Jeff Sexton
Pessimistic Satirical Look At Politics For The Millennial And Younger Crowds. First, let me address why I specifically say this is for the younger crowds: Every chapter ends with an image that, in the print edition at least, is a coloring sheet. Yes, you read that right. This is, partially and only in the print edition, a coloring book. Even the last text section before the coloring sheet is a suggestion of how you might want to color it, based on the image at hand and the commentary of that particular chapter.
As to the actual text, it is exactly what I said above - a satirical, if perhaps a touch pessimistic, look at all things politics, including how so many stereotypical politicians act so much of the time. Which means that at least in a certain vein, it absolutely does ease political stress with a bit of humor - if perhaps landing a touch close to one's actual views of the subject.
The coloring sheets, while infantilizing - arguably one of the *last* things we need to be doing with this set of younger adults (to be clear, including those of even my own Xennial generation) - are at least a solid attempt at humor whose landing will depend more on personal taste.
Overall a fun, light, funny-enough book that never takes itself to seriously and is in fact a good way to try to have a laugh.
Very much recommended.
Originally posted at bookanon.com.
Pessimistic Satirical Look At Politics For The Millennial And Younger Crowds. First, let me address why I specifically say this is for the younger crowds: Every chapter ends with an image that, in the print edition at least, is a coloring sheet. Yes, you read that right. This is, partially and only in the print edition, a coloring book. Even the last text section before the coloring sheet is a suggestion of how you might want to color it, based on the image at hand and the commentary of that particular chapter.
As to the actual text, it is exactly what I said above - a satirical, if perhaps a touch pessimistic, look at all things politics, including how so many stereotypical politicians act so much of the time. Which means that at least in a certain vein, it absolutely does ease political stress with a bit of humor - if perhaps landing a touch close to one's actual views of the subject.
The coloring sheets, while infantilizing - arguably one of the *last* things we need to be doing with this set of younger adults (to be clear, including those of even my own Xennial generation) - are at least a solid attempt at humor whose landing will depend more on personal taste.
Overall a fun, light, funny-enough book that never takes itself to seriously and is in fact a good way to try to have a laugh.
Very much recommended.
Originally posted at bookanon.com.
Added to listOwnedwith 58 books.
Added to listOwnedwith 57 books.
The Master Made Me Cry! In this latest book from the Modern Day Master of Science Fiction, Robinson yet again does something he has never done before - he left me in tears at the end of a tale. In yet another foray into gut punching emotional drama (while still keeping the pulse pounding science fiction that is his bread and butter), Robinson outdoes himself again in exploring just how much a man will lose in order to survive - and whether or not the man can ever revert fully to what he was before the change. Simply amazing.
The Master Made Me Cry! In this latest book from the Modern Day Master of Science Fiction, Robinson yet again does something he has never done before - he left me in tears at the end of a tale. In yet another foray into gut punching emotional drama (while still keeping the pulse pounding science fiction that is his bread and butter), Robinson outdoes himself again in exploring just how much a man will lose in order to survive - and whether or not the man can ever revert fully to what he was before the change. Simply amazing.
Well Documented History of DARE Marred By Undocumented Editorial Commentary. Coming in at over 30% documentation, this is one of the more well-documented books I've come across in my ARC reading over the years. However, the weakness here is that while Felker-Kantor cites nearly every word he says about the DARE program and those involved with it, he then proceeds to make quite a bit of left leaning social commentary that he then fails to document *at all*.
Which is sad, because this is a program that I too grew up in - the first uniformed cop whose name I remember is Deputy John Morgan of the Bartow County (Ga) Sheriff's Office, the DARE officer for much of the Bartow County School System (if not the *entire* school system, at first) in the early and mid 90s. Deputy Morgan became a local legend there in Cartersville and Bartow County, to the tune that he could well have challenged either his then boss or his newer boss when he retired a few years ago for the top job - all because of his work with the DARE program. I even actively went to church with the second Deputy to begin teaching DARE in the BCSS - Deputy Richey Harrell, who was very active with the youth of Atco Baptist Church when his own kids were small and who served on the Deacon Board of the church with my dad.
But despite knowing Richey in particular so well - though as his sons were closer in age to my brothers, they knew him and his family even better than I myself did - as an adult to say my views on policing have changed would be an understatement. Which is where I approached this book from - having been a former DARE student who now sees just how problematic the entire program was, from top to bottom, and indeed who even concurs with Felker-Kantor on just how problematic the program's insistence on using active duty police officers as front line teachers really is.
Not to mention agreeing with him on how truly ineffective it is. Not even just with a police officer teaching children he isn't connected to outside the school. Again here, I know people directly who went through these same DARE programs in the same system and also knew Richey as well as my family did - and who later fell so deep into drugs that they lost pretty well everything except their actual life, yes, including their kids.
Had Felker-Kantor at minimum documented his editorial comments such as about the disparate impacts of the war on drugs based on race - not hard to do - or other related commentary about mass incarceration (also not hard), the rise of the militarized police force (ditto), or any similar editorial comments, this would have been a slam dunk five star book, even with the left leaning commentary. It is that strong and that complete a history of the program, including discussions of its *continued existence* in a much diminished capacity - something I myself did not know until reading this book.
So read this book for a truly comprehensive history of something so many of us experienced first hand, particularly those of us who grew up in the 80s through early 2000s. And may we finally kick this particular program to the curb in favor of something that might actually work.
Recommended.
Originally posted at bookanon.com.
Well Documented History of DARE Marred By Undocumented Editorial Commentary. Coming in at over 30% documentation, this is one of the more well-documented books I've come across in my ARC reading over the years. However, the weakness here is that while Felker-Kantor cites nearly every word he says about the DARE program and those involved with it, he then proceeds to make quite a bit of left leaning social commentary that he then fails to document *at all*.
