Send us a message, question, or criticism at feedback@americanconsequences.com. P.J. O’Rourke comment: Henry, as I always ask my teens, “If all the cool kids jumped off a bridge would you jump too?” Being teens, their answer is, “Of course I would!” So – with the help of the great Buck Sexton – we’re working on an American Consequences podcast idea. Keep your ears perked! words. And thank you for the tip on Requiem for a Wren . It’s a brilliant book, and it also shows why the Greatest Generation had – besides the innovation and adventure – a certain sense of sadness and loss. A couple of other Nevil Shute books worth mentioning (although they’re all good): The Chequer Board – A deep and deeply decent story about race relations written in 1947 when that subject had barely been addressed by best-selling authors. Pied Piper – Adventures of an accidental hero tasked with protecting a group of helpless kids during the Nazi invasion of France. Round the Bend – The spiritual side of Shute (though he doesn’t overdo the spirituality), which does a great job of answering the seemingly absurd question, “What if, instead of being a carpenter, Jesus had been an airplane mechanic?” Re: Innovations That Get No Respect Hey American Consequences, tell your editor in chief P.J. O’Rourke about the innovation called podcasting, so I can listen to his voice as I wait in traffic or travel down the road. All the cool kids are doing it. – Henry P.
truth. Don’t take my word for it, read for yourselves. – Theresa K. P.J. O’Rourke comment: Theresa, now that Prof. Heilbroner is dead, I’m recommending that you be the person who writes the article on Socialism in the next edition of The Concise Encyclopedia of Economics . Re: Nevil Shute I was gratified to see the Book Grump recognize one of my favorite authors. Shute wrote about life in the 1940s and 1950s, for the most part. I had read On The Beach as a teenager when dystopian novels were rare, and I was into that. I got reacquainted with Shute as an adult when Trustee From The Toolroom was recommended by a machinist, though the story is much broader. It is one of my favorite books, taking me to my parent’s post-war world of travel, South Sea islands, and limitless can-do optimism. As good or better is Requiem for a Wren, an epic story of a woman’s experience in WW2 and the physical and mental aftermath of the survivors. Shute explains why the Greatest Generation was compelled to such innovation and adventure after the war. No other period novel has taken me into that world so vividly. Which reminds me, I have a couple of Shute books I have not read, and I need to read Requiem yet again. Thanks! – Rex B. P.J. O’Rourke comment: Speaking for The Book Grump (who shall remain – ahem – anonymous), thank you, Rex, for the kind
American Consequences
17
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker