My Picks of the Month
I have
written about energy issues for decades and yet The Fracking Truth by Chris Faulkner ($21.95, Platform Press) was
so filled with hard data and informed opinion that I found myself being
educated all over again on what is likely the most important factor of life in
America and around the world, the provision of affordable energy. What I have
known prior to reading this book is that “fracking”, the short term for
hydraulic fracturing, has widespread opposition by some environmental groups
and others who have bought into the lies being told about a technology that is
over a half century in use and which has unlocked America’s vast reserves of
natural gas and oil to transform our prospects for being energy independent as
well as a major exporter, generating needed revenue for a nation $17 trillion
in debt. The author is the founder, president and CEO of Breitling Energy
Corporation and become over the years a trusted source of information for
Washington lawmakers, journalists, and policy analysts from respected think
tanks. America is home to people who simply do not like “fossil fuels”, but
have no idea how dependent we are upon them, nor that they represent a better
life, a stronger economy, and benefits we take for granted, not the least of
which is the electricity on which we all depend. This is one of the best books
on energy I have read in a while and I recommend you read it too. Learn more by
visiting http://www.thefrackingtruthbook.com.
June
marked the fiftieth anniversary of the passage of the Civil Rights Act and, a
year later, the Voting Rights Act. Many Americans, both black and white, felt
that the nation had moved on passed the ills of the past and that a bright
future of opportunity for Afro-Americans existed. For a relatively small part
of the black population that was true, but for too many, it was not. Jason L.
Riley, a black member of the Wall Street Journal’s editorial board, has written
Please Stop Helping Us: How Liberals
Make it Harder for Blacks to Succeed ($23.99, Encounter Books) and I cannot
recommend it highly enough because the statistical data on which it is based
clearly demonstrates that, rather than external restrictions as existed prior
to 1964, it is black culture combined with government programs that undermine
the family structure and diminish the desire to work hard that have proven to
be the cause of why so many blacks remain not just unemployed, but unemployable
due to a widespread indifference to education and other factors that such as
violence that leads to crimes, mostly against other blacks, and extraordinary
high rates of incarceration. As is too frequently the case, when one turns to
government to solve problems, it fails because only individuals and private
groups can effectively address what is happening in the streets and
neighborhoods of America.
If often
seems that politicians invent issues around which to create laws. Thomas E.
Hall, a professor of economics at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, takes a
look at “the unintended consequences of public policies” in his book Aftermath ($24.95/12.99, Cato
Institute, hardcover and digital). What emerges is a look at the way ideas that
seemed necessary at the time turned out to impact life in America, as often as
not for the worse. The result has been the creation of a vast welfare state, organized
crime, and a scarcity of jobs for teenagers and the working poor. The creation
of the income tax provided a source of money to grow government because
politicians cannot wait to spend it. Hall takes a look at the creation of
federal income taxes, taxes on cigarettes that generate criminal activity, the
minimum wage that increases unemployment for teens, and what occurred as the
result of Prohibition which took a constitutional amendment to repeal. The
history of the economic impact of these programs is a graphic example of
unintended consequences.
The
scandal at the Veterans Administration puts the lie to all the talk we hear
from politicians about the value they put on the lives of those who put their
lives on the line to defend our nation. The VA management problems have been
known for years and the current administration is only one among others who
have not addressed them. When a government agency gets too big, it is the
individual veteran that too often pays the price. That’s why, in part, Mark Lee
Greenblatt’s Valor: Unsung Heroes from
Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Home Front ($22.95/$11.99, Rowman &
Littlefield, hardcover and ebook) is so timely and so needed at a time the
Middle East is in turmoil to remind us of those who volunteered to serve their
nation. This book takes you to the battlefield as seen through the eyes of
individual soldiers, sailors, and Marines as they faced fearful decisions and
overcame enormous odds. They all heroes and we duly honored, but unknown to the
public. America has always been blessed with men of this stature and courage.
It’s good to read about them.
