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Freedom Book of the Month
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Free-Market.Net's F r e e d o m B o o k o f t h e M o n t h
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Edited by Sunni Maravillosa. To join or leave this and other
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* December, 2002: "Blood of the Roses," by Alex Gabbard
* New and notable
* The Way Back Machine: December freedom celebrations
* Voting update for Freedom Book of the Year 2002
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Freedom Book of the Month for December, 2002:
"Blood of the Roses"
by Alex Gabbard
GPPress 2002, hardcover, 247 pp.
ISBN: 0962260878
It's December, a traditional time of celebration for many people
around the world -- a time when people seem kinder, more considerate
of others. I'd like to offer a book that speaks to those better
elements in our humanity while also celebrating freedom ... but if
such a book was published recently, I've not seen it.
Instead, my mind has been filled with the ugly imagery of Hitler's
rise to dominate Germany and World War II, and the unwavering
courage of those who dared to resist him at the center of his
powerlust -- the resistance group known as the White Rose. Alex
Gabbard has combined meticulous research and a fictional story to
create an historical novel that is powerfully, movingly wrought.
"Blood of the Roses" will most likely not offer any revelations for
individuals who are familiar with the story of the White Rose, and
its principals, Hans and Sophie Scholl, who were caught along with
Cristoph Probst, tried in a German kangaroo court, and executed. I've
read accounts of their resistance, and honestly did not expect to be
taken by an "historical novel." Gabbard weaves a slow, inexorable
magic in creating a fictional companion to the Scholls, who recounts
his youth, maturation in the Hitler Youth, and finally service in the
war in flashback form.
The power of "Blood of the Roses" isn't in its historical accuracy.
It lies in what Gabbard doesn't tell, doesn't show, or leaves in
shadow for the reader to grasp by way of contrast or implication.
The narrative shifts from the characters' happy childhoods in the
small town of Forchtenberg to the narrator's increasingly narrow,
suspicious views, brought about by his never-quite-complete
indoctrination into Nazism. Much of the story focuses on his life and
choices, particularly after the Scholl family moves away from
Forchtenberg. Their reappearance in his life is as shafts of beaming
sunlight through stormcloud, and it highlights Gabbard's skill, that
he can portray "foredoomed" characters so convincingly in such a
manner. The fictional friend, working so hard to be transparent to
the Nazis he comes to loathe, becomes almost cypherlike in his own
story, so caught up is he in the machinery of war and its horrors.
Toward the close of the book, the friend begins to muse more
explicitly about what's happened to freedom, and the wonderful
Germany he and the Scholls so loved as children. During the Scholls'
and Probst's trial he comes to an unsettling realization:
"I was struck with the question, 'How could so many be so blind?' I
then came to the unsettling realization that the people in whose
company I stood chose to be blind. They were not interested in truth,
nor were they guided by truth. My Germans; what have you become?"
(p.228)
And later in the same scene:
"I recognized that the entire Reich was so fearful of the power
inherent in individual freedom that it had to squelch the merest
suggestion of freedom as sedition and to do so at the earliest
opportunity. In spite of outward power and solidarity, Nazism
existed on so tenuous and fragile a government that mere words
against its precepts were regarded with utmost alarm." (p. 230)
The parallels to American society today are chilling. "Blood of the
Roses" deserves to be widely read solely on the basis of its
wonderful presentation of an inspiring story of freedom. For those
who care to see the truth, it also serves as a cautionary tale of
homeland security.
Order "Blood of the Roses" from Amazon.com:
http://www.free-market.net/rd/488282363.html, $22.95
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New and notable
o "Alan Shrugged," by Jerome Tuccille
An engaging, very readable biography of one of the most powerful men
in the world today by a libertarian financier and writer. Insights
span Greenspan's life to date, and won't disappoint individuals
wondering about "the Ayn Rand years." Great gift book.
Order "Alan Shrugged" from Laissez Faire Books:
http://www.free-market.net/rd/491282660.html, $27.95
o "Entrepreneurial Economics," edited by Alexander Tabarrok
"Going to the barricades for efficiency" in a thorough,
thought-provoking way. Seven general areas are explored in fourteen
chapters, including gene insurance, decision markets, justice,
bankruptcy, and urban transit. Contributors include David Friedman,
Adrian Moore, and Steven Landsburg. Scholarly, yet accessible;
stimulating and practical too.
