Like No Business I Know

Read on for a trio of reading recommendations on one of America's favorite topics: fame.

“Stardom isn’t a profession; it’s an accident.”

-- Lauren Bacall

- The Setup: A True Story of Dirty Cops, Soccer Moms, and Reality TV by Pete Crooks.

non-fiction

Chris Butler was a former cop who'd opened his own PI firm in California. So far, so normal -- except that Butler's firm was staffed entirely by soccer moms. Average, everyday women who had become real-life versions of Charlie's Angels.

Even before Lifetime came banging at their door to offer them a reality TV show (to be called PI Moms), Butler and his soccer moms were a hit, appearing in such places as People magazine and Dr. Phil. (They even got a mention by This American Life host Ira Glass.) When reporter Pete Crooks was promised a ride-along one on of the firm's cases, he was just a writer for the California lifestyle magazine Diablo, looking for nothing more than a typical local fluff piece.

But if Crooks's adventure with the "PI Moms" seemed too good to be true, it wasn't long before he discovered ... it was. The PI bust he'd witnessed had been a set-up, the clients and perpetrators played by actors. The whole scene had been staged -- and it wasn't the first time such a set-up had occurred. Soon, Crooks was peeling back the layers of a bizarre case involving disgruntled employees, illegal drugs, and a con intended to make good use of the lack of "reality" often required for a reality TV show.

I was personally hoping for more time spent on the "Moms" themselves, in the hopes of finding out why such ordinary people would agree to take part in such an extraordinary con, and what the determination for fame might truly cost. But if you're looking for a read on the bizarre layers of a corrupt would-be star, give this book a whirl.

Read Crooks's original article for Diablo magazine here.

Request The Setup from the Catalog



- Fame Junkies: The Hidden Truths Behind America's Favorite Addiction by Jake Halpern.

non-fiction

Fame, author Jake Halpern argues, is one of America's biggest addictions. From entertainment magazines to reality television shows, our obsession with celebrity has never been higher. In this book, Halpern tries to figure out why.

He travels the country to interview three different types of people who are committed to the pursuit of fame: hopeful performers looking for their big break (focusing particularly on would-be child stars), the workers who devote their careers to celebrities (in the forms of paparazzi or celebrity personal assistants), and obsessed fans to the stars (like the Pittsburgh woman who has a room in her house devoted entirely to singer Rod Stewart). Along the way, he talks to psychologists, sociologists, biologists, counselors, and other experts to try to peel back the layers of why we're so fascinated by the world of celebrities -- and the celebrities who inhabit it.

Request Fame Junkies from the Catalog



- Funny Girl by Nick Hornby.

fiction

Barbara Parker only entered the Miss Blackpool beauty pageant because you have to start somewhere if you want to be a star. And Barbara doesn't want to be just any type of star: she wants to go on television and star in a sit-com, like her hero, Lucille Ball. She knows she's got the talent, but she's also a woman in 1960s England, where she's more likely to be offered a job making coffee than making people laugh.

But she's got serendipity on her side, and so a chance meeting, a name change, and her own sense of committed determination leads her to a starring role in a sit-com designed just for her. The ensuing fames is beyond what she'd hoped for -- even as her own life begins to oddly mirror that of her sit-com alter ego.

Her story is intertwined with her cast and crewmates from her series: the show's creators, their producer, her on-screen husband, the occasional guest stars. The various characters gives Hornby a chance to look at different facets of show business: what it means to be famous, the art of comedy, the tension between highbrow art critics versus those in the world of popular culture, and, ultimately, what we strive for in life -- whether we're famous or not.

Request Funny Girl from the Catalog

-- Post by Ms. B 

Romance novels

While mystery is probably the most popular book genre in our library, romance books are a very close second. This can probably be compared with overall book sales as well. According to the Romance Writers of America, romance fiction generated $1.438 billion in sales and was the top-performing category on the best-seller lists in 2012. Also, romance fiction was the largest share of the U.S. consumer market in 2012 at 16.7 percent. The numbers don't lie!

One of the most popular romance writers of all time was Janet Dailey. It is estimated that between 100 million and 300 million copies of her books have been sold worldwide. Dailey started her career in the mid-1970s and her first best seller, Touch the Wind, was published in 1979. At the time her books were a bit different than the average romance novel in that her stories were set in America and that many of the female characters were working women.

