The Song of Roland by Unknown

2 Stars

I am Oliver.

I'm a big fan of heroic literature, but The Song of Roland is not my favorite. Honestly, this is very much 'For the Glory of God', a crusader's epic poem. Not a great fit for me thematically, but I really wanted to have this piece of the puzzle slotted in for my understanding of heroic poetry. This is so different than The Illiad, The Odyssey, Táin Bó Cúailnge, Y Gododdin, and Beowulf.

Roland desired goal of martyrdom requires the sacrifice of tens of thousands of his men for NO REASON. I test as Field Marshall or Architect on the Myers-Briggs, to give some perspective of where I'm coming from reading this. Hence, I'm Oliver. Dutiful, yet pragmatic. It's not that I don't understand dying for a cause. If you don't know what you're willing to die for, then you don't have any idea how to live; it's stumbling around in the dark. That said, while I know why I'm willing to die, and even that which I would condemn others to death who have sworn like goals, this is moronic. Roland didn't need to be martyred to achieve victory; therefore, it was a phenomenal amount of resources squandered. Forget Roland. What about all the other men who followed him? To what purpose?

Even if you say death and awaiting paradise is far better than here and now, an early exit is the easy way out and not heroic.

Heck, I understand Tierris, Charlemagne's proxy against Pinabel to avenge Roland's death and condemn Guenes for his treachery. All that aside, this was very repetitive with never-ending descriptions of the next warrior to fall, golden hauberks and helms galore. Add on that Roland dies about 50% of the way through and then we get to go through round two made it a bit slow. Think Charge of the Light Brigade at 1/50 speed.

I think I had a very outdated version so forgive the oddities in spellings.

Rollant est proz e Oliver est sage / Roland’s a hero, and Oliver is wise

It did inspire a haiku review, so there's that.

Cry 'Monjoie', gallantly
Broken hauberk, gold helm falls
Red poppies, Roland

Small Gods (Discworld #13) by Terry Pratchett

4 stars

"It's not my fault if people misuse the--"
"It is. It has to be! If you muck up people's minds just because you want them to believe in you, what they do is all your fault." 

Fun, fun, fun.

I loved the premise of what happens to small gods; gods that either lose their followers or only had a few to begin with? Om is such a god with only one believer left. Ignominy and the dire consequences of losing one's last devotee leads to much elbow shoving and jockeying.

But no tortoise had ever been a god, and knew the unwritten motto of the Quisition: Cuius testiculos habes, habeas cardia et cerebellum.

This tickled me silly. Absolutely irreverent and utterly amusing.

VI. This is Religion, Boy. Not Comparison Bloody Shopping! You Shall Not Subject Your God to Market Forces! 

Decided to skip the library queue

California, Clean Your Beach!

Riot Days by Maria Alyokhina

4 Stars

Brutally honest and stark. This isn't pretty prose. It's fierce and blunt. Alyokhina gives a firsthand account of her view of protest from Pussy Riot performances to her imprisonment.

I think about fate. About how many prisoners who protested have died and now lie in the ground. It is just an illusion that you go on hunger strike to achieve results. Yes. that's how it begins but, later, you realize that it's not for the imagined outcome, but for the very right to protest. A narrow sliver of a right, in a huge field of injustice and mistreatment. You also realize that your right will always be just a narrow sliver in the field. Not there, with the majority. But I love this sliver of freedom, however little it's noticed by those on the other side of the wall. [172]

For those who are unfamiliar with the strategies of totalitarian regimes it will seem like fiction written for movies.

Defense lawyer: 'I summon the witnesses for the defense.'
Prosecutor: 'Objection. I request that the summons be denied.'
Judge: 'Every one of them?'
Prosecutor: 'Every on of them.'
The judge bars the witnesses for the defense from entering the courtroom and orders that those who are already present be removed by the Spetsnaz team. [100]

The most important takeaway for me was the importance of protest and how a society is judged and should be judged by its handling of them.

California Tiki: A History of Polynesian Idols, Pineapple Cocktails, and Coconut Palm Trees by Jason Henderson

3 Stars

Broader conceptually than you might expect. Yes, it covers the historical significance: the reaction of post-WWII and Korean war veterans rewriting their experiences to deal with both PTSD and reintegration into society by sublimation and subversion. It addresses music (Exotica and Surf), bars and Tiki lounges, movies, television programming, demise with the rise of Vietnam War due to the discomforting similarities, and the resurgence again in the 90s. Henderson also presents the sides and interpretation of fantasy versus appropriation inherent in Tiki. Overall, a solid overview of California Tiki to give readers a basis for understanding, a deeper read will require use of the extensive footnotes.