Texas Flood by Alan Paul and Andy Aledort

ZZ Top, Stevie Wonder, Bonnie Raitt and Buddy Guy were among the mourners at the 1990 funeral for Stevie Ray Vaughan – a fitting tribute for the man often called one of the greatest guitar players of all time. The newly released biography called TEXAS FLOOD is “The Inside Story of Stevie Ray Vaughan” written by Alan Paul and Andy Aledort. The authors were clearly inspired by Stevie Ray Vaughan and express their appreciation to his many friends and fellow musicians and to his brother, Jimmie Vaughan, all of whom contributed (see the several page “cast of characters”) to this book which “represents three decades of work.”

This biography explores Vaughan’s life from an early age and uses direct quotes (“I got my first guitar when I was seven”) from his interviews.  In addition, the authors feature impressions and quotes from a large number of his associates (think of a script from a Ken Burns documentary) in chapters that deal with the Austin music scene, Vaughan’s addiction issues, his work with the Double Trouble band and much more. Kirkus called TEXAS FLOOD “a treasure trove for anyone interested in the blues and Vaughan’s place within popular music” and gave it a starred review as did Library Journal and Publishers Weekly. If you have not heard Stevie Ray play the blues, give a listen to the video below; then read his story: 

Ellie and the Harpmaker by Hazel Prior

In ELLIE AND THE HARPMAKER author Hazel Prior uses alternating narrators - Ellie Jacobs, Exmoor Housewife and Dan Hollis, Exmoor Harpmaker – to tell a story of friendship and growth. In her mid-thirties, Ellie is out walking, mourning her father’s death, and reflecting on her life choices (“My dad once told me it’s not helpful pondering what might have been, because you can’t change that. You can only change what will be.”) She happens upon the Harp Barn and talented craftsman and nature lover Dan Hollis (whose behavior and literal interpretation of events is reminiscent of Don Tillman in Graeme Simsion’s The Rosie Effect). Dan gives her a harp so that she can learn to play a musical instrument, but her controlling husband, Clive, insists that she return it. Ellie does, but she secretly starts taking lessons which furthers her own confusion and Clive’s jealousy. 

Throughout, Dan and Exmoor itself are steady poetic presences; Dan says, “The beeches cling onto their dry, coppery flakes of leaves and some of the oaks are snuggled in thick, yellow-green sweaters of moss. But all the other trees stand naked, the last grey tatters of leaves drifting about their ankles.” This debut novel is beautifully written; Ellie and Dan are appealing characters* finding their way, like the rest of us. *(here’s another Dan quote: “Luckily on my own birthday (the twenty-first of May) I am allowed to choose exactly what I want to do. And what I choose to do is nothing. Other people seldom take this option, so their birthdays are fraught with difficulty.”)  ELLIE AND THE HARPMAKER is a LibraryReads selection for August 2019.

Recent titles about business and economics ...

Here are a few comments about some recently published books dealing with economic issues:

ROCKONOMICS by Alan B. Krueger will be of special interest to those who are curious about the music business.  A former chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, Krueger provides “A Backstage Tour of What the Music Industry Can Teach Us about Economics and Life.”  In chapters with titles like “The Supply of Musicians,” “The Economics of Superstars,” or “Streaming is Changing Everything,” he looks at this evolving industry from a variety of perspectives. In terms of economics, he notes its size (employing about 0.2% of the workforce), income inequality that is more severe than the larger society, and implications of copyright laws and royalty arrangements. He also writes about the increased reliance on performance revenue as well as alternative ticketing options. Krueger provides charts and graphs to illustrate his points, plus extensive notes and an index. Student researchers will definitely find information and value here, including from the last chapter on “Music and Well-Being” in which Krueger quotes Oliver Sacks and others, noting “part of the reason for the durable power of music appears to be that listening to music engages many parts of the brain, triggering connections and creating associations.” ROCKONOMICS offers a unique reading experience and received a starred review from Booklist.  

THE LEVELLING by Michael O'Sullivan focuses on “What's Next After Globalization.” O’Sullivan, currently chief investment officer for Credit Suisse’s International Wealth Management Division, describes the shift from the world-order of the last forty years to one that is “less interconnected, more multipolar.” He draws parallels with past periods of transition, especially between the Grandees (elites) and the Levellers of the 1640s. A fan of Alexander Hamilton, O’Sullivan devotes another chapter to the question of What would Hamilton do? and outlines some possible courses of action for Europe (e.g., revising and condensing a constitution-type document so as to increase the union’s relevance and force in geopolitics), the United States (e.g., seeing immigration as a necessary part of economic vitality) and China (e.g., promoting development of social infrastructure). In terms of the future, he takes a fairly negative perspective, noting “the probable onset of a recession by early 2020” and “the need to accept expectations that the trend level of growth worldwide will be lower in the next ten to twenty years than it has been over the past forty.” Having used a rather verbose writing style throughout, O’Sullivan concludes with a sweeping statement that the “deep persistent underlying issues in our world are the need to reduce imbalances in indebtedness globally, the need to decommission the vast power of central banks, wealth inequality, the role of women in economies, the search for a new model of economic growth, and the rise of emerging countries to rival incumbent powers.”  His expertise and concern are obvious, but the sometimes convoluted argument does not seem very practical, actionable or, at times, relevant for the general reader.  

Written by Pat Garofalo, THE BILLIONAIRE BOONDOGGLE was published earlier this spring. Garofalo is a managing editor at the Center for American Progress who takes a fairly liberal view, subtitling this work, “How Our Politicians Let Corporations and Bigwigs Steal Our Money and Jobs.” His focus is primarily the interplay between the entertainment and sporting industries and local government and politicians. For example, Garofalo writes about the movie/television industry and explains the tax breaks and subsidies they receive.  He also touches on a number of “celebrity-type” events such as the Olympics and World Cup, arguing that the cost to taxpayers of playing host is rarely if ever, justified, and often “a waste of money that could be used for the greater good.” Although clearly opinionated and sometimes quite informal, Garofalo’s writing style is very accessible and his choice of topics will appeal to students. In fact, there is an entire chapter which discusses “why lotteries and casinos are a bad bet” which is a frequently chosen topic for student research (roughly ten percent of THE BILLIONAIRE BOONDOGGLE is devoted to notes and an index).