Book of the Month - Merged

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chaos

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Well it was a tie, so as the tiebreaker vote I went with this one. An excellent movie based on this book starring Michael Sheen was made, I'm looking forward to it.

Reading begins immediately, unspoilered discussion on the 7th on August, please spoiler discussion before that point.

If anyone has any suggestions for themes, please let me know. Next month's theme will be new releases, I will try to come up with a good mix that includes some fantasy and some sci-fi.
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The Damned Utd: A Novel by David Peace

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This is the hugely acclaimed novel of '70s football and the turmoil of the game's most charismatic and controversial manager, from the bestselling author of GB84 and Red or Dead. In 1974 the brilliant and controversial Brian Clough made perhaps his most eccentric decision: he accepted the position of Leeds United manager. A successor to Don Revie, his bitter adversary, Clough was to last just 44 days. In one of the most acclaimed British novels of recent years - subsequently made into a film starring Michael Sheen - David Peace takes us into the mind and thoughts of Ol' Big 'Ead himself, and brings vividly to life one of football's most complex and fascinating characters.
 

chaos

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I'm about a quarter into it now, I have gotten used to it. But it is a chore keeping the timelines straight and some of the cultural differences make it a bit more difficult than I think watching the movie was.
 

chaos

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I finished this over the weekend. I didn't like the split stories at first, but as both stories approached their climax it grew on me. I did not like it ending on that poem, the movie ending was much better, especially at informing the layman (like me) the important of who Brian Clough is in British history. The final exchange between Don Revie and Clough in the movie was done better, as well. That might be due to the acting caliber, idk, you got a better sense of the depth of the personal rivalry between these men in the movie. And how there are really two sides, Revie isn't necessarily the bad guy. In a way the book kind of simplified the exchange between the two men, or at least couched it less in personal terms and made it more of a professional exchange. To me that makes it a little less powerful and more difficult to really grasp why Clough was so obsessed with Revie.

I liked the book, though it was a bit of an adjustment to get myself into the world of 1960-70s English football.
 

Running Dog_sl

shitlord
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... The final exchange between Don Revie and Clough in the movie was done better, as well. That might be due to the acting caliber, idk, you got a better sense of the depth of the personal rivalry between these men in the movie. And how there are really two sides, Revie isn't necessarily the bad guy. In a way the book kind of simplified the exchange between the two men, or at least couched it less in personal terms and made it more of a professional exchange. To me that makes it a little less powerful and more difficult to really grasp why Clough was so obsessed with Revie.

I liked the book, though it was a bit of an adjustment to get myself into the world of 1960-70s English football.
You can see the actual exchange here. Start at 5:30 in to get to the heart of the clash between the idealist and the man who believed in winning at all costs.

 

chaos

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That was actually really awesome, I watched all three parts. It is apparent from that they embellished a little in the movie version. Maybe it is cultural differences or just Clough being a professional or who knows what, but there is a big disconnect between the Clough we read about who is literally obsessed with Don Revie, he thinks of almost nothing else, and the guy in that interview. In that interview he's just kind of like "Well, shit, I wanted to do it, but here we are".

Also, it seems like in his interview he goes out of his way to defend the Leeds players, when, if the book is accurate, the Leeds players clearly weren't playing for him and clearly resented him. Not without reason, Clough fucked up plenty. I just found that interesting.
 

khalid

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I feel bad having not read the last two book clubs, however having a sports book also be about soccer, pretty much means I have less than zero interest in this. However Chaos, I don't want you to rage out because no one likes your book suggestions. So, if you are planning on pulling a a_skeleton_03, I will bite the bullet and read this.
 

chaos

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I'm fine, I do wish more people would participate but I am hoping that if I just continue for a few more months people will get more into it. Both books were really good and were books I probably never would have read if not for this, so to me it is a win.

I don't care about any sports really, much less soccer. But this book was really interesting despite that. And the movie adds some more context. I didn't know until after reading it there is a lot of controversy on how the author presented the characters in this book, but oh well.
 

