DWD's Reviews

A surprising little book What do I mean by surprising? I already knew how much of a role faith played in the founding of our country, so I was not surprised by that aspect of Forged in Faith: How Faith Shaped the Birth of the Nation 1607-1776 . Rather, I found myself thinking that Gragg was slanting the facts to make a point and leaving out crucial details, only to find, when I turned the page, that he addressed those details and addressed them fairly. For example, he extols the virtues of the religious liberties enshrined in Massachusetts Colony's legal system in Chapter 5 (p. 57). I found myself thinking - "Yeah, but what about the Quakers?" It is addressed briefly on page 60 and again on page 73 (it turns out, some of the Quakers were quite annoying when promulgating their religious beliefs, including one woman who walked naked through a Puritan church service while haranguing the pastor about the need for simplicity in one's life!) Gragg makes his point ea...

More of a portrait, less of a traditional movie Monte Walsh is not a plot-driven movie so much as it is a portrait of that moment in time when the Old West was disappearing and the men who made the Old West what it was had to adjust, die or just fade away. It is beautifully shot and there is a lot of attention to detail. If one is looking for a ton of action, this is not the western you are looking for. But, if you love cowboy movies this one is a real treat. It would make the watcher wistful for those days when the horse ruled the west, except that you know that Monte Walsh would have none of that pointless sentiment. No living actor looks more like a cowboy should than Tom Selleck and I'd be thrilled if he focused on those movies for the rest of his career. I rate this movie 4 stars out of 5. This movie can be found on Amazon.com here: Monte Walsh . Reviewed on October 4, 2004.

Good story but not terribly original, but fun nonetheless. Read by Boyd Gaines Approximately 3 hours I heard Vespers as an abridged audiobook and I will talk about that aspect at the end. If you saw any of Hollywood's animal disaster B movies (Giant ants, snakes, bugs, etc. that attack humanity) than you get the idea behind this book. Normally placid bats are attacking people and gathering in a murderous swarm above New York City. Meanwhile, something else - something very large - is killing people in the subway tunnels. Will the animal expert and the rough cop be able to save the day? Even though the plot is formulaic, I still found myself wanting to know what happened next. I couldn't wait to pop the tape in the player as soon as I got in the car! The audiobook is read by Boyd Gaines who does a phenomenal job. Every character has a unique and distinct voice in accent. 5 stars for him, if I could. I rate this audiobook 4 stars out of 5. Reviewed on September ...

Great twists. Good book. Abridged version leaves some things out. Published by Brilliance Audio Read by Dale Hull Duration: About 3 hours Abridged Just to let you know, I heard The Pied Piper as an abridged audiobook. I will discuss specific issues about the audiobook aspect of it later. This was a scary, sad thriller. Children are being abducted from their bedrooms across Seattle and, in reality, all across the country and Seattle's finest are out to stop the kidnappings. Obstacles in their path include very poor teamwork with the FBI and there's another kidnapping very close to home...but I won't spoil it for you by telling you who. Good police work ensues and it is satisfying to go along with the police as they slowly amass their clues and get closer and closer. Once the reader finds out the truth, there's still quite a bit of work to do to wrap it all up - including a cross-country chase. Its a good, good thriller and I would have given it 5 stars but ...

Good thriller set against a series of coincidences Margolin comes through with The Last Innocent Man , a book that keeps the pages turning but at times I wondered about the series of incredible coincidences that linked all of the characters together (I won't go into them here, for fear of revealing too much of the plot for those who have not yet read the book). Are you looking for a book that leads the protagonist through a series of difficult choices until finally everything is forced to come to a head? Than this is your book. However, be aware that you'll be forced to suspend your sense of disbelief from time to time as well. I rate this book 4 stars out of 5. This book can be found on Amazon.com here: The Last Innocent Man .  Reviewed on September 10, 2004.

Good thriller plot overcomes other issues Originally published in 1999. Read by Benjamin L. Darcie Duration: 14 hours, 44 minutes Unabridged Just so you'll know, I am reviewing Cuba as an audiobook - I listened to it as an audiobook and as an audiobook it was pretty good, meaning that I never really wondered if there was something else on the radio that was better. As to the plot - I found it to be especially interesting to have the book focus on the presence of Weapons of Mass Destruction in Cuba, considering our situations in Iran and North Korea and the famed search for WMD in Iraq. The descriptions of the power of these weapons and the reasons that tin-pot dictators and superpowers possess them was informative. As always, Coonts writes wonderful action sequences. His characters are sometimes a bit stiff, especially with his American cabinet officials. Quibbles I have with the book: -Sometimes there's so much tech-speak that it bogs the story down. At tim...

Oddball Indiana: A guide to Some Really Strange Places does a great job of showing some of the odd things that make the Hoosier state unique, including Santa Claus, IN and the world's largest steer (he's stuffed). It also turns out that Indiana is the birthplace of Wonder Bread, Alka Seltzer, Corn Flakes, Pork and Beans and the unique shape of the Coca-Cola bottle. He includes driving directions that look to be accurate (I am familiar with some of these places) although a good map of Indiana would also be required to even find some of the towns that he mentions. He includes several pictures, which generally are helpful. Indiana - birthplace of this and many more wonders. This really could have been a charming little book - one that I would have been 100% enthused about except for the author's fascination with Dan Quayle (not in a positive way, either) and Jim Jones (the cult leader who led his 900+ followers in a mass suicide in Guyana in the 1978). Do we really...

