Napalm & Silly Putty (abridged audiobook) by George Carlin

Sometimes funny, sometimes just the rants of a cranky old man 

Performed by the author, George Carlin

Published by Highbridge Company, April 1, 2001

Duration: 2 hours, 29 minutes
abridged

George Carlin (1937-2008) was an iconic stand-up comic known for his cutting edge humor. This audiobook is not really either, however. I am not saying it does not have its funny moments - it certainly does. But, large stretches of it sound more like a cranky old man spouting off than an actual attempt at humor.

George Carlin
(1937-2008)

Funny parts of Napalm and Silly Putty include his observations on cats, dogs, grocery stores, "saving" the environment, health nuts and driving. Those are actually full blown comedy bits  and remind me quite a bit of Dave Barry with generous quantities of superfluous cursing thrown in for spice. Sadly, for a comic known for his edginess, none of these topics are particularly edgy.

His attempts at edginess come with rants about businessmen, organized religion and politicians that are too loose to be called bits and end up being along the same line of thought as grumpy old men who curse at these topics out of habit, not of any particularly well-developed line of thinking. Thrown in between some of the longer bits are several one-liners. Most are not particularly funny. I did like this one: "If there are really multiple universes, what do they call the thing they're all a part of?"

So, sometimes funny, sometimes not, always filled with profanity.

I rate this audiobook 3 stars out of 5.

This audiobook can be found on Amazon.com here: Napalm and Silly Putty by George Carlin.

Reviewed on June 17, 2012.

What Went Wrong?: The Clash Between Islam and Modernity in the Middle East by Bernard Lewis

Not the best of Bernard Lewis

Published January 24th 2002 by Oxford University Press, USA

Hardcover, 192 pages

I've read two other books by Lewis and found both of them to be much more comprehensive and satisfying than this one. My dissatisfaction stems from the title. The title What Went Wrong? implies a discussion of how the Islam world went from being the most advanced culture on the planet to one of the most insular and, in many ways, most backwards cultures on the planet. While such a discussion is implied, it is barely touched upon in the body of the book.

Lewis finally gets to this general topic in his conclusion. He notes, "By all standards that matter in the modern world-economic development and job creation, literacy and educational and scientific achievement, political freedom and respect for human rights - what was once a mighty civilization has indeed fallen low." (p. 152)

Bernard Lewis

"To a Western observer, schooled in the theory and practice of Western freedom, it is precisely the lack of freedom - freedom of the mind from constraint and indoctrination, to question and inquire and speak; freedom of the economy from corrupt and pervasive mismanagement; freedom of women from male oppression; freedom of citizens from tyranny - that underlies so many of the troubles of the Muslim world." (p. 159)

Lewis also notes that many Islamic countries blame their troubles on European colonialism and feel very inadequate when other former colonies surpass them as well: "The proud heirs of ancient civilizations had got used to hiring Western firms to carry out tasks that their own contractors and technicians were apparently not capable of doing. Now they found themselves inviting contractors and technicians form Korea - only recently emerged from Japanese colonial rule - to perform these tasks. Following is bad enough; limping in the rear is far worse." (p. 152)

Those are the the types of thoughts that I believed the book was going to be discussing throughout. Instead it gets included, almost as an afterthought, in the conclusion. The main body of the text is primarily concerned with how the Ottomans, and to a lesser extent the Persians, dealt with the rise of the Europe throughout the 1600s through the 1900s. Don't get me wrong, it is legitimate to discuss those issues, especially since they were the main two Muslim powers during that era, but it does little to illuminate the issues of the 21st century. It established a pattern of not keeping up with the West but little to add to an understanding of modern Muslim reaction to the West, with the exception of a few passing references to Khomeni's changes to the role of Islamic clergy in Iran that were not followed up on with enough detail to offer any insight.

A better book about modern Islam and an exploration into 'what went wrong' is Lewis' more controversial The Crisis of Islam: Holy War and Unholy Terror. It was one of the best books that I read in the entire year of 2004. It would not be a bad idea to consider What Went Wrong and The Crisis of Islam to be two volumes of a set that deal with the historical decline of the much accomplished historical Islamic civilization and some of its more modern adaptations to Western challenges, both perceived and real

What Went Wrong?: The Clash Between Islam and Modernity can be found on Amazon.com HERE.

