Wrap-Up of the 2021 Nonfiction Reader Challenge

I signed up to read six books for this year's nonfiction reading challenge. I read seven, which is more than I have read in the past 10 years. Non-fiction is not a genre I have ever read much of but I found that I really liked the books that I selected for the challenge.

The Queen's Marriage by Lady Colin Campbell

The Cartiers by Francesca Cartier Brickell

The Code Breaker by Walter Isaacson

The Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe

Yellow by Michael Pasteaureau

Dear Abigail by Diane Jacobs

Revolutionary Mothers by Carol Berlin

Favorite Book:  Empire of Pain

2nd Favorite Book:  Revolutionary Mothers

Least Favorite Book:  Yellow

I purchased an additional three books for the challenge but have not read them yet.  If the challenge is renewed in 2022 I will definitely join.  This was a successful challenge for me as every author was new to me.

Peril

I knew that Bob Woodward's Peril would be a great read even though there have already been several excerpts in the media. It was. I had two profound thoughts after finishing the book but let me first state that the time period covered was the last six months of Trump's presidency and the first six months of Biden's presidency.

What struck me the most was how long the military had been controlling Trump's ability to begin a war. Military officers got together before scheduled meetings in the Oval Office to decide beforehand who would say what in the meetings. One person would be selected to take the heat from Trump, i.e., tell him the truth. Telling Trump the truth always resulted in him screaming obscenities at them. This was true from Trump's initial days in Office until he left Office. When the 2020 election was nearing, military officials were even more hands on because Trump was saying privately that he wanted military action against several other nations. It has been reported in the news that the Chinese were worried that the U.S. would attack them. This worry was true for the entire 2020 calendar year not just near the election date. In fact, the Chinese military was on high alert for an attack all year as were the Russians and Iranians. The American military had several discussions with the Chinese to advise that the U S. would not attack them and in so many words say they were in control of the nuclear weapons, not Trump. 

With such extraordinary efforts being made to avert wars why did no one remove Trump from Office? The military took some measures that were illegal. While I am glad they did so the fact remains that their actions were illegal. My latest reading of the U.S. Constitution shows that the vice president is the only person who can call a cabinet meeting to invoke the 25th Amendment and remove Trump.  In my mind Pence is just as guilty of illegal acts by failing to do his job. I guess the military did what they could given that Pence refused to do his duty. Former Joint Chief's Chairman General Milley was quoted in the book as saying that the military only has an obligation to the Constitution, not the Commander in Chief.  He upheld his duty to the Constitution by preventing Trump from starting a war, one that would also be illegal under the Constitution. We have former Vice President Pence to thank for the mess. I was not aware how much he contributed to it before reading the book. The only reason that this mess occurred is because he failed to uphold his own constitutional duties. Note, though, that the authors did not discuss Pence. These are my thoughts.

The book begins with Biden's inaugural address where he mentions that we are in a winter of peril. The book ends with the author's statement "peril remains." I agree with their assessment but most of the time I push that thought from my mind. It's just too upsetting. Peril should be required reading. I am rating it 5 out of 5 stars.

Yellow

Yellow is the latest installment in a series by Michel Pastoureau on the history of colors. Previously he has written about red, blue, black and green. The book was a bear to get through. It has been written like a textbook, quite scholarly. My interest in the book was peaked because I am an artist. However, when I bought it it was wrapped in plastic so I was unable to preview its pages. Had I seen how difficult it is to read I would have passed it up. That said, reading each section several times was helpful. I was able to remember many facts about my favorite color.

The book is divided into three sections. We initially have a section devoted to yellow's usage as a beneficial color, i.e., from ancient times to the fifth century. Next we see it as an ambiguous color, or it's usage between the sixth and fifteenth century. Finally, the color is seen as an unpopular one which is how it has been viewed from the fourteenth to the twenty first century.

As a beneficial color we read which plants or metals were used to create the color as well as how it was used in early cave drawings and clothing. Yellow was seen in nature in fields of grain and from the sun. Dressing in yellow was seen as feminine as it still is today. As an ambiguous color, yellow was seen as an important color when it was seen as gold. When yellow was shown as an ordinary yellow, its importance in heraldry and religious texts was much lower than red, blue or green. However, blond hair was always viewed as more favorable than other hair colors, especially on women. The section on yellow as an unpopular color states that the color was never used on clothing by the nobility because it was viewed as not being very modest. Artists viewed it negatively too. While in a bright light yellow is a happy color. When the light becomes dark, it no longer looks pleasant but rather dirty and ugly. Thus, the color ceased to be used in daily life. 