Today there is such a wide variety of romance sub-genres readers shouldn't have any trouble finding one that suits their tastes.

In honor of what would have been Janet Dailey's 70th birthday, I'll take a look at some of the more popular Romance genres and the authors that write them.

Contemporary Romance -- This sub-genre takes place anytime after World War II no matter what the setting. These type of books generally has the heroine dealing with more ordinary problems such as single parenthood or career difficulties. These hardships tend to be at the center of the romantic relationship as the couple deals with these issues.

To read titles like this check out these authors:

Kristin Hannah
Susan Mallery
Debbie Macomber
Sherryl Woods

Historical Romance -- This is one of the most popular romance sub-genres. Books that fall into this category have stories set in any historical time period. The most popular time period is the Regency era.

To read titles like this check out these authors:

Mary Balogh
Eloisa James
Sabrina Jeffries
Stephanie Laurens

Inspirational Romance -- Romance novels in which religious or spiritual beliefs (in the context of any religion or spiritual belief system) are a major part of the romantic relationship.

To read titles like this check out these authors:

Lori Copeland
Karen Kingsbury
Janette Oke
Francine Rivers

Paranormal Romance -- These novels use otherworldly characters, such as angels and psychically-gifted humans, to tell stories of romance set in the future or a fantasy world.

To read titles like this check out these authors:

Chrstine Feehan
Sherrilyn Kenyon
Jayne Ann Krentz
Karen Marie Moning

Romantic Suspense -- Romance novels in which suspense, mystery, or thriller elements constitute an integral part of the plot.

To read titles like this check out these authors:

Suzanne Brockman
Heather Graham
Lisa Jackson
Karen Robards


--Post by Tracy

Conspiracy Theory

This May saw the release of the fourth book in Dan Brown's Robert Langdon series, Inferno. Set in Italy, the novel centers around Langdon, a Harvard professor of symbology (a fictional academic discipline, but go with it -- it's part of the fun). Langdon's in town to stop the release of a newly-developed strain of bubonic plague; while he's there, he finds himself drawn into a mystery at the heart of Dante's famous literary masterpiece. Surrounded by artistic, secret passageways, and cutting-edge science, Langdon must figure out who to trust even as he works to solve the mysteries of Dante's Inferno.

Like its predecessors -- Angels and Demons, The Da Vinci Code, and The Lost Symbol -- Brown's latest entry in the Robert Langdon series is all about puzzles, secrets, and historical conspiracies. When Brown burst onto the bestseller list with The Da Vinci Code, it was neither his first novel nor his first entry in the Langdon series -- but it was the novel that catapulted him to national attention. The Da Vinci Code, with its blend of thriller intrigue and alternate history, offered up the idea of a secret conspiracy, millennia old, that captivated and thrilled fans with its unique twists on conspiracy theories.

Since then, there have been plenty of other titles released in the Da Vinci Code vein, leaving readers who are fans of Brown with more "historical conspiracy" fiction to whet their appetites. So if you're one of those fans of Brown's latest, check out these other conspiracy thrillers:

-- The Charlemagne Pursuit by Steve Berry.

Ex–Justice Department agent Cotton Malone has just found out that his father didn't die in 1971 on a nuclear submarine in the Mid-Atlantic. His father was, instead, on a top-secret mission to the Antarctic. On a quest to find out the truth, Malone is joined by twin sisters Dorothea and Christl (whose own father also disappeared on the same mission). The answers take them to Charlemagne’s tomb, where they uncover clues about a horrifying Nazi conspiracy.

-- The Demonologist by Andrew Pyper.

Instead of symbology, Professor David Ullman studies "demonic literature" -- which includes such tomes as Milton's Paradise Lost. Still, Ullman himself is a non-believer -- at least until a trip with his twelve-year-old daughter to Venice. Now Ullman is on a quest to find and rescue his daughter ... from the Underworld itself.

-- Sanctus by Simon Toyne.

Reporter Liv Adamsen -- along with the rest of the world -- has just seen a man climb the mountain called Citadel, the oldest inhabited place on the planet. On a quest to discover what happened to her long-lost brother, Adamsen journeys to Turkey, only to discover that the mysterious climb has touched off an unstoppable chain of events. It's something that the Sancti, a group of secretive monks, will stop at nothing to keep hidden.

-- The Breath of God by Jeffrey Small.