Which is sad, because this is a program that I too grew up in - the first uniformed cop whose name I remember is Deputy John Morgan of the Bartow County (Ga) Sheriff's Office, the DARE officer for much of the Bartow County School System (if not the *entire* school system, at first) in the early and mid 90s. Deputy Morgan became a local legend there in Cartersville and Bartow County, to the tune that he could well have challenged either his then boss or his newer boss when he retired a few years ago for the top job - all because of his work with the DARE program. I even actively went to church with the second Deputy to begin teaching DARE in the BCSS - Deputy Richey Harrell, who was very active with the youth of Atco Baptist Church when his own kids were small and who served on the Deacon Board of the church with my dad.
But despite knowing Richey in particular so well - though as his sons were closer in age to my brothers, they knew him and his family even better than I myself did - as an adult to say my views on policing have changed would be an understatement. Which is where I approached this book from - having been a former DARE student who now sees just how problematic the entire program was, from top to bottom, and indeed who even concurs with Felker-Kantor on just how problematic the program's insistence on using active duty police officers as front line teachers really is.
Not to mention agreeing with him on how truly ineffective it is. Not even just with a police officer teaching children he isn't connected to outside the school. Again here, I know people directly who went through these same DARE programs in the same system and also knew Richey as well as my family did - and who later fell so deep into drugs that they lost pretty well everything except their actual life, yes, including their kids.
Had Felker-Kantor at minimum documented his editorial comments such as about the disparate impacts of the war on drugs based on race - not hard to do - or other related commentary about mass incarceration (also not hard), the rise of the militarized police force (ditto), or any similar editorial comments, this would have been a slam dunk five star book, even with the left leaning commentary. It is that strong and that complete a history of the program, including discussions of its *continued existence* in a much diminished capacity - something I myself did not know until reading this book.
So read this book for a truly comprehensive history of something so many of us experienced first hand, particularly those of us who grew up in the 80s through early 2000s. And may we finally kick this particular program to the curb in favor of something that might actually work.
Recommended.
Originally posted at bookanon.com.
Better Sipped Than Shot, Intense Political "Flavor" Means Taste Will Vary With Reader. There are times when you're drinking (even non-alcoholic beverages) where you just plow through them. Maybe it is your first coffee of the day and you need that caffeine NOW! Maybe it is a hot summer day and that glass of lemonade disappeared *real* quick. Or maybe you just broke up with your significant other, and yeah, that tequila hit the spot.
A lot of books are like this. Action thrillers where reading at a frenetic pace to match the action being shown is part of the fun, for example.
This... is not that book.
This, instead, is one of those fine bourbons where you're going to lose a lot of the nuance if you shoot it down too fast. One of those women's fiction tales that feels like it is taking forever to have any real plot at all, but feels so *immersive* in the tale even still. One of those quasi-memoir/ quasi-religious pondering books (exactly what this is) where you really need to, as Wilbert did in taking inspiration for the overall narrative here, sit at your window and ponder the forest outside.
Read in such a manner, Wilbert's struggles are more understandable and even relatable, as you consider your own similar struggles - and here, the things Wilbert struggles with really are things most all of us do at some level. The overarching forest narrative is a genuinely good guide for such contemplation, at least as Wilbert has written it here.
But what could ruin the taste - or make it truly exquisite - is the intense politics that are never far from the narrative, to the point that if there isn't a political comment on *every* page, it certainly feels like at least some comment is made on at least the *majority* of pages. And yes, Wilbert's politics are, to put it mildly, "left of center". So know that going in.
This noted, where Wilbert eventually arrives... is a place we all probably need to, even if, again depending on your own political tastes, perhaps she arrives there a bit condesceningly.
Overall an intriguing read that truly urges us to slow down in this hectic world, it is one that we should all likely ponder - though I suppose few enough actually will.
Very much recommended.
Originally posted at bookanon.com.
Better Sipped Than Shot, Intense Political "Flavor" Means Taste Will Vary With Reader. There are times when you're drinking (even non-alcoholic beverages) where you just plow through them. Maybe it is your first coffee of the day and you need that caffeine NOW! Maybe it is a hot summer day and that glass of lemonade disappeared *real* quick. Or maybe you just broke up with your significant other, and yeah, that tequila hit the spot.
A lot of books are like this. Action thrillers where reading at a frenetic pace to match the action being shown is part of the fun, for example.
This... is not that book.
This, instead, is one of those fine bourbons where you're going to lose a lot of the nuance if you shoot it down too fast. One of those women's fiction tales that feels like it is taking forever to have any real plot at all, but feels so *immersive* in the tale even still. One of those quasi-memoir/ quasi-religious pondering books (exactly what this is) where you really need to, as Wilbert did in taking inspiration for the overall narrative here, sit at your window and ponder the forest outside.
Read in such a manner, Wilbert's struggles are more understandable and even relatable, as you consider your own similar struggles - and here, the things Wilbert struggles with really are things most all of us do at some level. The overarching forest narrative is a genuinely good guide for such contemplation, at least as Wilbert has written it here.
But what could ruin the taste - or make it truly exquisite - is the intense politics that are never far from the narrative, to the point that if there isn't a political comment on *every* page, it certainly feels like at least some comment is made on at least the *majority* of pages. And yes, Wilbert's politics are, to put it mildly, "left of center". So know that going in.
This noted, where Wilbert eventually arrives... is a place we all probably need to, even if, again depending on your own political tastes, perhaps she arrives there a bit condesceningly.
Overall an intriguing read that truly urges us to slow down in this hectic world, it is one that we should all likely ponder - though I suppose few enough actually will.
Very much recommended.
Originally posted at bookanon.com.
