"Don't know much about history" by Kenneth C.Davis

It took me a long time to understand and accept that people from different background/various countries have their own particular educational system which is naturally focused on local perspective. There is no such thing as common knowledge, what I had learnt in my own school has just a passing resemblance to what my friends from other countries had learnt - one of the surprises I faced during my life in foreign countries was the fact that suddenly I found out that (for example) my friends had no clue about geography, foreign languages, history, cinema, music or anything that was outside their language area - where I knew a little bit about everything and could name at least capitols of European countries, my friends did not even know where these places are. Even now I meet passengers on my ships who have only vague idea where Croatia is. On the other hand, my own knowledge is probably very spotty if you ask me about something they were taught in schools.

When it comes to history, this is subject that had long fascinated me - the curiosity was always there, though it never showed in my school grades because what our high school history teacher wanted more than anything was the dates. That plump, sweet lady was obsessed with the dates and it was all she talked about, which naturally made extremely boring history classes, where everybody basically just switched out and either gazed trough the window or meditated until end of the class. It is really pity because teacher can truly light the flame of lifelong passion for any subject if he/she only show excitement instead going trough tedious routine as this lady did - she probably counted the minutes herself, however we always dreaded her classes because she would just rattle important dates and expect us to remember them. One particular day, almost towards the end of my high school I realised that my history grades were always lousy and decided to correct it, not that it would change anything in my life but I wanted to prove it to myself that I can do it - specially because I always loved history anyway. So I got prepared, memorised whatever the subject was and when the next time when this lady asked my comatose class is there anybody who volunteers for exam, dear reader, I stood up, floored everybody (including history teacher) and was the star of the day. It didn't help with final grades but it showed that I could have done much better if only I woke up earlier.

"Don't know much about history" are of course lyrics of wonderful old song by my beloved Sam Cooke and historian Kenneth C.Davis used it wittily for title of this book, focused on American history. His goal was to present history not as a boring, dry subject but as a exciting story that has all ingredients of great drama - sorrows, danger, happiness, heroes, traitors, winners, losers, lesser known facts and descriptions of long-gone scandals or different perspective people had back than. Because my own education was focused on my geographical area, I could talk about WW2 if you wake me up in the middle of the night but honestly I am not so familiar with other worlds. This is where Kenneth C. Davis comes handy because he wrote book that is that rare kind, educative and entertaining at the same time. He starts with discovery of America, Jamestown, Pocahontas and Pilgrims and from here off he goes to American Revolution, Tea Party and many other fascinating stories from American history that most of the people know just vaguely from the movies. Not only foreigners but even Americans themselves need to be reminded, according to author who had a personal mission to create something interesting out of potentially dry subject. It sold in millions, created a publishing sensation and in fact, started the whole "Don't Know Much About... " series, which I intend to check later. What I loved the most about this book was the sheer passion and excitement of author who wrote it as the best thriller, so I actually couldn't put it down and read it with greatest pleasure. The ancient history was fascinating but what interested me the most was XX century where I only realised how ignorant actually I was until now. Davis is also surprisingly clear-eyed and objective historian (if there is such a thing) which is very important because the past eventually gets re-told from different perspectives and official story could be different from what we remember, in this case author is informative but consciously detached and not hiding from dark corners in American history - every chapter comes with the list of useful literature so this is something I truly loved. 

"Horses and High Heels" by Marianne Faithfull

Who could predict, back in 1960s that of all people it would be Marianne Faithfull, that pretty, angelic face with trembling voice and alluring innocence (soon to be crucified in media for her "dangerous acquaintances" with bad boys) who would mature into respected mature artist with charisma and longevity? Of course she metamorphosed into completely different person and shed the old skin to emerge like a decadent aristocrat now, smoky and ravaged voice in place of her innocent younger self - although media never completely let go and has focused on her alleged notoriety ever since, Faithfull herself occasionally playfully going along with it, part of her appeal for me is that I imagine that somewhere deep inside under all that cellophane she is still actually same person like before, just better at hiding it. I know it because from my own (now middle-aged) perspective I understand that we never change completely - under the layers of years and experience we are quintessentially always the same person we always were, the same old heart still beating, dreaming and hoping although we learned how to appear self-assured. 

Listen "Horses and High Heels" and marvel at vulnerability, sensitivity and yes, even sophistication that 65 year old Faithfull brings to this music. Like everything else she had done, each of her albums have a different approach and reason - where earlier she either collaborated with famous songwriters, producers or even focused on Bertold Brecht cabaret music, here she visits New Orleans (yes, there is a song by Allen Toussaint) and does her usual eclectic and eccentric choice of covers but this time she actually rocks like never before and for the first time I started to think, God, Marianne now actually rocks almost like Mick Jagger ("No Reason" by Jackie Lomax). It is truly fascinating listening experience not only because this is 65 years old grandmother rocking and smoking and caressing her whiskey, but because between the lines and under the surface she is honest to herself and not afraid to address serious questions - songs like "Goin' back" or "Past Present Future" might be just 1960s covers for some, but there is no doubt that Faithfull approaches them with intelligence of seasoned actress who rejoices in opportunity to act these songs like brilliant roles. And yes, she is so convincing in them that you might start to believe she sings about herself. These two songs, coming right next to each other are such killers that you can just bow down in awe for the sheer emotional impact they produce. I had loved and followed Faithfull practically my whole adult life so it is with great affection that I listen this album and realise I still love her as much as before, if not even more. 

