The Bookhound, Part 3

I usually have 3 to 5 books going at a time. There is so much to read, I can't seem to cram it all in. One of our libraries had a book sale last week and I found some terrific books. The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel (I have already read his excellent The Case for Faith); Miles Gone By, a literary biography by William F. Buckley, Jr. (Mr. Buckley recently passed away; he is best known for his keen intellect and as founder of National Review magazine and the Firing Line television show. He is also known for his massive vocabulary, which a life-long love of words will produce--I have only read a few pages of this book and I have already found several words I have never heard of and can barely pronounce, but that is the point of reading Buckley: You'll learn something). 

I also picked up Sidney Poitier's The Measure of a Man. The book is described as a "Spiritual Autobiography," and it is exactly that. I am about half way through it and it is remarkable. I know of Mr. Poitier as a brilliant actor, but I have seen only one of his movies ("Guess Who's Coming To Dinner," 1968). My knowledge of the man's work is minimal, other than "Dinner," but I have always been interested in Poitier. Reading the book will give you an interesting portrait of a man of great depth. And the fact that he is a man of color, he did not (ever!) let that get in his way of his own personal beliefs or personal progress. Throughout his life, if he could not accomplish one thing one way, he would try another and keep at it. He let nothing hold him back (The World, The Man, the blatant discrimination and racism of the 40s, 50s, 60s), he always looked for "another" way. Most interesting about Poitier is his absolute refusal to accept roles in movies which did not reflect his personal character. I'm not talking about an artist trying to "make a statement" with his work, but personal character. The things that he was made of, the things he learned from his parents and life, he would not compromise. Not with arrogance, but with simple fact. He had/has standards and he lives by them. How admirable is that? This is a man who through his art and life, has earned our respect. 

I have a backwards approach to reading biographies. I will find someone who I think is interesting, read their biography and then examine their work. I have done this with the poet Robert Lowell, author Richard Yates, and now Sidney Poitier. I knew little (or nothing) about their work before I read their biography. I like this approach. I think it gives me a deeper look into the artist and a greater and deeper understanding of the work. 

I first heard of Robert Lowell on the day he died in 1977. I was working at a radio station and the AP wire clanged away announcing an Urgent (a step below a Bulletin): "Poet Robert Lowell is dead," it said. In those days, I did a lot of writing (songs, poems), so poets were of interest to me. Later, the superb biography of Lowell by Ian Hamilton was released (1982). I bought it and read it. Lowell had an interesting life with its share of troubles (not unlike Richard Yates). Once I had an understanding of his life, I started reading his poetry. His collection called Life Studies (1959) is recognized for its autobiographical nature and is considered trendsetting in poetry for the time.

I recently finished A Tragic Honesty by Blake Bailey, an excellent biography of Richard Yates (best known for Revolutionary Road, 1961). I found this book and a collection of Yates short stories on sale at the same time. I bought them and after reading the biography, I feel I have a greater understanding of Yates stories. His work is practically word-for-word autobiography, using people in his life as characters for his stories, and actual situations from his life for story lines. Yates sadly had mental problems and was a helpless alcoholic and his work never really gained the acceptance that it should have during his life. And subsequent books after Revolutionary Road did not receive the audience(s) many believed they should have. But, Yates books can be found in stores today and there has been talk of a film adaptation of Revolutionary Road in the works with Leonardo DiCaprio. I hope so. Yates deserves better. 

I am also reading Just As I Am, the autobiography of Billy Graham (excellent!) and One Nation Under God, a History of Prayer in America by James Moore (discussed earlier in The Bookhound, Part 2). So, it is going to be a summer filled with books--can't think of anything better!