Matthew McElroy > Recent Status Updates

90
If this is the best they can find by Richard Brinsley Sheridan, then he shouldn't be included in the book.
His play is far from uproarious.

GM's Trevails has been the most interesting, and probably important, chapter in the entire book. They cover the hubris of what, at the time, was the largest company in the nation, controlling nearly 50% of the auto market.
GM was slow to change, dismissive of customers and competition, and the business reflected that mindset. Leadership changed from open to new ideas, to immensely arrogant, and slow to adapt.

I bought this book after watching Celtic beat Rangers for the Scottish Premier League title. I'd had a few drinks with the kind of Irish friend who encourages you to buy 1000 page surveys of Irish lit. All that being said, it's off to a solid start.
I didn't love the Spenser writings, but Jonathan Swift is classic and the folk songs are excellent.

Norma asks Aunt June about her past. I'm not sure if that was supposed to be a big reveal or not. Everything here has been telegraphed the entire time. I would benefit from a clearer timeline, even if they just mentioned random historical events (Ali fights, elections, a major album release).
I'm at a loss for time here. That may be by design, so that we feel time passing by.

It's good. I'd hesitate to say it's great. If you have read more than five books in your lifetime, you know how this book ends after the first 20 pages. I am just waiting to see how this wraps up. Peters seems like a capable author. There's something a little off about her style, but it's not disruptive.
The story is told entirely through two characters, which is interesting, but not revelatory.

I'm not sure why I got this, even from a library book sale. I started it because it has been taking up space on my shelf and because I needed a book for a train ride. I try to bring books that I don't mind losing, or leaving somewhere.

It's not terrible, but you need to be ready for a lot of 80s finance journalism. Ross Perot is a traditional Horatio Alger story (for that entails) who starts a company called EDS.

"Hey Matthew, what do you think of murder mysteries?"
"Meh, not really a fan."
"Hey Matthew, what did you think of Winter Counts and My Darkest Prayers?"
"They were amazing, and I'd recommend them to anyone."

I don't think I've noticed it in other books, but Cosby (and Weiden) both give clear indications of what they enjoy- authors, food, music. Cosby likes 90s rock, Travis Magee and Alex Cross novels.

Crime Noir is a super distinctive genre that oozes "cool". Oozing being the only verb that works- it always involves a questionable detective, at least one woman of questionable morals, and a cast of lousy men.
I read Raymond Chandler once and thought, "Oh, this stuff is awful." Thankfully, I gave Cosby a chance. He completely leans into the schtick. Angry police chief, pastor gone wrong, ugly ass drug dealers.

Virgil's nephew got wrapped up in the bad stuff that affects so many poor and ignored communities. And law enforcement responded in the way they usually respond to poor and ignored communities, "How does this benefit us?"
And we just got this huge breakthrough, which is often where poor and ignored communities find answers. And I think I'm picking up on the central metaphor of the book.

Well played Weiden.

The absence of Rick Crow makes it feel as if he's not the guilty party.
Have we been introduced to the killer yet?
We have a cast of interesting characters. Weiden has written enough good dialog to make it feel like more than a few people could be responsible, maybe even a conspiracy.

Toksa- see you later - seems like the Lakota have no word for good-bye

Weiden references a pot doctor wearing a Philadelphia Eagles shirt- he must be connected to the Philadelphia metro area (used hoagie earlier).

Virgil Wounded Horse asks the doctor if he has seen an Indian. The pot doctor corrects him with "Native American". In "There There" and SG Jones' stories they use the name Indian.

What's appropriate?

Wasicu- non-Indigenous person; kind of a disparaging term that more closely translates to "fat-taker"; people who take what the Lakota have

I'll bite- what do the rest of you call a hoagie? Subs? Heros? I thought hoagie was only the Philly suburbs. I wonder how a Lakota author, clearly familiar with reservation life, became familiar with a small fairly localized name, and used that for his story.

https://www.sintegleska.edu/

Eyapaha- kind of like a Native American grio. Maybe a little bit more on the news and a little bit less on the history.🤷🏽‍♂️

If you know more about this, correct me.

