Week in Review

 Politics This Week

Trump responded to a woman reporter who asked a reasonable question: “Quiet, Piggy.”

The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, defended Trump’s insult as “frankness.” There were many reactions to the President’s outburst. Here’s a quote from columnist Rachel Leingang in an article titled  “‘Unforgivable’: Trump’s ‘piggy’ insult is stoking more outrage than usual: 

“In Trump 2.0, you never know which affronts to decency will stick in people’s minds. This one, though, has a symbolism that seems to be resonating.”

And columnisit Margaret Sullivan on Trump’s anti-women actions:

“Nothing changes – it only worsens – because Trump gets away with it. His stalwart supporters don’t seem to care. The members of the press corps may write a sternly worded letter (or not), but they normalize it, too, by their inaction.

“Will this ‘quiet, piggy’ moment make a difference? Only for those who care about decency in public officials and in American society.

“Maybe that’s an old-fashioned notion. And I’m not sure there are enough of us who remember that it matters.”

 

My Reading This Week

World Pacific is in my opinion a terrible book. I gave up after the first half. The review that unfortunately caused me to buy it noted that its central character was a fictionalized version of  Richard Halliburton (1900-1939), author of several runaway best sellers about his travel adventures. The central character of World Pacific is a pathetic wanker (nasty word choice is intentional). The plots of both of the novel’s alternate stories are boring. Don’t waste any time with this book. 

The real Richard Halliburton preparing for his final adventure aboard this ship that disappeared with Halliburton and his crew during a typhoon in the Pacific Ocean.

As I have said, I was absorbed in every one of Richard Halliburton’s books when I was a young teen, and recently visited some of the sights in Greece that enchanted me back then (link). I’m now mature enough that the breathless style of this once-very-popular author is less appealing to me after all these years. However, I know a bad imitation when I see it, and World Pacific is a very bad imitation.

A More Entertaining Book…

Author Louis Sachar is known for his children’s books, especially Holes. His newest book, The Magician of Tiger Castle is promoted as his first adult book. I found it nevertheless as being rather childish, both in the way the action was developed, and in the way the author constantly explained cultural references that in my opinion any adult reader would already know. I would say that the plot and characters are all right but not super compelling, the way that I think fantasy plots and characters should be.

Looking forward to next week

"Over the River to Grandma's House on Thanksgiving Day" by Grandma Moses, the American primitive painter. Date: 1943 (source)

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