Grad student Grant Matthews is on a quest to discover the hidden roots of early Christianity. He never expected a 2,000-year-old story of one pilgrim's journey through India, to ignite a controversy that will put his own life in danger.

-- Relic by Tom Egeland.

"The Norwegian Da Vinci Code?" Translated from the original Norwegian, the book features albino archaeologist Bjørn Beltø, determined to get to the truth of the ancient document unearthed in a golden tomb. While the plot will be familiar to Da Vinci Code fans, Beltø's quirks makes him a fresh and unique character in his own right.

-- The Last Ember by Daniel Levin.

Once a doctoral candidate in classic literature, Jonathan Marcus ultimately became a lawyer. When an upcoming case takes him to Rome, he never expected to stumble across a hidden message that had been previously lost in a fragment of an ancient tomb. His discovery takes him on a mission to stop the efforts of those who would rewrite history.

-- 12.21 by Dustin Thomason.

Okay, the world didn't end on December 12, 2012 after all. Still, the premise of this novel makes for a fun conspiracy read. Two weeks before the fateful date, researcher Chel Manu is handed a codex from a mysterious stranger that purports to explain what happened to the Mayan civilization. And, if the discovery is to be believed, that catastrophe is about to happen a second time.

-- The School of Night by Louis Bayard.

The School of Night was a secret gathering of five brilliant scholars during the time of Queen Elizabeth I. Four centuries later, disgraced scholar Henry Cavendish has been sent on a mission to recover a stolen letter. But whatever the letter contains -- the secret formula for alchemy, the path to a hidden treasure, or merely the truth about the School of Night -- there are others who will stop at nothing to gain the letter for themselves.

-- Interred With Their Bones by Jennifer Lee Carrell.

It's every Shakespearean's dream: an uncovered lost work of Shakespeare's. But the night when the reconstructed Globe Theater is burnt to the ground, Shakespearean scholar Kate Stanley is given a piece of an unexpected puzzle by her mentor, Rosalind Howard. Then Howard winds up dead. Soon, Stanley is running across the world as she struggles to unlock the clues in Shakespeare's plays and uncover the answer to one of the greatest secrets in history.

-- The Last Templar by Raymond Khoury.

Despite the building's rich history, FBI agent Sean Reilly never expected to see four Knights Templar -- on horseback! -- charge into the Metropolitan Museum. The "Knights" broke in to steal an unusual medieval artifact, an ancient decoder. Joined by archaeologist Tess Chaykin, Reilly finds himself caught in the center of a deadly race to recover the lost artifact -- and undercover the truth behind a mystery that's been centuries in the making.



-- Post by Ms. B

Staff Recommendation #15: The Plain State of Being Human

How to describe Nick Hornby?  He's the British author of such popular novels as About a Boy and High Fidelity (if you haven't read the books, you may have seen the movies). He's known, primarily, as an author who takes a closer look at the lives and lifestyles of aimless single guys -- but it's something of an unfair pigeon-holing. Nick Hornby knows how to write about everyone. 

His books are noteworthy precisely because they seem like they shouldn't be -- being stories about average people who find themselves in situations that, while not average, become totally relatable. His plots are so uniquely quirky (obsessive fans, spiritual conversions, and temporary time travel, to name but a few), that it's only because of Hornby's incredible way with words that you can still relate to the characters. He has a knack at describing our everyday thoughts, feelings, and impulses in simplistic language -- but it's a language that shows off his uncanny ability to reveal what it truly means to be human.

And, if it's true that I don't always agree with those conclusions, I always enjoy coming along with Hornby to see what his characters discover. Here, then, is a look at my three personal Hornby favorites:

-- About a Boy

"This thing about looking for someone less different... It only really worked, he realized, if you were convinced that being you wasn't so bad in the first place."

Thirtysomething Will Freeman lives a life of somewhat boring leisure, whiling away his time watching reality TV and listening to music albums. He doesn't have to work (and so he doesn't work), thanks to the royalties rolling in to him from his father's one-hit-wonder music career. (His dad wrote a smash-hit Christmas jingle.) Will's life has been lacking in any particular challenges, until he hatches a unique scheme to meet women: he joins a support group for single parents. He's not a single father, himself, but he solves that problem neatly enough by inventing an imaginary two-year-old son named Ned to tell the ladies about.

