Jeffrey Miller's Blog: Jeffrey Miller Writes, page 8

Book Review: A Divided House, the Story of Ike and McCarthy

 

Publisher: Createspace (August 5, 2014)

Synopsis:

Set against the backdrop of the Cold War and the power-grab by the Soviet Union to elevate itself to the status of the world’s foremost nuclear power, the deadly serious struggle between “Ike” and “Joe” played itself out from September of 1952 through December of 1954 amidst the machinations of larger-than-life historical characters such as Stalin, Churchill, Truman, Taft, MacArthur, Marshall, Nixon, Alger Hiss, Julius & Ethel Rosenberg, the Kennedys and Roy Cohn.

The underpinnings of the Eisenhower-McCarthy political wars were Communist infiltration of the U.S. Government, the Korean War and the bruising anti-communist movement, later called “McCarthyism”–culminating in the raucus Army-McCarthy Hearings and the U.S. Senate’s censure of McCarthy in 1954. The colorful characters and drama-filled events could alone have provided the stuff for a good novel were it not for the fact that it is all true.

One of America’s darker moments in modern history when the country’s soul was spread open on an operating table like an etherized patient occurred during the early 1950s with Joe McCarthy and his communist witch hunts. From 1950 until 1954, the junior senator from Wisconsin held the country at bay as his witch hunt tested both the nation’s resolve as well as its patience.

Much has been written about McCarthy and McCarthyism, but now a new book, A House Divided, the Story of Ike and McCarthy, the author, Donald Farinacci, examines the the impact that McCarthyism had on President Dwight Eisenhower’s first term, including the McCarthy’s attacks on General George Marshall, Edward Murrow’s famous See it Now broadcast, and the McCarthy-Army hearings—which ultimately spelled the end for McCarthy.

The story of Ike and McCarthy is an interesting one when looks at in the context of these events and how damaging they could have been for the President. Farinacci offers fresh insights into McCarthy’s grip on America and how Eisenhower was forced to deal with the senator from Wisconsin. It might be hard for readers today to imagine the difficulties Ike found himself in when he ran for president and had to deal with McCarthy, especially when Ike found himself on the defensive defending his friend Marshall who had been Ike’s boss during World War II. Eisenhower “loathed the ‘ism’ attached to McCarthy’s name,” writes Farinacci. “Truth be told, he didn’t care much for Joe McCarthy either, considering him a demagogue and a fraud; and to Ike, ‘McCarthyism’ as anthema.”

Farinacci is brilliant throughout the book, but none more than when he holds up McCarthyism of the 1950s to “hot-button” issues of today. “How far was it permissible for a society to go in attempting to protect itself from its enemies?” Farinacci asks. “McCarthyism and its hand-maiden, militant anti-communism, resonated with a large majority of Americans on a fundamental gut-level.” There is something to be said to the way that America reacted to McCarthyism then and the way that it reacts to the issues of today. “Today’s polarization in America over issues like gun control, gay marriage, immigration and abortion,” writes Farinacci, “have a clear parallel in the divide over McCarthy and his methods in the early nineteen fifties.

A House Divided, The Story of Ike and McCarthy, is a most brilliant and fascinating study of two men at the height of the Cold War. More importantly, the book reminds us of how one man could turn the nation upside down as he took off on his witch hunt. Or as Edward Murrow eloquently put it, “He didn’t create this situation of fear, he merely exploited it; and rather successfully. Cassius was right. ‘The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves.’” Farinacci has given us much to ponder in this seminal and important work.

 

The Panama Affair — Coming Soon!

My new book, The Panama Affair will be out soon.

The manuscript is still being edited and the cover design still needs to be finished. This is a rough draft of what the final design will look like.

The genesis of this book dates back to 1980 when I was still in the Air Force stationed at George AFB outside of Victorville, California. I wrote a screenplay about the time I was stationed at Howard AFB. Although I lost that screenplay there was one scene which I recreated for The Panama Affair.

 

Book Review: The Break: Tales from a Revolution–Nova Scotia

Brief Candle Press, October 2014

158 pages

Synopsis: 

Susannah Mills is trying to put the pieces of her shattered life back together after she and her father flee their erstwhile neighbors in rebellious Massachusetts.When the American War of Independence visits the safe haven they have found in Nova Scotia, she must rely on her inner strength and help from new friends to keep her skin in one piece.

