The Gatekeepers, by Chris Whipple

REVIEW: I felt this book was well worth my valuable reading time and gave me a better understanding of the political process in Washington.    I am not a “political junkie.”  Rather I was interested in this book from an historical perspective.  Much of this information is very current and, especially in today’s culture, it is difficult to approach any political subject without bias.  (Just as it is difficult for the reader to read without bias.)  Except for a few instances, I thought this author presented the facts without making overt value judgements.  Even with the numerous names, most of which were familiar to me, the storyline was easy to follow except for the transition from Howard Baker Jr. to Ken Duberstein (chapter 5).  I totally missed that and did not realize my mistake until later when Duberstein was referred to as a previous Chief of Staff.  The book was very interesting, although not necessarily gripping like an engrossing fiction novel.  I received a complimentary copy of this book for my review. 

Chief of Staff	President		Others
H. R. Haldeman ·       Developed staff system followed by future administrations ·       Said, “President’s most valuable asset is his time” (page 22). ·       His main goal was Nixon’s place in history.	Richard Nixon		J. Edgar Hoover – FBI Director Lied to Nixon about bugging during election Roger Ailes Donald Rumsfeld John Mitchell Charles Colson John Ehrlichman Howard Hunt G. Gordan Liddy Spiro Agnew – disgraced VP Gerald Ford – 2nd VP
General Alexander Haig	Nixon to Ford transition
Donald Rumsfeld Revamped Ford’s organization Restricted access to Ford	Gerald Ford		Dick Cheney – Deputy Chief of Staff David Hume Kennerly – official photographer Henry Kissinger Alan Greenspan Nelson Rockefeller - VP
Dick Cheney White House running extremely smoothly	Gerald Ford		Donald Rumsfeld to Pentagon Kissinger demoted James A. Baker III
Hamilton Jordan At first was unofficial C of S Officially appointed 2 ½ years into term 1980 – resigned to run next campaign	Jimmy Carter		Jack Watson – in charge of transition from Ford Jody Powell – friend, driver Initial WH organization followed “spokes of the wheel” that did not work before
Jack Watson – last 1 ½ year	Jimmy Carter
James Baker Longest term for C of S Redefined position	Ronald Reagan		Nancy Reagan Legislature Strategy Group (LSG)
Donald Regan Hung up on Nancy	Ronald Reagan		Joan Quigley – Nancy’s astrologer
Howard Baker Jr.	Ronald Reagan		Ken Duberstein – Deputy C of S Mikhail Gorbachev – new Soviet leader
Ken Duberstein	Ronald Reagan
John Sununu	George H. W. Bush		Andy Card – Deputy C of S
Samuel K. Skinner	George H. W. Bush		Bob Teeter – campaign chairman
James Baker	George H. W. Bush
Thomas F. “Mack” McLarty Longtime friend of Bill Clinton	Bill Clinton		Hillary Clinton Vincent Foster – White House counselor, committed suicide Harry and Linda Bloodsworth-Thomason Erskine Bowles – Office of Management and Budget
Leon Panetta	Bill Clinton		Erskine Bowles – deputy C of S Dick Morris – secret advisor
Erskine Bowles	Bill Clinton		Monica Lewinsky John Podesta – deputy C of S – in charge of managing Lewinsky “cells”
John Pedesto	Bill Clinton
Andrew Card	George W. Bush		Dick Cheney–VP, (former C of S) Donald Rumsfeld – Secretary of Defense, (former C of S) Condoleeza Rice – National Security Advisor, 2nd term was Secretary of State, became closest advisor Brent Snowcroft – spoke out against war
Joshua Bolten	George W. Bush
Rahm Emanuel	Barack Obama		“The Wrap”
William Daley	Barack Obama		At end of tenure shared job with Pete Rouse
Jacob Lew	Barack Obama
Denis McDonough Served for entire second term Took responsibility for flawed ACA website	Barack Obama

 For Discussion:

NOTE: Page numbers are from the hardback edition.

