Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli. The Godfather is widely regarded as one of the finest films in history. It is certainly one of my top 5. Less known is the story behind the film which is even more incredible that the film itself. In this 2021 book, Mark Seal meticulously researched exactly how the film got made and how many times it almost didn’t get made. Mario Puzo’s unlikely writing of the book (and terrible gambling problem), the deals with the mob, Francis Ford Coopola’s lack of experience (except making porn), Paramount on its last legs need a hit to avoid bankruptcy, bitter fighting over the cast, setback after setback during the filming. I loved every minute of it. There is also a very good mini-series on the same topic, The Offer, which mostly sticks to the truth but at times deviates from Seal’s research in annoying ways.
The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace. Robert Peace grew up in the ghetto of Newark known as “illtown.” His dad was convicted of a double murder and was in jail. Robert was brilliant, a prodigy. A chance encounter led him to a full scholarship at Yale. But he never overcame his traumatic childhood. He never felt at home in the hood or at Yale. By 30 he was dead. Why? His Yale roommate Jeff Hobbs tries to figure that out and, in the process, discovers the complexity, goodness, and tragedy of his friend and roommate. It’s a story of survival, the long arm of poverty and trauma and drugs, and ultimately about male love and compassion.
Boys in the Boat. I was a rower in college. It has always been a sport which held epic fascination for me. There have been quite a few good books about rowing. But none as great as Daniel James Brown’s story of the University of Washington’s 1936 crew and their quest for Olympic gold. It’s a true story that helped me understand the devastation of the Depression, what it felt like to compete under Hilter’s watchful eye, and how massively popular the sport of rowing was in those years. Races were broadcast by radio with hundreds of thousands of listeners. In the end it is the story of one rower, Joe Rantz, an orphan who is abused and scrapes his way by as a logger until he runs across an enigmatic coach and visionary, eccentric British boat builder. Tip: if you want to know what the modern sport of rowing is like watch this short video.
One Breath by Adam Skolnick is an exploration of the sport of freediving in which athletes go as deep as they can on a single breath. The book focusses on Nicholas Mevoli, at one time most promising young free diver in a generation. It’s a book about extraordinary people doing extraordinary things despite deadly risk. I became obsessed with watching videos of free divers’ float down into the abyss as some kind of poetic escape into outer space.
Here is the Rich Roll podcast with Adam that originally turned me onto this book.
Here watch Alexey Molchanov’s World Record Dive to 130m at Vertical Blue to get a sense of the beauty and mystery of the sport. Notice that he swims down and at a certain point (65 feet) the pressure becomes sufficient that he is no longer buoyant and starts to free fall. He goes limp and motionless to the bottom then turns around and must swim back away from gravity until he is buoyant again at the top conserving his energy and breath the whole way.
Here is a good 60 minutes segment on Alexey.
Half Broke by Ginger Gaffney (there is another book with similar title by Jeannette Walls which is more well-known, and I am not talking about). Horses are spiritual animals with healing powers. I rode as a kid and to go to Montana every summer to ride horses for a week. They are central to my being. The author is an expert horse trainer. She is called by a transition prison where the inmates oversee a horse farm and have driven the herd into a fury. The horses have absorbed all the trauma of the inmate handlers. Ginger arrives on the scene to try to fix the horses but ultimately realizes she needs to heal the inmates first. This doesn’t always work. But when it does the horses respond in kind. The best book about horses I have read.
Here is a podcast interview with the author.
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Tom Matlack | Father, Husband, Sober Seeker of Spiritual Enlightenment
Sometimes true stories are the best …
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