The Decatur Daily Review from Decatur, Illinois • Page 10

PAGE TEN THE DECATUR DAILY REVIEW Decatur, Illinois, Monday, March 19, 1979 Shaw's stories make investment SHORT STORIES: Five Decades. By Irwin Shaw. Delacorte. 756 Pages. $14.95.

Reviewed by Phil Thomas Of The Associated Press The price of this hefty collection of 63 stories by Irwin Shaw may seem high, but the investment is well worth it. Shaw is one of the top writers of our time, and the stories he has selected for inclusion in this book can only bring back remembered pleasures to those who have followed his long writing career. As for those not familiar with Shaw's work, this collection should ingly written piece on the passing of time and the fading of the promise of youlh. In this story, young Christian Darling made a long run in a football game and briefly was a hero. Now he looks back at that day and thinks sadly, 'Wild Island' rambles on John Holt has made his love his work.

Three works profile people who changed careers late in life THE WILD ISLAND. By Antonia Fra-ser. Norton. 192 Pages. $8.95.

Reviewed by Phil Thomas Of The Associated Press Murder mystery fans accustomed to fast-paced plots that rush eagerly forward piling up the victims as they go are going to be sorely disappointed with Antonio Fraser's "The Wild Island." Although it's a relatively short novel, the book seems to take forever to finish, as the story rambles -hither and yon before eventually getting back to its main thread and inching its way on to a not terribly exciting conclusion. It's further marred by occasional patches of writing such "Morning had come and her night lover had fled as Cupid had fled from Psyche to avoid the dangerous contact of the dawn. Luckily there's not overly much of this sort of thing, but there is enough to irri Affection for animals shows worth it "That was the high point, 15 years ago on an autumn afternoon, 20 years old and far from death, with the air coming easily into his lungs and a deep feeling inside him that he could do anything and everything after that a de-, cline." "The Girls in Their Summer Dresses" is probably Shaw's best-remembered story. It is a bittersweet tale about love and beauty and being young. Other memorable items include: "Sailor Off the Bremen," "The Monument," "Stop Pushing, Rocky," "Walking Wounded," "Gunners' Passage" and "Act of Faith." tate.

The plot concerns the vacation visit to a Scottish island by British television personality Jemima Shore. No sooner does she get off the train than she finds herself involved in a funeral. The dead man who lost his life under most suspicious circumstances is the heir to a large amount of property that is coveted by others, among them the dead man's uncle and his family. Others who would like to get their hands on this rich land include a rather silly nationalist group which calls itself the "Red Rose" and is so bumbling as to be pathetic. Soon after, there is another strange death made interesting in that a dog is one of the suspects and Jemima finds herself trying to find a solution to just what is going on even though this means spoiling her planned holiday.

It's all sorted out eventually, but does seem to take a very long time. it feather and fur and others there's a bonus here: the delightful writing talent of Durrell. He obviously has two loves animals and literacy and it quickly becomes obvious in "Golden Bats Pink Pigeons." His warmth and affection for all creatures comes through very clearly in his description of the need for and the difficulties of preserving vanishing species. Whether it's describing the distinct and unforgettable aroma of a bat trap baited with rotting fruit, the undisturbed beauty of sea life in an underwater coral bed, or the trust and innocence in a pink pigeon's curious glance at his approaching captor, Durrell mixes a mastery of language and a gentle sense of humor for a treat of smooth and pleasant reading. at Geronimo He is also portrayed as a brilliant and innovative military tactician who devises guerrilla fighting techniques that give his numerically inferior troops equality with large U.S.

Army units. But there's more here than just his military and leadership qualities. He is shown as a devoted family man and tribal figure who shared the same ultimate goal as the white man peace and freedom. At times, the author seems to be following a simple historical narrative. But even then- the narrative is given special enthusiasm because of the personality of the dynamic Geronimo.

