B8 MEMOIRREVIEWBYJAMESROSEN
In the background, taking notes “I
OUTSIDE LOOKING IN Adventures of an Observer By Garry Wills Viking. 195 pp. $25.95
am not interesting in myself,” Garry Wills declares at the outset of “Outside Looking In.” American readers have
steadfastly disagreed over the last five decades, during which time Wills, an ex-Jesuit seminarian turned journalist and professor, has published nearly 40 books on politics, religion and history, almost unfailingly to critical acclaim. All have been thoughtful and provocative; many became bestsellers; two won theNational Book Critics Circle Award; and one —“Lincoln at Gettysburg” (1992)— received the Pulitzer Prize. Such a mind can hardly be uninteresting. Yet Wills, now 76, proceeds in “Outside Looking In” as though he believes it is, allotting little space in this slender memoir to self-examination.His subtitle, “Adventures of an Observer,” neatly captures the author’s viewof himself, Zelig at the ramparts (“I have been able to meet many interesting people and observe fascinating events, partly by being unobtrusive,” while the main title defines the volume’s readers, who are at all points barred admission to Wills’s complex interior. Instead, “Outside Looking In”
functions like an erudite jukebox, summoning amusing, tragic and telling anecdotes at a rapid clip, each well told, all enriching our understanding of postwar America’s politics, passions and pieties. Chapters are named, guilelessly, for the famous people (“Nixon,” “Carter and others,” “Clintons”) and momentous events (“Dallas” for the Jack Ruby case, “Turbulent Times” for the civil rights and antiwar protests) the author has covered. This structure is ill conducive to narrative, though, and sometimes makes for disc- jockey segues like “I met another great singer” and, not too many pages later, “Another singer I got to
EZ BD
KLMNO
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2010
WASHINGTON BESTSELLERS PAPERBACK
FICTION 1 THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO
CHARLES REX ARBOGAST/ASSOCIATED PRESS Garry Wills
know well. . . .” Retracing his old steps, Wills shadows the “new” Richard Nixon acrossNewHampshire in late 1967; jousts with LillianHellman over the AlgerHiss case (in which Wills, angering liberal friends, concluded that theNewDealer was an “obvious” Soviet spy); catches the pre-presidential Jimmy Carter in a lie; and elicits a brushback from Martha Stewart (“Oh, cut it out”) at the Clinton WhiteHouse, after Wills asked her to critique a table setting. Separate chapters assayWilliam
F. Buckley, Jr., an earlymentor and later antagonist (afterWills’s politics drifted leftward); Natalie
Wills, who seems never to have minded when her husband bolted fromtown for the next Esquire assignment, leaving her with the kids; and JackWills. Only this latter chapter, which enumerates themany failings of the author’s father—a charming but pugnacious gambler and philanderer—brings us anywhere near Garry’s inner self. That Jack, in irritation, once bribed his bookwormson $5 to forgo reading for a week was one ofmany experiences leadingWills to acknowledge that “I was often an outsider inmy family.” From his silence on the point,
Wills, we must conclude, has never
suffered any qualms, like those JanetMalcolm anatomizes in “The Journalist and theMurderer,” about the moral ambiguities inherent in the journalistic enterprise. Indeed, missing from these pages is any indication that Wills has ever felt fear, shame or regret in his entire adult life. Readers seeking a comprehensive autobiography must accordingly cobble it from this and previous books, like “Bare Ruined Choirs” (1972) and “Why I Ama Catholic” (2002), in which Wills recounted his boyhood and religious education; and “Confessions of a Conservative” (1979), an earlier memoir that chronicled his apprenticeship at National Reviewand subsequent philosophical evolution, and which featured a similar, but richer, portrait of Buckley. Still, “Outside Looking In” is essential for readers interested in this prolific and immensely gifted writer—notwithstanding his protestations that they should not be.We learn, for example, how much stock Wills places in his doctoral training, at Yale, in the classics. “Greek,” he writes here, “is the most economical intellectual investment one can make. On many things that might interest one— lawand politics, philosophy, oratory, history, lyric poetry, epic poetry, drama—there will be constant reference back to the founders of those forms in our civilization. . . . It helps, in all these cases, to know something about the originals.” And there is also a clue, in a
chapter about Wills’s travels to opera houses, to what led him out of the seminary and into the arena of reportage and commentary that Buckley called the controversial arts—and it had as much to do with “Rigoletto” as with the record of our times. “I loved,” Wills writes, “the many uses of the human voice.”
bookworld@washpost.com
James Rosen, a Fox News correspondent and author of “The Strong Man: John Mitchell and the Secrets ofWatergate,” is at work on a book about the Beatles.
