The Devil's Guide to Hollywood by Joe Eszterhas

Joe Eszterhas, The Devil's Guide to Hollywood: The Screenwriter as God,  (New York: St. Martin's Griffin; 2006) 379 pages.

This unusual book by a successful screenwriter is part biography, part insider's guide for new players, part anecdote collection, and part critique. Eszterhas knows the movie business, and this book is his take on what Hollywood (as in the movie making business)  really like. He delivers detailed lessons on writing the script, selling the script, filming, and working with the producer, director, the studio, actors and critics. The book contains the wisdom and wit of others, and also also the sharp criticisms of Eszterhas's competitors such an William Goldman and Robert McKee. The lessons on these themes are not just his own, but also statements from many others in the business. Most of the books comprises quotes from others in the business, delivered in an entertaining and truthful way that is immensely entertaining.

This is a book for people interested in learning what the movie business is really like. If you read it, you will see that its a sewer full of all sorts of vices that at times can produce great art, and at other times, complete dross. Even Eszterhas is repelled by Hollywood, choosing to rear his children far away, in a very different part of the United States. The book's great strength is its honesty, comprehensiveness, and compilation of a wide variety of voices that have worked in Hollywood, both now and in years past. Esterhas uses and quotes profanity, and discusses subjects of an "adult nature," so reader discretion is advised.

"The Drop," by Michael Connelly

Michael Connelly, The Drop, (New York: Hachette Book Group; 2011), 483 pages.

The Drop is another book in the Harry Bosch series written by Michael Connelly. Bosch is an uncompromising Los Angeles Police Department detective of retirement age, who stays on the job because he must;. Solving murders is what he does, and he does it well. Bosch is a character with a single-minded pursuit of justice on behalf of the murder victim. He is determined and single-minded in pursuit of the murderer, often to the detriment of his family relationships, his work partner and his boss. His motto is everyone matters, or no-one matters.

Bosch is in familiar surroundings in The Drop, namely, the open unsolved or cold case unit, although with a twist. On the same day, Bosch is assigned two new cases, one open-unsolved, and another a new case. In the new case, Bosch and his work partner were chosen by the Commissioner for the new case, the murder of the son on an old Bosch nemesis now in politics. The plot involves Bosch and his partner working the case while negotiating the rocks and shoals of Los Angeles Police Department   and Los Angeles City Council politics. Bosch's second case is a cold case that became active due to a positive finding from a DNA test. A problem is revealed with the DNA test when it is positively matched to a person aged 8 years at the time of the murder. Bosch's relentless pursuit of the killer in light of this unusual DNA evidence reveals a startling and gruesome killer that had been operating in Los Angeles for more than 20 years.

Connelly displays all his writing talent in The Drop. He has a gift for the seemingly accurate and realistic portrayal of police procedure. He combines his eye for detail, knowledge of police procedure and gift for storytelling to write a fine book. This combination gives us an entertaining and fast-moving story consistent with Connelly's previous work of police mystery writing.

"The Teammates," by David Halberstam

David Halberstam, "The Teammates," (New York: Hyperion; 2002), 217 pages.

This small book is about the enduring friendships between four former professional baseball players (Ted Williams, John Pesky, Dominic DiMaggio and Bobby Doerr). The author provides an oversight of how each started his professional baseball career, how they were recruited to play in Boston, their lives after they finished playing baseball, and the ways in which the friendships continued for the remainder of their lives.

The book benefits a great deal from the author’s love of baseball. He is very knowledgeable of the game, and knows a great deal about these four players from having written a previous book about their famous team the Boston Red Socks. Hence, the obvious appeal of this book to baseball fans. Readers should note that The Teammates is more than just a book about baseball; it’s also a book about friendships and how they endure throughout the years. The author shows us what friends do for each other throughout the years, and what they do for each other in their twilight, more vulnerable years. We also get a glimpse of the lives of professional sportsmen, and how each of the four men made different choices that had significant impacts of the rest of their lives. This dual aspect of the book makes it enjoyable for the baseball fan and the non-fan, or anyone interested in how four men could remain friends for about seventy years.

