Imperial Life in the Emerald City by Rajiv Chandrasekara

Where do I begin? How do I start to review a book such as this? Is this one of my favorite book? Oh, no. Not even close. But this is a very IMPORTANT book. This might be one of those books that everyone should read.

First of all, after 9/11, if America needed to chase after the perpetrators of that event, we should have gone after Saudi Arabia rather than Iraq. Where there any Iraqis among them? Out of nineteen, fifteen were from Saudi Arabia. Two were from UAE. One was from Egypt. One was from Lebannon. I don’t want to go into why America declared war on a sovereign nation which had nothing to do with 9/11, BUT I’d like to believe that President Bush did what he believed was best for our country at the time.

I think this book should be required reading for the President of United States and his cabinet members as well the various department heads and all those who are going into foreign service. I’m sure America will inadvertently be drawn into another nation building sometime in the near future. There is so much to learn from this book. Unfortunately, it’s mostly what not to do, not the other way around.

I’m also currently reading John Adams (which is a much thicker book), which I’m enjoying immensely. What surprises me about that book is…how in the world did all the stars and planets line up, and all these men, with flaws and all, came together to form this great nation? It’s as if all the men rose to the challenge of the time and pulled together and compensated for one another’s weaknesses. America was indeed lucky to have such men at such desperate times. But supposedly Oprah Winfry famously declared that she didn’t believe in luck. That luck only happened when preparation (however long it took) met opportunity.

Well, America’s efforts to rebuild Iraq were EXACTLY the opposite. How President Bush and his cabinet can pull together a team that failed and disappointed at almost every turn was amazing. How they squandered such an opportunity to rebuild Iraq is stupefying (I know. I’m repeating myself). I don’t think they could have put together a worse team if they’d tried. I guess that’s the sad part – they pulled the team together based on loyalty and party allegiance rather than experience and capabilities. A couple of people have succeeded, against overwhelming odds and by breaking the rules, but most have failed because they were driven by American ignorance and arrogance.

SPOILER ALERT.

“As the [American] viceroy, [Paul] Bremer need only put down his signature to impose a new law, or to abolish an old one. He wasn’t required to consult with Iraqis or even seek their consent.” How does this work? An American, who is not an expert in Arabic anything, gets this kind of power? If in the far future, America’s power wanes and some other country occupies it for whatever reason, would we want someone to impose or abolish our laws with a stroke of his/her pen?

I’ve been reading some books on Korean history in the time of Japanese occupation. In these books, celebrated Korean patriots (and yes, some were suicide bombers) who fought against the occupation were called terrorists, rebels, commies, etc. by the Japanese occupiers. The books go on to explain that any man, in any country, would most likely to resist and fight against an occupying power, no matter what. There is no benevolent occupying force.  There are no greater incentives to bear arms and fight than for your family, for your home, for your culture, and for your country. This should not be a new concept to the American diplomatic corp, should it?

Whether it is McPherson’s clean-slate approach to forgiving debt and nullifying assets to Foley’s utter disregard for the international law which prohibits the sale of assets by an occupation government when he talked about privatization, these people didn’t consider what the lasting consequences of their actions would be. Considering that Alexander Hamilton, America’s first treasury secretary, insisted on the American government making good on its foreign and domestic debts, McPherson’s approach was flawed but worse still, he refused to listen to any other input.

One after another, the list of ineptitude, misdirections, lost opportunities, not taking input from native Iraqis or regional experts, unscrupulous contractors, and ignorant arrogance is appalling and eye-opening. But worst of all (in my point of view), is that Americans forced the Iraqis to identify themselves in sectarian terms. In their blind, formulaic efforts to create a more “democratic government,” the Americans forced each Iraqi to declare himself as a Shiite, a Kurd, a Sunni, a Christian, a Turkmen, etc. The Iraqi governing council had strict quotas – 13 Shiite Arabs, 5 Sunni Arabs, 5 Sunni Kurds, 1 Christian, and 1 Turkmen. Before this, most Iraqis “…never saw each other as Sunnis or Shiites first. We were Iraqis first.” This forced identification led to dramatic rise in sectarian violence which continues to this day.

I, who hate to dog-ear any book, have dog-eared many pages in this book, because I wanted to write about those issues. But I’m getting tired and depressed (because there are so many…), so I’ll let you find out for yourself.

The last bit…in an interview before his departure from Iraq, Paul Bremer, the American viceroy, touted “lowering of Iraq’s tax rate, the liberalization of foreign-investment laws, and the reduction of import duties” as among his biggest accomplishments in Iraq. To that, I just want to say – what the…?

