Review: Woke Up This Morning: The Definitive Oral History of The Sopranos

Woke Up This Morning: The Definitive Oral History of The Sopranos by Michael Imperioli
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

While I was a Sopranos fan when it originally aired, I haven’t thought much about it in the last five or ten years. But I always thought it was entertaining and groundbreaking television. I recently saw the prequel and then noticed this book was out. I picked it up.

The book is written as a series of conversations between two of the actors on the series and a number of cast and crew members from the original show. Ends up that this was originally a podcast, with guests for each episode that were interviewed. The authors then re-arranged snippets of the interviews to correspond to chapters relating to the development of the pilot, each season, and some special chapters on the writers and the music. The authors wrote short introduction paragraphs in front of each snippet, so you had some context and a description of the speaker. I found this quite useful in reading this book. I also applaud the consistent inclusion of the names of each speaker for each bit of conversation that they had. So many times I’ve read books like this that don’t annotate the conversations with the speakers and they get totally confusing. This was much nicer. The overall effect of chopping up conversations and refitting them into this season-based format wasn’t perfect. For instance some episodes were described by multiple people, sometimes in different ways, while other episodes were barely or not even mentioned. I suppose if you wanted to listen to the original podcasts you could get the same information divided up by guest instead of topic, but that would take a long, long time to go through. I tend to prefer audiobooks, but when I listened to a sample of this audiobook, those familiar characters from the show sound like they aged, and they seemed to be speaking very slowly. If they clipped together the original audio snippets, that would be a saving grace, perhaps, but I couldn’t tell it that happened with the sample.

For those who want to hear some of those stories about the actors and writers and directors that explain what happened during the show, this was a fun way to hear those stories. You really get the feel that the participants were all very positive on their experiences – most of the stories are glowing. Glad I read it – I really enjoyed it.


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Review: The Day of the Locust

The Day of the Locust by Nathanael West
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

In Hollywood, everything is fake. And it’s depressing for those living there. And also for those reading about it. This felt in the same vein as Frank Norris novels like “McTeague”. Same kind of mood. But at least Norris’ characters show a fall. I’m not sure West’s characters had highs enough to fall from when we come across them. I thought I would enjoy this more, but perhaps this isn’t one to enjoy. I did enjoy the writing, the descriptions of the fake houses really made it clear what West was going for here, he pulls no punches. Looking forward to the next by him in the Library of America volume.

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Review: Klara and the Sun

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed Ishiguro’s “Never Let Me Go”. I started that book without having read any reviews about the story itself, and found the gradual realization that it was about the lives of (view spoiler)[ cloned people raised to provide replacement organs for the “real” people, while maintaining their own kind of humanity (hide spoiler)]. It was touching, and provided a new and valuable perspective into the issues it focused on. Here, we have a very similar story.

(view spoiler)[Instead of cloning, the focus here is on androids – artificially intelligent human-looking robots built to provide friendship to human teens during their formative years. Like in “Never Let Me Go”, the story is from the perspective of the “servants”. To provide some differences in personality, each android is programmed a little differently, and can be better at some things and worse at others. This allows the androids to be sold a lot like cars – you can look for the one that fits your needs best. Ishiguro’s androids, at least some, spend time worrying about issues that are unique to them, like how they can help sell themselves to children and their parents, how to understand and learn their “friend” in order to provide good service, and strangely, they learn about the sun. These androids are solar powered, so need the sun to maintain their power. The perceptive android that this story revolves about even goes so far as to create a mythology about the sun, and goes to great lengths based on these beliefs to support her friend. The story brings to mind the question of how to tell if a being is sentient, and provides much to think about. (hide spoiler)] This is one of those books that gives you new things to think about long after you read it. I look forward to the next one in this vein by Ishiguro.


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Review: How to Read a Book: The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading

How to Read a Book: The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading by Mortimer J. Adler
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is one of the few rereads I’ve done. I originally bought this book in the late 80s. Adler is a Chicago icon, and I found a paperback copy of this book autographed at Marshall Fields on State Street. You couldn’t get more Chicago than that. I reread this in the hopes of relearning ways to rip apart a book as you read it, something that I had read about those decades ago. Ends up it was not this book I was thinking of. Instead of a methodical way of parsing a book involving copious notetaking, Adler’s method is more cerebral. This method provides a number of questions to answer, and involves starting with skimming and perusal of contents and indexes, but without the necessity of notetaking along the way. Adler also says that the use of his method in its entirety should be restricted to only a few major books. His method seems great for researchers using a book for further study or as a key source, but it is not as valuable for more recreational reading. His method is not a time saver – it is a time eater. As more of a recreational reader, I wasn’t the main target for this book. However, I did enjoy the method espoused, and will think in terms of the basic questions to ask of one’s understanding of a book, which are useful in many contexts, including some recreational reading.

I must comment on Adler's writing style. He writes in a very conversational way, which is disarming, even though he is continually diving deeper and deeper into his subject. You feel you are being taught by a very thorough teacher, led in your study but engagingly, given the topic is typically dry.

I had to check this out from the library. Ends up that I believe I sold my autographed copy to the former used bookstore over the now-closed Artists Cafe in the Fine Arts Building on Michigan Avenue in Chicago, probably 30 years ago. I can imagine it still resides on the bookshelf of a collector somewhere in the city.

