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Home Front: Culture Wars |
This Week in Books, April 29, 2018 |
2018-04-29 |
Horn of the Hunter Robert C. Ruark Safari Press, reprint, 1996 In 1952 Mr. Ruark, along with his wife Virginia, decided to go on safari in what was then called British East Africa. I understand this book and Mr. Ruark are big in certain circles; but I had no idea what I was getting into. This passage describing his journey to Africa assured me I would like the ride. Page 21-22: "Seize bagages, monsieur?" he said. "Pour deux personnes seulement? Mon Dieu, seize bagages pour duex personnes, c'est affreux." I have had a build up of interest for both the personal narrative and for the language of days past. This book satisfied both of those cravings. At the time, Mr. Ruark was a professional writer. Earlier in his life, he put his time in the Merchant Marines during World War II. As he describes one event during his tenure: Page 24-25 I streaked out of the shower room, naked, soaking wet, scooped up a pistol and a helmet, and clambered topside to my gun station on the flying bridge. A ship in the convoy's center had copped it and was drifting back, sinking, smoking, dying. I looked around me. The AA guns were manned and ready. So were the bigger guns on the forecastle head and on the poop. So was I, too, I suppose. I had on a helmet and a pistol and a three-weeks' beard. I screwed the battle phones to my helmet and checked in with fat old Donaldson aft on the five-inch fifty, and with Doughman forward on the three-inch fifty, and around me were Red and Plinsky and the Staley twins from San Francisco, all making technical noises like experienced warriors. I hesitate to share much of the hunt itself as that is the point of the book. I hope I have shown a bit of the wit and style, and the honesty, Mr. Ruark shares. This book is good adventure, Mr. Ruark's accounts of his hunting mates made them very familiar, and I dreaded the hunt's conclusion. A taste: Page 293 The damned buffaloes had run the length of the marsh and had turned in formation and charged again, this time straight into our scent. They were standing like a Roman battalion, feet firmly rooted, heads proudly high, and noses sniffing, no more than twenty yards in front of Selby. I came up behind him on the run. The bwana, the memsaab, Harry, Annie Lorry, and all the rest felt very familiar, the language rang true and refreshing, and the experience felt real, which, as Mr. Ruark remarks, is the whole point. Link is to Amazon, hard cover. This Week in Emergency Preparedness Tornado season. Although there have been relatively few severe storms so far, 'certain models', and I scare quote that as they tend to be on the side of hysteria, are predicting a concerning system developing. There is usually some truth hidden in the hype. Simple, non-headline grabbing severe storms can make a mess out of traveling, knock out power, and break windows. A cache of food which doesn't need to be cooked, water, and sturdy clothes to last you and yours 48 hours at least can go a long way. We did a walkie-talkie test a couple weeks ago and found some no longer hold a charge; time to replace. Figure cell phones and land lines will be out; being able to take a walkabout and still be in contact with the family is not only comforting, it could be essential and save a lot of jogging about. Have the frequencies already figured, and if you have good neighbors or whatnots get on the same page. Solar powered chargers and battery sticks are a good idea. Wound dressings are important, as you may be low on the trauma rating but needing attention. Most important, be aware. Looks at Movies Dunkirk I had a chance to watch this a few weeks back. There was a lot of hype leading up to the movie, which led to a lot of disappointment after the release. Leading the complaints I heard, and later read about, was the lack of scale and a choppy timeline. Addressing the latter first, the timeline is no more choppy than a Tarantino or Richie movie. I thought some threads tied together rather well. As for the scale, yeah, that isn't shown. Or necessary. The movie is about personal struggles and situations, not a recreation of Saving Private Ryan's beach landing and is not a Big Budget Blockbuster of the same name. It is a suspense movie and does not need that much tinsel. If I had a complaint, I thought the score was a bit much at times, but not into the realm of distraction. I thought it was worth the watch, though I can understand how someone who just blew a car payment at the theatre waiting for the next The Longest Day might be upset. |
Posted by:swksvolFF |
#4 Thank you for your work TW, and I opened with a spell-check nightmare. I'd say that if a person likes the works of Lawdog, they will like this book. |
Posted by: swksvolFF 2018-04-29 13:35 |
#3 Title fixed. Somehow I completely missed that before publishing — sorry. |
Posted by: trailing wife 2018-04-29 12:08 |
#2 'Horn of the Hunter' My mistake; a raising children joy, as this simple post took 15 minutes. |
Posted by: swksvolFF 2018-04-29 09:15 |
#1 As so often happens, I downloaded the Kindle sample based on your review, swksvolFF. Other times I just simply buy the thing on spec. |
Posted by: trailing wife 2018-04-29 06:51 |