Just Finished Reading: American Slavery – A Very Short Introduction by Heather Andrea Williams (FP: 2014) [118pp] 

It’s kind of odd, but makes sense after a few moments thought, that American slavery is older than America itself. Afterall, the colonies that eventually became America – and not just the British colonies on the Eastern seaboard – existed long before the subsequent battles for Independence, and those colonies, British, Dutch, Spanish and Portuguese had slaves. These enforced labourers where in addition to the ‘indentured servants’ who worked for around 7 years before been given land to work for themselves. These were, by and large, black Africans either imported directly from Africa or via places like Cuba who already had a thriving slave population. Some Native Americans were also enslaved initially but proved to be more trouble than they were worth and, in general, were shipped off to the Caribbean often in exchange for African slaves from there. Slaves were used to do every task imaginable, from domestic duties to forest clearance and growing of various crops – cash or otherwise. As the colonies grew and demand for workers bloomed, so did the slave trade to keep pace with demand. In some colonies the slave population made up a significant percentage of the total headcount which, as you might expect not only led to a certain amount of understandable anxiety on the slave owners' part but also led to further problems post-Independence. Where political power was concerned do slaves count towards a state's population – even though they cannot and probably never will, vote - and if they do count then just how much do they count?  

Of course, with the 20-20 vision that hindsight provides it's easy to see that Independence missed a huge opportunity to divest the new nation of its slave past. With the stated belief that ‘all men are created equal’ it might have seemed obvious that such a belief and the institution of slavery are mutually exclusive. The missing factor was, naturally, money. Slavery, and the free labour it produced massively favoured those in control of it. Although the idea of abolishing the practice was, briefly, muted it was very quickly dismissed as unworkable (and simple economic suicide). To ensure the ‘balance of power’ in Congress it was agreed that Slave & Free states would forever be in parity so no one side could impose its beliefs on the other. Initially working quite well, the process of adding new states caused ever greater friction between the two ideological/political positions. Something had to give, and it did with the birth of the Confederate States and the Civil War that followed. With the end of that bloody conflict slavery ended too, but the echoes of that institution are still felt to this day and America is still dealing with the fallout. It will be dealing with this for some generations to come. 

I think I had a fair impression of the highlights of this well-written slim volume, but I still found much to add to my knowledge of the subject. I was most intrigued by the missed opportunity – if they’d only had the courage and power to do so – of getting rid of slavery as America became a fully independent nation which would have been one of the crowning achievements of that country's foundation. But it was not to be, much to the disappointment of some at the time and the many in the century ahead. If you’re looking for a high-level and brief overview of American slavery – along with the usual extensive bibliography – this is the book for you. Recommended.

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Just Finished Reading: American Immigration – A Very Short Introduction (2nd Edition) by David A Gerber (FP: 2021) [136pp] 

It is hardly controversial to say that America is built on immigration. Every man, woman and child presently living there either came from somewhere else or had ancestors who did so. For all of its more recent history, at least since its ‘discovery’ in the late-15th century, immigrants from all over the world have flocked to its shores. For a good part of this time, they were welcomed with open arms – or at least without any great restrictions. The ‘New World’ needed strong backs and productive people to populate and dominate the seemingly endless Frontier. Only in the 19th century did the government start restricting who could, and more importantly who could not, enter the USA to stay. Rather inevitably, the early bans were based on race and the colour of skin with restrictions on Chinese immigrants in California – those same immigrants who had assisted with the building of the trans-continental railway. Rather oddly after the Mexican War had added vast amounts of territory in the south and west the local Mexican population were classified as ‘white’, whilst on the east coast the seemingly endless wave of Irish immigrants were classified as ‘black’. Colour, it seemed, was more political than actual. 

For well over a century argument about immigration and immigration control into the USA have become more fractious and more polarising than ever. Quotas from non-European countries – and particularly non-northern European – have waxed and waned over the decades. Debate on the status of Jewish refugees from Russian pogroms and Nazi extermination still cast a shadow over present debates. Children of immigrants decry policies they see as too lenient on those who want the same as their ancestors, debates over pathways to citizenship and ‘illegal’ aliens erupt in government and in the media. The issue is, depending on their position, requires a simple solution or a national debate on what it means to be American. The only thing that’s certain is that the arguments around the issue are not going away any time soon. 

I learnt a lot from this short but detailed look at American Immigration. In many ways it’s a complicated and divisive subject. It has philosophical and political depth and isn’t a subject that can be easily dismissed with either a handwave or the stroke of a pen. At heart it's about identity. It’s about who you are and who THEY are. It’s also a question as old as time – or at least as old as the idea of nationhood – and is unlikely to go away as long as the nation-state exists. Informative as always and definitely recommended to anyone who has wondered where to start reading up on the subject.   

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Just Finished Reading: The Great Depression & The New Deal – A Very Short Introduction by Eric Rauchway (FP: 2008) [131pp] 

The Great Crash of 1929 led directly to the Great Depression of the 1930’s - right? It might certainly seem that way but the direct cause and effect of both events is far trickier. There had been crashes before, sure not as bad or as deep or lasting so long as the one in ‘29 but they had happened and, after a short sharp recession, the economy had recovered. The thinking at the time, the prevailing idea of laissez-faire, suggested that if left alone the stock market as well as the larger economy would ‘self-correct’ in time. So, time was given then more time and then some more time. Instead of any self-correction things instead grew steadily worse. Pronouncements from politicians and industry leaders followed stating publicly that everything was fine and that people really should spend money. Meetings were held (again very publicly) between government and industry to show that they were ‘doing something’. Eventually, the Hoover administration decided that they really had to do something but it was too little and too late – their thunder’ had already been stolen by the Democratic candidate for President who promised a New Deal if elected: Franklin D Roosevelt. The problem was, even FDR had no clear idea what could be done, if anything, to bring the country back. 