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Review: Olga Dies Dreaming

Olga Dies Dreaming by Xóchitl González
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This wasn’t my typical read, but having won an advanced listening copy, I gave it a shot. I enjoyed the author’s style in writing. The plot didn’t make many surprising moves, beyond (view spoiler)[ bounding into anti-government political intrigue in Puerto Rico (hide spoiler)]. The characters struck me as standard ethnic and sexual minority characters you find on most current television shows. The rich customers of Olga's wedding planning service were always white and always ridiculous. The plot was a bit more convoluted and urban-edgy than a Halmark movie, but similar in plot. The only really odd part was the time in Puerto Rico, which seemed out of place for this kind of story. What I will remember is that Olga ridiculed her rich customers but really wanted to be exactly like them, down to doing odd things for show (as with her showing up her cousin by providing stolen expensive napkins for her wedding) and using illegal ways to make money. There is growth by the end of the story, but it goes on a bit long.

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Review: China's Economy: What Everyone Needs to Know

China's Economy: What Everyone Needs to Know by Arthur R. Kroeber
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’ve read a number of books and magazine articles about the Chinese economy and the future, as well as listening to many podcasts and news stories over the past few years. These sources tended to extremes when forecasting the future, and often offered wildly differing forecasts. Either China becomes the ruler of global finances, spreading its influence through Asia, Africa, and the world and replacing the US and the EU. Or it fails through some weakness. There are many weaknesses reported in various sources, including corruption, a rapidly aging population, lack of inventiveness, pollution, uneven wealth distribution, and more. These opposite forecasts make me wonder which is correct. I read this book hoping to understand this better.

“China’s Economy” does a good job of describing the many winds in favor of China, while also covering those winds that blow ill. In the final reconning, I would say that those opposite forecasts were both wrong to some extent, but also both correct. China’s economy will continue to grow, through occasional setbacks. But the many setbacks would appear to be enough to keep China from taking a strong lead in becoming the main global economy and will restrict the country to be one of a handful of global financial superpowers, at best.

This book was written in a non-academic style, but did a great job of explaining the issues, providing background, and describing the scenarios for the future. I appreciated the summation in the final chapters laying out the interplay of issues and their impact on the future. Note this was released before the Trump foreign policy era began, so you can tell that some of the options listed were no longer likely given the beginning of tighter scrutiny from the US. I would give this another 3 or 4 years before needing a major update. That’s not bad for this type of book.


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Review: The Anthropocene Reviewed

The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I listened to this audiobook driving to visit my daughter on a kind of serious and concerning mission. My state of mind was dark and meditative. To listen to Green discuss, and discuss deeply, stuff – and by stuff I mean anything – hot dog eating contests, COVID, the movie “Harvey”, the yips, anything. He talks about this stuff and rates it on a 5 point scale, which given the diversity of subjects is kind of nonsensical, but it feels so much like the friendly riffing a group of friends does that I found it, yes, charming. And insightful at times. Green looks at the humanity of this stuff, or he relates it to his own life, warts and all. It ends up engrossing. I had only read one John Green book previously, but I’ve got to read more now. And I need to visit that ball of paint to add my own layer. The book made the trip a breeze. It was just what I needed then.

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Review: The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop

The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop by Fannie Flagg
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I believe I’ve read all of Fannie Flagg’s books. I have enjoyed the Southern charm and the reflections on lives that she writes about. The return to Whistle Stop didn’t strike me as much as previous books. Perhaps it’s the charm that wasn’t up to snuff. By charm, I mean nostalgic charm. This book spent a lot of time in the now-a-days, with nursing homes and real estate development and modern conveniences. While there was still plenty of nostalgia, like all her books, I don’t find her writing about modern times as interesting, or charming. Still, Flagg’s books can still bring on that feeling like you are recalling visiting a Southern relatives house when younger, and I’ll keep reading for those kinds of feelings.

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Review: Game Plan: Winning Strategies for the Second Half of Your Life

Game Plan: Winning Strategies for the Second Half of Your Life by Bob Buford
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Buford provides some guidance on planning for what you should do with your life after a mid-life crisis. His focus is on successful business-people who, in rethinking their lives, want to consider becoming significant, generally in a spiritual way. He repeats this many times, trading a life of success for a life of significance. He aims this book at successful business-people generally in their mid forties. Even though I am more than a decade past this target, and even though I don't consider myself successful in business, I still found plenty to think about in this book. Having said that, it wasn't so different from other life planning books, especially those with a Christian bent.

I listened to this on audio. Interestingly, at one point the narrator relates that in the paper book at one point it includes a worksheet, or survey, and that it doesn't translate to audio very well. Instead, the narrator suggests contacting the original author of the survey, not the author of this book, and even spells out his email address. I appreciate the effort for the listeners. This seems like a key part of the book, so if you want the entire experience, you may want to avoid the audio version. At least this is a brief audiobook, so your investment isn't high, and the background and descriptions outside of the workbook activities are interesting, although if you want audio you might be satisfied with Buford's other book "Half Time", which covers the same territory without as much "how to".

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