Those who
love to read often enjoy exploring the historical aspects of literature and Truth’s Ragged Edge; The Rise of the
American Novel by Philip D. Gura ($16.00, Farrar, Straus and Giroux,
softcover) looks at a portion of literary history in America largely overlooked
and unknown, but interesting in its own right. A cultural historian, Gura
reveals that the American novel has its roots in “the fundamental religiosity
of American Life”, an aspect of our history that many try to ignore in the
secular present. From the time of the nation’s first novel, The Power of Sympathy in 1789 to the
start of the Civil War in 1860, writers were more interested in serving up
tales about morality while nurturing broad cultural shifts from broader social
concerns to individualism and from faith in a distant God to faith in oneself.
In doing so we are taken back to the worlds of Hawthorne and Melville, along
with others who have faded into history.
Money, Money, Money
Income
inequality has become a political theme among Democrats; yet another way to
divide Americans, but the fact is that there has always been income inequality
and the best way to address it is by encouraging entrepreneurism, creating more
jobs, and keeping the economy growing. Money
Sucks: A Memoir on Why Too Much or Too Little Can Ruin You by Michael
Baughman ($16.95, Skyhorse Publishing) The author has enjoyed and experienced
both wealth and poverty. His book offers words of advice for his college bound
grandson as he tries to instill an informed attitude about money and,
specifically, the value of money and the way Americans pursue it with vigor. He
asks the question, how much is enough? Happily,
it is not filled with boring graphs. Instead it is, as its title says, a memoir
in which the author draws on his life and time spent with his grandson to share
what he has learned about the pursuit and, ultimately, the value of money as we
make our way through our lives. As such, it is a good read for anyone at any
stage of life.
Did the Government Write Your Will? By Eric Gullotta ($14.99, Gullotta Law
Group, softcover) addresses a surprising situation. Half of all Americans with
children do not have wills indicating where their money and possessions should
go after they die. This allows the government to come in and control it by
tying it up in years of legal red tape, and determine what it goes to the point
where the deceased’s family might never get what is rightfully theirs. As the
author, and attorney and CPA, notes, “When you die without a will or trust,
that’s called dying intestate” and that puts the state in which you die in
charge of your assets—not you. A California attorney, he focuses on that
state’s laws, but the advice put forth in his book applies elsewhere as well.
He has written a short book whose advice will ensure that your loved ones and
others will receive what you have worked hard to accumulate, not the state in
which you die.
Coping, Coping, Coping
We spend
most of our lives coping with changes, some good, some not.
Jennifer
K. Crittenden, the author of “The Discreet Guide for Executive Women”, which I
reviewed and liked, has written You, Not
I: Exceptional Presence—Through the Eyes of Others, ($12.95, Whistling
Rabbit Press, San Diego, CA, softcover). This book is written for women as well
and it asks if you’re feeling stuck at work, if you suspect you don’t come
across well, but don’t know why, and need to modify your behavior to manage
others’ perceptions. Once you gain insight to who you are, how others perceive
you, how to successfully fit into various situations, and how to stand out to
further your career, you will discover how true the advice the author provides.
Best of all, she does not just hand out broad generalizations, getting down to
specifics in topics like “Some Really Good Ways to Irritate People” and “The Magic of Common Courtesy.” What Ms.
Crittenden knows is that many grow up and go out in the work world without
having acquired the most basic skills for successful interaction with others.
Her book provides what you may have missed along the way. I rate this one as
excellent.
According
to The Cancer Journal, the divorce
rate for cancer-stricken wives is approximately 21% as compared to 3% when
husbands get ill. When Fiona Finn was five months into her long battle with
stage III colon cancer, her husband left her on Father’s Day; leaving her and
her three children penniless. What ever happened to the “in sickness and in
health” part of the marital vows, eh? She tells her story in Raw: One Woman’s Journey Through Love,
Loss, and Cancer ($15.00, Mind Trip Productions, softcover). She is
blessed, not only with a strong character, but also a strong sense of humor,
and her aim is to save others from the sense of hopelessness that she endured
and conquered. She does not hide the fact that she made some bad decisions
along the way, including two failed marriages, but hers is the story of a
survivor and one that will help others who encounter cancer. A very helpful
book and a challenging one as well.