Updated a reading goal:
Read 53 books in 2024
Progress so far: 174 / 53 328%
Review Of Retribution, Originally Written February 11, 2021:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
With Remorse. This is a book that has a lot of similarities to Tom Clancy's Without Remorse (soon to be in bastardized form on your screens), but a lot of key differences. As with the Clancy text, here we get to see a bit of a retired super spy/ assassin falling in love... before we see that ripped away in brutal fashion, with the spy surviving what the bad guys think has killed them. And as with the Clancy text, the rest of the tale is essentially the spy doing whatever it takes to send their lover's killer(s) straight to Hell - Do Not Pass Go, Do Not Collect $200. The key differences here are that while the Clancy text was more of a coda to an already existing character, this one is intentionally set up as Book 1 of a potential new series, and thus there are some of the standard-ish “book 1” mechanics of working to set up a universe, allowing a few plot threads to dangle, setting up an overarching mythos that can be strung out or wrapped up as the author (and, likely, sales) demand, etc. And arguably the real difference here is the lack of utter brutality in this text. Here, Steel is quite capable, and often underestimated - and we see her use her skills in situations that many might deem “less realistic”, but which are plausible enough to work within the story. Still extremely hard hitting and with a decent body count of bad guys genre readers expect, just nowhere near the outright savage brutality of the Clancy. But fans of Clancy, either long time or new ones picked up from the upcoming movie, will do themselves a great service in reading this book. Very much recommended.
Review of Collateral Damage, Originally Written September 30, 2022:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Explosive Spy / Revenge Thriller. When we catch up with our heroine of the series in this book, she is hiding and hurting – but still righting wrongs where she sees them, in badass and brutally effective fashion. And shortly thereafter, she gets roped into yet another mission that turns out to not be as it seems, which leads to even more action which tends to also be brutally effective at times. Yet again Sneeden does an excellent job of providing a seemingly shortish (no official page count as I type this review, but it *felt* like it was in the sub-300 page area) bit of pure escapism, this time highlighting various areas of Europe in the process. Perfect for fans of Lee Child’s Jack Reacher or J.M. LeDuc’s Sinclair O’Malley, or (sadly now late) Matthew Mather’s Delta Devlin. Very much recommended.
Review of Dark Reckoning, Originally Written October 11, 2024:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Explosive From Start To Finish. This is one of those books that starts out as a somewhat classic spy caper - someone is trying to flee from their home country with hyper sensitive material (and knowledge) and is doing the whole "take two steps. stop. turn right and go 3 steps. stop." thing trying to avoid detection and give the authorities the slip.
But then it takes about 1/3 of the book to get back to that... because we're now involved in *another* spy thriller such that both will come together - and get even more explosive when they do - but now we need to get back to our series heroine, Ms. Drenna Steel, and find out what she is doing and how she is going to get involved with the first scene.
No matter where we are in the tale, the bad guys are always a shadow away and it is up to Ms. Steel and her allies to keep the good guys safe and handle the bad guys... well, in the manner in which bad guys get handled in such tales. ;)
But then that ending. Wow. On several different levels. Yet again, Sneeden manages to make you want the next book... how about right freaking NOW?!?!?!?!
Very much recommended.
Originally posted at bookanon.com.
Review Of Retribution, Originally Written February 11, 2021:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
With Remorse. This is a book that has a lot of similarities to Tom Clancy's Without Remorse (soon to be in bastardized form on your screens), but a lot of key differences. As with the Clancy text, here we get to see a bit of a retired super spy/ assassin falling in love... before we see that ripped away in brutal fashion, with the spy surviving what the bad guys think has killed them. And as with the Clancy text, the rest of the tale is essentially the spy doing whatever it takes to send their lover's killer(s) straight to Hell - Do Not Pass Go, Do Not Collect $200. The key differences here are that while the Clancy text was more of a coda to an already existing character, this one is intentionally set up as Book 1 of a potential new series, and thus there are some of the standard-ish “book 1” mechanics of working to set up a universe, allowing a few plot threads to dangle, setting up an overarching mythos that can be strung out or wrapped up as the author (and, likely, sales) demand, etc. And arguably the real difference here is the lack of utter brutality in this text. Here, Steel is quite capable, and often underestimated - and we see her use her skills in situations that many might deem “less realistic”, but which are plausible enough to work within the story. Still extremely hard hitting and with a decent body count of bad guys genre readers expect, just nowhere near the outright savage brutality of the Clancy. But fans of Clancy, either long time or new ones picked up from the upcoming movie, will do themselves a great service in reading this book. Very much recommended.
Review of Collateral Damage, Originally Written September 30, 2022:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Explosive Spy / Revenge Thriller. When we catch up with our heroine of the series in this book, she is hiding and hurting – but still righting wrongs where she sees them, in badass and brutally effective fashion. And shortly thereafter, she gets roped into yet another mission that turns out to not be as it seems, which leads to even more action which tends to also be brutally effective at times. Yet again Sneeden does an excellent job of providing a seemingly shortish (no official page count as I type this review, but it *felt* like it was in the sub-300 page area) bit of pure escapism, this time highlighting various areas of Europe in the process. Perfect for fans of Lee Child’s Jack Reacher or J.M. LeDuc’s Sinclair O’Malley, or (sadly now late) Matthew Mather’s Delta Devlin. Very much recommended.
Review of Dark Reckoning, Originally Written October 11, 2024:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Explosive From Start To Finish. This is one of those books that starts out as a somewhat classic spy caper - someone is trying to flee from their home country with hyper sensitive material (and knowledge) and is doing the whole "take two steps. stop. turn right and go 3 steps. stop." thing trying to avoid detection and give the authorities the slip.
But then it takes about 1/3 of the book to get back to that... because we're now involved in *another* spy thriller such that both will come together - and get even more explosive when they do - but now we need to get back to our series heroine, Ms. Drenna Steel, and find out what she is doing and how she is going to get involved with the first scene.
