The Winter Reading List
My copy of David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest is staring at me dismissively from my bookshelf. I have attempted to consume it several times, though, like post-modern clockwork, I abandon it after a few chapters once I realize how intimidating it is. Adding a fourth digit to a book’s page count makes it seem epic, beyond understanding, and weighty. And so, Mr. Wallace’s masterpiece has spent another season collecting dust and sending accusing glances as I tore through other books during the winter months. This time, however, it’s right to be pissed. After all, I read not one but two books that topped out over 1,000 pages over the past few months, and both were read with fascination and delight. So, maybe, it’s not the size but how it’s used, that keeps me interested.
Soon, Infinite Jest. Soon.
The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
Whenever I ask for classic book recommendations, Dumas’ most popular book is repeatedly offered. Not only considered a literary classic, it is considered an artistic masterpiece. And so, having spent some time in Marseille, and in search of an interesting story to keep me warm during the colder months, I cracked Monte Cristo open.
The book is, genuinely, an all-time great. Thrilling story. Amazing characters. Beautiful prose. And it’s full of details that help capture what life truly was like for Edmond Dantés and his compatriots in France in the early 19th century.
But dear God is it a long book. It’s as if Dumas wants to brag about his world travels and knowledge of different cultures. The book’s serialized nature is clear during the last two thirds of the book which is filled with padding upon padding.
I still highly recommend reading the novel, and know that getting through the latter parts will help you understand the torture and isolation Dantés felt while imprisoned at the Chateau D’If.
Savage Continent, Keith Lowe
Brutal. Absolutely brutal. Naively, I assumed once Hitler killed himself and the Nazi regime came to an end, that all went back to normal in Europe following WWII. History books don’t really speak about the post-war years, at least American books which talk about the joy and happiness that spread throughout the country following the return of the troops. But, this book is something else.
It is not for the faint of heart. It shows man at his ugliest. It made me wonder, if I were ever in these dire straights, could I commit such atrocities to stay alive? For revenge?
To say that I loved this book would be a bit odd. It was utterly fascinating. It shed some light on the pains that plagued Europe, and how wounds take decades and even centuries to heal. But it is a necessary book, one that should be appreciated and read with caution and a strong stomach.
The Power Broker, Robert A. Caro
I finally did it. Having seen my friend, Adam Benditsky, carry around this absolute brick of a book for months in the late 00s, I decided to see what all the fuss was about.
My introduction to Robert Moses was through Jane Jacobs’ equally compelling book, The Death and Life of Great American Cities, in college. She painted him as a villain, and I was eager to get a more rounded view of the man. (Spoiler, he’s pretty much a villain).
On the surface, a biography of a man who built roads, bridges, and parks doesn’t seem to be that interesting. But Caro’s work is so complete, so engaging, and so well-researched that it’s one of the best books I’ve ever read.
It’s not just a history of a man, but of a city on the verge of becoming the center of the world and how the power to shape it was fought over. Having spent a good part of my life in the New York metropolitan area, it’s incredible to learn not just how things were built, but why.
I imagine Moses will be a controversial figure for centuries to come, especially as many of his works are now being dismantled and re-thought. But he was a visionary, despite his single-minded focus on the automobile and appeasing those who could bring him the most power.
Note: When finished, one should read Moses’ response to the work, though it inadvertently doubles-down on the accusations in Caro’s book.