I usually read fiction because partly, I want to live in denial and think that these horrible things (not just talking about this book) don’t happen in real life. But this is one book that everyone should read because it’s so incredible and stunning.

This is an eloquent and a riveting book that is surprisingly balanced in its writing.  It’s a chronicle of what took place. A set of data put into words. But I can’t deny that the data, how little was accomplished for so much money, is damning. But most importantly, although these CPA staffers thought they were doing good, how much misery was heaped on the Iraqi people by the sum of CPA’s good intentions based on their sheer ignorance and arrogance is almost unforgivable.

Having said this, why don't you read it for yourself, and you be the judge?

On Wings of Eagles by Ken Follett

There are less than a handful of people I want to meet and talk to, just for an hour or so, because I am intrigued them, their work, or their writing – Michio Kaku, Jodi Piccoult, and Elon Musk. Now, I have another on this list, Ross Perot. I’d place him even before Michio Kaku, and that’s saying a lot.

This book is not fiction. It’s non-fiction. That fact blew me away.

This book chronicles the events of Iran hostage crisis as EDS employees, Ross Perot’s company, experience them in Iran. There are so many astounding FACTS associated with this event, but one that I find so inspiring and admirable is about Ross Perot himself. I was astounded by his dedication to his employees. His willingness to take gargantuan risks – to his reputation, to his fortune, and to his person, was jaw-dropping. He attacked his mounting problems with persistence, and his attitude of not taking no for an answer and continuing to search for a solution was remarkable. His moral fortitude was amazing, and I deeply regret not having considered him seriously when he ran for presidency.

These EDS employees and the rescuers who went into Iran did get lucky, but Oprah famously declared that she didn’t believe in luck. Luck only happens when one is ready, with all pistons firing, as the opportunities come along. Time and time again, this group of courageous and crafty men was ready to take an advantage of any and every opportunity that came along.

This book reads like a fiction. The only books of Ken Follett I have read are The Pillars of the Earth and World without End, so I can’t really compare On Wings of Eagles to any of his thrillers, but I bet it’ll rank high up there with the best of his thrillers.

I’d recommend this book to anyone who is interested in history and a good read. It’s just startling that this is non-fiction (I know. I’ve said it before).

I’m a wavering democrat, but if I ever saw another Perot on ballot anywhere, I’d take a closer look. I don’t care if he or she is republican, independent, or some other party. To be raised by a father or grandfather like Ross and his moral fortitude, he or she definitely warrants a closer look.

Physics of the Impossible by Michio Kaku

I love this book because it helps me believe in one of my biggest passions – space travel. After I had taken a class in Astronomy in junior high school, I wanted to be an astronaut. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be because I suffer from motion sickness.

In the previous book review (On the Wings of Eagles), I’ve mentioned that Michio Kaku is one of those people I want to meet and talk to, just for a while, because I find them fascinating. Well, the reason I want to meet him is because he has the uncanny ability to transform incredibly esoteric and hard to understand information to something quite accessible and easy to digest. Such is the case with this book.

I am curious by nature. I want to know about everything, albeit salt or germs or black holes or dark matter. And this book answers my questions in spades. Whether it’s about force fields or invisibility or perpetual-motion machine or precognition, this book answers all. The best thing about it is that the answers are anchored in science, and he gives his best guess time frame for them to become a reality.

As for accessibility and easy to digest part, my ten-year-old son, who is an advanced, precocious reader, and has been very interested in science, read this book. Yes. He did have trouble understanding parts of it, and I tried to explain things to him more in detail (most of it, I had failed). However, the important point is that he did finish the book, and said he thought it was interesting. This is a feat for any writer, let alone a science book writer.

This book helps me believe the possibility in things that are deemed impossible. He does frame some of them in very, very long time (might as well be impossible), but he gives us a realistic time frame. That’s the point I appreciate.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in a long list of topics that seem to skirt the science fiction side of science (phasers and death stars, teleportation, telepathy, psychokinesis, robots, ETs and UFOs, starships, anti-matter and anti-universe, faster than light, time travel, and parallel universe, etc.). I’m not sure I’d recommend it to another ten-year-old, but you’d know if that child is ready for this or not, so I’ll leave that to you.

Enjoy and may the force be with you!

Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah

Wow! What a book!

I like books that teach me something – history, human psyche, etc. Anything that’s a little out of ordinary. From this book, I learned about the siege of Leningrad during WWII, and it’s an amazingly horrifying tale. The resilience of human spirit is astounding, but the toll, what it takes to survive a historical event where somewhere between 700,000 and 1,000,000 people died of starvation while fighting off the German invasion of Russia, is also devastating.

