tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73545707020711192132024-03-18T20:59:52.560-04:00DWD's ReviewsDWD's Reviews of Books, Audiobooks, Music and Video.
More than 1800 reviews over the last 21 years.DWDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18410063427689693237noreply@blogger.comBlogger1922125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354570702071119213.post-37796683251312911902024-03-16T22:17:00.008-04:002024-03-16T22:25:53.105-04:00MARCH: BOOK ONE (graphic novel) by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin<p><br /></p><p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/March-Book-One-John-Lewis/dp/1603093001?crid=1JEOR0DNDZ16S&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.euiUmvVgXsHRtau6T3Qeq0Ip12dW4CyGg3G_aiG2OSFTboP0AI48OOmrnqcqGKbkWaRJ7zkHkiZzqcihXOWHIcgy3-XwWyvi_ztxqXxBKHj8hUHcEFgvrVDSpn8i-kQ4N6gnhSiPkbQMuJLgxPlUXNNhE4ulsOZNZNlXeekDvKgs4IguSOVLORhuBDeyoCHRbHQNuboso84DXgM6F7c7F5zTwn4WPoRXFbNJTND-bss.vxmfPwF1EoL858kK5Sw09MKI9O8n2Ab4PLR5mS2zY2E&dib_tag=se&keywords=march+book+one&qid=1710635326&sprefix=march+book%2Caps%2C128&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=5232c4e9d6ab72fda3c88db2bf1635a6&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="319" height="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMlkxDtf7ZtwlD-OCiDIHxXlerEAGAvjaDBmHy241vLvl5LUamtid2qP9qnoTHe9BDsW4cENxK3cNSMaPukqdawtn9yMo29C1-UOS5aAMzIY5aIUqWfyo70gMDi_zsqqGDp0j8-ux5v4JI-Uhyphenhyphen0qg2oBiIK_FJ_LO3zhwgtKElLOZMFuH1jPW5dzniKBrj/w342-h500/March_Book_ONE_John_Lewis.jpg" width="342" /></a></i></div><i><br /><br /></i><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/March-Book-One-John-Lewis/dp/1603093001?crid=1JEOR0DNDZ16S&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.euiUmvVgXsHRtau6T3Qeq0Ip12dW4CyGg3G_aiG2OSFTboP0AI48OOmrnqcqGKbkWaRJ7zkHkiZzqcihXOWHIcgy3-XwWyvi_ztxqXxBKHj8hUHcEFgvrVDSpn8i-kQ4N6gnhSiPkbQMuJLgxPlUXNNhE4ulsOZNZNlXeekDvKgs4IguSOVLORhuBDeyoCHRbHQNuboso84DXgM6F7c7F5zTwn4WPoRXFbNJTND-bss.vxmfPwF1EoL858kK5Sw09MKI9O8n2Ab4PLR5mS2zY2E&dib_tag=se&keywords=march+book+one&qid=1710635326&sprefix=march+book%2Caps%2C128&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=5232c4e9d6ab72fda3c88db2bf1635a6&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank">Published in 2013 by Top Shelf Productions.<br />Written by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin.<br />Illustrated by Nate Powell.</a></i><p></p><p><i>Winner: National Book Award</i></p><p><i>Winner: Will Eisner Comic Industry Award</i></p><p><i>Winner: Coretta Scott King Book Award</i></p><p><i>Winner: ALA Notable Books</i></p><p><i>Winner: </i>Reader's Digest <i>Graphic Novels Every Grown-Up Should Read</i></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Congressman <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Lewis" target="_blank">John Lewis</a> (1940-2020) tells his life story in this graphic novel, focusing on his struggles in the Civil Rights Movement. This is the first book in a trilogy, covering the first 20 years of his life.<br /><br />Lewis is interested in three things as a young man - education, preaching, and the Civil Rights movement. Lewis listens to the traditional African American leaders and he hears talk of moderation (or, even worse, nothing at all about Civil Rights.) He doesn't know what to do, but he knows this is not the way forward. <br /></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYpLQBhA8KeEvctxOK1pnPjwTu-8csBOAAfbxA981vZStD3jvXnnJXFjsQPxU0yT1NpCNITEvYYcZdgyHhPRjwm4_DADN8SjxdVD6MndASn8tyFtQhO-VfuLDhaSYsrvBBtChxK8pyqvvnZWwnbavcgeDyCF0XILASRr4-2sWnl19rL1R0eYkRWGU8-Rl7/s500/March_Book_One_MLK.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="377" data-original-width="500" height="506" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYpLQBhA8KeEvctxOK1pnPjwTu-8csBOAAfbxA981vZStD3jvXnnJXFjsQPxU0yT1NpCNITEvYYcZdgyHhPRjwm4_DADN8SjxdVD6MndASn8tyFtQhO-VfuLDhaSYsrvBBtChxK8pyqvvnZWwnbavcgeDyCF0XILASRr4-2sWnl19rL1R0eYkRWGU8-Rl7/w672-h506/March_Book_One_MLK.jpg" width="672" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span>Lewis's growing frustration and the moment when Lewis hears MLK</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">.</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: verdana;">One day, he hears Martin Luther King, Jr. speak over the radio and he knows the way to go: non-violent resistance.<br /><br />The last half of the book goes into the effort to integrate lunch counters in several department stores in Nashville, Tennessee. He details the training, the cat and mouse tactics and the way the movement grew and grew to the point that it simply overwhelmed the legal system. <br /><br />So, the legal system withdrew and let vigilantes try to deter them. Anyone who has studied the time period knows about the violence and how it ended up in the end, but that doesn't stop the reader from being drawn in. <br /><br />This graphic novel can be found on Amazon here: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/March-Book-One-John-Lewis/dp/1603093001?crid=1JEOR0DNDZ16S&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.euiUmvVgXsHRtau6T3Qeq0Ip12dW4CyGg3G_aiG2OSFTboP0AI48OOmrnqcqGKbkWaRJ7zkHkiZzqcihXOWHIcgy3-XwWyvi_ztxqXxBKHj8hUHcEFgvrVDSpn8i-kQ4N6gnhSiPkbQMuJLgxPlUXNNhE4ulsOZNZNlXeekDvKgs4IguSOVLORhuBDeyoCHRbHQNuboso84DXgM6F7c7F5zTwn4WPoRXFbNJTND-bss.vxmfPwF1EoL858kK5Sw09MKI9O8n2Ab4PLR5mS2zY2E&dib_tag=se&keywords=march+book+one&qid=1710635326&sprefix=march+book%2Caps%2C128&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=5232c4e9d6ab72fda3c88db2bf1635a6&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank"><b><i>MARCH: BOOK ONE</i></b> (graphic novel) by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin</a>.</span><p></p></div>DWDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18410063427689693237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354570702071119213.post-89022795291636172482024-03-10T21:14:00.005-04:002024-03-10T21:15:20.747-04:00DARK of the MOON (Virgil Flowers #1)(audiobook)(abridged) by John Sandford<p> <br /><br /><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><i><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Dark-of-the-Moon/dp/B088JVW6B8?&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=6127d24d8e1c4c4c4517f7af97d388c7&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="261" height="554" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiWZDH7fUWLJVKbzJOCAvUe6Jxnp8yj_EYOtAMhVqcHNsbv37PJpXhWNAcar1cClCYtR8BW95CrVv9yV2KdvWOTefMLas7XXlZr-ZDxPI2WKFd-w1CqDslzVK_YxIwZMiEZOR0qqlFkh6mpWfAWUzEZZjUvicjZzSlJdP0v_TZtRMezqdIV7VclLlTpZlc/w309-h554/Dark_of_the_Moon_John_Sandford2.jpg" width="309" /></a></div><br /><br /></i><p></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Dark-of-the-Moon/dp/B088JVW6B8?&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=6127d24d8e1c4c4c4517f7af97d388c7&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank">Published by Penguin Audio in 2007.<br />Read by Eric Conger.<br />Duration: 6 hours, 5 minutes.<br />Abridged.</a></i></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Synopsis:<br /><br />Virgil Flowers works for the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) and has been brought in to the small town of Bluestem, Minnesota to investigate a double murder. Flowers was picked for this job because he is a great investigator and he grew up in Bluestem.<br /><br />On his way into town, he comes across a gigantic house fire. He recognizes it as the mansion of the richest man in town. The next morning, they discover that it is also the scene of a homicide.<br /><br />As Flowers starts his investigation there is yet another murder and the list of suspects keeps getting longer and longer...<br /><br />My Review:<br /><br />This series was highly recommended to me. It's a spinoff from the much larger (30+ books) "Prey" series featuring Lucas Davenport. Davenport appears in this series as Flowers' supervisor. <br /></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJNGGFAVem04dvxdm4p1rXoRSrDwTgjd4VFEIB2_PSitvNH6fYrWHEcTrRcZNsRY-j34i_RG5Z5_pOyknCmEiv8VhS8jGCWXbjFAJZvzBhiwzPLLRA3BdPlMhSU5-ZNlqgEsBdEvht15SwGURSefmcIxAOH3odRs4a11PCdmj_bs_yLhk2-n9gfjwVFBeS/s1200/johnsandford-1.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1056" data-original-width="1200" height="339" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJNGGFAVem04dvxdm4p1rXoRSrDwTgjd4VFEIB2_PSitvNH6fYrWHEcTrRcZNsRY-j34i_RG5Z5_pOyknCmEiv8VhS8jGCWXbjFAJZvzBhiwzPLLRA3BdPlMhSU5-ZNlqgEsBdEvht15SwGURSefmcIxAOH3odRs4a11PCdmj_bs_yLhk2-n9gfjwVFBeS/w385-h339/johnsandford-1.jpg" width="385" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">The author, John Sandford</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: verdana;">This book is abridged and I do believe that the abridgment hurt the story. About 40% of the book has been removed and it leaves minor plot holes all over the book. Normally, I don't listen to or read abridgments, but my library only had the abridged version. I am rating this book 3 stars out of 5. Normally, I wouldn't bother to continue with a series that has a 3 star rating to start it off, but I am willing to listen to the 2nd book in this series if I can find an unabridged version. I figure the author included all of that extra stuff to make the story better. <br /><br />This (abridged) version of the audiobook can be found on Amazon.com here: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Dark-of-the-Moon/dp/B088JVW6B8?&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=2f4ac2751a7423b3f26434b044ae8411&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank"><b><i>DARK of the MOON</i></b> (Virgil Flowers #1) by John Sandford</a>.</span><p></p>DWDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18410063427689693237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354570702071119213.post-88581195321900637942024-03-09T16:14:00.006-05:002024-03-09T16:33:25.248-05:00BASS REEVES: TALES of the TALENTED TENTH, no. 1 by Joel Christian Gill<p><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Bass-Reeves-Tales-Talented-Tenth-ebook/dp/B00PSSDNJE?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1560019021&sr=1-2&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=3fe516ae3bb4877f67d082ce638e03a3&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank"></a></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRAIEN6bRSmqUJUgWfdvGNDPHvYx4AdRqQCBbB0QBhQImReOMP1N1_W9frJnW_51PAsoDHPeZVmrjfPgHtb3r5Ax3scl5yXcji1juR9Qw3ozxuXQ-wYyu1lUQDja_iCDuFiNhRe8R0x2qvvg0z6l62zmFAExD-QEj7cMnoSrog09FlqQdf70w8qaVcz59h/s466/talented_tenth_bass_reeves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="377" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRAIEN6bRSmqUJUgWfdvGNDPHvYx4AdRqQCBbB0QBhQImReOMP1N1_W9frJnW_51PAsoDHPeZVmrjfPgHtb3r5Ax3scl5yXcji1juR9Qw3ozxuXQ-wYyu1lUQDja_iCDuFiNhRe8R0x2qvvg0z6l62zmFAExD-QEj7cMnoSrog09FlqQdf70w8qaVcz59h/w337-h416/talented_tenth_bass_reeves.jpg" width="337" /></a></i></div><i><br /><br /></i><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Bass-Reeves-Tales-Talented-Tenth-ebook/dp/B00PSSDNJE?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1560019021&sr=1-2&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=3fe516ae3bb4877f67d082ce638e03a3&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank"> Published by Fulcrum Publishing in 2014.</a></i><br /><br /><span style="background-color: #414141; color: #9eaba9; font-family: verdana; font-size: 15px;">Artist and author Joel Christian Gill is writing and illustrating a series of graphic novels that look into the lives of lesser known, exceptional African Americans. His inspiration is this quote from W.E.B. DuBois: "The Talented Tenth rises and pulls all that are worth saving up to their vantage ground." In other words, some will rise up and inspire/lead the rest. This is Gill's way of providing inspiration.<br /><br />Bass Reeves was a legendary lawman in the Old West. He was a Deputy U.S. Marshal that chased down bad guys who would flee into Indian Territory (Oklahoma and Kansas) to hide from law enforcement in the neighboring states. If you've seen either of the two versions of the movie True Grit, that is the exact situation. The character Rooster Cogburn would have been real-life Bass Reeves' co-worker if Cogburn were a real person.<br /><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #414141; color: #9eaba9; font-family: verdana; font-size: 15px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitnophZoIHC05TpRi88q-P2t2XpE9cOscS_kcK0lvHbzmsd9TtkCna8k6Nttxm6AxgIlbr5WdaQEg_JKHPWcLoYtkBuu1QcCkt-zlfN6W_Gph9f8eja0FH6C8tUzBEoNdFeaLAhQX3EmXVMoWfkURsh3rDE6q-HxzGBUTf7_iZvSXBO3zCzAJFOWPwu9f6/s998/Talented_Tenth_Bass_Reeves_page.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="998" data-original-width="786" height="488" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitnophZoIHC05TpRi88q-P2t2XpE9cOscS_kcK0lvHbzmsd9TtkCna8k6Nttxm6AxgIlbr5WdaQEg_JKHPWcLoYtkBuu1QcCkt-zlfN6W_Gph9f8eja0FH6C8tUzBEoNdFeaLAhQX3EmXVMoWfkURsh3rDE6q-HxzGBUTf7_iZvSXBO3zCzAJFOWPwu9f6/w384-h488/Talented_Tenth_Bass_Reeves_page.jpg" width="384" /></a></span></div><span style="background-color: #414141; color: #9eaba9; font-family: verdana; font-size: 15px;">The graphic novel tells about Reeves' childhood as a slave in Arkansas, how he escaped during the Civil War (he was brought along to work as a body servant for a Confederate officer) and eventually lived for a while with Indians in the Oklahoma and Kansas Territories. He was hired to help deal Marshals deal with Indians and eventually he was deemed to be so helpful and so good at his job that the local federal judge went against all of the normal conventions and made Bass Reeves a marshal.</span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: #414141;"><span style="color: #9eaba9; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">It turns out that Marshal Bass Reeves was very, very good at his job - maybe the best.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: #414141; color: #9eaba9; font-family: verdana; font-size: 15px;">The book addresses racial issues in a couple of clever ways. Whenever the word n***** is used, a stylized caricature of a man in "blackface" is inserted. Secondly, whenever Reeves is confronted by racists, they are partially or completely illustrated as crows with angry red eyes. There are crows fleeing the law, crows in court, etc.<br /><br />The problem with this story is that although Reeves lived an interesting and amazing life, the book is kind of flat. <br /><br />I rate this graphic novel 3 stars out of 5. It can be found on Amazon.com here: </span><span style="color: #9eaba9; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 15px;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Bass-Reeves-Tales-Talented-Tenth-ebook/dp/B00PSSDNJE?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1560019021&sr=1-2&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=3fe516ae3bb4877f67d082ce638e03a3&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank"><b><i>BASS REEVES: TALES of the TALENTED TENTH, no. 1</i></b> by Joel Christian Gill.</a><br /><br />See my review for a different book in this series <a href="https://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2019/06/bessie-stringfield-tales-of-talented.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</span></span></p>DWDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18410063427689693237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354570702071119213.post-25735329710773658352024-03-07T22:35:00.002-05:002024-03-07T22:35:56.799-05:00THE MAGA DIARIES: MY SURREAL ADVENTURES INSIDE THE RIGHT-WING (and HOW I GOT OUT) (audiobook) by Tina Nguyen<p><br /></p><p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/MAGA-Diaries-Surreal-Adventures-Right-Wing/dp/198218969X?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=bc72f476df805a59037dc96c9384f06f&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="307" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzTzLeBCTmnBQMxnVhHTG22TnpWeEYWN1iNeVhuo9qQSdfR3947LxuQhcnkFttpyHbEe8DBizXe6B4SuHxgWTt6Wr6HsgUO9VLvYbvAgoB_udxyXpN-O2kHGODXTNeJ8Fr5OK91FdOhbz5HP0YZaJRt0xckGPNaHbJ8LiHn5u_JhBauVC0fsxUqKHr5ciw/w298-h452/MAGA_Dairies.jpg" width="298" /></a></i></div><i><br /><br /></i><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/MAGA-Diaries-Surreal-Adventures-Right-Wing/dp/198218969X?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=bc72f476df805a59037dc96c9384f06f&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank">Published by Simon and Schuster Audio in January of 2024.<br />Read by the author, Tina Nguyen.<br />Duration: 7 hours, 23 minutes.<br />Unabridged.</a></i><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Tina Nguyen is a mainstream reporter now, but she started out in the world of conservative media. How conservative? How about working for Tucker Carlson before he joined Fox News?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Nguyen had a boyfriend that connected her to the feeder system of conservative politics and media. Go through these high school programs and you get invited to college programs like the </span><a href="https://www.cmc.edu/salvatori/about" style="font-family: verdana;" target="_blank">Salvatori Center for the Study of Individual Freedom</a><span style="font-family: verdana;"> at Claremont McKenna College and then on to think tanks, conservative media, or a staff position with a politician.