The book is a fine treatise but it is not for the light hearted reader. Obviously, someone interested in art history should read this book. It would be helpful for artists too but I believe there are other books on color that would be more helpful for the studio artist. 

3 out of 5 stars.

Dear Abigail

Dear Abigail is a biography of Abigail Adams and her two sisters. The author reviewed correspondence between them to paint a picture of their lives.  Given that they lived during the American Revolution their stories are important to our American history. Their letters are a snapshot of what life was like in colonial times.

The sisters were the daughters of a poor Congregational minister and his wealthy wife. Their correspondence began when the oldest, Mary, married and left the family home. Abigail was the next to marry but Betsy was much younger than them and didn't leave the house until her parents had passed. By that time Mary and Abigail had been married approximately 17 years already. Their letters to each other were frequent. The discussed their pregnancies, children, husbands, social lives as well as their political ideas. All supported freedom from England and were advocates for educational equality of the sexes. 

Much has been written over the years about Abigail's suggestion that her husband "remember the ladies" when he was involved with the writing of the Constitution. Current thought is that she was a feminist seeking complete equality of the sexes. Nothing could be further from the truth. During this era, women were so subjected to men that they would not have even been able to think about becoming equal to men. However, they desired to be educated in the same manner as the men were educated. They were successful in this endeavor. Educational equality was granted at the end of the Revolutionary War. The men agreed to this because they believed that their children would be educated well if their mothers were educated well.

The book covers the lives of the sisters from 1766 until 1801. Abigail's letters were, naturally, more prominent as she was the wife of our second president John Adams. All three of the sisters, though, led lives that were progressive for the era. Mary was basically in charge of running her village and Betsey co-founded a school that taught both girls and boys. 

Two interesting facts emerged from Abigail's letters. During Washington's presidency he left Philadelphia where the new nation was based to stay in Haverhill where Elizabeth lived. People came out in one of our coldest winters to hear him speak. They all got sick and their ailment was commonly known as the "Washington Cold." Also, when the new Executive Mansion was built there was an oval room constructed on the second floor. It was built in reverence for George Washington. When Washington lived in Philadelphia during his term in office he had an oval room in his home. It was his favorite room. We now call this oval room the "yellow oval room" in the White House. I am presuming that the Oval Office in the West Wing where modern presidents work was also constructed out of reverence for our first president.

When I picked up this book I knew I would relish the history within its pages. I read slowly to savor the words and I was not disappointed. I highly recommend it. 5 out of 5 stars!

Revolutionary Mothers

I am so happy that someone wrote a book about the founding mothers of the United States. This history book has several sections devoted to the wives of famous patriots, the wives of loyalist men, slave women, Native American women, camp followers, general's wives, and other heroines of the American Revolutionary War. Author Carol Berlin discusses their contributions before the war broke out, during the war and after the war.  

It was interesting that though these women managed their husband's businesses while they were gone from home and had to deal with both British and Continental Armies taking over their homes, they were still considered to be merely helpmates for their husbands. Their natural inclination was to obedience, industriousness and frugality and their natural function was to bear children. Women's destinies were dictated by the authorities in their world such as ministers and lawmakers and for the most part they followed what they were told to do. When the men determined to free themselves from British rule, it was up to the women to ensure that they handled their household's boycott of English products. Many had to learn how to spin fiber and weave clothing when English resources were cut off. The only advancement that women achieved at the end of the war was that they would be entitled to the same education as men. They still had no rights to own property or vote. 

I always thought it odd that women would follow the armies and camp with them. However, Berlin shows that this was the only way to ensure that they would have food to eat. If they stayed home food was scarce. Loyalist wives had it bad, especially when the war ended. The patriots punished them for not supporting independence and many left the colonies. Our famous founding fathers had difficulties communicating with the Indian tribes because they were matriarchal societies. They just could not handle having to deal with a female tribeswoman.  