1. On page 111 (chapter 4) Margaret Tutwiler as quoted as saying, “The most successful managers are those that are secure enough to surround themselves with extremely strong-willed, talented people.”  Do you agree?
2. James Baker (Ronald Reagan) talked about the tension between those who truly believed in ideals and those willing to compromise to get things done.  Do you think it is right to compromise your goals and beliefs for the sake of progress? 
3. In the same vein, Reagan said, “’I’ll take eighty percent of what I want, and come back later for more.’”  Do you think this is a good way to get things done or should he have held out for everything he wanted?
4. On page 223 (chapter 8), Andrew Card (George H. W. Bush) outlined three duties of the Chief of Staff (“care and feeding of the president; policy formulation, and marketing and selling.”)   How important do you think these are?  How well did each of the Chiefs of Staff do these jobs?
5. In chapter 8 about George W. Bush and Andrew Card, the author writes about 9/11 and the beginning of the war against Iraq for many pages without mentioning Card.  Did you think the author got off track?  Did his own political views get in the way of his writing?
6. On page 268 (chapter 9), Rahm Emanuel (Barack Obama) is quoted as saying about tension among advisors, “You’re supposed to have that.  If you don’t you’re not having the creative tension you need in a White House – that’s how you get kind of the intellectual energy and the political energy to get things done.”   Do you agree?  How necessary is it to have this tension during the decision-making process?
7. What did you learn from this book that you can apply to your job? To your family life and organization?
8. What did you read that relates to today’s politics?  Did this book help you understand the workings of Washington and/or the workings of the current political scene?
9. How much do you think the author’s opinion colored the information in the book? 
10. How important is it that the Chief of Staff be a Washington insider?  Do you think someone without Washington experience could do an effective job?

*****

First Semester Success: Learning Strategies and  Motivation for Your First Semester (or Any Semester) of College, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer, is available at amazon.com, wordassociation.com and barnesandnoble.com.  Click on  the upper right link.

Major Perttigrew’s Last Stand, by Helen Simonson

Characters
Major Pettigrew	Wife – Nancy – deceased Son – Roger – girlfriend Sandy Brother – Bertie – deceased ·         Marjorie – Bertie’s wife ·         Jemima – daughter
Mrs. Jasmina Ali	Husband – deceased Nephew – Abdul Wahid George – son with Amina   Auntie – brought from Pakistan to “fix things” with Amina
Others	Vicar Father Christopher and wife, Daisy Green Alec and Alma Shaw Grace DeVere   Lord Dagenham Gertrude – niece   Mr. Ferguson – American investor and developer   Najwa Rasool - caterer   Dr. Khan and Saadia – decorator Noreen – assistant Amina – niece George – son of Amina and Abdul Wahid   Alice Pierce – neighbor, protesting new development

 For discussion:

NOTE: All page numbers are from paperback edition.
 

1. On page 66, Mrs. Ali says, “The world is full of small ignorances, we must all do our best to ignore them and thereby keep them small.”   Do you agree or it is better to try to fix them?   What are some examples?

2. Discuss the role of adult children and their parents.  Major Pettigrew stated that, “…they began to infantilize their own parents and wish them dead, or at least in assisted living.”  What do you think?

3. Reading plays a major role in Major Pettigrew and Mrs. Ali’s life and relationship.  Mrs. Ali stated, “…I tell myself that it does not matter what one reads – favorite authors, particular themes – as long as we read something. It is not even important to own the books” (page 63).  Discuss the importance of reading to the two characters.  What role does reading play in your life?

4. Discuss how the different characters dealt with death.  From the “Acknowledgements,” it seems that the author parents and in-laws are still living.  How do you think she was able to understand grief?

5. Were you surprised to find out why Auntie was here?  Did you feel differently about her once you knew the story of her mother’s death?

6. When the Major asked Amina why she was trying to teach the servers at the club the folk-dance routines, she said, “If it was easy, I wouldn’t have done it…I don’t take charity” (page 143).  What does this say about Amina’s character?

7. When the Major was apologizing for something the club secretary said to Amina, she replied, “Don’t worry about it.  I don’t have space in my head to put up with harmless old gits trying to make me feel bad” (page 148).  How easy is it to do this?

 

8. In the same conversation, the Major said, “…I believe there is a great deal too much mutual confession going on today, as if sharing one’s problems somehow makes them go away.  All it really does, of course, is increase the number of people who have to worry about a particular issue” (page 149).  How does our online culture (Facebook and Twitter) play into this?

9. When the Major told Alice that he would not publicly support the protest of Ferguson and Dagenham’s plans to turn the meadow into a new development, he said, “But I cannot, in good conscience, assist you with any civic unrest.”  What is the line between being environmentally conscious and civic unrest?

10. In discussing the planned protests, Alice said, “Everyone’s green except for their one little project, which they assure us won’t make much difference…” (page 163).  Is this the way it really is?

11. Discuss the pair of Churchill rifles that was in the Major’s family.  Was he justified in his feelings about the importance of the pair of guns?  In the end, how was he able to let the one go so easily?  Do we put too much value in material things?

12. When Amina and the Major were talking about Mrs. Ali going back to Pakistan where she had stated she did not want to go, Amina said, “You can’t reduce life to something as simple as happiness…There’s always some bloody compromise to be made.”  Do you agree?  Do we put too much emphasis on happiness?

13. What did you think about the prejudice against the immigrants in the novel?  Did you think the citizens from Pakistan were treated equally or did assimilation seem to stop at a certain extent of familiarity? 

