FDR is one of those figures that towers over American and to some extent world history. Yet, I was surprised at how little I knew about the man. DespiFDR is one of those figures that towers over American and to some extent world history. Yet, I was surprised at how little I knew about the man. Despite having a degree in history, my knowledge of him could be summarized in a very short list: only four term President of the U.S., sponsored the New Deal, and led the States through the Great Depression and the Second World War. True, that's a big list of accomplishments for any leader, but I just knew it must only scratch the surface.
Part of what led me to read this monstrously huge biography (it clocks in at a modest 1164 pages!) was to flesh out my superficial understanding of the man. The other part was my disgust at the events on January 6, 2021. How did we go from the progressive, forward looking policies of the 30s (that gave us Social Security, the SEC, the WPA, brought electricity to much of rural America, and more) to a set of regressive politics that led directly to the storming of the capital? What was I missing?
Long story short, I'm very glad I read this book. It was an excellent and comprehensive survey of the man's life and times. Like any good biography, you feel as if you know the subject by the time you are finished reading. It also expands your knowledge of their life and times. At times you will feel great respect for them, and at other times disappointment. Critically for me, I think it helped answer some of my questions.
FDR was a charismatic, visionary man. Sometimes branded a "traitor to his class," he saw the poverty and struggles of the ordinary people around him and wanted to do something about it. Much of rural America (especially in the South) was without electricity and plumbing. Most people could not afford to retire and lived in abject poverty. His fundamental desire to resolve these and other problems led directly to solutions that improved the lives of ordinary people. It also galvanized support behind the his party leading to years of Democratic domination of Congress and the Presidency.
So what happened? Fundamentally, to get his agenda passed, FDR had to make a deal with the more repressive side of US politics. In particular, he had to placate the Dixiecrats (Southern Democrats). This is why he could get some things done but not others. For example, the Tennessee Valley Authority was created because what Southern Senator or Congressman didn't want to bring electricity to their constituents? On the other hand, shaking hands with Jesse Owens or cracking down on lynchings ("states' rights!") was not possible as it would've cost his coalition the support of those same Dixiecrats. I think it is this dark seam in US politics that we saw on January 6th. There are, sadly, those people that are threatened by change.
Looking at this bind FDR was in also led to a series of engaging (often heated) discussions with friends and family. (Definitely a sign of a good read!) Does FDR's refusal to do more for the African American community make him less of a great man? Personally, I don't think so. You can't evaluate people who lived in the past by the standard's of today. It doesn't make his inaction right, but it makes it understandable. To confront the racism of his day (and the 30s are significantly closer to the Civil War than to the present) would've destroyed the Democratic party and spelled the end of the New Deal. He was in a bind and he played the cards he was dealt. Further, he did what he could when he could. Millions of African Americans were directly benefited by his programs, and, as the US war machine was ramping up in the late 30s, he ended racial discrimination in any company that did business with the Federal Government. (Additionally, it is worth noting that his wife, Eleanor, was very active in advocating and working for the rights of African Americans.)
The war is another gargantuan aspect of his Presidency. Unlike so many other leaders (both inside and outside the US) he saw the storm clouds gathering over Europe and Asia. Despite the strong isolationist movement, he quietly began re-arming the US and preparing to assist Britain (and the USSR). It is not an understatement to say that his at the time controversial Lend-Lease program saved the United Kingdom from capitulating to Nazi Germany in 1940 (and the USSR in 1941).
All of this only touches the man. He was an inventive, charismatic campaigner. For example, he won his first election by driving around upstate New York. At the time, the law required cars to stop for carriages. So he stopped for every carriage and used it as an opportunity to personally connect with a voter. He also connected directly with voters via his Fire Side Chats on the radio. Layered on top of this, he was a master of the political machine and used political patronage like a scalpel. I could go on and on with more accomplishments and firsts, but I'm getting tired of writing (and you might be getting tired of reading my thoughts).
In summary, this was a very good biography of FDR. If you want to learn more about the man, this is a good read. It was thick, but well written and engaging. I appreciated the use of letters and telegraphs to flesh things out.
Warm Bodies does what 90% of zombie books cannot manage to do. The book gives the reader something new, interesting, and a twist on an often stale genWarm Bodies does what 90% of zombie books cannot manage to do. The book gives the reader something new, interesting, and a twist on an often stale genre. (In that regard, it reminded me of the Girl with All the Gifts.)
