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Butler’s 500th
By
Published: May 20, 2009
Category:
Beyond Classification
Butler’s 500th
Careful what you wish for — I asked for suggestions for the 500th review, and several hundred of you had at least one. I read, I watched, I listened, I collapsed. And, at length, I decided. My criterion: Most of you are more interested in books than music or movies, thus a book should win First Prize. After that: anything goes. Well, a weird thing happened: One reader won both First Prize and half of Third. Believe me: I’m not related to Koen Vossen. It’s not even likely we’ve passed one another on the street — Koen is a 24-year-old studying computer science in Eindhoven, Holland. Again, thank you — all of you — for entering.
FIRST PRIZE
Koen Vossen, Eindhoven, Holland, for The Art of Travel, by Alain de Botton. This book defies classification — one of de Botton’s heroes of travel never leaves his bedroom — but Koen’s suggestion absolutely nailed some key HeadButler.com values: looking at the world with fresh eyes, thinking for yourself, delivering a message with style, wit and (far from least) brevity.
SECOND PRIZE
Mary Murphy, New York City, for Dangerous Liasons, directed by Stephen Frears. Glenn Close and John Malkovich play 18th century French aristocrats who behave like — well, 18th century French aristocrats. This delightful amorality play is witty, fun to look at, thought-provoking. And what an all-star cast: Glenn Close, John Malkovich, Michelle Pfeiffer, Uma Thurman, Swoosie Kurtz, Keanu Reeves.
THIRD PRIZE
Sue Bachmann, Long Beach, California, for Songbird, by Eva Cassidy. You may know Eva Cassidy for biographical reasons: She’s dead. It’s easy to get sentimental about her. Sue Bachmann, a college professor, reminded me of Eva’s underlying talent.
Koen Vossen, for Magic Potion, by The Black Keys. Enough internationalism, enough esoterica. Let’s hear it for two guys from Akron, Ohio: a drummer and a guitarist. They’re loud, raw, nasty — I’d say they represent the best of the heartland if they didn’t remind me so much of a stripped-down Led Zep.
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IN YOUR HONOR: HeadButler.com is not just about consuming the best. It’s about using what we learn from the best. I couldn’t celebrate 500 without acknowledging the help you’ve given to the less fortunate — to say nothing of the intangible contributions you’ve made to my life. When I read Nicholas Kristof’s column, “You, Too, Can Be a Banker to the Poor”, in The New York Times, I knew exactly how to honor the Butler community: I took one minute and made microcredit loans in our name to two small businesswomen: Emilia Kesewa of Ghana and Alla Mischenko of the Ukraine. Want to become a microcredit banker? Go to www.kiva.org. Don’t know about microcredit? Suggestion for your next book: Banker to the Poor, by Muhammad Yunus, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.
