Yes, to John Green, everything IS tuberculosis. He is obsessed. He wants to find a way to prevent the death of 1,250,00 people this year and more thanYes, to John Green, everything IS tuberculosis. He is obsessed. He wants to find a way to prevent the death of 1,250,00 people this year and more than that if things don't improve. Mr. Green writes with some humor and much passion. The book is not dry or dull. It is filled with pathos, suffering, and some joy.
TB used to be called Phthisis. What a tongue twister! It has been the scourge of mankind for thousands of years. The good news is that it is now curable. Among those one and a quarter million people who will be afflicted this year, the ones who will be saved are those with a high standard of living and access to expensive drugs.
Mr. Green says that world conditions run in cycles. Next year conditions will probably be different. We could have a virtuous cycle or a vicious cycle. With the death of Paul Farmer, the demise of USAID, and the rise of Donald Trump, things are looking dire....more
To those who have lived through the Red Scare, today's headlines must seem like deja vu. Once again rights guaranteed by the US Constitution are underTo those who have lived through the Red Scare, today's headlines must seem like deja vu. Once again rights guaranteed by the US Constitution are under attack. Clay Risen sticks to the objectivity of his journalistic profession but the parallels to current Trump administrative policies are undeniable.
From the end of World War II until the mid fifties our country seemed to be in a state of anti communist hysteria. Right wing pundits convinced people that scores of communists were controlling social justice organizations, government agencies, labor unions, Hollywood studios, universities and even the US Army. These radicals were credibly planning to violently overthrow the government, they claimed. It was a greatly exaggerated fear that spread like wildfire, fanned by men such as Senator Joseph McCarthy and Richard Nixon. Lives were ruined by innuendo. People were hounded out of their jobs on scarce or non existent evidence. Some went to prison. Others avoided that fate by informing on their friends.
Today our government has fallen into a similar pattern of denying the right of free speech, free association and privacy from government intrusion into private sexual mores. Warrantless arrests are taking place. Risen, the author, compares our current situation to an underground fire in a coal seam. The illiberal passion that was ignited during the Red Scare has burned underground since that earlier time and has reemerged as a fear of immigrants, Diversity, Inclusion, Equity programs, and even demonization of Democrats as neo communists. These are perilous times; dangerous during the Red Scare and worse today....more
The Book Thief features an unusual narrator that is reliable, persistent, but not human. This puts the book in the realm of science fiction or fantasyThe Book Thief features an unusual narrator that is reliable, persistent, but not human. This puts the book in the realm of science fiction or fantasy, but just barely. The tale is all too human; full of suffering, grief and loss. In a suburb of Munich people go about their everyday lives in spite of the second world war raging around them. Devotion to family, neighbors, and occasionally to strangers surprisingly dominates the small city in peril. A young girl with a profound attachment to the written word conveys hope to those who are doomed....more
I have always had an interest in the 1979 event labeled The Greensboro Massacre. It has alerted me to the ever present danger of political street violI have always had an interest in the 1979 event labeled The Greensboro Massacre. It has alerted me to the ever present danger of political street violence. For those not familiar, five young people were killed by the Ku Klux Klan while leading a march meant to improve the lives of Greensboro's under privileged black citizens. The victims were member of the Communist Workers Party. No one was ever held responsible for the killings. The CWP evoked no sympathy.
I do credit this author with researching and publishing details of the tragedy. It has been relatively unknown to most people.
The book could have used extensive editing. Too many organizational acronyms were scattered on each page. The same with minor character's names. The lack of concise structure made important events seem indistinct. The book ends with a Truth and Reconciliation Commission not supported by the city and featuring unrepentant Klansmen as speakers. We cannot have a peace and joy moment before members of the community embrace the wrongs of history. That is more true than ever at the present moment in the United States....more
Global warming is a subject that causes Mr. O'Connell a lot of anxiety. That sounds reasonable, however he is positively fixated on the idea that the Global warming is a subject that causes Mr. O'Connell a lot of anxiety. That sounds reasonable, however he is positively fixated on the idea that the world will end with a devastating climate event. It's a depressing concept but the book snagged my interest when it became a travelogue. First stop was a desolate spot in North Dakota where a "prepper" salesman has plans to develop former World War II arms depositories into luxury underground bunkers for wealthy people trying to escape the coming apocalypse. Then onto New Zealand where billionaires are buying up land to preserve their lives of luxury in a beautiful and remote spot. Some other folks want to start a colony on Mars. Most of these schemes have one thing in common. It's every man for himself, it takes a lot of money, and screw your neighbor.
