A Few Thoughts: Books and Other Stuff

I have a lot of books, or as Dear Diane might tell you, “He has far too many books.” Indeed, had I not bought books, but instead taken the money I have spent on them and instead invested it in almost anything else — except maybe Sam Bankman-Fried’s FTX — I’d be far more comfortable today, but not nearly as happy. Maybe I’ll make the switch to Kindle, a rarely used app stored on all my devices. It would certainly be much less expensive. But I suspect it would take me a long time to adjust psychologically from real, bound books to digitized imitations. It just ain’t the same. And there’s something reassuring and comforting about going to the right bookcase, finding the right book, then flipping through the pages to locate the right words. I often forget the exact titles of books, but for some reason recognize the “look” of their bindings or dust jackets.

Anyway, as long as I’m writing about books, here’s a quick look at two books in my library: one recent addition and another that's been there a while.

Bibi: My Story, by Benjamin Netanyahu (2022) This book, a gift from one of my sons, is a “must-read.” Regardless of your attitude toward the once and present Prime Minister of Israel, you will find this autobiography more than interesting. Like his brother, Yoni, who was killed while commanding the remarkably successful rescue mission at Entebbe, Netanyahu also served in combat as a special forces officer. But it is his subsequent life in Israeli politics that makes up the bulk of this fascinating and well-written autobiography. If you want to come to a better understanding of Israel, still our closest ally in the Near East, and its current leader, this book is a must.

The Evolution of Civilizations, by Carroll Quigley (1961). In September 1962 I began my freshman year at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. I spent only that one year at Georgetown because I was fortunate enough to receive a congressional appointment to the U. S. Naval Academy where I would spend the next four years. But like every freshman at the School of Foreign Service, I took the required course on the development of civilizations taught by Carroll Quigley. To say that I enjoyed the course would be a gross understatement. Quigley taught in a large lecture hall and before the first class had ended, we were all captivated. After all, we were 18-year-old freshmen and this legendary professor simply wowed us with his knowledge and delivery. It was a form of education we had never experienced, and he left us spellbound. We listened and scribbled in our notebooks, hoping to capture the important points. We were several classes into the course before someone dared ask a question. As I recall it was an intelligent, relevant question, asked by a young Nigerian woman, and answered quickly and satisfactorily by Quigley. I was happy to receive a C for my first semester grade, not a particularly impressive grade, but better than the majority of students who were lucky to get a D. My class notes disappeared long ago, but after 61 years I still have the text, Quigley’s book, The Evolution of Civilizations. I enjoyed reading it once again a few years ago, and recommend it to anyone who desires a better understanding of how we as a society, as a part of what’s left of Western Civilization, came to be. The above link is to a 2nd edition, published posthumously in 1979.

A brief afterthought. I recently came across an article — “Is Georgetown University Committing Suicide?” — written by Quigley in 1967 and published in the university’s newspaper, The Hoya. It’s an interesting article, written over 50 years ago by someone who would have been considered a liberal, back when liberals really were liberal.