At other times and here's where the author is at his best "Watch for Me on the Mountain" is a skillfully crafted story about the inner drive of someone who influenced the whole course of the Indian wars in the Southwest. That portrait reflects a deep respect for Geronimo and the Apaches. And it is done so well that it becomes a literary excursion back into times past. This is one book which explains a current situation for young people. Children's books tell the stories behind newsmaking events to Those who know Shaw only as a novelist ought to pay attention to a remark he makes in his brief introduction to this collection: "In a novel or a play you must be a whole man," Shaw writes.

"In a collection of stories you can be all the men or fragments of men, worthy and unworthy, who in different seasons abound in you. It is a luxury not to be scorned." It is not possible to comment on all of the stories in this volume, but to select a few at random: "The Eighty-Yard Run" is a mov- the past 50 years of "unusually warm" weather but may be jeopardized if planning doesn't take into account inevitable climate shifts. The report is interesting; Weiss', writing is well paced and his detail well selected. The book's one drawback is appearance: a nondescript cover and plain-looking insides don't grab young readers as much as they should. Joseph Brown's "Oil Spills" is about another topic of urgent interest, thanks to well bursts and tanker leaks.

Brown places the problem in perspective by examining the many sources of leaks and their varying damage potentials. Natural seepages, for example, don't have the impact of a tanker spill; and spill damage depends on the type of oil as well as variables such as currents, winds and cleanup methods. Long-term effects seem to vary also, Brown says; the 1969 Santa Barbara Channel spill area recovered its ecological health much more quickly than portions of the Baja Peninsula injured when the Tampico Maru spilled in 1957. Preventive measures in the form of government monitoring of carriers, new technology and research into spill management techniques also are discussed. The account is unemotional.

Oil companies receive credit for good safety records relative to the amount of oil being handled, a fact juxtaposed with scientific evidence that even the smallest amount of pollution can cause damage. Two new books about the death penalty illustrate different approaches to writing on controversial subjects for young people. Leonard A. Stevens takes a decidedly anti-capital punishment stand in "Death Penalty: the Case of Life vs. Death in the United States." The author breaks the accepted rule of objectivity in writing for children, but the issues are well aired and the reasons for bias clearly stated, so readers can agree or disagree on their own.

Stevens explores at length the landmark Furman vs. Georgia case that led to the Supreme Court's 1972 reconsideration of the death penalty. He begins by recounting the crime in which William Henry Furman accidentally shot and killed William Micki in the course of a nighttime break-in at Micki's home. Though Furman's guilt was conclusively established, the state's application of the death penalty was open to dispute. Readers are led through the maze of court proceedings and legal strategies that challenged the validity of death penalties.

Moral and philosophical arguments against capital punishment as it operated prior to the Supreme Court hearing are convincing. Post-decision developments, which see states revising their capital punishment codes, still place Stevens in the anti-death penalty camp. Could the death penalty ever be fairly applied in light of all variables? Robert Loeb's "Crime and Punishment" is a good complement to Stevens' book for Loeb is scrupulously objective. He provides a historical perspective missing from Stevens, and his examination of the deterrent, pro-con arguments is more thorough. He also provides more from the Supreme Court justices' statements showing their own uncertainties over this complex, emotion-charged issue.

serve as a marvelous introduction this most talented writer. NEVER TOO LATE. By John Holt. Delacorte. 245 pages.

$10. STARTING: EARLY, ANEW, OVER, AND LATE. By Helen Yglesias. Raw-son. Wade.

286 pages. S9.95. WHITE COAT, WHITE CANE. By David Hartman and Bernard Asbell. Playboy.

183 pages. $8.95. Reviewed by Katherine Morris Allen American Library Association Our careers are probably the greatest single influence on our lives, yet too often we fall into them haphazardly, trusting to convenience and dumb luck. If we end up unhappy, well, we figure, so is everyone else. If our career dazzled in our youth but has tarnished with the years, we stick with it anyway a-fraid of change.