The book is not grim. Quite the opposite; it is witty, imaginative, and filled with an astonishing array of uncommon words that sent me googling....more
John Jacob Astor, a native of Germany, landed on American shore in 1783. He was not penniless but close to it. Realizing that he wasn't cut out to be John Jacob Astor, a native of Germany, landed on American shore in 1783. He was not penniless but close to it. Realizing that he wasn't cut out to be a wage slave, Astor started his enterprise by slaughtering thousands of animals, and trading alcohol to native people for fur pelts. Fast forward to the nineteenth century. The Astor family became grand slum lords of New York's lower east side where immigrant families were crowded into small, dark tenement rooms, struggling to survive. Business was booming. Astor is still a familiar place name in New York but you don't see it in hospitals, libraries, museums. They didn't invent anything. They were not known for their charitable contributions. They built mansions, yachts, and battled each other over a fortune that eventually dissipated.
Anderson Cooper is a charming narrator of events and history of New York City. He offers a personal, yet not overly sympathetic perspective of great wealth and social standing, being a member of the fallen Vanderbilt dynasty. ...more
Michael Lewis starts off with this startling statistic: The United States has 4 percent of the world's people yet we experienced 20 percent of the worMichael Lewis starts off with this startling statistic: The United States has 4 percent of the world's people yet we experienced 20 percent of the world's deaths from Covid 19. Holy cow! How did that happen? If you are looking for someone to blame, the candidates are numerous. The Center for Disease Control had no plan to control the pandemic. They could not even produce a mechanism for testing to see how quickly Covid was moving. The Trump administration offered daily assurances that it would all go away. In a fierce battle for protective supplies and life saving equipment, the states were left to compete against each other. This book, to its credit, extols the work of a few individuals who actually had the desire and a plausible scientific method to slow down the carnage. Unsurprisingly, no one listened to them. I wish I could say we will do better next time....more
This book would have benefited from a list of characters and a more cogent explanation of the movements of three armies during World War I. Despite thThis book would have benefited from a list of characters and a more cogent explanation of the movements of three armies during World War I. Despite these flaws I disappeared into its pages. Trench warfare is an unspeakable horror. Soldiers trapped in deep holes filled with water, rats, boredom and punctuated by moments of death and terror. This book tells the story of four British soldiers who escaped those trenches and found themselves behind enemy lines in a small French village. The villagers managed to bury their mistrust of foreigners and hid the fugitives for years. Things grew more complicated. The German regime was harsh and punitive, There were no happy endings for any of the players. Mr. Macintyre guides us through events ending with a quest to solve a wartime mystery that seemed to haunt him personally....more
December 28, 1986. It was a day in the not so distant past, a Sunday between Christmas and New Year's Day. Nothing much happened on that ordinary day,December 28, 1986. It was a day in the not so distant past, a Sunday between Christmas and New Year's Day. Nothing much happened on that ordinary day, you would think. Gene Weingarten dug deeply and uncovered some quirky stories in his best journalistic style.
Among those stories: a woman received the transplanted heart of a young murderer. The heart worked well. It was painful for her to deal with the irony of the situation. A man with no real purpose in life used his last moments in an attempt to rescue children from a house in flames. A traffic policeman with a penchant to harassing young women crossed a fateful line. The AIDS epidemic exploded like a holocaust for gay men, ignored by the Reagan administration. Each chapter zeroed in on its specific December 28, 1986 event by meticulously revealing backstory and by tracing subsequent events like outward ripples in a pond. ...more
What an incredible adventure! Rink Buck and his brother, Nick decided to recreate an American pioneer experience by driving a covered wagon pulled by What an incredible adventure! Rink Buck and his brother, Nick decided to recreate an American pioneer experience by driving a covered wagon pulled by three mules along the remnants of the Oregon Trail. In the almost two centuries that have passed, much of the famed route from Missouri to Oregon has been converted to interstate highway, railroad track, private ranchland or just obliterated by time. But for two intrepid brothers, the pioneer spirit is still alive.
