The Star Online: Lifestyle: Bookshelf
The Star Online: Lifestyle: Bookshelf |
| Why is the world the way it is now? Posted: 03 Feb 2013 04:56 AM PST Why is the world the way it is now? Read this book and be informed as well as intrigued and entertained along the way. 1493: Uncovering The New World Columbus Created IT was said that somewhere in China there lay a fabled city called Zaytun. A bustling, congested metropolis, Zaytun was the terminus of the maritime Silk Road and the centre of what we now call globalisation. To trade, people of every ethnicity – Malays, Persians, Indians, Vietnamese, and even Europeans – came to Zaytun, where each group formed its own neighbourhood. A score of junks and other vessels in the harbour impressed Moroccan traveller Ibn Battuta, and the rich assortment of Asian luxuries – porcelain, silk, spices, precious stones, pearls – thrilled Venetian explorer Marco Polo, whose account of this wondrous city inspired Christopher Columbus's dream of visiting it. And went Columbus indeed, though he landed not in China but the Caribbean, and what his voyages brought was an ecological convulsion referred to as the Columbus Exchange. In 1493: Uncovering The New World Columbus Created, Charles C. Mann provides interesting and fascinating accounts of the Columbus Exchange and its impact. The Columbus Exchange is why there are tomatoes in Italy, oranges in Florida, chocolates in Switzerland, sweet potatoes in China, apples in America, wheat in the Mexico, and chilli in Thailand. More interestingly, tagging along in the trade ships were earthworms, mosquitoes, cockroaches, honeybees, dandelions, bacteria, fungi, viruses, rats, horses, cows and a host of others creatures. All of which spread willy nilly around the globe. Also, Columbus' voyages inaugurated an unprecedented reshuffling of homo sapiens – "People shot around the world like dice flung on the gaming table. Europeans became the majority in Argentina and Australia, Africans were found from Sao Paulo to Seattle, and China's towns sprang up all over the globe." Diseases, too, found their way to foreign soil, while pesticides, new cultivation techniques, and slaves helped boost production of newly introduced crops to prevent famine, changing lives and landscapes in the Afro-Eurasian hemisphere. Arguably one of the most important events of the world, the Columbus Exchange underlies much of subsequent history. But it was actually four decades later that a Spanish lad called Miguel López de Legazpi connected the world economically, paving the way for the creation of worldwide network in which Europe rose to prominence, China turned inward for fear of foreign invasion, Africa juddered and slaved, and Mexico City, for two centuries, became the centre of the world as Asia, Europe and the Americas came to interact. Like Columbus, Legazpi sailed west to establish trade with China, then the richest, most powerful country in the world. It was in Manila that his fellow Spaniards sold South American silver and copper, mined by African and Indian slaves, to Asians in return for silk and porcelain. For the first time, goods and people from every part of the globe came together for a single worldwide exchange. Having focused his attention on Native American societies before the Spanish conquest in his last book, 1491: New Revelations Of The Americas Before Columbus, Mann now turns to a tale more majestic in ambition and scope, trudging across continents (Africa, China, Europe, the Americas, Asia), addressing a myriad subjects (economics, the environment, human migration), and covering the five centuries (the 1400s to the 1900s) preceding the 21st. In uncovering the new world created by the Columbus Exchange, Mann succeeds with unparalleled grace in giving us an eye-opening interpretation of our past, scientifically and culturally. This colossal book contains valuable knowledge unequalled in its authority and fascination. It feels like immense research presented with a light touch, giving us endless tidings from the old days to explain the current world's political disputes, cultural wars, and economic disparities. Mann's storytelling ability, despite the complexity of the subject, is enviable and his organisation of the book, clever. From his own musings in the garden, to Columbus landing in the Americas, to Parian, a Chinese ghetto in Manila where goods from China and Europe changed hands, to Brazil where rubber was deemed Black Gold ... Mann never loses his way – or his reader. He has one goal in mind: to uncover the new world brought about by Christopher Columbus. And he does so wonderfully, engagingly, unsparingly, and, as detected from his tone, enthusiastically as well as gracefully. The global network Columbus and Legazpi initiated is once again in these days split into two spheres with advocates for globalisation on one side and those against it on the other. The less trade, the latter says, is better because of the political, social and environmental destruction globalisation entails. But it was not Columbus who instigated such conflicts. It was events four centuries after Columbus established La Isabela, the first European town in the Americas, that set the template for the times we are living in today. This book is revelatory. Read it. |
| Posted: 03 Feb 2013 12:16 AM PST No Easy Day THERE are two main controversies that have surrounded the release of Mark Owen's firsthand account of the mission that killed Osama Bin Laden: the first is that it claims to be the true account of what actually happened that night in Abbottabad, Pakistan, rather than the account officially put out by the US government; and the second is whether in writing the book the author is guilty of giving away classified information. If you want to know the full extent of the discrepancy between the official US version and Owen's version, you will have to read the book and do some Internet digging and then put the two side-by-side. But it is fair to say that the book implicitly raises the question, for instance, of whether there was in reality any attempt to capture Bin Laden alive. By the time the Navy SEALS burst into his bedroom he had already been shot in the head and was in his death throes – but just for good measure he was shot repeatedly in the chest to ensure there was no chance of revival. It would also be difficult on Owen's evidence to substantiate the US claim that Bin Laden's body was treated with respect before being buried at sea. None of this is particularly surprising – war is a dirty business and a nighttime attack on an unknown compound is always going to be a nervy and dangerous operation. Nonetheless, the US attempts to present the attack to the world as some sort of clean cut Boys' Own story takes a bit of a knocking here. It is possible that this is at least a part of the motivation behind the US government's threat to prosecute Owen for revealing classified information and, as they put it, "for a material breach of the non-disclosure agreements signed by the author". Their main gripe with Owen and his publishers is that the book was not submitted for pre-publication review, a "no-brainer" according to the official line. Perhaps, but it did not happen and it is not difficult to see why. Submit the book to a pre-publication review and you can easily envisage the extent of the "suggested" cuts that might have followed. Owen himself is adamant that his book gives nothing away that should remain concealed: "I hired a former Special Operations attorney to review the manuscript to ensure that it was free from mention of forbidden topics and that it cannot be used by sophisticated enemies as a source of information to compromise or harm the United States". All of this controversy might reasonably lead the potential reader to expect something far more revelatory and exciting than eventually emerges. No Easy Day is a competent book but it is not an edge of the seat read. Its main interest lies in getting what we are assured is the truth of what happened that night in Abbottabad and in discovering more about the training methods, skills, equipment and modus operandi of one of the most elite and efficient fighting forces in the world. Owen is a SEALS man to the core. From his school days onwards he had but one ambition: to join the SEALS and see if he could "measure up". That he was a team leader on one of the most important assignments they ever carried out would suggest that he succeeded. One of the first myths to be dispelled is that there are any real-life Rambo qualities about their activities. These men are not solo fighters that go out with all guns blazing. Quite the contrary – the emphasis to the nth degree is on team tactics and on working with and for your comrades. Assignments are not random acts of valour, they are meticulously planned and rehearsed. The compound in Abbottabad had been under surveillance for months before the attack was launched. The SEALS knew its exact layout, where in the compound each member of the family lived, who was likely to be armed and what resistance they were likely to meet. Yet despite the levels of preparation and training the mission started with disaster when the first of two helicopters went down and was forced to crash land in an outer part of the compound. From that point on, the original planning had to be modified and it is here that the SEALS initiative, training and talents really come into their own and where they are at their most impressive. No Easy Day is a modest, factual and uninspiringly written account of probably the biggest manhunt of all time. It will be widely read because of the significance that the event carries. If anyone was going to tell this story, possibly in breach of regulations and arguably creating greater risks for future missions, Owen is probably a good choice. He is modest, loyal and there is no self- glory, even in the end; that was created by the government, the press and the public. For the SEALS it was more a question of "job done". |
