books

over the last week, I read a few books. "Arthur & George", "Songs in Ordinary Time", "Skywater", "The Book of Ruth", "The Memory Keeper's Daughter" and "Water for Elephants". They all came in a box from my mom. They were mostly pretty good. I really liked "Water for Elephants". "Skywater" was sad. They were all kind of sad. Populated by sad people and grotesque people and thieves and liars and alcoholics.

Last night I started an American History text book published in 1911,1917,1920 by David Saville Muzzey. It's pretty incredible. I mean, to read it. To read the attitudes of the time, held in this old book. If you ever want to see how much progress we've made as a country in our ways of thinking about non-white people, read a history book from the early part of the 20th century.

I'm talking about paragraphs like this:
"21. The Northern Tribes....They had a great variety of games and dances, solemn and gay; and they loved to bask idly in the sun, too, like the Mississippi negro of today." (pg 20)"