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Nguyen broke up with the boyfriend and went into conservative media...until she realized it was all very small, very inter-related and, in the end, unsatisfying and unable to pay the bills. Also, she discovered that one of her mentors was a racist creep and so was the boyfriend that brought her into the movement. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxuWnpAwX8zlbaVAnUUojEWbirL-em-KFJSRSI_MRjKv4MpSlJowuJv2qMq_qVCnHjsGZw24k3MVIV4w3vjLc8v5AOgC3ubS6KGncyo8UtzbcWTf-wR3eEqgULL9WZzQQ-JpIMpUdW6_kHrZg2tRRwSxQUCZt4GLY46bK7Zlo7MCH3kw83sQpj1l7VKZUX/s1767/Tina_Nguyen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1767" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxuWnpAwX8zlbaVAnUUojEWbirL-em-KFJSRSI_MRjKv4MpSlJowuJv2qMq_qVCnHjsGZw24k3MVIV4w3vjLc8v5AOgC3ubS6KGncyo8UtzbcWTf-wR3eEqgULL9WZzQQ-JpIMpUdW6_kHrZg2tRRwSxQUCZt4GLY46bK7Zlo7MCH3kw83sQpj1l7VKZUX/s320/Tina_Nguyen.jpg" width="217" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">The author, Tina Nguyen</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>What this book does very well is show how the right wing side of American politics is pretty interconnected, and according to Nguyen, much more so than the left wing.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">The pacing of this book is kind of hit and miss. Sometimes it drags, sometimes it skips ahead quickly. Mostly, I was bothered by the timing of the book. She calls the book </span><b style="font-family: verdana;"><i>MAGA Diaries</i></b><span style="font-family: verdana;">, but really she was part of the</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea_Party_movement" style="font-family: verdana;" target="_blank"> Tea Party Movement</a><span style="font-family: verdana;">. I consider the Tea Party to be the precursor of the MAGA Movement, but they are not the same.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Anyway, it's a mixed bag. Not without value, but not great. I rate it 3 stars out of 5. It can be found on Amazon.com here: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/MAGA-Diaries-Surreal-Adventures-Right-Wing/dp/B0CGBFYL3K?ie=UTF8&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=628fbd6e2cca6500c6b9369efdbb08ef&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank"><b><i>THE MAGA DIARIES: MY SURREAL ADVENTURES INSIDE THE RIGHT-WING (and HOW I GOT OUT)</i></b> by Tina Nguyen.</a></span><br /><br /><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br /></span></p></div>DWDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18410063427689693237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354570702071119213.post-57306286866430594902024-03-05T21:59:00.007-05:002024-03-05T22:06:42.898-05:00TIRED of WINNING: DONALD TRUMP and the END of the GRAND OLD PARTY (audiobook) by Jonathan Karl<p> <br /><br /><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Tired-Winning-Donald-Trump-Grand/dp/0593473981?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.I6Ss5BGZPVYB8KpkDOv-LjBTi7DGfZyA7duHie4fQYPZj-iXKvqNrOMu43jfDaYIFrFrkOomHmxnR16VHbwQI4LuffEmHSEyKmtOzsHWXRDSQBal1ZsqNIMPH3NsJtlDixTScd_a_mcYlxQyxFR5QDk5P1uobkEPDHx9YLU_x531vdB5Nhpq6gurboTnGfNexodJ25gClVW09VhhvEHkm4R6Xasbse_LdEKqe2NFcEw.ixPrAR_C6rc2do4NTevM_S3iTwB_Uo6AOqYhx4hrYGs&qid=1709685192&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=2f0c34e1c69773c20e188799fdfd5613&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="993" height="471" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLvjp5ZKCR6JzeQGBum0qIo0W1HbY7ooq14FZlTkQwIcVU0tNCBc5Irdxj5c9mjLLjw6xJ8ysFRQKwP6V61hkgdMEjEEPAWpUTqpXN79sd_TIck84Of2XDd-KA0_rcg-Qy4LiNhIojm9Xh0uLMpqsVzXCXiWLSyxtRXbwhsdfdr6xznNx7fTVytsnd6EpB/w312-h471/Tired_of_Winning.jpg" width="312" /></a></i></div><i><br /><br /></i><p></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Tired-Winning-Donald-Trump-Grand/dp/0593473981?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.I6Ss5BGZPVYB8KpkDOv-LjBTi7DGfZyA7duHie4fQYPZj-iXKvqNrOMu43jfDaYIFrFrkOomHmxnR16VHbwQI4LuffEmHSEyKmtOzsHWXRDSQBal1ZsqNIMPH3NsJtlDixTScd_a_mcYlxQyxFR5QDk5P1uobkEPDHx9YLU_x531vdB5Nhpq6gurboTnGfNexodJ25gClVW09VhhvEHkm4R6Xasbse_LdEKqe2NFcEw.ixPrAR_C6rc2do4NTevM_S3iTwB_Uo6AOqYhx4hrYGs&qid=1709685192&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=2f0c34e1c69773c20e188799fdfd5613&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank">Published in November of 2023 by Penguin Audio.<br />Read by the author, Jonathan Karl.<br />Duration: 8 hours, 32 minutes.<br />Unabridged.</a></i><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">ABC News reporter <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Karl" target="_blank">Jonathan Karl</a> brings us his third book about Donald Trump as President and as former President.<br /><br />His first book covered candidate Trump and the first 3 years of the Trump Administration. The second book covered the last year of the Trump Administration with a special focus on all of the "stop the steal" claims. It was called <b><a href="https://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2021/12/betrayal-final-act-of-trump-show.html" target="_blank">Betrayal: The Final Act of the Trump Show</a></b>. Too bad it was not in fact Trump's "final act." <br /><br />Karl has a long relationship with the former President. He interviewed 5 times before he even decided to officially run for President in the 2016 election. He's interviewed him multiple times since, including for all three of his books. Karl includes actual audio clips from those interviews (questions and answers) for the benefit of those that doubt.<br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1ms3kXKTk8FXkDvakFJSsumXxpgALu_5KSJP6Mh_5Y0LOis06i18M5lQsDA5tWntBJcLr3VnEh_pV3eyoJSYX6I9kZ3_Jm0p_8gZ5NpkkVIq0LZxOIAwJT1GzdIo8cMVOR40wWmafQzsQc0xTZQYKa97d0uqQ7xDnbv5vviCAWk2prMLfGc553Iyj3ykd/s1920/Jonathan-Karl-on-ABC-News-2.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1ms3kXKTk8FXkDvakFJSsumXxpgALu_5KSJP6Mh_5Y0LOis06i18M5lQsDA5tWntBJcLr3VnEh_pV3eyoJSYX6I9kZ3_Jm0p_8gZ5NpkkVIq0LZxOIAwJT1GzdIo8cMVOR40wWmafQzsQc0xTZQYKa97d0uqQ7xDnbv5vviCAWk2prMLfGc553Iyj3ykd/w441-h248/Jonathan-Karl-on-ABC-News-2.jpg" width="441" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">If you think Donald Trump is awesome, this is not the book for you. I'm not going to go into the details because, at this point - after so many years of Trump's shenanigans, those details won't change any minds.<br /><br />I thought this was an engrossing listen because I am very, very skeptical of anything that the 45th President is involved in. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I rate this book 5 stars out of 5. It can be found on Amazon.com here: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Tired-Winning-Donald-Trump-Grand/dp/B0C4VXZQV7?crid=1X0YZDM76RKM7&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.I6Ss5BGZPVYB8KpkDOv-LjBTi7DGfZyA7duHie4fQYPZj-iXKvqNrOMu43jfDaYIFrFrkOomHmxnR16VHbwQI4LuffEmHSEyKmtOzsHWXRDSQBal1ZsqNIMPH3NsJtlDixTScd_a_mcYlxQyxFR5QDk5P1uobkEPDHx9YLU_x531vdB5Nhpq6gurboTnGfNexodJ25gClVW09VhhvEHkm4R6Xasbse_LdEKqe2NFcEw.ixPrAR_C6rc2do4NTevM_S3iTwB_Uo6AOqYhx4hrYGs&dib_tag=se&keywords=tired+of+winning+jonathan+karl&qid=1709685192&sprefix=tired+of+winn%2Caps%2C123&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=fc1fad38702892f2bb6cf9b08f1d0ecd&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank"><b><i>TIRED of WINNING: DONALD TRUMP and the END of the GRAND OLD PARTY</i></b> by Jonathan Karl.</a></span></p>DWDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18410063427689693237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354570702071119213.post-61889878560542908752024-02-18T21:14:00.008-05:002024-02-18T21:38:05.612-05:00THE KINGDOM, the POWER, and THE GLORY: AMERICAN EVANGELICALS in an AGE of EXTREMISM (audiobook) by Tim Alberta<p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Kingdom-Power-Glory-Evangelicals-Extremism/dp/006322688X?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Phsp-rC7fz4DDY0flDeSVU78grlBe6CgLcYMZN6adLAvUsgDq8qWME8mIBx4ftUdFzT_coudTAWwDwD4OCjpUHyh-VMoyVByZD1IGWiO7CiXvVEO964sS9K5Y0LfJENSoaWISS5SuOlGq6H9aldAhukMm4gfGC-Q3QmHpyJBp9TRcI8bZQLHTFiPphyVkCcsK5zmcucUp4NCtrVoNCgfkxk7MXm2hlFbvYRHcuWuHps.CNIBGBSSICvJN43rd6jV0jF-nXvr-QpX39fbHUWxf0k&qid=1708308250&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=91c36083987f863acfb94739c5c02718&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="994" height="432" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg28EfN93ro9k4Nsqm7VKjdtj41U52OtPD4FmIg9RCyqP8CWT4jgW3nxkr3-Ts5Aj2D2PRJs8JR6xQPdN2E1pIo2MUMAcQ4DuZ7rBxb6yhUOg-320iQOJRuJqaMk5CXz5hNm-42CffVwlym92QFSVrOZwBesGAzClJn-jBKLmdOBHm2PXjFaCOtD9cJztP-/w286-h432/Kingdom_Power_Glory_Tim_Alberta.jpg" width="286" /></a></i></div><i><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Kingdom-Power-Glory-Evangelicals-Extremism/dp/006322688X?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Phsp-rC7fz4DDY0flDeSVU78grlBe6CgLcYMZN6adLAvUsgDq8qWME8mIBx4ftUdFzT_coudTAWwDwD4OCjpUHyh-VMoyVByZD1IGWiO7CiXvVEO964sS9K5Y0LfJENSoaWISS5SuOlGq6H9aldAhukMm4gfGC-Q3QmHpyJBp9TRcI8bZQLHTFiPphyVkCcsK5zmcucUp4NCtrVoNCgfkxk7MXm2hlFbvYRHcuWuHps.CNIBGBSSICvJN43rd6jV0jF-nXvr-QpX39fbHUWxf0k&qid=1708308250&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=91c36083987f863acfb94739c5c02718&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank">Published by HarperAudio in December of 2023.<br />Read by the author, Tim Alberta.<br />Duration: 18 hours, 16 minutes.<br />Unabridged.</a></i><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://www.bytimalberta.com/" target="_blank">Tim Alberta</a> is a writer for <i>The Atlantic </i>and also an Evangelical. He grew up in the faith, but is very troubled by the tendency towards Christian Nationalism. He was inspired to write this book after an incident at his father's funeral at the church he grew up in. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Alberta embarked on a cross-country exploration of the intersection of Evangelicals and politics at Christian Nationalism - and how this combination is changing Evangelicals and they way they are perceived.<br /><br />Alberta does not come at this as an outsider. As I already noted, he grew up in the church - and still belongs to a church. To me, this is important. I read another book with a similar theme (<b><i><a href="https://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2023/09/the-power-worshippers-inside-dangerous.html" target="_blank">The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism</a></i></b>) that just didn't hit the right tone and answer the right questions because the author was coming from the outside. She didn't know the ins and outs and didn't truly understand the people she was writing about.<br /><br />Russell Moore recently wrote a book (<a href="https://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2023/09/losing-our-religion-altar-call-for.html" target="_blank"><i><b>Losing Our Religion: An Altar Call for Evangelical America</b></i></a>) that addresses problems among American Evangelicals from the inside, but it's not really a book about politics. The closest book to Alberta's is the excellent <i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2020/09/jesus-and-john-wayne-how-white.html" target="_blank">Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation</a>. </i>The two books don't really cover the same territory, but they certainly run in parallel lines and they do not present a pretty picture of contemporary Christianity.<br /></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtb2Gj_JJKWzva1uKvJAOPPO_89hXBw9bTtDl-TlHK-YJyg51VqfwYjnSdQwqWyrozSIiDT90X7oKxSrrOOBM8JxbGgvgHzAFGv2_-9erSZolSUv1EaBW8YWxJi9nC91EwtRQf8TkBU-bkiIjJQbjG8guvm2DlGqkQW27VyLS67hB2WtsTNm_Us3Up7ENG/s474/Tim_Alberta.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="370" data-original-width="474" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtb2Gj_JJKWzva1uKvJAOPPO_89hXBw9bTtDl-TlHK-YJyg51VqfwYjnSdQwqWyrozSIiDT90X7oKxSrrOOBM8JxbGgvgHzAFGv2_-9erSZolSUv1EaBW8YWxJi9nC91EwtRQf8TkBU-bkiIjJQbjG8guvm2DlGqkQW27VyLS67hB2WtsTNm_Us3Up7ENG/w346-h270/Tim_Alberta.jpg" width="346" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">The author, Tim Alberta</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: verdana;">Alberta looks at the struggles of his home church, Liberty University and its rise to prominence by promoting politics instead of Christianity, </span><a href="https://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2020/01/a-farewell-to-arms-evangelical-pastors.html" style="font-family: verdana;" target="_blank">Brian Zahnd</a><span style="font-family: verdana;">'s church's struggle when he went out of his way to reject Christian Nationalism, the Southern Baptist Convention's struggles with sexual abuse charges and, of course, the ever-present influence of Trump and Trumpism.</span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />I found this book to be a fascinating look into this dangerous mix of Christianity and politics. I blasted through this 18 hour audiobook in just a few days and I wish it was twice as long.<br /><br />I highly recommend this book.<br /><br />5 stars out of 5.<br /><br />This book can be found on Amazon.com here: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Kingdom-Power-Glory-Evangelicals-Extremism/dp/006322688X?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Phsp-rC7fz4DDY0flDeSVU78grlBe6CgLcYMZN6adLAvUsgDq8qWME8mIBx4ftUdFzT_coudTAWwDwD4OCjpUHyh-VMoyVByZD1IGWiO7CiXvVEO964sS9K5Y0LfJENSoaWISS5SuOlGq6H9aldAhukMm4gfGC-Q3QmHpyJBp9TRcI8bZQLHTFiPphyVkCcsK5zmcucUp4NCtrVoNCgfkxk7MXm2hlFbvYRHcuWuHps.CNIBGBSSICvJN43rd6jV0jF-nXvr-QpX39fbHUWxf0k&qid=1708308250&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=91c36083987f863acfb94739c5c02718&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank"><b><i>THE KINGDOM, the POWER, and THE GLORY: AMERICAN EVANGELICALS in an AGE of EXTREMISM</i></b> by Tim Alberta.<br /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /></span><br /><p></p></div>DWDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18410063427689693237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354570702071119213.post-5929988919850373532024-02-17T19:34:00.004-05:002024-02-17T20:01:29.581-05:00PALM SUNDAY: AN AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL COLLAGE by Kurt Vonnegut<p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Palm-Sunday-Autobiographical-Kurt-Vonnegut-ebook/dp/B002QJZ9T0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.vmxGMudijbUN1AudkmqgXayaYzT-BREU13oPQkehu9tNj9InCSY_NHZ3_zkt0Prg0Pw5GhCcmSPfeOK2fyqeR9pliL4YYOnMBVr9FKDV0ajCA0d5ZWh91DeE-sEQaHiBo_touneDzTw4z0ssdKUHy8I14aw43vjX0hsVidhvSMJA6wRW6rhQtfUrqeOb33l4Kc2lD0ss4_h3QJQhAlrggk9ahQ-YuHmEhnOLvp3lIjY.sgNqLL_erJ2-hM__IKcdkruIvBIu9p7i64Z0b6sgcbc&qid=1708141086&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=88ef9805445fd97fd210952b965a80a9&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="687" data-original-width="474" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvwdoRwnlfJSyxNAgkV6gfCwwEBzsoFL3LODHQqieREZli7Q6iPxt9c0iCEPJJKaiO7pWX87y4LifDJ_fbRZww7tGAqh-KUt1znqLfbLbygBjht2HdiaqQThtgsj2IIxfJkXQX_CwT88DP6vUKKGx-q-AcyefJNnRS3opAUStWvloaVOE9yWX0SByHNFgD/s320/Palm_Sunday_Vonnegut.jpg" width="221" /></a></i></div><i><br /> </i><p></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Palm-Sunday-Autobiographical-Kurt-Vonnegut-ebook/dp/B002QJZ9T0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.vmxGMudijbUN1AudkmqgXayaYzT-BREU13oPQkehu9tNj9InCSY_NHZ3_zkt0Prg0Pw5GhCcmSPfeOK2fyqeR9pliL4YYOnMBVr9FKDV0ajCA0d5ZWh91DeE-sEQaHiBo_touneDzTw4z0ssdKUHy8I14aw43vjX0hsVidhvSMJA6wRW6rhQtfUrqeOb33l4Kc2lD0ss4_h3QJQhAlrggk9ahQ-YuHmEhnOLvp3lIjY.sgNqLL_erJ2-hM__IKcdkruIvBIu9p7i64Z0b6sgcbc&qid=1708141086&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=88ef9805445fd97fd210952b965a80a9&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank">Published in 1981 by Delacorte Press.</a></i><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Kurt Vonnegut offers this collection (he calls is a "collage") of fiction, non-fiction, interviews, and even a musical based on Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. <br /><br />As is the case with all collections, some parts of the collection are excellent and some parts are not very good. I believe that he first half of the collection is the best, mostly because of the inclusion of a history of the Vonnegut family in Indianapolis. Ironically, it was not written by Vonnegut, but by a family member who had married into the Vonnegut family. <br /><br />Indianapolis is my adopted hometown and this Vonnegut family history reads like a history of the city from the mid-1800s to the mid-1900s. I found it fascinating reading, especially the story of the subscription brothel gentlemen's club that was frequented by the city's elite in an area that still has political "clubs" with fancy dining and smoking rooms more than 100 years later. It would be tacky to pay a prostitute, but paying club dues that were used to maintain the club and also to pay the prostitutes - well that's not tacky at all!<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The musical based on Jekyll and Hyde written in 1978 was completely horrible.