Public Enemies - Bryan Burrough

Bryan Burrough meticulously pieces together recently released documents from the FBI archive to connect the criminal lives of Depression era bank robbers and kidnappers - from John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson, Bonnie and Clyde to the lesser known Machine Gun Kelly, Pretty Boy Floyd and Alvin Karpis.

The book describes in vivid detail, the FBI's efforts to capture these criminals. The FBI's "War on Crime" spanned the early 1930's and played an important role in shaping the Bureau into the nation's top crime fighting organization. Though J. Edgar Hoover took most of the credit for this, the author separates propaganda from real life events to show that there were other individuals within the FBI who worked tirelessly, dealt with the corruption at local law enforcement agencies and sacrificed their lives to capture the likes of Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson etc.

As far as the criminals are concerned - the author uses memoirs and witness accounts to describe their state of mind and relationships, but he makes no attempt to aggrandize their lives or their motives. At the end of the day, they were crooks who got an early start to a life of crime thanks to a depressed economy. Their stints in jail with other hardened criminals only perpetuated their cycle of violence and contempt for the law. That being said, you cannot help but feel the aura of celebrity around Dillinger, who was no less than a movie star in those days. His final capture by the FBI is one of the most gripping chapters in the book.

The book is NOT a collection of individual biographies. The author describes events in the order that they happened - so the reader has an acute sense of being right in the middle of all the action. And there's lots of it! You can just imagine Dillinger standing in a bank in his suit, fedora and with a tommy gun as he says "Stick 'em up boys, this is a hold up!", or the tires squeeling as a get-away car is mobilized at the end of a bank robbery, or the bullets flying as the police give chase, or the constant fear of capture as the criminals move from one hiding place to another.

Michael Mann's 2009 movie "Public Enemies" pales in comparison to the book. The movie is not based on facts, is slipshod, and does nothing to further our understanding of both the criminals or their captors. Melvin Purvis, who was in charge of the FBI Chicago office, and at the beginning of his career with the FBI was hand picked by J. Edgar Hoover to spearhead the "War on Crime" - was portrayed as someone who single-handedly brought down Dillinger, whereas this was far being true. Purvis, after a string of high profile and embarassing failures to capture Dillinger was demoted, and replaced by Sam Cowley who laid the foundation for Dillinger's final capture. Hollywood once again managed to take a complex story and whittle it down to 2 hours of shooting scenes between the "bad guys" and the "good guys". The only person who managed to recreate a character with authenticity was Johnny Depp - whose portayal of Dillinger was spectaculor.

Invictus - a movie by Clint Eastwood

Genuine, heartfelt emotion is difficult to portray on celluloid. Inspiring words are often lost in platitudes. This is not the case in Clint Eastwood's "Invictus". The movie takes us through one year in Nelson Mandela's fledgeling presidency, and his determination to forge a new unity among South Africans. After decades of Apartheid, Mandela wants to give the nation a common purpose, a reason to come together - and he finds what he's looking for in Rugby. With only one black player in the team, the "Springboks" weren't exactly the symbol of a new South Africa - in fact, their flag, their colors, even their song, were looked upon by most blacks as a representation of their oppression.

As the Springboks prepare for a tough journey to the 1995 Rugby World Cup, Mandela launches a campaign to make the South African team an inspiration for the rest of the country. This was an unpopular move at the time, however, the movie showcases moments where blacks and arikaners come together in support of their team.

Morgan Freeman (as Mandela) and Matt Damon (as Francois Pienaar, captain of the Springboks) are masterful in their roles. Freeman's characterization of Mandela is free from cliches, and you can almost sense the steely determination in his hushed tones as he urges Pienaar to set an example, both on and off the field. Damon is ever the consummate actor, fitting the bill perfectly as the quietly confident Pienaar.

Pienaar gathers strength from Mandela's encouragement, and is humbled by the leader's ability to rise above the animosity that still lingers from the nation's sordid past. Pienaar leads his team through a series of improbable wins and finally to victory at the World Cup finals. His words right after his team won the final match - "We did not have 63,000 fans behind us today, we had 43 million South Africans" - brings home the entire message of the movie. Clint Eastwood does an excellent job of showing how Mandela's leadership attempted to transform the distrust between the black majority and the afrikaner minority into the beginning of a mutual dialog. Eastwood accomplishes this by doing away with hackneyed sayings, and just focuses on the merits of the story itself.

You will hear snatches of a poem, written by a Victorian poet (William Ernest Henley) throughout the film, as the movie shows how this poem motivated Mandela to "stand when all I wanted to do was to lie down".

Invictus - by William Ernest Henley
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

Top reasons why I would never buy an e-reader

In this age of facebooking, tweeting, texting, you-tubing, and yes, blogging - I like to think that there are some things that can be done the old fashioned way... like reading. If there's one thing that takes you away from tiny little screens, big screens, keyboards and keypads - it's a book. That final sanctuary where the turn of a page can take you a million miles away from the ordinary. You might say that an e-reader does pretty much the same (except that you don't really turn a page - that difficult task has been automated by the touch of a button), plus it offers the added benefits of having all of your favorite titles in the same place. But before I start sounding like a commercial for an e-reader, let me just state for the record: I refuse to buy an e-reader. I refuse to buy an e-reader just for the sake of having one more electronic toy with a touch-screen. And here are some other reasons why:

- I like the feel of a book in my hands.

- I like turning the pages, and making dog-ear marks to indicate my favorite passages.
- I like seeing the books I've read on my bookshelf. I like opening up an old book and seeing my name or a message scrawled on the inside of the book cover.
- I like walking into a bookstore and seeing shelves of shiny new book covers.
- I know I can count on a book even when a coffee shop doesn't have Wi-Fi or a power outlet.
- I don't have to turn it off during take off and landing.