Agraza

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I'm watching the film now, to encourage me to finish the book. I'm like 80% through the book. The obsessive method of the narrative gets under my skin.
 

chaos

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Yeah. Think of soccer as a backdrop to a story about a man whose obsession drives him to crater his entire fucking life. Although there is no redemption really in the book, the movie lets you know that ultimately he was vindicated.
 

chaos

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I HAVE WRONGED YOU, SIR!

Really this is a cultural thing, i think. If we were British I get the feeling that it would be a foregone conclusion, of course we would know who this guy is. I can't really think of an American equivalent, the book and movie both draw the Muhammad Ali parallel, maybe that.
 

Running Dog_sl

shitlord
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I HAVE WRONGED YOU, SIR!

Really this is a cultural thing, i think. If we were British I get the feeling that it would be a foregone conclusion, of course we would know who this guy is. I can't really think of an American equivalent, the book and movie both draw the Muhammad Ali parallel, maybe that.
Brian Clough quotes:

"I wouldn't say I was the best manager in the business. But I was in the top one."

"I'm not saying he's pale and thin, but the maid in our hotel room pulled back the sheets and remade the bed without realising he was still in it." [about one of his players]

?Tell him he?s Pele and that he?s playing up front for the last 10 minutes.? [when another of his players got concussed]

There's plenty more.
 

Agraza

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The movie and the book both show how intense he can be, but the interviews are so laid back. Why was he never tapped for the english team if he won the european cup twice in a row?

I didn't enjoy the storytelling method of the book. Seemed a bit like Jobs and Wozniak, and Woz is the cooler one by far. It did tell an intense story of the rivalry in english soccer. I'm not really sure what David Peace's relationship to Brian Clough was. The narrative made it feel like he had an axe to grind.

I don't comprehend how the Yorkshire fans could be OK with the violent behavior of their team unless it was just rampant across the country. Did Clough really force his players to be ultra clean and win anyway? That sounds impossible given what the Leeds players were willing to do.
 

chaos

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Well, they're ok with it because it istheirteam, I think. As fanatical as we can get over here about football, they are even crazier about soccer over there. Either that or Green Street Hooligans lied to me.

Yeah the interviews were very laid back, I think that was the British version of a confrontation.
 

chaos

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New Releases are the theme of this month, with "New Releases" being anything released in 2014.

I am sorry for getting the poll up a little later than usual, but a 7 day polls till puts us right at September, so reading will begin on September 1st. As always, any criticism or suggestions are welcomed, don't worry about hurting my feelings or anything, let it flow.

I have divided the books up by genre. Yes there are two nonfiction books. But I think the topics were varied enough to justify their inclusion.

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Non-Fiction:

The Future of the Mind by Michio Kaku

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Facts to ponder: there are as many stars in our galaxy (about 100 billion) as there are neurons in your brain; your cell phone has more computing power than NASA had when it landed Apollo 11 on the moon. These seemingly unrelated facts tell us two things: our brains are magnificently complex organisms, and science fiction has a way of becoming reality rather quickly. This deeply fascinating book by theoretical physicist Kaku explores what might be in store for our minds: practical telepathy and telekinesis; artificial memories implanted into our brains; and a pill that will make us smarter. He describes work being done right now on using sensors to read images in the human brain and on downloading artificial memories into the brain to treat victims of strokes and Alzheimer?s. SF fans might experience a sort of breathless thrill when reading the book?This stuff is happening! It?s really happening!?and for general readers who have never really thought of the brain in all its glorious complexity and potential, the book could be a seriously mind-opening experience. --David Pitt

The Age of Radiance by Craig Nelson

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When Marie Curie, Enrico Fermi, and Edward Teller forged the science of radioactivity, they created a revolution that arced from the end of the nineteenth century, through the course of World War II and the Cold War of superpower brinksmanship, to our own twenty-first-century confrontation with the dangers of nuclear power and proliferation?a history of paradox, miracle, and nightmare. While nuclear science improves our everyday lives?from medicine to microwave technology?radiation?s invisible powers can trigger cancer and cellular mayhem. Writing with a biographer?s passion, Craig Nelson unlocks one of the great mysteries of the universe in a work that is tragic, triumphant, and above all, fascinating.

