Brandon Sullivan answers thirteen questions in a Booker's Dozen.
BS: I have a few at the moment. I’ve just started Operation Demetrius and its Aftermath by Martin McCleery. Riveting read so far, dense with detail about internment, not just the military aspect, but the political machinations in the background. I’ve almost finished a book called Malice in Wonderland, by Tom Lange and Robert Souza. They’re LAPD detectives, who were involved in the OJ Simpson investigation. But this book is about an infamous quadruple murder on Wonderland Avenue in LA. And, to try to remedy my appalling lack of female authored input, I’ve got Scabby Queen by Kirstin Innes.
TPQ: Best and worst books you have ever read?
BS: This is difficult to answer. I’m not quite sure I would say it’s the best book that I’ve ever read, but one that can be re-read at different stages in life and be appreciated in different ways is American Psycho. To me, it’s a bit like the music of The Doors –stand-alone art that can say anything, everything or nothing to you, depending on what else is going on for you at the time.
The worst book that I’ve ever read … Killing for Britain, by John Black, about which the Balaclava Street blog said:
No time should be wasted describing Killing For Britain, the purported memoir of a loyalist who operated on behalf of the MRF. It is only necessary to say that it is fiction, and bad fiction at that.
Nasty, exploitative fiction, too. Iain Turner, the writer behind Balaclava Street, and Dr Gareth Mulvenna, are two of the most engaging and talented writers and historians covering the Troubles as the moment, in my opinion.
TPQ: Book most cherished as a child?
BS: Roald Dahl’s Boy: Tales of Childhood. But I also loved The Elves and the Shoemaker when I was younger.
TPQ: Favourite Childhood author?
BS: Roald Dahl. Reading his books was such a privileged glimpse into the most amazing worlds. I feel sad that many children now-a-days will miss out on the joy of opening a book and being lost in it, opting instead for the distraction and lights of an iPad or equivalent.
TPQ: First book to really own you?
BS: Papillion, such adventure, and such a vivid translation. I loved every moment of it, and was disappointed with later revelations about its authenticity. Another book, The Holocaust Kingdom, by Alexander Donat, introduced me to a different world, and a remarkable true story. I urge any readers with an interest in WW2 to look a copy out.
TPQ: Book most cherished as a child?
BS: Roald Dahl’s Boy: Tales of Childhood. But I also loved The Elves and the Shoemaker when I was younger.
TPQ: Favourite Childhood author?
BS: Roald Dahl. Reading his books was such a privileged glimpse into the most amazing worlds. I feel sad that many children now-a-days will miss out on the joy of opening a book and being lost in it, opting instead for the distraction and lights of an iPad or equivalent.
TPQ: First book to really own you?
BS: Papillion, such adventure, and such a vivid translation. I loved every moment of it, and was disappointed with later revelations about its authenticity. Another book, The Holocaust Kingdom, by Alexander Donat, introduced me to a different world, and a remarkable true story. I urge any readers with an interest in WW2 to look a copy out.
TPQ: Favourite male and female author?
BS: I’m going to do the typical Booker’s Dozen thing and cheat and say more than one. Ian S Wood’s books are fantastic, detailed, histories. He’s also a wonderful man who I am pleased to call a friend. Anthony Beevor’s work is likewise solid, rich history – I always look forward to his latest work. A current favourite author, despite having just read his debut, and so far only, novel is Graeme Armstrong. The Young Team is an absolute triumph. A riveting book that has reawakened my interest in non-fiction. Trainspotting detailed various subcultures in the 80s, I lived and breathed versions of them in the 90s, and Armstrong captured the 00s in prose as rich, engrossing and relatable as Irvine Welsh did. I simply cannot recommend The Young Team enough. For me, it’s on a par with McNamee’s Resurrection Man.
To my eternal shame, I can’t think of a favourite female author, or, indeed, the last book I read that was written by a woman! I loved Alone in Berlin, however.
TPQ: A preference for fact or fiction?
BS: Whoever is reading this might have picked up by now that fact is by far my preference. But I see my lack of fiction reading as something that needs to be worked on.
TPQ: Biography, autobiography or memoir that most impressed you?