Lars D.H. Hedbor’s impressive and sweeping saga of the American Revolution continues with his latest literary offering, The Break: Tales from a Revolution – Nova Scotia. Unlike his other books in this saga which are set in one of the original thirteen colonies, this one takes place outside the colonies in Nova Scotia. Moreover this story, which is told from the Loyalist’s point of view, offers a unique historical spin and at the same time, a story which comes across as genuine, sincere and quite believable.

At the center of the story are two sisters, Susannah and Emma who endure all sorts of hardships. It is through their correspondence with each other that we see how the Loyalists felt about the war and their loyalty to England. It’s a very effective way to bring this period of American history alive and Hedbor is in top form again whether it’s capturing the nuances of the language or describing how butter is made during Revolutionary America.

I’ve been very impressed with this historical saga that Hedbor has been penning. He’s got a knack for bringing this period of history alive not to mention telling a good story. His writing reminds me of James Fenimore Cooper; in fact, I feel that Hedbor is also preserving this piece of American history the same way that Cooper did in Last of the Mohicans and other works.

I liked this story a lot. I am sure you will, too.

 

Buy your copy here.

 

 

Book Review: An American MP in Korea

An American MP in Korea

416 pages

Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.

Synopsis: When Richard Cezar is drafted into the army in the fall of 1965, trained as a military policeman and shipped off to South Korea, he believes that fate has spared him the horrors of a burgeoning war in Vietnam. But instead, he’s thrust into a different kind of war—one that would shake his core beliefs and cripple his ability to deal with the tragic and deadly consequences.

If you were an American male in 1965 and received your draft notice, there was no doubt where you were headed. However, not everyone was sent to Vietnam after completing one’s military training. One might be lucky to draw an assignment to Europe or South Korea.

Of course, for those fortunate to find themselves in South Korea, the assignment could be just as dangerous as Vietnam.

In An American MP in Korea, the author Richard Cezar, who served in Korea during the 1960s, delivers an evocative and riveting story about a young Army MP who finds himself stationed in Korea during this same period. Part coming of age story and part thriller, the novel takes the reader on a drama filled ride from military bases in Seoul to the seedy underbelly of Seoul’s camptown establishments. There are shootouts, high spend chases, event a visit by General Westmoreland. Through it all there’s the constant threat from North Korea as the Stalinist country conducts limited warfare along the DMZ.

What I found most interesting about the author’s story about Korea in the mid 1960s were the references to what is sometimes known as the second Korean War. During this period, Park Chung-hee had sent two divisions of ROK (Republic of Korea) soldiers—the Tiger and White Horse Divisions to fight in Vietnam as part of the deal for the economic aid package the United States had given to South Korea. In retaliation, Kim Il-sung and North Korean fought a limited war along the DMZ as a means to drive a wedge between South Korea and the United States. My only regret is that the author didn’t talk about this more. I suppose that is rather selfish because I have lived in Korea since 1990 and have written extensively about North-South relations including the 1994 nuclear crisis and 1996 submarine incursion. Nonetheless, there’s enough here to whet one’s appetite about this period and how dangerous it was to serve in Korea.

I also found the author’s descriptions of Seoul during this time interesting and insightful. I’ve seen the country change a lot in the twenty-four plus years, but back in 1965, the country still hadn’t been able to rise from the ashes of war. Although Korea has become one of the world’s leading economic powerhouses, back in 1965, Korea was still seen as an under-developed country. To be sure, the GNP was less than a 100.00 in the early 1960s. This back story to the main story alone is worth buying this book.

There might be some readers who will fault the author for his depiction of Korean women, but one must give the author a certain degree of poetic license in that he is merely documenting what he observed as an MP stationed in Korea. He’s neither condescending nor is he demeaning. If anything, we see the author articulating one of the darker, and sometimes disturbing underpinnings to America’s presence in South Korea since the end of the Korean War. You can read it for what it’s worth, but I see the author calling attention to the reality of the US military presence in Korea for better or worse.

Through it all, Cezar weaves an interesting and engaging story which keeps you hooked until the very end. There are not too many books about Americans serving in Korea during this period which makes this book a real gem to read.

Well-done, Mr. Cezar.