Reasons I recommend The Rundown : 1. The Rock. He fits perfectly into this light-hearted action movie. 2. Christopher Walken has a great time doing a parody of himself throughout the movie. He's hilarious as he does his Walken-esque soliloquies for everyone except the people that might actually have gotten a clue from his ramblings and figured out that this backwoods bad guy has more than one screw loose. 3. The movie is funny. Lots of good lines and situations to go around. 4. The fight scenes - they are stylized and absolutely unrealistic but artfully done. The DVD includes deleted scenes - but does not tell the viewer why they were deleted. I always find that to be most interesting, especially when the scene looks to me like it should have stayed in. The extra interviews are pretty interesting as well. I rate this movie 4 stars out of 5. This movie can be found on Amazon.com here: The Rundown . Reviewed in 2004.

Entertaining and oddball - loved the Brad Pitt character To make it short, I'll mention what I liked: -I liked the use of commentary by Turkish and Tommy during the movie - they serve as the de facto narrators. -I liked the rapid-cut intro and the way the director used the security cameras to show us the progress of the diamond thieves during the opening credits. -I really liked the Brad Pitt character. Take full advantage of your DVD's ability to make subtitles because you'll need it with all of the accents - especially Brad Pitt's. -the dog was fun (and hungry). Dennis Farina -I liked the way all of the characters were sleazy and yet markedly different from one another. -I like the fact that the DVD includes deleted scenes with commentary. I did not like the fact that the commentary usually did not tell me why the scene was deleted. I rate this movie 4 stars out of 5. This DVD can be found on Amazon.com here: Snatch (Special Edition) DVD . ...

My first foray into P.J. O'Rourke's books Published by Brilliance Audio Duration: 5 hours, 48 minutes Read by Dick Hill Unabridged I've read some of P.J. O'Rourke's columns and have heard an interview or two so I knew that I would most likely find one of his books to be most interesting. To begin with, I found Peace Kills: America's Fun New Imperialism mostly dead-on accurate and depressing. Observations about the War in Bosnia, human nature in general and Israel were factually interesting but mostly deflating. Not that I am overly optimistic about human nature (being both a history major and a Lutheran has given me a fairly low opinion about the character of humanity) but P.J.'s account was even getting to me. But, in the middle it picks up - ironically with his description of 9/11 and the days that followed in Washington, D.C. I found his observations to be keen, interesting and, in an odd way, hopeful. His descriptions of the pro-Palestinian...

A thinking person's action adventure novel Set in Pakistan and Afghanistan in the weeks following the 9/11 attacks, The Warlord's Son features Skelly, a middle-aged foreign correspondent who has decided to come out or retirement to find one last big story. It also concerns his "fixer", or translator, Najeeb - the outcast son of a border area warlord and Najeeb's girlfriend Daliya. The story passes from one to the other and the reader gets quite a bit of insight into the culture of this border area. The action is quick and good when it happens and the reader experiences the intrigue of all of the overlapping political, financial and cultural interests of the area. I rate this book 4 stars out of 5. This book can be found on Amazon.com here: The Warlord's Son by Dan Fesperman . Reviewed on November 6, 2009.

Comments from a veteran teacher Published in 2009 by NAL Hardcover This is my twentieth year of teaching. I've taught in the inner city, way out in the country in a school surrounded by cornfields and currently teach in a school that is a crazy mix that ranges from urban ghetto to suburban McMansion neighborhoods. There is nothing in Crazy Like a Fox: One Principal's Triumph in the Inner City that I can disagree with so far as the methods that Chavis espouses. He introduces an extreme quantity of discipline, accountability and rigor to an inner city environment that is seriously lacking in those three traits. He preaches respect for private property, pride in your school and rewards students with cash and prizes for doing well. He blows up the concept of the mega-high school (I teach in one and it does NOT work well) and keeps his school small so that it has a family feel - everyone knows everyone. Dr. Ben Chavis But, this is not a traditional public school. It is ...

This thriller hits the same notes over and over again but it sucks the reader in Turbulence is not a subtle book - Nance hits on two themes over and over again with an enthusiasm akin to that of Animal from the Muppet Show pounding on a set of drums. Those two themes are: airlines often have poor customer service that needlessly aggravates the travelling public. Secondly, airline employees can be poorly trained and inadequate to the challenges of international travel. However, he does make an interesting little novel here about an airplane full of people who have been pushed too far by rude employees, senseless delays on the runways and incompetent decision-making by the pilots. Throw in a violent misunderstanding and you've got the makings of a passenger mutiny and a sharp thriller. 4 out of 5 stars. This book can be found on Amazon.com here: Turbulence . Reviewed on December 4, 2009.