Then there's Marcus -- a slightly awkward, slightly nerdy twelve-year-old who is having a rough time of it. He and his mum have just moved to London, and adjusting to his new school proves impossible. Nobody likes him -- not even the teachers -- and he can't figure out why. (He'd go to his mum, but she has problems of her own.)

When Will and Marcus's paths intersect, Will finds that he can't just brush Marcus out of his life. Marcus needs an adult in his life, after all -- and even if, on the surface, Will doesn't seem like the best guy for the task, it quickly turns out that he's the only one up for the job.

(The 2002 film adaptation stars Hugh Grant -- and the book is also the basis for a single-camera sit-com due out this fall, courtesy of NBC.)

-- How to Be Good

"The plain state of being human is dramatic enough for anyone; you don't need to be a heroin addict or a performance poet to experience extremity. You just have to love someone."

I picked this book up on a whim at a bookshop. I wanted something different from what I normally read, and this quirky, darkly hilarious, quietly heart-rending book definitely fit the bill.

Katie Carr is a family practitioner whose marriage is on the rocks. She's married to a man known in his own newspaper column as "The Angriest Man in Holloway" -- which might explain why they can't stop fighting. Divorce seems inevitable -- that is, until David undergoes a most unusual spiritual conversation and decides to change his life.

Determined not only to treat Katie (and their two kids) much better than before, David's plans for turning over his new leaf go much further than that. Donating their most valuable belongings to shelters. Giving away their holiday dinner to the poor. Organizing a neighborhood-wide project to bring in homeless teens and offering them places to stay in everyone's homes. On paper, it sounds magical -- but it takes a toll in ways Katie couldn't have imagined. 

Darkly funny, sharply observant, and devastatingly real, Hornby uses this book to answer one of the most stark but complicated questions of the human condition: why can't we come together and make it all right?

-- Slam

"There are many differences between a baby and an iPod. And one of the biggest is, no one's going to mug you for your baby."

There's lots of books about teen pregnancy. This nominally-YA novel takes a different approach from the norm and tells the story from the guy's point of view.

Fifteen-year-old Sam is, himself, the son of a teen mum. He certainly knows all about how much a small mistake can change your life -- but he never anticipated becoming a teen dad.

He explains all this to Tony Hawk, his skateboarding hero. Sam's got a poster of TH in his bedroom, and he's taken to explaining all of his problems to his imaginary mentor when he can't quite figure out what to do next. He isn't going to leave Alicia to handle things on her own -- but what does this mean for her?  For them?  For Sam himself?  And how can he find his way through it?

As if that's not bad enough, something ... weird is going on. Sam goes to bed and wakes up a few years in his own future. (It's how he knows he's going to be a dad even before Alicia gets the pregnancy test results.) After a day, he's back in time where he started -- with no idea how he went there, how he got back, or even what it all means. But it must mean something, because Sam is pretty sure that Tony Hawk's behind it ...

As funny and insightful as his other books, Hornby's Slam stands out to me. It's a sci-fi book without the science fiction, a teen book perfect for adults. In the end, the story's sporadic windows into the future are there to show Sam -- and us -- that our present might not be so bad after all.

-- Post by Ms. B

Traitors

Mr. Arnold

"Traitor!"  It is, perhaps, one of the worst crimes to be branded with. In Dante's epic poem Inferno, the ninth and deepest circle of Hell is reserved for traitors. The term is given to anyone who turns against their friends, their country, or their cause. Throughout history, traitors have been reviled and scorned for their flaws of swinging loyalties and false convictions.

But in fiction, things work a bit differently. There is, after all, nothing like a good fictional traitor. A treacherous character can add conflict, drama, and high stakes to a story in a way few other plot devices can. I happen to love a good fictional betrayal in stories, myself; it makes things so deliciously personal.

So in celebration -- or perhaps condemnation -- of Benedict Arnold's 272nd birthday this Monday, let's take a look at some of the biggest and "best" traitors from the page and screen.


-- Iago

In Shakespeare's Othello, the title character is a general in the Venetian army. While Othello has a perfectly trustworthy officer in the form of his lieutenant, Cassio, Othello makes the terrible mistake of choosing the ensign Iago as his right-hand man.

Iago's still upset that Cassio got promoted over him, and quickly plots a way to get Cassio demoted. The plan quickly escalates, however, and Iago ends up destroying more than a few lives -- including his own. 