Looking back with a ‘big picture’ lens it's easy to see the New Deal program as a coherent and coordinated response to the Great Depression. At the time it was nothing of the sort. FDR and his administration knew (as did most people) that ‘something’ needed to be done but there was only so much that could be done as well as only so much that would be allowed to be done. Despite the condition of the US, and the world, economy the idea of direct government intervention was still anathema to many. Even those most effected on the ground were loath to take charity or government handouts even if they desperately needed them. Yet still, something had to be done. The first order of business was to shore up the financial sector and restore confidence in the banks. Then there were incentives for business to invest and grow. Some things seemed to work and were expanded, others seemed not to work and were dropped. The Federal government extended aid and guarantees to the States for plans already drawn up and awaiting funds. States were encouraged to plan more projects and businesses were asked, encouraged and sometimes bullied into keeping their workers in employment even at shorter hours or reduced pay. Although things improved slightly, or stopped being so bad for so many, it still wasn’t enough. Nowhere near enough. The government would, it seemed, need to get its hands dirty. Over the coming years the Federal government started funding projects directly – to build roads, schools, dams and much else. It increased Social Security and began to directly influence business decisions. It was heavily criticised for inaugurating Socialism in America (whilst being nothing of the sort of course) but things did improve and keep on improving. But did the New Deal work? Did it end the Great Depression. The clear answer is No. Although things were improving as the 1930’s began to draw to a close it was the war in Europe which boosted job numbers and then the massive increase in defence spending prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor that pulled the economy out of Depression and laid the foundation for American financial dominance for the rest of the 20th century and beyond. 

I thought this was a useful follow up to my previous read on the Wall Street Crash and rounded off the subject nicely. Obviously in a mere 130 pages the author couldn’t do full justice to either the Depression nor the response to it – in America never mind the rest of the world – but he did manage to hit the highlights and, as always, provide a full bibliography for further reading. I’ll see if I can follow this up (at some point) with some of the different responses to the Depression in the UK, France and other places around the world. A very good (as these very often are) introduction to an interesting and important topic especially after the Crash of 2008. Recommended. 

Just Finished Reading: The Blues – A Very Short Introduction by Elijah Wald (FP: 2010) [123pp] 

I’ve always been the kind of person who can enjoy something without know very much about it. I’m certainly not one to ‘fan boy’ on artists, authors or musicians so generally would have no idea who they were if I met them in the street (highly unlikely I know). I only know who actors are – but precious little about their off-screen lives – because I see them in front of me when I watch their movies. Likewise, I know very little about artistic styles, and not much more about literary genres. Mostly I don’t think it’s all that important and that, again mostly, it’s the entertainment value I’m looking for rather that a biography (unless I’m READING a biography). 

So it is with the Blues. I probably developed a liking for it by watching classic Noir films or films from the 40’s in general. Blues and Jazz seemed to be everywhere back then – in films anyway. I started buying Blues CDs over a decade ago and have collected quite a few since then. Most are compilations of various artists from various eras but I do have a few single artist CDs too. But if you asked me which Blues singer/writer influenced who, or which particular ‘school’ of Blues each artist came from, or even which part of American they came from I’d honestly have zero idea. Well, I do now! 

Reading about music is, to be honest, a bit strange (at least for me). What would’ve been great is examples of the music the author was talking about being accessible whilst reading (something for the future no doubt). But despite this I did find this slim volume very interesting. I knew some of the origins of the Blues – in African American slave chants and ‘field hollers’ plus street/bar performances but it was intriguing to see who both white and black performing artists took the music mainstream through both song sheets and early recordings. It’s also interesting how very similar songs were classified for their audiences depending on the race of the singer. Recordings and song sheets also solidified what was, until that point, a very fluid sound but it also allowed other artists to re-interpret songs and evolve new styles. What was also interesting was the intersections between Blues, Jazz and Country music. At first, I was rather sceptical about the last associated style but the author managed to convince me otherwise.  

Overall, although not exactly ‘gripped’ by this book – partially because it’s a little bit outside of my ‘comfort’ zone – I did find it informative and I’ll definitely be listening more closely to both my Blues and Jazz recordings more closely in future (and reading some of the inserts which I rarely do). If, like me, you’re a Blues fan without knowing all that much about the history of the style itself this is definitely the book for you. More music related books to come.  

Just Finished Reading: North American Indians – A Very Short Introduction by Theda Perdue and Michael D Green (FP: 2010) [130pp] 

As with some of the previous VSI books I’ve been reading recently, this starts American history LONG before Columbus or Plymouth Rock. The millions of indigenous peoples ‘discovered’ by Europeans in the New World had crossed over the now submerged land-bridge across the Bering Strait millennia before Columbus misinterpreted his landing zone as the ‘Indies’ although the name he gave to the local inhabitants stuck through the centuries (obviously the local tribes did not see themselves as or call themselves ‘Indians’). Being scattered across North America in a vast array of different environments with different cultures, different languages and different histories the thousands of tribes were a very diverse bunch. Some farmed, some fished, some hunted bison. Some were hierarchical patriarchies or matriarchies; others were split between male hunters and female gatherers where the female was venerated as the ultimate life giver. So, when the Europeans arrived the resulting first contacts were equally varied in their response. 