Three new books prove it needn't be that way; that change is possible and downright desirable; that we can choose our destinies at any age in the face of almost any obstacle. John Holt's first career was as an educator." His previous books, "How Children Learn," "How Children Fail" and "What Do I Do Monday?" are known to teachers everywhere for their thpught-provoking analysis of the teaching-learning process. But deep within Holt-the-teacher, a musician was struggling to be born. Holt did not have a musical background. He began to play the flute at age 34 and the cello at 40.

Today, more than 20 years later, he has virtually given, up education, outside interests and friendships to focus on his prime goal becoming a skilled musician. He dreams now of a world with an orchestra in every neighborhood and a quartet and chamber group on every block. But, ever the progressive educator, he does not want to see education forced on anyone. None of that "Practice your piano or no TV!" business. And like the educator he was (and is), Holt analyzes and reanalyzes why one teacher, method or experience clicked and another bombed.

But the love of music shines through the somewhat deadening detail. Music is the heart of Holt's life and it's also the heart of his book. "Never Too Late" will inspire anyone who ever dreamed of making their love their work and delight any music lover. At the heart of Helen Yglesias' "Starting: Early, Anew, Over, and Late" are interviews with people who have made successful but difficult career choices. The social status of her subjects varies wildly from construction worker to concert pianist as do Author Kenneth Geist who disciplined his son with Prussian relentlessness.

Apparently jealous of Herman's precociousness, the elder Mankiewicz belittled him mercilessly. Early on, the boy became convinced he was a failure and spent the rest of his life trying to prove himself right. Recalling his perfectionist father, Herman said, "A father like that could make you either very ambitious or very despairing. You could end up saying 'stick it, I'll never live up to that so I'm their ages from 15 to 100 plus. But all share one trait the determination to succeed, often over seemingly mountable odds.

The first and best part of the book is7 autobiographical. The author describes her impoverished childhood, early career attempts, failures and successes. Her portrait of an immigrant family, poor in money but rich in caring, and a talented daughter's failed effort to become a novelist (instead of something more practical) is strongly drawn. After a homemaking hiatus, Yglesias returned to work, climbing up the mast-" head of The Nation until at age 54 she quit and returned to her still-unfulfilled teen-age dream writing full time. -Her first novel "How She Died" was a success.

One of the subjects of the book's second part is Yglesias' own son Rafael who did what his mother couldn't do quit school at 15 over strong opposition to become a full-time novelist (pub-, lished while still in his teens). The book closes with a mix of short biography and interviews. The belated careers of Grandma Moses and Mother Jones are covered, as is Artur Rubin- stein's youthful identity crisis and his. subsequent rededication. The other subjects range from Alberta Hunter, who returned to her singing career in her 80s, to two couples who choose to live off organic farms none, unfortunately, has a story as interesting or well-told as Yglesias' own.

David Hartman is an example of a man who refused to let anything stand in his way, even his total blindness. Today, David Hartman is David Hartman, M.D. His reflections on his childhood, his blindness at age 8 and his subsequent education and adjustment are stirring. Hartman has a sharp sense of humor, which makes his life story entertaining and his message irresistible. That message comes through loud, clear and convincing: We have no right to let our prejudices and preconceptions limit what the handicapped can do.

Every human being is unique. Arbitrary barriers and irrational fears are just that arbitrary and irrational. Hartman's career choice wasn't practical or easy. But then, neither was Holt's nor Yglesias'. It took guts and sweat for them to live up to their tial and their dream.

But it apparently was worth it. At least, it's hard to imagine any of them waking up and wondering how they're going to make it through another day of boredom and despair. contrast not going to even That's what happened to me. But it made Joseph fiercely ambitious." Screenwriter-producer-director Joseph Mankiewicz into movies in days of silent pictures through his brother's help and stayed there through -his own talent. Joseph's accomplishments were truly prodigious.

