25 Books I Call My Favorites with Annotation by Peter Reum

The Making of the Atomic Bomb by

 Richard Rhoades

This book helped me understand my hometown's place in world history. My family came to wartime Los Alamos in 1943, and lived there during the war. My dad had close contact with some of the world's greatest physicists, chemists, metallurgists, and got to see the first test of a nuclear device in the    New Mexico desert in 1945. My dad and mom shared stories with me of life on the New Mexico frontier with heat that worked sometimes, water that was chronically short for use, and electricity that was unpredictable. They drove from Chicago to Los Alamos in 1938 Nash Rambler, and it would not go up the steep and switch backed primitive road to Los Alamos. My folks were residents of a 4-plex with Edward Teller living in the apartment above them, and told me stories of him playing his piano at 3 AM in the morning and keeping the neighborhood awake, not just once, but several times a week. My dad told me about Robert Oppenheimer and what a brilliant project director he was, and how he walked a fine line between General Groves and his own scientific staff. The book not only goes into this information,but goes through the saga of the effort to beat Germany to "the bomb." It won a Pulitzer Prize for history. The tragedy of Hiroshima is examined, and the inner conflict the men who did the research about it's use in Japan is examined.  

The Thomas Jefferson Reader

Why Jefferson? Of all American Presidents, he was the most conflicted and complex. Yes, I know Lincoln was as well, or any number of others, but Jefferson was a man who lived lavishly and died in debt, who wrote about freedom eloquently and held slaves, and who advocated for liberty and held Indigenous peoples, African-Americans, and women as less than human, who was monogamous, but had children with his African-American housekeeper after his wife died. He read voraciously, had an incredible library, and began the University of Virginia. His genius is not only in evidence in this anthology of his letters and writing, but at Monticello.com, the site which examines his impact upon history and his life in Virginia as a farmer, inventor, politician, and scientist. 

The Bible-King James Version

This book opened the English speaking world to reading, and transitioned control of Christian belief from the clergy to the laity. The orthodox approach to scripture changed slowly into biblical scholarship, opening a new world of interpretation to anyone willing to do the basic research to understand it. As an Anglican, it was essential reading in my childhood, although many old timers did not like the updating of the Lexicon to everyday English from 17th century English. Perhaps, for better or worse, one of the most influential books in history.

The Maestro Plays by Bill Martin Jr.

Bill Martin Jr. is a genius in the manner in which he writes and illustrates his work. His books are my childrens' favorites, and they are a delight to read and to "emote" to while reading aloud. This particular book is one of my favorites because it relates to music, my favorite subject. There is a hidden reference to the music of Dizzy Gillespie. See if you can find it. 

Man and His Symbols by C.G. Jung

C.G. Jung is a complex man who broke with Freud in the early 20th century and founded a form of humanistic psychology that still exists today. This small volume summarizes many of his basic theories and formed some of the groundwork for later research on the subject. Writers such as Joseph Campbell are indebted to Jung, and this examination of the universal symbols and Jung's theory of a collective unconscious are made more understandable here than elsewhere. 

The Kingdom of God is Within by Leo

 Tolstoy

This book is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the principles of living nonviolently. The powerful arguments Tolstoy makes are grounded in the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. One of the most common phrases Jesus speaks is his sharing of "The Kingdom of God is like...."  This is perhaps the most influential book of the 20th century, as both Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. used these principles in the liberation of India and African-America. King's methods were adopted by Mandela in South Africa......well, you see where this is going.

Mahatma Gandhi-An Autobioraphy

Mohandas Karamchand (Mahatma) Gandhi had a life that may be regarded as almost unbelievable. Regarded as the liberator of India and Pakistan, his methods presaged Nelson Mandela's by 80 years, but were very influential to Mr. Mandela's approach to reuniting South Africa. Gandhi's first years as a lawyer were spent in South Africa, and his family still has a branch there. The subtitle of this book, "The Story of My Experiments With Truth" explain how he was faced with many unpleasant ethical dilemmas. That he died violently is not surprising, but his contribution to the life of the 20th and 21st Centuries is undeniable.