-- Mordred

Most people know the legend of King Arthur, the leader who set up the utopian kingdom of Camelot. He ruled over Camelot with the help of his Knights of the Round Table (including his right-hand man, Sir Lancelot) -- with his queen, Guinevere, at his side. Unfortunately, Guinevere and Lancelot got along a little too well, and their inadvertent treachery brought about the fall of Camelot and of Arthur himself.

I say "inadvertent," however, because Lancelot and Guinevere certainly never intended to fall in love and bring about the destruction of Arthur's utopian kingdom. In most versions of the legend, the real, intentional blame for that downfall lies instead in the hands of Mordred. Usually portrayed as Arthur's illegitimate son (from before his marriage to Guinevere), it is Mordred who orchestrates the discovery of Lancelot and Guinevere's secret affair -- and who turns the Knights of the Round Table, and the people of Camelot, against the unhappy couple, ushering in a civil war for control of the kingdom. Mordred's aim was always to take over as ruler of Camelot, but Arthur defeats him -- if at a price.

-- Lando Calrissian

The administrator of Cloud City, Lando Calrissian was first introduced in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back as an old friend of Han Solo's. Han and Princess Leia have traveled to the city looking for help from Lando -- only to have it revealed that Darth Vader had reached Cloud City first. Lando (out of desperation, rather than deception) had reluctantly agreed to help Vader lay a trap for the Rebellion duo, and their capture by Vader ultimately leads to Han Solo being so famously frozen in carbonite.

Fortunately, Lando goes on to have a change of heart after Vader goes back on his word about the fate of the prisoners. Lando not only helps to break free the very people he helped imprison; he eventually joins the Rebel Alliance and plays a part in the destruction of the second Death Star. Talk about redeeming yourself!



-- Dennis Nedry

I've been a Jurassic Park fan for twenty years -- ever since it was first released to theaters!  So, as a fan, I can't help but appreciate Dennis Nedry, without whose help the genetically recreated dinosaurs populating a theme park "zoo" would never have escaped. Which, y'know, was a great development for us viewers, as loose dinosaurs + resourceful humans = great popcorn flick.

Of course, for the characters of Jurassic Park themselves, Nedry did few favors. Furious with park owner John Hammond over the myriad responsibilities he faced as the park's primary computer programmer -- and the low pay that went with the job -- Nedry sabotaged the park by shutting down computer systems and electrical fencing. (He also stole some unhatched dino embryos on his way out.) 

However, one can't argue that Nedry didn't pay for his misdeeds: he was eaten by one of the very dinosaurs he'd set free. Let that be a lesson to us all that treacherous behavior rarely pays!

-- Captain Barbossa

If it's possible to have a "favorite" traitor, then Captain Barbossa is mine. Introduced in the first Pirates of the Caribbean film as the villainous pirate captain of the Black Pearl, he eventually is revealed to be more than a pirate: he's also a traitor. Previously the first mate on the Pearl, Barbossa led a mutiny against the ship's then-captain, leaving said captain marooned on a deserted island and taking the ship (and its crew) for his own.

The captain Barbossa betrayed was, of course, Jack Sparrow -- the piratical hero of the Pirates of the Caribbean films. Jack swore revenge against his mutinous first mate (and even achieved that revenge for a time). But, as the films went on, the one-time friendship between the two pirates was eventually, if somewhat grudgingly, renewed. They eventually reached a point where the two could work together -- so long as their goals happened to coincide, that is.

-- Severus Snape

He seemed bad from the beginning. This Harry Potter character was a professor at Hogwarts, teaching Potions classes to the young witches and wizards who dared enter his classroom. Cruel, arrogant, and always smirking -- plus a former employee of the Big Bad himself, Voldemort -- Snape seemed destined to prove himself to be a bad apple. (Harry Potter himself suspected Snape of foul play from the beginning.) But it wasn't until the sixth book in the series, when Snape killed a major Good Guy and defected to join Voldemort once more, that Harry's six-year suspicions were proven.

Or -- were they?  Snape's full story isn't revealed until the end of the seventh and final book in the series, when we learn that things, as they so often are in Harry Potter, were more complicated than what they first appeared to be. Snape, I suppose, may be definitively branded a traitor ... but you might be surprised to see which side he ultimately betrayed.