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguhrKzc1kSOsXLZy-kJ1IZdSWmSmG8uBHwYRkpkXSpSzE03vNCWGV0hOKWFdyb42w9TacUD3hj99GnM8NOGwqKyVFb0yBHQtWRDoIPuL8cBuACVV_dbwZ1-GnW4682h2We5M0n4OkaFLajJteztnrzP7Bl_TVytth4CEA_-H_uAq26TJKmuTWxUoohG8qy/s410/Vonnegut-grades.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="410" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguhrKzc1kSOsXLZy-kJ1IZdSWmSmG8uBHwYRkpkXSpSzE03vNCWGV0hOKWFdyb42w9TacUD3hj99GnM8NOGwqKyVFb0yBHQtWRDoIPuL8cBuACVV_dbwZ1-GnW4682h2We5M0n4OkaFLajJteztnrzP7Bl_TVytth4CEA_-H_uAq26TJKmuTWxUoohG8qy/s320/Vonnegut-grades.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Vonnegut is well-known for having written a report card of his published books - this is the book that features that report card. Oftentimes, I disagree with his self-assessment - but not this time. He gives this book a "C" (yes, he graded the book as he was writing/collecting all of the parts of it) and I agree.<br /><br />I rate this book 3 stars out of 5. It can be found on Amazon.com here: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Palm-Sunday-Autobiographical-Kurt-Vonnegut-ebook/dp/B002QJZ9T0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.vmxGMudijbUN1AudkmqgXayaYzT-BREU13oPQkehu9tNj9InCSY_NHZ3_zkt0Prg0Pw5GhCcmSPfeOK2fyqeR9pliL4YYOnMBVr9FKDV0ajCA0d5ZWh91DeE-sEQaHiBo_touneDzTw4z0ssdKUHy8I14aw43vjX0hsVidhvSMJA6wRW6rhQtfUrqeOb33l4Kc2lD0ss4_h3QJQhAlrggk9ahQ-YuHmEhnOLvp3lIjY.sgNqLL_erJ2-hM__IKcdkruIvBIu9p7i64Z0b6sgcbc&qid=1708141086&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=88ef9805445fd97fd210952b965a80a9&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank"><b><i>PALM SUNDAY: AN AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL COLLAGE</i></b> by Kurt Vonnegut.</a><br /><br /><br /></span></p>DWDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18410063427689693237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354570702071119213.post-28595513487497848482024-01-27T23:06:00.008-05:002024-02-29T08:15:03.139-05:00BATMAN/FORTNITE: ZERO POINT (graphic novel) by Christos Gage and others<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Batman-Fortnite-Point-Christos-Gage/dp/177951056X?crid=ZAU0T72247KL&keywords=batman%2Ffortnite+zero+point+hardcover&qid=1706407463&sprefix=batman%2Ffortnite+zero+point%2Caps%2C110&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=d61bb1775e4ac91f9ce92bea788c98b7&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1019" height="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2wzbx9uVIs6jNgfkNVybutkNU6tOOwPC4D_9AcyoginzjxYy8khWtodgbuJFKJwzE5MQShvraN305QHvnoEVMGZE7_mszVEk02pN8ci4j6O81rHNYFRxxWQrVgGxIcNA2GVwZJq8HFZkB_iSqKfMg99-0o7J6dcuNt2bz42-stfEWzg6kcn-mqyKbFTyD/w305-h450/Batman_Fortnite.jpg" width="305" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Batman-Fortnite-Point-Christos-Gage/dp/177951056X?crid=ZAU0T72247KL&keywords=batman%2Ffortnite+zero+point+hardcover&qid=1706407463&sprefix=batman%2Ffortnite+zero+point%2Caps%2C110&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=d61bb1775e4ac91f9ce92bea788c98b7&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank">Published in 2021 <br />by DC Comics</a></i></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">When I first heard of this crossover graphic novel I thought to myself that this could be a horrible mess of a book. I actually flipped through it just to be ready to make fun of it. After all, how could a book based on a videogame that's using Batman as a promotional gimmick be any good? <br /><br />Turns out I was wrong. <br /><br />The plot makes sense. Even more importantly, it is an interesting and compelling read.<br /><br />In the story, what Batman suspects is a crack in time and space opens up over Gotham City. People are fleeing. Batman consults with Chief Gordon and learns that some people are actually drawn to this tear in reality. <br /><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzjonwCIeshdAZt-B_lTUseKrEuGl-hoWoMACkT9Ib32AlfoUbX16jXdzuWA6d30U4T16LFIa-2-gc9Y7eTwoodx7haKc92NRuhQBn1LVin8t6nuCuSjytqlTdTHoeBKblAJVHtCSTpPVQ5pnfi-AnzE_t0omY1vYp0rzWkN0xjDlrRcZqNrmp0SU5gsHA/s4697/batman-fortnite-zero-point-issue-1-page-3094x4697-467f2b5618e4.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4697" data-original-width="3094" height="489" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzjonwCIeshdAZt-B_lTUseKrEuGl-hoWoMACkT9Ib32AlfoUbX16jXdzuWA6d30U4T16LFIa-2-gc9Y7eTwoodx7haKc92NRuhQBn1LVin8t6nuCuSjytqlTdTHoeBKblAJVHtCSTpPVQ5pnfi-AnzE_t0omY1vYp0rzWkN0xjDlrRcZqNrmp0SU5gsHA/w322-h489/batman-fortnite-zero-point-issue-1-page-3094x4697-467f2b5618e4.jpg" width="322" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">As Batman gets closer to investigate he finds Harley Quinn. She is heading directly towards the tear and Batman cannot stop her. However, his efforts have placed him in a vulnerable position and a shadowy figure pushes Batman in.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Batman arrives in the world of Fortnite with no memory and surrounded by violence. The world gets smaller and smaller, making the violence more intense until everyone dies and the world re-sets with no one retaining a memory of what has happened before. <br /><br />Of course, Batman is still Batman so he figures out a way...<br /><br />I rate this graphic novel 5 out of 5 stars. It can be found on Amazon.com here: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Batman-Fortnite-Point-Christos-Gage/dp/177951056X?crid=ZAU0T72247KL&keywords=batman%2Ffortnite+zero+point+hardcover&qid=1706407463&sprefix=batman%2Ffortnite+zero+point%2Caps%2C110&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=d61bb1775e4ac91f9ce92bea788c98b7&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank"><b><i>BATMAN/FORTNITE: ZERO POINT</i></b> (graphic novel) by Christos Gage and others</a>.</span></p>DWDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18410063427689693237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354570702071119213.post-53257455393105155952024-01-27T14:25:00.004-05:002024-01-27T14:27:20.230-05:00THE GOLEM'S VOICE (graphic novel) by David G. Klein<p> </p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Golems-Voice-David-G-Klein/dp/0996236600?crid=FP2QREVL82EH&keywords=the+golem%27s+voice&qid=1706379904&sprefix=the+golem%27s+voice%2Caps%2C119&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=b9620c62b0c22c35af1d71aa1c697058&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="861" data-original-width="665" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHTyADj5InbUScFxmo672XWVmLfTBBhysZchKmO608DPbAPe7ufJYxro25IH8R_Ig0M4mHdo3t0C2FDuF11Vwtlo8rK0-xlpyQW9Fua133NDHPntTvwzurklv8apvtcSvqxTIYI9fQ3ctgDVAzIeFe-UT01gHrtG4iubStWojVjJcI6HgVAUBXxQAJ0jEy/s320/golemsvoice_cover_lores.jpg" width="247" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Golems-Voice-David-G-Klein/dp/0996236600?crid=FP2QREVL82EH&keywords=the+golem%27s+voice&qid=1706379904&sprefix=the+golem%27s+voice%2Caps%2C119&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=b9620c62b0c22c35af1d71aa1c697058&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank">Published in 2015 by<br />Now What Media, LLC</a></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Synopsis:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Set in Czechoslovakia during World War II, <b><i>The Golem's Voice</i></b> is the story of a young Jewish mom and her two sons trying to escape relocation by the Nazis. This was in the time when the Nazis were still telling Jews that they were relocating them to alternate settlements rather than just taking them to work and death camps.<br /><br />As they are being loaded onto trains, the mom gets a bad feeling and tells her boys (Yoakim and Yakov) to just run. She does not join them because they are much faster than her and she just wants them to escape and live. Her boys run under the trains and, at first, things look good. But, soon enough, Nazi soldiers are in full pursuit and Yoakim is shot providing cover for his little brother.<br /><br />Yakov continues to run to the only place the knows - the Jewish ghetto neighborhood that he just came from. He hears a voice in his head calling him to the home of a long-dead rabbi named <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Golems-Voice-David-G-Klein/dp/0996236600?crid=FP2QREVL82EH&keywords=the+golem%27s+voice&qid=1706379904&sprefix=the+golem%27s+voice%2Caps%2C119&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=b9620c62b0c22c35af1d71aa1c697058&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank">Yudah Loew</a>. Legend has it that Loew was much more than a prolific author, philosopher and academic - he was also the creator of a golem. <br /><br />Loew was supposed to have studied so much that he worked out how to create a man in clay and bring it to life. This creature is not truly a man and could not speak for itself because only God can do that. But, it is alive and follows the orders of the one who created it. Medieval legend said that if things got bad enough for the Jews, a golem could be created to defend them.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj87hOK69Gx3yO7nEDKF029rvG7DNaEeILpldrcagqVYz5v9RoYlPAOs7RhQsEzafnYf8aieTD_ocDXlebSZNkKJK9hrVvfYx3ZPKM0S6uebha5wTBSAS8X837xRqD9WD-XKeo9Zpbq8TpZm_lLPdJsWkOR2MU8qTksqrIzKWP3hLFPIGO5bmvD2ZT9cUKF/s894/The%20Golem's%20Voice.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="894" data-original-width="665" height="546" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj87hOK69Gx3yO7nEDKF029rvG7DNaEeILpldrcagqVYz5v9RoYlPAOs7RhQsEzafnYf8aieTD_ocDXlebSZNkKJK9hrVvfYx3ZPKM0S6uebha5wTBSAS8X837xRqD9WD-XKeo9Zpbq8TpZm_lLPdJsWkOR2MU8qTksqrIzKWP3hLFPIGO5bmvD2ZT9cUKF/w407-h546/The%20Golem's%20Voice.jpg" width="407" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Yakov is led by the voice to a hidden room in the house and discovers everything one would need to create a golem - and if there were ever a time that the Jewish people could used a golem to defend them, this was it...<br /><br />My review:<br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I think this book was well done. The art is moody, as it should be when discussing the dark and dangerous days of the Holocaust. I was curious to see if the book would fall into the temptation of straying into the complete fantasy of having the golem wreak havoc on the Nazis to the point of being able to march to Berlin and take out Adolph Hitler himself (Rest assured, this does not happen.)<br /><br />There is a very clever angle taken by the author. The idea of a Golem is partially explained by texts found by Yakov and his memory of children's tales. But it is also explained through the Nazi officer who is hunting Yakov. That officer takes the legends seriously even though he hates the Jewish people. He wants to use the knowledge to create Golems to create an army that the Nazis can control. There is a "debate" of sorts between this officer and a spirit (is is Loew or is it God? I think it is God.) that fills in a lot of details.<br /><br />I rate this graphic novel 4 stars out of 5. It can be found on Amazon.com here: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Golems-Voice-David-G-Klein/dp/0996236600?crid=FP2QREVL82EH&keywords=the+golem%27s+voice&qid=1706379904&sprefix=the+golem%27s+voice%2Caps%2C119&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=b9620c62b0c22c35af1d71aa1c697058&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank"><b><i>The Golem's Voice</i></b> by David G. Klein</a>.<br /><br />See a good sample of the book on the publisher's site <a href="http://www.nowwhatmedia.com/pages_folder/nowwhatbooks_pages/nowwhatbooks_thegolemsvoice.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></p>DWDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18410063427689693237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354570702071119213.post-70153159409245001092024-01-23T23:08:00.000-05:002024-01-23T23:08:10.791-05:00THE HOUSE on MANGO STREET (audiobook) by Sandra Cisneros<p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/House-Mango-Street-Sandra-Cisneros/dp/0679734775?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1706063837&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=c93243505e82698a92d8d726bec8defe&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="779" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp61IqEH8lj8xu2SaGajtF-PHcmY1p45a9SiVhATYyOFFkKqgxcKWp0rHPR9KJRxu-6n5LsjDrI6L9vmB1IGWtcTp6n9UiOx0dipMMpVLjyboJ7madZ2eYN_2qbnsvRZLpofulVU1Sa6ic9gyopmqvTKri-AZKkEYEfdqnUe9pYozE2eQJ3xNYsQb_e1ob/s320/House%20on%20Mango%20Street.jpg" width="208" /></a></i></div><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/House-Mango-Street-Sandra-Cisneros/dp/0679734775?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1706063837&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=c93243505e82698a92d8d726bec8defe&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank">Originally Published in 1983.<br />Read by the author, Sandra Cisneros.<br />Duration: 2 hours, 18 minutes.<br />Unabridged</a></i><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><i>The House on Mango Street</i></b> is the story of a Hispanic girl named Esperanza who grows up in a little house in a poor neighborhood in Chicago. Her story is told in a series of unrelated vignettes (44 in all) that tell some sort of story about her family life or the neighborhood itself. In some, the main character clearly has no idea of the more adult themes that occur around her, while in others she is very astute and understands the larger implications. <br /><br />At first, Esperanza's family intends that the house is going to be a temporary stop on their climb towards economic success in America. But, they never quite are able to move out of this troubled neighborhood and the reader is able to see how the neighborhood affects the lives of everyone around Esperanza as she grows up.<br /><br />To be fair, the neighborhood is not all bad, but it is a tough place for children to grow up and keep their innocence. Some kids run away, some get married early and try to build some stability (one gets married extremely early.) Esperanza is determined to work her way out of the neighborhood and then come back and help others get out.<br /><br />I read this book for two reasons:<br />1) It has a tremendous reputation. <br />2) It has been placed on multiple book ban lists and I like to read those books to form my own opinion (unlike a lot of people who ban them.)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">My review:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVFSbVy9qcgtToJt0Ks53yR8JeixamaZugOyo3C31gDPK2pkp3VcxWcDEeUonVKaRqPGdl3GAvLc0dpjTfQ6wJZeyR5sagThGQmX3p44n-dTp-8urSfNmFyHQ1ZSJvSc3cMnRtIhwwYCJ7_Ra5OLa24hC-sPb55yndH9W7r2Lk1951LaGOG94lxNO_A7AG/s1999/sandra-cisneros,jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="1999" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVFSbVy9qcgtToJt0Ks53yR8JeixamaZugOyo3C31gDPK2pkp3VcxWcDEeUonVKaRqPGdl3GAvLc0dpjTfQ6wJZeyR5sagThGQmX3p44n-dTp-8urSfNmFyHQ1ZSJvSc3cMnRtIhwwYCJ7_Ra5OLa24hC-sPb55yndH9W7r2Lk1951LaGOG94lxNO_A7AG/s320/sandra-cisneros,jpg.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The author, Sandra Cisneros</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table>I found that this book's biggest issue was that it was just boring. It's a 2 hours audiobook and I found myself wanting to listen to anything else at times. I simply could not get into this story. <br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">I certainly wouldn't ban this book. It has a lot of adult themes, but I think too many sheltered adults don't realize that a lot of kids live very unsheltered lives. This book will come off as very real to a lot of those kids, assuming that they can get past the back that it is a very, very tedious read. This 30+ year teacher would put it in a classroom library or in a school library and support any student wanting to read it. <br /><br /><i>Here are two stories about districts that have banned this book - one based in </i><a href="https://www.kwtx.com/2022/09/22/books-written-by-latino-authors-among-those-banned-texas-nationwide/" style="font-style: italic;" target="_blank">Texas</a><i> and one based in </i><a href="https://www.wfla.com/news/local-news/heres-a-list-of-banned-books-in-tampa-bay-area-schools/" style="font-style: italic;" target="_blank">Florida</a><i>.</i><br /><br />I rate this book 2 stars out of 5. It can be found on Amazon.com here: </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/House-Mango-Street-Sandra-Cisneros/dp/0679734775?