This short, 166 page book is filled with the histories of all types of women and I highly recommend it.  5 out of 5 stars.

Empire of Pain

Empire of Pain details the Sackler family's pharmaceutical businesses. The Sacklers have given us librium, valium, oxycontin as well as the antiseptic betadine and the laxative senotkot.  From the language that the author has used, it is obvious that this book was intended not just to ruin the family name (which they did a good job of themselves) but to show that the opioid epidemic in the U. S. was directly caused by the use of oxycontin. However, "gaps" in the meticulously researched expose speak loudly.  

The Sackler brothers Arthur, Raymond and Mortimer were the children of American immigrants Isaac and Sophie Sackler. As first generation kids, their parents instilled in them the desire to make a name for the family. Sophie wanted all of her sons to be doctors and they all became one. Arthur, being the oldest, led his brothers to inherit all of his jobs and businesses when he went to college, whether that be a paper route or a vice president in one of his many corporations that he started while still in high school. When it came time to start a new corporation for the Sackler family, Purdue Pharma, Arthur's push to succeed caused him to shelter the family under 30 shadow companies. This business structure remained over the decades. These umbrella corporations handled things that would be a conflict of interest for Purdue Pharma, such as medical advertising and medical trials. The main company did the research and development, the drug trials and the advertising of the drug. Arthur made a ton of money for the family and succeeding generations merely followed his business plan.

Another one of Arthur's ideas was to take a product and advertise it as not just being for the main purpose it was created for but also to broaden its functions so that more people would want to buy the product. Arthur was a master advertiser. He was taking over the advertising for companies when he was still in high school. With the Sacklers being involved in pharmaceuticals, they were steering people toward drugs that were created for patients with severe pain even though their pain might be considered slight or moderate. These company strategies were later determined to be criminal and resulted in the company's downfall.

The author performed meticulous research. He read every document in every lawsuit of which the family was a part. The author's premise that oxycontin was the sole cause of the opioid epidemic does not hold water. He shows how those people prone to addiction and those who were already addicted to other drugs became addicted to oxycontin. However, he does not cite any data that shows that all people with chronic pain became addicted.  This was the family's defense. Many patients with chronic pain from identifiable conditions shown on x-rays and MRIs could not be shown to be addicted. Given that the author researched every single document on Purdue Pharma it is suspicious to me that there was no study showing this to be true. The author always refers to specific documents to prove his point. However, he sidetracked on this point and I can only surmise that is because there is no evidence to the contrary. 

A big part why family members behaved the way they did was due to their overwhelming wealth. The second and third generations grew up with no boundaries and no real concern for how well they performed in school or how well they performed their jobs in the company. If a problem arose concerning reports of addiction from oxycontin use, they simply ignored it because it was not in their interest.

Empire of Pain is a great resource for readers who want to learn the details about the oxycontin problem.  I highly recommend it.  5 out of 5 stars.

The Cartiers

The Cartiers is scheduled for publication in June 2021. However, I was able to buy a Kindle copy last month.  The author, Francesca Cartier Brickell, is a Cartier descendant.  When her grandfather, Jean-Jaques Cartier, was still alive she found a box full of old letters and documents in his home.  They reviewed them together and this knowledge became the basis for the book.

The book covers the beginning of the Cartier jewelry dynasty from its beginning in 1819 with Louis-Francois Cartier.  Louis-Francois started out in the jewelry business as an apprentice to Bernard Picard who owned  a well established workshop.  Workshop managers were known to use a whip when apprentices made mistakes. Many apprentices did not fulfill their apprenticeships but Louis-Francois was very determined because he had watched his father build a life from nothing.  His son Alfred learned the business from him and was able to pass it on to his three sons, Louis, Pierre and Jaques. The next generation sold their jewels to the Romanov dynasty as well as other royal families throughout the world.  Today, Cartier is a prominent international jeweler known for their creativity and excellence in workmanship.  

This book is an inspiring read for entrepreneurs.  Entrepreneurs will learn how to run a business so that it grows and maintains relevance through good economic years and bad.  The Cartiers figured out how to survive during the French Revolution, the rise of Napoleon, the fall of the Romanovs and both world wars.  It was interesting to read about the thoughts of the family on how to accomplish this. The book is also a behind the scenes look at how the Cartiers sold to the rich, royal and famous and offers tidbits on some of their best clients.

