Asner: "...how'd you get so smart?"

<-- Click on TV for classic commercial with the answer. Does anyone else (besides my brother) remember this commercial, circa 1979?

One airplane ritual I forgot to mention in the "Spiderwebs" post was that I usually took along a book to read. I tend to read historical non-fiction - if I am going to spend the time to read something, I want to at least take away some interesting tidbits that I can talk about at cocktail parties. I have read a number of books on the US Civil War, inspired by what I consider to be the greatest documentary of all time, "The Civil War" by Ken Burns, and the opportunities I had to visit various Civil War battlefields. My "library" is heavily weighted with books on this topic.

One of these plane books was related to the topic of, you guessed it, Brazil. I believe I read this sometime during my first few months as an ex-pat; so, I already had some perspective on the country, and the book really came alive for me. The book is "A Death in Brazil" by Peter Robb. Do not be frightened by the title. The book it autobiographical in nature, telling Robbs' story as he meandered his way through Brazil's small towns and big cities, poor villages and fancy resorts. He intermixes Brazilian history, religion, culture, politics, and local foods into an vibrant picture of Brazil through a foreigner's eyes. I learned a lot about the country, and it helped me to adjust and learn to appreciate some of the cultural differences I myself was experiencing. The history of the founding of Brazil is fascinating - the legend has it that Pedro Álvares Cabral found Brazil by "accident" in 1500, however there is more intrigue to the story involving the Pope and secret agreements. The explorer's accounts of first seeing the native women "in all their unashamed nakedness" apparently goes on for pages and pages and pages in his official reports to the King of Portugal; this no doubt contributed to further Portuguese exploration of South America. Robb gets a great deal into the politics of Brazil, and equates it to the beloved Brazilian "novelas&quot; (soap operas). His writing style keeps the narrative moving forward while weaving a good sense of the culture and national identity into the mix. An excellent read. If you have ever visited Brazil, this would be a good book for reminiscing or putting your experience into perspective. If you have never been to Brazil or if you have somehow been inspired by my humble blog to learn more about Brazil - I recommend this book to give you a well-rounded perspective on this fascinating country.

I did manage to read a few more books then my usual pace while spending all that time in the air over the last few years. A couple other books that I remember and can recommend are:

"Between a Rock and a Hard Place", by Aron Ralston. This is an autobiography by Aron Ralston. You may remember his story from TV a few years ago - he was out one day hiking, when a boulder fell on his arm, and after a week or so of being stuck between "a rock and a hard place", he eventually used his trusty pocket knife to perform a self-amputation of his right arm. The story is not just one of "man vs. nature". It's really the story of Aron's passion for hiking, slot-canyoning, propensity for face-to-face encounters with bears, tales of avalanche survival, and assorted tales of outdoor adventure. The lead up to the inevitable dismemberment is well told and tension-filled, and is as much a psychological thriller as the story of the actual amputation. Would you have the guts to do it? I suggest this book for all the "outdoorsy" types. One moral of the story: if you are going to be out alone, doing something somewhat risky, always tell someone where you are going. Had at least one person known of Aron's general whereabouts, he could have been found earlier - not to say he wouldn't have lost the arm, but at least wouldn't have had to drink his own bodily fluids to survive.

"Freakonomics&quot;, by Levitt and Dubner. This is a fascinating book if you are into analyzing data and statistics, which I am. The author is an econmist, who pulls together seemingly dis-connected data to develop some interesting theories. For instance, he contends the drop in crime rates in the early-90's correlates to Roe v. Wade.

If you are interested in US Civil War history, I recommend "The Civil War, A Narrative" by Shelby Foote - if Ken Burns' piece is the definitve documentary, Foote's 3-volume set is the definitve narrative. Maybe someday I'll post some pictures from my visits to various Civil War battlefields, but I'll have to think of a good Brazil tie-in.