Potpourri
Some books
don’t fit into neat categories, so here are a few that deserve attention for
just that reason.
If you are
a lawyer or just enjoy reading about the legal system, you will surely enjoy Law and Disorder: Absurdly Funny Moments
from the Courts by Charles M. Sevilla ($14.95, W.W. Norton, softcover).
While courtrooms are generally places where all manner of unhappy events or
disagreements get sorted out in a serious fashion, they are, as this delightful
book relates, places where there are humorous moments. Sevilla is, as you might
have guessed, a lawyer and one who is perennially named to the “Best Lawyers in
America” list. His friends helped with the book by sending transcripts of those
unexpected moments. This book would make a great gift for any lawyer in your
life or just to keep handy for a quick laugh.
Wild Connection: What Animal Courtship
and Mating Tell Us about Human Relationships by Jennifer L. Verdolin ($18.95/$11.99, Prometheus
Books, softcover and ebook) is a reminder that we too are animals like a lot of
other species. The author takes a look at a variety of species and provides
some interesting connections between the way ours selects mates and the fact
that others often demonstrate similar characteristics. Or is it the other way
around? Verdolin is an expert in animal behavior and currently a research
scientist affiliated with the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center at Duke
University. In ten chapters she covers topics such as first impressions and the
role they play for us and other species. She writes about the role that size
and strength has for the selection of mates in other species as well as our
own. Indeed from beginning to end, you will find yourself being both
entertained and surprised by the many ways we display behavior that resembles
many of the other species with whom we share this planet. From the same
publisher comes William E. Burrows’ book about The Asteroid Threat: Defending Our Planet from Deadly Near-Earth
Objects ($19.95, Prometheus Books). This kind of thing is often the theme
of science fiction, but the threat is very real and the explosion of a large
meteor over Chelybinsk, Siberia, in February 2013 is just the latest reminder
of the Earth’s vulnerability in a galaxy that is filled with asteroids and
other objects flying around with us. Burrows, a veteran aerospace writer,
explains what we can do in the future to avoid serious impact from “near-Earth
objects” as they are called in the planetary defense community. The good news
is that a powerful space surveillance system is capable of spotting a threat at
least 25 years in advance and, if they existed, a space craft “nudge” could
throw an asteroid off course.
If history
is an interest of yours, you will likely enjoy Andrew Young’s The Lost Book of Alexander The Great ($26.00,
Westholme Publishing). “Alexander the Great is well known as one of the first great empire
builders of the ancient world. Among those fellow Macedonian officers who
accompanied Alexander in his epic conquests from Greece to India was Ptolemy
Lagides. Ptolemy served alongside Alexander from the Persian defeat at the
Battle of Issus in modern-day Turkey and the journey to find the oracle that
proclaimed Alexander to be Zeus incarnate, to the Battle of the Hydaspes River
in 326 BC that opened India to the West. Following Alexander's death, Ptolemy
gained control of Egypt where he founded the dynasty in his name, created the
great library of Alexandria, and was patron of the mathematician Euclid.
Sometime during his rule in Egypt, Ptolemy wrote a history of Alexander's
conquests. Although it is probable that Ptolemy enhanced his own importance,
sources indicate that it was regarded as an accurate and even-handed account of
the campaigns of Alexander. However, Ptolemy's book was lost—perhaps with the
destruction of the library he founded—and not even an original fragment has
survived. His book, however, was acknowledged as a primary source of
information for later Roman historians.” The
Roman Search for Wisdom by Michael K. Kellogg ($28.95, Prometheus Books)
provides a look at the Roman Empire that is not the usual accounts of its wars,
conquests, and decline. Kellogg disputes the notion that it the Romans were
just a weak comparison with the Greeks. There were in fact many Roman poets,
historians, and philosophers that included Virgil, Horace, Ovid, Tacitus,
Plutarch and others. I read and enjoyed Kellogg’s previous “The Greek Search
for Wisdom” and this book is a worthy sequel.