No matter where we are in the tale, the bad guys are always a shadow away and it is up to Ms. Steel and her allies to keep the good guys safe and handle the bad guys... well, in the manner in which bad guys get handled in such tales. ;)
But then that ending. Wow. On several different levels. Yet again, Sneeden manages to make you want the next book... how about right freaking NOW?!?!?!?!
Very much recommended.
Originally posted at bookanon.com.
Down Down Deep, Indeed. For those unaware, this book was previously titled Down Down Deep, and that may actually be a superior title to its more generic one it currently has (The Cruise).
Here we get a psychological, almost supernatural, thriller that becomes all too human indeed. The tension ratchets up as weird things start happening on this sailing of this cruise ship, and there are quite a few even horror elements to be had here.
There are twists a plenty, so much so that it sometimes feels like you're on Velocicoaster - they're coming so hard and so fast, and yet you're enjoying every freaking second of it. And, like Velocicoaster, as fun and intense as this read is... it is also fairly shortish, at just around 250 pages. Meaning it is yet again great for those with limited amounts of reading time.
Definitely one of the more inventive books within its space I've encountered, so much so that when I saw that this is actually in a series of sorts and that the other book is currently, as I write this review on November 14, 2024, just $0.99... yeah, I picked it up immediately just on the strength of this book. (Fwiw, that book - The Best Friends - is also a reprint/ retitle, formerly called Truth Truth Lie.)
One warning: There is a fair amount of pretty brutal action in this book at times, and it *does* deal in certain assaults that some may find more troubling than others. So be aware of that going in... and read it anyway. Yes, it really is that good.
Very much recommended.
Originally posted at bookanon.com.
Down Down Deep, Indeed. For those unaware, this book was previously titled Down Down Deep, and that may actually be a superior title to its more generic one it currently has (The Cruise).
Here we get a psychological, almost supernatural, thriller that becomes all too human indeed. The tension ratchets up as weird things start happening on this sailing of this cruise ship, and there are quite a few even horror elements to be had here.
There are twists a plenty, so much so that it sometimes feels like you're on Velocicoaster - they're coming so hard and so fast, and yet you're enjoying every freaking second of it. And, like Velocicoaster, as fun and intense as this read is... it is also fairly shortish, at just around 250 pages. Meaning it is yet again great for those with limited amounts of reading time.
Definitely one of the more inventive books within its space I've encountered, so much so that when I saw that this is actually in a series of sorts and that the other book is currently, as I write this review on November 14, 2024, just $0.99... yeah, I picked it up immediately just on the strength of this book. (Fwiw, that book - The Best Friends - is also a reprint/ retitle, formerly called Truth Truth Lie.)
One warning: There is a fair amount of pretty brutal action in this book at times, and it *does* deal in certain assaults that some may find more troubling than others. So be aware of that going in... and read it anyway. Yes, it really is that good.
Very much recommended.
Originally posted at bookanon.com.
Added to listOwnedwith 55 books.
Added to listOwnedwith 53 books.
Good Enough Domestic Thriller. Technically, there *is* a twist in this book. I'll give it that. But the "shocking moment" described in the description (ok, Masked Singer's "reveal the revealing reveal") happens *late*. As in, personally I was expecting that particular moment to be somewhere no later than at least 2/3 into the book - and it happens closer to 90% in. I thought the book would turn more into a cat and mouse type book beyond that point, and to a degree, it did. But there just wasn't enough "there" there to really say this is even much above average for its genre, which is utter bullshit because I know Rouda is capable of so much more. Still, there's nothing technically/ objectively-ish wrong here, so by my own standards this *is* a 5* book, even though I find myself agreeing quite a bit with many of the 2* reviews from others.
At just over 300 pages, this book *does* in fact read much quicker, almost more like a sub-200 page book. So there is absolutely that going for it, particularly for those who don't have a lot of time to commit to a book. And there is absolutely a solid degree of "what is going to happen next" to keep you reading well past bedtime. It just seems that the ultimate payoff for staying up so late... doesn't quite land as well as it could, really. And hey, maybe that's more of a "me" thing.
So read this book yourself and see what you think - and leave a review yourself everywhere you can, whether it be Goodreads, Hardcover.app, BookHype.com, BookBub.com, or TheStoryGraph.com - all places you'll find this very review.
Recommended.
Originally posted at bookanon.com.
Good Enough Domestic Thriller. Technically, there *is* a twist in this book. I'll give it that. But the "shocking moment" described in the description (ok, Masked Singer's "reveal the revealing reveal") happens *late*. As in, personally I was expecting that particular moment to be somewhere no later than at least 2/3 into the book - and it happens closer to 90% in. I thought the book would turn more into a cat and mouse type book beyond that point, and to a degree, it did. But there just wasn't enough "there" there to really say this is even much above average for its genre, which is utter bullshit because I know Rouda is capable of so much more. Still, there's nothing technically/ objectively-ish wrong here, so by my own standards this *is* a 5* book, even though I find myself agreeing quite a bit with many of the 2* reviews from others.
At just over 300 pages, this book *does* in fact read much quicker, almost more like a sub-200 page book. So there is absolutely that going for it, particularly for those who don't have a lot of time to commit to a book. And there is absolutely a solid degree of "what is going to happen next" to keep you reading well past bedtime. It just seems that the ultimate payoff for staying up so late... doesn't quite land as well as it could, really. And hey, maybe that's more of a "me" thing.
So read this book yourself and see what you think - and leave a review yourself everywhere you can, whether it be Goodreads, Hardcover.app, BookHype.com, BookBub.com, or TheStoryGraph.com - all places you'll find this very review.
Recommended.
Originally posted at bookanon.com.
Four POVs. Three Big Ideas. Two Interesting Twists. One Technically Error Free Book.
Ok, so the title may have been a bit of a stretch there.