An enjoyable read from one of the true nice guys in American sports broadcasting Published in 2009 by Thomas Nelson Inc. I' ve listened to Eli Gold for years as one of the radio (and from time to time TV) voices of NASCAR. He's always come across as a nice guy and a straight shooter who is not out to grind any axes. From Peanuts to the Pressbox: Insider Sports Stories from a Life Behind the Mic is Eli Gold's story of how he went from being a peanut vendor at Madison Square Garden to being a nationally known sports announcer. Eli tells it in an entertaining, light-hearted style and keeps it classy by not airing anyone's dirty laundry. He does include lots of funny and interesting stories, including his tale of the day that he went to the airport with David Pearson, Bobby Allison's distinctive ritual when he flew his plane home after a win and the strangest thing Richard Petty ever signed (a duck!). The revelation that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is a...

Published by HighBridge Audio. Originally broadcast in 1993. Multicast performance. Duration: approximately 5 hours. Star Wars, Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (The Original Radio Drama) was created for National Public Radio and originally broadcast in 1993. It features several members of the original movie cast including Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Anthony Daniels (C3PO) and Billy Dee Williams (Lando Calrissian). John Lithgow steps in and does a strong job with Yoda. Vader suffers with Brock Peters as the voice - not because he did anything wrong, but because he is just not James Earl Jones. George Lucas opened up the Star Wars vault and let NPR use the original soundtrack and original special effects - and they use them well. The soundtrack punches up the story and the special effects are used to move the story along as often as they are used to add a little detail to the experience. The story is well told and has the added bonus of being able to take a little more tim...

"the nation's traditional news organizations are being transformed into tabloid news organizations..." (p. 51) Alex S. Jones is a journalist who has just about seen it all: he has owned and managed a paper, he has written features, he won a Pulitzer Prize, he has taught journalism, he has done radio journalism and he has written several books. He knows of what he writes. Jones is concerned about the evolution of news gathering services (TV, radio, newspapers, magazines) from expensive investigative work to nonsense tabloid stuff (this week it is Tiger Woods - thanks to serious news organizations I know more than I've ever wanted to know about his wife, his doctor, etc. - but just go out and try to get some solid info about the health care debate!) He bemoans a number of trends, including the synergy type news that ABC, NBC & CBS do to promote new books, movies or shows. He is concerned that the "iron core" of news is being ignored and is shrinki...

So, what do you get when Oscar Award Winner and a Hugo Award Winner get together? Published in 1996 by Tor Books What you get is a pretty good book, actually. The premise of The Two Georges is that the United States was never formed. The British government dealt fairly with the colonies in the 1760s and the independence movement was stillborn. Instead, what are now the USA and Canada is called the North American Union and are an integral part of the United Kingdom. The UK is a vast world-wide empire led by the King-Emperor. This union is symbolized by the painting "The Two Georges" which depicts colonial representative George Washington bowing before King George III before an assembly of British and American dignitaries. This moment encapsulates the agreements that kept the American colonies a part of the British Empire. At the beginning of the book the painting is stolen in 1996 by The Sons of Liberty, a North American pro-independence movement. The story follows two de...

Good action thriller book for political junkies Originally published in 1997. This political / action thriller revolves around the murder of a Colin Powell-type successful black general that was staged to look like a plane crash. Army Warrant Officer Rachel Collins discovers a clue to the actual cause of the general's death while investigating another crime and a nation-wide chase ensues while victims fall all over the place at the hand of the professional assassin "The Engineer." It started out slow but the middle part of the book is really quite good. Shelby creates good tension and the main characters get banged up most thoroughly and realistically. I rate this book 4 stars out of 5 and it can be found on Amazon.com here: Last Rights .  Reviewed in 2004.

Originally published in 1986. If you didn't already know it, the daughter of our 33rd president is quite the successful mystery writer. All of her books take place in and around the Washington. D.C. area and involve government figures and the temptations involved with power. In Murder In Georgetown the daughter of a powerful senator with Presidential ambitions is killed in a park after embarrassing her father at a socialite party with her lewd and suggestive dancing. Is it the father, enraged by the threat to his candidacy? Is it a jealous ex-boyfriend? Is it a jealous classmate from her Georgetown University journalism seminar? Reporter Joe Potamos is on the case but is suddenly fired when he gets to close to the answer. Too late - his curiosity drives him on. This is a decent mystery - the main characters are solid and likable. This book can be found on Amazon.com here: Murder in Georgetown . I rate this book 4 stars out of 5. Reviewed in 2004.

                             Lots of Plot Twists Peter Blauner The title to this book is interesting and serves as a decent introduction to the story. Ostensibly, the Intruder in the story is the homeless man who fixates on Jake Schiff and determines, through his crack-induced haze, that Jake Schiff has somehow stolen his family and his home. But, as you read you notice that there are actually lots of intruders. Jake Schiff is a Jewish lawyer from a rough Brooklyn neighborhood who doesn't quite fit in with his WASP law firm and their snooty ways. His wife is a social worker who is an intruder in her work world because she cares more about the clients than the bureaucracy. There's a mobster named Phillip who is an intruder in his world because he's hiding his homosexual feelings in the very, very macho world of the mafia. He's also an intruder in Jake's world as he forces Jake to deal violently with the hom...