Did your
mom tell you to eat your vegetables? Sure she did and now you can enjoy them by
reading Salad Samurai by Terry Hope
Romero ($19.99, Da Capo Press, softcover), a collection of 100 “cutting edge,
ultra-hearty, easy-to-make salads.” From
the classic Caesar salad to exotic ones like avocado amaranth bhel puri chaat,
this book will have you eager to sample a world of salads you never knew
existed, but which look very delicious. People have all manner of hobbies and
crafts provide a lot of fun for them. Sticky
Fingers: DIY Duct Tape Projects by Sophie Maletsky ($16.99, Zest Books,
softcover) is devoted to making items from duct tape. It offers detailed
instructions and, happily, lots of photos so anyone can develop their skills
with more than 70 projects from cell phone holders to room dividers, backpacks,
jewelry, bags, wallets and lots more. How popular is this? It’s the rare prom
that does not feature a couple wearing clothes made entirely from duct tape.
What has made this possible are the many new colors and designs in which duct
tape is available these days. This book will appeal to the young, age 12 and up,
but once into it, it’s a craft that is likely to be pursued for a long time.
Novels, Novels, Novels
Summer is
traditionally a time for enjoying a good book while at the beach or anywhere
else we choose to relax and escape into the worlds of fiction. This summer is
no exception, given a large number of novels whose various themes will provide
hours of diversion for everyone.
Brad
Thor’s name dominates the cover of his newest novel, Act of War, ($27.99, Atria Books) because it is his thirteenth
thriller featuring Navy SEAL turned covert counterterrorism operati8ve, Scot
Harvath. The first dozen were bestsellers and this one will be too. Thor is
known for his trademark “faction” in which he blends both fact and fiction in
action-packed thrillers and this new novel will keep readers turning the pages
as it looks at an enemy of America who knows it cannot be defeated on the
battlefield, but, using unconventional devious attacks, could be. I guarantee
you will be hooked within the first five pages. When a CIA agent mysteriously
dies overseas, his top asset surfaces with a startling claim, but no one knows
if she can be trusted. Then a succession of events occur that suggest something
more than chance is at work. Six exchange students go missing, two airplane passengers
trade places, and a political-asylum seeker is arrested. Facing an imminent and
devastating attack, the nation’s new president turns to Harvath to undertake
two top secret operations, either of which, if discovered would be an act of
war, but are vital to thwarting the covert war being waged against America.
From
Seventh Street Books, an imprint of Prometheus Books, comes two novels for
those who love a good mystery. In Lori Rader-Day’s The Black Hour ($15.95, softcover) a Chicago sociology professor,
Amelia Emmet, is a researcher whose topic is violence. It gets very real when a
student she’d never met shows up and shoots her and then shoots himself. After
surgery, she returns to campus with a growing problem with painkillers and the
question, why? She wants to return to a normal life, but now hobbles with a
cane. Enter Nathaniel Barber, a graduate student obsessed with Chicago’s
violent history. Assigned as Amelia’s teaching assistant, he takes on the
investigative legwork Amelia cannot. Together and occasionally at
cross-purposes, they stumble toward a truth about the attack and which takes
them both through the darkest hours of their lives.
In No Stone Unturned ($15.95, softcover), James W. Ziskin introduces
Ellie Stone, a 24-year-old journalist for a small local daily in upstate New
York. On Thanksgiving 1990, a girl is found dead in the woods. There are three
oil spots on the dirt road and a Dr. Pepper bottle cap in the shallow grave
found by a local hunter. Ellie is the first reporter on the scene and the story
may rescue her drowning career. All leads though lead nowhere until she takes a
daring change that unleashes unintended chaos as she strives to unravel a
dangle of small town secrets.
