civilized ku # 29 ~ Event trail

County fair grounds exhibit trail • click to embiggenLast evening, I finished another of my bargain-bin 'adventure' novels. This one - The Balance of Power by Richard North Patterson - was different from most I read in that it is a political thriller. It was also over 600 pages, making it not exactly a quick read.

The basic plot line is about gun control and tort reform and the systemic political intrigue whirling around these issues. The author obviously did his homework with exhaustive in-depth research on both sides of the aisle. According to the book-jacket praise, Patterson 'has a keen eye for how Washington really works ... his portrait of the gun lobby is right on...', and, the book presents '... a heartfelt understanding of the effects of gun violence on our society ...'

In the interest of full and fair disclosure, I should note that those 2 items of praise were tendered by Bill Clinton and Ted Kennedy respectively - a detail that is sure to capture the interest and resolute attention of some in the audience.

Interestingly though, the only interest group refusing to be involved in interviews and background research was the NRA - that's the Nat'l Rifle Assoc., for those of you not familiar with the intricacies of the gun issue in the USA. (A quick aside - why are they called a 'rifle' association? They spend most their time, efforts and money 'protecting' the 'right' of the people [in a A well regulated Militia, no doubt] to own rapid-fire handguns, assualt weapons and organ- shreading, 'cop-killer' bullets - the weapons of choice for drug thugs, criminals, batterers, and wackos intent on committing mayhem.)

All of that said, the book was an interesting, captivating, sobering and somewhat depressing read. But, my point is this - Even though the book is a fiction, it engages the reader with and raises awareness of many truths about our society here in America. In his acknowledgements, Patterson thanks his publisher for '... believing that there is a place for serious popular fiction on controversial political and social subjects ...'

Sounds an awful lot like photography's recent(ish) fascination with 'constructed' pictures which articulate concerns relating to contemporary global experiences, doesn't it?