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1706063837&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=c93243505e82698a92d8d726bec8defe&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank"><b><i>THE HOUSE on MANGO STREET</i></b> by Sandra Cisneros</a>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>DWDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18410063427689693237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354570702071119213.post-56428292486570733202024-01-13T22:07:00.002-05:002024-01-14T20:24:59.205-05:00NETWORK of LIES: THE EPIC SAGA of FOX NEWS, DONALD TRUMP, and the BATLLE for AMERICAN DEMOCRACY (audiobook) by Brian Stelter<p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><i style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Network-Lies-Donald-American-Democracy/dp/B0C3T94LKN?crid=AWGNNWBZCXAH&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.WaduFpqdmoYKHuOoPD9lM8iR6pYCYJkSm0WepwsfJ-1X5ggsgrA3wO9s7cSv-272W_arC_jCpacBT7Sfj_F6ng.hOFCQWv--19L2ZCpHPo5WLlevG1j2GH70SZ-Cprfm7s&dib_tag=se&keywords=network+of+lies+brian+stelter&qid=1705022248&sprefix=network+of+lies%2Caps%2C123&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=2090329e20965d3378cb24a79d86fb40&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="510" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinjSDBdGYKkxe2vgtuzHak7lJH1bTqGGcQ_2bADfPDhIOIK7Ai4MOv4qpR9viV98qvWpcVKHIGdjcqOMRahn5D5W9vCXt6iCs_JDa3wOOK3Aajou_wADDbnbwiFBoeH9gpDYqHeU3tOTSNqzxAKJRKJHcIXhLuWoYArJBhYbx-7S63DQ2Wi47VJLaTrcGO/w318-h424/Network_of_Lies3.jpg" width="318" /></a></i></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Network-Lies-Donald-American-Democracy/dp/B0C3T94LKN?crid=AWGNNWBZCXAH&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.WaduFpqdmoYKHuOoPD9lM8iR6pYCYJkSm0WepwsfJ-1X5ggsgrA3wO9s7cSv-272W_arC_jCpacBT7Sfj_F6ng.hOFCQWv--19L2ZCpHPo5WLlevG1j2GH70SZ-Cprfm7s&dib_tag=se&keywords=network+of+lies+brian+stelter&qid=1705022248&sprefix=network+of+lies%2Caps%2C123&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=2090329e20965d3378cb24a79d86fb40&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank">Published by Simon and Schuster Audio in</a></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Network-Lies-Donald-American-Democracy/dp/B0C3T94LKN?crid=AWGNNWBZCXAH&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.WaduFpqdmoYKHuOoPD9lM8iR6pYCYJkSm0WepwsfJ-1X5ggsgrA3wO9s7cSv-272W_arC_jCpacBT7Sfj_F6ng.hOFCQWv--19L2ZCpHPo5WLlevG1j2GH70SZ-Cprfm7s&dib_tag=se&keywords=network+of+lies+brian+stelter&qid=1705022248&sprefix=network+of+lies%2Caps%2C123&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=2090329e20965d3378cb24a79d86fb40&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank">November of 2013</a></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Network-Lies-Donald-American-Democracy/dp/B0C3T94LKN?crid=AWGNNWBZCXAH&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.WaduFpqdmoYKHuOoPD9lM8iR6pYCYJkSm0WepwsfJ-1X5ggsgrA3wO9s7cSv-272W_arC_jCpacBT7Sfj_F6ng.hOFCQWv--19L2ZCpHPo5WLlevG1j2GH70SZ-Cprfm7s&dib_tag=se&keywords=network+of+lies+brian+stelter&qid=1705022248&sprefix=network+of+lies%2Caps%2C123&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=2090329e20965d3378cb24a79d86fb40&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank">Read by the author, Brian Stelter</a></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Network-Lies-Donald-American-Democracy/dp/B0C3T94LKN?crid=AWGNNWBZCXAH&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.WaduFpqdmoYKHuOoPD9lM8iR6pYCYJkSm0WepwsfJ-1X5ggsgrA3wO9s7cSv-272W_arC_jCpacBT7Sfj_F6ng.hOFCQWv--19L2ZCpHPo5WLlevG1j2GH70SZ-Cprfm7s&dib_tag=se&keywords=network+of+lies+brian+stelter&qid=1705022248&sprefix=network+of+lies%2Caps%2C123&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=2090329e20965d3378cb24a79d86fb40&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank">Duration: 11 hours, 16 minutes.</a></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Network-Lies-Donald-American-Democracy/dp/B0C3T94LKN?crid=AWGNNWBZCXAH&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.WaduFpqdmoYKHuOoPD9lM8iR6pYCYJkSm0WepwsfJ-1X5ggsgrA3wO9s7cSv-272W_arC_jCpacBT7Sfj_F6ng.hOFCQWv--19L2ZCpHPo5WLlevG1j2GH70SZ-Cprfm7s&dib_tag=se&keywords=network+of+lies+brian+stelter&qid=1705022248&sprefix=network+of+lies%2Caps%2C123&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=2090329e20965d3378cb24a79d86fb40&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank">Unabridged</a></i></div></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: verdana;">Brian Stelter is a former CNN commentator. While in college, he started a blog about news commentary shows and the personalities that make them what they are. In a way, he has been working on this book for more than 15 years. <br /><br />Stelter pored over the paperwork from the Dominion Voting Systems lawsuit against Fox News to help write this 2020-2023 history of the cable news giant. <br /><br />He spends the most amount of time looking at the biggest show with the biggest host on Fox News at the time - Tucker Carlson. He goes over a litany of Tucker's Greatest Hits - <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/05/17/1099233034/the-great-replacement-conspiracy-theory-isnt-fringe-anymore-its-mainstream" target="_blank">the Great Replacement Theory</a>, <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/11/03/1051607945/tucker-carlson-fox-news-insurrection-conspiracy-new-show" target="_blank">The January 6 Insurrection was just a tourist event</a>, <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/03/25/1087910880/biological-weapons-far-right-russia-ukraine" target="_blank">Ukrainian biolabs</a>, <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/libs-of-tiktok-lgbtq-community-cult-tucker-carlson-1234653029/" target="_blank">transgender conspiracies</a>, and, of course, the <a href="https://www.npr.org/2023/02/16/1157558299/fox-news-stars-false-claims-trump-election-2020" target="_blank">Big Lie that the 2020 election was stolen</a>.<br /><br />He looks at the power dynamics at the top of Fox News, including Rupert Murdoch, the board at Fox News, the advertisers, Murdoch's kids and the various women that Murdoch has been married or engaged to. <br /><br />Of course, the most powerful players were not actually present in the room. The most powerful players were (and still are) the viewers. Stelter demonstrates that the viewers were given a steady diet of misinformation and outright lies and, after a few years of this, refused anything but misinformation. <br /><br />When Fox News tried to back off from the bombastic, crazytown commentary that passed for news after the January 6th Insurrection, viewers fled in droves. Where did they go? They went to the two networks that were even more bombastic and even more crazytown - OAN and NewsMax. Fox News could literally see the data that showed that they lost viewers and OAN and NewsMax gained a big chunk of them.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih0lxxX-ZU0o8fYvtn_KxVh0GlvxpYWsZJdEYtdIdOZOBtNYtbTW3zae_rvZItI8GQRyS7eLPHNXA6GuPavJnBoOWXs_-hK9ZcKnDSMjX-V8gWT6ENqnVEpETnPl5gXxznf-7PbJQZuHQmWiOJ_hjNVMkeZPyop1P4udNnLG97-SkVhe-JX_WgJ9L_iRV1/s1024/Tucker_Carlson.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih0lxxX-ZU0o8fYvtn_KxVh0GlvxpYWsZJdEYtdIdOZOBtNYtbTW3zae_rvZItI8GQRyS7eLPHNXA6GuPavJnBoOWXs_-hK9ZcKnDSMjX-V8gWT6ENqnVEpETnPl5gXxznf-7PbJQZuHQmWiOJ_hjNVMkeZPyop1P4udNnLG97-SkVhe-JX_WgJ9L_iRV1/w373-h210/Tucker_Carlson.jpg" width="373" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>An actual screen shot from Carlson's <br />February 1, 2023 broadcast.<br />Anyone can see they had committed <br />themselves to serious journalism.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table>This caused a reversal of policy and a resumption of the crazytown news. There were open discussions via email and text that showed that everyone knew that the "Stop the Steal" claims were bogus, but they were also hyper-aware that the viewers refused to hear anything of it - they left Fox News to go to the people that told them their comforting stories, whether they were true or not. So, Fox News decided to keep feeding them the equivalent of news garbage in order to keep them watching.<br /><br />And that led to the lawsuits, the firing of Tucker Carlson, and even more lying to the viewers of Fox News (almost as if losing 3/4 of a billion dollars in a lawsuit is not a good bit of feedback that tells them that they are doing news all wrong.)</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Stelter tells a story that would be unbelievable if I hadn't lived through it all and seen the rough outlines of it for myself. <br /><br />I rate this audiobook 4 stars out of 5. It can be found on Amazon.com here: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Network-Lies-Donald-American-Democracy/dp/1668046903?&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=e2c74bf64911592d820429128c1a23da&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank"><b><i>NETWORK of LIES: THE EPIC SAGA of FOX NEWS, DONALD TRUMP, and the BATLLE for AMERICAN DEMOCRACY</i></b> by Brian Stelter.</a></span></p>DWDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18410063427689693237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354570702071119213.post-53134151559399027212024-01-06T22:44:00.003-05:002024-01-06T22:54:15.721-05:00EVERYTHING I LEARNED, I LEARNED in a CHINESE RESTAURANT: A MEMOIR (audiobook) by Curtis Chin<p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Everything-Learned-Chinese-Restaurant-Memoir/dp/B0BWGP5LPZ?crid=13C63DUK5S7M7&keywords=everything+i+learned+i+learned+in+a+chinese+restaurant&qid=1704512027&sprefix=everything+I+learned%2Caps%2C122&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=90d3fb362aeed5d68ff2dbea67339f63&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="258" height="543" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt7Q2YSNjuD4heIT6wMXlGpK6ZFMEmWzv0usJBvbsrC-NRhKMLpobUNdBYy2-546QhtSte-6_XORr_5XyIz_hfckVa4QkoYCusEQ8BTEGqp8M0x6VNuLHYZAG7BcPEQ3Wl7_u43B9N-Ia4VTvGY4rZidY1P1hplkUh4gBet6XlJmrhK2tqiNZQv8_2p06E/w350-h543/Everything%20I%20learned.jpg" width="350" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Everything-Learned-Chinese-Restaurant-Memoir/dp/B0BWGP5LPZ?crid=13C63DUK5S7M7&keywords=everything+i+learned+i+learned+in+a+chinese+restaurant&qid=1704512027&sprefix=everything+I+learned%2Caps%2C122&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=90d3fb362aeed5d68ff2dbea67339f63&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank">Published in 2023 by Little, Brown, and Company.<br />Read by the author, Curtis Chin<br />Duration: 8 hours, 12 minutes.<br />Unabridged.<br /><br /></a></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: verdana;">Curtis Chin grew up in the 1980s in and around Detroit, Michigan. His immediate family and his extended family shared ownership in a Chinese restaurant in Detroit's Chinatown. Chin spent a considerable chunk of his early life working, eating, and doing homework in the restaurant.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Chin tells about how his family ended up in Detroit, how his parents met and got married, the sometimes uncomfortable extended family dynamic, and the decline of Chung's Cantonese Cuisine's once vibrant neighborhood.<br /><br />There is also plenty of discussion about school from kindergarten through a four year degree at the University of Michigan. These parts of the story often discussed the racial dynamics of going to school in Detroit's majority minority school system. Later, when the family joined the white flight to the suburbs, there was a new dynamic of going to a school where there were almost no minority students. On top of that, the family was clearly not welcome in the suburbs because they were not white.<br /><br />As Chin grew older, he had another issue that had his attention more than the ins and outs of the shifting racial currents - his sexual orientation.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Chin starts this part with an amusing story of how he and a cousin snuck out of the restaurant to go into a store near the restaurant that sold porn magazines to take a look. It's an enlightening story for a couple of reasons. It shows how the neighborhood around the restaurant had declined. But, Chin knows something is different when he is more interested in the magazines featuring men than the ones featuring women.<br /></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3cr0vpEMdJAUKnsGGd2h-2Bec8nKCDpcV0941uLkxwnl8Nl5gKs423bD1amvUMQ7VQ46BUJanQr1qcy_u4xf9f6l1kdeSGvgaXBMqxQ8Y9PF_Bd5aKcZQlpUrDlT9MHASbOWDXPsomtmLStCN6qwNQlb1EmelZLRrtxYAyGgUn46FFsmCCSWzmzMbkR54/s660/Chung's%20Cantonese%20Detroit%201976.webp" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="660" data-original-width="429" height="381" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3cr0vpEMdJAUKnsGGd2h-2Bec8nKCDpcV0941uLkxwnl8Nl5gKs423bD1amvUMQ7VQ46BUJanQr1qcy_u4xf9f6l1kdeSGvgaXBMqxQ8Y9PF_Bd5aKcZQlpUrDlT9MHASbOWDXPsomtmLStCN6qwNQlb1EmelZLRrtxYAyGgUn46FFsmCCSWzmzMbkR54/w248-h381/Chung's%20Cantonese%20Detroit%201976.webp" width="248" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">The family restaurant in 1976<br />Photo from <u>Detroit News</u> archives.</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: verdana;">From that point, the book focuses heavily on Chin's struggles with who he can safely come out to and how to meet a man while constantly being surrounded by a very traditional family. Chin often wonders how his family will react when he finally comes out to them.<br /><br />I have two big criticisms of the book. The first is that we never find out how his family reacts when he comes out to them. He worries about that throughout the second half of the book and he almost tells them at one point at the very end. The second is that considering the title of the book, I found it disappointing that there is no summary at the end of the book that points out the life lessons he learned in a Chinese restaurant.<br /><br />Not a bad book, but I was disappointed by the two omissions that I mentioned. I rate this audiobook 3 stars out of 5. It can be found on Amazon.com here: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Everything-Learned-Chinese-Restaurant-Memoir/dp/B0BWGP5LPZ?crid=13C63DUK5S7M7&keywords=everything+i+learned+i+learned+in+a+chinese+restaurant&qid=1704512027&sprefix=everything+I+learned%2Caps%2C122&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=90d3fb362aeed5d68ff2dbea67339f63&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank"><b><i>EVERYTHING I LEARNED, I LEARNED in a CHINESE RESTAURANT: A MEMOIR</i></b> (audiobook) by Curtis Chin.</a></span><p></p>DWDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18410063427689693237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354570702071119213.post-68958060692456344672024-01-05T22:12:00.000-05:002024-01-05T22:12:18.443-05:00HAWKEYE VOLUME 1: MY LIFE as a WEAPON (graphic novel) by Matt Fraction, David Aja, and more<p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EAROZ1O?storeType=ebooks&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=7fb735cee292346d6b442ebd41322eb9&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="712" data-original-width="539" height="402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw3JBqTO9O2ex16U_kLl1vnSY-HJVjVqo9pqDZgQi-WgSokdqyhCHf3jf1H3urP1f2hL51cfTxEmsvWlnSfQKcvzcpot1mlHw9x09DmwXjUoaSpi9vO_ytixkrbl4A9H7Vx1FowZwB1Idyeanj4L7MeT17ZO_UMW9IhVmOPdVw3FtCuwm-dsKQLyuhwrwp/w304-h402/hawkeye.webp" width="304" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EAROZ1O?storeType=ebooks&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=7fb735cee292346d6b442ebd41322eb9&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank">Published in 2013 by<br />Marvel Worldwide, Inc.</a></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: verdana;">This collection is the inspiration for the Disney+ series "Hawkeye." I really enjoyed this series and thought I'd read the source material. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Just like in the series, most of Hawkeye's adventures are small time affairs. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">That's okay by me. Every adventure can't be (and shouldn't be) a "save the world" event.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Fans of Hawkeye in the MCU will be surprised that Hawkeye in the comics is not a family man. He's also a lot more disjointed and unorganized than he is in the movies.<br /><br />That being said, this was an enjoyable read and this Hawkeye may not have an overwhelming love for his family, but he has a big heart in different ways.<br /><br />I very much enjoyed the simplified art design and color scheme of most of this graphic novel. It gave it a sense of moodiness. <br /><br />I rate this graphic novel 4 stars out of 5. It can be found on Amazon.com here:<a href="HAWKEYE VOLUME 1: MY LIFE as a WEAPON (graphic novel)</i></b> by Matt Fraction, David Aja, and more" target="_blank"> <b><i>HAWKEYE VOLUME 1: MY LIFE as a WEAPON (graphic novel)</i></b> by Matt Fraction, David Aja, and more.</a></span></p>DWDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18410063427689693237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354570702071119213.post-23399110389232263602023-12-31T20:29:00.001-05:002023-12-31T20:29:39.195-05:00THE BEST of 2023<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGxGpkXStaA-9ZYdRyutPtRwOLfOKHcNuef3aTwrFuTL08IE6W9aTx-3cykN5Ea9mRVtylsjgiUkjlceHn2Iu38go2bJhMWT3X4LeHu1F1qhRTVJ-nKIWnZVeRLrNwu_I6CX118qKtd3wdzAGPEgcSxfS6uDjgbNXGjujLmOcLVzO6rlL7aiuEsHhhcfm8/s980/BestOf2023_1000x200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="196" data-original-width="980" height="126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGxGpkXStaA-9ZYdRyutPtRwOLfOKHcNuef3aTwrFuTL08IE6W9aTx-3cykN5Ea9mRVtylsjgiUkjlceHn2Iu38go2bJhMWT3X4LeHu1F1qhRTVJ-nKIWnZVeRLrNwu_I6CX118qKtd3wdzAGPEgcSxfS6uDjgbNXGjujLmOcLVzO6rlL7aiuEsHhhcfm8/w364-h126/BestOf2023_1000x200.jpg" width="364" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">This is a "best of" list based on the 87 books I read and reviewed in 2023. I do not focus on new books, so there are books on this "best of" ranging from being published in 1939 to being published in December of 2023.