There are absolutely four primary POVs here across our 10 "influencers" (my God I both despise the term and indeed the entire concept, despite some authors labeling *me* as one), and while it can at times be confusing when switching between them early on, as the characterizations and "voices" get set, it does in fact get a bit easier.
The Big Ideas here are all various flavors of social commentary on the idea of the "influencer", though so much as mentioning them begins to get too close to spoiler territory for my own comfort in writing this review.
The two interesting twists are deep in the book and *absolutely* spoiler territory to discuss, but I found them fairly well done and truly intriguing.
And yes, ultimately there are no technical flaws here. Yes, there were absolutely different things that different readers may have problems with - including the multiple POVs. But there was nothing wrong that begins to approach a universal, objective level, and thus the book retains its full five stars. Very much recommended.
Originally posted at bookanon.com.
Four POVs. Three Big Ideas. Two Interesting Twists. One Technically Error Free Book.
Ok, so the title may have been a bit of a stretch there.
There are absolutely four primary POVs here across our 10 "influencers" (my God I both despise the term and indeed the entire concept, despite some authors labeling *me* as one), and while it can at times be confusing when switching between them early on, as the characterizations and "voices" get set, it does in fact get a bit easier.
The Big Ideas here are all various flavors of social commentary on the idea of the "influencer", though so much as mentioning them begins to get too close to spoiler territory for my own comfort in writing this review.
The two interesting twists are deep in the book and *absolutely* spoiler territory to discuss, but I found them fairly well done and truly intriguing.
And yes, ultimately there are no technical flaws here. Yes, there were absolutely different things that different readers may have problems with - including the multiple POVs. But there was nothing wrong that begins to approach a universal, objective level, and thus the book retains its full five stars. Very much recommended.
Originally posted at bookanon.com.
Story Tries Hard But *Just* Misses + Story/ Cover Mismatch. This is one of those reviews where the review and rating may not seem to align, because for the vast majority of this book, I thought it was pretty damn good. It does a LOT - even more than similar Soraya M. Lane books usually do - and *for the most part*, it does those things quite well. We've got a romance tale in the 2000s era New England that alternates between 2022 (current) and 2008 (the halcyon summer where the couple first fell in love). We've got a historical fiction tale that alternates between the 1952 Great Cairo Fire/ Black Saturday period and early WWII period. Either one of those tales could be an entire book in and of itself, and yet we've also got a 23 And Me type DNA mystery that links the two (and which admittedly is a spoiler mentioning, sorry). I've read many entire books that would use any one of those three elements to tell an entire tale, and yet we get all three tales in one book here. And *for the most part*, it all works.
Where it fails, and the cause of the first star deduction, is that the climax of the Cairo tale is rushed and its fallout effectively buried in service of the New England romance and 23 And Me mystery. This book could have been *so much more* with maybe as little as 10 extra pages flushing out the Cairo tale in 1952 rather than the 2022 manner in which we get that information, and I think this is a close enough to objective opinion to merit a star deduction here.
The other star deduction is one I don't encounter often, but *have* done a time or two before, and is warranted here for the same reasons I've used it before - the stories told here and the cover as it exists at publication (June 25, 2024) do not match. At all. The 1952 tale in Cairo -the era this cover screams to me - doesn't really have even a pool scene at all, much less one involving a diving board. Even the 2000s era tales don't actually involve any real pool activity, again particularly with a diving board. There are some ocean/ beach scenes that play key roles, but that isn't what this cover evokes. Even in tone, this cover leads the reader to believe that this will be some 1950s era glam tale of some form... and it isn't, not really. Yes, the Cairo tale is played as "exotic"... but that isn't the tone I get from this cover.
So a lot of words, maybe too many words, to say that you really do need - as one 2* reviewer also noted - to read the description of the book to really know what you're getting into here, and judging this book by its (admittedly great looking, in and of itself) cover may get you into a bit of a letdown situation with this particular book.
Overall, I actually really, really enjoyed this book. I thought it did a lot, and for the most part did well on damn near all of it. It simply lacked execution in a final detail and needed a cover that ties to the story more than the current one does.
Very much recommended.
Originally posted at bookanon.com.
Story Tries Hard But *Just* Misses + Story/ Cover Mismatch. This is one of those reviews where the review and rating may not seem to align, because for the vast majority of this book, I thought it was pretty damn good. It does a LOT - even more than similar Soraya M. Lane books usually do - and *for the most part*, it does those things quite well. We've got a romance tale in the 2000s era New England that alternates between 2022 (current) and 2008 (the halcyon summer where the couple first fell in love). We've got a historical fiction tale that alternates between the 1952 Great Cairo Fire/ Black Saturday period and early WWII period. Either one of those tales could be an entire book in and of itself, and yet we've also got a 23 And Me type DNA mystery that links the two (and which admittedly is a spoiler mentioning, sorry). I've read many entire books that would use any one of those three elements to tell an entire tale, and yet we get all three tales in one book here. And *for the most part*, it all works.
Where it fails, and the cause of the first star deduction, is that the climax of the Cairo tale is rushed and its fallout effectively buried in service of the New England romance and 23 And Me mystery. This book could have been *so much more* with maybe as little as 10 extra pages flushing out the Cairo tale in 1952 rather than the 2022 manner in which we get that information, and I think this is a close enough to objective opinion to merit a star deduction here.
The other star deduction is one I don't encounter often, but *have* done a time or two before, and is warranted here for the same reasons I've used it before - the stories told here and the cover as it exists at publication (June 25, 2024) do not match. At all. The 1952 tale in Cairo -the era this cover screams to me - doesn't really have even a pool scene at all, much less one involving a diving board. Even the 2000s era tales don't actually involve any real pool activity, again particularly with a diving board. There are some ocean/ beach scenes that play key roles, but that isn't what this cover evokes. Even in tone, this cover leads the reader to believe that this will be some 1950s era glam tale of some form... and it isn't, not really. Yes, the Cairo tale is played as "exotic"... but that isn't the tone I get from this cover.