-- Saruman

J.R.R. Tolkien's good-wizard-gone-bad may just tie with Mordred as Greatest Fictional Traitor of All Time, even if you're not particularly a fan of the high fantasy epic trilogy Lord of the Rings. 

It's hard to argue the case. Saruman started off as the chief of the wizards in Middle-earth, but eventually -- corrupted by the One Ring and by the Dark Lord Sauron himself -- betrayed his fellow wizards and his mission. He was instrumental in bringing about the war on Middle-earth, and, if that wasn't enough, would go on to turn against Sauron, too. (Not, mind you, because he was re-aligning himself with the good guys; rather, his plan was to take over from Sauron and rule Middle-earth himself.)

He is eventually overthrown and defeated, but not before proving himself to be on no one's side but his own. Which, much like Mordred, might be the very definition of the ultimate traitor.


(Luckily for us, such characters makes for great storytelling.)



-- Post by Ms. B

Stranger Than Fiction

Where do writers get their ideas from?  Author Neil Gaiman has said, "You get ideas from daydreaming. You get ideas from being bored. You get ideas all the time. The only difference between writers and other people is we notice when we're doing it." Stephen King put it this way: "I get my ideas from everywhere. But what all of my ideas boil down to is seeing things ... in a new and interesting way, and then adding the question 'What if?' 'What if' is always the key question."

Most writers will tell you that, while they may not base all their characters on people they know, real life is still the best source of inspiration one can ask for. You're heard me mention, for instance, that Arthur Conan Doyle based his famous detective character, Sherlock Holmes, on a real person: Dr. Joseph Bell, a professor at Edinburgh University. But Conan Doyle is hardly the only author to find such real-life inspiration for his characters.

So in honor of Dr. Bell's 175th birthday (he was born on December 2), check out our list of seven famous fictional characters who were all inspired by real-life counterparts. A few entries may surprise you!

Lady Macbeth - Macbeth

Among William Shakespeare's most famous characters, Macbeth was based on a real historical figure -- a Scottish king who reigned in the mid-11th century. (The play was not written until the 17th century.) The real Macbeth did not have much in common with his literary counterpart, however -- right down to the fact that his wife, Gruoch of Scotland, was nothing like the treacherous villain of Shakespeare's play. (You can read more about the real Macbeth here.)

For the character of Lady Macbeth, Shakespere is thought to have found inspiration from another real-life historical figure. In the 10th century, King Duff of Scotland was murdered by the servants of one Captain Donwald. Donwald had tried to convince the king to issue pardons to certain rebellious friends and family members. The king had refused -- and Donwald's wife persuaded the captain to kill him.

* *

Dill, To Kill a Mockingbird

One of the trio of children in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, Dill Harris is based on a real-life childhood friend of Lee's: Truman Capote. Capote spent time visiting his aunts in Monroeville, Alabama, and it was on such visits that Capote and Lee first became friends.

Lee and Capote remained friends into adulthood, and Capote was inspired to base two of his own characters on Lee: Idabel Thompkins and Ann "Jumbo" Finchburg. The literary pals would go on to collaborate together on research for a true crime book about a Kansas murder, but their friendship was shaken when Capote failed to give Lee credit for her part in their investigations. (Read more about that here.)

* *

Winnie the Pooh, When We Were Very Young

The famous inhabitants of the Hundred Acre Wood (or Ashdown Forest, for you purists) were the creation of children's author A. A. Milne, who was also an essayist, a playwright, a poet, and an adult novelist. You might already know that Milne based the character of Christopher Robin on Milne's own son (also named Christopher) -- but there was a real-life basis for Christopher Robin's ursine companion, too.

Lieutenant Harry Coleborn was a young veterinarian, who purchased an orphaned bear cub in the town of White River, Ontario. The bear -- named "Winnipeg" after the bear's birthplace -- initially served as something of a mascot to Coleborn's army regiment during the first World War. Winnie was eventually taken to the London Zoo, where Christopher Milne spotted her. Delighted with the bear, he promptly changed his own teddy bear's name from "Edward" to "Winnie-the-Pooh" in honor of Winnipeg. The rest is history.

(The original Edward/Winnie teddy bear can still be seen at the New York Public Library.) 

