Class Note 1990
This month I asked ‘90s, “What’s the best book you’ve read during the last two years?” Here are your responses. Marcus Weiss: “Stylistically unique, terrifyingly engrossing, magnificently evocative, The Road, by Cormac McCarthy, is my favorite book from the last two years. Both McCarthy and I were older when we welcomed our first sons into the world. His impetus for the novel cast all the more powerful a light on the tale. I was in between performance cues when finishing the book, as my fellow clowns walked in on my tear-soaked face. I teach part-time middle and high school now. Hold me in your thoughts.”
Mike Lindgren: “I’m a book reviewer for The Washington Post, so I get some variant of this question frequently. The best book I have read that was published in the past two years is Ta-Nehisi Coates’ scorching memoir Between the World and Me—a moving and deeply troubling meditation on race that moves on prose of shimmering power. The best book I have read, all told, is Morphology of the Folktale, by Vladmir Propp, which was first published in the Soviet Union in 1928. Propp’s magnum opus is a foundational text in literary structuralism, and thus a book that I can cite with near-perfect assurance that none of my classmates will have read it (or will ever want to).”
Susan Hirt: “Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World, by Cal Newport ’04, and Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise, by Anders Ericsson. Whether people are looking to take their careers to the next level or to sharpen a new or neglected talent, both books have much to offer.”
Andy Affleck: “Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World, by Jack Weatherford. Until the fall of the Soviet Union, much of Mongolian history was hidden from the world and what was known was largely wrong or grossly inaccurate. When Mongolia opened up, Weatherford spent years exploring Mongolia and researching the history of this fascinating region. What he discovered is nothing short of amazing. Genghis had created a surprisingly progressive society, complete with freedom of religion, public education and much more. A fascinating read.”
Sue Domchek: “Wallace Stegner’s Crossing to Safety tops my list. It’s a beautifully written story following two couples over their lives. Life isn’t fair, people are far from perfect, and yet beauty and love remain. Also, my big news is that our son, David Vonderheide, was just accepted to Dartmouth’s class of 2021. Very excited that he will get to experience this special place!”
Scott Reed: “I recently re-read a book about an old ’87 classmate: 1887, that is. Charles Eastman’s autobiography From the Deep Woods to Civilization recounts his journey from his childhood as a Dakota in Minnesota to his time at Dartmouth and onward as he becomes a doctor in Boston. Also, I am tardy but happy to report the wedding of Caswell Dunlap to Heather Hinds on Fiji in July. It was followed by an early August reception in Dallas that was attended by a small contingent of friends, including Jackie (Joy) Ames and Greg Ames.”
John McBride:“About a month ago an ’06 loaned me a book, Ledyard: In Search of the First American Explorer. Written by Bill Gifford ’88, it chronicles the life and adventures of our most famous dropout, John Ledyard. The book tells a fascinating tale, including Ledyard’s time with Captain Cook in the Hawaiian Islands and with Thomas Jefferson in Paris.”
Brad Drazen: “The Yiddish Policeman’s Union, by Michael Chabon.”
David Roth: “No book recommendation, butI recently celebrated my 20th year working in Birmingham, Alabama, for the law firm of Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP. My wife, Kathleen, runs a local letterpress studio and I have two children, ages 13 and 16. The oldest—my son—is beginning to consider college choices, which is a fascinating if stressful process. Our classmate Abdul Kallon worked with me for many years, but was appointed a Federal District Court judge a few years ago and is currently doing an outstanding job on the bench.”
—Rob Crawford, 22 Black Oak Road, Weston, MA, 02493; crawdaddy37@gmail.com
