Historical non-fiction is a difficult genre. It would be easy enough if the writer was only interested in attaining a readership of bona-fide history buffs but if one is trying to attract a larger audience the wicket gets much stickier. The writer must remain true to the facts while also creating an engaging, compelling tale.
Laurence Bergreen does just that in his fabulous story of Magellan's circumnavigation of the globe.
In Over the Edge of the World, Bergreen combines his considerable skills-- for setting historical context, for storytelling and for writing beautiful prose—to tell this amazing story of exploration and discovery.
From the outset, Bergreen does a wonderful job of framing the story within the perspective of the times and the religious, political and social climates.
The first part, which is all about this context-setting, is a bit dry but it’s so very important to the story.
The reader must understand that in 1519 Europe, the undiscovered lands of world maps were filled in with the fanciful imaginings of astrologers and philosophers. The concept of longitude was still unknown. Tales of sea monsters and soul-stealing sea sirens were passed on as fact. Mariners literally believed they might sail off the edge of the world. In those days this trip around the world was not unlike the first trip to the moon.
In the world economy, spices were more valuable than gold. A small sack of spices was worth a small fortune; penniless sailors could return home wealthy. And Europe's two maritime superpowers, Portugal and Spain, endlessly vied and sometimes openly fought for control of the world spice trade.
Seafaring in the early 16th century was most heinous. These ships had no sanitary facilities and the odors of rotting food, animal wastes (when they had them) and foul bilge-water were constant companions. There were no hammocks for the crew--men just slept on the hard wood deck on the rare occasions when they got any sleep at all. Sailors often worked around the clock at the back-breaking chore of pumping water out of the ship until they could find a safe harbor for making repairs.
They frequently starved for a long stretches of the journey as food stocks became depleted or inedible. They died slow and agonizing deaths from scurvy. [Interesting factoid: It was a mystery to mariners why the officers seemed oddly immune to the ravages of scurvy. The reason is quite simple. Most often the officers had private stores of quince jelly which would have provided ample vitamin C to protect them from the ravages of scurvy. Now you know.]
But these also carnally-starved sailors often found themselves on islands full of exotic naked women who were openly sexual. Needless to say, orgies often ensued and the Europeans were exposed to bizarre sexual practices that both enticed them and scared the bejesus out of them. Especially the practice of palang, which required the males of the tribe to pierce or sew various accoutrements of pleasure to their penises in order to better satisfy the ladies. The island ladies liked ‘em lumpy.
Now, that I’ve piqued your interest by playing the sex card I feel nothing more need be said but here’s a quick wrap-up. In 1519 Magellan set sail with a fleet of five ships and more than two hundred men, in search of the Spice Islands. They explored, discovered, mutinied, suffered, had a few orgies and died ..a lot.
Three years later they returned with an abundance of spices on just one ship carrying eighteen emaciated men. Now that’s what I call a remarkable sea-faring adventure.
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Wicked
Wicked, as in The Wicked Witch of the West ..the one with the army of terrifying flying monkeys and a deadly (literally) fear of water. I’m reading Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West and I can’t bear to put it down. It’s monumentally fabulous, I kid you not. Buy it now; thank me later.
Have you ever wondered about what happened in the Land of Oz before Dorothy and Toto landed there? And who was this Wicked Witch of the West and just why was she so wicked? Well, Gregory Maguire (the author) wondered and so he created a back-story for the Wicked Witch of the West that begins with her birth in the town of Rush Margins, Muchkinland in the mystical Land of Oz. (Interesting trivia note: he named The Wicked Witch Elphaba as a shout out to her creator, L. Frank Baum.)
But this book is so much more than just a biography of arguably the most famous witch in the world. It’s also about the nature of good and evil; the search for God; politics and government; and even more, oh my!
It is staggeringly brilliant writing. I’m only about a fourth of the way into it and I already know it will become one of my favorite books ever—a sure thing for a Top Ten list.
Anyhoo, I can’t write any more because I can’t wait to get back to it. Cheers!
Peace Like A River
I read a wonderful book while on my roadtrip that I just have to gush about endlessly. A mixture of tragedy, adventure, and miracles, Peace Like a River by Leif Enger is a story told by Reuben Land, an asthmatic 11-year-old boy, who could be compared fairly to other great child narrators like Huck Finn and Scout Finch. His passionate and earnest voice allows this novel to transcend any limitations of belief. As one reviewer stated perfectly “what could be unbelievable becomes extraordinary”. Says Reuben, as he begins recounting the tale, "Here's what I saw. Here's how it went. Make of it what you will.”
Reuben tells how his father rescued his brother Davy's girlfriend from two attackers, and how this escalates into a horrific outcome that turns Davy into an outlaw on the run.
Reuben’s father, Jeremiah Land, who seems to have a connection to a higher power, believes that divine intervention is at play when he loses his job and, shortly thereafter, inherits an Airstream trailer from a deceased traveling salesmen. So, both the Lands and the law follow Davy to The Badlands of North Dakota.
It’s been a long time since I’ve fallen this much in love with characters in a novel. Even if this book had no plot at all I would still look forward to reading it every day just to spend time with the Lands. I found myself wishing so hard for better days for them and crying when their hearts got broken.
Reuben’s little sister, Swede, is in a word delightful. She’s nine years old, dimpled and blonde, and desperately in love with The West. She writes epic poems about a hero named Sunny Sundown. Swede’s verse is scattered throughout the book, which adds an additional element of entertainment.
I have read about 5,000,000 books and this one definitely ranks right up at the top. There is magic in Enger’s prose, and who couldn't use a little magic these days.
Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim
I was so excited about my and A.'s Lonsesome Dove Evil Twin-ness that I forgot how excited I was about finding that David Sedaris' new book Dress Your Family in Cordouroy and Denim is out! I adore David Sedaris--his writing makes me laugh out loud. On my last trip back to Tejas I took Me Talk Pretty One Day to re-read on the plane. I was laughing so much that the guy next to me said "I have to know what you are reading" When I told him he flipped out; turns out he is a big David Sedaris fan, too, and had also laughed his ass off while reading this book.
Now, I have to finish my other book so that I can read this one. For some reason, I thought it was coming out later this summer. I keep looking at it wanting to dive right into it but I want to save it for a while and titilate myself with anticipation.