So a lot of words, maybe too many words, to say that you really do need - as one 2* reviewer also noted - to read the description of the book to really know what you're getting into here, and judging this book by its (admittedly great looking, in and of itself) cover may get you into a bit of a letdown situation with this particular book.
Overall, I actually really, really enjoyed this book. I thought it did a lot, and for the most part did well on damn near all of it. It simply lacked execution in a final detail and needed a cover that ties to the story more than the current one does.
Very much recommended.
Originally posted at bookanon.com.
Added to listARCs Currently TBRwith 26 books.
Added to listOwnedwith 52 books.
We know from the cover of this book that a giant mech-style robot is going to come into play. But getting from the opening chaos of our central character being woken up and shoved on a transport plane - that subsequently crashes - to the robot is quite a ride indeed. With UNITY, Robinson has taken us into one of his most developed and novel worlds yet. Technically this could be classed as YA due to the characters' ages, but don't let that fool you - this is one excellent ride, cover to cover, no matter what brand of technothriller/ scifi / dystopia you like. (And don't let even that fool you - if you want an excellent story, period, this is the book for you.)
We know from the cover of this book that a giant mech-style robot is going to come into play. But getting from the opening chaos of our central character being woken up and shoved on a transport plane - that subsequently crashes - to the robot is quite a ride indeed. With UNITY, Robinson has taken us into one of his most developed and novel worlds yet. Technically this could be classed as YA due to the characters' ages, but don't let that fool you - this is one excellent ride, cover to cover, no matter what brand of technothriller/ scifi / dystopia you like. (And don't let even that fool you - if you want an excellent story, period, this is the book for you.)
Updated a reading goal:
Read 53 books in 2024
Progress so far: 175 / 53 330%
Solid Enough Primer On The Topic Marred By Dearth Of Bibliography. This is one of those books where, as others have noted, O'Dell clearly has his own perspectives and they clearly come through, and yet he also does a reasonably balanced job of showing both sides to any given issue - while clearly favoring whichever side he does. For those perhaps unfamiliar with the Actually Autistic/ Autistic Adult community and the reasons it clashes so often with researchers of all forms and levels, this is a solid compendium of the issues at hand and an introduction to just how complicated some of them can be.
The primary blemish here is the dearth of the bibliography, clocking in at just 10% of the overall text - at least in the Advance Review Copy form I read weeks before publication. Adding to this is the editing/ formatting choices of at least this format - hopefully corrected in the full final form - that left footnotes in odd places that made it unclear at times whether one was reading a part of the narrative or a footnote, which got quite jarring indeed at times.
Still, for the actual information contained here, even while this particular Autistic doesn't *fully* agree with many of the perspectives of the author, this truly does at least show the relevant issues and shows each of them from a variety of angles - which is always appreciated.
Recommended.
Originally posted at bookanon.com.
Solid Enough Primer On The Topic Marred By Dearth Of Bibliography. This is one of those books where, as others have noted, O'Dell clearly has his own perspectives and they clearly come through, and yet he also does a reasonably balanced job of showing both sides to any given issue - while clearly favoring whichever side he does. For those perhaps unfamiliar with the Actually Autistic/ Autistic Adult community and the reasons it clashes so often with researchers of all forms and levels, this is a solid compendium of the issues at hand and an introduction to just how complicated some of them can be.
The primary blemish here is the dearth of the bibliography, clocking in at just 10% of the overall text - at least in the Advance Review Copy form I read weeks before publication. Adding to this is the editing/ formatting choices of at least this format - hopefully corrected in the full final form - that left footnotes in odd places that made it unclear at times whether one was reading a part of the narrative or a footnote, which got quite jarring indeed at times.
Still, for the actual information contained here, even while this particular Autistic doesn't *fully* agree with many of the perspectives of the author, this truly does at least show the relevant issues and shows each of them from a variety of angles - which is always appreciated.
Recommended.
Originally posted at bookanon.com.
Before You Talk About The Student Loan Problem, Read This Book. Here, Mitchell does a phenomenal job of going from the very beginning - before World War I even - and showing just how the student loan problem grew from a well-intentioned idea into the massive debt bomb that we are now struggling with at all levels. Other than one short, couple of pages - if that - section near the end, Mitchell keeps all personal ideas and politics out of the narrative, instead focusing on as objective a reporting of the events as they unfolded as I've ever seen. Indeed, there are only two things that I can think to ding him on at all here, and neither one quite warrants a star reduction:
1) Throughout the narrative, particularly once his timeline gets into the 1990s and 2000s eras, Mitchell doesn't account for the rise of State-sponsored lottery-funded scholarship programs. Though upon a bit of research, it seems that these only exist primarily in the Southeast: Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, New Mexico, South Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia. Though I've lived in three of those States and had my college funded by Georgia's HOPE Scholarship - it is at least plausible that anyone living outside of those States, or without close friends or family in them, has never heard of these programs. (And yet even with HOPE, I still managed to amass a $20K student debt load that had ballooned to nearly $40K before I began actively repaying it - upon threat of legal action - largely due to exactly the forces Mitchell describes in this text, but mostly because I was an idiotic 18yo and it was “free money”. Though I'm proud to note that as of this moment, I have less than the various forgiveness amounts that are being bandied about in DC - which Mitchell also covers, in a near up-to-the-minute fashion, even 2 months before publication of this book. An amount that I will pay off before the current suspension of interest - signed by President Trump and extended by President Biden - expires, currently slated for less than two months after this book is published.)
2) The Bibliography is a bit scant at only about 15% of the text, though there is a decent portion of the book - focusing on a singular case study in recurring episodes throughout the narrative - where Mitchell conducted extensive interviews and examinations of the relevant documents personally.
Overall truly an excellent, objective look at the history and many factors that have created today's student loan problem. And as GI Joe once said, “knowing is half the battle”. Very much recommended.
