Well, that was a failure. In trying to get my mind off the state of the States, each chosen volume this month instead served to remind me there’s no true escape from greed, violence, illness, and cruelty. Sigh.

Week 1: A Gun for Sale by Graham Greene

Our magnificent collection of Folio Books from Mom and Dad includes more than a dozen Graham Greene books, so I’m pleased to read one a month for the next year.

A British author, Greene’s titles tended to be Americanized when released here. This volume and a subsequent film are titled This Gun for Hire in the States.

Without giving away the plot, let’s just say the underlying greed that drives the story is shocking. One party wants to start a war in order to profit from it. And another is a “hired gun,” happy to oblige. This was set in 1936, but could easily slide forward to today’s world climate.

Don’t let the age of Grahame Green’s books scare you away. He’s an amazing storyteller.

Week 2: Confessions of a Male Nurse by Michael Alexander

This is about as light-hearted as this month’s reading became. The author details his early years as a nurse, first in New Zealand and later in London.

His stories will no doubt ring true with other nurses world-wide, with the underlying theme that working with a team of good-hearted professionals makes all the difference. He experienced the opposite as well.

Some of the stories will bring a tear to your eye as this young nurse deals with patients from emergency rooms, mental-health units, pre-op. post-op, and more. Sometimes the tears will come from laughing, though, as Alexander can only shake his head and grin at the humanity. It’s a wonderful read.

Week 3: Too Much and Never Enough by Mary Trump

Although I try to stay away from politics on this blog, it’s no secret that I’ve never been a fan of The Donald. Long before his foray on reality television, his braggadocios nature made me cringe.

The president’s niece, Mary, tells her story of growing up in this hungry family. The stories of her grandfather’s narcissistic manipulation of family members, associates, tenants, and the law is just gross.

Mary makes it clear that her grandfather was the financial wizard and her uncle’s talent lies only in getting attention and spinning his self-aggrandizing claims.

Although there are many new tales of the Trump family’s transgressions in this book, there’s nothing all that surprising. It’s sad that Mary Trump lost her father to alcoholism at age 42. Had he instead been the son of a man his father and brother would have sneered at as a “loser,” perhaps he’d have enjoyed a long and happy life.

Week 4: The Son and Heir: A Memoir by Alexander Munninghoff

About a third of the way through this book, it struck me: This family’s story is similar to the Trumps’s. (At that point, though, it felt like there was no escape, so I read till the end.)

The setting for this memoir is Europe: before, during, and after World War II.

Once again, there is a narcissistic patriarch who manipulates all he comes in contact with and sees to it that he financially benefits from the war.

His oldest son is the author’s father, Frans. During the war, he joined the German SS and fought on the Eastern Front, to seek revenge on the Bolsheviks.

Young Alexander turned into a respected Dutch journalist in spite of his upbringing, filled with absentee parents, family in-fighting, and times of abject poverty. During some years of his life, I pictured scenes from Les Miserables. He passed away a few months ago; I hope he found peace that escaped his ancestors.

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