A Gentleman in Moscow, by Amor Towles

I loved this novel about a middle-aged man who was sentenced to house arrest in a hotel in Moscow not long after the Russian Revolution. He was considered part of the aristocracy, but had written a famous revolutionary poem, so he was allowed to live. Rather than being sentenced to Siberia or elsewhere, he was punished with house arrest and forced to move from his suite to an attic room. The novel details his life as he makes friends with other house guests, young and old, and eventually asks to be taken on as head waiter in the hotel restaurant. He eventually adopts a young girl whose mother disappeared after leaving the girl in his care. He befriends people of all walks of life, from famous actresses to bureaucrats, writers, and spies. This book is funny and touching, and it's extremely well-written. Just writing about it makes me want to read it again! I highly recommend this book.

Amor Towles. A Gentleman in Moscow. New York: Viking, 2016. 462 pages. ISBN 9780670026197. (Advance uncorrected proofs, signed by author.)

The Power of Habit, by Charles Duhigg

I know I'm late to the game reading The Power of Habit, by Charles Duhigg, which came out in 2012. I've read so many references to it that I finally broke down and got a copy out of the library. This is an easy and fun book to read; however, it reminds me of so many other books that I was a little disappointed.

The first section is about the habits of individuals. This was the most interesting part for me. I wanted to read about people and how we can break bad habits, instill good habits, or use our habits to improve ourselves. This section addresses these issues, but spends a little too much time on football anecdotes (how the Indianapolis Colts changed their habits on the field to be more successful and win more games).

The second section is about the habits of organizations. Duhigg tells anecdotes about Alcoa, Starbucks, and others to show how workplace habits can help companies succeed. This didn't work as well for me. By habits, Duhigg seems to mean policies and procedures. Basically, he's saying that if you change workplace policies and procedures, and provide better training to your employees, you will instill these as habits that will result in better outcomes. This section felt like many other popular management books that tell anecdotes about a few companies to illustrate some principles. It's entertaining, and even a little inspirational, but didn't really seem to be about habits, except in a very broad sense. The third section discusses the habits of societies, and focuses on the Civil Rights Movement and the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Again, the author is trying to say that we react to situations based on our habits (e.g., accepting poor treatment on the bus), and that if we change that habit, and encourage others to do so as well, we can make societal changes.

Overall, this is an entertaining and fast read, much like many other popular business books available. It will make you think and it is definitely inspiring. But framing all of these management approaches with the concept of "habits" is a bit of a stretch. I would have preferred a book that was focused more on the personal approach to breaking bad habits and instilling good ones, but that's not this book.

Charles Duhigg. The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business. New York: Random House, 2012. 371 pages. ISBN 9781400069286.

Anne Frank: The Book, The Life, The Afterlife, by Francine Prose

Like most of us, I read Anne Frank's diary while in school, either 7th or 8th grade. It wasn't assigned, but was recommended by a fellow student (thank you Lauren Murphy!). While I haven't picked it up since, the book made a strong impression that has lasted many years. When I visited Amsterdam in 2009 I was able to visit the Anne Frank Museum, and it brought the diary to life for me in a way that just reading it could not.

With this book, author Francine Prose has described the history of the diary's publication as well as the plays and film based on it. I learned that Anne began to revise her diary herself in response to a news broadcast that said that such records of events would be worthy of publication after the war. In less than four months' time, she rewrote much of the diary. When her father returned to the annex after the war, he was given both of these versions. He edited them, sometimes keeping the original, sometimes keeping the revised version, for publication.

Originally, Otto Frank found it difficult to find a publisher for the diary and enjoyed lackluster sales. He was helped in the U.S. by a positive review by Meyer Levin in the New York Times. Levin also came to an informal agreement with Otto Frank to be allowed to write a play based on the diary. However, producers didn't like Levin's approach, leading to years of strife and lawsuits. Eventually other writers were identified and the play became a success, followed by the film.

I wasn't aware that there were different versions of the diary. They include Anne's original, Anne's revised version, and Otto's edited version. A later edition presents all three of these versions together in columns so that readers can compare them with each other. Prose includes excerpts from both the original and the revised to show how Anne's writing matured in the two years that she was in the annex. I was also not aware of the controversies surrounding the play and film (and have seen neither). Prose has drawn a picture of the diary that reveals not just the impact that it's had on society but also the high emotions that it arouses in readers. She also touches on detractors and Holocaust deniers and how they've misrepresented and misinterpreted the diary to try to make their (non-existent) case.