Some tribes initially welcomed the newcomers and attempted to integrate them into the existing cross-tribal structure of trade and mutual co-operation. Others quickly took offence at the Europeans crude ways and conflicts ensued. Other tribes simply ignored the feeble immigrants thinking they would either starve or leave. No response worked well, at least from the native populations point of view. Over time, at least except from the few colonies that failed spectacularly, more and still more colonists arrived and proceed to cut down trees, plant crops and expand ever outwards into ‘virgin’ land. Initial co-operation with the local Indian tribes fractured despite treaties and payments. Diseases brought across the Atlantic spread amongst the natives and, weakened greatly, they could no longer resist the seemingly unstoppable expansion into the interior. 

The story of the (almost) collapse of Native Americans post-colonisation is a well-known one and one that is repeated here. What makes it interesting is the attention to detail (impressive in such a short book) as well as the emphasis on the fact that the European invaders did not always get their way – despite their often technological and epidemiological advantages. From the very start, Native Americans used the skills they had – simple savages they were most definitely not – to gain what they could in the face of things few of them could have imagined even years before first contact. Deals were made that actually benefited both sides, battles were fought where the Indians won and won handily. But, as we know, it wasn’t enough to stem the tide. The resultant, often precipitous, decline in Native American fortunes is again well know and wasn’t really stemmed until the 1960’s.  

Told with a deep knowledge and deep understanding of the subject this is an interesting look at how the natives of a land, indeed a whole continent, responded (and still respond) to the cataclysm of European expansionism. It’s often a tragic story but one worth knowing. Recommended and more to come on this subject.    

Just Finished Reading: Colonial America – A Very Short Introduction by Alan Taylor (FP: 2013) [123pp] 

Countries, it seems, are born in much the same way as most things – during a time of prolonged suffering, pain and a fair amount of blood. America is no exception to this rule. Far from being an empty and virgin land when Columbus ‘discovered’ the West Indies, the Americas – both North and South – had long been populated by diverse cultures who had crossed the Bering Straits land bridge during the last Ice Age and have been estimated to be in the multiple millions when the Spanish arrived. With talk of ‘golden cities’ to the south other Spaniards soon followed looking to make their fortunes and, with the aid of primitive firearms as well as the far more devastating diseases especially smallpox, spread death and destruction wherever they went. Not to outdone – at least not for long – other European nations, notably the French, British and Dutch set about developing colonies and trading posts further north trading in furs and other easily transportable goods. Here, as in the south, disease and conflict eased the path to European domination. Eventually, after many decades, two nations were left standing – Spain in the South and Britain in the North. 

Colonisation of the ‘New World’ was far from easy and far from a done thing. Early settlements failed for numerous reasons. Empires fought each other on American soil – all sides using the local populations as auxiliaries and mercenaries in their wars - for eventual domination and the right to exploit the rich resources found there. Predictably, the natives did not fare well not matter whose side they chose in the conflicts. When they were necessary, they were used. When they were no longer required, they were either abandoned, ‘relocated’ or eliminated in a number of ways. The natives, as they found to their cost, were simply ‘in the way’ of the ever-Westward expansion. Apart from the exploitation and expulsion of native peoples the other foundation of both South and North America from the very earliest days was slavery. Columbus himself arranged for the enslavement if the island natives in the West Indies whose eventual demise led to the importation of African slaves to fill the shortfall in natural replacement. Some of the Northern territories depended on their very existence on the slave economy to produce the valuable cash crops, such as tobacco and rice (required to feed slaves in the West Indies). Overall, except for a very few, the birth pains of both America’s were neither short nor mild. 

This filled in quite a few gaps in my knowledge of early American history. I knew something of the early colonial efforts in the North as well as the Spanish depredations in the South but it was interesting to see how early trading with Native Americans led, eventually, to war between Britain and France and how this conflict shaped the futures of both what became the United States and Canada. Likewise, it was interesting to see the gradual moves of the original British colonies towards independence (more of which later). It was also interesting to get some general context for some of my family history. I was surprised when I started digging into my families past that I had a number of ancestors who had migrated to America in previous centuries. One relative died in Richmond, Georgia in 1784, while another died in Isle of Wight County, Virginia in 1720. Even further back my ancestors were dying in Charles City, Virginia in 1653 and Boston in 1652 presumably as refugees from the English Civil Wars. An interesting and informative read on many levels. Recommended and, as always, more to come. 

Just Finished Reading: American History – A Very Short Introduction by Paul S Boyer (FP: 2012) [142pp] 

It’s been around 2 years since I read my last VSI book and I’ve been missing them. I had been planning to schedule some of them in – having acquired a small number of US related volumes – but there never seemed to be a good time, until now. Due to reading a few longer (and one or two much slower) books I found myself in a position where I was at risk of having nothing to review – at least not twice a week! So, a handful of shorter books seemed the ideal way of boosting my review pile above the Danger zone. 

Now, of course, there’s no way to do justice to any country's history in 140 pages and the author freely admits this. The plan (executed very well I might add) was to hit the highlights and, as always with these slim volumes, provide an excellent bibliography to allow the reader to dip as deeply as they wanted into the topics covered by the required broad-brush approach. Interestingly (and rather gratifyingly), the author did not start with Columbus ‘discovering’ the New World but with the initial colonisation by humans over the Berring Straight land bridge. We then essentially fast forwarded to 1763 in the first chapter and the Revolutionary Period in the second. I think this, as well as the next chapter which covered up to 1850 were the most interesting for me as this is the period of American history, I know least about. Plus, I know I had a few ancestors there at the time in both the 17th and 18th centuries, so the added context was nice. 

