A smooth talker cons a town, a city, a nation into believing his lies, strong arms them into paying more than they can afford, hides behind foreign laA smooth talker cons a town, a city, a nation into believing his lies, strong arms them into paying more than they can afford, hides behind foreign law and unwittingly advances the popularity of early country music. Oh, and he’s the subject of a fairly popular ZZ Top song (Heard It on the X).
An amusing bit of history, though difficult to stomach in this election year as we see the theme play out again. Further proof that those who do not study history are doomed to repeat it....more
An enjoyable oral history of how 9 highly acclaimed video games came to be, and how 1 notoriously tanked. What I took from this book is that there is An enjoyable oral history of how 9 highly acclaimed video games came to be, and how 1 notoriously tanked. What I took from this book is that there is no standard or even preferred method for creating a video game. This book covers large production studios, a one-man project and everything in between. From backing by major investors to Kickstarter campaigns . . . if you have a dream there should be some way to pursue it. The one constant is obsessive devotion to and belief in your project, long, long hours and some degree of good fortune....more
This is my second time attempting this book and I was definitely more engaged and interested this time through. Once I realized that the book is 90% "This is my second time attempting this book and I was definitely more engaged and interested this time through. Once I realized that the book is 90% "White City" and 10% "Devil" I was able to settle into the groove and enjoy the history. Having lived in Chicago for 13 years and having visited Graceland Cemetery on more than one occasion, I am now better able to appreciate some of the namesakes of various buildings and landmarks throughout the city.
I do appreciate Mr. Larson's style, and his use of source material as the framework upon which he fleshes our the stories (as he indicates . . . much as an attorney will in presenting information at trial). I can also appreciate the use of Mr. Holmes' story as a vehicle toward getting readers for the story Mr. Larson truly seemed to want to tell - that of the Chicago World's Fair.
Coincidentally enough, I read the final chapters in which the city of Philadelphia is frequently referenced while flying home from Philadelphia. Unfortunately, I was also reading the section on the effects of a tornado on the Ferris Wheel while flying through perhaps the worst turbulence I've ever felt . . . a truly nauseating experience....more
An amazing piece of investigative journalism on a very topical subject. The author follows the trail of one boy trying to make his way from Honduras tAn amazing piece of investigative journalism on a very topical subject. The author follows the trail of one boy trying to make his way from Honduras to his mother who had immigrated to the U.S. several years previously. Along the way he encounters bandits, thugs, crooked immigration agents, crooked police; but also amazing generosity, grace and compassion. After reading this I have a much deeper understanding of the forces at play and the incredible complexity of the situation....more
Misleading title . . . this is actually more about the author training for the memory championships and less about "the art and science of rememberingMisleading title . . . this is actually more about the author training for the memory championships and less about "the art and science of remembering everything". That said, the chapter on the Memory Palace is very useful. There were a few other nuggets worth holding on to, but on the whole the author's personal experiences were less interesting to me....more
Good for what it tries to be - an unflinching, muckraking look at Detroit. The author chooses to focus on the negative - and there is certainly a lot Good for what it tries to be - an unflinching, muckraking look at Detroit. The author chooses to focus on the negative - and there is certainly a lot of negative in Detroit. The problem is, the world hardly needs to hear more negative about Detroit. Our city has been raked over the coals and back so many times that, to those that have never attempted to set foot inside the city, we are a joke. The more inspiring story, and possibly the gutsier story to tell, would be the one of those attempting to build something spectacular from the ashes. Artists, politicians, businesses, students . . . all have contributed to a city that is ripe for innovation and revitalization. If you ever doubt that people are passionate about this city, just attend a Tigers game, a Kid Rock concert or the Detroit marathon (an international marathon at that!) and put your doubts to rest.
Yes, the city has had and continues to have it's fair share of problems. No, I don't live in Detroit. However, I work in detroit, play in Detroit, run in Detroit and have helped build a house in Detroit. My immediate family lived in Detroit and I have great-grandparents buried in Detroit. I am a better person for having grown up with The Electrifying Mojo, Bill Kennedy, Mel Farr, Sonny Elliot, Sir Graves, Faygo, Boblo, Saunders, Vernors and Better Made potato chips. I know how to pronounce Dequindre, Schoenherr and Hamtramck. I understand that Canada is south of Detroit!
Now you've got me started . . .
As I said, the book is good at what it aims to do. It's an interesting and even an entertaining read. The material on Monica Conyers is priceless. Just don't let this book taint your view of Detroit any further. Detroit has no use for your scorn. Detroit will chew up your pity and spit it out. Come to Detroit. Eat at Green Dot Stables. Buy produce at Eastern Market. Have a beer at the Mercury Bar. Take in some jazz at Cliff Bells. There are good things here. Good people too. Charlie LeDuff isn't one of them (he chose to live in Ferndale)....more
A fairly interesting book pairing Fawcett's exploits in the Amazon with the author's exploits in following those exploits. Gives a good taste of the mA fairly interesting book pairing Fawcett's exploits in the Amazon with the author's exploits in following those exploits. Gives a good taste of the misery of trekking through the Amazon, but somehow left me wanting more....more
This was a tough book to read. It was certainly well written and amazingly researched - I truly appreciate the author's afterword explaining her proceThis was a tough book to read. It was certainly well written and amazingly researched - I truly appreciate the author's afterword explaining her process. What was so difficult for me were the thoughts and emotions this book stirred up; thoughts and emotions I'm not sure I'm ready to put into print much less get into arguments with strangers over. Believe me, some of my thoughts are disconcerting even to me; some of my emotions fairly discordant.