He shaped some 60 movies" from the slapstick comedies of the '30s- to such greats as "The Barefoot Contessa," "Julius Caesar," and the crowning glory of his career, "All About Eve," for which he won one of his four Oscars. Obviously, Joseph' had more than just ambition which doesn't necessarily make him a good -subject for a biography. Joseph particularly when compared to his older brother Herman was just not that colorful a character. Unlike his brother, he had few vices'. Unlike his brother, he was not very quotable.

Perhaps most revealing of Joseph's personality is an incident that occupied i an entire chapter of Kenneth Will Talk." During the height of the McCarthy hysteria, right-winger Cecil B. DeMille tried to ram a loyalty oath through the board of the Screen Di- -rectors Guild while Mankiewicz, its -president, was out of the country. Mankiewicz returned just in time to keep-the oath from being adopted. But demanding and getting the resignations- of members of the board, he signed the oath anyway. Footnote: The Mankiewicz movie dynasty lives on in the person of Tom Mankiewicz, Joseph's son, who was sponsible for some of the screenwriting of "Superman." GOLDEN BATS PINK PIGEONS.

By Gerald Durrell. Simon Schuster. 190 pages. $9.95. Reviewed by Dudley Lehew Of The Associated Press Venturing onto a distant island to capture some members of an endangered species isn't really new.

Marlin Perkins and Jacques Cousteau seem to be doing it all the time. And that's what this book is all about, a log by Gerald Durrell of his and other persons' attempts to capture some skinks, bats, boas, pigeons and other animals from Mauritania and nearby parts. So, right off the bat, so to speak, it will take a little above-average interest in animals for readers to delve into this book. But for those with a fondness for Novel looks WATCH FOR ME ON THE MOUNTAIN. By Forrest Carter.

Delacorte. 305 Pages. $9.95. Reviewed by Dudley Lehew Of The Associated Press "Watch for Me on the Mountain" is a warmly written tale about an extraordinary man and an extraordinary people during troubled times. The publishers identify the book as a novel based on oral history.

But that can be misleading, conjuring up the image of a historical treatise. Potential readers should note that this is a novel first and foremost and a very good one. Forrest Carter focuses on a period when Geronimo emerges as the war leader of an Apache nation slowly being forced off its lands by the westward movement of the white man. Geronimo uses seemingly supernatural powers to assume the mantle of a leader of warriors and to inspire them repeatedly while apparently being beaten into submission. Filmdom's MANK: THE WIT, WORLD, AND LIFE OF HERMAN MANKIEWICZ.

By Richard Meryman. Morrow. 351 pages. $12.95 PICTURES WILL TALK: THE LIFE AND FILMS OF JOSEPH L. MANKIEWICZ.

By Kenneth L. Geist. Scrib-ners. 443 pages. $12.50 Reviewed by Carol Felsenthal American Library Association Richard Meryman calls his biography of screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz "a study in the handling and mishandling of talent." Indeed it is, with an emphasis on the "mishandling." After 25 booze- and regret-filled years, Mankiewicz produced only one memorable script, "Citizen Kane" (the thinly disguised biography of press lord William Randolph Hearst).

Orson Welles directed the film and, like most Mankiewcz collaborators, ended up in a bitter dispute with the ravaged but brilliant writer. 'He told Meryman, "Mank was some sort of tremendous performer in a Hieronymus Bosch landscape of his own. There was always the feeling that you were in the presence of thwarted violence. It was this thrashing of some great creature, some beached creature. Some magnificent creature." As a boy, Herman was outrageously precocious accepted at Columbia University at age 13.

He was only in his early 20s when he was named drama critic for the New York Times and later for the New Yorker. His goal was to write serious plays and he seemed off to a rousing start. But then he was fired by Harold Ross, the New Yorker's founding editor, who couldn't stomach Mankiewicz's air of intellectual superiority. Soon after that, -his first playwrighting efforts resulted Mankiewiczes offer a HOW DID WE FIND OUT ABOUT BLACK HOLES? By Isaac Asimov. Walker.

