The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane

The journey

Part of the America 1850 reading journey

How it got on the shelf

I first came across this book as a “class reader” in secondary school about 45 years ago. Although I didn’t particularly like it then, and don’t even remember finishing it, it must have made a sufficient impression on me to suggest its inclusion in this journey. Being a little unfashionable now, it was downloaded onto the virtual (Kindle) bookshelf for a modest £2.46 inclusive of “The Open Boat and Other Stories”.

The Review

The main story is set in the American Civil War and relates the early experiences of young Henry Fleming, newly enlisted in the Union army, as he prepares for his first battle. As this approaches he is plagued by doubts over whether he will fight or run when the bullets start to fly. Will he survive unscathed or, like some of the veterans he sees returning from the front, be wounded and sport that ‘red badge of courage’?

It reads longer than its 70 pages, possibly due to its slow deliberate pace, detailed descriptions and use of somewhat flowery and dated prose; although the latter does lend the book a period feel that matches its content.

Through Henry’s eyes we see vividly the soldiers, the army, the fractured landscape, and eventually the fighting. We also experience the disorienting confusion of the battlefield and Henry’s emotional turmoil that accompanies it.

This main story justifies its reputation as a defining novella of the American Civil War; not the politics, nor the military strategies, but how it may have felt to be involved as an ordinary foot soldier caught up, terribly, in this time and in that place.

The other stories continue the themes of comradeship and combat – men against the elements in “The Open Boat”, one on one in “The Blue Hotel”, and Yankee against Rebel in several others. The relationships of the combatants, based on fear, hatred, respect and dependency - especially complex in a civil war - are brought out well.

It was definitely worth returning to and finishing off this time.

Fluke – Christopher Moore

With the sub-title “or I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings” and a picture of a diving whale’s tail fin (or fluke) on the cover it’s no surprise that the novel concerns the adventures of a small team of whale song researchers.

Scientist Nate and photographer Clay spend their time and other people’s money bobbing around the coastal waters of Hawaii seeking, filming, recording, tagging and generally cooing over the various species of whales. Also aboard are young cute research assistant Amy, who tests Nate’s professional detachment, and white would-be hippy Rasta-boy Kona, who tests his patience.

The banter and flirting aboard and baiting of professional rivals ashore soon become secondary to a run of disturbing incidents that threaten their research efforts. Is this just bad luck or is there a mysterious force at work bent on scuppering their chances of discovering some inconvenient truth?

Things go from bad to worse; and from believable scientific fact to credibility stretching science fiction, as a secret of the ocean deeps is discovered by Nate, and not in a pleasant way.

The writing is easy on the eye but the laid back laconic style, while good for the banter and flirting, takes the edge of the (many) cliff-hanging moments when a character is endangered.

In summary a light, imaginative read with humour, likeable characters and dubious science.

Dreams from my Father by Barack Obama

Read as part O of the “Along the Library Shelf” reading journey

Chosen because

There were few O’s on the fiction shelves but this jumped out of the biographies section. With the US election campaign nearing its climax it seemed topical, was not over long, and had impressive review snippets on the cover.

The Review

Written in 1995, some 13 years ahead of presidential status, this is Barack Obama’s personal memoir of his early life, written as his contribution to the race relations debate.

He was born in Hawaii where his parents met while studying at the University. His father was black from Kenya, to where he soon returned, keeping sporadic touch from afar until his relatively early death. His mother, white from Kansas, moved on to a second marriage in Indonesia giving young Barack a brief taste of Asia before returning him to Hawaii in the care of his maternal grandparents.

Middle class schooling provided a first taste of the casual racism of the 60’s, present even in the cultural melting pot of Hawaii, prompting the first questions of race and identity. Moving on to support social projects in Chicago’s South Side, he saw how segregation had resulted from unemployed blacks coalescing in the poor inner city streets, while those able, mainly white but also the more affluent black, shipped out to the suburbs.

From the perspective given by his unusual family background, he searches open-mindedly to establish where he and his fellow black Americans really belong – to their half of the community, to their country, to their race - or all of these if that’s possible. Refreshingly for a future politician, he does not lay claim to all the answers.

The final section of the book sees him “return” to Kenya where he meets his disparate half siblings, aunts, uncles and cousins. This enables him to piece together the full story of his grandfather’s life in colonial Africa and his father’s, no less difficult times, in post-colonial Kenya.

It is very well written; the prose is clear, descriptions are atmospheric whether of the mean streets of Chicago or the dusty African bush, and characters are portrayed with empathy and respect. His range of writing style is impressive – Hawaii is entertaining, Chicago analytical and Kenya moving.

Whether he finds his answers or not it is a fascinating insight into what it is like to be black in what seems to be, still, very much a white man’s world - if no longer fashioned for him then certainly fashioned by him.

The book leaves a very favourable impression of the man and I was very glad to see him back in the White House.

Read another?

His “Audacity of Hope” looks like more of a political treatise so may not be for me, but a volume of how he managed to become President could be interesting.

 

The Falls – Ian Rankin

Rankin and Rebus are their own reading journey and this book, set in 2001, is stop number twelve.

For the uninitiated John Rebus is the maverick Detective Inspector with the Lothian and Borders Police. Unsurprisingly for followers of detective fiction, he has his problems, mainly with authority, relationships and drinking; tolerated due to his deep rooted desire to see justice done and his knack of solving those tricky crimes.

Here it is a missing person’s case, or has the body just not been found yet? What is the significance of the miniature coffin found close to her home? Was she involved in a dangerous internet-based game?

As the case develops Rankin packs the pages with police procedure, office politics and snatches of the personal lives of Rebus and his colleagues. Rebus is no Sherlock Holmes so don’t expect read the clues and beat him to the solution; he is more of a Columbo, working on hunches and poking potential suspects with barbed comments until either they break cover or he stumbles over the answer. In truth the crime is not as important to the book as the motivations, behaviour and interaction of all those involved: the victims, suspects, witnesses, police and press.

It is well written, fiendishly plotted, and best read quickly to maintain a grip on the multifarious threads of the story. If you know Edinburgh the references to its topography, history and notoriously dichotomous nature (displaying elegance & brutality, enlightenment & depravity, and home to high rollers & low lifers) add a further dimension, which having lived in the city I find particularly alluring.

So no doubt I will see Rebus through to his retirement in about five books time; if you want to start from scratch seek out “Knots and Crosses” from your local charity shop and enjoy the journey.

Juliet, Naked – Nick Hornby

Although much of Bibliodyssey is about new reading experiences, there is no reason to forsake tried and trusted favourites.

Nick Hornby and I have grown older together. Progressing from the youthful Fever Pitch and laddish High Fidelity, through yuppie About a Boy, to young married How To Be Good. Long Way Down was multi-generational and Slam reverted to youth, but with Juliet, Naked we are into middle age territory.

Annie & Duncan’s long term relationship is drifting comfortably but aimlessly. Unwed and so far childless, their jobs secure but unexciting, there is little passion apart from Duncan’s obsession with an obscure and long-time reclusive 80’s rock star Tucker Crowe.

When a newly discovered Crowe recording emerges it is the unexpected catalyst for change, propelling Annie in particular down an unlikely path to self-discovery and possible fulfilment. But she is not the only one affected and more than one character has to navigate choppy emotional waters and potential pitfalls along the way.

Hornby’s sure hand on relationships and dialogue, and his eye for humour are all here. He also knows his music, and describes Tucker Crowe’s place in the rock pantheon so authentically that it almost had me checking him out on Google.

Light and entertaining but with a few moral dilemmas along the way – just another typically good Hornby read.