I give this one a grade of 3 stars. The information is good and well-written. However, I felt like I had been a victim of a bait-and-switch scam - the title of the book and the text of the book really did not match. Maybe it should have been called "The Clash Between Islam and the European Renaissance and Enlightenment Movements."

Reviewed on November 18, 2006.

The Attorney: A Paul Madriani Novel (Paul Madriani #5) by Steve Martini

Abridged
Published by Simon and Schuster in 2000
Read by Chris Meloni
Duration: 4 hours, 41 minutes

I am a relative newcomer to the works of Steve Martini, this being my third book, the second one as an audiobook.

As a listener, I can tell that Martini's craft has improved quite a bit - my first experience with a Martini audiobook (The Judge) only accentuated Martini's overuse of the simile (he moved like a cat, etc.) - it was so obvious that I began a running count of how many times I heard them! This plot is not as strong as that one, but his skills as a writer have improved so that the entire effect is actually one of improvement.

Steve Martini

Paul Madriani and his partner Harry are back for another turn as protagonists in The Attorney, although Harry largely takes a backseat in this one, which is too bad. Nevertheless, the plot moves well, suspense builds nicely until the ending comes along and there is a bit of a letdown. However, I am not one to look down on 5 hours of solid entertainment just because the last 5 minutes were a bit weak.

Chris Meloni (more well known as Detective Elliot Stabler on "Law and Order: SVU") reads this audiobook version of The Attorney. Meloni does a pretty good job, especially with Madriani and the defendant, Jonah Hale. Considering that the book is set in San Diego, it is a bit odd that all of his police officers and district attorneys all end up sounding like transplanted southerners.

I rate this audiobook 5 stars out of 5.

This audiobook can be found on Amazon.com here: The Attorney by Steve Martini.

Reviewed on November 18, 2006.

Teacher Man: A Memoir by Frank McCourt

"Stop throwing sandwiches!"

Published in 2005 by Scribner

Teacher Man is my first McCourt book, as I am apparently the only person in the English-speaking world that has not read Angela's Ashes.

The book started like a house afire for me - full of the trepidation of the first day of school for a brand new teacher. What would he say? First impressions are vital - how much more vital is the first impression for an entire career? As is normal on a first day (I've had 17 years of them!), the first words from McCourt are not planned - they are a reaction to what the kids say and do - he has to yell, "Stop throwing sandwiches!"

Frank McCourt (1930-2009)
photo by David Shankbone

McCourt's classroom memories are enjoyable - his style is not mine (at least not as of yet - styles evolve and change over time) but it was certainly original and caused the kids to think and he had their attention - more than half the battle is won if you have your attention. His rantings against administrators seem, for the most part, true (sad to say).

I found myself irritated at the middle of the book - seemingly great stretches that wander away from the classroom and deal with his failed attempt at a doctorate from an Irish university and a bad marriage. At the end, we are back in the classroom and the book sings along happily once again.

So, final grade. I give it 4 stars out of 5. Great start and finish.

This book can be found on Amazon.com here: Teacher Man: A Memoir by Frank McCourt.

Reviewed on November 14, 2006.

300 (graphic novel) by Frank Miller

Published in 1999 by Dark Horse

The Battle of Thermopylae is one of my favorite things to teach about in my world history class so this graphic novel was of particular interest to me.

Miller takes some liberties with history in the graphic novel 300, such as the homophobia of the Spartans and the ethnicity of the Persian emperor. But, he gets the heart of the story correctly. Thermopylae was one of those "turning points in history" battles - not for the events of the 3 days of the battle itself but rather for the time it gave the rest of Greece to prepare (and evacuate, in the case of Athens) and for the inspiration it provided (Think about Texas and the battle cry, "Remember the Alamo!" and you get the idea).




A more accurate portrayal of the battle in a piece of fiction would be found in Pressfield's Gates of Fire. However, as a piece of art and as a simple introduction to the Spartans and to the battle, this book is quite good.

Of course, this graphic novel has been made into the movie of the same name starring Gerard Butler. The movie is quite faithful to the graphic novel.