2 THE GIRLWHO PLAYED WITH FIRE 3 THE LOST SYMBOL (Anchor, $9.99) 77
(Vintage, $14.95). By Stieg Larsson. First book in the late Swede’s “Millennium Trilogy”; basis of the film.
38
(Vintage, $15.95). By Stieg Larsson. Sex trafficking between Sweden and Eastern Europe is exposed.
8
By Dan Brown. Masonic lore figures prominently in this sequel to “The Da Vinci Code”; set in D.C.
4 U IS FOR UNDERTOW(Berkley, $7.99) 2
By Sue Grafton. Millhone agrees to help a young man with suspect memories of a decades-old kidnapping.
5 HOUSE RULES (Washington Square, $16) 6 CUTTING FOR STONE (Vintage, $15.95) 7 THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN 5
By Jodi Picoult. A mom’s ordeal when her oldest son, who has Asperger’s syndrome, is accused of murder.
11
By Abraham Verghese. Medicine and political upheaval in Africa woven into a sweeping saga.
15
(Harper, $14.99). By Garth Stein. Enzo, a canine with human qualities, narrates this unique tale.
8 MAJOR PETTIGREW’S LAST STAND 9 HAPPY EVER AFTER (Berkley, $16) 2
(Random House, $15). By Helen Simonson. A proper English widower finds love in an unexpected quarter.
6
By Nora Roberts.Wedding planner Parker Brown finds unexpected bliss in this finale of the “Bride Quartet.”
10 A TALE OF TWO CITIES AND GREAT EXPECTATIONS
NONFICTION/GENERAL 1 INSIDE OF A DOG:WHAT DOGS SEE, SMELL, AND
KNOW(Scribner, $16). By Alexandra Horowitz A psychology professor hits the dog park.
2 THE BOOK OF BASKETBALL: THE NBA ACCORDING
TO THE SPORTS GUY (ESPN, $18). By Bill Simmons Updated to reflect the latest in NBA scandals.
3 THEWORLD ALMANAC AND BOOK OF FACTS 2011
(World Almanac, $12.99). An authority since 1868, this edition includes the Olympics and mid-terms.
4 RACHAEL RAY’S LOOK + COOK: 100 CAN’T MISS
MAIN COURSES IN PICTURES (Clarkson Potter, $24.99). By Rachael Ray
5 THE BOOK OF AWAKENING: HAVING THE LIFE YOU
WANT BY BEING PRESENT TO THE LIFE YOU HAVE (Conari, $18.95). By Mark Nepo
6 THREE CUPS OF TEA: ONE MAN’S MISSION TO
PROMOTE PEACE (Penguin, $16) By Greg Mortenson & David Oliver Relin
7 JUST KIDS (Ecco, $16). By Patti Smith 2
The singer-songwriter reflects on her romance and enduring friendship with Robert Mapplethorpe.
8 EAT PRAY LOVE: ONEWOMAN’S SEARCH FOR
EVERYTHING ACROSS ITALY, INDIA AND INDONESIA (Penguin, $15). By Elizabeth Gilbert A memoir of self-discovery; recent feature film.
