Class Note 1979
Issue
Sept - Oct 2019
National Book Month (NBM), which was created by the National Book Foundation in 2003 to focus attention on the importance of reading, writing, and literature, is celebrated annually throughout the month of October. To commemorate NBM, we asked some classmates to respond to the prompt, “What’s the best book you’ve read (or audio book you’ve listened to) in the last year or two, and why did you select it?” Here are their recommendations.
Steve Hufford: “If I were to pick just one book it would be Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. Why? Because while it is a small volume, there are those who love it! The author, who must have been a very funny child, is certainly a humorous, deeply perceptive adult. As she says, when you put your life in order (an enduring quest for me), things become clearer. What could be a better outcome from reading a book than that?”
Otho Kerr: “By far my favorite book in recent years is Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari. Harari is a brilliant author who describes the complexity of human history in a way that is entertaining and helpful regarding how you think about the future. If you want to know how we got where we are today, read Sapiens. Harari’s more recent 21 Lessons for the 21st Century is also an outstanding read, by the way.”
Norm Richter: “Let me recommend reading as a pair two short books published more than 100 years ago. The first is Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Calder, published in 1903. This British novel is regarded by some as the first of the espionage fiction genre, and despite the convoluted literary style of that time, is a fast and gripping read. The second book—The 39 Steps by Scottish novelist John Buchan, published in 1915 and made into a film by Alfred Hitchcock in 1935—is better known. Buchan was a fascinating mix of writer and politician, publishing 30 novels while serving as a British member of parliament and as governor general of Canada. Though also written in an older style, this classic thriller will pull you in fast and hold you.”
Adam Samuels: “The book I’ve enjoyed most so far this year is Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver. She does a terrific job of juxtaposing two different times—1871, when the writings of Darwin threatened the worldview of modern society, and 2016, a time we are all familiar with—using a run-down home in New Jersey as the common foundation. There’s a mix of real people and invented characters, all of whom I could relate to independent of when or whether they existed. I read Unsheltered on my Kindle, but it would make for a great listen in audio book format given Kingsolver’s gift for dialogue.”
Sadly, we must close by mourning the passing of our kind-hearted, good-natured friend Robert Ng this past April. Bobby and his infectious laugh will be greatly missed.
—Stanley Weil, 15 Peck Road, Mt. Kisco, NY 10549; (917) 428-0852; stanno79@gmail.com; John Currier, 82 Carpenter St., Norwich, VT 05055; (802) 649-2577; john.h.currier@dartmouth.edu
Steve Hufford: “If I were to pick just one book it would be Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. Why? Because while it is a small volume, there are those who love it! The author, who must have been a very funny child, is certainly a humorous, deeply perceptive adult. As she says, when you put your life in order (an enduring quest for me), things become clearer. What could be a better outcome from reading a book than that?”
Otho Kerr: “By far my favorite book in recent years is Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari. Harari is a brilliant author who describes the complexity of human history in a way that is entertaining and helpful regarding how you think about the future. If you want to know how we got where we are today, read Sapiens. Harari’s more recent 21 Lessons for the 21st Century is also an outstanding read, by the way.”
Norm Richter: “Let me recommend reading as a pair two short books published more than 100 years ago. The first is Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Calder, published in 1903. This British novel is regarded by some as the first of the espionage fiction genre, and despite the convoluted literary style of that time, is a fast and gripping read. The second book—The 39 Steps by Scottish novelist John Buchan, published in 1915 and made into a film by Alfred Hitchcock in 1935—is better known. Buchan was a fascinating mix of writer and politician, publishing 30 novels while serving as a British member of parliament and as governor general of Canada. Though also written in an older style, this classic thriller will pull you in fast and hold you.”
Adam Samuels: “The book I’ve enjoyed most so far this year is Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver. She does a terrific job of juxtaposing two different times—1871, when the writings of Darwin threatened the worldview of modern society, and 2016, a time we are all familiar with—using a run-down home in New Jersey as the common foundation. There’s a mix of real people and invented characters, all of whom I could relate to independent of when or whether they existed. I read Unsheltered on my Kindle, but it would make for a great listen in audio book format given Kingsolver’s gift for dialogue.”
Sadly, we must close by mourning the passing of our kind-hearted, good-natured friend Robert Ng this past April. Bobby and his infectious laugh will be greatly missed.
—Stanley Weil, 15 Peck Road, Mt. Kisco, NY 10549; (917) 428-0852; stanno79@gmail.com; John Currier, 82 Carpenter St., Norwich, VT 05055; (802) 649-2577; john.h.currier@dartmouth.edu