From the discovery of X-rays in the 1890s, through the birth of nuclear power in an abandoned Chicago football stadium, to the bomb builders of Los Alamos and the apocalyptic Dr. Strangelove era, Nelson illuminates a pageant of fascinating historical figures: Marie and Pierre Curie, Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr, Franklin Roosevelt, J. Robert Oppenheimer, Harry Truman, Curtis LeMay, John F. Kennedy, Robert McNamara, Ronald Reagan, and Mikhail Gorbachev, among others. He reveals how brilliant Jewish scientists fleeing Hitler transformed America from a nation that created lightbulbs and telephones into one that split atoms; how the most grotesque weapon ever invented could realize Alfred Nobel?s lifelong dream of global peace; and how, in our time, emergency workers and low-level utility employees fought to contain run-amok nuclear reactors while wondering if they would live or die.

Fantasy:

Half a King by Joe Abercrombie

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Prince Yarvi has vowed to regain a throne he never wanted. But first he must survive cruelty, chains, and the bitter waters of the Shattered Sea. And he must do it all with only one good hand. The deceived will become the deceiver. Born a weakling in the eyes of his father, Yarvi is alone in a world where a strong arm and a cold heart rule. He cannot grip a shield or swing an axe, so he must sharpen his mind to a deadly edge. The betrayed will become the betrayer. Gathering a strange fellowship of the outcast and the lost, he finds they can do more to help him become the man he needs to be than any court of nobles could. Will the usurped become the usurper? But even with loyal friends at his side, Yarvi finds that his path may end as it began?in twists, and traps, and tragedy

Sci-Fi:

The Martian by Andy Weir

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Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars. Now, he's sure he'll be the first person to die there. After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he?s alive?and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive. Chances are, though, he won't have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plain-old "human error" are much more likely to kill him first. But Mark isn't ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills?and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit?he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?

Literary Fiction:

No Country by Kalyan Ray

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Spanning two centuries and three continents, from famine-stricken Ireland to colonial India to modern-day upstate New York, No Country is a riveting, enchanting melting pot of a story about history, family, fate, and the enduring ties of friendship. In rural Ireland in 1843, Padraig Aherne leaves behind his best friend, Brendan, and girlfriend, Brigid, and sets off to Dublin to rally for his country?s independence, unaware that Brigid is pregnant with his child. But once he reaches the big city, a dangerous mistake forces him on a ship destined for Calcutta. As the potato famine devastates their home, Brendan escapes with Padraig?s young daughter across the ocean, aboard one of the infamous ?coffin ships? headed for America. As two family trees expand, moving towards a disastrous convergence from opposite sides of the world, Padraig?s descendants struggle to define themselves and find their places in the world. From Padraig?s reckless mother, to his precocious daughter Maeve who grows up to run a farm in Vermont, to Robert, a young policeman in British-era Calcutta who grapples with his mixed-blood heritage as an Anglo-Indian, to Billy Swint, a boy driven blind by his anger at his father, these are profoundly sympathetic women and men who transcend their eras and set up home in our hearts. Unfurling against the fickle backdrop of history that includes terrorism on the Indian subcontinent, an East European pogrom, the Triangle Shirtwaist fire in New York City, and the terrible intimacy of a murder in a sleepy New England town, the repercussions of the lives torn apart in No Country will echo through the generations to come. This is a sprawling, ambitious, and endlessly satisfying read about love and its betrayals, hardship, family, and belonging?and how all history is ultimately deeply personal.
 

Agraza

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I'm sick of Abercrombie, though he's a good author, and having trouble figuring which of the others I want to read. I'm torn between the martian and the future of the mind. The martian sounds so absurdly impossible, and the future of the mind sounds a little dull.

I'm also feeling a bit self-conscious given I voted for the last winner and didn't enjoy the book at all.