Justice for all

Facial Justice –  L.P. Hartley  

A third world war almost eliminates the human race. A new society evolves in the UK.  A society not as overtly authoritarian as that in 1984 nor as programmed as that in Brave New World. Justice is the goal and envy and privilege are banned. Of course, someone has to set standards and make decisions for the common good and so, an anonymous but not unloved ‘Dear Dictator’ runs the society. 

Clothing and faces are standardised. Personality must be controlled so as to avoid creating envy. Faces are graded with Alpha being the best.  The main character, Jael 97, is a ‘failed’ Alpha and the pressure is mounting for her to have a procedure to downgrade her looks to Beta. This procedure eventually takes place and she ends up being Betafied against her will.  Jael 97’s reaction to the operation starts her on a journey which ultimately leads to major consequences for society. 

I thought this was a slow read and probably just about worth the effort.

Strategy Classroom

Review: Afghan Guerilla Warfare: Mujahideen Tactics in the Soviet Afghan War by Ali Jalali and Lester Grau

Shortly after Russia withdraw from Afghanistan, the US Marine Corps sent some officers to the country to interview frontline Mujahideen leaders. The idea was to get an insight into how the guerrilla war was conducted and to then incorporate that knowledge into counter-insurgency training back in the US.   This book contains details of about 100 mujahideen ambushes in the words of people who were present.  The ambushes are mostly described in less than three pages apiece. Many include maps and although not chronologically listed, the evolution in tactics used by both sides in the conflict is very clear.  This is a story of the triumph of a lightly armed indigenous population over an invading army which possessed superior firepower, the story of a cause defeating a professional army and perhaps confirmation of the adage that those who can endure the most will ultimately prevail. 

This book should appeal to anyone interested in strategy or indeed anyone who wants to understand something about the people of Afghanistan and the conflicts of recent decades. Coincidentally, many of the place names mentioned, feature again in the more recent Afghanistan conflict and probably some of those who co-operated in the book found themselves subsequently opposing US & UK forces post 9/11.

Hysterical Blindness

Review:  The Man Who Invented Hitler by David Lewis

In October 1918, Adolf Hitler is blinded in a gas attack on the western Front. Hitler presents with no physical damage to the eyes and is assessed to be suffering from a condition known as hysterical blindness. He is referred to Dr. Edmund Forster, an experienced army psychiatrist and neurologist known for his ‘shock treatment’ approach to curing patients.  Forster successfully ‘cures’ Hitler. The premise of the book is that Forster’s treatment created a new psychologically very different Hitler and thus changed history.  

While we do learn about Forster, the book heavily focuses on Hitler. We get a good overview of his formative political years and also the changing face of Germany post-WW1.  The story ends with the suicide in strange circumstances of Dr. Forster in 1933 shortly after the Nazis assumed full control of Germany. The suicide removed someone who knew too much about Hitler’s past.  An interesting ‘what if’ in the book is a verified account of an incident in which a British soldier had Hitler in his gunsights but opted not to shoot as Hitler was already wounded. 

Coffee Morning

Third meeting this morning.  Well attended: Brendan, David, Don, Michael, Richard and Tony.

The theme for the meeting was listed as Strange Lands but somehow we managed to talk while hardly mentioning books or authors although Jim Crace, John Le Carré, Patricia Highsmith and John Steinbeck got honourable mentions.  The relative merits of story versus characterisation were debated. Cormac McCarthy got short shrift while poor old Jean-Paul Sartre was put firmly in his existentialist box and his homeland cast adrift in the Bay of Biscay, sauve qui peut.  Thomas Schelling’s Micromotives and Macrobehaviour was briefly described in relation to the formation of racial, economic or religious ghettos despite the absence of prejudice.

Serious discussion concerned the Welfare State but it is beyond my meagre skills to recap on the many useful ideas which would surely resolve the problems in double-quick time.

The theme for the May meeting is: You-Don’t-Have-To-But-You-Really-Should-Read ______. Needless to say, nobody will!