The Cartiers is a wonderful history book on the world of high jewelry.  5 out of 5 stars.

The Code Breaker

All of my friends raved about this book and we talked about it for over a month. I knew I had to read it. The Code Breaker is a biography of sorts. Scientist Jennifer Doudna's professional life is featured as well as the rush among the scientific field to develop the CRISPR technology.  CRISPR is the acronym for Clustered Relatively Interspersed Short Palindrome Repeats.  It can be used as a gene editing tool to cure diseases. When COVID-19 broke out, researchers had a head up on developing the COVID-19 vaccine because of the CRISPR technology.

The book opens with several chapters on Doudna's childhood. Her experiences as a white person in Hawaii formed her tenacious personality. She was regularly harassed by the Polynesian kids in her Hilo community because of her race. She was the rare Caucasian in Hilo. However, it taught her to focus on what was important, a trait that helped her in her work life.  

Several other scientists worked with Doudna on and off. Emmanuelle Charpentier is the first one I will mention as she and Doydna won the Nobel Prize for chemistry together in 2020. This award was given despite an ongoing court case over the CRISPR patents in the U. S. Supreme Court. Another scientist, Feng Zhang, fast tracked his patent application so that he would be the first person to obtain the CRISPR patent. His application was filed 3 weeks after Doudna filed hers.  His application contained false statements over who did what work. Zhang narrowed his patent application to push out other scientists who he worked with at the Broad Institute, George Church.and Luciano Marraffini. Normally 3 people are together awarded the Nobel Prize. Zhang would have been the 3rd person but that would have left out Marraffini who did most of the Zhang's work at the Broad Institute. 

Most of the scientists who did research on DNA and RNA as well as the developing CRISPR technology were doing it out of a passion for science, not financial gain. Zhang is the exception here. The other scientists were Blake Wiedenheft, Francisco Mojica, James Watson, Krzysztof Chilinski, Rodolphe Barrangou, and Le Cong. There are chapters in the book on their work as well. All worked on and off with Doudna. 

Code Breaker is a fascinating look at the search for new biotechnologies in the 21st century. 5 out of 5 stars.

The Queen's Marriage

I don't usually read biographies let alone salacious ones at that. However, I have been watching Lady Colin Campbell's You Tube channel and she certainly knows alot about the royal and aristocratic families. I decided to take this book out of the library and see what new information there is inside it.  Most of the information is well known but there are a few shockers. Yes, this is a spoiler alert!  

So what's the shocking story?  When the Queen's sister Margaret was told that she could not marry her divorced love, Margaret let her sister know that her husband had been sleeping around.  The Queen not only lost her closest friend, Margaret, but felt estranged from her husband Phillip.  She fell into a deep depression and had electric shock treatments administered to her.  The Queen's advisors all said that she couldn't do her job if she was on psychiatric meds and in the 1950s shock treatment was well regarded and a fast treatment.  I find this shocking ( pun intended).  How could anyone believe that electric shock therapy was a good thing?  The Queen could have been permanently physically damaged.  What were they thinking?

The other astonishing tidbit was both the Queen and Princess Margaret were conceived via artificial insemination. Their mother, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, did not like sex and cut her husband off while on their honeymoon.  A reliable physician inserted King's George VI 's semen into her.  This all sounds pretty gross to me but the author said this was not unusual for aristocratic couples who could not conceive.  Sometimes a surrogate was used too.

The biography is a quick read and I enjoyed it despite having to reread the sections that seemed unbelievable. I had to make sure my eyes weren't deceiving me.  5 out of 5 stars.

Non-Fiction Reader Challenge Sign-Up

The Non-Fiction Reader Challenge is another reading challenge that is new to me.  It will run throughout the 2021 calendar year. I am joining at the Nonfiction Nipper Level which requires me to read 3 books from any of the below categories:

1.    biography

2.    travel

3.    self-help

4.    essay

5.    disease

6.    oceanography

7.    hobbies

8.    indigenous cultures

9.    food

10.  wartime

11.  book published in 2021

12.  inventions

I think this will be a fun challenge.  I don't normally read nonfiction but have thought about it a lot during the past month.  The challenge host is the Book'd Book'd Out blog.