Brown: The Last Discovery of America by Richard Rodriguez

Great. Thought-provoking.

Originally Published in 2002.

Richard Rodriguez is a San Francisco-based writer who was asked to write a book about being Hispanic in America. I doubt Brown: The Last Discovery of America was the book that the publisher had in mind when they asked. Rodriguez is a true political maverick whose thesis is that America is becoming "Brown" - a mixture of Anglo, Hispanic, Black, Asian and whatever else you want to throw in. America can embrace this future (and probably will) or it can reject it and deny the reality that surrounds us all (and does it matter if you deny reality - it is still there).

I first heard of Rodriguez on C-Span. He was giving a speech at the Texas Book Fair created by Laura Bush. His speech was truly wonderful and I just had to find his book. I could go into detail on his observations, but you would much prefer if you would read it the way he put them in his book - his writing style is so fluid that he sneaks major concepts into your thoughts before you even realize that they are there.

I seriously enjoyed this book - at the risk of sounding like the back of a book cover - here are some thoughts that crossed my mind while reading it - important, poignant, personal and filled with insights.

I rate this book 5 stars out of 5 stars.

This book can be found on Amazon.com here: Brown: The Last Discovery of America.

Reviewed in 2004.

The Two Georges: The Novel of an Alternate America by Richard Dreyfuss and Harry Turtledove

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 detectives and an art curator who are searching for the painting before the ransom deadline.

There were a lot of fascinating things about this book. I thoroughly enjoyed the historical premise and the maps of the world and North America that are at the front of the book. The authors conclude that if there were no USA, there would be few independent countries in Africa, Asia and the Americas, since there was no American example to inspire the dismantling of the vast world-wide European empires. Germany never coalesces since France never spawns a Napoleonic Empire (Napoleon was the first to unite most of Germany - before that it never really occurred to the Germans that they could create a powerful country if they untied themselves) since there was no French Revolution since there was no American Revolution to inspire it.

American history is different since the UK outlaws slavery in the 1830s - there was no Civil War. The American map has 2 mostly American Indian states - Iroquois and Cherokee, thanks to British restrictions on white incursions over the Appalachians (one of the reasons for rebellion mentioned in the Declaration of Independence).

Technology is far behind that of our world - American creativity is not challenged due to World Wars, Japan is practically a non-entity and Germany is a bunch of warring principalities.

Enjoyable book, decent mystery, good adventure.

I rate this book 4 stars out of 5.

This book can be found on Amazon.com here: The Two Georges: The Novel of an Alternate America by Richard Dreyfuss and Harry Turtledove.

Reviewed in 2004.

Presumption of Guilt by Herb Brown

More than your average crime book

Published in 1991.

A boy is found with bloody underwear. His babysitter, a male high school senior is immediately suspected of molestation. The little boy is very bright but is certainly very vague about what happened to him. Psychologists are brought in, with their own agendas. The prosecutors, parents, judge and the victim all have their own agendas. The reader is left to try to guess what really happened.

The point of view is usually that of the little boy who is trying to navigate his way through the adult court system while keeping his secrets secret, his family intact and do what is right, as far as he can tell. I really can't go into much more detail without spoiling the plot.

This is Brown's first book. He is a state supreme court justice from Ohio and I hope that this disturbing piece of fiction was not based on a true case. This book was well-written, compelling and, like I've already said, disturbing.

I rate this book 5 stars out of 5.

This book can be found on Amazon.com here: Presumption of Guilt.

Reviewed in 2004.

The Poet (Jack McEvoy #1) by Michael Connelly

Originally published in 1996.

Connelly is an Edgar Award winner (an award for great mysteries that is named after Edgar Allen Poe, the creator of they mystery genre) and, for me, that is usually a great recommendation as an author.

The Poet features Jack McEvoy, a reporter whose specialty is covering murders for his newspaper. This time, the story is about his twin brother, a cop and a presumed suicide who left a disturbing note consisting of a single line from Poe. McEvoy does a lot of digging and discovers that there have been a string of police suicides across the country with "Poe" suicide notes. Soon, he's on the case with an FBI task force and the chase is on to catch the killer they've nicknamed "The Poet."

This really is a well-written book. The first 100 pages are slow and wallowing in self-reflection and insecurity, as is appropriate for those left behind in the wake of a suicide. Once McEvoy finds the clues leading to a different conclusion, the book picks up in pace until it races along. The ending is full of cliffhangers and I was surprised.

I rate this book 5 stars out of 5 and it can be found on Amazon.com here: The Poet by Michael Connelly.

Reviewed in 2004.

Last Rights by Philip Shelby

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.

Murder in Georgetown by Margaret Truman

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.

An Illustrated History of the Civil War: Images of an American Tragedy by The Editors of Time-Life

Published in 2006.

As a rule, I'm not terribly fond of the "coffee table" history books produced by the editors of Time-Life Books. Usually, they opt for more glitz than substance and you end up with a hefty (and this one certainly is, weighing in at more than 5 pounds - yes, I weighed it) but bland piece of history. However, this, I am very pleased to say, is a much better book than their usual effort.

Although this is an illustrated history, the narrative that begins each chapter is very well written. The topics are interesting, especially the chapters on the abolitionists and the secessionists. They do an excellent job of setting the stage for the Civil War.

I have but one complaint, a glaring factual error - they have the Battle of Gettysburg taking place in 1864 rather than 1863. Mistakes like this are easy to make (a stray finger on a keyboard...) but this is the most famous battle of the war!

This book can be found on Amazon.com here: An Illustrated History of the Civil War: Images of an American Tragedy.

Reviewed in 2004.

I rate this book 5 stars out of 5