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Bookcase — Reviews by Gary Kramer





THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS
Jon Ronson
(Simon and Schuster, 262 pages, )
Compiled as a series of bizarre but true stories about military and government efforts to “harness the power of the mind to influence things from afar,” The Men Who Stare at Goats is as funny as it is absurdly frightening. Journalist Jon Ronson meets various men who claim to be Jedi Warriors or Warrior Monks. The Jedi Warriors are soldiers who develop “superpowers” of observation, intuition, invisibility (not being seen), and ultimately the ability to stop the heart of a goat just by staring at it. In contrast, Warrior Monks are men who have the “service and dedication of the monk and the absolute skill and precision of the warrior.”
As Ronson investigates things such as the mysterious death of Michael Echanis, a Soldier of Fortune cover guy who taught Green Berets techniques of invisibility, he develops a series of weird but oddly plausible possibilities about how Echanis may have died. One involves the soldier being run over by a jeep--a trick that could prove his superhuman power--and it would have left him unharmed, except the driver didn’t slow down.
Other stories, equally outrageous, illustrate the lunacy at work in the military. When Colonel John Alexander invents Sticky Foam—a substance that expands and hardens when it hits the human body—it was meant to stop men in their tracks and contain them. However, when it was used in Somalia, it proved to be a “3/4 disaster,” and the product was discontinued after additional failed uses.
The Men Who Stare at Goats also chronicles the endless repetition of Barney and Sesame Street songs as a torture device, along with the songwriter wondering about the performance royalties he should be earning for usage. Likewise, Ronson raises questions about the possible subliminal sounds and mood altering that may be done with Fleetwood Mac music.
While the book has a tongue in cheek tone, there are some serious issues addressed--particularly the treatment of prisoners at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay. Perhaps the most poignant story belongs to Eric Olson, who spent his life hoping to find out what happened back in 1953 when his father “jumped or fell” from a New York hotel window. As Ronson chronicles Olson’s story, The Men Who Stare at Goats puts a touching human dimension to how innocent people are affected by these unknown military/government antics. Eventually, these valuable stories stop being funny, and start being sad.



CONQUEST OF THE USELESS: REFLECTIONS FROM THE MAKING OF FITZCARRALDO
Werner Herzog
(Ecco, 320 pages, .99)
Conquest of the Useless, Werner Herzog’s diary entries from mid-June 1979 through early November 1981, recount his experiences trying to make Fitzcarraldo. This ambitious film--about the title character (Klaus Kinski) who wants to build an opera house in the jungles of Peru and must pull a steamship over a hill--provided many challenges for the director.
The observations Herzog has about the South American environment are very vivid, and his diary serves as a fascinating travelogue. From the languid sultriness and oppressive mosquitoes to the discovery of a tarantula in his shoe, or a frog in his pants, the jungle atmosphere is palpable. Likewise, there are poetic descriptions of the jungle looking “like kinky hair” when seen from above, or “angry mists drifting across the landscape” in Iquitos that illustrate the writer’s expressionist skills.
Yet much of Conquest of the Useless describes the difficulties Herzog has in getting the film made. His initial cast includes a game Mick Jagger and a skeptical Jason Robards. (Robards finds the jungle unhygienic and reportedly drew up a will just in case something happened to him). They get caught up in power struggles and electrical outages, and ultimately jettison the project.
Herzog then describes having to recast with the temperamental Klaus Kinski. As the diaries recount, Kinski throws tantrums over the color of his character’s suit, or if someone touches his hair. These episodes are amusing if only because they are so incredible.
The madness Herzog experiences making Fitzcarraldo is equally unbelievable and compelling. He must constantly measure water levels and protect the two ships needed for the film as well keep the cast and crew safe as horrible injuries occur. When a rumor spreads that actress Claudia Cardinale suffered an accident on set, the director’s handling of a reporter is priceless.
Conquest of the Useless yields considerable insights about Herzog’s process of moviemaking. But what the diaries reveal about director—his penchant to faint when he has blood drawn, or his first experiences with chewing tobacco—are also fascinating.
Given his time in the jungle, it is no wonder Herzog considers the statistic that “85% of all existing species are beetles and insects.” But when he wonders, “where are we on the scale of God’s favor?” it shows just how the filmmaker views the world.



PUSH: A NOVEL
Sapphire
(Vintage, 396 pages, .95)
This remarkable novel, the source material for the film Precious, is told in the distinctive voice of Claireece Precious Jones, an overweight, illiterate teenager in Harlem who is pregnant—by her father—with her second child. She is attempting to make sense of her harsh life and tells her story in a painful and powerful confessional/diary form.
The book’s writing style has Precious phonetically spell the words she knows, so “mother” becomes “muver” and “with” is “wif.” There is also liberal profanity and street language, but it always feels authentic. As she becomes educated over the course of the story, Precious’ writing improves. Her poignant, heartbreaking poetry and “life story” writing assignment are included at the end of Push.
But it is what Precious says not just how she says it that makes Push so arresting. Her fights with her mother show the extent of the abuse she receives at home; it goes beyond the rape she experiences at the hands of her father. A passage about how Precious responds to being raped is among the most moving. Likewise, her thoughts about being “black grease to be wipe[d] away, punish, kilt [sic], changed, finded [sic] a job for,” resonate--Precious yearns to be loved, not lonely, and to be heard not “invisible.”
As she is kicked out of junior high (because she is pregnant), Precious attends an alternative school called “Each One Teach One,” where she learns to read and is asked to keep a journal. This program helps her develop her self-worth, and express her inner most feelings through poetry and prose. She finds a connection with her teacher, Miss Rain, as well as the other students, and even the book, The Color Purple. In addition, her experiences attending incest survivor meetings help her find a sense of belonging.
Sapphire admirably tells Precious’ story, and while it is one that may be difficult to read, it commands attention. So too does the film, a faithful adaptation.

Gary M. Kramer is a Philadelphia-based freelance writer. He is the author of Independent Queer Cinema: Reviews and Interviews.