Read: Before You Jump In

Anyone wanting to work in journalism or the art world might want to have a look at a few of these books. Those industries are a total mess. I have experience in the journalism world, and have come close enough to the art world to know I want nothing to do with it, but thankfully, others do and have lived long enough to share their experiences. I’ve had what I would call a “down year” when it comes to reading, but this also means I’ve been on the road and busy. All good things in life.

The two journalism books here, On All Fronts and No Ordinary Assignment, both authored by women, are worth a go if you have any interest in journalism and many of the world’s events based in and around the Middle East. Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel, Lebanon, etc. Anyone with the guts to cover these stories, okay in my book, regardless of who they are as humans. My experience with war correspondents is that many of the best are flawed human beings. Misfits. Heck, journalism in general attracts misfits. (See author of this post.) But women working in this field must endure more than the men, and much of what they must endure is the insane bias and sexism that permeates the corporate media world.

Patricia Hamilton, The Blonde With The Balls, would be fun to hang out with. Talk about enduring. Jesus, the art world is a mess, and when I say mess, you could place it right up there with organized crime, but with a little more nefarious behavior. Anyone willing to work in this field must have teflon skin, and Hamilton fits that bill. This woman takes abuse from fellow galleries, artists, the media, collectors, and even friends. I felt bad for her, truly bad for her. She survives.

And lastly, we have Life After Deadpool. Ever hear of the Colorado River? Glen Canyon Dam? Drought? If not, you might already be dead, but it might also be a reason to pick up this book. Fascinating, and damned if I’m not poring over maps and looking for kayaks. For those who witnessed it before the dam, Glen Canyon was described as the most beautiful place in the entire country. Then, in the early 1960s, the geniuses decided to flood it to form Lake Powell and a vast water reserve. It took twenty years to fill. All good, right? Wrong. Along came the drought, the same one we are still in. Sorry, dumbass deniers. (The most fragile people on Earth.) The lake is now near “dead pool” status. I’ll let you read it and figure out what it all means. I like the fact that the author walks the walk. He’s out there all the time. Maybe he will gift me his kayak? A guy can dream.

On a serious note, this book really is worth reading. The history of water, drought, and engineering is such an integral part of the history of the American West. I live here, so it’s front and center on a daily basis, but I’m continually surprised how many Americans know nothing about what’s happening.