Favorite Books

[rogruth]

I read almost all of the sci-fi mentioned above that were written before 1975. That is about the time that my eye-sight started to get worse and my
reading really slowed. I don't read nearly as much anymore.
My first sci-fi was Asimov followed by Heinlien. I still re-read them. I know many don't like RAH these days but I think his writings were of a major
influence to me.
E.R.Burroughs was a lot of fun. Always hoped that Tarzan was based on a real person.
Recently I have greatly enjoyed Bill O'Reillys "KIlling Of" books.
Naming favorite books is like naming favorite movies for me. The list goes on and on. Would be even longer if I named titles instead of authors.
Shakespeare. "Pogo". Ayn Rand. "Only Begotten Daughter". Vonnegut. McMurtry. Lewis Carroll. Dr.Suess. Jack Kerouac. John Steinbeck.
"The Great Gatsby".
Non fiction history has always been very enjoyable for me to read. Remember that I was educated in the public schools of Ohio between 1940
and 1952. We had not been through all of the revisionist history that most have now been subjected to. I got in trouble in the sixth grade for
questioning some stuff that was seldom questioned at that time. I did not understand putting American born Japanese in prison camps the
same way we did Native Americans at an earlier time. Why didn't we round up American born Germans and do the same. The best answer
I got was that the Japanese looked different. So when I read history I always feel that I don't know who to believe.

Enough for now.

[MurphOnMillerAve]

...Remember that I was educated in the public schools of Ohio between 1940
and 1952. We had not been through all of the revisionist history that most have now been subjected to. I got in trouble in the sixth grade for
questioning some stuff that was seldom questioned at that time. I did not understand putting American born Japanese in prison camps the
same way we did Native Americans at an earlier time. Why didn't we round up American born Germans and do the same. The best answer
I got was that the Japanese looked different. So when I read history I always feel that I don't know who to believe...

A possible answer to your question about German-Americans during WWII is that Germans were the largest ethnic population in the country at that time. They were probably a large part of Ohio's population, too, at that time. They may still be the largest ethnicity of the USA, to this day.
Murph

[rogruth]

Murph,

I learned that later.

[MurphOnMillerAve]

I think it was "later" that I learned most of the stuff I know today.

[rex desilets]

<snip> I got in trouble in the sixth grade for
questioning some stuff that was seldom questioned at that time. I did not understand putting American born Japanese in prison camps the
same way we did Native Americans at an earlier time. Why didn't we round up American born Germans and do the same. The best answer
I got was that the Japanese looked different. So when I read history I always feel that I don't know who to believe.

Enough for now.

The US interred some Germans during WWI and some Germans and Italians during WWII.
The Fed Gov't was concerned about the possibility of the Japanese Black Dragon Society performing acts of sabotage; it was secretive and thus members couldn't be identified a priori, so the most expedient thing was to round them all up.
The interred Germans and Italians don't have the propaganda apparat developed for the Japanese. This is not to excuse shameful behavior on the part of the Government.

[healey36]

The summer before my freshman year of high school I muscled up and read the entire fifteen-volume History of the United States Naval Operations in World War II by Samuel Eliot Morison...about as definitive an account of the USN in WWII as exists anywhere. An abridged version was later published as The Two Ocean War, which is very good as well. Sure, there are many one-off's on various battles/campaigns, but Morison still offers the best, most relevant assessment of the entire sweep of America's war at sea.

Other favorites re: WWII:

The 900 Days - The Seige of Leningrad by Harrison Salisbury
Enemy at the Gates by William Craig
Scorched Earth by Paul Carrell
Stalingrad to Berlin: The German Defeat in the East by Earl Ziemke
The Battle for Guadalcanal by Samuel Griffith
Overlord by Max Hastings
Beyond the Beachhead by Joseph Balkoski
Company Commander by Charles Macdonald

Most of these I've read at least twice.

All of David Glantz's books are worthwhile if seriously interested in the Eastern Front, although they can be tedious in their detail.

I haven't read much WWII stuff for a long time. I picked up a copy of Evan Thomas' Sea of Thunder covering the battle of Leyte Gulf, but it bored me to tears so dropped it. I have a copy of Ian Kershaw's The End laying here on my desk...might eventually get to that (for some reason the fall of Berlin has always fascinated me).

[MurphOnMillerAve]

I like when a movie has been made of a book. And generally, for me, once I have seen it, its images become definitive of the book for me. "To Kill A Mockingbird" would be a perfect example of that for me. Franco Zeffarelli's movie of Shakespear's "Romeo and Juliet" would be another fine example of visualization via a movie becoming permanent impressions and interpretation of a story I first read in print.

Anybody else like me in that regard?

[rogruth]

Me too, Murph.
Sometimes the movies just seem wrong to me. The Hobbit for one.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

I like when a movie has been made of a book.

I do as well, but Hollywood does not have a good track record on doing this very well. There have been many good and some quite excellent translations from printed book to screen, but they are outnumbered by the stinkers.......which is oft times sad as these are very good books, or series of books and once tainted with failure are rarely revisited.

They seem more competent at translating comic books to the screen........ Dead Pool was amusing,

[John Webster]

Set Up Running-the life of a Pennsylvania Rail Road locomotive engineer 1904-1949. How it really was.

My folks had a subscription to Analog so I grew up reading the greats of that genre before it devolved into sword and sorcery.

Mission of Gravity by Hal Clement.

Space Viking by H. Beam Piper.

There are several whose titles and authors escape my memory. One was about a scientist who created a wormhole in his lab which proceeded to inhale the earth's atmosphere and the folks who converted a tank to contain it. Another was about the adventures of the crew of a 300 mph police/rescue vehicle on freeways populated by flying cars. Also memorable were Mack Reynolds' stories of mercenaries in corporate wars.

[rogruth]

John,

I remember all of those stories.Analog was Astounding when it carried the first s-f that seemed to be based on science instead of fantasy.
I read Dune in its first serialized appearance in Analog. I may still have those mags. I don't know where they would be.

The fun stuff was in Amazing. Its cover always had a beautiful girl being attacked by a monster of some kind.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Snowcrash

Neuromancer
Count Zero
Mona Lisa Overdrive

[rex desilets]

The Unincorporated Man

[E7]

I like when a movie has been made of a book. And generally, for me, once I have seen it, its images become definitive of the book for me.

Anybody else like me in that regard?

Sometimes! Other times, any resemblance to the book is purely coincidental.

[Big Jim]

A favorite book:

The Complete Far Side Vol. I & Vol. II