<br /><br />The titles are active links to my reviews.<br /><br />*** = Best of the best in that category.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><u>HISTORY/MEMOIR/BIOGRAPHY</u></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">This was a tough category this year. Every one of these is excellent, but it's almost unfair to compare any book to the Pulitzer Prize winning <b><i>Maus</i></b>. <b><i>Maus</i></b> practically invented the modern genre of the graphic novel and its iconic images with the Nazis as cats and the Jews as mice are unforgettable. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>***</b><a href="https://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2023/10/the-complete-maus-graphic-novel-by-art.html" target="_blank"><b>The Complete Maus (graphic novel) </b></a>by Art Spiegelman</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><i><a href="https://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2023/10/anne-franks-diary-graphic-adaptation.html" target="_blank">Anne Frank's Diary: The Graphic Adaptation</a> </i></b>by Anne Frank, Ari Folman, and David Polonsky.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2023/10/pathogenesis-history-of-world-in-eight.html" target="_blank"><b><i>Pathogenesis: A History of the World in Eight Plagues</i></b></a> by Jonathan Kennedy.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2023/05/che-revolutionary-life-graphic-novel-by.html" target="_blank"><b><i>Che: A Revolutionary Life</i></b> (graphic novel)</a> by Jon Lee Anderson and Jose Hernandez.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><i><a href="https://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2023/05/magna-carta-birth-of-liberty-audiobook.html" target="_blank">Magna Carta: The Birth of Liberty</a></i></b> by Dan Jones.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><i><a href="https://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2023/06/ten-caesars-roman-emperors-from.html" target="_blank">Ten Caesars: Roman Emperors from Augustus to Constantine</a></i></b> by Barry Strauss.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><u>FICTION</u></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Like the previous category, the winner in this category that stands out in any collection. <b><i>The Grapes of Wrath</i></b> won the Pulitzer Prize, The National Book Award and its author won The Nobel Prize. This is a strong category, though. Vonnegut is, well, Vonnegut. He's a name brand author. Not many have sold more than Michael Connelly in the 21st century. <b><i>Underground Airlines</i></b> was an unexpected trip into another (unpleasant) world. Nick Petrie shows up 3 times here. I discovered him this year and very much enjoyed his action novels<br /><br /><i style="font-weight: bold;">***</i><a href="https://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2023/10/the-grapes-of-wrath-audiobook-by-john.html" style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">The Grapes of Wrath</a> by John Steinbeck</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2023/12/mother-night-by-kurt-vonnegut.html" target="_blank">Mother Night</a></i> by Kurt Vonnegut</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><i><a href="https://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2023/12/resurrection-walk-audiobook-book-7-of.html" target="_blank">Resurrection Walk</a></i></b> by Michael Connelly</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><i><a href="https://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2023/01/the-drifter-peter-ash-1audiobook-by.html" target="_blank">The Drifter</a></i></b> by Nick Petrie</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><i><a href="https://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2023/07/tear-it-down-peter-ash-4audiobook-by.html" target="_blank">Tear It Down</a></i></b> by Nick Petrie</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><i><a href="https://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2023/10/the-wild-one-peter-ash-series-5.html" target="_blank">The Wild One </a></i></b>by Nick Petrie</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><i><a href="https://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2023/10/underground-airlines-audiobook-by-ben-h.html" target="_blank">Underground Airlines</a></i></b> by Ben H. Winters</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><u>YOUNG ADULT</u></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Every book I read in this category I read because it showed up on a banned books list created by Moms for Liberty or Purple for Parents or a similar group MAGA group. I purposefully read several books this year from various banned books lists (9 in all) and these four were all excellent - and all great choices to put in school libraries.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>***<i><a href="https://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2023/12/you-should-see-me-in-crown-audiobook-by.html" target="_blank">You Should See Me in a Crown </a></i></b>by Leah Johnson</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><i><a href="https://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2023/07/the-girl-from-sea-graphic-novel-kindle.html" target="_blank">The Girl from the Sea</a> (graphic novel)</i></b> by Molly Knox Ostertag</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2023/07/dear-martin-audiobook-by-nic-stone.html" target="_blank"><b><i>Dear Martin</i></b></a> by Nic Stone</span></p><p><b style="font-family: verdana;"><i><a href="https://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2023/10/anne-franks-diary-graphic-adaptation.html" target="_blank">Anne Frank's Diary: The Graphic Adaptation</a> </i></b><span style="font-family: verdana;">by Anne Frank, Ari Folman, and David Polonsky.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: underline;">NON-FICTION (non-history)</span></span><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">This category is amazingly diverse. Sociology, religion, mental health, politics, economics, linguistics, and race. Ultimately, I decided that <b><i>Of Boys and Men</i></b> explained actually laid the foundation for the situations discussed in many of the other books. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">***</span><a href="https://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2023/03/of-boys-and-men-why-modern-male-is.html" target="_blank"><u style="font-weight: bold;">Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male Is Struggling, Why It Matters, and What to Do About It</u> </a>by Richard V. Reeves</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><u style="font-weight: bold;"><i><a href="https://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2023/12/on-getting-out-of-bed-burden-and-gift.html" target="_blank">On Getting Out of Bed: The Burden and Gift of Living</a></i></u> by Alan Noble</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><i><a href="https://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2023/12/oath-and-honor-memoir-and-warning.html" target="_blank">Oath and Honor: A Memoir and a Warning</a></i></b> by Liz Cheney.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><i><a href="https://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2023/11/poverty-by-america-audiobook-by-matthew.html" target="_blank">Poverty, By America</a> </i></b>by Matthew Desmond</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><i><a href="https://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2023/09/the-making-of-biblical-womanhood-how.html" target="_blank">The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth</a></i></b> by Beth Allison Barr. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2023/06/the-corruption-of-lindsey-graham-case.html" target="_blank"><b><i>The Corruption of Lindsey Graham: A Case Study in the Rise of Authoritarianism</i></b> </a>by William Saletan</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><i><a href="https://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2023/01/talking-back-talking-black-truths-about.html" target="_blank">Talking Back, Talking Black: Truths About America's Lingua Franca</a> </i></b>by John McWhorter</span></p>DWDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18410063427689693237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354570702071119213.post-48725100944826755572023-12-30T15:20:00.000-05:002023-12-30T15:20:14.476-05:00ON GETTING OUT of BED: THE BURDEN and GIFT of LIVING (audiobook) by Alan Noble<p> </p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Getting-Out-Bed-Burden-Living/dp/B0BX7VMPV3?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1703901803&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=ee21e39bdbf583b49541f548af5b76dc&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="455" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUBR561YdxicMO3FQOwX5KOBz9NqsxMRp1Nmpt4xbyBHJ8XtX2l8r6iMUraYWexUk2dHQ3CEOCR8LgDilfT4OpemgaBiBricx_3XmUKha6W1pI80SZds0cy2L8QwQC7IYPjWky46zRkgNXKtABh4RdQFJQx08xy31zka1ONXoyjoA6c5je7TXAM_qF4-a6/w264-h366/on%20getting%20out%20of%20bed.jpg" width="264" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Getting-Out-Bed-Burden-Living/dp/B0BX7VMPV3?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1703901803&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=ee21e39bdbf583b49541f548af5b76dc&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank">Published in April of 2003 by <br />Christianaudio.com</a></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://www.oalannoble.com/about" target="_blank">Alan Noble</a> is a college professor and a Christian writer who writes for Christian and non-Christian publications. <br /><br />He also struggles with a mental illness that he does not identify in this short book. This book is all about dealing with the depression and struggles that come with mental illness, thus the title.<br /><br />Noble's powerful description of overwhelming depression demonstrates that he understands the issue and how it effects people well. This is important because it shows that he is coming from a place of understanding and that is vitally important.<br /><br />His advice is not easy advice, but it is realistic advice. One of my relatives was advised by well-meaning church members that the best way to deal with depression and suicidal ideation was prayer for God to help with these thoughts. I cannot stress enough that this was sincerely intended to be helpful advice, it was taken as, "If you only had enough faith, God would lift this burden from you. But, he has not lifted this burden so you are not worthy."<br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">He acknowledges the struggle and he goes on to offer realistic advice that is not easy.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqc7wHihLdqCaV0ZmsVw5BMJuddLHz1kfE7oa2893LG5EPiQ3dPiZdTmF_XG8hbMojZ189SHUHVvmVifP8CExw25CKJumcay8PGy8iVQVnv8t9_C8YUrnlt7_Lr7NdSpPUFCfkKRSitnbMQEY0kuAXGORY0vrIq8SsKz52m2pzqYtBcIzg2CA-naX3J9ko/s300/alan_noble.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqc7wHihLdqCaV0ZmsVw5BMJuddLHz1kfE7oa2893LG5EPiQ3dPiZdTmF_XG8hbMojZ189SHUHVvmVifP8CExw25CKJumcay8PGy8iVQVnv8t9_C8YUrnlt7_Lr7NdSpPUFCfkKRSitnbMQEY0kuAXGORY0vrIq8SsKz52m2pzqYtBcIzg2CA-naX3J9ko/w237-h237/alan_noble.jpg" width="237" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">The author, Alan Noble</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: verdana;">The acknowledgement: <br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>"Each morning you must choose to get out of bed or not. All the medication and cognitive therapy and latest research and self-care in the world can't replace your choice. This decision can be aided by these resources but never replaced by them. Which means that you have to have an answer to a fundamental question: Why get out of bed? Or, more bluntly, why live?"</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">The advice:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>"This is precisely why we must see that each choice to do the next thing is an act of worship, and therefore fundamentally good. Feeding your pets is an act of worship. Brushing your teeth is. Doing the dishes. Getting dressed. Going to work. Insofar as each of these actions assumes that life in this fallen world is good and worth living despite suffering, they are acts of faith in God. Choose to do the next thing before and unto God, take a step toward the block. That is all you must ever do and all you can do. It is your spiritual act of worship."</i><br /><br />There is no "fix" for most people, although Noble doesn't discount the possibility of such a thing happening. But, for almost everyone else that suffers from depression, it has to be enough to get out of bed as an act of worship and of faith.<br /><br />Another quote I really liked:<br /><br /><i>"We almost never take the witness of our actions seriously enough. I suspect that's because if we did, it would frighten us. It's scary to realize that my every decision communicates to people around me something about the nature of God, the goodness of His creation and laws."</i><br /><br />I rate this book 5 stars out of 5 stars. It can be found on Amazon.com here: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Getting-Out-Bed-Burden-Living/dp/B0BX7VMPV3?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1703901803&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=6e79cae030d6edef585e3b139403acfd&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank"><b><i>ON GETTING OUT of BED: THE BURDEN and GIFT of LIVING</i></b> by Alan Noble</a>.</span></div>DWDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18410063427689693237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354570702071119213.post-25321569597111610682023-12-28T21:26:00.001-05:002023-12-28T21:26:11.920-05:00FINDING GRACE by Alyssa Brugman<p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><i style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Finding-Grace-Alyssa-Brugman/dp/0385731167?crid=2DIHG0LSYLYD&keywords=finding+grace+brugman&qid=1703811466&sprefix=finding+grace+brugman%2Caps%2C98&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=4ec2e40dd3b9fe341ec3ad7c7f81c777&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="324" height="454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirN7lBtEGdxxoIF0dgBbgKKeLgTZXkCT5iB1GxQ6g645txYimn7eII0Vue8TfEo8tAsc0RgmHviAxQvlZsDjMozKDoeD1BE4qaEp67RG9h8Ch1PfRpUYGS0VscGGmtNlISNwyhLFQHQuTJuOq_D7KQYqp8LLki9H2AwlHesNAKndw9b22CE2yb_Tc2rDBF/w294-h454/finding%20grace.jpg" width="294" /></a></i></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Finding-Grace-Alyssa-Brugman/dp/0385731167?crid=2DIHG0LSYLYD&keywords=finding+grace+brugman&qid=1703811466&sprefix=finding+grace+brugman%2Caps%2C98&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=4ec2e40dd3b9fe341ec3ad7c7f81c777&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank">Published in 2001 by Delacorte Press</a></i></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: verdana;">Synopsis: <br /><br />Rachel lives in Australia and is a brand new graduate of high school. She is ready to head off to college but she needs a job and a place to live that is close to the university.<br /><br />She finds both when the enigmatic Mr. Preston offers her a place to live just a few blocks from campus in exchange for watching over a woman named Grace. <br /><br />Rachel knows that Grace was brain damaged in some sort of accident, but not much more than that. Grace can walk and feed herself - but that's about all she can do. She cannot talk, she cannot bathe herself, she cannot communicate in any way.<br /><br />Rachel spends the night with Grace, feeds Grace and watches over her much like a nanny watches a small child. She gets time off for classes, when the nurses come for physical therapy, and when Mr. Preston comes over to spend time with Grace.<br /><br />My Review:<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl3s89IoNp3T_BOb92sFgtOhTJh0n3GhipFBU8SwC5OhCl-70aieWo-zDOJf0pKhKLkzUQ0ugSLKnw8M90LIg2fV9FK6qpLM1AW_of3n4xoj9Wx2hojyDxFch4uUU-fNWTiH9CAchKvIzr3rrf0fYmRExk5qc0POkQ3dMGu9-6IPyD_Q73ZjyaDj1iFztX/s1600/alyssa-brugman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1026" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl3s89IoNp3T_BOb92sFgtOhTJh0n3GhipFBU8SwC5OhCl-70aieWo-zDOJf0pKhKLkzUQ0ugSLKnw8M90LIg2fV9FK6qpLM1AW_of3n4xoj9Wx2hojyDxFch4uUU-fNWTiH9CAchKvIzr3rrf0fYmRExk5qc0POkQ3dMGu9-6IPyD_Q73ZjyaDj1iFztX/w152-h237/alyssa-brugman.jpg" width="152" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The author</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table>I expected nothing from this book. Several year ago, I picked it up from a pile of books that were being shipped out of my school building because they weren't part of the curriculum any longer. The book sat in my to-be-read while for so long that I thought (because of the title) I was picking up one of the religious titles I had bought a couple of years ago. <br /><br />This wasn't the book that I was expecting, but it was a good book. Not much goes on, but it is a good coming of age book about transitions, love, rivalry, and dedication. <br /><br />I rate this book 4 start out of 5. It can be found on Amazon.com here: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Finding-Grace-Alyssa-Brugman/dp/0385731167?crid=2DIHG0LSYLYD&keywords=finding+grace+brugman&qid=1703811466&sprefix=finding+grace+brugman%2Caps%2C98&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=4ec2e40dd3b9fe341ec3ad7c7f81c777&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank"><b><i>FINDING GRACE </i></b>by Alyssa Brugman.