Anyone even generally familiar with US history will be more than aware of the topics covered in the sections on the Civil War and its aftermath as well as the move to increasing industrialisation as we entered the 20th century. Again, there should be few surprises to most readers as we follow the growing pains of what was essentially a new Global player as America moved from World War to World War, ending World War 2 as (briefly) the world’s only nuclear super power. Concentrating on the Cold War and Civil unrest brings things up to 1968 and then in the last chapter we leap to the present day of 2012 and the election of America’s first Black President. 

With the global power of American culture, most especially in cinema and TV, it’s difficult (if not actually impossible) to NOT be familiar to a large extent with the highlights of US history. For me at least I didn’t learn a great deal from this book. I’m certainly more aware of America’s very earliest years now and I’m also more aware that the myth of America is very different from its history yet that wasn’t exactly a revelation! Overall, as with the vast majority of this excellent series of books, this was a solid introduction to a much bigger subject. It gives you a ground floor foundation of knowledge on which to build if you choose to do so. MUCH more to come.  

 Just Finished Reading: Public Health – A Very Short Introduction by Virginia Berridge (FP: 2016)

 

…and finally – one further step up to Public Health. Public Health has meant many things to many people over the centuries – from sanitation to vaccination to sexual health to life-style choices to improving things like diet and combatting smoking (and illegal drug use). But the health of the general population hasn’t always been the focus of the State or other institutions either private or philanthropic. Before the Industrial Revolution (and into the beginnings of that particular cultural and economic upheaval) the general health was considered as either irrelevant or simply too complex and expensive. Only with the coming of the factory and the consequent crowding together of thousands of poorly fed and poorly served workers did the idea of Public Health even enter the minds of people who could do something about it. With plague a thing of the past the urban populations had to deal with things like Cholera and Typhoid instead (to say nothing of Smallpox and Measles) which could spread to the more wealthy areas and their inhabitants. Such efforts to combat disease and improve the general health were not completely selfish (or humanitarian) and improve they did – first with improvements in sanitation, housing codes, reductions in working hours, improvements in food distribution. Not all of this was the concern of Public Health officials but, over time, they had more and more influence and more and more power to make improvements, suggestions and policy recommendations. As other countries followed suite (the main focus of most of this slim volume was on the UK experience with minor forays into the European and American experience) the remit changed, expanded and mutated as earlier problems were solved, new problems arose (like HIV/AIDS) and definitions of Public Health changed or expanded. After 1945 Public Health developed a more global perspective led by organisations like the WHO who, somewhat naively, expected to eliminate the great global killers like Malaria by the end of the 1970’s. Only Smallpox fell to the WHO programme and since then more realistic approaches and aspirations have taken the place of total elimination. Where Public Health goes in the future depends, as does much else, on the will to do things for the general wellbeing of all.

This was the last book in the VSI Pandemic book blitz. Whilst it wasn’t as interesting as some of the others it did offer another perspective on health issues and the importance – as we all now realise – of Public Health organisations and mind-sets in fighting, controlling or simply mitigating health issues that apply to everyone (like Pandemics!). Not surprisingly countries with robust Public Health policies and practices generally do better in any health crisis than countries who do not. Public Health is important and should be, at least in my opinion, a central part of any advanced society. A State should seek to look after its citizens in the best way that it can for a whole host of reasons. An adequately funded and resourced Public Health system is a very good place to start. Reasonable.

We’re now back to normal for a while until the mood takes me into another Blitz read. I already have the next one lined up and two more after that in the pipeline. But I’ll be moving away from science based VSI for a while if only to rest my brain for a bit.         

 Just Finished Reading: Epidemiology – A Very Short Introduction by Rodolfo Saracci (FP: 2010)

 

After the previous book on Pandemics I thought it would be good to look at the human response to epidemics and disease in general. This was indeed a very good complimentary read to the previous two books. Over just 126 pages the author looks at the science of disease control starting with the actual measurement of health and disease. After all if you can’t accurately measure something there’s no way to know if anything you’re doing to combat it is having any effect. Measurements give you data to work with which should allow you to zero in on the vectors that gave rise to the disease in the first place – they might show you were the first cases arose or they might show disease clusters or even the fabled patient zero themselves! Once the data has been collected and analysed it should give an idea of the cause of the disease (contaminated drinking water for instance) and allow treatment – or at the very least isolation of the affected area or population. Follow up data can also show the effects of any procedure undertaken to combat or mitigate the effects of the disease – such as handwashing after assisting in childbirth before moving onto the next patient (a process hotly debated before becoming common practice).

All of the above allows the tracking of disease within a population over time and, even without an effective cure, increases the possibility of controlling the spread and reducing any potential negative effects. Even without knowing much about the actual disease organism – bacteria, virus, parasite, fungus – epidemiological study can still highly inform effect procedures to combat its effects. Detailed analysis of the disease itself can come later (hopefully) and will undoubtedly help in devising better protective protocols but a good level of epidemiological data crunching can take you a long way even before you know what you’re fighting.

As I said earlier this was a nice complimentary volume to the previous pair and takes discussion of infectious diseases and pandemics to the next (higher) level and I’d recommend reading all three books as a set. Only one more in this particular ‘blitz’ to go just taking it one more level up in scale. Then we’ll get back to normal programming – or at least as ‘normal’ as it gets around here.    

