Football hasn’t enjoyed the same literary tradition that baseball has. Classics like The Natural, Bang the Drum Slowly, Eight Men Out, Ball Four, and Moneyball are just the peaks of the vast range of baseball literature. But I’ve noticed several new books this year that I think will start to fill the gaps in the football library — something more compelling and serious than the ubiquitous player autobiographies and coach-speak management/leadership/inspirational/motivational titles.

The first one that made it home with me, though, was Peter Richmond’s Badasses, about the 1970’s era Oakland Raiders. It struck me that for football fans of my age (I’m 28), the Raiders have really only existed as a joke of a team: perennially terrible, with an elderly owner nobody wants to play for and a string of failed draft picks and free agent signings. Casual mentions on Monday Night Football about John Madden’s coaching success with the Raiders almost seemed apocryphal, and any modern success was precarious and short-lived (exemplified by Rich Gannon leading the Raiders to the 2002 Super Bowl only to throw 5 interceptions in a brutal loss).

Additionally, it can be difficult to gain the context of an era you didn’t experience first-hand. One hears about the 1970’s Pittsburgh, Dallas, and Miami teams and wonders how many “dynasties” a single decade is allowed to host. But sometimes what gets lost in a bare factual summary of an era is that a team can transcend the statistical comparison in the way that it captured and held the public’s attention, the way that it dominated the thoughts and plans of other players and coaches. John Madden’s Raiders were just such a team. It wasn’t just that they won — it was the way that they played, and the way that they celebrated, and the way that every other team was just afraid of them — that’s what Peter Richmond set out to capture and record in Badasses.

I haven’t finished it yet. This is a book that I’ve enjoyed just picking away at occasionally, relishing the chance to experience John Madden as something other than the BOOM-TOUGH-ACTIN’-TINACTIN spokesman, and to understand why the Raiders’ lack of recent success isn’t so much laughable as it is pitiable.

The Fall of the House of Zeus by Curtis Wilkie (Crown, October 19, 2010)

“. . . [Mike] Moore built name recognition by challenging the Jackson County [Pascagoula] Bosses.”

“One of them was the legendary Eddie Khayat, known on the Gulf Coast as ‘The Godfather’ long before Francis Ford Coppola made his sequence of movies with that name. Not only was Khayat the president of the Jackson County Board of Supervisors, but he had long led the statewide association of supervisors, acting as chief representative for their interests in the state legislature. He was the ultimate insider, a fixture in the vast political constellation established by Senator James Eastland.” (8)

After Hurricane Frederick, Khayat “deployed county workers and public equipment to clear private property, repair private roads, and install culverts contrary to law. It was the old-fashioned approach to government, but the new district attorney, Mike Moore, found it unacceptable and was willing to confront the system.” (9)

“Moore indicted Khayat on eight counts of misusing public property . . . Khayat fought the charges for a while, but in the end, he agreed to plead guilty to a misdemeanor…” (9-10)

“[Scruggs’s] homeroom teacher [ninth grade] turned out to be the Godfather’s son, Robert Khayat . . . (21) In a way, Khayat, eight years older, represented the big brother Scruggs never had. Dickie called Khayat ‘Coach’. He used the honorific for decades . . .” (22)

“Appealing for leniency from Judge Biggers, the Scruggs Law Firm defendants mobilized a letter-writing campaign among their friends.” (314)

“. . . the letter that generated the most interest came from Scruggs’s old friend Robert Khayat. Writing on the university’s letterhead stationery, Khayat cited Scruggs’s ‘compassion and generosity’ and ended with a proposal:

‘It is my belief that any time he spends being incarcerated is an absolute waste of a great deal of talent and ability. He has much to offer society and is a public-spirited person. Furthermore, it would appear to be a waste of tax payers’ money. Punishment is relative to the individual. A man such as Dick has been amply punished by the loss of his profession and public stature.'” (315)

The Fall of the House of Zeus by Curtis Wilkie goes on sale October 19th.

We hope to see you at the signing/reading event with Curtis Wilkie on Thursday, October 21st, but if you cannot attend, you can reserve a signed copy online.

Click here to open an account on our website and we can save your information for future visits to LemuriaBooks.com.

You can also call the bookstore at 601/800.366.7619 and we can put your name on our reserve list.

Read other excerpts from The Fall of the House of Zeus.

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You may not know this about me (or I don’t know, maybe you do), but in addition to English literature, I majored in French while in college.  Whenever people ask me why, all I can tell them is…well, I just really like French, the language, the culture, everything.  I’m a Francophile.