</a></span></p>DWDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18410063427689693237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354570702071119213.post-50645896143538039242023-12-28T17:10:00.002-05:002023-12-28T17:29:18.080-05:00MOTHER NIGHT by Kurt Vonnegut<p><br /></p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Mother-Night-Kurt-Vonnegut/dp/0385334141?crid=1YBX2VOOYOD77&keywords=mother+night+by+kurt+vonnegut&qid=1703798102&sprefix=mother+night%2Caps%2C125&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=3ca749a18d4833d52eb53e9881f264ec&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="2337" data-original-width="1523" height="433" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju9BioKwEwczTHe9IFOPJt-6vKX4pcxyB6OdXlcyc2C7VOY7lKXWOtf86OjQfzHnJcieczv_grzv6IiX3krE03kxpsD-4_mNpMaYq89OsquApmrRb17tVs-RxEwVhTxCoGOhsIbs4F9ziakVX65JXgIBHf7C-smgImrhVuncyKdB091Y-pmwj3o4Lun-0A/w283-h433/mother%20night%20vonnegut.jpg" width="283" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Mother-Night-Kurt-Vonnegut/dp/0385334141?crid=1YBX2VOOYOD77&keywords=mother+night+by+kurt+vonnegut&qid=1703798102&sprefix=mother+night%2Caps%2C125&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=3ca749a18d4833d52eb53e9881f264ec&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank">Originally published in 1962</a><br /></i></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Mother Night</b> is one of Kurt Vonnegut's (1922-2007) early novels (his third) and the first that is not a work of science fiction. <br /><br />The book features Howard W. Campbell, a defendant awaiting trial in Israel for war crimes in Israel. He is wanted for being a well-known voice for the Nazis on broadcasts that he made during World War II. <br /><br />Campbell freely admits that he did what they say he did, but he does have a defense - he was working as a double agent for the Americans and was passing secret messages during those broadcasts. <br /><br />The book sets itself up to be a legal thriller - will the hero of the book be saved? Can he prove what he says is true?</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">But, there's none of that in this book. Campbell probably would have been the voice of the Nazis in the broadcasts no matter if he was recruited as a spy or not? He is just a self-absorbed author of plays that was way more concerned about bedding his German wife than politics or any "trivial" things like a World War or the mass murder of millions of people. <br /><br />Most of the book is about the last few months of Campbell's life and how he was found hiding in plain sight in New York City where he had been living in a tiny apartment. We get to meet a cast of freaks and creeps that loathe or worship Campbell for his part in the war while Vonnegut demonstrates that patriotism, duty, and racism/race loyalty are all illusory constructs at best. <br /></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCHvHn11HLUhT-2XX7g7f2jMLUXntjnLGbn8XuJgEpoX_i-G-L5p7jPr6rjyBsUxth9lyj67Sji4YRfOPPLsq3x0g_4VPwb7KEvh4hyphenhyphenkCsuUFTLS8WEIdlC9g9HbgKjB2P-GByBi5eXjBl4MpU0-bCR7154LooeBlUx5mUfFXE6gT7NZPCrOACDG0lQFFY/s550/Vonnegut-Art-2.png" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="550" data-original-width="550" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCHvHn11HLUhT-2XX7g7f2jMLUXntjnLGbn8XuJgEpoX_i-G-L5p7jPr6rjyBsUxth9lyj67Sji4YRfOPPLsq3x0g_4VPwb7KEvh4hyphenhyphenkCsuUFTLS8WEIdlC9g9HbgKjB2P-GByBi5eXjBl4MpU0-bCR7154LooeBlUx5mUfFXE6gT7NZPCrOACDG0lQFFY/s320/Vonnegut-Art-2.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Self-portrait by the author</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: verdana;">The book starts out with these themes by having Campbell introduce his prison guards. One of them is too young to really remember the war, one doesn't care and one worked in a death camp - he helped lead his fellow Jews to the gas chambers by telling them it was just a de-lousing. Then, he would help loot their bodies and bury them. He did this to save his own life - but he still gets to guard a man who literally didn't do anything to hurt anyone in the war except talk.<br /><br />Vonnegut revels in pointing out that life is contradictory and complicated and no one is who they act like they are.<br /><br />Good quotes: <br /><br /><i>"We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful what we pretend to be." <br /><br />"Say what you will about the sweet miracle of unquestioning faith, I consider a capacity for it terrifying and absolutely vile."</i><br /><br />I rate this audiobook 5 stars out of 5. It can be found on Amazon.com here: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Mother-Night-Kurt-Vonnegut/dp/0385334141?crid=1YBX2VOOYOD77&keywords=mother+night+by+kurt+vonnegut&qid=1703798102&sprefix=mother+night%2Caps%2C125&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=3ca749a18d4833d52eb53e9881f264ec&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank"><b><i>MOTHER NIGHT</i></b> by Kurt Vonnegut</a>.</span><p></p>DWDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18410063427689693237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354570702071119213.post-53666243419536485082023-12-27T23:03:00.001-05:002024-01-15T11:00:39.135-05:00OATH and HONOR: A MEMOIR and a WARNING (audiobook) by Liz Cheney<p> </p><div><br /></div><div><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Oath-Honor-Warning-Liz-Cheney/dp/0316572063?&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=91bce16c5f9b1ff8cda31a5a94adbc91&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="969" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhByv_5mVep86IZ23HIsEK2AbvBiv7mTbBOGcpxxzxo-HKspQq-mMRFZbF2ySdDsDzW6VFqQ3yVY0oF4EfUexRY6Vb-6wdYQ1xOTj4Wbrv_aZ9iOfIkYykOYYbreUxJZqC8hUABx3H825Nn2rB8ZaMhaLdDRn_9oulZRFTdfjWq3GvkyABvebHT8j1BC7O4/s320/Oath%20and%20honor.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Oath-Honor-Warning-Liz-Cheney/dp/0316572063?&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=91bce16c5f9b1ff8cda31a5a94adbc91&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank">Published in 2023 by Little, Brown and Company in December of 2023.</a></i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Oath-Honor-Warning-Liz-Cheney/dp/0316572063?&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=91bce16c5f9b1ff8cda31a5a94adbc91&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank"><br /><i>Read by the author, Liz Cheney.</i><br /><i>Duration: 12 hours, 14 minutes.</i><br /><i>Unabridged.</i></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Liz Cheney is most famous for two things. Pre-January 6, 2021 she was famous for being Dick Cheney's daughter and a leader of the House Republicans. <br /><br />Post-January 6, 2021 Cheney is most famous for being one of the leaders of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_House_Select_Committee_on_the_January_6_Attack" target="_blank">United States House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack.</a> Cheney was one of the few Republicans willing to incur the wrath of Donald Trump and actually look into the role he played in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_6_United_States_Capitol_attack" target="_blank">January 6 Attack.</a></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYQs6GNWo7cvudkA7xgtISQKOSJR7eyuGfdLTqBieGbglX0ozzsjWAHr64fjyDlQpa6qrU0HZUjI24PTiYkbQAMLWH01zRhoiwPsyNv1KKmP4w-rXGkxfXXOZcwSIdVlPVWj-bZziCJtzlwATZkg8yd20EvwMSikkrGQAMhdxjbH6u6g4XJ3uvZRShNUt0/s2057/liz-cheney-jan-6.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="2057" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYQs6GNWo7cvudkA7xgtISQKOSJR7eyuGfdLTqBieGbglX0ozzsjWAHr64fjyDlQpa6qrU0HZUjI24PTiYkbQAMLWH01zRhoiwPsyNv1KKmP4w-rXGkxfXXOZcwSIdVlPVWj-bZziCJtzlwATZkg8yd20EvwMSikkrGQAMhdxjbH6u6g4XJ3uvZRShNUt0/w294-h172/liz-cheney-jan-6.jpg" width="294" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table>Cheney calls the book a memoir, but this is not really true. The book offers next to nothing about her childhood or her personal life. You know that she has a husband because she mentions that he helped her proofread various papers she had prepared for the committee. <br /><br />Cheney starts with former President Donald Trump's election denialism immediately following the 2020 election date rather than her own life. This is a very Liz Cheney thing to do - the purpose of the book is to talk about how Donald Trump's <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/timeline-donald-trumps-election-denial-claims-republican-politicians/story?id=89168408" target="_blank">Election Denialism</a> and how it led directly to the January 6 Attack. There is not much else to the book because, in her mind, this movement is a direct threat to the American Republic itself. <br /><br />I am not going to detail all of her arguments that she laid out in the televised presentations that the committee prepared for the country in 2022. Those are <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/January6thCmte" target="_blank">easily available on YouTube</a> and anyone can watch and see the arguments she makes in this book.<br /><br />The book is almost always clear, concise, and to the point. That is very much Cheney's plainspoken style.<br /><br />I rate this audiobook 5 stars out of 5. It can be found on Amazon.com here: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Audible-Oath-Honor-Memoir-Warning/dp/B0CBSVX3Y9?crid=2VGYQAEYFEGON&keywords=oath+and+honor+liz+cheney&qid=1703727607&s=audible&sprefix=oath+%2Caudible%2C125&sr=1-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=d676dae51f393626620e9c5ccf88b4c4&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank"><b><i>OATH and HONOR: A MEMOIR and a WARNING</i></b> (audiobook) by Liz Cheney</a>.<br /><br /><br /></span></div>DWDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18410063427689693237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354570702071119213.post-14657181755558208222023-12-26T23:56:00.004-05:002024-01-15T21:08:23.700-05:00THE GREAT DECHURCHING: WHO'S LEAVING, WHY ARE THEY GOING, and WHAT WILL IT TAKE to BRING THEM BACK? (audiobook) by Jim Davis and Michael Graham with Ryan P. Burge.<p><br /></p><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Great-Dechurching-Leaving-Going-Bring/dp/0310147433?crid=3SQUUHZTWEFZO&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.4OwOVTtDwMSMnUOkvqFHhDb0ZVXxbCo_z27bXIujJ8olC80rb1-Q2V-hnu3PNM2yw0pqluRu9pwr7zQbF9OfFYcCPZZFLweHg-HDk28qIE4Y2sfsTHOzFfG8NTvD4SjHkD9eYIHSWIvVeFjSoZoqZ5HteGVQ5qszQXjblp1qjFiBRdyYfoUVOnEhzOdbuyr_5NNVKQvDNOuSFeKpDrYC_AwIfO7bYHKAkr5zQtHwQ1Q.bWjRWHk62XQQXQLiJvp3hxzC5M-ZcnKwqKiea4i8guw&dib_tag=se&keywords=THE+GREAT+DECHURCHING%3A+WHO%27S+LEAVING%2C&qid=1705370547&sprefix=the+great+dechurching+who%27s+leaving%2C%2Caps%2C154&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=07fd6b335e59cbc2e818dc067fdde541&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="973" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigYHbg4QR-QhdG_bR_23TKF6lGdKGbCiAAI9P1b7lRgnX7L0wG4e11npIdQi4-q_tet6breb96cpwDmKMUs9KqOeYybdCpCTWanzzj5JHy9jRpCne3ZfnXOelI1RNqlIOHu1niNLYMWgI_JhT8goDDcJrCLJ8NRlKfxYM-AIEM9RIWgUArUAzOEdP4xXkV/w225-h346/Great_Dechurching.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Great-Dechurching-Leaving-Going-Bring/dp/0310147433?crid=3SQUUHZTWEFZO&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.4OwOVTtDwMSMnUOkvqFHhDb0ZVXxbCo_z27bXIujJ8olC80rb1-Q2V-hnu3PNM2yw0pqluRu9pwr7zQbF9OfFYcCPZZFLweHg-HDk28qIE4Y2sfsTHOzFfG8NTvD4SjHkD9eYIHSWIvVeFjSoZoqZ5HteGVQ5qszQXjblp1qjFiBRdyYfoUVOnEhzOdbuyr_5NNVKQvDNOuSFeKpDrYC_AwIfO7bYHKAkr5zQtHwQ1Q.bWjRWHk62XQQXQLiJvp3hxzC5M-ZcnKwqKiea4i8guw&dib_tag=se&keywords=THE+GREAT+DECHURCHING%3A+WHO%27S+LEAVING%2C&qid=1705370547&sprefix=the+great+dechurching+who%27s+leaving%2C%2Caps%2C154&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=07fd6b335e59cbc2e818dc067fdde541&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank">Published by Zondervan in August of 2013.<br />Read by Jim Davis, Michael Graham, and Ryan P. Burge.<br />Duration: 7 hours, 3 minutes.<br />Unabridged.</a></i><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">America's church members are dropping out of church at a record pace - millions upon millions over the last 2 decades and, according to the stats, the only thing that will slow the pace is the fact that Christianity in America will be so much smaller that it will statistically impossible to lose so many people without completely emptying the pews.<br /><br />The authors started out to identify a number of things such as:<br />a) Who is leaving - is it the old, the young, the middle-aged?</span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">b) Who is staying?<br />c) Why are they leaving? Is it toxic politics? Sex scandals? Abuse? Lost interest? No connection?<br />d) Will they be willing to come back? What would it take?<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimO8mi8tlWtIGS_cZodUrzzYST2DCOJhFqZABNPLpbovpW7Ln5H1hOm7LGl_a2rmMZIgS_eSc119aP2fbfSEKcMI09HN8yw4eJIeMFbOk7d_r9oxDdVOsVk5Hzel9VBBCnk39L4xNS6p3YNjFiQPZewTXjA-qdZKSS8oXqilOSXNJoxo6RQphoTVH8rJ-T/s945/empty%20church.webp" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="945" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimO8mi8tlWtIGS_cZodUrzzYST2DCOJhFqZABNPLpbovpW7Ln5H1hOm7LGl_a2rmMZIgS_eSc119aP2fbfSEKcMI09HN8yw4eJIeMFbOk7d_r9oxDdVOsVk5Hzel9VBBCnk39L4xNS6p3YNjFiQPZewTXjA-qdZKSS8oXqilOSXNJoxo6RQphoTVH8rJ-T/w381-h253/empty%20church.webp" width="381" /></a></div>This book draws heavily from a religious attitude survey administered by Baylor University from time to time. I recently r<a href="https://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2023/12/taking-america-back-for-god-christian.html" target="_blank">ead another book on Christian Nationalism</a> that used the same surveys and these books dovetail nicely together in a concerning way for anyone that is interested in a healthy Christianity surviving in America.<br /><br />One data point leaped out to the researchers. It is a common piece of conventional wisdom that "going to college" makes people drop out of church. Kids go away, get an education and are convinced that Christianity is bad.<br /><br />But, it turns out that the most likely to stay in church group is college educated Christians. They discuss various theories to explain this, but the most compelling to me is the argument that church is extremely friendly to families that have success in America and buy into America's definition of success. Having a degree is a sign that you have also bought into that definition of success. The other side of that coin is the idea that the church is not friendly to people who can't (or won't) buy into that definition of success. Single moms, divorced people, and people that work for hourly wages with irregular hours just can't participate as well and feel left out. If you feel left out enough, you drop out.<br /><br />To answer all of the questions at the beginning:<br /><br />a) the old, the youngish (18-30), and the middle-aged are leaving.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">b) the same ages are also staying.<br />c) People are leaving for all of those reasons. One of the biggest reasons is that people move and never get started at a new church.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">d) Most are open to coming back so long as they feel like they will actually be connected. People who were abused are not likely to come back - ever.<br /><br />A topic that was never covered is if this "dropping out" is occurring in other religions. For example, are American Muslims experiencing this? <br /><br />This book was full of good information but not particularly riveting in its presentation. I rate it 3 stars out of 5. </span></div>DWDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18410063427689693237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354570702071119213.post-25815309124715565442023-12-25T21:19:00.001-05:002024-01-18T20:30:30.553-05:00RESURRECTION WALK (audiobook) (Book 7 of the Lincoln Lawyer series) by Michael Connelly <p> </p><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Resurrection-Walk-Michael-Connelly-ebook/dp/B0BSTZZT12?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1703475202&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=665aa25199a1dea8e7cf12f97cc666a2&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="967" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJGtTBwD7cSvM4AaIo7l8tFMsai9WncwDzZC37E8z_1PH2s81-hxWq0RI66b5pc7YfGOSQYp7u5AAPN1qCfluf5ca3E4Klc7jgq0lyuJ_h3NkvxWdNEd5MR1aPi7uooV4Vn7kN9GfF41Xi5A_XyVXOZKX_sSfb34YHMZiZeeLbxKSuahk99PfuXtgL8BtG/s320/Resurrection_Walk_Lincoln_Lawyer.jpg" width="206" /></a></div><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Resurrection-Walk-Michael-Connelly-ebook/dp/B0BSTZZT12?