 Just Finished Reading: Pandemics – A Very Short Introduction by Christian W McMillen (FP: 2016)

Following the trajectory of my previous VSI blitz books we arrive at Pandemics. Rather inevitably it is pretty much THE topic at the moment so it’s been difficult avoiding mention of both the science of pandemics (and infectious disease in general) and their historical impact on humanity. Although not a history book per se this slim volume can’t help but present various pandemics in their historical context starting with Plague – the Black Death is always a good place to start with this sort of thing – before moving onto the big names of Smallpox, Malaria, Cholera, TB, Influenza and HIV/AIDS. This, of course, nicely built upon the topics covered in the previous VSI book on Infectious Disease (not planned that way but a very happy coincidence).

As with the previous books I learnt a great deal about how countries coped (or not) with various pandemics over the centuries and tried various methods to control or at least mitigate the effects of diseases they often did not understand in the least. Without either an adequate understanding of the mechanics of disease or any effective way of combating it even if they did states where forced to use other methods such as quarantine (from quarantena, meaning "forty days", used in 14th–15th-century Venetian and designating the period that all ships were required to be isolated before passengers and crew could go ashore during the Black Death), setting up additional hospitals and local medical boards to decide on any actions proposed to control disease spread such as disposal of refuse, burial of the dead in mass graves and the feeding of those isolated and (potentially at least) infected. Indeed some have proposed that the very existence of secular government structures and intervention of the public into the private sphere might be based on the states interventions required by pandemic control.

As a mere 121 pages this is an ideal little book to place the present pandemic into historical context (interestingly many of the fake news stories surrounding Covid-19 where also in circulation during the much more deadly 1918-19 Spanish Flu pandemic) and show how some of the very same measures (and slogans!) in place today have been used throughout our long and deadly history with pandemic disease. Highly recommended.       

Just Finished Reading: Infectious Disease – A Very Short Introduction by Marta L Wayne & Benjamin N Bolker (FP: 2015)

 

Continuing my latest (Pandemic Edition) book blitz this slim volume delved into what the previous book on the Immune System needs to deal with – infections & bugs. Or at least viruses and bacteria which have fought a very long war to propagate themselves at the expense of their hosts (quite often us or the animals and plants we use to survive).

Naturally anyone who has been paying attention to the news this year has picked up a fair bit of medical jargon about transmission rates and R numbers – I know I have. If you’ve struggled to understand exactly what that all means then struggle no more! This book makes such things easy to understand by the use of filters – encounter and compatibility – that help describe the dynamics of epidemics as well as the important distinctions of virulence, resistance and tolerance.

Moving on to case studies the book covers the main ones we’ve all heard about – influenza, HIV, Cholera and Malaria as well as one I’d never heard of which was a fungus in amphibians which has only recently emerged onto the world stage (called Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis if you must know!). Each disease in turn is covered with respect to origin, history and what it does to bypass any filters which exist to prevent its spread and each, apart from the amphibian fungus, is looked at for its impact on humanity. All very interesting stuff. Finally the authors look ahead – from 2015 that is – at the emerging and re-emerging diseases that are all too clearly on the horizon with anti-bacterial resistance and the double whammy of habitat destruction and ongoing climate change. Despite the hopes of scientists in the 1970’s we are not going to be disease free for the foreseeable future and should prepare for the inevitable. If nothing else the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has taught us that we were very clearly not prepared for a global pandemic. Luckily for us the overall lethality of this admittedly highly infectious disease has been thankfully quite low in absolute terms. A clearer warning shot cannot, I think, have been heard around the world. Looking back over history we have seen clearly what infectious disease can do to individuals, families and whole civilisations. We very much need to learn from these horrid experiences and up our game. Definitely a must read for anyone interested in current and, no doubt at all, future events. Recommended.        

Just Finished Reading: The Immune System – A Very Short Introduction by Paul Klenerman (FP: 2017)

 

I’ve been meaning to do something like this for a while now – a VSI Book Blitz on Pandemics. The plan was to start small and personal and then expand outwards. So the Immune System seemed the ideal place to start out from. Now I haven’t formally studied anything Biological for a LONG time (around 40 years I’d say) so I’m definitely a bit rusty and frankly out of touch with present understanding of such things which is one of the reasons for playing catch-up. So I wasn’t totally surprised to find that around the first quarter of the book was a tad above my pay-grade knowledge wise! But I did think that the reading level of the book throughout – when it either dropped to my level of understanding or moved into areas I was more familiar with (in other words away from bio-chemistry!) – was above the general reader level. More than once I did think it was aimed more at GP’s or trainee doctors who just needed an appreciation of the subject or maybe a quick refresher course.

Despite all that I did find myself learning quite a bit here from how exactly the Immune System worked – recognising self from non-self for instance as well as how it developed a ‘memory’ for previous infections and then how it fails by either under or over performing its tasks. All very interesting and it did give me a very good base from which to move forward with my next VSI Pandemic reading. If you’re coming from a point of only a vague appreciation of human biology this might be a rather daunting read. If you’re made of sterner stuff or have a few years of college education in biology under your belt (but are somewhat out of touch with things) this will definitely bring you up to date. An interesting read if rather a challenging one!

Just Finished Reading: Film Noir – A Very Short Introduction by James Naremore (FP: 2019)

Of course it was the French who started it all. Well, at least they named it. With the end of WW2 American movies flooded into once occupied Europe wowing audiences across the continent. The French, always eager to true something new, something stylish, something ‘Avant guard’ lapped up the dark brooding crime films they began calling Film Noir. As with many of these movements the now classic examples of the genre were not so classified at the time they were being made. Only much later, when the Noir style was recognised for what it was, were films seen as ‘Noir-ish’ from their inception.