So, if you’re anything like me, you might be interested to know that Lemuria has an interesting selection of books for French-loving people.  Here are a few of my recent favorites:

1.  The Flea Markets of France by Sandy Price (photographs by Emily Laxer)

This book lives in our travel section on France.  Though I can’t necessarily afford to go back to France in the near future, I still really enjoyed looking at Laxer’s beautiful photographs and reading Price’s research about where the great French flea markets are and what each has to offer.  And when the day of my next trip to France finally arrives, I’ll know that the Marché Vernaison in Paris is where the real ambiance can be found (as well as a nice assortment of linens, lace, jewelry, toys, books, clocks, lamps, etc., etc.).  Can you tell I’m already looking forward to this indeterminate date?

2. Parisians: An Adventure History of Paris by Graham Robb

Next up, a history book.  I mean, how could I resist this one?  Its title is Parisians: An Adventure History of Paris.  Adventure. In Paris.  The first sentence of the dust jacket sold me: “This it the Paris you never knew. From the Revolution to the present, Graham Robb has distilled a series of astonishing true narratives, all stranger than fiction…” I haven’t had a chance to dive into this one just yet, but I really can’t wait to learn more about Marie Antoinette, Napoleon Bonaparte, and Charles de Gaulle…and just what they were up to that was “stranger than fiction” in La Ville-Lumière (City of Light).

3. Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

Last but not least is the graphic novel Persepolis.  This book (or series of books) has gotten some attention after the French animated film that was made from them won the Jury Prize at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival and was also nominated for an Academy Award.  This graphic novel is not set in France, but was written by French writer Marjane Satrapi who was born in Iran.  The graphic novel chronicles her life growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution.  So, funny, political comics by a French writer who provides fascinating insight into the Islamic Revolution and daily life in Iran–need I say more?  If you’re a fan of Persepolis, don’t miss out on Satrapi’s other graphic novels–Persepolis 2, Embroideries, and Chicken with Plums.

À demain!  -Kaycie

While reorganizing my Film/MTV section this week, I came across a book on the Dance and Musicals shelf. Hidden out of sight and wrapped in shrink wrap, I found two copies of Lea Vergine’s Body Art and Performance.

Flipping through this documented history, I recognized several faces—mostly on account of super saturating my undergraduate schedule with art history. Vergine has compiled key works from sixty artists who have given the Performance Art movement its momentum. She also provides a statement of response from each artist on each profile. Some artists’ texts are humorous, some are incoherent, much reflecting the wide range of what is expected from live performance art. Exemplifying the ideals of the performance art mode, these profiled projects are process obsessed! The artist tries to present the common or the unusual, the sacred or the base, all from a perspective that yields a new look on the subject matter.

The viewer is also encouraged to take part in the study of less widely accepted art forms, such as body language and gestures. One profile that intrigued me is Terry Fox’s 1973 performance piece “yield.” A busy installation set over two rooms, the observer is taken through a reconstructed labyrinth from Chartres, leading to a living floor-bound skeleton made of flour. Parts of the skeleton have started to mold and the viewer is asked the considered the process of death and living of the constructed reality.

His explanation coupled with pictures, I feel that I have gathered a sense of the scene’s original impact, and an idea of his thoughts on arrangement of space. There’s one left on the shelf! Grab it before it goes and suspends itself from hooks from the ceiling or rips it pages in half, or something else graphic and (hopefully) poignant that defined the performance art movement in the 50s, 60s and 70s.

Hopson Plantation is the home of the annual Pinetop Perkins Birthday Celebration–taking place this Sunday.

Pinetop was the piano player for Muddy Waters’ legendary blues band from Belzoni and drove a tractor on Hopson in the 1940s. With a vibrant and legendary career at the age of 97, Pinetop has recently been honored with a 2011 Governor’s Award for Lifetime Achievement.

The Sunday after Helena (Arkansas Blues Fest– the Biscuit) is a fine gathering all around the acclaimed Shack Up Inn in Clarksdale. Lawn chairs, constant music, flowing beverage with BBQ are part of this very cool scene. This special Sunday is usually visited by some of the best Biscuit blues players jamming together impromptu. I’ve seen marvelous performances by Michael Burks and of course the maestro Pinetop on keyboards is always a special treat.

One year I was given a gift, a piece of unique artwork by Chris Kruse signed by Pinetop, who if he’s up to it will autograph and be chariot-ed around Shack Up, visiting with all from a golf cart.

This Sunday in Clarksdale will also be alive with music sponsored by the incomparable Cathead Music Store (where you can buy Kruse’s art). Managed by pal Roger Stolle, the festivities will take over Delta Drive with the live music of the Cat Head Mini Fest. Big Red takes care of the BBQ.

Spend the evening time at Red’s Juke Joint with the Post-Biscuit blues jam featuring the Corn Lickers and guests. This scene is a blast for those with any energy left or no Monday AM obligations.

This weekend is a major Delta-time event with four full days of blues fun embellishing all aspects of musical comradeship.

Click here to see all of our blogs on Mississippi State of Blues.

Ken Murphy and Scott Barretta will be signing at Lemuria on Thursday, November 11th.

Reserve your copy online or call the bookstore 601/800.366.7619.

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