The book follows the story of R, a somewhat troubled member of the undead hordes. R is troubled because he is, well, feeling things. And having thoughts. These are things that are simply not to be done as a member of the undead hordes in good standing. That sort of thing quickly leads to ideas. And that is precisely what happens to R.
R latches on to a young woman, but rather than enjoy a wholesome serving of brains, he keeps her and protects her from the other zombies. This sparks a series of events that leads to an epic confrontation between the undead (particularly the Boneys) and the living.
And that is what I liked about the book. It offered a unique twist on the often painfully stale zombie genre. We have a story from the perspective of the undead, and also a story that humanizes them. (It's also a fun take on the whole boy meets girl story line.)
Bread is a staple of civilization. It's quite literally biblical. It's part of religious ceremonies. It's also incredibly destructive. Wheat today mayBread is a staple of civilization. It's quite literally biblical. It's part of religious ceremonies. It's also incredibly destructive. Wheat today may very well be killing us slowly. Davis explores how something so good and a staple of life could also be so bad.
Davis makes a compelling case.
First, he reminds us that so long as you have elevated levels of the energy storage hormone (insulin) circulating in your system, you will store energy. (And if your liver and muscles are full up on sugar then that means it goes to fat!) It turns out that a piece of bread spikes your insulin more than an equivalent amount of sugar. That's right. Eating wheat is more fattening than sugar! (To be fair, this was probably not a bad development 10,000 years ago when food could be scarce. Consuming something that fattened you up was likely very desirable as a hedge against periods of scarcity.)
Next, he highlights how the grains we are consuming today bear little resemblance to the grains that our ancient forebearers (or even grandparents) consumed. The world’s wheat crop was transformed in the 1950s and 60s in the “Green Revolution.� The resulting grain has far more chromosomes than the ancient strains. We also produce most of our wheat in highly industrial (i.e., contaminated with herbicides and pesticides and other toxins) farms.
Davis hypothesizes that the resulting Frankenwheat's glutens are unrecognizable to our (already damaged and weakened due to antibiotics and a poor diet) gut microbiome. The result? Partially digested proteins make it into our system thereby stimulating inflammation and a systemic immune system response. So, in addition to spiking blood sugar, wheat carries special damaging qualities that contribute to an overall dysfunctional metabolism.
Throughout his book, Davis brings in stories of his patients and their often remarkable turn in health. I find these to be very compelling and help make his case. Of course, piling on top of this is my own experience. About two years ago I began cutting out sugar and simple carbohydrates. (I was eating a standard American diet). Over the course of roughly six months I lost 60+ lbs and saw dramatic improvement in all my blood chemistry. I also notices that a variety of minor, chronic ailments disappeared or got dramatically better!
Four stars out of five. Davis makes the case and he's entertaining, but I was already a believer. Wheat is not the benign staple that the FDA, USDA, and Kraft, Kellogg's and other food companies say it is. Thanks to agribusiness and aggressive breeding, it should be a rare treat if consumed at all. Lose the wheat, lose the weight!
Over the past two years I've been on a bit of 'walk-about' in exploring how to optimize my health through diet. Often, you'll hear the refrain "eat reOver the past two years I've been on a bit of 'walk-about' in exploring how to optimize my health through diet. Often, you'll hear the refrain "eat real food" or "eat food that your grandmother would've recognized."
A year ago, I interpreted this advice as eating unprocessed foods, lots of healthy fats and vegetables with some eggs, dairy tossed in along with 'healthy' grains every now and again. As I explored this, I kept bumping into a couple of demons: GMO crops (mainly corn and soy) and glyphosate (i.e., Roundup).
GMO crops are generally GMO'd for one reason - to enable the direct application of glyphosate on the crops w/o killing the food plants. In the case of wheat (and Oats and other grains) glyphosate is often sprayed on the crops as a desiccant, i.e., it allows the farmers to better predict and manage harvesting the crops. So, if we're eating corn, wheat, or soy, we're also getting a healthy does of glyphosate.
In addition to killing weeds, this chemical is a potent antibacterial that damages both the delicate microbiome in our soils, but also our own gut microbiome. And the damage to our gut contributes to inflammation that leads to all sorts of metabolic illness. Worse yet, this chemical is water soluble. That means it is everywhere. In the US it has been detected at high levels in drinking water, mother's breast milk, umbilical blood, and even the rain! (Monsanto truly is The Umbrella Corporation).