To see my 5-star rating might imply that I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to everyone. I'm not sure that's true. I do, however, have to acknowledge that it made me think/reflect quite a bit and will do so for some time to come.
I bookmarked one part, which I felt gave a wonderful summary: "Poor people didn't unite; they competed ferociously amongst themselves for gains as slender as they were provisional. This this undercity strife created only the faintest ripple in the fabric of the society at large. The gates of the rich, occasionally rattled, remained un-breached. The politicians held forth on the middle class. The poor took down one another, and the world's great, unequal cities soldiered on in relative peace."...more
I'm not entirely sure what purpose this memoir is supposed to serve. As a guide to men for spotting and picking up manic women, it succeeds enormouslyI'm not entirely sure what purpose this memoir is supposed to serve. As a guide to men for spotting and picking up manic women, it succeeds enormously. As an insider's glimpse of bipolar disorder, it reads more like a series of war stories than any serious dissection. Perhaps that's the point . . . the world loves a good war story, stories I'm sure the author has been barred from telling in therapy and just needed to get out. In that sense it's very self-serving; more or less a vehicle for the author to repeatedly tell us how successful and sexy she feels herself to be. This is the book you pick up and read after having one too many beers, but then slink out of the bedroom the next morning when you find it on your nightstand....more
A fantasticly written book, proving that truth really is stranger than fiction. The author meticulously pieces together military and public records wiA fantasticly written book, proving that truth really is stranger than fiction. The author meticulously pieces together military and public records with diary and first-hand accounts to build a suspensful reveal of the remarkable events that merely begin with a military plane crash landing in a remote region of New Guinea. The survivors embark on their incredible journey, and Zuckoff puts you right with them.
But the journey alone is not all the story. Zuckoff includes chapters giving the backstories of, among other things, the first Filipino paratrooper outfits and the odd career path of a hollywood filmmaker. These asides bring historical and personal context to the greater story and are wonderful historic readings in and of themselves.
The end of the tale and epilogue are no less fascinating and fantastical. Overall, an amazing read....more
Interesting read. Chapters range from somewhat technical discussions of shrimp biology to tales of the shrimping industry to the history of shrimping.Interesting read. Chapters range from somewhat technical discussions of shrimp biology to tales of the shrimping industry to the history of shrimping. Sounds kinda boring described like that, but it's more engaging than you'd think. The book is paced nicely and you skip entire chapters if you're not interested in a particular topic....more
I was drawn to this one by the parallels between Scott Simon's adoption experience and my own. We've both adopted 2 girls from China and both followedI was drawn to this one by the parallels between Scott Simon's adoption experience and my own. We've both adopted 2 girls from China and both followed the same process with our first and second. The experience and emotions that I encountered in these processes are expertly explained through Mr. Simon's direct and engaging prose.
This book could have covered only the author's experiences and viewpoints, and I would have been happy. But the book took some unexpected turns in describing other adoptions and the experiences of adoptees and adoptive parents alike. It's a book that lives up to it's subtitle "In Praise of Adoption"
Like Mr. Simon, I too wish that all couples would explore adoption as one of many options in building a family, and not only as a feasible option once all others have been exhausted. For my wife and I, adoption was our first consideration, and I can't imagine a life without the fruit of that decision amazing and befuddling me every day....more
While the 80s are often looked back upon as vacuous and somewhat cheezy, they were a fantastic era in which to come of age. This book celebrates what While the 80s are often looked back upon as vacuous and somewhat cheezy, they were a fantastic era in which to come of age. This book celebrates what was an amazing decade in music. Hair metal, new wave, synth-pop, early rap, the advent of MTV, video games . . . we had it all. It's ironic that the pre-internet 80s was so much more daring and progressive than the 00s and early 10s.
Music has played an integral role in my life. From my early days raiding my mom's record collection (Elvis, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin) to my pre-teen love of disco (Donna Summer, Bee Gees, roller disco), through my high school and college years in the 80s, my non-stop party years in the 90s, right up to the present day, music has been my inspiration, my prozac, my refuge and my celebration. Rob Sheffield knows what it means to hear a song and be instantly transported back to a time and place, and he articulates it well in this book.
The latter third of the book gets off track just a bit, just like a good 80s pop group that perhaps went on a bit too long. In that sense I'd rather this be the literary equivalent of Haysi Fantayzee rather than Tiffany. Still, it's a joyous read dedicated to music that those of us who recall the absurdity of Bill Cosby's sweaters, Don Johnson's Miami Vice look and A Flock of Seagulls' haircuts are not afraid to celebrate....more
I'd like to say I devoured this book - it seems fitting. But I didn't. I took little nibbles here and there. It's one of those odd Trader Joe's snacksI'd like to say I devoured this book - it seems fitting. But I didn't. I took little nibbles here and there. It's one of those odd Trader Joe's snacks that seems like it might be great, but is merely aaaight. Not great, not bad, so you keep on nibbling until you've finished almost the whole thing - then you throw away the last 1/10.
I can't say I learned anything new about competitive eating. I already felt it was a pointless, strange endeavor pursued by the curious and the occasional offbeat fanatic. This book reinforced that belief.
I was hoping for more content related to the digestive system - effect of rapid overeating, effect of prolonged competition, negative side-effects, etc. - but there was very little. What WAS present was fascinating; I just wish there was more of it....more
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