Before You Talk About The Student Loan Problem, Read This Book. Here, Mitchell does a phenomenal job of going from the very beginning - before World War I even - and showing just how the student loan problem grew from a well-intentioned idea into the massive debt bomb that we are now struggling with at all levels. Other than one short, couple of pages - if that - section near the end, Mitchell keeps all personal ideas and politics out of the narrative, instead focusing on as objective a reporting of the events as they unfolded as I've ever seen. Indeed, there are only two things that I can think to ding him on at all here, and neither one quite warrants a star reduction:
1) Throughout the narrative, particularly once his timeline gets into the 1990s and 2000s eras, Mitchell doesn't account for the rise of State-sponsored lottery-funded scholarship programs. Though upon a bit of research, it seems that these only exist primarily in the Southeast: Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, New Mexico, South Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia. Though I've lived in three of those States and had my college funded by Georgia's HOPE Scholarship - it is at least plausible that anyone living outside of those States, or without close friends or family in them, has never heard of these programs. (And yet even with HOPE, I still managed to amass a $20K student debt load that had ballooned to nearly $40K before I began actively repaying it - upon threat of legal action - largely due to exactly the forces Mitchell describes in this text, but mostly because I was an idiotic 18yo and it was “free money”. Though I'm proud to note that as of this moment, I have less than the various forgiveness amounts that are being bandied about in DC - which Mitchell also covers, in a near up-to-the-minute fashion, even 2 months before publication of this book. An amount that I will pay off before the current suspension of interest - signed by President Trump and extended by President Biden - expires, currently slated for less than two months after this book is published.)
2) The Bibliography is a bit scant at only about 15% of the text, though there is a decent portion of the book - focusing on a singular case study in recurring episodes throughout the narrative - where Mitchell conducted extensive interviews and examinations of the relevant documents personally.
Overall truly an excellent, objective look at the history and many factors that have created today's student loan problem. And as GI Joe once said, “knowing is half the battle”. Very much recommended.
LOTS Of Moving Parts. This is one of those longer books at 634 pages with a LOT of moving parts that can be difficult to track at times - but which it is hard to say that McBride could have separated into two books at any given point. MAYBE by separating out some of the individual threads into two separate yet concurrent 300 ish page books? Yet I struggle to think that the tale would be so compelling without seeing all that is happening at once.
Essentially this is the tale of the beginning of the Apocalypse, and McBride makes it clear in his author's note that a major inspiration was The Stand (which believe it or not, I've never read). Another somewhat similar story that I drew several parallels with from one of McBride's contemporaries is the Project Eden series by Brett Battles, which I've noted for years was the best full series I've yet read.
Here, McBride begins to make his case to take that title, and despite the length here and just how many individual threads are all going on... he absolutely makes a strong opening statement. By the end of this book, it is quite clear that this particular tale setting up the Apocalypse and showing how it began is complete... and yet it is also quite clear that several threads will be left for subsequent books and at least a few of them are likely to not be resolved until the final book of this series, whenever that may be. Very much recommended.
LOTS Of Moving Parts. This is one of those longer books at 634 pages with a LOT of moving parts that can be difficult to track at times - but which it is hard to say that McBride could have separated into two books at any given point. MAYBE by separating out some of the individual threads into two separate yet concurrent 300 ish page books? Yet I struggle to think that the tale would be so compelling without seeing all that is happening at once.
Essentially this is the tale of the beginning of the Apocalypse, and McBride makes it clear in his author's note that a major inspiration was The Stand (which believe it or not, I've never read). Another somewhat similar story that I drew several parallels with from one of McBride's contemporaries is the Project Eden series by Brett Battles, which I've noted for years was the best full series I've yet read.
Here, McBride begins to make his case to take that title, and despite the length here and just how many individual threads are all going on... he absolutely makes a strong opening statement. By the end of this book, it is quite clear that this particular tale setting up the Apocalypse and showing how it began is complete... and yet it is also quite clear that several threads will be left for subsequent books and at least a few of them are likely to not be resolved until the final book of this series, whenever that may be. Very much recommended.
For what it is, this is a fascinating book using one family's journey to look at a broader issue currently being discussed anywhere discussions take place. It lacks knowledge, and thus presentation of the pertinant points, that government hurts transgender people as much as it helps them, but that doesn't overly detract from the overall tale told here. Highly recommended.
For what it is, this is a fascinating book using one family's journey to look at a broader issue currently being discussed anywhere discussions take place. It lacks knowledge, and thus presentation of the pertinant points, that government hurts transgender people as much as it helps them, but that doesn't overly detract from the overall tale told here. Highly recommended.
Preserving A Clarion Call Against Attempts At Revisionist History. Radio, as Hazelgrove notes in the text here, was a new tech that had found its way rapidly into seemingly every home in America, no matter how remote, over the course of essentially a generation. As Hazelgrove notes, the first "real time" Presidential election returns were broadcast by radio just 18 years before the night Orson Welles issued his clarion call against the dangers of the media.
One idea Hazelgrove hits on early, often, and strongly, is that Welles' Halloween Eve 1938 broadcast of a teleplay version of H.G. Well's War Of The Worlds did not cause any mass panic, that this is some kind of revisionist misinformation itself. Hazelgrove goes to great detail in showing the widespread reports of just how wrong this claim is, of showing numerous media reports from the next day and the following weeks and years citing the exact people and their reactions, showing that this was indeed a widespread mass panic event. One that perhaps some did not fall for, but clearly many did.
This text overall is the entire history of that pivotal six seconds of dead air that night, of everything leading up to it - including a somewhat detailed biography of Welles himself - and of everything that came from it, all the way through the deaths and legacies of the primary people involved - again, specifically, Welles.