Adventure Capitalist: The Ultimate Investor's Road Trip, by Jim Rogers

Jim Rogers, "Adventure Capitalist: The Ultimate Investor's Road Trip," (Random House: New York; 2003), 357 pages.

Jim Rogers, former hedge fund manager, likes to travel. His first book, Investment Biker, recalled his around-the-world trip by motorbike. This book, Adventure Capitalist, is a sequel. It’s an account of his travel around the world by car, a trip that took 3 years. He and his wife made a trip in a customized four wheel drive Mercedes sports car. The journey started in Iceland and continued through the U.K., Southern Europe, Central Asia to China, Japan, Russia, Scandinavia, the east and west coast of Africa, Australia, New Zealand, South America, Central America, and through the USA to Canada and Alaska.

Like Investment Biker, this book is more than a travel book. It contains description of the author’s travels, as we would expect. More interestingly, it contains Roger's opinions on many of the countries he visited, such as whether it was blighted by corruption or poor governance. He is particularly expansive on various countries' financial condition, whether the country’s currency was being debased, and if conditions were optimal for improving the lives of that country’s citizens. As much as he comments on the counties he visits, Rogers also devotes considerable space to reflect on life in the United States and its place in the world. Rogers is an optimistic libertarian, and his travels force him to reflect on US policies, such as foreign policy, foreign aid, various international institutions (such at the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund), and domestic economic policies. These reflections are frequently critical, but are neither theoretical nor polemical, but based on his understanding of the world and various nations gained from his unique perspective as an extensive global traveler.

Roger's investment philosophy is unorthodox, as is his commentary on socio-political situations. His views are rooted in his on the ground observations gained by going into the field where there are few, if any, 5 star hotels. His experience at school, college and business taught him that experts were usually wrong, hence his bias towards learning for himself through his own experiences. His travels are characterized by the slaughter of sacred cows (meaning conventional views), the puncturing of various balloons and the laying to rest the ore-conceptions of the world held by certain "authorities," many of whom have never left home (p.4).

A strength of this book is the recollection of his journeys through a large number of countries he visited; however, this also restricts the author from writing about every country in detail. Some countries are covered in great detail (China) while others are barely mentioned. This limitation sometimes comes across as the story being rushed.  At times, the great distances being covered through exotic locations barely rate a mention.

The book excels in other areas. First, it exposes a few myths about the international travel in Africa and South America, and demonstrates that with ingenuity and determination that it is possible to drive a car around the world. Second, he exposes a few myths and pre-conceived notions about African countries and their government’s economic policies, the causes of poverty and misery, and the causes of prosperity and economic growth – here’s a hint, it not United Nations aid projects. Rogers observes in such a way and with a view to seeing conditions that will encourage profitable investing. Third, Rogers reflects on the USA. His unique perspective of travelling around the world gives him perspective to comment on conditions in the USA, and to reflect and make prediction about the USA’s future. Anyone with more than a passing interest in travel, the USA’s place in the work, and

This book is more than a travel book. It’s a reflection on life, the world, and the place of the USA in the world, and assessing foreign countries as places to invest should enjoy this book.

Rigged: The Story of an Ivy League Kid Who Changed the World of Oil, from Wall Street to Dubai, by Ben Mezrich

Ben Mezrich, "Rigged: The Story of an Ivy League  Kid Who Changed the World of Oil, from Wall Street to Dubai," (Harper Collins: New York; 2007), 294 pages.

Rigged is Mezrich's latest book about kids with Ivy League university educations that go on to make fortunes. In this relatively unexciting and unexceptional story, a Harvard University graduate goes to work for the New York Mercantile Exchange to establish the Dubai Mercantile Exchange.

