Nicholas Griffin (2) (1971–)

A well-narrated and thoroughly-sourced history of the triple threats posed to the people of Miami in 1980: police violence and the widespread and deadly rioting in reaction to it, the explosive growth of the cocaine trade, and the influx of refugees from Cuba (with more than a little troublemaking from Castro and company). A very interesting urban history and a well-realized picture of a time forty years ago when technology and cultural trends were in man ways different, but human nature was much the same. I was struck how a lack of empathy creates such misery for our fellow human beings in a variety of ways, from the police officers who beat a man to death to the rioters who targeted passersby and "outsiders" for savage and gruesome physical attacks, to the people willing to make money off drug addiction and the plight of refugees.… (plus d'informations)

This is the story of a year in the life of a city--Miami, 1980--told through several lenses: race, immigration, and drugs.

Shortly before the year began, a motorcycle chase ended when the young black rider, a former Marine, was brutally beaten by a number of Miami police officers, who then tried to cover up their crime by trying to it look like a motorcycle accident. The young man died from massive skull fractures, and early in 1980 several police officers went on trial. When they were acquitted, the Liberty City area of Miami erupted in massive riots. Dozens of people were killed, including random tourists who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The riots had barely subsided in the spring of 1980 when Castro announced that he would allow Cubans to leave from port of Mariel. Hordes of people descended on Key West and attempted to charter boats to go to Mariel to pick up relatives. President Jimmy Carter waffled on what the US response should be, but private boats, many unsuited for open ocean transport, began transporting Cubans from Mariel. Not infrequently boats ran into trouble, capsized, and a fair number of refugees died. Nevertheless, over the next several weeks, upwards of 120,000 Cuban refugees arrived at Key West, most to be transported to Miami and absorbed into the Cuban community there. It was later revealed that Castro had released criminals from prison and mental health patients from institutions and transported them to Mariel to be "exported" to the US. Almost all of these refugees, forever known as "Marielistas", became Miami's problem

And, about the same time, on top of the race and immigration problems, Colombian drug lords were beginning to take over the streets of Miami. One drug lord, for example, had 25 hit men in Miami, and 5 or 6 murders a day was not uncommon, many of them blatant, daylight, in plain sight hits. The drug lords also generated massive amounts of cash, which was good for Miami's economy (though bad in so many other ways). We follow one of the money launderers for the drug lords, who made the rounds every day with suitcases full of cash to several banks.

With all this going on, we also get glimpses of the mayor of Miami, who at the time was attempting to place Miami as an international power and financial center for South America and the Caribbean.

This was a fascinating and engrossing book. It is nonfiction, but reads like a thriller. I wasn't expecting to like it as much as I did. It is one I highly recommend.

4 stars… (plus d'informations)

This is a very entertaining book that almost lives up to its title. It covers the evolution of ping pong as an international sport in the 20th century, particularly in east Asia. It is very entertaining and sometimes quite informative, but it rambles A LOT. Be prepared for a winding path.

Griffin's main protagonist is Ivor Montagu, who was the son of a British lord who became a Communist and then the head of international ping pong, which he saw a means to push his political agenda. Montagu is a fascinating figure, which makes Griffin's rambling through his life and his associates enjoyable. Montagu though ping pong was the perfect Communist game because it could be played in factories. It was also useful as propaganda because it could cross borders and was not overtly political. At its best, Montagu used it to support the PRC get recognition by recognizing its right to play, eventually banning Taiwan and then allowing the PRC to host the world championships.

Montagu's life, while interesting and taking up the majority of the book, is still more a sidetrack. The meat of the book is how ping pong became important in China, which Griffin explains in detail. Although it was played often before WWII, Montagu's decision to let the PRC host the World Championships in 1961 was a major turning point for the sports importance. The Chinese government invested a huge amount of resources in finding players, training them full-time and scouting the opposition (the best team at the time was Japan). As a result, they won the championship. What is striking is how the Chinese were controlling the story, letting journalists in Beijing at the height of the Great Leap Forward, but shielding them from the worst effects of it. Griffin shows the ping pong championship as a propaganda coup for the Chinese both at home and abroad and a way to distract from the increasingly obvious failure of the GLF.

The ping pong team would not escape the Cultural Revolution so easily. Many of their members were persecuted, including their star Zhuang Zedong. Zhuang, however, eventually connected with Jiang Qing and was used to persecute others. The team itself was basically under house arrest. They were accused of seeking personal glory and working with imperialists. Their biggest supporter amongst the central committee, He Long, was purged while Zhou Enlai, also a major supporter, was on the defensive. That changed in 1970, when the worst effects of the Cultural Revolution had been toned down. Zhou had gained a stronger position and wanted to use the team to reach out to the world.

This led to the famed meeting between Zhuang and Glen Cowan at the 1971 World Championships in Tokyo. This meeting led to the diplomatic breakthrough between China and the US the following year. Griffin makes a surprising assertion here. He suggests that Zhuang, possibly with Zhou's connivance, set up the meeting on purpose. Most thing I have seen accept it as a happy accident, but Griffin says that Zhuang was too politically savvy to take such a big chance without having thought it through. And he had a gift ready. Cowan was known as a leftist and was the easiest target on the team. Furthermore, the bus left as soon as Cowan was on it, suggesting that they were waiting for him. Finally, Griffin heaps great praise on Zhou throughout the book and sees this as the subtle approach that Zhou would have used to navigate the political problems that an openly political exchange would have brought. I wasn't totally convinced by the argument, but it made me consider the possibilities.

After that, Griffin details the trip to China and how it was stage managed. He also shows the return trip to the US, where the US ping pong team was almost completely ignored, while the press covered the Chinese team almost exclusively. He has some interesting points, such as when the Chinese team would protest statements that Americans would consider pretty benign, like references to Jesus. He also has some interesting points on tracing the lives of some of the members of the team. Cowan had a brief bit of celebrity, including his own talk show, but that soon faded, causing him bouts of depression his whole life. Zhuang would be purged after the Cultural Revolution because of his close ties with Jiang Qing but would later be reinstated and make some recovery of his political position.

This is an excellent book for a general reader. It isn't particularly well-documented, although it does cite sources for its big assertions, so it might leave a specialist wanting more detail on where he got his information from. Overall, it is by far the best account I have read about the day-to-day events of ping pong diplomacy. It is also keeps the big picture in mind of how this sport actually "changed the world". My only reservations about the book are the inconsistent citations and the rambling nature of the first half. It made for great reading, but I would have liked something a little more focused.… (plus d'informations)