Dear Great Book Guru,  I attended a lecture last week at the Brooklyn Historical Society on how democracies die.  It was both fascinating and horrifying.   Have you heard about the book that was at the center of this discussion? 

A Champion of Democracy

Dear Champion,  HOW DEMOCRACIES DIE by Steven Levitsky and David Ziblatt is perhaps the most thought provoking book I have read in the last few months.  While we usually picture democracies collapsing in violent chaos with tanks and militia in the streets, the authors show us that more frequently the very components of democracy–its constitution, courts, media, and elections- are used to destroy it.  They list four signs of its slow death: 1. denying the legitimacy of opponents 2.  condoning or tolerating violence 3.  showing  a willingness to curb civil liberties and/or the media 4. having only a weak commitment to democratic rules.  If one or more of these is present there is a strong possibility that democracy is in grave danger.  The authors also suggest that it is political parties that keep despots from coming to power and the post 1960’s primary system of nominating candidates has undermined the parties’ power.  The last and most devastating insight they offer is that at no time  in history has a democracy existed where all citizens- regardless of race or ethnicity- are equally empowered politically, socially,  and economically. Does democracy need inequality to exist? A disturbing question indeed!  Highly recommended…

Dear Great Book Guru,  For the last few weeks my friends and I have been trying to see as many of  the Oscar nominated movies as possible. Our favorites have included I, TONYA  and THE SHAPE OF WATER but we have a few more to see.   While on our way to one of the shows, someone mentioned a new literary thriller that uses classic movies to frame its story.  Does it sound familiar?   A Movie Maven

Dear Movie Maven, I just finished  THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW by A.J. Finn- and it is indeed an homage to many  noir movies of the past, especially Hitchcock’s REAR WINDOW  but also SHADOW OF A DOUBT, VERTIGO,  and SUSPICION plus George Cukor’s terrifying GASLIGHT.  Anna Fox is a child psychologist who spends her days and nights spying on her neighbors. Because of an earlier traumatic event- which we gradually learn about- she suffers from agoraphobia.  Fueled by alcohol and heavy medication, Anna is a very unreliable narrator.  When a new family moves across the street from her, she takes an obsessive interest in their lives and soon sees and hears things she and the baffled reader must question.   However, there is no question this is a fascinating thriller... and highly recommended!

Dear Great Book Guru, We were at the Women’s March in New York City    last weekend with friends and family.  It was an amazing display of unity and activism.  The signs were wonderful- ranging from “Love Trumps Hate” to “Toddlers Against Tyranny.”  As we marched, we talked about many things,   including good choices for our book clubs.  Someone mentioned a new novel about Lincoln that sounded interesting- any thoughts?  Marching with the Many                                        

Dear Marching,  George Saunders’s LINCOLN IN THE BARDO  is an excellent book club choice. Although central to the plot,  Lincoln is only one of 166 characters we encounter in this very unusual,  award- winning novel.  Bardo is the place where the dead await their afterlife, possibly reincarnation, possibly damnation….  We meet Lincoln as he visits the crypt where his young son Willy lies after having just died of typhoid fever. The president’s grief is so intense that Willy cannot move on. The other ghosts- many who refuse to believe they are dead- share their life stories. There is the racist soldier who brags about the many women he raped, a miserly widow, a young mother who fears for her children, and a group of slaves that recount the horrors they have endured. Interspersed throughout are quotes from Lincoln scholars and journalists offering commentary on the events of the day.   Saunders tells an extraordinary tale- both beautifully poetic and ribaldry humorous- of love, grief, and redemption.  Highly recommended! 

Dear Great Book Guru,  I was at an annual gathering of friends:  “The Beat the Winter Blues Gala” last week. While we were dining and chatting, someone brought up a new book she had read- set in sunny Greece about a missing person, but she insisted it was not a mystery.   It sounded interesting… any thoughts? Seeker of the Sun

Dear Seeker of the Sun,  Yes, all of us could use some sunshine around now, but I’m afraid you won’t find it in Katie Kitamura’s A SEPARATION.  This is a dark novel set in London and southern Greece.  The unnamed narrator has been separated from her husband Christopher for over six months. She has little knowledge of his life but is aware he has had many affairs throughout their marriage. His mother, an ardent supporter of Christopher and our narrator’s nemesis, reluctantly reaches out to her when he stops returning calls.  Surprised the mother does not know of the separation, the narrator maintains the secrecy and heads out to the luxurious hotel resort where Christopher is staying. The remainder of this short novel teases us with clues about his life and possible end.  Throughout,  Kitamura offers us an study on what separates little lies and great betrayals, legal and personal misdeeds, and ultimately,  the need to know and the need to protect.  The beauty of Greece shines through this novel but there is no sunshine for its characters. Recommended! 