The most revealing aspect of this book is its expose of the itty-gritty details on how the Dubai Mercantile Exchange was founded, as well as the broader subject of establishing a new business in the Arab world. Readers will discover the importance of working with an Arab partner familiar with the business practices in the West and the Arab world. Readers will also see how such partners can help negotiate difficulties with obtaining approval of religious leaders in circumstances where business practices have some conflict, or potential conflict, with Islamic law. Finally, we see how it is sometimes necessary to appeal to the lower instincts of established industry stalwarts in order to develop new operations.

If this book has any shortcomings, it would be Mezrich's tendency to stray into hagiography and hyperbole. He praises almost without criticism and glorifies the protagonist's success without much broad perspective. Michael Lewis fails spectacularly in writing books that discourage bright young kids from going to Wall Street to get rich. Mezrich has no such moral imperative: he writes books like Rigged that are sufficiently entertaining to encourage bright kids to go to Ivy League school so they can "change the world," which means, find new ways, or new twists on old ways, to make a fortune working on Wall Street.

A Year in the Merde by Stephen Clarke

Stephen Clarke, A Year in the Merde, (New York: Bloomsbury; 2004), 276 pages.

Stephen Clarke's book is a fictional account of an English man's year of residence in Paris. Hired by a French company to open a chain of English tea rooms, a smart-alec Englishman finds himself juggling a group of grumbling and barely competent French employees, a devious and manipulative boss, and a succession of promiscuous girlfriends (including the boss's daughter). He becomes immersed in French culture and finds it amusing and confusing. After a series of adventures that include a possible purchase of a house in the country, he eventually establishes an English tea room without the control of a treacherous boss.

The best aspect f Clarke's book is his critique of the French from an English perspective. Clarke's prose is witty, acerbic, and very funny, despite is tendency to drift off into discussions of sex. If the subject offends, be warned. Yet, the principal character in the book is a 27 year old single man, so it is to be expected that this subject should cross his mind. Clarke's critique of life in Paris are hilarious and cruel, but typically English. An interesting aspect is how the main character starts to appreciate Parisian life over the duration of his stay. Upon his return to England, he gains a fresh perspective on English life including the ways of life of the typical Englishman. Alas,he eventually admires and appreciates many aspects of Parisian life.

This book will appeal to lovers of French culture, people interested in the differences between the English and French, people interested in travel books, particularly books about Paris. The book's is also an interesting story that hows that culture shock is real, and that an outside can come to terms with difficult situations and conditions to achieve some success. On many levels, this is an enjoyable book.

"Investment Biker: Around the World with Jim Rogers," by Jim Rogers

Investment Biker: Around the World with Jim Rogers, (Hollbrook, MA: Adams Media Corporation; 1994), 402 pages.

From March 1990 through August 1992, the author and his girlfriend travelled around the world on their BMW motorcycles. Starting in New York City, they flew to Ireland and travelled through southern Europe to China and Japan, then turned around and went through northern Europe back to Ireland. They then drove the length of Africa from north to south, almost circumnavigated Australia, rode through New Zealand,  rode through the Americas from Cape Horn in the south to New York in the north east through to Anchorage, Alaska, traveling a total of 65,000 miles. The book is a record of his travels including observations of the countries he visited. Most but not all of the book is devoted to his travels. We learn of the difficulties of riding a bike around the world though conditions ranging from first class roads to bumpy dirt tracks. The book also casts a keen observer's eye at the countries through which he travels. He comments on the living conditions of every country he visits, and gets to the heart of what makes each country successful or unsuccessful. As a professional investor, Rogers also comments on the economic conditions of many countries, primarily based on his observations and interactions with the people he meets. He gets to the heart of what makes a county successful, what makes life good for its citizens, what makes currencies more valuable, and others less valuable. In light of his observations about the countries he visits, he returns to a repeating theme, namely the similarity between the direction of the U.S.A.'s economy and that of failed third-world countries around the globe.