9 HOLIDAYS ON ICE (Back Bay, $10)
LITERARY CALENDAR DECEMBER 22, 2010
22 WEDNESDAY | 4 P.M. Tessa LaRock will sign copies of her “Spidey Legs Lana” series (a paranormal romance series for young adults), including the latest, “The Beast,” at Borders Books, Baltimore-Washington International Airport, 808 Barkwood Ct., Stes. Q-W, Linthicum, Md., 410-850-0083. SPECIAL NOTICES | The Literacy Council of Montgomery County will hold several orientation sessions for volunteers interested in helping adults learn to read, write and speak English: Thursday, Jan. 6, 2011 and Monday. Jan. 31, 2001, both at the Rockville Library, 21 Maryland Ave., Rockville, Md. Once volunteers have completed the orientation, they can select a two-part training session that fits their schedules. The next planned workshops will be held on Saturday, Jan. 15 and 29, and Saturday, Feb. 12 and 26, both from 10:15 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. at the Rockville Library. For complete details, call 301-610-0030, e-mail
info@literacycouncilmcmd.org or visit
www.literacycouncilmcmd.org. TheWashington Literacy Council, a volunteer organization dedicated to helping adults learn to read, will hold an information session for those interested in training as a reading tutor on Thursday, Jan. 6, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. This initial meeting provides information on the program and the chance to get answers to your tutoring questions. It also will include the first half of the mandatory one-on-one “Comprehension andWriting Tutor Training” that will continue on the following Thursday, Jan. 13 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. All training is held at the council’s location, 1918 18th St.NW, Ste. B-2. A $50 fee (tax deductible) is requested to help offset the cost of materials (this fee is for the full training sessions only, not for the information session). For more details and to download a tutor application, visit
www.washingtonliteracycouncil.org. The Literacy Council of Northern
Virginia will hold an English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) tutor training program (to support volunteers in helping adults who need assistance in understanding and speaking English as well as reading and writing) over three consecutive Saturdays: Jan. 22, 29 and Feb. 5, 2011 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. each day at the James Lee Community Center, 2855 Annandale Rd., Falls Church, Va. All sessions are required; for details, call 703-237-0866, e-mail
volunteers@lcnv.org or visit
www.lcnv.org. The Literacy Volunteers of America, PrinceWilliam County chapter, will hold a two-part training session for volunteers interested in helping adults improve their reading and writing skills on Saturday, Jan. 15, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday, Jan. 29, from 9 a.m. to noon, at the Ferlazzo Building, 15941 Donald Curtis Dr.,Woodbridge, Va. There is a one-time fee of $35 to cover the cost of textbooks and materials. Breakfast (and lunch on the first day) will be
provided. For details and to register, call 703-670-5702, e-mail
lvapw@aol.com or visit
www.lvapw.org. The Delmarva Review, an annual literary journal that publishes short fiction, poetry and creative nonfiction, is seeking submissions for their next issue. For complete guidelines, visit
www.delmarvareview.com; deadline is Feb. 28, 2011. To submit an event for the literary calendar, e-mail details to
litcal@washpost.com or fax 202-334-5059. All events are entered into The Post’s Going Out Guide, while highlights are displayed in this space each week. Bookstores and libraries interested in receiving advance listing of BookWorld reviews, e-mail your request to
litcal@washpost.com.
For more literary events, go to
washingtonpost.com/gog/ and search “book event.”
By David Sedaris. True and fanciful tales of the season brimming with angst and lots of wry humor.
10 STONES INTO SCHOOLS: PROMOTING PEACE
THROUGH EDUCATION IN AFGHANISTAN AND PAKISTAN (Penguin, $16). By Greg Mortenson
Rankings reflect sales for the week ended Dec. 12, 2010. The charts may not be reproduced without permission from Nielsen BookScan. Copyright 2010 by Nielsen BookScan. (The right-hand column of numbers represents weeks on this list, which premiered in Book World on Jan. 11, 2004. The bestseller lists in print alternate between hardcover and paperback; the complete list can be found online.)
6
Paperback/Hardback Bestsellers at
voices.washingtonpost.com/political-bookworm
In StyleWEDNESDAY: Anne Rice 3 158 3 184 6 4 1 1
(Penguin, $20). By Charles Dickens. These two classic tales are the new Oprah Book Club selection.
8
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Read our blog, Political Bookworm, which focuses on books that stir the national conversation. Join us as we debate the issues and authors making news today.
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BOOKWORLD THISWEEK
COMINGINSTYLE
MONDAY | In Peter James’s Dead Like You, the criminals and victims are linked by their fascination with shoes.
TUESDAY | Reading Jackie: Her Autobiography in Books, byWilliam Kuhn; and Jackie as Editor: The Literary Life of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, by Greg Lawrence.
WEDNESDAY | In her novel Old Border Road, Susan Froderberg writes about a young woman trapped on an Arizona ranch. Anne Rice may have renounced organized religion, but in her new metaphysical thriller, Of Love and Evil, she’s still pursuing angels. And a roundup of Christmas novels.
THURSDAY | Long, Last, Happy: Newand Selected Stories is a posthumous collection by Barry Hannah.
FRIDAY | Kay Thompson: From Funny Face to Eloise, by Sam Irvin, is the biography of a multi-talented entertainer.
SATURDAY | A Secret Gift: HowOne Man’s Kindness— and a Trove of Letters—Revealed the Hidden History
of the Great Depression, by Ted Gup.
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