But even though a Noir film could be recognised and called so the definitions of what exactly made up the genre where fluid – especially at the edges. Most film critics agreed on much of the core cannon of films but there was much disagreement regarding films that had some elements of Noir but not others. Sometimes it was as simple as asking if a Noir film should necessarily be in Black and White? The golden age of Noir, according to received wisdom, ended with the advent of colour. Then there were the genre crossovers or boundary films. Could you have a Noir Western? Are films like Bladerunner a Noir film or is it a homage or pastiche of Noir sensibilities grafted onto a Sci-Fi motif. Unfortunately these and many other similar questions cannot be definitely laid to rest.

Noir itself was an outgrowth of multiple paths: there was the hardboiled detective novels of the 1920’s, 30’s and 40’s the authors of which gravitated to Hollywood to boost their limited incomes and who gave the movies they worked on (not necessarily an adaptation of their own work) a certain cache, then there was the flight of directors and cinematographers fleeing from Nazi Germany and bringing with them the Avant-guard and Surrealist film making techniques that made the products so intriguing to watch in post-war French movie houses.

Of course the Noir sensibility didn’t end with the beginning of colour nor with the advances in lighting techniques (especially outside the studio and at night). Noir is, first and foremost, a way of seeing the world – both from inside the characters head and from outside via the audience. Noir is certainly a style but it is more than that. It is an attitude, a philosophical stand, a mind-set. That is why, decades after the sheen of the golden age has faded, Noir films are still being made and are still being discussed in critical circles. Just like the Night and the City (to say nothing of the eternal Femme Fatal) Noir will always be with us.

This was a delightful little book aimed directly at one of my all-time favourite things – Film Noir. I’m not entirely sure why I like this movie genre so much but I most definitely do. Even bad Noir (and Noir has more than its fair share of bad examples) has flashes of dark brilliance. The best of the genre continues to blow me away after multiple viewings. It either says much about the human condition or much about how I see the world. Whatever the truth of it Noir is probably my second movie love – with only SF holding it away from the top slot. Of course the rare combination of the two just sends me….. Long live Noir. Definitely recommended for all Noir fans, both casual and dedicated.     

Just Finished Reading: Hollywood – A Very Short Introduction by Peter Decherney (FP: 2016)

Narrowing the focus on my Cinema blitz read we zero in on the studio system that still produces the majority of the world’s movies 100 years after its founding. Relocated from New York (the original home of cinema) for legal, financial and climatic reasons - with more sunny days meaning more filming outside – Los Angeles, California seemed to have it all including weak labour unions. The rest, as they often say, is history, and what a history.

The famed Studio System produced some of the first global celebrities (complete with fake news stories as well as real problematic lifestyles to keep those tabloid column inches flowing), drove technological innovation in sound, colour, display and much else besides, made millions from merchandising almost from the get-go, developed a ‘code of ethics’ precise enough to time kisses and get movies through government censors forcing the use of subtle and not so subtle double-entendres (trains and tunnels come to mind for some reason) and produced some of the most memorable and cultural significant (on a global scale no less) events in modern history. Not bad, considering what they had to deal with on the way….

Not only was there rivalry between different studios but between rival technologies and rival team of lawyers fighting it out in court. There was star ‘property’ defecting to other studios, taking their erstwhile employers to court and starting up their own rival studios (as well as getting in trouble with the press and religious groups). There was the unions, strikes, so-called communist infiltration and the McCarthy witch-hunts that ended many promising careers with testimony, recriminations and blacklists. Then came television….

Skipping across the century or more of the silver screen and briefly circling a few well-chosen topics to bring out the flavour of the whole endeavour this was an interesting, if necessary brief, look at one of the most important and certainly most influential industries and industrial locations on the planet. At only 129 pages the overview was predictably shallow but I definitely learnt a few things worth following up and I’m sure that all but the hard-core Hollywood fans will too. Recommended.

Just Finished Reading: The History of Cinema – A Very Short Introduction by Geoffrey Nowell-Smith (FP: 2017)

I have long had a love of cinema (Thanks Dad!) and over the years picked up elements of its history from various books. But I haven’t read a proper history of the medium at least for a few years so this was a great opportunity to ‘catch up’ on things.

Cinema is, of course, a technology, an industry, just as much as an art form (though calling some of its output as actual art may be stretching things a bit!). This slim volume (a mere 104 pages) manages to cover all three aspects reasonably well. I think that most people are aware of how ‘moving pictures’ developed from this static predecessors but I did find it interesting as to how many routes the process could have followed as different inventors/manufacturers used different technologies to produce the film in the first place and fought over film size, the speed it went through the camera and much else. Likewise the eventual use of sound (again with multiple competing methods) and the use of colour (and again) competed with each other and with the existing technology. Neither the use of synchronised sound nor the use of colour immediately swept its predecessor onto history’s cutting room floor. The industry we see today did not emerge fully formed – far from it. Buffeted by the winds of technology, political interference, censorship, war and basic economics – to say nothing of the invention of its great rival television – all contributed to a highly competitive business environment where only the strongest, biggest, most ruthless or well-connected studios survived. Finally there is that ever elusive idea of art. The vast majority of the early films – often only a few minutes long – had little to do with art. They were often highly experimental spectacles designed to surprise, entertain and, most importantly, make money. Art came later – before or after critics is an arguable point!

This was a most enjoyable overview of a massive industry without which the world would be a very different place. It has certainly whet my appetite for other books on the subject (over and above the next two VSI volumes) so you’ll be seeing more of them in the future. As with most of this series this has given me much to think about and much to follow up on. Another excellent addition to the series. Recommended. 

Just Finished Reading: The British Empire: A Very Short Introduction by Ashley Jackson (FP: 2013)

It is said, not without reason, that the British acquired their Empire by accident. As Britain grew in power as a maritime nation and explored the world looking for trading opportunities and places to plant colonies it inevitably left an impression wherever its ships made landfall. It was not, of course, alone in this endeavour but seemed to be both particularly good and particularly lucky at it. In numerous wars with its rivals and fortuitous marriages amongst its ruling elites more colonies, territories and sometimes whole countries fell into Britain’s orbit. Equally inevitably previously colonies grew as colonies will and their demands grew with them – for food, natural resources and land. The local inhabitants of the New Lands often traded with these outsiders until it became obvious that they were here to stay and here to rule. After that the choice was clear – co-operate or fight back. Looking back it is unclear who made the better choice between ultimate (at least attempted) assimilation or (almost certainly guaranteed) extermination of their way of life if not their whole tribe or worse. So, over hundreds of years and through the actions, often unknown and unsanctioned from London, of thousands of individuals the Empire grew until it covered a fair proportion of the planet and held hundreds of millions as its subjects. Until, quite suddenly and almost (but not quite) bloodlessly it vanished in an historical blink of the eye.

Covering the main themes of the origins, expansion and ultimate demise of the British Empire this slim volume (as usual around 130 pages) is an excellent introduction to a still controversial institution. After its collapse the prevailing opinion, especially in the more ‘enlightened’ age of the 1960’s and 1970’s, was that Empire and the British Empire in particular was a unarguably bad thing bringing oppression and worse to large areas of the world and was something to both feel guilty about and offer recompense for. Those who offered up any kind of alternative – even those who recognised and acknowledged the Empire’s less than savoury activities especially in Africa, India and most notoriously Tasmania – were considered to be blind to the realities of history and apologists for Imperialism. Others, notably historians, pointed out a more nuanced narrative – of both atrocity and triumph in a rather messy, complex and often contradictory narrative known technically as History. The author struggles with the idea of labelling the Empire either ‘Good’ or ‘Bad’ and essentially dismisses the question itself – although he gives it some serious rumination room. Such labels are, in my opinion at least, both simplistic and naïve. It’s rather like trying to describe the 20th Century in a single word. Sure, you could probably do it – but would it actually mean anything? I think not. As an introduction to the British Empire I couldn’t fault this book overly much. If you know very little about it but for the name and the fact that it existed at all this is definitely the book for you. More detailed books on the topic to come.

That’s this book blitz finished. The next blitz will be: Cinema.   

Just Finished Reading: The Holy Roman Empire – A Very Short Introduction by Joachim Whaley (FP: 2018)

Even hundreds of years after The Fall it was impossible to ignore the Roman Empire. With Western Europe a patchwork quilt of kingships and tribal areas in a state of almost constant conflict it was hard to ignore anyone who aim at some kind of unification. Many tried and many failed until around 800AD with the triumph of Charlemagne. Holding together an area around present day Eastern France and into Germany he managed to impose peace and return a significant piece of Europe to some kind of settled and civilised status. But such things tended to last as long as their ruler and when Charlemagne died the empire he created divided into three each ruled by a son. Inevitably such a divided kingdom could not last and war broke out. Over the next 1000 years until the Holy Roman Empire dissolved itself in 1806 a significant portion of central Europe – mostly centred on Germany, Austria and northern Italy – remained under the control of the Holy Roman Emperors who were generally elected from a small number of German families and often crowned by the Pope of the time. On rare occasions – for example when multiple Popes (up to three for one short period) fought over who would crown which imperial wannabee or the powerful Electors couldn’t make up their minds or find anyone suitable – the Empire soldiered on without an Emperor at the helm but few seemed to mind or notice. But almost whatever the situation the Holy Roman Empire was a force to be reckoned with – especially when the disparate elements could agree on a common policy, a common leader or a common enemy (like the Turks). Any history of Europe in general or either Germany or Italy in particular cannot ignore the place and role of the Holy Roman Empire as a significant formative influence.

The Holy Roman Empire was something I had come across on multiple occasions whenever I dipped into European history so I know of it but not all that much about it. Although I’m sure that the author tried his best it’s still rather difficult to produce even an overview of 1000 years of history in less than 130 pages. Most of the time I was drowning in names and places (mostly German) that had little resonance with me. It was only after the half way mark that my interest perked up with the Thirty Years War and beyond. Before that I was having serious flashbacks to Game of Thrones except for the dragons and White Walkers. As a basic introduction this was fine if a bit dull in places. I think my future reading on the regions in question will generally be a bit more focused on the last 2-300 years rather on the last 1000. We’ll see where that leads in future. If you’re looking for somewhere to start researching the Holy Roman Empire this isn’t a bad place.   

Just Finished Reading: The Roman Empire – A Very Short Introduction by Christopher Kelly (FP: 2006)

If you asked the average person to name an empire chances are they’ve either name the British or the Roman one. The Roman Empire – the focus here was mainly on the Western bit – at its height covered the entire Mediterranean region, up to the Scottish border in the north, France, Spain and a good chunk of Germany, Egypt and points East, Greece and beyond. No wonder its inhabitants thought they controlled ‘the known world’. Certainly nothing like it had been seen in Europe before (or for long afterwards).