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1703475202&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=665aa25199a1dea8e7cf12f97cc666a2&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank">Published in November of 2023 by Little, Brown and Company.<br />Read by Peter Giles, Titus Welliver, and Christine Lakin.<br />Duration: 10 hours, 30 minutes.<br />Unabridged.</a></i><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Synopsis:<br /><br />The seventh book in the Lincoln Lawyer series is also a crossover with the more prolific Harry Bosch series. <br /><br />Mickey Haller is known as "the Lincoln Lawyer" because, at one point, he didn't actually have an office and he used the backseat of a Lincoln automobile as his office while he rode through LA's infamous traffic. Haller is a high profile defense attorney known for his antics and willingness to make any argument for the defense. But, lately, Haller has started his own version of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Innocence_Project" target="_blank">Innocence Project</a> - he is looking for cases of truly innocent people who were mistakenly convicted.<br /><br />Harry Bosch is Haller's older half brother (by 15 years.) Bosch is a retired LAPD detective and has always looked at defense attorneys as slimy characters that use tricks to get the guilty people that he arrested set free. <br /><br />Despite that mindset, Bosch has always hated sloppy police work - it convicts the wrong people and leaves the guilty free to continue on with their crimes. It's that angle that draws Bosch in and lets him work as an investigator for the most outrageous defense attorney in Los Angeles.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQvW0lZqtZ7YhF3eNGqKzO3qG5POX63d6RrOX0YgCqL9vihe94959m1_luVgs7lLdbtKwtOpEtL3rzIfIvafGJbb7vt9kQxYJSApWVsyeRLc9o-LQBF-893E-YFHKYAN3yKMek9bc7sAWglItPMOogJD6m6oAu1PuHZdSos14uC9Wut_2ApYIgtNBg4I1H/s412/connelly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="285" data-original-width="412" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQvW0lZqtZ7YhF3eNGqKzO3qG5POX63d6RrOX0YgCqL9vihe94959m1_luVgs7lLdbtKwtOpEtL3rzIfIvafGJbb7vt9kQxYJSApWVsyeRLc9o-LQBF-893E-YFHKYAN3yKMek9bc7sAWglItPMOogJD6m6oAu1PuHZdSos14uC9Wut_2ApYIgtNBg4I1H/w381-h263/connelly.jpg" width="381" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">The author, Michael Connelly</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>Bosch sorts through the big pile of letters that arrive in Haller's office and finds the ones that seem plausible to him and he does what he does best - he investigates.<br /><br />When he comes across a case of a woman who is convicted of killing her ex-husband (a sheriff deputy) in her front yard after an argument, Bosch is convinced that there's more to the case than the files suggest.<br /><br />Once he starts digging, Bosch and Haller get sucked into a complicated mess...<br /><br />My review:<br /><br />This is a satisfying, complicated mystery coupled with a lot of dramatic courtroom scenes. </span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">This book would probably not be a great place to jump in as a first novel in either series. If you watch the Lincoln Lawyer series on Netflix or the Harry Bosch series on Amazon/FreeVee, be aware that there is significant divergence between the shows and the books.<br /><br />The audiobook goes back and forth between the three readers that typically read the audiobooks nowadays. If the action features a certain character in a chapter, that reader reads the chapter. The other actors read for their character if there is dialogue. It is a nice touch and it works.<br /><br />I rate this audiobook 5 stars out of 5. It can be found on Amazon.com here: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Audible-Resurrection-Walk/dp/B0BT24RVJH?crid=2W8JMKU26RASL&keywords=resurrection+walk+michael+connelly&qid=1703475202&sprefix=resu%2Caps%2C106&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=32c02aee0ca8d9b8804739ff4115da1e&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank"><b><i>RESURRECTION WALK (audiobook) (Book 7 of the Lincoln Lawyer series) </i></b>by Michael Connelly.</a></span></div>DWDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18410063427689693237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354570702071119213.post-78772679457945181732023-12-17T21:56:00.006-05:002024-01-15T21:50:48.455-05:00TAKING AMERICA BACK for GOD: CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM in the UNITED STATES (audiobook) by Andrew L. Whitehead and Samuel L. Perry<p><br /></p><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Taking-America-Back-God-Nationalism/dp/0197652573?crid=3TY6IDWKQTFI1&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.N0F9FZ3J9rAuv3sQUs01hAteNcFwtggaiG_48Hk8JUpNfpyDHZYC95eV9y20EbH1wsSiEixlHXIVBy0QLgeT6YRh7mrlIQlxIhjMzP3RZswrOWyYYK8ggSkPseE5mEAgOMczLHn9ZC-6F6kwP2-86NOKHSGvTny_FpApB9rf_6l-VaDAgf0RMnW5_0inNQvh.QUObR4DmmK2DFmU1byk-IquBtJAa6BptJPP-VwN7lWk&dib_tag=se&keywords=TAKING+AMERICA+BACK+for+GOD%3A+CHRISTIAN+NATIONALISM+in+the&qid=1705373273&sprefix=taking+america+back+for+god+christian+nationalism+in+the+%2Caps%2C184&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=15c244bd37031526e921983c86354544&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="995" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiH7lmpYh5unjW5VJKL81-k3KHk2Hccerg3VlSQYmmRRFLBj8NfiDQNMIjkp7S1EYyfCCPAshWqU4JPoVzJgPJRn1EYBT8-kM8K8VJpAHmVwlO2HIPoyyIZpFpCQRBEuUTZdQt3_f9YlS35i1qhfr85VJG-hSEzySJVex9RALMjHdD7KpjEQ2nqy2EzbC4/s320/Taking_America_Back_for_God.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Taking-America-Back-God-Nationalism/dp/0197652573?crid=3TY6IDWKQTFI1&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.N0F9FZ3J9rAuv3sQUs01hAteNcFwtggaiG_48Hk8JUpNfpyDHZYC95eV9y20EbH1wsSiEixlHXIVBy0QLgeT6YRh7mrlIQlxIhjMzP3RZswrOWyYYK8ggSkPseE5mEAgOMczLHn9ZC-6F6kwP2-86NOKHSGvTny_FpApB9rf_6l-VaDAgf0RMnW5_0inNQvh.QUObR4DmmK2DFmU1byk-IquBtJAa6BptJPP-VwN7lWk&dib_tag=se&keywords=TAKING+AMERICA+BACK+for+GOD%3A+CHRISTIAN+NATIONALISM+in+the&qid=1705373273&sprefix=taking+america+back+for+god+christian+nationalism+in+the+%2Caps%2C184&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=15c244bd37031526e921983c86354544&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank">Published by Tantor Audio in 2020.<br />Read by Tom Parks.<br />Duration: 6 hours, 44 minutes.<br />Unabridged.</a></i><br /><br /><span style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Whitehead and Perry are the first sociologists who set out to do an in-depth study of Christian Nationalism and Christian Nationalists. Whitehead (Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis) and Perry (University of Oklahoma) both hail from states where Christian Nationalism plays a strong role in the political and cultural realms.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ6mxFFID3pDRUaT2RFMKsdZbPyhN1L86AgFcIkO21KsOTmO4UQbLYd2AIO_bWhyphenhyphenxVEh54E2i1Y8us8sfNfKtjShIwdh5L7X0N3-xErpRB2dVq5No2ongAZL-RGJmOfZP8GoT4EUac_D5rOmxbM8U8Xl4gpbPUbQngqwQma7yq7yTBmbi2gKCOYlHdjNQI/s474/Christian%20Nationalism.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="301" data-original-width="474" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ6mxFFID3pDRUaT2RFMKsdZbPyhN1L86AgFcIkO21KsOTmO4UQbLYd2AIO_bWhyphenhyphenxVEh54E2i1Y8us8sfNfKtjShIwdh5L7X0N3-xErpRB2dVq5No2ongAZL-RGJmOfZP8GoT4EUac_D5rOmxbM8U8Xl4gpbPUbQngqwQma7yq7yTBmbi2gKCOYlHdjNQI/w383-h243/Christian%20Nationalism.jpg" width="383" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table>First, you need a working definition of Christian Nationalism. <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/07/11/1110949385/christian-nationalisms-influence-on-american-politics" target="_blank">Whitehead describes it</a> as: <span style="color: #999999;"> </span></span><span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span style="color: #999999; letter-spacing: 0.36px;">"a cultural framework that is all about trying to advocate for a fusion between Christianity — as they define it — and American civic life." I also like this description by a completely unrelated person,<a href="https://www.threads.net/@skye.jethani/post/C04E5q3gwsw" target="_blank"> Rev. Skye Jethani</a>: </span></span><br /></span></span></span><span class="x1lliihq x1plvlek xryxfnj x1n2onr6 x193iq5w xeuugli x1fj9vlw x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x x1i0vuye xjohtrz xo1l8bm xp07o12 xat24cr xdj266r" dir="auto" style="--base-line-clamp-line-height: calc(1.4 * 1em); display: block; line-height: var(--base-line-clamp-line-height); margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: visible; position: relative; word-break: break-word;"><span style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve-breaks;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">"Christians participating in politics or influencing society with their values is NOT Christian Nationalism. </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve-breaks;"><i>Christians believing they have a God-given right to dominate the government & society by excluding & diminishing the value of their non-Christian neighbors IS Christian Nationalism."
</i>Whitehead and Perry piggybacked 6 statements into a periodic national survey on religion that Baylor University has conducted for years. Participants ranked their agreement with the statements and were given a total score. The higher the score, the higher the correlation with Christian Nationalism.
Here are <a href="https://learn.elca.org/jle/taking-america-back-for-god-christian-nationalism-in-the-united-states-and-andrew-l-whitehead-and-samuel-l-perry/" target="_blank">the statements</a>: </span></span><ol style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; list-style-position: outside; margin: 0px 0px 1rem 35px; padding: 0px; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><li style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 5px; padding: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #444444; font-family: verdana;">The federal government should declare the United States a Christian Nation.</span></li><li style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 5px; padding: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #444444; font-family: verdana;">The federal government should advocate Christian values.</span></li><li style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 5px; padding: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #444444; font-family: verdana;">The federal government should enforce strict separation of church and state. </span></li><li style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 5px; padding: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #444444; font-family: verdana;">The federal government should allow the display of religious symbols in public spaces.</span></li><li style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 5px; padding: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #444444; font-family: verdana;">The success of the United States is part of God’s plan.</span></li><li style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 5px; padding: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #444444; font-family: verdana;">The federal government should allow prayer in public schools.</span></li></ol><div><span style="background-color: #444444; font-family: verdana;">The results tell us that a little over half of the country (51.9%) is Christian Nationalist or sympathetic. 48.1% of the country is very opposed or supportive of opposition to Christian Nationalism. Once again, the country is very deeply split. <br /><br />Regional differences are strong here. Unsurprisingly, the South is the stronghold of Christian Nationalism. Also, it is no surprise that the Northeast is the stronghold of its opposition.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhKSgRQuhYrELqJnCN_SZ3xYn_iMg1ATeSowni22mjaKEgQV_huhNyclDM9ue5kiA8pM_WhaNLK4KrUUBsWuRZjDV1ZL35xLP4ra8uhAR2i9kjJjRg1L0m5BGidIpBf6d1ermXzpHFsSENletTx7zELgiokTUDjCm0_6i1PQgzo0O7mZ6O0GUXSP7C-US7/s900/MAGA%20Jesus.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="600" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhKSgRQuhYrELqJnCN_SZ3xYn_iMg1ATeSowni22mjaKEgQV_huhNyclDM9ue5kiA8pM_WhaNLK4KrUUBsWuRZjDV1ZL35xLP4ra8uhAR2i9kjJjRg1L0m5BGidIpBf6d1ermXzpHFsSENletTx7zELgiokTUDjCm0_6i1PQgzo0O7mZ6O0GUXSP7C-US7/w293-h440/MAGA%20Jesus.jpg" width="293" /></a></div>One of the more interesting facts to come from their study is that the long perceived truth that White Evangelical Christian is just another way of saying Christian Nationalist is incorrect. Although there is a strong correlation between the two, there are White Evangelical Christians represented in all four group identified in strong numbers. For example, the reverend that I quoted above with his definition of Christian Nationalism is an Evangelical Christian, but he is certainly no Christian Nationalist. <br /><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: #444444; font-family: verdana;">The book starts and ends with detailed explanations of how the data was compiled. It's not particularly invigorating listening in an audiobook, but it does demonstrate that the authors used tried and true methods to gather solid data. <br /><br />The discussion of the results in the middle was particularly riveting to me, though. It turns out that I must be what they identify as a "rejector" of Christian Nationalism based on how I reacted to what I think is Christian Nationalism's perversion of the ideals and basic tenets of both my faith and the ideals of my country. As they went through comments from individuals that they gleaned from the surveys I often felt sick to my stomach and sometimes felt like crying. I would love to provide examples, but as I already noted, I listened to the audiobook and it is hard to take notes while driving or walking the dog.<br /><br />I rated this audiobook 4 stars out of 5 only because all of the parts of the book actually tell you that this is reliable information makes for a slow listen and is likely to drive away listeners who have not taken a sociology class or studied how good polls are made (hint: most polls you run across on social media are very bad polls.)<br /><br />I rate this audiobook 4 stars out of 5. It can be found on Amazon.com here: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Taking-America-Back-God-Nationalism/dp/B088N6M83F?crid=1FU7P62SEBXFI&keywords=taking+america+back+for+god%2C+by+whitehead+%26+perry&qid=1702345979&sprefix=taking+amer%2Caps%2C111&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=672d6570df02a6149158898e5261b0a9&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank"><b><i>TAKING AMERICA BACK for GOD: CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM in the UNITED STATES</i></b> by Andrew L. Whitehead and Samuel L. Perry.</a></span></div><span style="background-color: #444444; font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve-breaks;"> </span></span>DWDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18410063427689693237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354570702071119213.post-29392007955874589222023-12-10T19:59:00.005-05:002024-02-08T20:00:24.360-05:00ESPERANZA RISING (audiobook) by Pam Muñoz Ryan<p> </p><div><br /></div><div><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Esperanza-Rising-McDougal-Littell-Library/dp/043912042X?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1702238465&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=76ebad952155c4b04b356807cd14a2ae&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1033" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUjmNN86Q3lVvuPU91L9PY1l00rG3NcjBpZGs2AI1d30WxA5xpcNrQwTexDE5mQSPgCl-Tt7SF2FmkKRxQafGZL12ZuhyphenhyphenhVbjtAzyV03J_c94_MPTZnBC32mpg7qC4_bwfPx1yiVlVt6IkTQALjhxL76OyIo635YAwXozR_0J8XH_fNE_fyXDLHE9S2X_D/s320/Esperanza-Rising.jpg" width="220" /></a></div><br /><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Esperanza-Rising-McDougal-Littell-Library/dp/043912042X?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1702238465&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=76ebad952155c4b04b356807cd14a2ae&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank">Originally published in book format in 2000.</a></i></div><div><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Esperanza-Rising-McDougal-Littell-Library/dp/043912042X?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1702238465&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=76ebad952155c4b04b356807cd14a2ae&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank">Published by Listening Library in 2003.<br />Read by Trini Alvarado</a></i></div><div><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Esperanza-Rising-McDougal-Littell-Library/dp/043912042X?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1702238465&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=76ebad952155c4b04b356807cd14a2ae&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank">Duration: 4 hours, 42 minutes.