Its bibliography comes in at 14%, which is *just* close enough to the 15% or so I've been trying to relax my older 20-30% standard to to avoid a star deduction, but let me be clear - I do wish it had a larger bibliography. Still, given the esoteric nature of the subject and it being a singular event involving a handful of key players, perhaps there literally weren't more sources for this particular text to cite.
One thing that Hazelgrove makes a point of detailing throughout this text is that Welles in particular believed that this play was a clarion call against how easily the radio format could be used to manipulate large swaths of people, and that the fallout it caused proved his point - including the man who attempted to kill him in the early 40s as Welles walked into a diner, because that man's wife had committed suicide the night of the War of the Worlds broadcast due to believing it was completely real.
In that vein of Welles' call, let me point out that it is *still* happening *to this day*, and indeed specifically *on this day*. I write this review on November 5, 2024, the date of yet another US Presidential Election. This one in particular has featured a grievous manipulation by media, one not imaginable even as recently as 12 years ago. The LGBT community has been fighting for its rights and indeed its very right to *exist* legally for 55 years (dating from the Stonewall Riots, a common date used to denote the beginning of this push for rights). It was barely 21 years ago, with Texas v Lawrence, that the Supreme Court of the United States effectively legalized anal sex in the US. It was just 9 years ago, with Ogberfell v Hodges, that that same court ruled that same sex couples have the legal right to marry in the United States. With all of this *recent* history - much of it *within my own adult lifetime* - why is the media of 2024 ignoring the first married gay man running for President who is openly on the ballot for President in 47 States and a recognized write in candidate in the remaining 3 + DC? That man is Chase Oliver, and I can tell you why they are ignoring his historic candidacy: because he dared run under the "wrong" Party label, being the Libertarian Party's nominee. Were he instead the nominee of one of the "two" controlling Parties in the US, this very history would be a primary focal point of that same media over these last weeks.
As Welles proclaimed and showed 86 years ago, the media can and will manipulate you at will. Including, as Hazelgrove makes a point to show through this text, trying to gaslight you into believing history making events never happened to begin with. Another "Or" "Well" - George Orwell - warned us about this in another clarion call book written just a few years after Orson Welles' War of the Worlds event, in a book named 1984. But that is another review entirely. ;)
As it stands, this text is truly well written and truly a bulwark against attempts to revise the history of Welles' astounding avant-garde event.
Very much recommended.
Originally posted at bookanon.com.
Preserving A Clarion Call Against Attempts At Revisionist History. Radio, as Hazelgrove notes in the text here, was a new tech that had found its way rapidly into seemingly every home in America, no matter how remote, over the course of essentially a generation. As Hazelgrove notes, the first "real time" Presidential election returns were broadcast by radio just 18 years before the night Orson Welles issued his clarion call against the dangers of the media.
One idea Hazelgrove hits on early, often, and strongly, is that Welles' Halloween Eve 1938 broadcast of a teleplay version of H.G. Well's War Of The Worlds did not cause any mass panic, that this is some kind of revisionist misinformation itself. Hazelgrove goes to great detail in showing the widespread reports of just how wrong this claim is, of showing numerous media reports from the next day and the following weeks and years citing the exact people and their reactions, showing that this was indeed a widespread mass panic event. One that perhaps some did not fall for, but clearly many did.
This text overall is the entire history of that pivotal six seconds of dead air that night, of everything leading up to it - including a somewhat detailed biography of Welles himself - and of everything that came from it, all the way through the deaths and legacies of the primary people involved - again, specifically, Welles.
Its bibliography comes in at 14%, which is *just* close enough to the 15% or so I've been trying to relax my older 20-30% standard to to avoid a star deduction, but let me be clear - I do wish it had a larger bibliography. Still, given the esoteric nature of the subject and it being a singular event involving a handful of key players, perhaps there literally weren't more sources for this particular text to cite.
One thing that Hazelgrove makes a point of detailing throughout this text is that Welles in particular believed that this play was a clarion call against how easily the radio format could be used to manipulate large swaths of people, and that the fallout it caused proved his point - including the man who attempted to kill him in the early 40s as Welles walked into a diner, because that man's wife had committed suicide the night of the War of the Worlds broadcast due to believing it was completely real.
In that vein of Welles' call, let me point out that it is *still* happening *to this day*, and indeed specifically *on this day*. I write this review on November 5, 2024, the date of yet another US Presidential Election. This one in particular has featured a grievous manipulation by media, one not imaginable even as recently as 12 years ago. The LGBT community has been fighting for its rights and indeed its very right to *exist* legally for 55 years (dating from the Stonewall Riots, a common date used to denote the beginning of this push for rights). It was barely 21 years ago, with Texas v Lawrence, that the Supreme Court of the United States effectively legalized anal sex in the US. It was just 9 years ago, with Ogberfell v Hodges, that that same court ruled that same sex couples have the legal right to marry in the United States. With all of this *recent* history - much of it *within my own adult lifetime* - why is the media of 2024 ignoring the first married gay man running for President who is openly on the ballot for President in 47 States and a recognized write in candidate in the remaining 3 + DC? That man is Chase Oliver, and I can tell you why they are ignoring his historic candidacy: because he dared run under the "wrong" Party label, being the Libertarian Party's nominee. Were he instead the nominee of one of the "two" controlling Parties in the US, this very history would be a primary focal point of that same media over these last weeks.
As Welles proclaimed and showed 86 years ago, the media can and will manipulate you at will. Including, as Hazelgrove makes a point to show through this text, trying to gaslight you into believing history making events never happened to begin with. Another "Or" "Well" - George Orwell - warned us about this in another clarion call book written just a few years after Orson Welles' War of the Worlds event, in a book named 1984. But that is another review entirely. ;)
As it stands, this text is truly well written and truly a bulwark against attempts to revise the history of Welles' astounding avant-garde event.
Very much recommended.
Originally posted at bookanon.com.