This is a gem of a book. It is s both a record of an amazing round-the-world motorcycle trip, and a reflection on what makes a country successful. Rogers's analysis and writing is direct and honest. It is  unencumbered with flowery introspection or self-doubt. It is full of practical advice and commonsense for the traveller and to a lesser extent the international investor.  If the book has a weakness its his failure to give any detailed observations of his travels through the United States. He also writes comparatively little of his travels through Australia. This limited treatment of two large countries surprised me. I think the book is the poorer than it could have been due to so little coverage of these large countries. Nonetheless, this is a very good book that should be enjoyed by readers interested in travel, investing, and motorcycle travel journeys.

The Scarecrow by Michael Connelly

The Scarecrow, by Michael Connelly, (New York: Hachette Book Group; 2008), 562 pages.

In The Scarecrow, Michael Connelly goes back to the old well of The Poet, and takes another drink.  The characters from that book feature again in The Scarecrow in another story about the hunt for a serial killer. The principal character, Jack McEvoy is an all-but-washed up journalist at the Los Angeles Times. While reporting on a murder confession, he discovers, and believes, that a confessed killer has been framed and that the real murderer is a serial killer. Unable to convince the Los Angeles Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and his own employer of the merits of his theory, McEvoy attempts to solve the crime himself, and in the long a circuitous investigation, gets his co-worker killed but like all goes journalist heroes, gets his killer in the end.

As the cover blurb notes, this book is "high-grade entertainment," and suitable written to retain the reader's attention through surprises and twists. Connelly is an entertaining writer, and this book is of sufficient quality to live up to the author's reputation of producing crime fiction at its best. Readers of crime fiction should find this book adequately entertaining, as long as you can accommodate the fact that the entire story's premise is that a journalist is more capable of solving a string of murders than two law enforcement agencies. If readers can rationalize away that fact they should enjoy this book.

"Warren Buffett and the Art of Stock Arbitrage," by Mary Buffett and David Clark

"Warren Buffett and the Art of Stock Arbitrage," by Mary Buffett and David Clark, (New York: Scribner; 2010), 153 pages.

This book is another addition to the expanding category of books about Warren Buffett's approach to profitable investing. The unique feature of this book is that one of the authors shares the surname of the subject (because she was once married to one of his sons). This small book explains arbitrage, with occasional references to actual Buffett arbitrages. It also goes over topics of interest to the novice investor, such as what arbitrage is, types of arbitrage, how it can be used with great certainty to increase annual investment returns, how leverage (or borrowings) can greatly improve investment returns when it is used effectively (and the opposite - risk of loss or low profits in certain situations) and overviews of various real-world examples where Buffett used arbitrage to earn outsized investment returns. For example, the authors discuss the following:

·               friendly mergers

·               hostile takeovers

·               buy-backs and self-tender offers

·               corporate liquidations

·               corporate spin-offs, and 

·               stubs.

This is not a book for experts; on the contrary it is an introductory book on the subject of arbitrage. Experts should by-pass this book for I doubt they will benefit from the contents. It is mostly a book for novices on how arbitrage situations can be very profitable if executed properly. The spice or spin is added by the references to Warren Buffett through frequent reference to his success as an arbitrager, and example of situations were he profitably engaged in arbitrage. The message of the book is that the reader can profit, just like Warren Buffett, if you follow the guidelines provided in this book.

"Education of a Wandering Man: A Memoir by Louis L'Amour,"

"Education of a Wandering Man: A Memoir by Louis L'Amour," (New York: Bantam Books; 1989) 232 pages. ISBN: 978-0553286526

Louis L'Amour had an excellent education to prepare him for his very successful career as a writer, demonstrated by his prodigious lifetime output of 89 novels, over 250 short stories, and two works of non-fiction. Don't think this book is L'Amour's recollections of his education at a distinguished university such as Yale or Harvard. You would be dead wrong if you did. L'Amour didn't go to those colleges; he didn't even finish high school. His education was earned the old way at the "school of hard knocks." This book summarizes this practical and informal education, and shows what a fascinating and exciting education it was. To L'Amour, formal schooling got in the way of his education. While he remains a great supporter of education, formal schooling was not for him. He left school at an early age to work, and continued his education through books he bought, borrowed or accessed in libraries.

