The Black Island – Hergé, 1937-38 [Revised 1943 & 1966] ★★★★

The Secret Word is “Kruzitürken”

The first image I recall of Tintin is the cover of this book. In the background, the ruins of an old castle are surrounded by crow-like gulls. In the foreground, a boat speeds away from me, its pilot leaning at the stern and clearly making speed from the wake behind his boat and the billowing of his kilt.

And between them, in the middle of the cover, a small white dog stares directly at me, his face clearly communicating fear, his eyes asking, almost imploring: “What on earth is he getting me into this time?”

A Doll's House – Henrik Ibsen, 1879 ★★★★

Selfishness is Not a Virtue

One is so geared to the view A Doll’s House is proto-feminist art that pushback appears in order. The author himself denied an agenda before a gathering of Norwegian suffragettes in 1898.

Still, the crux of the play deals with limitations society places on a woman; gender sensibility hovers over every one of its three acts.

The Hole Truth – Tommy Bolt with Jimmy Mann, 1971 ★

Who Knew Thunder Could Be Boring?

Tommy Bolt won his first and only major in 1958 at age 42, positioning the golfer as a senior statesman on the PGA Tour just as it exploded in popularity. Bolt seized the spotlight with a predilection for tossing clubs and venting at referees and spectators on the course.

It got him the nickname “Thunder” and a reputation for tantrums in what is still a sedate sport. You may pick up his golf memoir expecting lightning; expect a drizzle instead.

The Big Bounce – Elmore Leonard, 1969 ★★½

Kicking Off a 40-Year Crime Spree

Late in The Big Bounce, our protagonist watches a pitcher on television and thinks to himself: “The son of a bitch was good, but he sure could get into trouble.”

It’s funny because the pitcher on the TV is Denny McLain, who kept finding trouble after his playing days ended, and because the sentiment also applies to our protagonist, Jack Ryan. Jack’s a small-time burglar who meets his match when he hooks up with beautiful young Nancy Hayes, who likes to smash things. Jack and Nancy have fun, but as the craziness mounts, he begins to wonder what he got himself into.

In All His Glory: The Life And Times Of William S. Paley And The Birth Of Modern Broadcasting – Sally Bedell Smith, 1990 ★★★★★

Ozymandias of the Airwaves

Ephemerality is the very nature of mass media. In that way at least, William S. Paley proved its perfect embodiment.

Paley built a radio and television empire with CBS, “the Tiffany Network,” known for a much-touted, sometimes honored commitment to quality broadcasting. While acquiring new markets and talents was Paley’s defining contribution to CBS’s glory, it was secondary to his baser passions for lucre, women, and fame. Paley got most of what he wanted, but as we watch him on his deathbed, it’s hard not to feel a Calvinistic twinge of regret for his limited vision.