Dune by Frank Herbert

This book is one of my rare ventures into fiction, and is as mesmerizing  as any book ever written. Like the work of Tolkein and Rowling, the reader is transported into a world so foreign yet so familiar that one wishes the book would never end. Film people have tried unsuccessfully to replicate the wonder of this book, but it is so detailed that the author provides a dictionary at the back of the book to help readers follow the story. 

The Book of J by Harold Bloom and

 David Rosenberg

This book is the co-authors' exposition of the idea that The Books of Genesis, Exodus, and Numbers were partially written by a 10th Century B.C. author, along with two other authors. Today's Biblical analysis, at least the liberal strand of it, is indebted to this volume. A fascinating venture into the minds of ancient Judaic literature and the Torah.

Death Comes for the Archbishop by

 Willa

 Cather

My home state of New Mexico was inhabited by Indigenous peoples dating back at least 15,000 years if not longer. Their subjugation by Spanish conquistadors and the enslavement and murderous genocide of thousands was no different than elsewhere in the Americas. New Mexico is the site of the only successful revolt by Indigenous people in the US. It happened in 1680 and the Spanish were driven south on the Rio Grande to El Paso, Texas, not returning until 1692, and then only through promises of nonviolence and the rights of Pueblos to be able to live on their lands. The Mexican War brought New Mexico into the status of being a territory of the USA, but Spanish Colonial traditions were continued well into the 20th Century. Into this three stranded mix of cultures came the first Archbishop of Santa Fe, Jean Baptiste Lamy. This is a biographical novel, written beautifully by Willa Cather. The entrenched interests the Archbishop encountered were complex. Although the names have been changed, the story is enchanting and full of the stuff that makes for late night reading.

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee

 Brown

The American Holocaust is a subject not commonly discussed in schools in the United States. This book uses Indigenous Peoples' accounts of their experiences with first Europeans, then, Americans, to illustrate how an estimated 15 million Indigenous People in North America were systematically enslaved or exterminated over the course of the last 500 years. That they are alive to account for their stories is remarkable, given the fact that the winners usually write history. Mr. Brown is meticulous in his documentation of event after event that indicts the Dominant Culture for its devaluation of Indigenous life, lands, and spirituality. Before anyone talks with an Indigenous Tribal Member, this is essential reading. The story Indigenous People have to tell is a profound story, but is hard to comprehend without a grounding like Brown's book offers.

The Rock Encyclopedia by Lillian Roxon

This volume is the answer to a Rock Music fan's prayer if there was a band or musician that you didn't know about, but want to explore. It's various editions  literally documented the world of Rock Music as it stood from 1969 through 1978, as various editions updated information. Ed Naha, a rock critic, took over the editing of the book after Ms. Roxon's death. Still a definitive book of Rock Music of the Fifties and Sixties some 35 years after the last edition was published.

Beach Boys and the California Myth by

 David Leaf

This book was a logical step for David Leaf after his founding of the Pet Sounds Fanzine. He had moved to Southern California to pursue a career in writing and film, and this project, his first, was a labor of love. It was impossible to live in Los Angeles, love Brian Wilson's music, and not be moved by the man's life and creativity. This book I helped with by doing photo and memoribilia research, and it essentially moved me from being a fan of the Wilson music into an advocate for the health and well being of Brian Wilson. David's involvement went far deeper, into a lasting and important friendship with Brian and then his second family. In the 1980s and early 1990s, I saw the effect of various psychotropic medications sap the consciousness and vitality of Brian Wilson, draining him toward death, and spent hours on the phone with David Leaf explaining what I believed was happening. He then was able to explain to Carl Wilson what he thought was happening, and the Liberation of Brian Wilson began. Yes, I know this book has some inaccuracies, but it was the event that began the eventual long journey Brian made back to reclaim his life and his music.

