Inside Jacket

William J. Lederer, the former naval officer who co-wrote, The Ugly American – a novel blasted America’s foreign policy in Southeast Asia, ,died last month, reports the NY Times. He was 97

I’ve been reading some amazing books lately. Big Machine,
Await Your Reply, The Unnamed, The Prince of Mist. I love when I get into these
wam-bam phases of reading where every book I read is fantastic and compels me
to quickly move to the next. Like rapid fire, I fly through one book and
directly into the next where I then fly through that one and seamlessly move
into another. I’m not a fast reader. It can easily take me a month to finish a
novel. I’m not one of those folks who can brag about getting into the triple
digits when recounting the number of books they’ve read in a year. So when I
find myself reading four books in one month, I know big things are happening in
my literary life.

Last night, having just finished The Prince of Mist, I
looked at the books sitting on my nightstand to see who was next at bat. The
Stoner by John Williams was the one I initially grabbed. I’d recently read an
amazing review of this book and, serendipitously, that same day a friend’s
boyfriend pulled the book off his shelf and said, “Ever heard of this book? A
friend just gave it to me.” But within the first few pages, I was so incredibly
bored that I threw the book down, cursing its slow pace. I mean, I’d just
finished books with cult members going on killing rampages,
internet hijackers luring naïve and vulnerable people into their identity theft
schemes, an undiagnosable disease that forces a man to walk until his body
finally lets him stop and an extremely creepy supernatural being who is
practically a blood brother to the devil—I have no patience right now with reading about
some guy who leaves his family farm to go to agriculture school.  My heart rate is pumping and I had an ugly
realization last night—I’m addicted to literary speed. I need suspense. I need
something that has me begging to find out what the heck is going on. If I were
faced with Mrs. Dalloway right now (a book I actually enjoy), I’d probably
throw the book to the ground, stomp on it and curse its lethargic pace. When
did this happen? When did I develop the need for the high speed read? And most
importantly, will I be able to jump track at some point? I don’t know that my
body can keep up with all the intensity, the constant gasping at a character’s
actions, the stun of disbelief that someone would actually write such a
terrifying scene. I’m sure it’ll pass, right? I can’t remain on this high
forever, can I? There’s got to be a point where I’m content to pick up The Stoner again, isn’t there?  I can only
hope. For now, though, I’ve got to get home to see what the heck is going on in
Emily St. John Mandel’s The Singer’s Gun. Because, let me tell you, some crazy stuff is about to happen in this book and I need to find out what it
is.

-Lindsey

As we mourn Miep Gies, it’s worth reviewing some of the simple wisdom she imparted during her long, well-spent life. She did not exploit her brush with fame, and downplayed her role in sheltering Anne Frank’s family and recovering the girl’s diary. You can read her story in "Anne Frank Remembered." Here’s a sampling of her words, taken from new reports and her family’s website:

– "Of course it’s nice to be appreciated. But I only did my duty to my fellow man. I helped people in need. Anyone can do that, can’t they?"

– "Never lump entire groups of people together, everyone is an individual, making his own decisions. Even my own family members are not like me."

– "Not many consider themself very talented or courageous and thus would refrain from helping endangered people. This is the reason that I want everyone to know that I am a very common and cautious woman and definitely not a genius or dare-devil. I did help like so many others who ran the same risk or more risk than me. It was necessary so I helped."

(View entire post here)

It's a damn shame that parents have turned their children over to the television, the internet, their cell phone, the school system and their peers to raise them instead of stepping in with the firm hand of love to control the upbringing of their own children.

It's a damn shame when television shows are made about people who think 18 kids is a good idea (the Duggers) and about self-centered, egotistical brats with 8 kids (Jon & Kate) and about single mothers on welfare with 6 kids who have 8 more kids (Octomom.) More than that, it's a damn shame that people watch them. Or if you want to really feel good about yourself tune into ten minutes of Toddlers and Tiaras. This horrible show about parents dressing their two and three years old like strippers to win a "beauty pageant" is without a doubt the most disgusting display of stupidity on the planet. Someone should horsewhip these ignorant wastes of skin who call themselves loving mommies and daddies and take their kids away from them before they screw them up beyond repair!

It's a damn shame when you spend more on your cup of coffee than you do to feed your child a healthy meal. (Not a Happy Meal – a healthy meal.)

It's a damn shame that 25% of teenage girls have an STD. Parents, where the hell are you?

It's a damn shame that daddies are too uninvolved to teach their little boys how to be men and to teach their little girls what a man is.  

It's a damn shame that mommas let their little girls become obsessed with the shallow and the superficial. Parents have to display the behavior they want their kids to exhibit.

I believe in strong parenting, discipline, parental involvement, public schools, and that teachers should be paid more than politicians – that's for damn sure! I would also do away with tenure in order to fire teachers who don't teach their students what they are supposed to learn. I believe you should take care of your mama and daddy.

Read more from Larry Winget on his blog

Larry Winget Self Help Bulldog Personal Responsibility Penguin People Are Idiots Your Kids Are Your Own Fault

Tributes were pouring in today for Miep Gies, who helped hide Anne Frank’s family in an Amsterdam attic. Gies, who died Monday, also preserved the famous journal that became "The Diary of a Young Girl." She worked in the office of Anne’s father, Otto, and in early 1942, when the Franks went into hiding, she and her husband provided food and other supplies. After the family was betrayed and arrested, she found Anne’s diary and kept it until the war ended.

I had a chance to visit the Anne Frank House a couple of years ago, and it was truly sobering. The book, of course, is a chilling reminder of the innocence that is often crushed by oppression. Excerpts of some tributes:

New York Times — It was Mrs. Geis’s habit to deflect accolades for defying Nazi occupiers of Amsterdam … . But to accept that self-description would be to overlook the remarkable selflessness and courage Mrs. Gies demonstrated, an example so powerful that it continues to inspire nearly 70 years later.

The Washington Post – Her passing represented the loss of the only connection that Anne had to the present world, and that her fans, in turn, had to her. As years passed, and the Holocaust became something that happened a generation ago, then two, then three, Gies alone was our tie.

New York Daily News – In the end she could not save Anne and her family from betrayal to the Nazis, even by risking all to protect them. But it was Gies who preserved the young girl’s diary that will echo through the ages as an expression of faith in the face of incomprehensible evil.

And here’s a 1988 interview with Gies.