Amazon link

Book Review: The Silla Project

The Silla Project

PlotForge, Ltd. (August 12, 2012)

SYNPOSIS:

Kim Jong Il, the tyrannical leader of North Korea, hopes nuclear weapons will reunite the divided nation under his iron fist. But turning plutonium into weapons is more than the tiny country hoped for. In a desperate ploy to achieve his aim before economic crisis destroys the dynasty built by his father, he orders his chief operative Pak Yong-nam, to abduct “Someone who can help.”

Mitch Weatherby is a Los Alamos nuclear scientist at the top of his game… until the Feds raid his house, kill his wife, and accuse him of building a dirty bomb to sell to the highest bidder. Mitch knows he is innocent of these crimes but is convicted and sentenced to life in prison. So, when mysterious commandos abduct him it feels more like a rescue.

Secreted away to a mountain stronghold deep in North Korea, Mitch is faced with a choice. Help the country that saved him, or remain loyal to the nation that destroyed his life.

For someone who has been a North Korea observer the past 25 years—both as a writer and the instructor of a course on Northeast Asian Politics/History at an international business school in Daejeon, South Korea—I was keenly interested in The Silla Project. Although it is fiction and the product of the author’s imagination, the book does have its share of “Eureka” moments when the author deftly describes the North’s attempt to build a nuclear bomb. The author has clearly done his research—both on nuclear engineering as well as North Korea’s desire to join the world’s nuclear club—and in the process creates a chilling and riveting Cold War thriller. There are plenty of twists along the way which keeps you on the edge of your seat as you hurry to get through one chapter after another to find out if the protagonist is going to sell out his country for love.

For the most part, the story works. It is quite plausible that North Korea could kidnap a nuclear scientist; after all, the North captured Japanese actors and actresses and had them brought to North Korea to star in movies. However, after the fast-paced and well crafted first half of the book I was let down as I got closer and closer to the end. Although there’s plenty of action and a lot of twists and turns which kept me on the edge, I expected much more as I got closer to the end of the book.

Nonetheless, I would recommend this book for readers who enjoy a thought-provoking Cold War thriller. At the very least, the book, though fiction, offers a glimpse into this Stalinist country and Cold War holdout.

Available at Amazon

What a Difference a Year Makes

Sometimes all it takes is a little distance.

Last year I participated in the National Book Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) competition for the first time. I’ve known a couple writer friends who have participated in this grueling 30-day challenge/competition and although I have shied away from it in the past, I thought last year I would participate.

I had recently finished and self-published two books, When A Hard Rain Falls and I’ll Be Home for Christmas, so I had a clean slate as it were to try my hand at this competition. I had this one idea in mind, which I thought would be perfect for the competition, but at the last minute I changed my mind and started on Murder in the Moonlight instead. Murder in the Moonlight has been on the back burner for about three years and I thought now as good a time as any to write it (I had a fairly extensive outline for it).

On November 1, 2013 I started and for the next 30 days I wrote feverishly to finish (I did with a few days to spare). The manuscript was a good first draft, but there were a lot of holes in the story. I didn’t think it was complete and it didn’t read right. And to be honest, I didn’t like it. Instead of rewriting it, I shelved it and continued another project, The Panama Affair, which I recently finished.

Not long after I finished my recent book, I happened by chance one day to open the file for Murder in the Moonlight, and I started reading it. This was the first time since last year that I looked at the manuscript. It read a lot differently than it did a year ago. In fact, I was surprised at what I had written.

Sometimes you need to look at a story, paper, or a novel with a fresh pair of eyes and perspective. Sometimes a writer needs some distance for a piece of writing to simmer and percolate.

Guess what I am working on next?

The Writing Process: How Do You Come Up With This Stuff?

How do I come up with the stuff I write about?

Thanks to my friend, Nate Tower, he suggested I answer a few questions to let folks know my writing process. This is where everything begins:

What are you working on?

I just finished my eighth novel, Paradise Lost: Love, Drugs, and War in Panama and now I’m working on two novellas. I’m really excited about this Panama novel because I’ve wanted to tell this story for over 30 years. It is hard for me to work on just one project at a time. In fact, it’s one way of dealing with writer’s block!

How does your work differ from others’ in the same genre?