BS: It is a collection of biographies, but Alcoholics Anonymous (also known as “The Big Book”), the “Bible of AA” by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith didn’t impress as such, but it definitely changed my life, and possibly saved it, by being a major part of me achieving sobriety. It has many flaws, being written in the 30s being one of them, but it is incredible how much is relatable so many decades later. A kind man at my first AA meeting gave me his copy. For the alcoholic, the stories are so vivid and real, knowing that people lived that way long before I was born, and found a way out, was such an inspiration.
TPQ: Any author or book you point blank refuse to read?
BS: Warren Farrell – show me the unpleasant, woman-fixated, anti-feminist troll, and you can be sure The Myth of Male Power is in his bedroom. Jordan Peterson is someone else whose books I will never read – I actually think that most of what he writes is probably perfectly OK – it’s just that the elements that are offensive to some are what has made him a hero to many. Noam Chomsky was the academic rock star when I was younger. Jordan Peterson is todays. I think that that is a terrible, terrible shame.
TPQ: A book to share with somebody so that they would more fully understand you?
BS: This is a tricky question. Alcoholics Anonymous might help them understand me up until age 27. After that… Probably just various Life & Style and/or Review pull out sections from The Guardian.
BS: I’m going to do the typical Booker’s Dozen thing and cheat and say more than one. Ian S Wood’s books are fantastic, detailed, histories. He’s also a wonderful man who I am pleased to call a friend. Anthony Beevor’s work is likewise solid, rich history – I always look forward to his latest work. A current favourite author, despite having just read his debut, and so far only, novel is Graeme Armstrong. The Young Team is an absolute triumph. A riveting book that has reawakened my interest in non-fiction. Trainspotting detailed various subcultures in the 80s, I lived and breathed versions of them in the 90s, and Armstrong captured the 00s in prose as rich, engrossing and relatable as Irvine Welsh did. I simply cannot recommend The Young Team enough. For me, it’s on a par with McNamee’s Resurrection Man.
To my eternal shame, I can’t think of a favourite female author, or, indeed, the last book I read that was written by a woman! I loved Alone in Berlin, however.
TPQ: A preference for fact or fiction?
BS: Whoever is reading this might have picked up by now that fact is by far my preference. But I see my lack of fiction reading as something that needs to be worked on.
TPQ: Biography, autobiography or memoir that most impressed you?
BS: It is a collection of biographies, but Alcoholics Anonymous (also known as “The Big Book”), the “Bible of AA” by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith didn’t impress as such, but it definitely changed my life, and possibly saved it, by being a major part of me achieving sobriety. It has many flaws, being written in the 30s being one of them, but it is incredible how much is relatable so many decades later. A kind man at my first AA meeting gave me his copy. For the alcoholic, the stories are so vivid and real, knowing that people lived that way long before I was born, and found a way out, was such an inspiration.
TPQ: Any author or book you point blank refuse to read?
BS: Warren Farrell – show me the unpleasant, woman-fixated, anti-feminist troll, and you can be sure The Myth of Male Power is in his bedroom. Jordan Peterson is someone else whose books I will never read – I actually think that most of what he writes is probably perfectly OK – it’s just that the elements that are offensive to some are what has made him a hero to many. Noam Chomsky was the academic rock star when I was younger. Jordan Peterson is todays. I think that that is a terrible, terrible shame.
TPQ: A book to share with somebody so that they would more fully understand you?
BS: This is a tricky question. Alcoholics Anonymous might help them understand me up until age 27. After that… Probably just various Life & Style and/or Review pull out sections from The Guardian.
TPQ: Last book you gave as a present?
BS: The Young Team by Graeme Armstrong, to a friend I want to talk to about it.
TPQ: Book you would most like to see turned into a movie?
BS: Killing Rage, by Eamon Collins with Mick McGovern. One of the best books to come out of the troubles, and a truly fascinating story. It would have to be done properly, and without sensationalism. It could easily be a terrible film, but has the potential to be an excellent one.
TPQ: A "must read" you intend getting to before you die?
BS: Tolstoy’s War and Peace, or Joyce’s Ulysses. Or, indeed, any of the classics.
Nice piece and very honest account of how AA Big Book helped you Brandon. I think one of the beauties of reading in general, fact or fiction, is we find out whatever we're going through, someone has been there before us, and survived!
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