John Calvin Batchelor

I s'pose this is the kind of book generally described as a romp, or a caper. But the pace is uneven (in a good way). Let's go with "breakneck" because the turns and corners, stops and starts, spirals, dead sprints... all add up to the Sweet Rollercoaster from Transsexual Transylvania. It's also kind of like The Princess Bride, but its fantastical* and fairytale qualities feel slightly dated. So... not a fairy tale, then.

You could argue that the more complex something (anything!) is, the more it ties itself to a particular place/time/space, and that would explain why this book is so obviously a product of the early '80s. But you could also argue that I wasn't even born then, and consequently, what do I know? Obvious schmobvious.

Reading this did remind me that I've read very little about Vietnam and know very little about it, most likely because my dad was pro- the war (and, improbably, still is) and we never talked about it growing up. This represents a vast gap in my historical and cultural knowledge of the United States.

*I don't know whether fantastical is actually a word.… (mehr)

I was a disgruntled ex-Libertarian Party member when I got drawn into a Republican campaign, still skeptical and wary about the party--I started there out of loyalty to a candidate for convention delegate I personally knew. (I mean I came from a working-class Puerto Rican Democratic family--what do you expect? Republicans all had horns and cloven feet! I knew it!). So... several people in that campaign became family, and one of them gave me this as a gift at the end of the campaign as a sort of a "welcome home" gift. As such I admit I view this book through a nostalgic haze, and wouldn't dream of ever getting rid of it. Especially since that friend is no longer with us.

I didn't find it very deep, but I did find it entertaining and engaging and full of little anecdotes. Not the ultimate party history or very scholarly no--but fun. At least if the very word "Republican" doesn't make you hiss and spit.… (mehr)