Carey's book documents all of the above, but more interesting to me, she documents the deception and corruption in the EPA, USDA and scientific journals. Long story short, there are tremendous financial incentives to continue using glyphosate. Industrial farming of mono-cultures is extremely profitable. Executives in both the agricultural and chemical sectors place tremendous pressure on regulatory agencies, the politicians running the agencies in turn pressure or craft the final results.
I know many people will argue that GMOs are enabling us to feed the world. I urge the skeptics to look into this for themselves. There are number of odd correlations out there around glyphosate - the rise in autism is correlated to the rise in autism, Alzheimer's disease, and more. I know that correlation is not causation, but I prefer to not take the chance. No GMOs and glyphosate for me, thank you very much.
Three stars out of five. Good stuff, but kind of dry. ...more
I'm a bit of a Heinlein fan, but for whatever reason only his most accessible stuff - Starship Troopers and The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. I'd never quI'm a bit of a Heinlein fan, but for whatever reason only his most accessible stuff - Starship Troopers and The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. I'd never quite tackled this one. It was always kind of a bit intimidating for some reason. Without a doubt, this book has one of the most evocative titles of all time. It is quite literally biblical in nature. When you start there, you are setting the bar high. And this book delivers in spades.
Stranger in a Strange Land is the story of a man, Valentine Michael Smith, raised by Martians and then returned to Earth. He is roughly 30 years of age but doesn't know what it means to be human. Through Smith, we explore all sorts of social norms - relationships, conflict, friendship, religion, crime, politics, and more. The results are sometimes funny, sometimes tragic, but always intriguing.
I don't want to give away more other than to say the story's ending was both a little predictable and very satisfying. About 100 pages out I knew exactly where we were going, but I didn't care. I wanted to go there with Smith.
Five stars out of five. A great read and a classic of science fiction.
Side note: I've been a convert to digital books for about 5-6 years ever since I had to move. (Boxes of books are heavy!) At the urging of a close friend and the need to fill some empty bookshelves, I decided to pick up a nice hardcover version of this book. And, over the course of a trip, I read an actual physical book. What a pleasure! It is a very different experience than an ebook. I won't be giving up the ebooks anytime soon, but I'll definitely be reading more physical books again!...more
As a middle aged man, I went to the doctor a couple of years ago and he read the riot act at me. My LDL was too high. Rather than blindly accept his rAs a middle aged man, I went to the doctor a couple of years ago and he read the riot act at me. My LDL was too high. Rather than blindly accept his recommendation to take statins to lower my cholesterol numbers, I decided to research how to improve my health naturally - without medications.
This book adds much needed perspective to the question that many middle aged people ask themselves - what do these cholesterol numbers really mean, and do I really need to take an expensive drug (from Big Pharma) to lower my cholesterol numbers? Long story short, cholesterol is a passenger rather than a driver of cardiovascular disease. Lower cholesterol via meds is a complete scam and likely counter-productive.
To be fair, these are pretty bold statements and I'm not a MD or PhD or researcher. But Bowden makes a pretty compelling case. First and foremost, the author lays out the scam that Big Pharma is playing on all of us. There is a critical difference between absolute and relative risk.
Suppose you track 100 middle aged men over 5 years. Two of them will have a heart attack. Now give those same 100 men a statin. Only one will have a heart attack. That's an amazing 50% reduction in heart attacks, right? Wrong. It's a 1% absolute reduction in risk. The pharmaceutical companies promote the relative risk reduction because it sounds AMAZING and they make loads of money selling statins; however, the absolute risk reduction is negligible given the side effects of statins. Worse yet, the absolute risk of type 2 diabetes goes up 5% (as I recall from the book) when you take statins! Do you really want to reduce your risk of heart disease by 1% and suffer all sorts of side effects (including muscle pain, weakness, ED, and more) only to increase your risk of diabetes by 5%? Hell no.
Also worth bringing up in that LDL is a blanket term that covers both 'good' LDL and 'dangerous' high-density LDL. Without understanding the nature of the LDL in a particular person's blood, you have no idea of whether or not that LDL is healthy or unhealthy.
