#10 – Three books and what I learnt from them

The bookworm in me is delighted. Let’s go (spoiler-free)!

1) Catch 22 by Joseph Heller

No book has made me laugh out loud and terrified me quite like this one. The Allied pilot in World War 2, always one step away from death at the hands of the.. bureaucrats?

The novel’s characters are strung along by paper-pushers. Soldiers fight the war, but the impersonal and distant bureaucracy direct them to their tragic ends.

Sure we’re not in a war now, but anyone who’s been through VCAT will tell you about the tightrope of red tape in between filling out forms, being put on hold and how hard it was to get a hearing date with a distant, cold Member.

The same goes for anyone filing an insurance claim, on hold with Centrelink, or trying to understand the umpiring at a footy match. We are all pushed along by this grossly powerful, infinitely illogical force.

2) The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

The ultimate tale of justice and revenge. Dantes is framed by four men, including a corrupt crown prosecutor – before someone takes matters into his own hands.

In Dumas’s novel, the laws and principles of justice themselves are seldom in dispute, but any system of justice is limited by the people who administer it; by their biases, interests, fears and ideologies.

The vengeful and charming Count of Monte Cristo hooks you onto his story as you think about all the sweet ways the four men who framed Dantes could receive their comeuppance outside the corrupt justice system.

Then people get hurt along the way and the Count is forced to consider with the reader whether his revenge was any more just than the law courts, or worthwhile as he slowly becomes obsessed with his plans for retribution.

There are flaws in Earthly justice, but also a vast human capacity to forgive those who wronged us and try better the mess made by them.

3) Oh, the Places You’ll Go! by Dr Seuss

I keep this book on my desk. It’s a rollicking and motivational tale, telling you to take initiative, reach your goals and move mountains.

I also love the most dreaded setting in the book – the Waiting Place! A nightmare where people just sit around, waiting for something to come their way. Only you can escape, with nothing but the brains in your head and the feet in your shoes to get you out.

And will you succeed?
Yes, you will indeed.
(98 and three-quarters percent guaranteed).
KID, YOU’LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!

Next week: Fish Eggs and Sham