What I have been reading lately #53

Hillsborough: The Truth-- Phil Scraton

In April of 1989, at the start of an FA Cup semifinal match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, 96 Liverpool fans were crushed to death on the terraces at Hillsborough Stadium. Despite what some thought at the time, the deaths were caused not by drunken hooligans but by a combination of poor planning, incompetence, and inaction primarily by the South Yorkshire police. Phil Scraton's disturbing book, a comprehensive narrative covering the entire event and its aftermath (i.e. the attempted police cover-up) , was the first book I read this summer.

The Day of the Hillsborough Disaster: A Narrative Account-- compiled and edited by Rogan Taylor, Andrew Ward, and Tim Newburn

Why read just one book about a horrible sports-related, crushing disaster caused by government and corporate complacency when you can read two? This book was an oral history of the events at Hillsborough and complemented Scraton's book very well. Needless to say, my summer was off to a rosy start.

Above and below: Scenes from the Hillsborough disaster 

The Education of Hopey Glass-- Jaime Hernandez 

The Girl From H.O.P.P.E.R.S.-- Jaime Hernandez

I am not sure why I read things like this. All I can say is a) it seemed like a good idea at the time, and b) neither of these graphic novels involved people being crushed to death in pens while police officers stood idly by and watched.

The Catcher in the Rye-- J.D. Salinger

I take great satisfaction from the fact that I still own the copy of this book I first read in high school (not pictured above, although mine looks almost exactly like that)

Hammer of the Gods: The Led Zeppelin Saga (2008 edition)-- Stephen Davis

Growing up in suburban St. Louis in the early 1980s, I tried very, very hard to learn to like Led Zeppelin. (It didn't work.) This book did go a little ways towards reminding me that Led Zeppelin are, despite everything, actually a pretty good band.

LZ - '75: The Lost Chronicles of Led Zeppelin's 1975 American Tour-- Stephen Davis; photographs by Peter Simon

Why read just one book about the most overblown and preposterous rock band of the 1970s when you can read two? This book covered just one of Led Zeppelin's US tours, and it was actually quite enjoyable-- the photographer, Peter Simon, turned out to be singer Carly Simon's brother. Additionally, this book raised an important question for me-- is it possible for an author (in this case, Stephen Davis) to plagiarize their own work?

On High Steel: The Education of an Ironworker-- Mike Cherry

By far the best book I read all summer (and the summer of 2008 and the summer of 2004)-- everyone should read this book. Good luck finding it, though (and no, you can't borrow my copy).

A live version of Led Zeppelin's "Tangerine"

Someone doing a cover version of Led Zeppelin's "Tangerine"


For all you guitar players, Bob from Toronto, Canada teaches how to play Led Zeppelin's "Tangerine" on your own