I found this book fascinating. Francine Prose is an excellent writer and has created a thoughtful and interesting work with Anne Frank: The Book, The Life, The Afterlife.

Francine Prose. Anne Frank: The Book, The Life, The Afterlife. New York: HarperCollins, 2009. 304 pages. ISBN 9780061430794. (My copy is an uncorrected proof, signed by the author.)

Just My Type: A Book About Fonts, by Simon Garfield

This is a fascinating look at the history of the fonts that we take for granted every day. Author Simon Garfield describes how fonts were made in the early days of printing, and how fonts developed over the centuries. The introduction of a variety of fonts in early computers exploded into the thousands of options that we have today. Mr. Garfield discusses the fonts used in newspapers, advertisements, posters, and road signs. He delves into why some fonts are loved and others are despised (Comic Sans). He relates anecdotes about how the inappropriate use of modern fonts has revealed forgeries, and tells us about experts who are constantly noting the anachronistic use of fonts in period films. Most chapters contain a "fontbreak," which focuses on a particular font, such as Gill Sans, Albertus, Futura, Verdana, Doves, Mrs Eaves, Mr Eaves, Frutiger, and more. One fontbreak discusses the "interrobang," a character that combines a question mark with an exclamation point (it didn't catch on). One whole chapter is devoted to the ampersand.

This was a really fun look at fonts and how ever-present they are in our lives. Anyone who enjoys reading about printing and publishing would enjoy Just My Type.

Simon Garfield. Just My Type: A Book About Fonts. New York: Gotham Books, 2011. 354 pages. ISBN 9781592406524.

A Concise History of Germany, by Mary Fulbrook, 2nd ed.

I mentioned in my last post that I read a few books about Germany in preparation for my week-long vacation in Berlin in July. I selected this brief overview of German history to get me thinking about German history and culture before I got there. I enjoyed this portrayal of Germany which starts with the Middle Ages and brings us to the early 21st century. The second edition was published in 2004 so more recent events are left out. Chapters cover medieval Germany, the Reformation, the rise of Prussia, industrialization and the First World War, WWII, and the split into two countries. A very brief chapter addresses the period after reunification.

This was fun to read while I was in Germany and after I got back. I will need to make a much deeper dive into German history if I'm going to keep all the Friedrichs and Wilhelms separate! This book contains an index, suggestions for future reading that are organized chronologically and topically, and many black and white photographs throughout.

Mary Fulbrook. A Concise History of Germany. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004. 277 pages. ISBN 9780521540711.

Angela Merkel: Europe's Most Influential Leader, by Matthew Qvortrup

In preparation for our summer vacation in Berlin, I wanted to read a little about Germany. I picked this biography of Angela Merkel and an overview of German history that I'll write about in another post. Author Matthew Qvortrup is a professor of political science at Coventry University in the UK, and with this book he has written an interesting narrative of Angela Merkel's life. The focus is less on her early life and more on her development as a politician. I found her background fascinating. Ms. Merkel grew up in East Germany and is the first post-reunification chancellor to come from the East. She is fluent in Russian which has helped her over the years as she negotiates trade agreements and other issues with Russia.

Growing up as the daughter of a pastor in the GDR, she had to learn to be very careful with her words and actions. In college, Ms. Merkel studied physics and mathematics; she was a scientist before she turned to politics. Physics was a field that was relatively safe from Marxist theory and a refuge for many. After German reunification, she became involved in politics and rose rapidly in the Christian Democratic Union, a center-right political party. Her ability to compromise has allowed her to achieve much in her time as chancellor. This book provides significant insight to her development as a politician and signature achievements, particularly her stance on the immigration crisis. This book was published in 2017, so it doesn't contain much about recent U.S.-German relations, unfortunately.

As I mentioned above, I was reading this book to give myself a sense of German history and current events to prepare for my recent week-long vacation in Berlin. I wondered before the trip whether we would encounter any negative reaction because of Trump's horrendous treatment of Ms. Merkel at various international meetings. However, we were met with nothing but friendliness and generosity. My basic conversational German skills were enough to get by, and almost everyone spoke English, so when my German broke down we had no problem communicating.

This book had an index, a lengthy notes section, eight pages of color photographs, and a glossary. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys current events and biographies. I particularly liked reading about politics that had nothing to do with our current horror show of an administration! It's restorative to read about a politician with values, someone who's trying to do some good in the world.

Matthew Qvortrup. Angela Merkel: Europe's Most Influential Leader. New York: Overlook Duckworth, 2017. 377 pages. ISBN 9781468315035.