I really didn’t think I would like this book so much. I read it with little expectation. I am embarrassed to say I’ve never heard of Kristin Hannah. I’m sure I passed by her books in the book stores, but it never drew me in (at least the covers). My sister-in-law was passing the books she’s already read around, and I decided to take a few (you can’t beat free books). I came home and read another book by her first. Although it was enjoyable, it didn’t move me as much as this book.

In the same vein as The Road, this book forced to me think about the unimaginable choices parents/mothers must make in face of abject devastation of their world. How do you choose who to save and who to let die among your beloved family members? Or your two children? Would you do anything to save them? What if you try your best to save both and end up losing them all? Would you be able to forgive yourself ?

Interwoven in the stories of three women (a mother and two daughters) who are all broken, some more broken than the others, is a beautiful fairytale based on the most horrific miseries their mother experienced during the siege of Leningrad. As the fairytale unfolds, the women find the unfettered truth that liberates them and helps them live their lives to the fullest.

Some reviews called this book a tearjerker, and it’s definitely that. But it’s so much more. It’s about a profound journey of the human spirit, and how it can claw its way out of hell through confronting the unrelenting memories of the most unforgivable choices (from the character’s perspective).

Born Free and Equal by Ansel Adams

I am not Japanese, but as I opened this book, my eyes kept tearing up. This is not an emotional book, but the question that I’ve asked since high school has made me tear up, once again. The question is – how, how could these men volunteer to fight of a country that, in all actuality stripped them of their citizenship and found them of guilty of things they haven’t even thought of doing? The American government had taken their homes, their livelihood, and their place in the society. Their families were forced to live behind barbed wire fences when these men willingly and bravely fought for the country which had put them there. How? How could they have done that? I wish I could say I’d do the same, but even now, my answer, when it comes down to it is I don’t know…. I’m afraid my heart is not big enough to forgive them. So, I read this book in matter of hours (yes, it’s a short book full of gorgeous pictures). In the earlier pages, next to forward, there’s a picture of a beautiful girl. The caption says – An American school girl and I’m crying. I thank Ansel Adams for his humanity.

I’ve known the story about 442nd combat team since high school. My high school was very good about bringing survivors (Holocaust week) or participants (Japanese internment) for special talks. And fortunately for me, one of my best friends from high school was Japanese and her father generously shared his own stories. I’ll get back to what I remember most of his stories, but for now, I’ll be getting back to 442nd.

The 442nd Regimental Combat Team of the United States Army was a regimental size fighting unit composed almost entirely of American soldiers of Japanese descent who volunteered to fight in World War II even though their families were subject to internment. The 442nd, beginning in 1944, fought primarily in Europe during World War II. The 442nd was a self-sufficient force, and fought with uncommon distinction in Italy, southern France, and Germany. The 442nd is considered to be the most decorated infantry regiment in the history of the United States Army. The 442nd was awarded eight Presidential Unit Citations and twenty-one of its members were awarded the Medal of Honor for World War II. The 442nd Regimental Combat Team motto was, "Go for Broke". (From Wikipedia)

This is one of those books I’d list as a “must read” for everyone. Not because of its plot, writing, character development, dialogue, etc., but for its content. This book contains beautiful Ansel Adams photos, but that’s not the reason. This is a story that every American should try to remember, just as the Germans try not to bury holocaust in the annals of their history.

After having read the book, I think I understand the reason, at least a little bit. The simple answer is the dignity of the Japanese Americans interned in Mazanar. They, as a group, took the high road when everything around them imploded and turned ugly. How they were treated by their government didn’t warrant them losing sight of their own dignity and respect. No matter what happened, they’d be true to the values they were born to and raised with. When I read about a mother whose five sons were in the American Armed services fighting in the European theater, I prayed for her sons (of course, the absurdity is that they might have survived the war and all died of old age). I don’t know why this book affected me this way, but it did.

A couple of years ago, yet another movie about Nazi atrocities came out in theaters, and I asked a friend of mine who had come to America to study then married. I asked her what she thought of yet another movie. Didn’t she get tired of this German bashing? I’d get tired of it if I had to see a movie about Nazi atrocities every couple of years. And she said, she didn’t mind at all. In fact, she felt that it’s every German’s responsibility to remember the holocaust so that it could never happen again, not only in Germany, but anywhere else in the world because there will be a German voice protesting it. I found this very inspirational.

As Americans, we need to follow suit. We need to look squarely into the past and see what we’ve done, what we still fail to do today, and what concrete steps we must take to make sure nothing like this will ever happen again here.

Additional note: The people who were at the Manzanar internment camp were those who chose to sign the loyalty oath. Those who refused to sign the loyalty oath were sent elsewhere. Most of those who didn’t sign the oath believed that the government had broken the sacred contract with them first (which I whole heartedly agree), and not because they were Japanese agents waiting for opportunities to sabotage the west coast. Later, after the war, it was revealed that most of the intel on America that the Japanese had were in fact from the Germans, rather than anyone from America.

This book wasn't received well when it first came out almost right after the war (there could be a possiblity of our government pulling from shelves right after the war). I think Ansel Adams must have recieved his share of hate mails for this book, especially from mothers and wives of men who has lost their lives in the Pacific theater of war. I admire his courage.

A digression and a funny note about my friend's father from high school - he share several stories with me, but one that stuck with me all these years was the story about how he suddenly had all his friends with him right next door, and the kids thought it was great! Because they got to play long past their regular time outside the fence. These kids didn't see the barbed wire fences or the soldiers standing guard in the towers. This innocence makes me profoundly hopeful because it speaks to the resilience of the human spirit.

Is this one of my favorite books? Does it rank with Les Miserables and such? No, but I love this book for it's humanity. I think it is one of the most important books for people (especially Americans) to read, and that’s why I’m putting it in my blog.

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

Stunning. I finished it in less than 24 hours. Maybe even less than 12 hours and I've got two little kids! Need I say more?

Spoiler alert!

There are a few problems, though. I didn't really like his style of writing. Almost truncated, fragmented thoughts running through the head…this type of thing didn't impress me too much. But I do have to say that I was impressed with the sheer simplicity and brevity in his words. Also, it was getting too dark, with little reprieve from the threats of cannibalism and starvation. By the end of the book, I was convince the good guy the boy ran into after his father’s death was still a bad guy luring the boy away so he can eat him later. There's a part of me that still believe this is the true ending.

But...against such a bleak landscape where almost everyone they meet are out to do them harm, never mind the ash, dust, and lack of food, the love between the man and the boy is awesome in its power to bring hope to such miserable existence. And me, being an eternal optimist, really liked the fact that when they were on the verge of starvation, a slow, agonizing death from what I’ve read, they find food. They will have to go through harrowing ordeal to get the food, but they do. Although it sounds really convenient, I was cheering for them every time they found it. The father’s death was heart-wrenching, but it was coming and the father knew it. It’s agonizing to imagine the thoughts that ran through the father as he drew his last breath – his heart still full of worries for his boy knowing that he won’t be there to protect him for another instant. It must have been a miserable death.

I love this book because it made me think about all kinds of thing I actually try not to think about, especially since I had kids. I can no longer watch movies where kids are killed or kidnapped. Too close to home. And I used to love war movies, but after I had my son, the whole war movie watching experience has been ruined, forever. Every time I watch a war movie, I think about how much love I felt for my little boy and wondered if there was anything that was worth losing his life for. Then I thought about all those mothers, from both sides of conflict, no matter what the conflict was, losing their sons...for what?

Yes. I know theoretically, there are many good reasons to go to war. WWII. And as a Korean, I thank God for all the soldiers who came and fought in the Korean War. Because of their sacrifice, South Korea is thriving today. I know all these things, but I’m not sure I could relinquish his life for any amount of good it would do the world. I am no Mary. I don't think I could ever be Mary or ever want to be.

OK. I’m not Mary, but I still have my brand of faith and hope. I have friends who don't have kids because they think this world is too corrupt, too dangerous, too miserable, but I tell them those are all the more reasons for them to have children. Never mind that they are highly educated, intelligent, and compassionate people. I tell them the sheer act of having a child is a profound act of faith. Maybe their offspring is the one who could change the world, even just a little bit, for the better.

As I was reading the book, I thought about what I would do, with my two children and a husband. There's a part of me that would hang in there until the bitter end, like the man, but I also remember all those men and women enslaved by a gang of thugs who will rape, pillage, and cannibalize whoever they come across. I would never want that kind of existence for my children. A bullet in the head would be so much better than that kind of existence, or would it? I don’t know… If they were alive, there’s still hope of one day escaping and living free, but would a life in a world like that be worth it? It might just lead to lingering death by starvation. Who many awful scenarios to consider…. It would be so easy to do what the woman had done, but it leaves no hope for the future. It's Romeo and Juliet again when all the young people die and there is no hope for the future. This is not a future I want for anyone. I believe there's always hope, even if the sky is falling on you.