This range of jobs he took was remarkable: itinerant laborer, merchant seaman, mine assessor and professional boxer. He followed the harvests, worked in mines, sailed to Asia and Europe, always reading in his spare time, always listening to the stories of the people he met on his travels. The constant through out these various jobs is his devotion to self-improvement through reading quality books. His devotion to learning is woven through the narrative. He recalls with great detail where he was when he read a particular book, and what he learned from it. This book also includes a list of the books he read from 1930 to 1935, and 1937. In most years, the list of books read was in excess of 100.

This book is a fine account of the self- education of a popular and successful writer. Its outstanding feature is its depiction of an unusual education predominantly self-taught in the school of hard knocks. It is also a testament to the idea that true education (rather than modern university-based vocational training) does not require a degree. To L'Amour, all it takes is the ability to read, along with the natural ability to reflect on books in a way to try to better your life. L'Amour's Education of A Wandering Man, written shortly before his death, is also a fine portrayal of life in during the Great Depression, and of the life of the nomadic, itinerant worker. The life of the hobo (as distinguished from the lay-about non-working bum) has largely disappeared. L'Amour's book is a witness to this disappeared way of life. This excellent and readable book should appeal to a wide audience. It will specifically appeal to fans of L'Amour, and perhaps to readers interested in the lives of successful authors. It will also be of interest to those curious about life in the American west during the Great Depression, and of first hand accounts of itinerant workers during that time.

"Baghdad Without A Map" by Tony Horwitz

Baghdad Without A Map and Other Misadventures in Arabia, by Tony Horwitz, (New York: Plumy by the Penguin Group; 1991), 285 pages. ISBN0-452-26745-5.

In this book, Tony Horwitz, Jewish and American, follows his journalist wife to the Middle East and does some freelance reporting on life in the region. Based in Egypt, he traveled and reported his observations and experiences. His travels took him throughout Egypt and to Sudan, Iraq, Libya, Lebanon, Iran, and a voyage on a small boat through the Straits of Hormuz. The book illustrates everyday life in these places, the difficulties faced by westerners when travelling there, particularly the “culture shock” faced by westerners face when immersing themselves in the comparatively ancient world of the Middle East.

This book’s great strength is its realistic portrait of life in a number of Middle Eastern countries from the perspective of the average Middle Easterner. Horwitz meets the poor; he eats with them and is invited into their homes. He witnesses their struggles with poverty, and difficult challenges with institutions, and poverty in finding a better life for themselves and their children. He is at times humorous, but never makes fun of his hosts. His writing is characterized by sympathizing with them. Horwitz does not mingle with the wealth or privileged or powerful, a thereby gives his book an experienced “on the ground” account of these countries, and not a view from the air-conditioned comfort of a luxury hotel or resort. Therefore, we see how these places work, or more frequently do not work. He shares with us his host's  views of America and Judaism. This makes his travel writing more notable: here is a man who is both Jewish and American travelling through a region hostile to both. We see this hostility expressed in unusual ways. For example, Horwitz manages to enter Iran to report on the funeral of Ayatollah Komanehi. One funeral attendee and anti-American protester proclaims his wish to one day go to Disneyland and ride on the teacup ride with his children, during a break from his chanting “death to America”.

This book has been in print for 21 years, and I suspect that the rich description of Middle Easter life is still accurate today. Life there, I suspect, may not have changed much; only an expert would know. Regimes may have changed in some of the countries, but one expects that the discoveries and observations made by Horwitz are as relevant today as they were when the book was written.

This book is a fine travel memoir, while also being a fine analysis or investigative report of the Middle East. It is a book that will be enjoyed by people interested in the Middle East, lovers of travel writing, or fans of the writing of Tony Horwitz.