February/John 2

The Twilight War: The Secret History of America's Thirty-Year Conflict with Iran

by David Crist

THE TWILIGHT WAR The Secret History of America's Thirty-Year Conflict with Iran was written by David Crist and was published by the Penguin Group in 2012. At 638 pages, it is an excellent exposé of human frailties, misunderstandings, missed opportunities, mistrust, hate, blame, and outright failures. It is a lengthy work of non-fiction about war and peace. (A nod to Leo Tolstoy)

Mr. Crist undertook a vast amount of research in a laudable writing to unravel the intricate twists and turns associated with the various governments' dealings that helped make this conflict the exercise in frustration that it has become. As one president or group of government officials would tentatively reach out in an offering of dialogue, the opposite numbers on the other side would flatly refuse those overtures. When on some occasions they were accepted, talks would soon stall from fear, stubbornness, misinterpretation, or political conflicts within a respective country itself. 

1997: Iran was giving the maritime shipping of other countries a bad time by attacking with automatic fire from speedboats (Boghammars) and helicopters. With the possibility of more destruction, their minelayers, two larger warships, jet fighters, and Silkworm missiles threatened as well. Tanker traffic coming into and going out of the Persian Gulf was often in peril, plus there was the threat of economic choking by blockading the Straits of Hormuz. This was bookended by the 1979 takeover of the country by the Ayatollah Khomeini and the stalemates over nuclear disarmament talks from the past decade, and all interlaced with intrigues from intelligence communities. 

Covered in this book are also the military, political, governmental, and State departmental inner workings of Iran and America, other countries as well, plus the UN. Mr. Crist's writing sometimes bounces back and forth between the incidents being related and some pertinent events that had happened years before. These could be both enlightening and frustrating. Overall this is a very good read by a gentleman who is a USMCR colonel that served in both Gulf Wars and the conflict in Afghanistan, who also earned a PhD in middle eastern history. 

As an update since the book was written - perhaps if there is no nuclear war started as a result of the 2015/16 agreement, it could be very interesting to see what kind of book Mr. Crist would write concerning the intricate but well researched relationship of Iran and America by the year 2045. 

February/John

The Martian
by Andy Weir

At 369 pages, Andy Weir wrote an action packed, mentally involving and emotionally encompassing novel about survival on the planet Mars by the fictional NASA astronaut Mark Watney. First copyrighted in 2011 the  story's fabric is woven with pertinent, present day science. The situation fabric comes across as real, wrapping the reader directly in harms way designs. 

Technically, the narrative is loaded with numbers, calculations, circuitous constructions, and many a manner of complex thoughts the lead character must work through if he is to survive. Stuck all alone a few hundred million miles from earth, this astronaut, with very limited supplies of water, food, fuel, and breathable air, must use his botanical, mathematical, mechanical, and electrical knowledge - to say nothing of his life experiences - to survive the very harsh conditions imposed by an alien environment. Communications with his comrades at NASA provides productive possibilities by tapping their collective knowledge and experience to find a way to rescue him before time thwarts their efforts. His inherent 'human error' factor, whether the sun is out or not, also shadows him all the way. 

Explaining in laymen's terms diverse solutions to various problems such as how to grow potatoes in a hostile land, how to communicate with earth by combining equipment, and how to traverse long distances over hostile terrain, makes it a very interesting intellectual treatise; writing excellent dialog through a myriad of mind boggling enigmas gives it suspense. What makes the glue that is the entertainment factor is the gallows humor shown by his lead character. 

A software engineer by trade, Mr. Weir, whose hobbies include "...relativistic physics, orbital mechanics, and the history of manned spaceflight", certainly combined his talents to write an excellent 'science fact' novel. And being "a lifelong space nerd" did not work against him. This, his first novel, gets an 'E' for effort, an 'A' for a grade, and a hardy recommendation. 

Patti and Her Friend

Patti and her friend celebrated the Valentine's Day

In the Heart of the Sea/John

IN THE HEART OF THE SEA
THE TRAGEDY OF THE WHALESHIP ESSEX, a 302 page book by Nathaniel Philbrick, was published in 2000 by the Penguin Group. It is a non-fiction work that centers around the time period of July 1819 through August 1821, with the background giving pertinent knowledge to enable one to follow the story, and the  followup of the ordeal to flesh-out the ramifications of this very human tragedy. 

The narrative delves into the history of the hardy people of Nantucket Island and their relationship with the normally placid whale, from the island's inauspicious beginnings into contemporary history. During the period that involves the main story, the island, located 24 miles off southern New England's coast, was the whaling capital of the world. The hardships described in making a living by going to sea portend the ordeal the shipwrecked sailors went through after an 80 foot sperm whale purposefully rammed the 87 foot, 238 ton displacement whaleship and subsequently sunk it. How eight of the crew out of twenty in their three 25 foot whaleboats used as lifeboats survived their arduous journey of 4,500 miles in the Pacific Ocean is the heart of the book. 

Mr. Philbrick, in writing this detailed account, conducted prodigious research into not only whaling and its relationship to that era, but also the effects - short term and long - of starvation, exposure to harsh elements, and the psychology of enduring their incredibly difficult decisions during their voyage. He did an excellent job of teaching the reader about the history of Nantucket and life at sea in the 19th century, and relating what was under the most grueling of circumstances that which was accepted then for survival. And even now. 

Drawn designs and diagrams, detailed maps, and pertinent photographs were included to assist readers in the relating of actions and elements, people and sea life, ships and work. The fact that some made it through this crucible is a testamate to their excellent seamanship, ability to work together, and their fortitude to prevail even with bad decisions, horrendous weather conditions, and human nature. This book is highly recommended for anyone not faint of heart. Or even for them if they want to toughen-up.