Monkey water- a combination of heroin and water that is injected after being heated.
(It's early in the book- that can hardly be considered a spoiler.)

Ugh- I tend to do most of my reading right before bed. And that works for 90% of books I read. But James' story is so complex that it can only be read during the day.
Seriously, I enjoy this book immensely when I can read 20 pages at a time.
I may have to read the first 100 pages again.

And just like that... it's not that the story is over.
It just feels like it's over. 532 pages, and James writes five pages that FEEL as if the story ends.

And then the last stanza tells me that there is SO MUCH MORE.

Wakanheja- English translation- child; more accurate translation- sacred gift

(Correct me if you know more about this than I do)

Already hooked.

I kinda liked Sogolon. It's a wonderful mix of characters- I don't think I realized until late that the narrator is the Red Wolf. As best I can figure out. I hope that isn't a spoiler. Maybe there is a twist coming in the last 100 pages. James seems to be inventing character types I've never read before. Vampire lightning bird. Cannibal mermaids. The storytelling is wild here and the dialogue is brilliant.

Each place that Tracker and his partners go is a new world, with different dialects, cultures and values. I'm not sure where Leopard is. He may have been replaced with Prefect, who may be a white man. Sadogo and Sogolon are still on the journey, though they seem less important recently.
They still haven't found the child, but James is slowly layering mystery on mystery, while Tracker unravels it. It's complicated.

This is a pretty easy read. I'm halfway through after an hour on the bus and a few beers at the bar.
It's light writing about serious stuff. Winegardner has chosen to tackle some heady material, including racism, capitalism and different cultures. In 2024, we would be skeptical about Winegardner tackling these topics. But in 1996, this is completely normal. At the very least, he gets "it".

Wow- what a 90 degree turn from Disquiet.
Winegardner is going back 50 years (the book is written in 1996) to contrast baseball in the United States and Mexico. The effect is largely on Black players, who are getting a chance to be paid fairly, while unfairly being held out of the National and American League.
The United States pretends to be a capitalist meritocracy, but only when there's no real competition.

For the first... considerable portion of the book, this was a strange fantasy story, set in an imagined Africa.
All of a sudden, it has transitioned into a secretly normal murder-mystery. As normal as a murder mystery can be when it includes a fantastical Africa.
The plot has definitely sped up over the last hundred pages.

There's a lot in this book. Marlon James is definitely creating something I haven't read before. He's got this fictional/fantasy Africa (before you roll your eyes, read the names of the cities, look at the architecture on the maps and see what animals are introduced). I'm still on shaky ground- the book has been a bit slow. It's clear he's a talented writer, but where is he going?

I need to get back to writing about what I'm reading. It actually helps me process the story and I enjoy it more.
Is Tracker a Byronic hero, or an antihero? He certainly doesn't mind doling out violence to bad guys. He also doesn't do good things without compensation.
I like how Leopard follows the Anansi model- is he a man? Is he a leopard? James does clarify this eventually.
More on the world-building next time.

This is a tough book, but certainly an entertaining read. There are a ton of characters, and they don't all have names that ring with a Westernized ear. James does a lot to make the characters interesting and complex. The narrator/protagonist is mostly sympathetic, but he's kind of a gruff jerk. He seems to have a basic moral center, but only after he figures out what the money says.

I'm hoping to finish this weekend. I doubt I'm smarter than all the people who have studied and translated Pessoa, but the single redeeming grace in this book is reading it aloud.
I really think it is supposed to be a book of poetry.
Because if it's not, this is a jumbled, egomaniacal, nihilistic mess.

This is not a book to read before bed. It requires focus and time.
When you are at the laundromat, and you know you will have at least two 30 increments to sit and get into a book, this is perfect. Marlon James is creating something creative, mystical and scary. And no, not "mystical" because it's a fictionalized Africa. Mystical because the supernatural is here, and characters blur the line between animal and man.