* *

Sally Bowles - Cabaret

The musical Cabaret started life as the 1939 novel Goodbye to Berlin, was adapted into the play I Am a Camera in 1951, and was finally brought to Broadway in 1966. The story takes place in 1921 Berlin, where Sally Bowles is the star of the Kit Kat nightclub. The musical is loved for its blending of the bright decadence of the 30s with the air of political tension and growing upheaval as Europe stood on the brink of a world war. Sally herself is an unbreakably robust character, even with the darker tone that looms ahead.

When it came to the original novel, author Christopher Isherwood had factual inspiration for more than just his setting. The character of Sally Bowles herself is modeled after a young Englishwoman that Isherwood met while in Berlin. Her name was Jean Ross, and, in real life, she was a political radical, who was described as being much different from her fictional counterpart by those who knew her. (Read more about Jean Ross and Christopher Isherwood here.)

* *

Harry Callahan - Dirty Harry

The serial killer Scorpio is the first villain to appear in Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry series. Part of Scorpio's modus operandi was to send ransom demands to the police, threatening to commit a murder a day until he was paid off. Most fans know that Scorpio was based on a real criminal: California's Zodiac serial killer. Like Scorpio, the Zodiac killer also sent mocking notes to the police force (and the press) with information about upcoming crimes. (One such note said Zodiac would hijack a school bus, which was re-enacted in the film.)

But less well-known is that Harry Callahan himself was inspired by a real person. Eastwood's Callahan was inspired by David Toschi, the detective in charge of the Zodiac investigation.

* *

The Soup Nazi - Seinfeld

"No soup for you!" might be one of the most famous quotes to come out of hit NBC sitcom Seinfeld's nine-season run. It's uttered by the "Soup Nazi," the owner of a new soup stand that Kramer has been raving about. But when Jerry, George, and Elaine decide to give the place a try, Jerry reminds them that they have to be sure to follow the strict rules of procedure the owner lays out to customers. The trio doesn't manage it -- which means, well, No Soup.

As ludicrous as it sounds, the Soup Nazi is based on a real person (if slightly exaggerated). Al Yeganeh is a soup vendor who first opened his New York City restaurant, the Soup Kitchen International, in 1984. People lined up down the block to taste Yeganeh's creations -- but, due to either his temperament or the crowded lines, rules at the Soup Kitchen International were strict. ("Pick the soup you want!" "Have your money ready!") 

The Soup Nazi wasn't the only Seinfeld character based on a real person. Kramer was inspired by a real-life neighbor of the show's co-creator, Larry David. And George Costanza was based on David himself.

* *

Professor Snape (and the Weasleys) - Harry Potter

It's semi-common knowledge among Harry Potter fans that the insufferable Professor Gilderoy Lockhart -- his defining characteristics are his enormous ego and his utter incompetence -- was based upon a real person. (Author J.K. Rowling won't say who.) But while Lockhart was the only real-life person Rowling fully based one of her characters on, there was another Hogwarts professor who was at least partially inspired by a real-life figure: Severus Snape.

When asked about the character in an interview, Rowling commented, "Snape is the ... very sadistic teacher, loosely based on a teacher I myself had, I have to say."

It turns out that Rowling was talking about John Nettleship, a chemistry teacher (quite appropriate, as Snape teaches Potions class). Nettleship was initially surprised to find out the connection; he found out when reporters came knocking on his door to ask him about it. But he eventually came to embrace the connection in good humor. (Read more about Nettleship here.)

-- Post by Ms. B

Time And Relative Dimensions

On November 22, 1963, President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, and the world was changed forever. What if you could change it back? Stephen King’s newest novel, entitled 11/22/63, tells the story of Jake Epping, a thirty-five-year-old high school English teacher who is presented with the opportunity to alter history. Jake's friend Al, who runs the local diner, shares with Jake a secret: Al's restaurant contains a portal to the year 1958. So begins Jake's trip back in time -- to the world of Elvis, sock hops, big American cars ... and JFK. It's the world of troubled loner Lee Harvey Oswald, and of high school librarian Sadie Dunhill -- both of whom will have an impact on Jake's life in a way that transgresses all the ordinary rules of time.

King's novel is being touted as a fascinating look into America in the 50s and 60s, as well as being a thrilling page-turner with a great premise and fully-realized characters. It's also King's first real foray into that sub-genre of science fiction known as time travel, which got me thinking about time travel stories in general.