As a history teacher I am constantly referring to movies and books that got the story wrong in ancient history (Disney's Hercules, Russell Crowe's Gladiator, and the classic movie and novel Ben-Hur to name a few) in order to reinforce a more correct version of history. This book would be an excellent starting point to whet the appetite of a beginning history student..

I give this one 5 stars out of 5 despite the historical errors. That grade comes with the caveat that further reading is recommended.

This graphic novel can be found on Amazon.com here: 300 by Frank Miller.

Reviewed on November 14, 2006.

A Thousand Bayonets by Joel Mark Harris

Published in 2011 by iUniverse

Joel Mark Harris is a young Canadian journalist and new novel writer. The advice always given to writers is to "write what you know" so Harris has done that - the main character of this novel is John Webster, an experienced investigative journalist for a Vancouver newspaper. Webster carries physical and emotional battle scars from covering the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. He is too old to start a blog to promote his articles and he is definitely too experienced to be playing fast and loose with the mob as the bullets start to fly and the bodies start to fall. But, he does, for reasons he doesn't quite understand his whole life has fallen apart since his horrible experiences in the war zones and he seems driven to push away his son and his ex-wife and take on ever more dangerous assignments at home.



The book begins with Webster listening in on a clandestine meeting of mobster leaders in a barn. The meeting becomes a crime scene as professional assassins shoot everyone. Webster lies still and goes unnoticed but his stories quickly grab the attention of a casino boss, mobsters and the local police (rumor has it some have been bought off) as he tries to figure out who ordered the murders and why before he is arrested or, even worse, killed.

Nice early work by a young author. Great at setting a mood and describing scenes. I have never been to Vancouver but I felt as though I had a sense of its gritty underside.

I rate this book 4 stars out of 5.

This book can be found on Amazon.com here: A Thousand Bayonets by Joel Mark Harris.

Reviewed on June 16, 2012.

I received this book from the publisher as part of a drawing on Goodreads.com. The review is an honest assessment of the book.

The Founders' Key: The Divine and Natural Connection Between the Declaration and the Consititution and What We Risk by Losing It by Larry P. Arnn

Published in 2012 by Thomas Nelson

Larry P. Arnn is the president of Hillsdale College and I suppose I should tell you that I receive Hillsdale's free monthly bulletin, Imprimis, which features excerpts of speeches given by guests at Hillsdale College. President Arnn is featured annually so I was fairly familiar with his work before I picked up this book. In fact, that was the reason I picked The Founders' Key up in the first place.

Arnn's main point is that the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are highly inter-related and that the efforts of some politicians and academics to separate them are not only incorrect but are also symptomatic of a larger effort to redefine and dilute the rights and governments described in both documents.

Arnn makes this point early and brilliantly in simple and soaring language. He demonstrates that the series of complaints against King George III in the Declaration describe how the King did not act as a faithful representative of his people, invaded their private rights and violated the principle of separation of powers (pages 36-37). These ideas are, of course, enshrined in the Constitution and he explains them quite well.

But, like the old joke about Chicago voters voting early and often, Arnn makes his point early and often. The original text only has 123 pages, but the book keeps on coming back to this main point again and again. I was impressed the first time (literally, I had not seen it that way before and I am glad he pointed it out). He points out how slavery nearly split the union and the Founders built in the tools to end slavery into the system (I was reminded of Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech in which he observes that they were there to cash the check written by the Founders for their rights), the tendency to let the bureaucracy act as a 4th (unelected) branch of government, the danger of re-interpretation, the danger of trading our rights for promised security and he comes back to the main points again and again in detail. I found myself both impressed and exasperated.

Following the 123 pages of original text, there is an appendix of 71 pages of documents, including the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, five of the Federalist Papers (#10, #39, #48, #49, #51) and an essay named "Property" written by James Madison in 1792. There are also extensive notes and 2 pages of "Suggested Further Reading."

I rate this book 3 stars out of 5.

This book can be found on Amazon.com here: The Founders' Key: The Divine and Natural Connection Between the Declaration and the Constitution and What We Risk by Losing It

Reviewed on June 16, 2012.

I received this book for free from Thomas Nelson, Inc. in exchange for an honest review.