| Posted: 02 Feb 2013 11:54 PM PST 'Contributions to the literature for children deserve similar recognition to poetry, plays, or novels.' THE first big prizes in children's literature were announced last night (as I write this, on Tuesday) at the ALA Youth Media Awards in Seattle. A little background info, from the American Library Association's website: The ALA honours, annually, "books, print and other forms of media through a variety of awards. These awards are given to publications, and the authors, illustrators, and publishers who create them". You have probably seen the books honoured by the ALA – they're the ones with the gold or silver discs (often embossed) on their covers. Gold means the book has won the medal or main award. Silver "honours" are conferred to worthy books in the same category. I attended a talk by someone who had been a judge at these awards, and was fascinated by her description of the whole judging process. It sounded very complicated, involved and long-drawn-out. I'm surprised no deaths occur during these discussions every year.... Apparently, if a book is discussed as a potential medal recipient and it is eventually rejected, it does not automatically become a candidate for an honour. Only when the choice for medallist is a done deal do the judges pick potential honour recipients. Also, every final decision must be unanimous. Again, I'm imagining fights to the death. But no, obviously, the ALA juries are all terribly civilised and no one is hurt or maimed, let alone killed. The Newbery and the Caldecott Medals are what I pay special attention to. I also take note of the winners of the Printz, the Alex and the Laura Ingalls Wilder awards. The John Newbery Medal is awarded to "the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children". I love American publisher, bookseller and editor Frederic G. Melcher's reasons for creating this award in 1922: "To encourage original creative work in the field of books for children. To emphasise to the public that contributions to the literature for children deserve similar recognition to poetry, plays, or novels. To give those librarians, who make it their life work to serve children's reading interests, an opportunity to encourage good writing in this field." Oh yes! The Newbery is the world's first children's book award and this year it goes to The One And Only Ivan (HarperCollins Children's Books) by Katherine Applegate. The Randolph Caldecott Medal is no spring chicken either. This year, the award for "the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children" turns 75 and goes to the hilariously sinister This Is Not My Hat (Candlewick Press) by Jon Klassen. The Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults goes to In Darkness (Bloomsbury Books for Young Readers) by Nick Lake. While the Newbery and Caldecott winners were both on my "best of 2012" list, I'm afraid Lake's book about growing up in Haiti totally escaped my notice (note to self: must pay more attention and read more books this year). This is a great reason to pay attention to the ALA and other awards: they flag books I might have missed and point us all in the direction of titles worth our time (and money). The Newbery Honour book Splendors And Glooms (Candlewick Press), by 2008 Newbery medalist Laura Amy Schlitz, is one such book. This gothic mystery sounds like the perfect companion on a rainy afternoon and goes directly on my "I want" list. The Alex Awards are always interesting to adults who enjoy reading about the complications of adolescence and childhood (that would be me) and teens who want to try exploring the shelves away from the young adult section. These awards highlight 10 adult books that appeal to teen audiences and among this year's winners are The Round House (HarperCollins) by Louise Erdrich, a coming-of-age story set in a fictional North Dakota Ojibwe reservation; Girlchild (Farrar, Straus and Giroux) by Tupelo Hassman, about teenage Rory Hendrix who's determined to be happy despite her challenging family and their grim and grotty world and social circumstances; and Mr Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore (Farrar, Straus and Giroux) by Robin Sloan, which is about young love and eternal life – and it's set in a bookstore, enough said. Before I forget I must mention that this year's William C. Morris Award for a debut book published by a first-time author writing for teens goes to Seraphina (Random House Children's Books) written by Rachel Hartman. Seraphina was also on my "best of" list and is probably the newly-published book I enjoyed most in 2012. I also must mention that Katherine Paterson is the recipient of this year's Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, which honours "an author or illustrator whose books, published in the United States, have made, over a period of years, a substantial and lasting contribution to literature for children". Paterson has won the Newbery Medal twice, for Bridge To Terabithia (1977) and Jacob Have I Loved (1981), and these and her other works have most certainly touched the lives of readers the world over. Well, if you haven't already read the award winners mentioned here, you can add them to your 2013 reading list, along with the winner of the Costa Children's Book Award, awarded early in January to Sally Gardner's Maggot Moon (Hot Key Books). And the next awards to look out for? The Blue Peter Awards results will be announced on March 7. The shortlist includes The Boy Who Swam With Piranhas (Walker Books) by David Almond, illustrated by Oliver Jeffers (best story); and Fantastic Mr Dahl (Puffin) by Michael Rosen, illustrated by Quentin Blake (best book with facts). I can't wait! Daphne Lee reads to wonder and wander, be amazed and amused, horrified and heartened and inspired and comforted. She wishes more people will try it too. Speak to her at star2@thestar.com.my and check out her blog at daphne.blogs.com/books. |
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