When I pulled this book from a library shelf I never realized what a gem I was selecting. Rink constantly veers into the history of the trail, the dangers of disease and accidental death that plagued early travelers, and how to get a mule to cooperate. There are moments of peril, relief, joy and brotherly rancor. I was sorry to reach the last page....more
These three interlocking stories, set in a small upstate New York town with a long history, will not be easily forgotten. Curiously, five of six main These three interlocking stories, set in a small upstate New York town with a long history, will not be easily forgotten. Curiously, five of six main characters are well meaning, somewhat naive, Trump voters whose lives inevitably drift into tragic circumstances. The tales offer no overt political viewpoint. They imply a bit of truth about evil embedded in everyday life. Mr. Banks does not paint an optimistic picture. He reaches deeply into human behavior and reveals shocking results....more
The Victorian era population of Great Britain was fascinated by murder, the gorier, the better. And the tabloids of the time catered to the unhealthy The Victorian era population of Great Britain was fascinated by murder, the gorier, the better. And the tabloids of the time catered to the unhealthy obsession. This book describes some of the bloodiest crimes I could have ever have imagined. For a nation that was not bristling with firearms, criminals found some creative ways to carve up their enemies and to dispose of the evidence.
The book is a condensed history of the internationally venerable Scotland Yard. Starting in the mid nineteenth century, periodically cases of heinous murder drove the public into a frightened panic. Thus spurred on, the Yard grew into a respected organization employing new professionals, known as detectives, who were eventually armed with revolutionary crime solving skills like fingerprinting, blood splatter analysis, and firearm ballistics. They never dreamed of something as fool proof as DNA analysis....more
Lara and her young family have run a cherry farm in Michigan for many years when the past seems to intrude on their comfortable lives. Lara once aspirLara and her young family have run a cherry farm in Michigan for many years when the past seems to intrude on their comfortable lives. Lara once aspired to be an actress. She spent a long ago summer portraying the character of Emily in a summer stock production of Our Town. As she relates the events of that summer to her daughters, long buried emotions return in force. It's a tale of love, friendship and the painful process of finding oneself. When reminiscing about past events, it's wise that some things remain a secret....more
Arthur Barry was a charming Irishman good at his chosen profession. He could blend into a crowd of a listers with ease. He was handsome and physicallyArthur Barry was a charming Irishman good at his chosen profession. He could blend into a crowd of a listers with ease. He was handsome and physically fit enough to breach any second story window of a mansion in pursuit of valuable jewelry. During the Jazz Age of the nineteen twenties he lived the good life, dining, drinking, gambling, and hanging out with people of high and low repute. But the good times had to end sooner or later and he ultimately paid a heavy price.
The book provided many enjoyable reading sessions. I found myself rooting for a man who disdained violence and only relieved the rich of a few replaceable geegaws. I think the author may have admired him, as well. And, oh yes, Mr. Barry served in the US Army and was a decorated hero of the Great War. What a guy!...more
History as told by Doris Kearns Goodwin is dynamic. It feels alive, compelling, no matter how much time has elapsed. I too have memories of the the chHistory as told by Doris Kearns Goodwin is dynamic. It feels alive, compelling, no matter how much time has elapsed. I too have memories of the the chaotic sixties, but not from the White House, the Johnson ranch, or in the company of Bobby Kennedy. (In contrast to the Goodwins, my memories center on street demonstrations, underground newspapers, and drug experimentation.) Dick Goodwin and Doris actually participated in the headline political events that she describes.
The book is titled An Unfinished Love Story. I was left wondering about the couple's courtship, their personal relationship, the difference in their backgrounds. My memory was stirred by political turmoil and names in the newspapers, but I learned very little about an actual love story....more
I chose this book because Julian Fellowes created the Downton Abbey series. He did not disappoint. In the nineteenth century world people of BelgraviaI chose this book because Julian Fellowes created the Downton Abbey series. He did not disappoint. In the nineteenth century world people of Belgravia, London were expected to adhere strictly to a life script determined by their station in life. There were thousands of ways to indicate to those of a lower class that they just did not cut it. Tradesmen of all types were definitely out. Marrying beneath one's station was beyond the pale. Any type of scandal spelled ruin.
The first half of this book set up a tangle of mysteries. The second half untangled them slowly. I was raptly turning pages, happily entertained by the foibles of the rich and their deceitful servants. ...more
Having read The March, I feel like I have seen a motion picture panorama of the Civil War. It was all there on the page; the glory and the agony. BothHaving read The March, I feel like I have seen a motion picture panorama of the Civil War. It was all there on the page; the glory and the agony. Both the figures of historical renown and ordinary people displaced by the chaos of war. General Sherman was introduced in his glory and other generals in their uncertainty and shame. Masses of newly freed enslaved people followed the march, joyful of their newly found freedom. and uncertain of the future. Affluent Southern women lost their husbands, their children, their china, and often their sanity. Colorful characters appeared and just when you thought the author had forgotten them, they popped up again with the rest of their story. Among the carnage, there was some humor along with the blood and guts. I was entranced by the skill of master novelist EL Doctorow....more
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