Naturally much has been written about the Romans and the author was very conscious of not following down that, largely chronological, route. His approach was a rather different one looking at how the empire began and grew to the extent it did (conquest pretty much), what it meant for both Romans and their enemies to have and to use imperial power, how elites in the occupied territories colluded with the Empire for good reasons – resistance to Rome was shown again and again until the fall to be essentially futile. A revolt against Rome was a suicidal proposition as tribes, peoples and nations found to their cost. He then looked at how the Empire had been treated throughout history by scholars from Roman commentators themselves to the Middle Ages and on to today where arguments still rage about Roman brutality and their civilising mission (purely on Roman terms of course). Naturally the rise of Christianity cannot be ignored as it is inexorably tied to the Roman Empire and its response to a subversive sect in its midst. Then there is the lived experience in the Empire where the author probably most surprised me – I’m no expert on all things Roman but did think I had a pretty good handle on things – as it seems that most of my mental image of Rome comes from (generally historically inaccurate) movies. For one thing – not unlike ‘3rd World’ countries in the all too recent past – infant mortality was extremely high which resulted in the average age of Roman citizens to be 25. What’s more about 60% of Romans at age 17 served in the military and not just for a 2 year tour. Military spending in the Empire was staggering. It really was a fully militarised society with spending being the equivalent of 10 times the present US military expenditure. Now considering the US outspends the next 30 countries combined you can imagine the cost of running the Roman military machine. Another interesting fact the author brought to my attention was the lack of anything like a Civil Service. For an imperial population of 60 million the Empire had around 10,000 bureaucrats to run things. The UK with a similar population has about 500,000 bureaucrats.

Finally (naturally) the author ended with Rome’s representation in movies and print as well its cultural highlights (and low lights) being presented in everything from bubble bath to boxer shorts. Images and echoes of Rome are everywhere from our language, laws, architecture, forms of government, philosophy, religion and much else besides. Rome is all things to all people and still 2,000 years after it fell resounds in western culture probably unlike anything else. This is a fascinating little book full of interesting aspects of the Empire that is either loved or reviled but hardly ever ignored. Definitely recommended for a quick and fun read.

Just Finished Reading: Empire – A Very Short Introduction by Stephen Howe (FP: 2002)

Not unlike the poor, Empires have always been with us. Indeed, as the author points out in this fascinating short book, it could be argued that the history of Empire is the history of humanity. Even before the iconic Roman Empire reached the height of its powers other Empires emerged, expanded and died across the globe from the Middle East, China and South America. Some lasted only as long as their Emperor (and sometimes the rarer Empress) lived. Others lasted generations whilst the self-styled inheritor of Rome – the Holy Roman Empire – lasted 1000 years. Some Empires where comparatively tiny whilst others, such as the British Empire spanned the globe over a landmass where the sun literally never set. Empires had a power base on land and expanded outwards from the edges. Empires also had their power based at sea and produced colonies or protectorates wherever conditions allowed access to the interior from coastal acquisitions. Empires grew organically or by deliberate conquest. It is only in the present lifetime of a single generation that we live in a world without an Empire somewhere. With the collapse of the Soviet Union and the dissolving of the British Empire with the loss of Hong Kong we are living in unique times. But, as the news coming out of Hong Kong attests, we are still experiencing the echoes of Empires and will continue to do so for many years (or indeed generations) to come.

Empires shaped the world, moved millions of people across the globe – some voluntary, some not – literally moved mountains, changed environments, changed languages, made species (and civilisations) extinct, instituted global trade, made war, enforced people, enabled slavery, fought to stop slavery, expanded religions, transplanted religions, spread disease, plants and animals across the world both by design and by accident, and much else besides. Empires may be vilified by some and (cautiously) praised by others but they certainly cannot be ignored if any understanding of global history is to be achieved. The history of Empires, taught as dispassionately as possible considering the understandable controversy around so much of its activities, allows us to understand the histories of entire cultures as well as ‘hot button’ topics such as colonialism (in all its aspects), race, development, power, cultural imperialism (and cultural appropriation) and other areas so exercising the world today. This book is an excellent entry point into that whole (rather messy but very interesting) area for discussion and doesn’t shy away from areas hotly debated by the various groups – historians, indigenous peoples, politicians – which we still see almost every days on news sites and papers. The echo of Empire still exists around the world – softly in some places but almost deafening in others. It is difficult to understand the world without any reference to it. Reading this recommended book would be a good first step for anyone unfamiliar with, or simply misinformed about, an idea that shaped the world since before the historical record began.     

3 more books in this Empire 'book blitz' to come.....

Just Finished Reading: The American Presidency – A Very Short Introduction by Charles O Jones (FP: 2007)

..and so to the third (and final) book in my US Politics book ‘blitz’. This was actually the longest (at 165 pages) and probably the driest, in places, of all three books. Starting with the invention of the position – which almost didn’t happen as some of the original drafters of the Constitution wanted a 12 man committee rather than a single man in charge. Plus the role was almost called ‘Governor’ rather than President… Then moving on to how the President found his feet and settled into his constitutional role. Then onto how Presidents are elected (and other ways they gain office!), how the role has changed over time and expanded as the role of government expanded. The final sections (the largely dry bit) looked in more detail of how the President functions within government and how he fits into the larger governmental landscape.

As I’ve still very much a novice in respect to the US political system (something that these 3 books was a hesitant attempt to begin to rectify) a portion of this book passed without much sound over my head. My knowledge of the intricacies of how US Government (or indeed my own Government) operates revolves mostly around pop culture references in TV shows and movies. I’d need to read a lot more than this to truly get my head around things – but little steps and all that. I have quite a few US culture and politics references coming up so I’ll have a greater appreciation of things in the next few years no doubt.

In larger news I thought the book blitz idea worked really well (at least in theory) so I’ll be doing that again. The next one is likely to be in August with a further one over Christmas. The August event – already in the pipeline with be on ‘Empire’ with 4 books planned over 9 days. Should be a good one. More VSI to come no doubt.