Order "Entrepreneurial Economics" from Laissez Faire Books:
http://www.free-market.net/rd/521660540.html, $24.95
o "Infowar in Cyberspace," by Bruce Gold
An intriguing, thorough examination of the Information Age and the
internet's influence on it, focusing on research. Very good book
marred by numerous typographical and grammatical errors.
Order "Infowar in Cyberspace" from Amazon.com:
http://www.free-market.net/rd/525700806.html, $18.85
o "Global Warming," by Jane S. Shaw
The first in a series of "critical thinking about environmental
issues" books, Shaw patiently and calmly looks at all sides of the
global warming issue, separating fact from hype and teaching
important ideas about evaluating science and the scientific process
along the way. Intended for high school students, it's a solid
introduction and overview of global warming for any interested
layperson. Buy one for yourself and one for your local library.
Order "Global Warming" from PERC:
http://www.free-market.net/rd/531261224.html, $18.00
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The Way Back Machine: December freedom celebrations
December is well known for celebrations -- Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, St.
Lucia Day, Christmas, New Year's Eve. (Myself, I like to celebrate
Newton's birthday -- December 25, coincidentally.) Did you know
there are several freedom-related events to celebrate in December?
Here's a small sampling: Paul Revere's birth, the Boston Tea Party,
the first tax protest, and Rose Wilder Lane's birth.
No, that's not a mistake up there. The Boston Tea Party was not the
first tax protest. The first happened on December 12, 1673, in a
place called Lawnes Creek Parish Church, VA. What's even more
remarkable is that the protestors met despite the dictatorial
attitudes of the governor (for an interesting account, go to
http://www.public.asu.edu/~moore/news/newsb14 and scroll down to
the section headed "RESEARCH"). Our ancestors would surely be shocked
to learn of the levels of taxation so many Americans meekly submit
to today ...
Fast forward now to the late 1800s; Rose Wilder Lane was born then,
on December 5. A journalist, she went on to write a slim volume in a
self-described "white heat" that she later called a "very bad book."
Perhaps you've heard of her book, or maybe even read it yourself:
"The Discovery of Freedom: Man's Struggle Against Authority."
My best friend gave me a copy of "The Discovery of Freedom" when I
was a fledgling libertarian. It enchanted me, mesmerized me,
galvanized me. It changed my life. I still cry when I recall reading
it for the first time and feeling the power of her masterpiece sweep
through me. Lane understood and communicated the need for freedom
better than anyone else whose words I've read. She captured the
spirit of our forefathers, those daring tax rebels, and so much
more ...
These are dark days for freedom, and the horizon isn't looking much
brighter. Perhaps the best thing we can do this month is celebrate
freedom by taking our own steps to throw off the shackles of the
state, and to share "Rose's bad book" with others. This is *the* book
that "speaks to those better elements in our humanity while also
celebrating freedom."
Order "The Discovery of Freedom" from Laissez Faire Books:
http://www.free-market.net/rd/989387296.html, $14.95 paperback
(also available in hardcover and audiocassette)
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Voting update for Freedom Book of the Year 2002
It's encouraging to see that so many of you aren't so turned off by
the electoral process that you won't cast a vote for anything.
Freedom Book of the Year 2002 voting has been open for almost a
month, and is doing a brisk business (good thing we don't need poll
workers or UN observers to keep the peace! ;-).
So far, Vin Suprynowicz's mighty pen is leading, with Gene Callahan's
scholarly, accessible tome trotting just behind. Henderson,
Bussjaeger, and Boston T. Party are in a comfortable pack, poised to
make a move if a frontrunner should falter. Oh, wait -- this isn't a
horse race, it's an election. Should I even be telling you how the
balloting stands?
Well, the voting is fairly tight so far, and I think it's fun to be
able to cheer on the many deserving books in the field (and to
encourage your friends and colleagues to cast their votes too). I
didn't promise not to look at the voting until the polls close
(which is January 31, 2003) either. If you haven't voted yet, why not
hop over to
http://www.free-market.net/features/bookofthemonth/fboty02.html
and vote for your best book of 2002? It's free, fun, and you'll be
entered to win one of five great book prize packages worth up to
$250 from Laissez Faire Books.
Keep doing freedom, happy holidays, and best wishes for a freer 2003,
Sunni Maravillosa
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In December 2004 this page was modified significantly from its original form for archiving purposes.
, founded in 1995, is now a part of ISIL.
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