Gene Shoemaker

It has been three months since I embarked on my current ship and trough all this time I have not watched a single movie from my huge collection (amassed during vacation for eventual watching later) because I was either too exhausted with working every day or simply was too occupied with my books that I passionately read each night before falling into sleep. Now I just had crossed Atlantic and arrived in Caribbean area. 

One single movie that appealed to me - so I stole some time from my sleep - was "National Geographic" documentary about Asteroids. Even now I can't tell the difference between Asteroids and Comets but what fascinated me was the main protagonist of this documentary, American geologist Gene Shoemaker who was filmed while explaining his theories about our our planet still bearing visible traces of ancient impacts from Asteroids - they can be seen in deserts and all over the world, where people earlier assumed they must be volcanoes and in fact he explains, they are scars from out of space. He also explains Moon is full of these scars and his research was proved in 1993 when a comet (baring his name) hit directly into Jupiter and explosions was seen from telescopes around the world. 

What particularly impressed me (besides the interesting story itself) was personality of Shoemaker - when this documentary was filmed he was already an elderly gentleman but he had a contagious energy, enthusiasm and spirit of a young man - his eyes twinkling with excitement, he was explaining everything with lots of humour, spark and such charm that I absolutely loved him - some people were born with this gift to be immensely likable (it takes lots of effort to keep this spirit high, in spite of everything life throws at us). Not that Shoemaker had it easy - all his life he dreamt about being the first geologist who will step on the Moon, just to find out his health problems disqualify him forever from this, so he continued with teaching and training others who would live his dream. I would have probably just die from disappointment but Shoemaker bravely continued his research, together with his wife from some small telescope and travelling around the world in search of stones with visible traces of shocked quartz, the material resulting from Asteroid impacts. He actually found a lot of these, even in the most unexpected places like a town in Germany (visibly rising from something looking like volcano crater) where central church was built from such stone. Out of curiosity I checked the Internet to find out is he still alive and to my biggest sorrow found out that this wonderful man has perished in a car accident during one of his scientific travels somewhere in Australia (Americans drive on different side of the road) - he was greatly loved by his colleagues and not only there are several Asteroids named after him but his ashes were sent to the Moon (which I find deeply moving, as in life he couldn't travel there) with inscription from Shakespeare that brings tears to my eyes. What a wonderful, wonderful man.

"The Geography of Bliss" by Eric Weiner

This book has been recommended by a friendly passenger on my ship and trusting this recommendation I have dived into it, just to find it extremely funny, witty and humorous - I actually started another book already, so right now I am reading two at the same time. It is a sort of travelogue, where the main protagonist (author himself) travels around the world in a search to find out what exactly happiness is - as Institute for Happiness (based in Rotterdam, imagine that - what a blasé country, where people enjoy hobbies as something actually worth pursuing as profession!) claims, there are certain places in the world happier than others, so Weiner roams the planet in order to find out what exactly it is that makes people happy.

His story starts, naturally in Netherland and this notorious Institute for research of Happiness. Everything is permitted here, drugs, prostitution, so could it be that all this tolerance means happiness? Weiner is not so sure and he correctly concludes that there is a very thin line between tolerance and indifference, which is sometimes I noticed myself when I lived in Netherland myself. Nobody would blink an eye if you walk around naked, but nobody would blink an eye if you drop dead from heart attack as well. Talk about tolerance! The very next chapter brings him to Switzerland, another happy country but here everything is prohibited and locals are obsessed with rigorous laws, rules and strict prohibitions. No flushing toilets after 10 p.m. and no laughing out too loud in the evenings of neighbors might leave notes at your door. And no dusting carpets on Sundays. Is this happiness, than? Yes, for the locals. And so his journeys lead him to different parts of the planet, always funny, always immensely likable and with a sharp wit and eye for a ridiculousness of anything that might be fake - so far I am enjoying it very much, although I can clearly see that between the lines, somewhere wrapped up in a humorous cellophane this little books actually has some serious questions like for example, what happiness actually is and does it necessary depends on outside things (money, place, people?) or is it something we need to find in ourselves. Myself, I am aware that is not the particular place - the moment of realization "this is a perfectly beautiful, happy moment" usually comes out of the blue and it has nothing to do with material, last time it happened was when I was standing outside of the house on a sunny day and playing with my dog. The good thing is that older I get, the more I understand that material is actually of no importance at all, its the small moments. Another interesting observation in this book: the wealthier we get, the more we distance ourselves from other people. In author words: "So the greatest source of happiness is other people—and what does money do? It isolates us from other people. It enables us to build walls, literal and figurative, around ourselves. We move from a teeming college dorm to an apartment to a house and, if we’re really wealthy, to an estate. We think we’re moving up, but really we’re walling off ourselves."