Dear Great Book Guru,  With the Martin Luther King weekend coming up, I feel the need to read about the politics of our country.  I am interested in the new and very controversial book about the Trump presidency.  Have you read it and if so would you recommend it?

Fervent Fan of Politics

Dear Fervent Fan,  I was intrigued by all the pre- publication reporting on FIRE AND FURY  by Michael Wolff so at exactly 9am on January 5- its moment of release- I pressed the Buy button on my Kindle  Over the top on all the bestseller lists, this is indeed a worthwhile read on many levels, and  I was certainly not prepared to enjoy it as much as I did. It is surprisingly well written and filled with colorful details.  Wolff’s style is definitely in the “access journalism” school very reminiscent of many of Bob Woodward’s books. The image of this New York Magazine writer sitting invited but unnoticed on a sofa in the White House as scores of key political players casually reveal their secrets is strangely credible. While Wolff depends for a large part on the musings of the irascible  Steve Bannon, the more poignant and provocative insights come from three women: Katie Walsh, the young deputy White House Chief of Staff; Dina Powell,  a former Goldman Sachs executive now Middle East Security Advisor, and Hope Hicks, White House Communications Director.  The role these women play in White House politics could make for an entire book.   Whether Wolff is accurate or not, he tells a fascinating story. Highly recommended!

Dear Great Book Guru,  We will be gathering  for our annual New Year’s celebration with family and friends- an early evening movie, dinner and dessert, followed by the ringing of the bell on the Sea Cliff Village Green at Midnight. As faithful followers of your column, we were wondering if you had some particular favorites from your 2017 book recommendations you would share with us?

New Year’s Reveler

Dear New Year’s Reveler, I was just looking over my 2017 reviews and I came up with 12 books I truly loved.  My # 1 favorite was Paul Auster's 4321 and here are the rest in no particular order:

                                                                                                                             

THE SECOND COMING OF THE KKK

RESERVOIR 13

THE NINTH HOUR

DINNER AT THE CENTER OF THE EARTH

THE COLOR OF LAW

THE LAST DAYS OF NIGHT

WAKING LIONS

EXIT WEST

GHACHAR GHOCHAR

ELEANOR OLIPHANT IS COMPLETELY FINE

LITTLE DEATHS

Dear Great Book Guru,  I have a confession to make:  I feel like the Christmas Grinch- please, please recommend a good book or two to get me in the Christmas spirit. 

A Grinch in Search of Cheer

Dear Grinch, Never fear- redemption is at hand.  First, I am going to make an unusual suggestion:  THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT by renowned playwright and local resident Fred Stroppel. Far from the usual sentimental holiday fare, this play deals with death and redemption in a darkly humorous manner. Julia Dowling finds herself sitting in her cozy living room on Christmas Eve engaged in a fight for her life. The Christmas Spirit in the title is actually Death and he has come for Julia.  She begs for more time and in exchange offers Death the chance to celebrate a family Christmas with all the trimmings. Her assortment of dysfunctional family members plus the local priest, some troubled young guests, and the Christmas Spirit- who calls himself Jack Frost- gather at Julia’s invitation to celebrate the holiday. Life-altering secrets are revealed that offer hope….for a moment. Our friends and family love gathering every year for a reading of this monumental work. It is available in many formats but the Amazon Kindle version is the one we use.                                        

If you prefer a more traditional approach, I suggest A CHRISTMAS CAROL by Charles Dickens. We read a beautifully illustrated and abridged version by Stephen Krensky on Christmas Eve afternoon - it takes about an hour with each of us taking a page or two. Get out the eggnog and gather around with your friends and family for a wondrous weekend!