The Books of February 2009

It should be obvious that I am not the prolific reader that my daughter, Karen, is. I only managed to complete 3 books last month and I have to confess that I didn't even start reading them then. They were all holdovers from January.


The first book I read was an old one by Dave Barry called "Dave Barry's Greatest Hits" and I picked it up because the library had a display of his books. I don't know why they did. And I don't know why I picked one up either. I think it was nostalgia. I remember reading his column in either the Nashville paper or the Murfreesboro one (we got both) years ago and I remember thinking that his style of writing is humorous. Since this book was a collection of columns from that period I took a brief walk down memory lane a la Dave Barry. Some of it was humorous. Some of it was just plain annoying. I'll count this as my fiction for the month since I didn't actually read any non-fiction.



The second book I read was A Journal For Jordan written by Pulitzer Prize-winning editor, Dana Canedy. Click the link to get the history and then I'll tell you what I thought of the book.

Ms. Canedy wrote this as both a memoir for her son and as a way to keep the memory of Charles King alive. It is actually two journals in one.

The first journal is the one that First Sergeant King wrote to his son during Dana's pregnancy and after Jordan's birth. It was written as a means to advise his son during their times of separation. Being a career military man, King expected to be away from his son often. He knew it was possible that he might not return at all, but he tried not to think about that possibility. And of course, this is exactly the case. King was killed on October 14, 2006.

The second journal was the one written by Ms. Canedy to document for Jordan his parents' relationship. She interwove excerpts of King's journal with her own sometimes telling the same story from a different perspective or expounding further on an event.

It was a very honest, sometimes brutally honest, look at their lives. As a journalist, Ms. Canedy admitted that dealing with King's death and his funeral helped her see things from a different perspective than her usual one as a reporter covering similar events. Her role as the bereaved loved one helped her understand how callous the press appears to others in similar situations. It was evident that she grew as a person because of what she encountered. Her faith in God matured as well.

Ms. Canedy is quick to point out that she and King made mistakes. There are many things she would do differently if presented with a second chance. I appreciated that she admitted errors instead of explaining them away. No one expects time to run out but this story is proof that it does for everyone, some sooner than later.

I cannot say that I enjoyed the book. How can one enjoy reading a true tragic love story? But I can say that I appreciate the book very much and applaud her effort to make sure her son knows his father even if incidentally. It was a mother's way of keeping her son's hero father alive in their hearts.

This book helped me understand the dichotomy military personnel experience as they step between their dual roles as family members and warriors. Ms. Canedy did not know much about the warrior that King was until she interviewed members of his regiment. She and Jordan only experienced the shy, quiet, tender gentleman. She occasionally caught fleeting glimpses of the man-in-transition but Charles kept his roles separate as much as possible.

Read it and weep. Then pray for all the military personnel and their families.

(Visit Dana's blog here.)


The third - and final - book I read was "Blogging For Dummies" (2nd Edition) by Susannah Gardner and Shane Birley. This one should be self-explanatory.


That's it for February. Perhaps I'll do better this month.