What I agonized about was...what if I have to choose between my two children? What if I had just enough food to ensure the survival of one or two die together…. That question haunts me to this day even though I finished reading this book over several weeks ago. I love that it made me ask so many questions. The sad thing is…North Korea has had to deal with devastating famine several times. There were rumors of cannibalism, and older family members choosing to die of starvation so that the younger generation may eat and live. I’ve seen pictures of kids will light brown hair in North Korea and I was asking…biracial? The sad fact was, because they lack nutrients, their hair lost their original color, black. It is chilling to think about their world, and I’m so eternally grateful that I only have to wonder about these things instead of living it.

I think this might make it to my top 10 books. So bleak and dark on the outside, so bright and hopeful on the inside. The boy will carry that fire in his heart for the rest of his life because of the father who planted it. The man with the shot gun will protect this boy and the other two children with his life because not to do that would mean to consign the whole human race to slow but certain extinction. I whooped loudly when the man with the shot gun came by. The world is still good, I shouted.

This book reminded me that the universe will indeed conspire to make your dreams come true (The Alchemist, Paolo Coelho). The glass is always half full.

The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho

Last fall, I was in an ESL class giving a book talk on Waiting for Appa. The instructor had decided to use my book to teach the students vocabulary. I gave my talk, covering my immigrant experience and my meandering journey to becoming an author. The audience was awesome. I was so impressed with the tenacity and resilience of the people who were there to learn English AFTER they put a full day of work. I felt silly complaining about my life.

Now, remember, I was there to sell my book (I took 15 books with me). But as I spoke about following your dreams (in my case, being a writer when everything seemed to point to failure) to mostly predominantly Hispanic audience, I remembered a fantastic book I loved (and I knew they could find it in Spanish!). I loved this book so much that when I found it in Spanish after having received an English version as a birthday present in '94 (even the originally version was in Portuguese), I bought it thinking that this book would induce me to revisit my high school Spanish enough to read it (which I figured was closer to the original Portuguese than English). I told the audience about the Alchemist and told them, if they only had enough money to buy one book this month, then instead of buying mine, buy this life-affirming book, which will stay with them long after they finish reading it.

I've tried to read this book at least once every couple of years, and have purchased enough copies for my friends and family to fill a shelf (I even found it in Korean and bought it for my mother). This is one of ten books I'd choose if I was only limited to reading these ten books over and over for the rest of my life. I love this book because it helps me believe in life, in hope, and most importantly, in pursuing dreams.

SPOILER ALERT

My hardback dust jacket started off with..."My heart is afraid that it will have to suffer," the boy told the alchemist one night as they looked up at the moonless sky. "Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes it search of its dreams."

I was hooked by those words and eagerly followed Santiago's journey to find his treasure, which had been haunting him in his dreams. On his journey, he made and lost his fortune a couple of times, found the woman of his dreams (he didn't think she existed), and finally arrived at the place of his dreams (Egyptian pyramids) only to realize that the treasure he was seeking was elsewhere. In fact, the treasure was buried where Santiago, as a shepherd before embarking on this adventurous journey, often spent the night. He returned to the place and found his treasure.

I love this book because --

1. He had to make the journey and experience the life that was waiting for him in the world to find his treasure, even though the treasure had been buried at his place of origin all along. The journey itself was almost a part of his treasure.

2. The message that "when a person really desires something, all the universe conspires to help that person to realize his dream."

3. It helps you realize that life is always, always, half-full.

4. After Santiago gets robbed of his fortune and he considers giving up, he pulls himself up and tells himself, I'm actually two hours closer to the Egyptian pyramids. That's more than he thought he could accomplish, just a short while ago. No matter what happens, don't give up. The universe is conspiring with you to make your dreams come true.

5. It makes me realize that things take time. Patience is not a virtue, but a must (this is always such a challenge for me). That the journey of life is never straight forward. In fact, life is richer because of all the detours we are forced to take.

6. I learn/realize something new about my life every time I read it.

7. It gives me hope and the courage to ask God for one more miracle in my life (there's always one more, isn't there?).

I'm at a point in my life where I often feel discouraged about my first book (Waiting for Appa), and anxiously wait for agents' responses on my second book while trying to look for a job that will keep me at home with my kids most of the time instead of traveling on business. So, I've read this book once again, hoping that it'd give me the courage to dream and ask the universe to conspire with me.

I simply love this book, but Paolo Coelho's other books were disappointments for me. I guess it's hard to live up to this one.

Note: It's taking me too long to finish reading the book and write the review. So, I'll be writing the reviews in segments as I read along. I guess it'd be really fun when I decide to read Les Miserable.