Here's hoping that more people decide to turn a page, instead of pressing another button......

The Informant - Kurt Eichenwald

A PhD from Cornell, a lucrative career at a Fortune 500 company, a 3 year stint as an FBI informant, and almost 10 years in federal prison.. Mark Whitacre's story as described by Kurt Eichenwald is as bizarre as it is true.

Eichenwald takes the reader through Whitacre's role in the biggest antitrust case ever tried in the United States. Whitacre's employer, ADM, is a global supplier of agricultural products. In their own words, "the competitors are our friends, the customer are our enemies" - and in the spirit of this prinicple, ADM engaged in a price fixing scheme with some of their largest international competitors. That may sound humdrum, but Eichenwald's description of the FBI investigation, that involved secret tapings of top executives at these price fixing meetings, across 5 different countries for 3 years, is only the beginning of a complex case that has more twists and turns than a John Grisham novel. But it's even better than a John Grisham novel, because it's all true! The first half of the book focuses on the FBI investigation and Whitacre's role as an informant. There is chapter after chapter of incriminating evidence which the author diseminates in an engaging narrative.

And it doesn't end there. Whitacre's credibility as a key witness for the prosecution is called into question when allegations of fraud and money laundering are brought against him. Eichenwald sifts through mountains of research material - audio tapes, video tapes, interviews, court documents - to examine Whitacre's motivation as a whistle blower in light of all these accusations. Eichenwald does a good job of being unbiased and laying out the evidence as it is. It's for the reader to judge whether Whitacre is an unsung hero, a crook, someone with serious mental health issues, or simply human.

An Education - Screenplay by Nick Hornby

Three of Nick Hornby's novels have been adapted into films ("High Fidelity", "Fever Pitch", "About a Boy"), so I guess it took a while for Hornby to realize that he could just write a screenplay of his own!

"An Education" is the coming of age story of a 16-year old girl, Jenny, living in 1960's England, and the way her world is irrevocably changed when she is swept of her feet by David, a mysterious, world-wise, older man. Jenny is an intelligent, attractive young woman who dreams of living in Paris, listening to French music, smoking cigarettes and having conversations in French about art and culture with interesting people.. an average teenager who wants to put as much distance as possible between herself and her humble surroundings.

I haven't read a screenplay before so I can't really judge Hornby's merits as a screenplay writer, but I have to say that the dialogues are full of his signature wit. I especially liked the development of Jack's character (Jenny's father), he is hilariously sketched as the type of father who lacks an appreciation for sarcasm, and who can't seem to provide a strong enough argument for his stolid support for a "good education" to the rebellious Jenny.

And that really is the question that nags Jenny during her misadventures.. what exactly is the point of her education? It's a question that has nagged every teenager at some point or the other.. can the lessons of life be learnt within the confining walls of an institution, why can't we be free to experiment and get a taste of the finer things in life through first hand experience?

Hornby's screenplay attempts to showcase Jenny's personal journey to come to her own conclusions.. the story is simple, one that will no doubt resonate with young and older adults alike. Can't wait to see the film!

Amelia: A film by Mira Nair

Most professional reviewers share the same conclusion .. the following sentence boils their reviews down to one sentence: the movie stinks.

But I'm not a professional film critic. I'm the average film buff who watches movies for one main reason: to be transported to a different place or time by a story that could be inspiring, gritty, funny, emotional, romantic, thrilling or horrifying.

This movie was not perfect.. yes, there were some cheesy dialogues and not enough background on Amelia Earhart's passion for flying. But these shortcomings were made up by spectacular cinematography (breathtaking views of the Victoria Falls), authentic airplanes (they used a version of the 1937 Lockheed Electra that Amelia used on her last fateful voyage), brilliant acting (Hillary looks and acts the part to a T) and resonating music (by Gabriel Yared of "City of Angels" fame).

I'm going to take the 5th as far as Mira Nair's hand in this film is concerned. I've seen this director use more originality to bring fiery screenplays to life on the big screen ("Monsoon Wedding", "The Namesake"), so there does seem to be a disconnect between "Amelia" and her previous films.. I'll say no more :)

Don't write off the movie based on the negative reviews. Watch the film for its real appeal - the story of a courageous woman, ahead of her time, who seized every opportunity to live her dreams, whatever the consequence.

The Six Wives of Henry VIII - by Alison Weir

I'm a fan of Showtime's "The Tudors", but you don't need to subscribe to cable to enter the Tudor world of political intrigue and drama - just pick up a copy of Alison Weir's "The Six Wives of Henry VIII". The book will take you through the foundation of the Tudor monarchy to the death of its most enigmatic ruler (Henry VIII), weaving academic research, opinion, engaging story-telling and vivid descriptions into a deeply rich tapestry. The focal points of the story are the wives of Henry VIII, and the author has drawn back the curtain to reveal the fascinating personalities of these incredible women.

The turbulent times of Henry VIII's rule were defined by his choice of bride, and his choices would signal shifting loyalties, power struggles and religious turmoil not only in his own kingdom but those of his neighbors. In an age when marriage was viewed as a political strategy, the wives of Henry VIII created their own destinies, and their own identities. From Katherine of Aragon to Katherine Parr, the wives of Henry exhibited their share of personal courage, shrewd maneuvers, passion, intellect, charm - it is these qualities that make for such an interesting breadth of stories with unexpected twists and turns. Follow up this magnificent read with another one of Weir's books - "The Life of Elizabeth I".