Books

Kelly: More Than My Share of It All

Kelly Johnson tells his story, focusing on his time running Lockheed’s vaunted Skunk Works.

This is a full autobiography, not just a memoir of his Skunk Works days, but it’s all captivating. The meat of it covers the birth of Skunk Works up until the handoff to Ben Rich.

If you’re planning on reading both (you should!), read this one first. If you’re only going to read one, read Ben Rich’s Skunk Works.

One of the strongest markers of Skunk Works’ magic is that it worked at peak level under two different leaders. Had it thrived only under one or the other, I’d chalk it up as attributable to the influence of a charismatic leader. But surviving the transition of power reveals an influential team culture independent of leadership. So read both books. 

This book is heavier on human interest stuff than Ben Rich’s, and if you’re a sucker for stories about Depression kids making big impacts, you’ll love it, even if you’re not into aviation.

Five stars

Lord of the Flies 

A bunch of boys stranded on an island descend into absolute savagery. 

I remember liking this in middle school, but low key dismissing it as trite assigned reading slop. Wowow this time it knocked me out. It has the character and feeling of timeless mythology, but from a modern perspective. 

It’s extremely misanthropic, and the only sympathetic characters are proxies for civilization and reason. It makes a convincing case that we should not take the cultural and system-level checks on human nature for granted. 

Watching Ralph lose his grip on the situation is more relatable as a dad of three boys. Watching Jack become a cruel tyrant is more plausible for the same reason. 

The symbols, like the conch and glasses, fit naturally into the story but they’re also clear enough that you don’t need to be let in on the secret. 

And the prose is good, too, which never hurts. 

Five stars by any standard. A timeless, unmissable classic.

the backstory includes many years teaching schoolboys 
(imo “schoolmaster” gives the game away)

the backstory includes many years teaching schoolboys 
(imo “schoolmaster” gives the game away)
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p03m0vl3