I’ll leave it to someone else this month to identify the sub-genre here. I’d love to moan anecdotally about having to wash my hands after every reading session.
Between Wikipedia and Google, there’s more than enough factual information available on Hansen’s Disease to satisfy all but those who might find prurient interest in these subjects.
I will limit myself to simply digging into the vast, muddy morass of a lost soul; a sociopath driven by greed, pride, and envy, who never lets go of his sinful ways. He hangs onto his bigotry and his lust for wealth and fame. He is the antithesis of a Christian, repentant soul.
Reading a man’s own boastful words about his debauchery was the only redeeming rationale for finishing this book.
Halfway through I began waiting for the epiphany; the metamorphesis from total rogue to a man of Christian temperance. Two-thirds of the way through I was rooting for him to contract the disease, then dedicating the rest of his miserable life to writing for the bimonthly magazine, The Star. Alas, his just desserts would have to wait for his release.
Remember Doc’s adage, “Don’t believe anyone in here. They’re all criminals” And while keeping that thought in mind, this book needs to be read with a skeptical mind, reading between the lines, and noting what is not said, as well as what is on the page. Our protagonist in this fictional memoir is a con man, pure and simple: a reasonably good con man and a reasonably successful con man; nonetheless, a con man in jail. The best con men believe in their pitch. There’s another ubiquitous adage that I’ll steal from The Shawshank Redemption, “There ain’t no guilty prisoner’s at Shawshank; we’re all innocent.” From my experience, there’s no better con man than an ex-con.
With my skeptic’s eye, I objectively observe that almost no one really likes Neil White; outside, inside, prisoners, patients. Where are outside friends? Didn’t he have any real friends? Of course his mother loves him; that’s what mothers are for. And inside?: he’s pretty much alone. No one sticks with him; and before he leaves Carville, he bails on all his “associates,” thinking, as usual, just about himself and what he can gain or lose from an action, totally venal . This man is a reprobate : a con artist who ripped off people before, during, and after this particular period twenty years ago. I sincerely regret that the Sonoma County Foundation effectively passed some money his way, but I’ll content myself with believing that it went towards the education of “Little Neil” at Princeton.
I’m sure he did try and shop this book around as an expose in the mid-ninties. Even with Carville closing in 1998, no one bought it or him. And no one ever wants to hear about “My soft 18 months at a Federal tennis ranch.” So the manuscript languored around for fifteen years until the latest publishing fad; “memoirs”. Neil White added a “memoir” genre designation and found someone to publish it. No prizes for this one, but White finally cashed in.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Sociopath – a person who lacks a sense of moral responsibility or social conscience
Debauchery – Wickedness, corruption, dishonesty, decadence, lack of morality
(n.) Corruption of fidelity; seduction from virtue, duty, or allegiance.
Venal -- capable of being bought or obtained for money or other valuable consideration :
purchasable; especially : open to corrupt influence and especially bribery
Reprobate -- n. 1. A morally unprincipled person. 2. One who is predestined to damnation
Between Wikipedia and Google, there’s more than enough factual information available on Hansen’s Disease to satisfy all but those who might find prurient interest in these subjects.
I will limit myself to simply digging into the vast, muddy morass of a lost soul; a sociopath driven by greed, pride, and envy, who never lets go of his sinful ways. He hangs onto his bigotry and his lust for wealth and fame. He is the antithesis of a Christian, repentant soul.
Reading a man’s own boastful words about his debauchery was the only redeeming rationale for finishing this book.
Halfway through I began waiting for the epiphany; the metamorphesis from total rogue to a man of Christian temperance. Two-thirds of the way through I was rooting for him to contract the disease, then dedicating the rest of his miserable life to writing for the bimonthly magazine, The Star. Alas, his just desserts would have to wait for his release.
Remember Doc’s adage, “Don’t believe anyone in here. They’re all criminals” And while keeping that thought in mind, this book needs to be read with a skeptical mind, reading between the lines, and noting what is not said, as well as what is on the page. Our protagonist in this fictional memoir is a con man, pure and simple: a reasonably good con man and a reasonably successful con man; nonetheless, a con man in jail. The best con men believe in their pitch. There’s another ubiquitous adage that I’ll steal from The Shawshank Redemption, “There ain’t no guilty prisoner’s at Shawshank; we’re all innocent.” From my experience, there’s no better con man than an ex-con.
With my skeptic’s eye, I objectively observe that almost no one really likes Neil White; outside, inside, prisoners, patients. Where are outside friends? Didn’t he have any real friends? Of course his mother loves him; that’s what mothers are for. And inside?: he’s pretty much alone. No one sticks with him; and before he leaves Carville, he bails on all his “associates,” thinking, as usual, just about himself and what he can gain or lose from an action, totally venal . This man is a reprobate : a con artist who ripped off people before, during, and after this particular period twenty years ago. I sincerely regret that the Sonoma County Foundation effectively passed some money his way, but I’ll content myself with believing that it went towards the education of “Little Neil” at Princeton.
I’m sure he did try and shop this book around as an expose in the mid-ninties. Even with Carville closing in 1998, no one bought it or him. And no one ever wants to hear about “My soft 18 months at a Federal tennis ranch.” So the manuscript languored around for fifteen years until the latest publishing fad; “memoirs”. Neil White added a “memoir” genre designation and found someone to publish it. No prizes for this one, but White finally cashed in.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Sociopath – a person who lacks a sense of moral responsibility or social conscience
Debauchery – Wickedness, corruption, dishonesty, decadence, lack of morality
(n.) Corruption of fidelity; seduction from virtue, duty, or allegiance.
Venal -- capable of being bought or obtained for money or other valuable consideration :
purchasable; especially : open to corrupt influence and especially bribery
Reprobate -- n. 1. A morally unprincipled person. 2. One who is predestined to damnation
I will not be in town for the book group so here are my thoughts so far on this month’s selection.
ReplyDeleteIn general I enjoyed the book. In my opinion it was not “great literature” or even literary fiction, even so I learned quite a bit about an environment that I did not know existed, a prison and leper colony in the same facility here in the US.
I’ve worked in San Quentin prison so I’m somewhat familiar as to what goes on inside, the trading of goods and services. All that was quite amusing and interesting.
What impressed me the most was the candor of the author, especially with regard to his responses to the Hansen’s disease patients, his fear of catching the disease, and the way he came to empathize with them and to love Ella. Her plight brought tears to my eyes. What a wonderful character. He made her come alive with his anecdotes and quotes of her wisdom.
I also appreciated the clarity and unaffected style of his writing and his journey of change and the transformation of his character during the process of his imprisonment.
I could feel the depth of his relationship with his children and the importance of that to him. For me this book worked as a memoir; a snapshot into his life experience. It seemed sincere enjoyable to read, and believable.
I’ll miss hearing from all of you.
padma