I guess this is one of those, “does form follow function or function follow form?” questions, so I’ll give it my best shot. I have a story inside my head and I want to tell it. I don’t really think about genre when I sit down and start to write. I just let the story come out naturally the way I would like to hear the story if I were listening to another person tell it. There is one thing to be said about most of my stories, I tend to write about the American Midwest where I grew up, and where I haven’t visited in over seven years, so whether it’s contemporary/literary fiction such as Ice Cream Headache or a thriller, When A Hard Rain Falls,  there is that underpinning nostalgia.

When I was younger and in grad school, I wanted so much to be another John Barth, Don Delillo, or Thomas Pynchon; now, I just want to be Jeffrey Miller.

Why do you write what you do?

It’s the natural storyteller in me, or better yet, it’s Plato’s idea of the need for the examined life.

How does your writing process work?

That’s a good question. With a hectic teaching schedule (this coming semester I have two history classes, two Honor’s English classes, and a reading class) and four kids at home, I write when I can find the time. These days it’s after everyone has gone to bed and early in the morning before everyone gets up. I write every day no matter what. Going a day without writing is like going a day without eating. I have to write.

I have a number of ideas swimming around in my head at the moment and every so often I pluck one out and write out some of the story by hand. I am still old school when it comes to writing, preferring to start every project with pen and paper.

 

The Writing Process: Listen to your Muse

Where do you get your inspiration for your short stories and books is a question I am often asked when people learn that I have written eight books and working on two more?

That’s simple. I listen to my Muse.

While my source of inspiration might not be exactly like the Muses depicted in the 1980 film, Xanadu, I am inspired various sources. Sometimes it might be an article I read in a newspaper or a magazine. Other times it might be a snippet of a conversation I overhear. These days I draw inspiration from the memories I have of growing up back in a small town in Illinois in the 1960s and 197os. In fact, the novella I am working on now takes me back to Oglesby, Illinois, a town that I grew up in during this period. The inspiration is probably more of a defense mechanism to combat homesickness as well as  the wave of nostalgia I often feel when I think about back home (I have been living and working in Asia since 1990 and have only been back to the States a dozen times).

There’s always something for me to write about. My real challenge is finding the time to bring these ideas to life.

If you have trouble finding something to write about, my suggestion is to look at the world around you. It might be something that you read or see that can inspire you to write. Draw upon something that is near and dear to you. Choose a memory that has a special place in your heart and bring it to life. Your Muse is that voice inside your head guiding you on the journey you are about to take. Find something that is very special to you and your Muse will do the rest.

Listen to your Muse.

The Writing Process: Don’t Forget to Save the Liver

One of my favorite Saturday Night Live skits was the one when Dan Aykroyd played Julia Child; while preparing a holiday dish Aykroyd/Child tells viewers not to throw the liver away. What happens next is classic SNL:

Saturday Night Live: Save the Liver

When writing, you should also “save the liver.” In other words, when you are writing your fiction or poetry, don’t discard anything that you write because it “doesn’t work.” For example, I am working on a new novella and there is one chapter that doesn’t seem to fit right now. It reads okay, but I am not sure if I want to keep it or discard it. The novella would work without it, but there are parts of the chapter which I really like, so I don’t want to remove it just yet. The best thing to do is set it aside and see where the story takes me. If I need it, I can always come back to it.

This is true for anything that you write. What doesn’t seem to work right now, could work later, as you revise your story or poem, or could even be a stand alone work.

Don’t throw anything away just because you don’t think you’ll need it now.

Always save the liver.

The Writing Process: Old School vs. New School

How do you write? Do you prefer to start with pen/pencil and paper or do you jump right in with your computer?

I still prefer to begin all my writing projects with a pen and legal pad. I still love the feeling of  a pen in my hand and the physical act of creating words and worlds on a blank sheet of paper. I love the way the ink flows from my pen onto the paper. It is something tangible and real in a world of computer screens, tablets, and smart phones.

From a practical point of view, I am able to write and edit faster. Sometimes when I am composing on a computer I tend to go back and edit as I go along which can be rather time consuming. It is so much easier to scratch something out and begin again instead of going back and rewriting from the beginning.

Of course, it can also be more time consuming when transferring what you’ve written on paper to your computer, but this is also part of the writing process, the revision process as it were. It’s like an extra step in the writing process which helps me to see if there are any gaps in the story’s flow as I move from paper to computer.

In the end, though, I am a romantic at heart and like a bit of old school in my life.

How about you?