*****

First Semester Success: Learning Strategies and Motivation for Your First Semester (or Any Semester) of College, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer, is available at amazon.com, wordassociation.com and barnesandnoble.com.  Click on the upper right link.

All These Wonders: True Stories About Facing the Unknown, Stories from The Moth

Review:  I loved this book and enjoyed every word!  The only problem I had was that is it addictive.  I would set time aside to read one story and find myself still sitting there after reading four or five.  I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to read!  It is a perfect gift book and a book to keep nearby in case you have a few free minutes.  (Just be prepared to have to force yourself to put it down!) I received a complimentary copy of the book for this review. 

For discussion:

1.       In the Foreword, Neil Gaiman writes that “The practiced jokes and the witty one-liners all crash and burn up on a Moth stage.”   Why do you think these short stories work and connect with listeners and readers?

2.       Neil Gaiman, in the Foreword, also writes that, “with these wonderful stories, it [The Moth] teaches us to read.”  What does he mean?

3.       The information about the authors at the end of each story was very interesting.  Many are actors and writers.  Do you think they are natural story tellers?   What skills do you think it takes to be a good storyteller?

4.       After finishing the book, what story or stories do you still remember?  Why?

5.       What story would you tell?

*****

First Semester Success: Learning Strategies and Motivation for Your First Semester (or Any Semester) of College, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer, is available at amazon.com, wordassociation.com and barnesandnoble.com.  Click on the upper right link.

The Summer Before the War, by Helen Simonson

Characters
Rye Prominent Families	Rye Citizens	Others
Agatha Kent John Kent – Senior Official in Foreign Office Hugh Grange – nephew, medical student Daniel Bookham – nephew, poet   Mayor Fothergill Bettina Fothergill Charles Poot – nephew   Lady Emily Wheaton Colonel Wheaton Harry – son Eleanor – daughter, married to German Baron   Mr. Tillingham – writer   Dr. Lawton - doctor	Beatrice Nash – Latin teacher Joseph – father, writer, deceased   Mrs. Turber – landlady Abigail – servant   School boys: Richard Sidley “Snout” – Abigail’s brother Jack Heathly Arty Pike   School: Headmaster Mr. Dobbins – math Mr. Dimbly – science and gymnastics Miss Clauvert – French Miss Devon – English, history, sewing   Alice Finch - Suffragette Minnie Buttles – Suffragette, Vicar’s daughter   Algernon Firth – writer Amberleigh de Witte – writer under name of A. A. de Witte	Lady Merbely – Beatrice’s aunt, guardian   Refugees: Professor Celeste – daughter, raped by Germans   Maria Stokes – gypsy, Snout’s great-grandmother   London: Sir Alex Ramsey – surgeon Lucy - daughter   Lord and Lady North Craigmore – son, Daniel’s friend

For Discussion:

NOTE: Page numbers are from hardback edition.

 

1. Did you think the author gave an accurate depiction of education during that time period?  On page 51 she wrote that Beatrice’s father had the opinion that “…education in general, and Latin in particular, should not be kept for the few, that it was wrong to divide the world and keep all success and distinction in the hands of a small elite.”  Do you think this was a common belief?   What about today?
2. When the refugees arrived, the town was disappointed with the people who came, they were hoping for children. Does this disappointment tamper their good intentions?
3. When Beatrice was talking with Abigail about getting married, Abagail said that her prospects for a husband, “likely won’t take kindly to a wife with airs of reading books and such” (page 164).   Beatrice replied, “I think you’ll find most women in pursuit of a husband share an interest in appearing less educated than they really are…It’s why I have a low opinion of them [husbands]” (page 164).  Do you understand how the times might have made this a true statement?   Is it any different today?
4. On page 183 Hugh, when thinking about Snout, said, “But I’ve found that intelligence is often no match for the circumstances of life.”   Do you think this is a true statement?    Can we overcome our circumstances or are there times when they are just too influential?
5. When Cook was telling Agatha about her son-in-law going off to war and her worries about her crippled granddaughter, the author wrote that, “Agatha was forced to consider whether her sympathetic interest in her staff’s families might have more to do with appearing generous than with any willingness to be inconvenienced by their actual problems” (page 186).   Was she being too hard on herself?  Is this a natural thought process?
6. On page 187 the author wrote that Agatha took off her mobcap before talking on the telephone, “as a nod to the importance of maintaining standards.”  How importance was standards in that time period?  What about today? 
7. Discuss the view of women in that time:
1. When talking with Beatrice about the prospect of writing an essay promoting the war to American’s Mr. Tillingham said, “Always tricky to be embraced by the ladies…The risk of dismissal by serious minds” and “on the other hand, it is the ladies who seem able to whip up a frenzy for some idea” (page 202). 
2. Both Beatrice and Celeste were betrayed by their fathers; Beatrice’s by telling her she was independent and then putting her money in a trust and Celeste’s father sacrificing her to the German’s to save some books.
3. When her husband did not tell Agatha that Daniel had left for the war until he was gone, she said, “Why do men presume to know what is best for us?” (page 286).
8. Agatha offered to be secretary of the Belgian Relief Committee because she felt that position gave her, “complete control over the committee” (page 208).  Does the secretary wield the most control in many organizations?
9. In the Acknowledgements, the author wrote that “writers and poets are at the heart of my novel.”  But Mr. Tillingham is not depicted in a positive light.  When he was at the war cemetery with Beatrice, she observed him looking “as greedy as that of a glutton before the feast” and that “it seemed to her that all of his novels were filled with people he knew and betrayed” (page 473).   How were writers and poets portrayed as positive?
10. Do you think Beatrice would have liked Mr. Tillingham if he were not a famous writer?
11. Lady Emily refused to talk on the phone and always had someone relay her messages.  She said, “Terrible thing, the telephone, I refuse to be a slave to it.”  Has that changed?
12. What was your reading experience at the end of the novel compared to the beginning?