At the end of the day, LDL is a passenger. If you have high triglycerides, low HDL, and other markers of cardiovascular/metabolic disease, you need to attack the root cause: inflammation. The standard American diet (high simple carbohydrates, vegetable oils, factory farmed meats and dairy) is causing chronic inflammation and drives insulin resistance in the body.
The answer is redonkulously simple: eat real food. Eat food that your great grandparents would've recognized as food. If it's in a box, has plastic wrapping, and so on, it is probably not food. It's probably a food product.
Three stars out of five. The book expanded my knowledge of cholesterol and exposed the scam that Big Pharma is pulling on all of us, but it was a book that I was happy to put down in the end. Lots of information and not quite as readable as I had hoped for....more
Divorce and other major life changes make you re-examine many things in life. In 2015 into 2016, standing on the smoldering ruins of my 23-year marriaDivorce and other major life changes make you re-examine many things in life. In 2015 into 2016, standing on the smoldering ruins of my 23-year marriage, I took a hard look at my life and found some things that I needed to change. I was depressed, overweight, and in general not a happy camper. When my General Practitioner gave me a stern talking to and wanted to put me on a bunch of meds, I knew it was time to make a change.
I was working out and doing what the "experts" said you should do, but nothing was working on the weight. So, I started doing my own research. That led me to Jason Fung. His first book, The Obesity Code, led me to Robert Lustig's Fat Chance, and Gary Taubes' excellent book, The Case Against Sugar. (Lustig is a pediatric endocrinologist who treats morbidly obese children, and Taubes is a science journalist).
Long story short, these authors laid out the true drivers of obesity and weight gain - sugar and simple (refined) carbohydrates. It's a hormonal problem rather than a calorie problem. Our bodies handle a 100 calories of Broccoli far differently than a 100 calories of sugar or pasta. (Don't believe the lie that a "calorie is a calorie.")
Sugars and things converted quickly to sugar, spike the hormone insulin and insulin's job is to store energy. Once the liver and muscles are full that means more fat. So long as we have circulating insulin, we cannot burn fat. And by constantly eating carbs and sugar (bagel for breakfast, sandwich for lunch, chips as a snack, pasta at dinner, beer after dinner) we always have insulin in our system.
By dramatically reducing sugar and refined carbohydrates from my life, I lost about 65 lbs in 2016. My blood pressure, cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and fasting blood sugar have all gone to healthy levels. And the weight has remained off. At my last check up my doctor said that I was "his healthiest patient." He also wanted to know what I had done!
The Diabetes Code doesn't really add anything to my knowledge base in terms of health and nutrition, but I read it because I respect the author and it's nice to get a reinforcing message periodically. (It did dwell a bit more on Type 2 Diabetes). If you are really interested in learning more, go out and read Gary Taubes' excellent book The Case Against Sugar. He does a fantastic job of laying out the mess that the Standard American Diet is and how we got to where we are.
Sven, The Old Un, Porta, and the rest of the gang are back.... on the Eastern Front. And, like them, I did not enjoy the experience.
This book followsSven, The Old Un, Porta, and the rest of the gang are back.... on the Eastern Front. And, like them, I did not enjoy the experience.
This book follows the author's first book, Legion of the Damned. It is a much darker story. If not deliberate, I think it is unavoidable. The author's experience as a soldier in the Wehrmacht left him as both a front row observer and an active (albeit unwilling and reluctant) participant on what he knew to be an evil cause.
The story begins in a German city that suffers a horrific fire bombing (Dresden?). The gang is ordered into the city on a rescue and recovery mission. What they witness was absolutely terrible: children burned alive, families suffocated in bomb shelters, the partially melted corpses of indiscriminate humanity. At one point one of the crew shoots and kills burning civilians simply to put them out of their misery. How cleaning up the wreckage of human and witnessing these awful things did not break these men is beyond me. It was hard reading, and I was glad when the story moved on.
From Germany, the guys return to the Eastern Front where, as everyone knows, the fight is not going well. The tide of war has turned against Nazi Germany. There is only a relentless retreat punctuated by furious fighting. In this part of the story, we do get bursts of humor, but even that is tempered. The crew occasionally are lucky enough to find themselves on a quiet sector of the front - maybe even an area where Fritz is on good relations with Ivan. Both sides have an agreement to not shoot at each other. When officers come around, they warn each other and shoot high. This is another tragedy. Neither side (well, the grunts) really wants to fight. The Germans know their regime is evil. The Soviets know their side is bad too. They just want the war to be over and go home.