64 pages. $5.95. WHAT'S HAPPENING TO OUR CLIMATE? By Malcolm E. Weiss. Mes-sner.

93 pages. $7.29. OIL SPILLS: DANGER IN THE SEA. By Joseph E. Brown.

Dodd, Mead. 123 pages. $5.95. DEATH PENALTY: THE CASE OF LIFE VS. DEATH IN THE UNITED STATES.

By Leonard A. Stevens. Coward. McCann. 159 pages.

$6.29. CRIME AND CAPITAL PUNISHMENT. By Robert H. Loeb Watts. 86 pages.

$4.90. Reviewed by Denise Murcko Wilms American Library Association Just as the adult book market reflects the times and tastes of the public, so does the children's market. You can find a children's book on just about any topic, including current newsmaking events. Indeed, any librarian can tell you that a good children's book is a safe bet for a clear, concise layman's explanation of just about any subject. The reason? The high standards expected from writers of nonfiction for young people.

Simplicity without sacrificing accuracy is vital, and presentations must be interesting but not condescending. It takes a capable writer to blend these requirements. Isaac Asimov is a master of the art. Well known for his astute interpretations of scientific subjects for adults, Asimov is also a prolific writer of science books for children. His recent "How Did We Find Out About Black Holes?" provides an easily understandable explanation of those suspect objects suspect because, as Asimov cautions, definite existence of these totally collapsed stars has yet to be proven.

However, present knowledge strongly suggests their existence, and Asimov offers a tidy summation of the research breakthroughs in the field. Explanations of star life and death stages, elementary atomic structure and key concepts such as Chandrasekhar's limit, escape velocity and tidal effects all are given in simple, concrete terms. Under Asimov's capable narrative, these mind-boggling objects, so much the stuff of a sci-fi thriller, assume more realistic proportions, though still leaving plenty of room for wonder. Environmental topics are popular ones for children's books, reflecting both increased demand and broadening classroom studies in the area. It's no surprise to find a book on climatology among this season's crop.

Malcolm Weiss' "What's Happening to Our Climate?" probes a question he admits no one can really answer yet. Records show, for example, that from about 1850 to 1940 weather in the northern half of the world warmed up; and since 1940 temperatures have slowly but steadily dropped. Whether this trend will continue and how it fits into past weather patterns is a complex matter. Readers are shown how variabilities in warmth, wind and water interact to create weather changes. Weiss also explores some of the theories and counter-theories as to why past and present trends hav developed.

The significance of all this? For one, world food production has benefited by in back-to-back Broadway flops. And so the man who planned to be a serious playwright headed for Hollywood to write screenplays for a medium he dismissed as trash. Mankiewicz was off and stumbling on a self-destructive binge that ended at age 55 when he died broken and broke, having gambled away a million dollars fees' for grinding out screenplays for more than 40 mostly grade-B movies. Along the way, his celebrated wit (columnist Alexander Woolcott called him the funniest man in New York, a town that then included Robert Bench-ley, George S. Kaufman and Dorothy Parker) turned from sharp to downright wounding.

Harpo Marx once asked him to define his (Harpo's) screen persona and Mank replied, "You're a middle-aged Jew who picks iip spit because he thinks it's a quarter." He was the star of Hollywood dinner parties until he started turning his host into the object of ridicule. He once excused himself from a pompous dinner party and vomited noisily in a nearby powder room. Upon returning, he looked his fastidious host in the eye and said, "Don't worry, Arthur. The white wine came up with the fish." Things got so nasty, he composed a form letter of apology for hostesses he had humiliated. In the years before his death, he was reduced to performing at the Brown Derby or Romanoffs, weaving hilarious tales and saying, "Somebody should write that down." Luckily some did or at least remembered enough to repeat them to Meryman.

The anecdotes are the best part of this very good biography. Herman was the son of a German im-. migrant a professor of languages.