The Railway Man by Lomax: letter to C

C

The Railway Man, of course,  the whole prison section is horrific. However, his description in the last section about his long recovery is absolutely devastating. Anyone wishing to understand what some soldiers go though after they return should read this book. The author's exhausting detail about trains that turned me off in the first section of the book, in my opinion ,now powerfully describes the complexities and side effects of long term,mental.damage, often much worse than the physical.

Consider Trump's evaluation that Mc Cain is not a hero because he was a prisoner of war. In the book when the POW's are on the ship heading for home the officers in charge of ship duty also do not understand. I guess they are the type that would have voted for Trump.

Thanks for the recommendation  Powerful!

R

USC Films USC Composers

Visited USC last night for a student composers concert. Not very interesting.

Just happened into a film showing before the concert featuring "A Sinner in Mecca." (see the web page: http://asinnerinmecca.com/). Just its very existence astounds because its filming was life threatening. Further, I assumed that the pilgrimage to Mecca only involved the Tawaaf (circumambulation) of the Kaaba. This film reveals the entire process that involves many additional very difficult rites. Insights into the policies and practices of our political friends, the Saudis, truly frightens me. Comparison of Muslims in Saudi Arabia and India was insightful. A major film, but not for the closed minded or weak hearted.

Also, in the panel discussion I learned of a group on the USC campus that calls themselves "secular humanists" that brings a positive pitch to the negative term "atheist." They study the many faces of spirituality. Hmmmmmmmm!  A better vector?

Its refreshing to learn (again) that one path to answer an expected question (What are the USC composers doing?) might lead to a second unexpected one.