<br />Unabridged.</a><br /></i><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Synopsis:</b><br /><br />Esperanza is the main character in a fictionalized version of the author's grandmother's adolescence. <br /><br />In Mexico, Esperanza is the daughter of a wealthy landowner in Aguascalientes. On this ranch, life is wonderful. She has servants and attends a private school. But, life in Mexico in 1930 is fraught with danger. It is only 10 years after the 10 year long Mexican Revolution and armed bands still roam the countryside. One of these groups kills Esperanza's father and her conniving uncles take the ranch and burn the house down to make sure they keep the land. <br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0f_BE8OLLdeqzhiFcyFdnrQOWAH9r82WKsLlO7Vvbwly0_PgWAEgGnUOYvmiuQqqAn1vYvzEsYKswKhwwxxGIBIjgz7DROTjT3RRDHxh5n6vgeMUHzUtjoA2z0zLkeMrUEUeZmg2im4Ed6yccsPgw3reS0B_KOij9BnVCZIQ6XUaPoiy4WN-wJ2kwaoHF/s1280/ryan.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0f_BE8OLLdeqzhiFcyFdnrQOWAH9r82WKsLlO7Vvbwly0_PgWAEgGnUOYvmiuQqqAn1vYvzEsYKswKhwwxxGIBIjgz7DROTjT3RRDHxh5n6vgeMUHzUtjoA2z0zLkeMrUEUeZmg2im4Ed6yccsPgw3reS0B_KOij9BnVCZIQ6XUaPoiy4WN-wJ2kwaoHF/w386-h217/ryan.jpg" width="386" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">The author, Pam Muñoz Ryan</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>Esperanza and her mother join a family of their servants (the ranch manager, the household manager, and their son) and flee to America (California) with false paperwork. They hope to work on American farms and re-establish themselves.<br />However, America is in the beginnings of the Great Depression...<br /><br /><b>My Review:</b><br /><br />The book has a slow start (probably the first 1/3), but once the family makes it to the American border the book truly gets steadily better as it goes along. The migrant labor camps in this book tie in very well with a much older book that is set a little later in the Great Depression in California, <b><i><a href="https://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2023/10/the-grapes-of-wrath-audiobook-by-john.html" target="_blank">The Grapes of Wrath</a></i></b>. By the end of the book, I was pretty invested in seeing how it turned out.<br /><br />For all of the people that act as though the immigration crisis at the border is a new thing that one political candidate discovered just a few years ago, this book feels like it could be easily updated to 2023 with a few technological changes. It is set 93 years in the past, but it involves criminal violence forcing people north to America, migrant camps, illegal border crossings, forged paperwork, low wages, border patrol agents, homelessness, families separated by the border, racial prejudice, and more.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">I rate this book 4 stars out of 5. It can be found on Amazon.com here: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Esperanza-Rising-Pam-Munoz-Ryan-audiobook/dp/B0000X8R98?crid=HFDCMXILACNP&keywords=esperanza+rising+book&qid=1702238465&sprefix=espera%2Caps%2C108&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=ba0c502cb5c43e3972bfa9b9fab4da4f&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank"><b><i>ESPERANZA RISING</i></b> by Pam Muñoz Ryan.</a></span></div>DWDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18410063427689693237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354570702071119213.post-47364838583203158932023-12-03T09:57:00.006-05:002024-01-17T22:06:53.526-05:00YOU SHOULD SEE ME in a CROWN (audiobook) by Leah Johnson<p> </p><br /><br /><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/You-Should-See-Me-Crown-ebook/dp/B07YBTCB9F?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1701637581&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=d0db8f2f1876a281edf18c4bdfacef1a&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR1EizPdh4gIy-SKfFwL-77W-HP0RZ2hyphenhyphenveSq1rENLhw_NwJDz4nPssC9HoZhl41mK9aXyPWx6Fn590XFj7myuPtQ6rNmWIHwF-Lvdberg2ScR_fdJ-wbjmdAtCcQ7vofoMPKjvp_zaZ2XUZRaBxEfly5kOsspuOaWy_H39FrLc42m59rOUiu8QkXsZ_Xm/s320/You_Should_See_Me_in_a_Crown.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><a href="https://www.amazon.com/You-Should-See-Me-Crown-ebook/dp/B07YBTCB9F?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1701637581&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=d0db8f2f1876a281edf18c4bdfacef1a&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank">Published in 2020 by Scholastic Audio.<br />Read by Alaska Jackson.<br />Duration: 7 hours, 18 minutes.<br />Unabridged.</a></i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/You-Should-See-Me-Crown-ebook/dp/B07YBTCB9F?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1701637581&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=d0db8f2f1876a281edf18c4bdfacef1a&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank"><br /></a><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Synopsis:<br /><br />High School senior Liz Lighty is depending on a $10,000 music scholarship to be able to afford to attend the college she has always wanted to go to. When she discovers that she doesn't get the scholarship, she's afraid her grandparents will sell their house to pay for her college.<br /><br />Her high school offers a $10,000 scholarship for the winner of the Prom Queen competition. Enthusiastic band member Liz, supported by her outsider group of friends, joins the competition against all cheerleaders, legacies, and the beautiful people...<br /><br />My Review:<br /><br />In a lot of ways, this is a typical high school ugly duckling story - the underdog great kid goes up against the popular clique.<br /><br />But, there are some additional nuances that make this more interesting. <br /><br />The book is set in the Indianapolis area (Indianapolis is my adopted hometown) and the high school in the book (Campbell) is a play on the real Indianapolis suburb named Carmel. Carmel and its neighbors have had multiple incidents with race, inclusion, book bans, and the like. Remember the Moms for Liberty parent group that published a newsletter with the <a href="https://checkyourfact.com/2023/08/15/fact-check-moms-liberty-hitler/" target="_blank">Adolph Hitler quote</a>? This is that place.<br /><br />This matters in this book because Liz Lighty is African American and lesbian, like the author. Those two facts, especially the second one, are a big deal.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhOd6FK9kShNtQLQr-sfwmM4CaEYE55udmDEB3SMtQibiRIlDOVtOsd1moHr1HAqI2c7Y-QgxKCXNlbsDmNrAR6uGOma-0PDZTZdUMjDB1fe899qn39kxnLSk6Su4YhZjUjEJVxnMvDETIZ1HW7awnRNiN6Aqp6uANcwPh_dp4mK6hHFPLklKHCa8OkpVcc" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="414" data-original-width="640" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhOd6FK9kShNtQLQr-sfwmM4CaEYE55udmDEB3SMtQibiRIlDOVtOsd1moHr1HAqI2c7Y-QgxKCXNlbsDmNrAR6uGOma-0PDZTZdUMjDB1fe899qn39kxnLSk6Su4YhZjUjEJVxnMvDETIZ1HW7awnRNiN6Aqp6uANcwPh_dp4mK6hHFPLklKHCa8OkpVcc=w383-h248" width="383" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The Indianapolis Arts Garden, the site of <br />the prom in this book.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table>Readers from the Indianapolis area will appreciate the mentions of local landmarks like Mass Ave, Rick's Café and Boatyard, and the Arts Garden.<br /><br />The book is interesting because of the issues of race and sexuality, but it is a very good book because Leah Johnson is a very good author. Her characters look like they are the standard high school kids from a teen movie or TV show, but she breathes life in them and makes them stand out. Her descriptions of those first few exciting, confusing and embarrassing days of falling in love ring true and were fun to listen to in this audiobook.<br /><br />I rate this audiobook 5 stars out of 5. This book can be found on Amazon.com here: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/You-Should-See-Me-Crown/dp/B0868WKW76?crid=VYZKZ9RKA6WU&keywords=you+should+see+me+in+a+crown&qid=1701637581&sprefix=you+should+see+me+in+a+crown%2Caps%2C101&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=c2cd32e8e03fcbd2b134149279e04aa2&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank"><b><i>YOU SHOULD SEE ME in a CROWN</i></b> (audiobook) by Leah Johnson</a>.</span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Note: In 2022, <a href="https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/2022/02/23/oklahoma-reviewing-school-library-books-break-obscenity-laws/6896141001/" target="_blank">the Oklahoma Attorney General</a> announced he was going to review a list of more than 50 books that "several concerned individuals" had submitted top his office rather than going through their local school boards. His office decided to determine if the books were "obscene." Later, <a href="https://www.readfrontier.org/stories/oklahoma-attorney-general-drops-obscenity-investigation-of-school-books/" target="_blank">he dropped his investigation</a>, but not the recommendation that local school boards take these complaints seriously. Although most of the books on this list have an LGBTQ+ theme, it is a wide-ranging list, including classics like <span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2019/11/of-mice-and-men-audiobook-by-john.html" target="_blank">Of Mice and Men</a>, </span><b>Brave New World</b>, and <b>Lord of the Flies</b>. There is nothing "obscene" in this book. There are no sexual acts beyond a few kisses.<br /> </i></span></div></div></div>DWDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18410063427689693237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354570702071119213.post-37513854167227280862023-11-26T20:13:00.004-05:002024-02-10T21:56:03.751-05:00DEADLANDS: A NOVEL (audiobook) by Victoria Miluch<p> </p><br /><br /><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Pilgrimage-Eternity-Canterbury-Search-Faith-ebook/dp/B07NKR7R5C?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1586312158&sr=8-2&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=164951834645230beb742f663c29e0ec&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="971" height="451" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjbY044zHk5ZCVozgTbnMtOAHtgWLs5qoT0-Ex0xUFegbgXzfcInXiu_T4bYsCmxTM8b9MYHme5QLaiM2CvOJ15FkfD5EbzmsL2Wbb1wsbzg0E-xG8veAEs1cg6UYTz5yqi25nVjCtS7QzkO5ewXJB1b2ZbGwoZHpo7yuOh1LKVrLkuODxJw49H2-K5Irj/w292-h451/Deadlands.jpg" width="292" /></a></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><br /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Pilgrimage-Eternity-Canterbury-Search-Faith-ebook/dp/B07NKR7R5C?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1586312158&sr=8-2&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=164951834645230beb742f663c29e0ec&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank">Published in October of 2023 by Brilliance Audio.<br />Read by Laura Jennings.<br />Duration: 9 hours, 24 minutes.<br />Unabridged.</a></i><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Synopsis:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Set in a future dystopian Arizona in a United States that is collapsing due to pollution and climate change.<br /><br />19 year old Georgia lives with her father and her 16 year old brother in an outpost in the Arizona desert north of Phoenix. They are hiding away from the polluted city of Phoenix and the few people that bother to venture out into the wilderness. <br /><br />When Georgia and her brother encounter two "hikers" and their car near their outpost, everything changes...<br /><br />My review:<br /><br />This book starts out very interesting and then settles into a moody story about relationships, betrayals, and discovery - but I made it sound way more interesting than it actually was. In reality, it was an interesting 45 minute set-up at the beginning and multiple hints that something really dramatic could happen and then nothing happened - again and again and again.<div class="separator" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhywDLA8oyO1bcSthJz2wB57ZxjqdTsSqh_dS0ZQ6TJO0dZ8Yv3T66sJLvuTLjXiKYIIXhbkgBdGxHxWtHqz6yPVUGKYhlq3dG465CFWABMdAru6vp1pNChe2GfkCxDcGRYxknGVDPaGkGPSdpZFEHd2qcd-2ZcxY6T-tsBBnA2Fo8VkpB43fjDKkI89oGY" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhywDLA8oyO1bcSthJz2wB57ZxjqdTsSqh_dS0ZQ6TJO0dZ8Yv3T66sJLvuTLjXiKYIIXhbkgBdGxHxWtHqz6yPVUGKYhlq3dG465CFWABMdAru6vp1pNChe2GfkCxDcGRYxknGVDPaGkGPSdpZFEHd2qcd-2ZcxY6T-tsBBnA2Fo8VkpB43fjDKkI89oGY=w409-h230" width="409" /></a></div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">****Spoiler Alert:**** </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Warning: there is a first sexual experience scene that, to me, seemed more like a first sexual assault scene. Some people, like me, really are repulsed by sexual assault scenes. Once again, this followed the pattern of the rest of the book - a very dramatic thing occurs and not much happens as a consequence. <br /><br />****End Spoiler****<br /><br />We never really find out what's going on with America's environment, or why Georgia's father is implementing secret plans, or why Georgia knows all about swimming in oceans when she has lived her entire life in a desert and has never seen a body of water. And, so it goes on and on and on. <br /><br />I rate this audiobook 1 star out of 5. If you want to give it a go, it's on Amazon.com here: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Audible-Deadlands-A-Novel/dp/B0BZ1HKWYT?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1701032724&sr=8-4&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=5a37b34605a85ae8d07cfbd5aca2d444&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank"><b><i>DEADLANDS: A NOVEL </i></b>by Victoria Miluch.</a></span></div>DWDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18410063427689693237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354570702071119213.post-22444148944048979502023-11-25T16:38:00.011-05:002024-01-25T20:50:17.846-05:00SLAVERY, RESISTANCE, FREEDOM (Gettysburg Civil War Institute Books collection) edited by Gabor Boritt and Scott Hancock.<p> </p><div><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioo_g4Jf_Z45CM4rezAR7UY_DTtuws_983oJ7Q8A1pixTM9JQ4QXpz9cocyWuCt9W0FX8hYhA2pvMUehWwMyuXrfTdTMZ0JOuhU5cZX4bWj8AyaBN2dJ_MycHVKBsv0dQg0swag9S5CxKxQP1Z0aku44S2FOndJq_3XDaH-6ScqNZrEPeuDZL92nf-G__4/s500/Slavery%20resistance%20and%20freedom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="331" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioo_g4Jf_Z45CM4rezAR7UY_DTtuws_983oJ7Q8A1pixTM9JQ4QXpz9cocyWuCt9W0FX8hYhA2pvMUehWwMyuXrfTdTMZ0JOuhU5cZX4bWj8AyaBN2dJ_MycHVKBsv0dQg0swag9S5CxKxQP1Z0aku44S2FOndJq_3XDaH-6ScqNZrEPeuDZL92nf-G__4/s320/Slavery%20resistance%20and%20freedom.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><br /><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Published in 2007 by Oxford University Press.</i></div><div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhn9Q21BzKcJfO8kzpMrDWnlUwaZPvU_xEhgjrfLr5D8d1TDOO-pkYJRaWBsNxkifDdtg3rujxi2_HKSo03HswQcJSE7h-ftUtBgiChox1NhyCjAykadSWw07QEulOYgXJCFMFySI6S98Lzl-wU8XiV1LKBDFrv2w0-0wCb4OB2GccPDDi7SafQFsjB7PbL" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="405" data-original-width="640" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhn9Q21BzKcJfO8kzpMrDWnlUwaZPvU_xEhgjrfLr5D8d1TDOO-pkYJRaWBsNxkifDdtg3rujxi2_HKSo03HswQcJSE7h-ftUtBgiChox1NhyCjAykadSWw07QEulOYgXJCFMFySI6S98Lzl-wU8XiV1LKBDFrv2w0-0wCb4OB2GccPDDi7SafQFsjB7PbL=w389-h247" width="389" /></a></div>The book consists of six essays about the experience of African Americans from the early American period through Reconstruction. <br /><br />They are arranged in chronological order and, as is the way with all collections, of varying quality. I did not enjoy either of the two essays by one of the editors, Scott Hancock. I did enjoy reading two of them quite a bit. <br /><br />There are two strong essays that read more like small chapters from a Civil War history about the United States Colored Troops (USCT) - the segregated units of black soldiers led by white officers. <br /><br />The last essay was by Reconstruction expert Eric Foner. It was a bit tedious to read, but it ruthlessly lays to rest that old Confederate and neo-Confederate lie that Black Reconstruction (when Blacks could actually vote and the old leaders of the Confederacy were not allowed to run for office) just elected illiterate field hands to the highest offices. The men Foner describes were mostly (80% plus) educated to at least the level of the average state legislators in the North and some were highly educated and exceptional men.<br /><br />I rate this collection 3 stars out of 5. It can be found on Amazon.com here: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Slavery-Resistance-Freedom-Gettysburg-Institute-ebook/dp/B0013O8UL8?qid=1700935115&refinements=p_27%3AGabor+Boritt&s=books&sr=1-15&text=Gabor+Boritt&linkCode=ll1&tag=dwsre-20&linkId=49ff8b00a37f60698cc377bd970a29af&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank"><b><i>SLAVERY, RESISTANCE, FREEDOM</i></b> (Gettysburg Civil War Institute Books collection) edited by Gabor Boritt and Scott Hancock.</a></span></div>DWDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18410063427689693237noreply@blogger.com0