 An Introduction to Zen Buddhism by

 D.T. Suzuki and C.G. Jung

Someone once wrote that writing about music is like dancing about architecture. Zen, being an intuitive discipline, is also something that really cannot be reduced to rationale explanation. Yet, D.T. Suzuki did an incredible job of illustrating the principles of Zen, and using sacred texts to make his points. Dr. Jung is here only to write the introduction to help Europeans and Americans to at least try to understand what makes Zen the wonder it is. If you get through this book, and still want to know more, there are number of sites and places where further exploration can take place.

Sacred Places and Sacred Objects by

 Andrew Gulliford

Growing up in New Mexico with an Indigenous member in my family made me acutely aware of the sacredness of certain places to Indigenous peoples. Throughout the Southwestern United States, there are tribes who identify certain places as holy in their tribe's beliefs. These are not books....they are vivid, incredible places that often literally almost scream their sacredness. The cover of Mr. Gulliford's book illustrates a sacred place a few hours way from where I live in Montana. The Medicine Wheel has been in use for at least 12,000 years, and is still utilized by certain tribes during important dates in their spiritual beliefs. I have published a blog entry in my Old Reuminations blog about the desecration of these places, and their endangered status. The loss of these places is tantamount to burning a Bible or urinating on a Koran. A fellow Colorado College alumnus, Mr. Gulliford has contributed immeasurably to the understanding of these places by the Dominant Culture.

Sneetches on the Beaches by Dr.Seuss

This thin little volume has educated more children about the psychology of segregation and discrimination than almost anything I can name. Like other volumes of Dr. Seuss, there is a story that is humorous on the surface, and which has a subtle but powerful message underlying it. In this case, a traveling huckster manipulates two different groups of sneetches into changing themselves to be superior to the other group. The groups do things exclusively to their group, and do not permit the other sneetches to take part. When they wake up to being swindled, they unite against the huckster, and come together living and doing things together in harmony.

George Gershwin: His Life and Work by Howard Pollack

There are a number of books that purport to cover the life and music of George Gershwin, but this one is the gold standard. The amount of research and its accuracy is exhaustive, and show, that in his 37 short years, he moved mountains. There are critics of Gershwin on both the classical music side and the popular song side, but the facts make their own argument here. That Gershwin was a natural musician is unquestionable, but he also made strong efforts to learn the mechanics of writing both types of music. His personal life was full of speculation and rumor, but it all pales when Pollack illuminates the incredible creative force that was George Gershwin.

The Tewa World: Time,  Being and Becoming In a Pueblo Society by Alfonso Ortiz

So many of my friends growing up were Indigenous people. It was a great time to go over to what was then called San Juan Pueblo (now Okee Owingay) for their Feast Day and be invited to visit friends' homes. Okee Owingay is the site where Spaniards first settled in New Mexico in 1598. The history of the Rio Grande Valley in that region of New Mexico goes back to that time, with Indigenous sites being dated to being 14,000 years old. Okee Owingay's Spiritual Beliefs are  explained by one of their tribe, the late Alfonso Ortiz, who had a Ph.D. in Anthropology from The University of Chicago, and who  taught at my alma mater, Colorado College. If you want to fathom how differently Indigenous people view the world, this is a good place to begin. The sheer beauty of their beliefs are something to behold, but I am certain that due to Mr. Ortiz having been a member of Okee Owingay, that his book can only scratch the surface. To do more would have been counter to his Indigenous heritage.

Silent Spring by Rachel Carson

When I was a student in high school, the use of DDT, a highly toxic poison, was common. The use of organic foods was but a small portion of the food market nationally, and people had not done the research on the deleterious genetic implications of certain pesticides that today is familiar in the scientific canon. Monsanto in the Sixties had a display in Disneyland, and their slogan was "better living through chemistry." Although many in the environmental  movement have been critical of her scientific methodology in writing the book, the fact is that many people had their thinking permanently changed by this book, including myself. We now realize how strong the relationship between certain chemicals and cancer and genetic damage is, and the toll that it took upon all types of life, not just birds, amphibians, and mammals.   

