The Pirate Coast - Anne's thoughts

I was a little disappointed by this book. I had heard lots of good things about the author and the book in particular - and they both fell short in my opinion. The history was fascinating. I always am so amazed at how little I know about the past. I can't imagine having to deal with the irregularity of correspondence/communication as they did. I love that I now know why the line "from the shores of Tripoli" is in the Marines hymn. And I am dying to try writing a letter in lime juice and seeing if I can really read it when the letter is exposed to heat. (If you receive a blank letter from me in the next couple of months, you'll know I have been experimenting.)

The characters in this book were aggravating. At times, I felt so incredibly sorry for William Eaton. Other times, I couldn't believe how irritating he could be. I despised Lear for most of the book. And I was surprised at my feelings toward Thomas Jefferson. Was he really that annoying/manipulative or was that the author's agenda? Or maybe that is just politics in general?

The beginning of the book was really hard for me to get through as I felt that way too much background information was given. Even once the story line picked up, I found myself skimming through the extra stuff to get to the point. It seemed like the author would tell you what was happening and then tell you again what was happening through quotes/letters/personal accounts. At times, things felt a bit redundant.

My favorite part of the book was during the searching for Hamet and the trek to reach Derne. Again, once I dug through the extra info, I enjoyed reading about the struggles of communication, supplies, and money. I found myself wondering where all the money could have possibly come from and was amazed at how many people willingly extended credit to Eaton on just his character alone. (I guess credit companies today extend credit to just about anyone, so it really isn't that different.) As with any treks across a desert, I can't believe the hardship of traveling through endless heat and the stamina that it required.

Overall, it was an okay book. I feel a bit smarter. Plus the irony of reading about pirates in the early years of our country and hearing about pirates on the news last week, attacking in just about the same way made the book a little more interesting.

PIrate Coast by Annette

I wanted to like this book more than I ended up liking it. I'm a big non-fiction buff and love books that tell the story behind the stories we learn, but I found that the book dragged in places and oddly provided even more information than I thought necessary (or perhaps interesting). That being said, I'm glad I read the book and I feel like I learned a lot about the time period, the early years of our naval military (despite the title there really wasn't much about "marines" in the book, was there?) and the parentage so to speak of modern day covert operation policies.

I think one thing about the story was that I didn't care much (personally) for either of the main characters. I could appreciate their intelligence, or their tenacity, or their cleverness but I just couldn't feel ...hmmm..searching for the word....I didn't like them much. I don't know if this was the fault of the author or if they just weren't very likable.

The role of communications (or lack thereof), the media, and public relations (for lack of better word) was very interesting especially compared today's almost instantaneous communications (not just between military and government but between military operations and the rest of the world through media, cell phones, satellite pics, and gosh...now tweeting). You wonder how things would have gone if there hadn't been the long lapses of communications. Who would have "won out"?

The Pirate Coast

There are no book discussion questions out there anywhere for The Pirate Coast so feel free to just discuss your feelings on the book. I am totally slacking and not quite finished with the book but am looking forward to hearing what you all have to say!

Check your libraries

Hi y'all, 

This is another brand-new book (Jan '09) I'd love to share here. I'm a couple chapters in and, pending whether you can get it in time, am already tempted to suggest this one in lieu of Outliers next month (though that would still be a great read and we'll keep it on the list). Anyway, check with your libraries to see what the waiting list is like.

The Survivors Club

by Ben Sherwood

A Woman In Berlin--Rebecca

I'm writing several weeks after finishing the book---shoulda written sooner! This is going to be pretty short due to waiting too long!

Wow. How did Anon have the foresight to keep a record of those 6 weeks? Especially since she said her only previous journal experience was as a young girl. I was amazed by the writing--she was honest and descriptive without being overly detailed. I think she included the right amount of detail--I'm sure there was so much she wanted to forget. It is suprising that there wasn't more anger or frustration in her tone, almost like she was reporting and leaving it to the reader to judge. 

Food. For the past 6 months one of my big goals has been to build up our family's food storage. Each time I read accounts of war, especially as it relates to the common citizen, I'm amazed at how little food people survive on. The quest for food is all encompassing. I hope to never have to experience this in my life! 

Men. War disrupts normal life. Would these men have behaved such had they not been subject to the rigors of life as a soldier? Does that excuse their behavior? I think not. But I needed to have some understanding so as not to glare at the male population in general.

Women. They suffered. They endured. They worked. They supported each other. They were courageous. They cleaned up and moved on. They survived. True they each found their own way of coping, but in short, I was inspired and wanted to be a better woman because of them.