%20Dostoevsky%20Study%20Guide.pdf

Happy reading!!

Book Review: The Looming Tower:Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 by Lawrence Wright

Grade: A

The New York Times named The Looming Tower one of the ten best books of 2006. I agree. This is a wonderful book that I wholeheartedly recommend to anyone wishing to understand the making of Al-Qaeda and the events leading to September 11, 2001. But don't expect this book to recount the tale told through the news. Instead, Wright explains the philosophical origins of Al-Qaeda, the history of Bin Laden's wealth and influence, including the construction empire built by his illiterate father, the relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia, the formation of Al Qaeda, and the rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan. Wright ends the book in climactic fashion by telling the story of FBI agent John O'Neill, a brash, driven agent dedicated to ending Al Qaeda and capturing Bin Laden. Ultimately, O'Neill retires from the FBI in July 2001 due to inter-agency politics and problems resulting from his turbulent personal life. In the great irony of the book, O'Neill retires to become Chief of Security at the World Trade Center, where he dies on September 11, 2001, killed by the group he worked so hard to destroy. Its worth reading this book for O'Neill's story alone.

Rather than recount more details, I end with a humorous account about the Taliban's actions shortly after taking Kabul:

The fashion dictators demanded that a man's beard be longer than the grip of his hand. Violators went to jail until they were sufficiently bushy. A man with "Beatle-ly" hair would have his head shaved. Should a woman leave her home without her veil, "her home will be marked and her husband punished," the Taliban penal code decreed. The animals in the zoo--those that had not been stolen in previous administrations--were slain or left to starve. One zealous, perhaps mad, Taliban jumped into a bear's cage and cut off his nose, reputedly because the animal's "beard" was not long enough. Another fighter, intoxicated by events and his own power, leaped into the lion's den and cried out, "I am the lion now!" The lion killed him. Another Taliban soldier threw a grenade into the den, blinding the animal. These two, the noseless bear and the blind lion, together with two wolves, were the only animals that survived the Taliban rule.

"'Throw reason to the dogs,' read a sign posted on the wall of the office of the religious police, who were trained by the Saudis. 'It stinks of corruption.' And yet the Afghan people, so exhausted by war, initially embraced the imposition of this costly order.'"

Top ten reasons why I shouldn't have picked BYU over Xavier:

10. They can't rebound!
9. They can't defend!
8. Austin Ainge shoots too much.
7. Rose shoots too little.
6. Plaisted can't make free throws.
5. Plaisted jumps on every pump fake.
4. Did I mention that they can't rebound?
3. Or defend?
2. Or that Austin Ainge shoots too much?
1. He's no Danny: Austin Ainge, after watching repeated highlights of BYU's 1982 win against Notre Dame, does his best daddy impersonation. Only Austin's version, unlike his father's baseline-to-baseline drive to win the game, ends with Austin driving into traffic, refusing to pass, falling to the ground, losing the ball, and watching time expire.

But, hey, they are far better than Utah. I'm pretty sure I could make Utah's team.

March Madness

Ok, here's a link to the best article on the tournament to date:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/blog/index?entryDate=20070312&name=simmons&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab4pos2

Here are the highlights (with my comments in parentheses):

1) Jeff Green is dynamite!! (Agreed)

2) Rick Majerus: Funniest random moment: The "ESPN GameDay" producers deciding it would be a good idea to have Karl Ravech and Rick Majerus step away from the desk so Majerus could describe how he'd defend Alando Tucker (played by Ravech) ... and Majerus running out of breath in about two seconds. Even Hugo Hurley is in better shape than Rick Majerus. (So sad I missed it!! Hope its on YouTube!! Wish Rick was still coaching the Utes!! Still hate Gordon Monson for running him out of town, among other things!!)

3) Kevin Durant (Yes, he is that good!!)

4) Cable/Satellite technicians (I just switched from Dish Network to Direct TV. Don't get me wrong, I love Direct TV, which has far more sports channels than Dish Network (it isn't even close), but the installation guy was clueless and didn't speak english. At least now I know how to say tripod in Spanish!! I love the Seinfeld episode where Kramer tells the cable guy to come between 8:00 and noon, and then pretends he isn't at home just to get back at them. I've been so tempted to do that!)

Blakesley Bracket Busters

The NCAA Tournament has arrived, which means its time to toe the line and choose your winners. No matter your criteria for picking winners--record, skill, favorite players, alma mater, ticket holder, hatred, jersey color, or if you dated someone with that name (ala the year Amber's roommate won by choosing Kent State because she dated a guy named Kent)--You are hereby invited to join the Blakesleague Tournament Pick'em. In order to join the group, click on this link. When prompted, enter the following information:

Group ID#: 91385
Password: hoyas

Then let it be known which Cardinal you prefer? Louisville or Stanford? Which Wildcat, Kentucky or Villanova? And know that Katie will be selecting Villanova's brand of Wildcat based solely on the looks of their coach, Jay Wright, whom I have been informed is the standard to which all men should aspire. Yes, Jay Wright is the new Matthew McConaughey. Don't believe me? Check out this photo:

You must make your picks before tipoff Thursday afternoon. Good Luck!!

Go Hoyas!!

Happy Birthday to Ian and Musing Ian

I'd like to offer best wishes and a happy birthday to my cousin, friend, and fellow attorney Ian Davis. Today is also, coincidentally, the first birthday of his blog, Musing Ian. Happy Birthday!!

Meet Flip Romney

Readers have requested a photo of Flip Romney, the Dolphin from Massachusetts. Here he is in all his glory!

Baby Lucas meets the (Future?) President

With my mother-in-law visiting from California, Katie and I decided to give her a true Washington experience--we went to hear Mitt Romney speak. This was my first involvement in anything political, and while it was interesting to observe the ultra-political do their thing, and fun to support Romney, the highlight was seeing Lucas meet a Presidential hopeful. Here is video to prove it:



You can see Katie holding Lucas on the left, then Romney bends down to greet him. I am in the back row holding up a sign to block "Flip" the anti-Romney Dolphin from the camera's view. Near the end of the clip you can see Katie and Lucas trailing Romney into the hotel.

Amber for Best Supporting Actress

I vote Amber for best supporting actress. If Al Gore can win for a PowerPoint, this fine video is certainly worthy of an Oscar. Amber is the second girl on the couch, the one who hides behind a magazine. Amber: Who is ZANTAR, and what does ZANTAR mean?