Alcoholics Anonymous Fourth Edition by The Alcoholics Anonymous World Service Committee

When we look at books that have impacted human life at its most basic levels, such as survival and family life, Alcoholics Anonymous, now in its Fourth Edition, must be a book that comes to mind immediately. No matter how one sees chemical dependence, for those suffering with it, this book and corresponding books in other fellowships have improved the quality of life for literally MILLIONS of people, both those who are chemically dependent, and also their relatives and families. Like all self-improvement books, the assumption here is that if you are reading this book, your life has become unmanageable. The most moving part of watching people recover from this illness, for me as a chemical dependency counselor, is seeing them healthy wherever I go in the community where I live, and watching them thrive as renewed people. These are people who literally were the walking dead, at death's door, and who now prize life more than anyone I know. 

The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams

When I was a boy, the disease we call Rubella (Measles) was still prevalent, and many people either died, had heart problems, or became blind from having it. My turn came when I was 7, and i was kept in a dark room for three weeks, and burned with fever and had red marks everywhere. The other common childhood diseases from the time that this book was written in 1922, Polio, Scarlet Fever, Rheumatic Fever, Mumps, and so forth, all caused children to lose their beloved stuffed animals to being burned due to being contaminated by the diseases. For me, a beloved teddy bear I got as a baby bought the farm after Measles went away. The Velveteen Rabbit in this story wants badly to be made real by his Boy's love, and when Scarlet Fever separates them, the transformation to becoming a "real" bunny comes to pass. Reality in this case, is a desirable way of living, and the theme of the transforming power of love as the agent of change is prominent.

Frank Lloyd Wright: A Complete Field Guide by Thomas A. Heinz

When I first saw a picture of Fallingwater as a high school student, I knew that  whoever designed that incredible home was unique. As time passed, my acquaintance with Frank Lloyd Wright grew, and I had the opportunity to tour Wright's winter headquarters, Taliesin West in Scottsdale, Arizona and the original Spring Green, Wisconsin headquarters with the original Taliesin. The more I saw, the more I wanted to see. It was as if Mr. Wright had pulled designs out of thin air. His designs certainly influenced the modern ranch style home so common in the latter half of the 20th century, yet his designs remained so different and unique that his school still trains architects over fifty years after his death in 1959. If you collect experiences, like I do, Mr. Wright's work is a great place to begin.

In the Matter of J. Robert Oppenheimer: The Security Clearance Hearings Edited by Richard Polenberg

The King of Israel, Solomon, wrote in Ecclesiastes "there is nothing new under the sun."  In this time of excessive and intrusive monitoring by NSA of ordinary American citizens, with the corresponding demolition of the Fourth Amendment, it is worthwhile to revisit another time when the United States Government was intimately and illegitimately involved in the lives of prominent and not so prominent Americans. The revocation of J. Robert Oppenheimer's Security Clearance in 1954 was an example of the fear and perception of imminent threat overcoming common sense and rationality. Mr. Oppenheimer was a patriot, a veteran of scientific debate and public policy, and a person whose efforts in World War 2's Manhattan Project resulted in the successful design, testing, and deployment of two types of atomic bombs...When Oppenheimer questioned the wisdom of building and testing a thermonuclear bomb (hydrogen bomb), he was vilified and every sordid detail of his private life was trotted before the men who were judging whether Oppenheimer was a security risk or not. This was after Oppenheimer served as Los Alamos Project Y Director, and as Chair of the predecessor of the Atomic Energy Commission for 6 years. Several colleagues later commented that Oppenheimer never recovered from the  hearings, dying a sad and broken man from cancer in 1966. The McCarthy Era had hundreds of Oppenheimers, but this case is so telling because a man, who scientific credentials were impeccable, and whose achievement were legion, DARED disagree with the war machine that drove our country to the brink of war repeatedly, and in 1962, nearly caused the wanton destruction of our country had it not been for a Soviet Submariner who had the common sense to not follow orders. We are approaching that time again, when our liberty is threatened by our own paranoia, and our prosperity is waning because of a military budget we cannot possibly afford, and wars our childrens' children will still be paying for long after the authors of those wars are dead. When will we ever learn?   

