In Anno Domini 2022, these were a few of my favorite things.
Remember, I’m not saying that these are the best. Seriously, who is to say that something was the best? They’re just my favorites.
Favorite books: Man, I read some grim books this year. They were good, but grim! First, there was “Facing The Mountain” by Daniel James Brown. Subtitled “A True Story of Japanese American Heroes in World War II,” it tells the story of the legendary 442nd Infantry Regiment, the all-Asian group who fought in Europe. Often lauded as the most-decorated regiment in the entire war, it was also misused by white commanders who threw the troops into impossible situations, sacrificing thousands to win combat glory.
The book starts with the war breaking out and the shameful internment of loyal Americans who just happened to be of Japanese ancestry. After forcing them into places like Manzanar where they had to struggle to survive the elements and the lack of food, the government finally came around and asked, “Hey, would you like to fight for your country?” Amazingly, many said yes.
There are some almost comical moments tracing the bitter rivalry between the Japanese Americans from Hawaii and those from the Mainland. There was some serious dislike, but it faded away once they entered actual combat.
The stories are gut-wrenching, but also uplifting, like that of Daniel Inouye, who went on to become a U.S. senator when his home island became a state.
I also liked (and dreaded finishing) “The Mosquito Bowl” by Buzz Bissinger. The author of the legendary sports book “Friday Night Lights” tells the true story of a football game played on Christmas Eve on the island of Guadalcanal, shortly before the invasion of Okinawa during World War II. Before the war, many of the players had been All-Conference or even All-American at such places as Wisconsin, Cornell, Purdue or Yale.
The first half of the book chronicles the gridiron exploits of some of the players. College football was enormously popular at the time and many of the players were household names. But after the game, they joined forces in the attack on Okinawa, the bloodiest battle of World War II.
The tales of bravery, sacrifice and loss are powerfully emotional.
Finally, I recommend “Black Snow: Curtis LeMay, the Firebombing of Tokyo and the Road to the Atomic Bomb” by James M. Scott. This book, yet another on World War II, is just as grim as the others, but is useful for the person who gets backed into a corner with the argument that the United States is forever stained in history for having used atomic weapons.
What many people don’t know is that five months before the atom bombs were dropped, the United States firebombed Tokyo, where many people were living in houses made of paper and cardboard. More people died that night in Tokyo than died in either Hiroshima or Nagasaki. Many died when the force of the conflagration sucked the oxygen out of their lungs. Others dove in the river that flows through Tokyo and were boiled alive, but, at least they weren’t irradiated.
Favorite movie: “Glass Onion.” I’m still not ready to go back into a crowded theater, but my extended family has rented out an entire theater to watch a film. (The cost is almost shockingly reasonable.) We went to see “Glass Onion” with rather low expectations. There was no way that it was going to be as intricate and entertaining as the original “Knives Out,” but it comes darn close.
The dumbasses at Netflix yanked it from the theaters and put it on their streaming service way too soon. A leaked memo from a Netflix board meeting claimed that theaters are now “a distraction.” Idiots.
Favorite TV show: I enjoyed the stuff that won awards, like “Succession,” “Abbott Elementary” and “Hacks.” (Jean Smart is wonderful in “Hacks;” a well-deserved Emmy.)
Meanwhile, I hated season one of “White Lotus.” Remember the rule: If you want to punch every single character in the face, the show sucks! No damn way I’m watching season two.
And I’ve recently been watching “Tulsa King,” starring Sylvester Stallone as a former mob boss who did 25 years for a murder he didn’t commit. When he gets out, expecting to be treated with the utmost respect, he is instead exiled to Tulsa, Oklahoma, by an extremely depleted and bitter Mafia hierarchy. It’s an odd mix of fish-out-of-water humor and gritty violence with a surprisingly nuanced performance by Stallone.
It comes from Taylor Sheridan, who wrote the great movies “Hell or High Water” and “Wind River.” “Tulsa” is worth a look.
Favorite day of 2022: Nov. 8. Like a whole lot of people, I was terrified that the haters would show up in greater numbers than the lovers of democracy. But as the evening went on, my smile got bigger and bigger and bigger. Fetterman over Oz, Warnock over Walker, Kelly over Masters. Then, the one I hadn’t even dared to dream about…Hobbs over Lake! Later would come Masto over Laxalt and Warnock over Walker, for reals this time.
Ever since that night, I have delighted in the whininess and the embarrassing grasping at straws by the losers. Have Maricopa County run a do-over election? You guys are so entertaining!