*****
First Semester Success: Learning Strategies and Motivation for Your First Semester (or Any Semester) of College, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer, is available at amazon.com, wordassociation.com and barnesandnoble.com.  Click on the upper right link.

The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir, by Jennifer Ryan

REVIEW: I love this book!  It is the perfect blend of a good story, interesting characters and meaningful ideas to consider long after the reading is done.  I enjoyed the format of telling the story through diary entries, letters, etc.  and thought the author did a good job of revealing the characters through their own thoughts as well as their observations of others.  I highly recommend this book to individuals and book groups.  I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for this review.

Characters

Mrs. Tilling – widow, nurse David – son Colonel Mallarad – widower, Mrs. Tilling’s boarder - Head of Litchfield Park Brigadier Winthrop Mrs. Winthrop – pregnant Edmund – son – killed in war Venetia – 18 Kitty – 13 Silvie – 10 – Jewish evacuee Lawrence – newborn son (switched with Hattie Lovell’s baby) Proggett - butler Hattie Lovell – pregnant, school teacher Rose – newborn daughter (switched with Mrs. Winthrop’s baby) Mrs. Edwina Paltry – midwife Clara – sister Vicar Angela Quail – daughter, friend of Venetia’s Mr. Alastair Slater – artist, spy Mrs. Primrose Trent (Prim) – Professor of Music, must tutor, choir director Mrs. Brampton-Boyd (Mrs. B.)

For discussion:

NOTE: The page numbers are from the hardback edition of the book.

1. On page 4 the author wrote, “There is something bolstering about singing together.”  If you do not like to sing, could you appreciate the power of singing and how the Ladies’ Choir helped unite the women and also helped them cope with their intense feelings?  If you currently are in or have sung in a group, do you think the author accurately described the experience or was it magnified because of the war?
2. Could you understand how difficult and how much courage it took for the women to form an all-female choir at that time?  What would be a comparable undertaking today?
3. On page 112 Kitty wrote in her diary about the positives in conventional wisdom and continuing to do things the way they had always been done.  When do you think tradition is good and when should it be abandoned?  How do you know?
4. In one of her journal entries Kitty mused about the power of women; “Does Hitler have any idea of the force and determination of thirteen impassioned women?”  (page 140) What did the women accomplish in the novel?  Would the men of the town been able to do the same?
5. Prim held a special choir practice open to everyone in the village to commemorate the lives lost at Dunkirk.  She had them stand in a circle, hold hands and sing a Gregorian chant.  Mrs. Tilling wrote in her diary, “We gingerly held hands.  Such a simple, childish think, but so rare in our busy, untouching world.”  (page 146) Why do you think the experience was so moving to everyone?  What do you think of holding hands with someone outside of your family today?
6. Do you think it was realistic that Hattie was able to switch the babies?  Do you think a mother would recognize her own child or not be able to tell?
7. After the bombing, were you surprised that people were looting their neighbors’ homes?  Do you think this would happen in a small town?
8. Which character did you think was the most interesting?  The most likeable or unlikeable?  Why?
9. Discuss your reading experience.  Did you like the chapters from different character’s viewpoints?  Would you recommend this book to a friend?  Why or why not?
10. Do you think a man would enjoy and appreciate this book or is it geared toward a woman’s experience?

*****

First Semester Success: Learning Strategies and Motivation for Your First Semester (or Any Semester) of College, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer, is available at amazon.com, wordassociation.com and barnesandnoble.com.  Click on the upper right link.