Georgia O'Keeffe Museum Collection by Barbara Buhler Lynes

Growing up in the Espanola Valley in New Mexico, one could not be unaware of the towering presence of Miss O'Keeffe, as my mother called her. Miss O'Keeffe lived in a large adobe home on the brow of a hill above Abiquiu, New Mexico, about a 20 minute drive from our home. Her Ghost Ranch "retreat" home was smaller, and that is where I had the opportunity to meet Ms. O'Keeffe. I got to tag along with another person who was friends with her, and who was invited for a brief afternoon hello type of visit with her. At the time, I would guess that she was in her late 60s. I also remember being told to be on my best behavior as a child when my mother would take us kids to her beauty salon because she couldn't find a sitter. Ms. O'Keeffe had a standing appointment at that salon in Espanola that briefly overlapped with my mom's.  I really had no clue how venerated her art was until I went to college and discovered that her art was prominent in discussions about 20th Century American Art, especially by women. I first saw her work then, and was bowled over her interpretation of the land around Abiquiu, and also by her various paintings of flowers. When I got to the Santa Fe Museum bearing her work, it was a treat beyond belief. It was nearly 3 hours of just standing and looking at painting after painting. This book collects most of the paintings in the permanent collection, which was willed to the Foundation bearing her name by Ms. O'Keeffe.  It is a multicourse banquet for the eyes, and I can only say that if you cannot get to the O'Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe, buy this book. 

On Becoming a Person by Carl Rogers

With the advent of Motivational Interviewing, there has been a revived interest in the pioneering work of Dr. Carl Rogers, and what he called Client Centered Therapy. The wars between Dr. Rogers and Behavioral Psychologist B.F. Skinner were renowned. That Dr. Roger's theories have been empirically validated through literally thousands of studies through the years has made the practice of psychotherapy a science instead of an art. Though the principles of behavior modification are essential to any psychotherapy practice, now we know that the ideas advanced in Dr. Rogers' books like this one are also essential to know. When I was a junior in college, I had the privilege to hear Dr. Rogers lecture for an evening on his ideas, especially as they applied to group therapy. He was a warm, kind, and gentle soul. For any of us who saw the obligatory counseling training videos showing Dr. Rogers in action counseling with a woman, and then the same woman being counseled by Dr. Albert Ellis (Rational-Emotive Therapy), and Dr. Frederic "Fritz" Perls (Gestalt Therapy), it was evident that Dr. Rogers was every bit as effective as the other two pioneering psychotherapists using Client Centered Therapy. The ideas in this book are as valid and alive today as they were 53 years ago when this book was first published.

Hiroshima by John Hersey

The horror of World War 2, brought on by power mad nations, was a blight on the history of the human species. The atrocities committed by nations can only be viewed in hindsight with trepidation and amazement of the temerity with which human life was regarded. The last brutal act of a war with every possible type of atrocity having been committed that was imaginable was the atomic bombing of innocent civilians by the United States in what was to be the last week of the War. John Hersey's book, which documents the suffering of Japanese civilians from the bomb, was a milestone in the literature surrounding the suffering of innocents due to warfare. In a brief moment, shorter than a commercial on television, human life was wiped out in a two mile perimeter around what is now the Hiroshima Peace Memorial. Books like this are needed to show ordinary people that war from the air, by drone, by bomb, or by other means, is NOT anonymous. Real people die, real people survive maimed, and real people mourn the loss of their loved ones. We need a book about drones' effects on innocent targets. War by proxy is dehumanizing, except for the civilian victims. Damn the drones, damn the submarines, damn the missles, damn the chemical and biological weapons, damn the automatic weapons. Hiroshima is a marker in time, a letter from the past to the present, warning us about our future, if we do not learn from the lessons Hersey's book has to offer. Who will be the next John Hersey? I hope he or she publishes soon before it is too late.