Unfortunately, neither side gets to go home. Roving bands of SS and over zealous offices kill deserters and leave their bodies hanging as a warning to other potential run-aways. The Soviet political commissars do the same. So the war drags on. And by the winter of 1944-45, it gets truly terrible for Sven and company. The German lines are collapsing. Everyone is streaming to the West and order is breaking down. The only thing that saves them is that the Russians are advancing faster than their supply lines.
Maybe it was just me, but I found this was a hard book to read. The stark reality of war was horrific to read about. As a result, this book lacked the 'fun' of the first. Having said that, I think this book should be mandatory for everyone that ever wants to join the military or go to war. Like Sherman said, war is hell.
War is hell. Sherman said it, but it might just as well have been said by a German tank soldier on the Eastern Front in the Second World War. PartiallWar is hell. Sherman said it, but it might just as well have been said by a German tank soldier on the Eastern Front in the Second World War. Partially auto-biographical, and partly historical fiction, Legion of the Damned is the story of one such soldier, Sven.
Sven isn't an eager soldier. He hates the Nazis. He deserts and winds up in a prison camp, but by 1941, the Werhmacht's need for soldiers is so acute that he is released into a prison unit. And then that unit is sent to join the invasion of the USSR. Through Sven's eyes we see the horrors of modern, mechanized warfare first hand. We also see the profound wrong-ness of the Nazi regime.
The book is entertaining and, at times, very exciting. One of my very favorite sections was the description of the great tank battle at Kursk from the perspective of Sven within his Tiger tank. (As I read I could feel him almost peeing his pants in sheer terror!)
The real magic of the book, however, is not in the depiction of the fighting or in the often amusing stories of Sven and his comrades behind the lines. The real magic is in the slow, everyday, callous loss of humanity among Sven and his comrades.
The most moving part for me is when Sven and his tank finally kill a particularly hard to kill Russian soldier. Their tank spooks this soldier out of his foxhole. Sven opens up with teh machine gun but misses. Then The Old Un and Stege join in. They even break out the flame thrower. They try and try and try, but no one can get poor Ivan. No one can kill him. It becomes a point of pride. Finally they trap him in a house and set it ablaze, killing the Russian. At that moment, Sven realizes what had happened:
"A point of honor. How could I? How could I kill a man just for the sake of my pride? But that is what I did, and I regret it. War with its everlasting murdering and noise and flames and destruction had stealthily poisoned me."
By this point of the war (I think late 1943) Sven is a shell of the man that he used to be. The strain and stress are taking a brutal toll. He and his comrades were, in fact, the walking dead. They had lost that spark that makes them vital and human and were just automatons. And by 1944 it was only worse.
I think that is the story that Sven wanted to tell with his books. And, as a German, he was uniquely positioned to tell that story. War is hell. It is dehumanizing. There is nothing glamorous or romantic about it. It is dirty and miserable and terrible. War is hell, and we should all remember it. What better legacy for a former Wehrmacht Unteroffizier to leave behind?
4 stars out of 5. Great message and at times very exciting to read. It was the perfect book to read on a travel day....more
I’d never read To Kill a Mockingbird before. I’d seen the movie, and afterwards I never really felt a desire to read this book. I didn’t see what the I’d never read To Kill a Mockingbird before. I’d seen the movie, and afterwards I never really felt a desire to read this book. I didn’t see what the big deal was. Maybe I was too young. The story felt more about Atticus and his time in court than anything else.
And then a friend told me to read this book. It was her favorite book of all time. She even went so far as to name cats after various characters. She’s the reason I finally did it. And I’m glad that I did. To Kill a Mockingbird is a masterpiece; a modern classic.
At times, it reminded me of Stranger Things or Stand By Me � we are witnessing meaningful and important events through the eyes of children. As adults, reading the book we know a storm is brewing, but from the innocent perspective of the children � especially Scout � everything is just normal. All Scout wants to do is be a little girl, but the tragic events unfolding around her won’t let her.
And this is where the book also reminded me of The Oxbow Incident. There is a deadly rush to judgment. Tom Robinson can’t get a fair day in court because of the times, and because he’s a black man in those times. Lee exposes the fundamental un-rightness of the segregated south through the eyes of children growing up in Alabama.
It is all magnificent. Truly. This is a great book and well worth the read. If only I had read this book years ago.
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