Since H.G. Wells arguably invented the genre with his classic story The Time Machine (see below for a link), time travel stories have flourished on the printed page as well as in movie theaters and on television screens. So while you're waiting for your reserved library copy of 11/22/63, check out these other great stories about traveling through time:

Doomsday Book by Connie Willis.

Here's a novel about someone presented with the chance not to alter the course of history -- but rather to study it. Kivrin will be traveling to the fourteenth century to observe one of the deadliest eras in human history: the Black Death sweeping through Europe. While on the surface, the assignment seems easy -- she'll just receive her modern-day inoculations and be on her way -- things get complicated when a crisis leaves her stranded in the past. While her instructors try desperately to get her back, Kivrin is left to struggle her way through one of the most harrowing periods of the Middle Ages. A different sort of time travel story, this novel places less emphasis on flashy technology and action sequences, and more on the unfolding of character growth and development.

Night Watch: A Novel of Discworld by Terry Pratchett.

Pratchett's infamous Discworld series has been renowned for years for its sharp humor and witty satire of the typical fantasy tropes. But as the series has continued its grown into a fine (and funny) fully developed story of its own, with fully-developed characters and fresh ideas of Pratchett's own. This particular installment in the series stars the put-upon leader of the Watch, Sam Vimes, as he's dragged back in time to serve as a mentor ... to his younger self. And it's up to the two Vimes to deal with a revolution -- which, for the elder Vimes, has already happened.

Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus by Orson Scott Card.

Most famous for his young adult sci-fi series about Ender Wiggin and his fellow classmates from Battle School, Card has also written a number of other science fiction and fantasy titles. This book, the first in a planned series, follows a group of future scientists sent back in time to observe Colombus's westward exploration. They find out more than they bargained for when they discover that Columbus is acting under the orders of another group of scientists -- these from an alternate future -- who were sent back to try and prevent their own terrible timeline from coming to pass. The scientists from our own timeline send back three agents to various turning points in history, trying to find an outcome for history that won't result in the genocide of the Native American people -- but the agents will never know if they succeed. Sound confusing?  It is, but Card pulls off the the twisting, turning plot-tangle with aplomb.

Yesterday's Enterprise - from Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Trials and Tribble-ations - from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

The various Star Trek series -- there are five in total -- are full of episodes about time travel and alternate timelines. Here are two of the most famous: in Yesterday's Enterprise, the crew of the starship Enterprise suddenly find themselves in an alternate timeline where dead crewmates haven't died, the Federation is at war with the Klingons -- and only one person on board knows anything has changed. And in Trials and Tribble-ations, the DS9 crew travels into the past to the time of Captain James T. Kirk, in an episode with such plot twists (and with an impressive use of CGI technology used to place DS9 actors onto the bridge of Captain Kirk's Enterprise) that the story would be nominated for a Hugo award.

Time Traveler: A Scientist's Personal Mission to Make Time Travel a Reality by Ronald L. Mallett, with Bruce Henderson.

A non-fiction read about time travel? Not as far-fetched as it sounds. Dr. Ronald Mallett, a Pennsylvania native (who is also one of the first African-American theoretical physicists), writes about his discovery of the basic equations that he believes are needed to one day develop a working time machine. Interwoven with his personal journey about his life and family (he first became interested in the concept of time travel after losing his father at the age of ten), this book is both science thesis and memoir -- and truly original.


Time Travel Classics:

The Time Machine by H.G. Wells.
Wells's classic novel has been adapted into audiobooks, radio plays, and films.

Doctor Who - the series.
This classic British television series -- about an alien called the Doctor and his time-traveling blue police box -- was recently updated for modern audiences.

Back to the Future - Complete Movie Trilogy.
Join Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd in the famous film trilogy about an ordinary high schooler and his mad scientist friend traveling into the past and future as they try to keep their own timeline intact.

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain.
A nineteenth-century man is transported back in time to the land of Camelot.

Terminator - film.
A cyborg assassin is sent back in time to kill the mother of future rebel leader John Connor -- before Connor can even be born.

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle.
Though not having quite as much time travel as its three sequels, the first novel in L'Engle's YA, sci-fi, time-traveling quartet is easily the best of the lot.

Peggy Sue Got Married - film.
A fainting spell at her high school reunion send Peggy Sue back in time to her senior year of high school -- and gives her another chance at getting her future "right."


-- Post by Ms. B