Two books
from Quirk Books offer a serving, one of suspense and second a bit of fun. I
enjoyed Ben H. Winters’ 2012 novel, “The Last Policeman”, a pre-apocalyptic
story set six months before a massive asteroid is expected to collide with
Earth. It is the first of a trilogy and part two was “Countdown City.” The
third is World of Trouble: The Last
Policeman Book III out this monthly ($14.95, softcover). Suffice to say
that the first received an Edgar Award and was translated into six languages
and the second has been nominated for a Philip K. Dick Award and named an NPR
Best Book of 2013, so you can be sure this one will prove as enjoyable. It is
just 14 days before the asteroid is expected to make contact and America is in
chaos. Detective Hank Palace has found a peaceful farm to live out his last
days, but there is one last case for him to solve and this time it is personal.
He goes in search of his sister, Nico, and finds himself at a deserted police
station in Ohio where he uncovers evidence of a brutal crime. He is determined
to solve the puzzle before times runs out for everyone.
Two books
from Quirk Books offer a serving, one of suspense and second a bit of fun. I
enjoyed Ben H. Winters’ 2012 novel, “The Last Policeman”, a pre-apocalyptic
story set six months before a massive asteroid is expected to collide with
Earth. It is the first of a trilogy and part two was “Countdown City.” The
third is World of Trouble: The Last
Policeman Book III out this monthly ($14.95, softcover). Suffice to say
that the first received an Edgar Award and was translated into six languages
and the second has been nominated for a Philip K. Dick Award and named an NPR
Best Book of 2013, so you can be sure this one will prove as enjoyable. It is
just 14 days before the asteroid is expected to make contact and America is in
chaos. Detective Hank Palace has found a peaceful farm to live out his last
days, but there is one last case for him to solve and this time it is personal.
He goes in search of his sister, Nico, and finds himself at a deserted police
station in Ohio where he uncovers evidence of a brutal crime. He is determined
to solve the puzzle before times runs out for everyone.
A very different change
of pace is offered in Ian Doescher’s parody of Star Wars in William Shakespeare’s The Jedi Doth Return ($14.95,
softcover) the third in a trilogy in which Luke Skywalker and his rebel band
must seek fresh allies in their quest to thwart construction of a new Imperial
Death Star. This is a hilarious way to enjoy the original story as told by a
very funny parodist.
Confessions of a Self-Help Writer: A
Journal of Michael Enzo by
Benjamin W. Dehaven ($22.95, Lagniappe Publishing), is strictly for grownups,
as much a comedy as a tragedy, as it tells the story of Enzo, a ghostwriter for
the rich and famous, and the author of successful self-help books in his own
right who faces having to write another to pay his debts. He may be able to
tell others how to cope, but his own life has been filled with all manner of
misdeeds that include depravity, substance abuse, and emotional complexity.
This is a difficult book to describe because it seems so real, but it is never
boring. A very different story is told
by Rich Marcello in The Big Wide Calm ($15.99,
Langdon Street Press, softcover). Paige Plant has dreams of being becoming a
rock star, saving the world and inspire revolutions with her songs. She sets
out to do this with a perfect album. She has talent, ambition, and mega-musical
skills. All she needs is a big break. Enter John Bustin, a mysterious former
singer/songwriter who offers Paige one year of free room and board at his recording
studio. With her help, he confronts the dark secrets of his past that rock the
foundation of their relationship. It is a story of trust and the complexities
of love seen through the eyes of the young and old. For anyone who is looking
for a good romantic story, this is one to read.
Historical
fiction is well served in Amy Belding Brown’s Flight of the Sparrow ($15.00, New American Library, softcover). It
is, in fact, based on the amazing true story of Mary Rowlandson’s capture in
1675 and depicts a monumental moment in our nation’s history. After a
long-feared Native American attack, Mary is sold to a female tribal leader who
puts her to work but allows her a generous and surprising amount of freedom.
She becomes conflicted as she develops an uncomfortable attraction toward an
English-speaking Native American, James Printer who seemingly straddles both
worlds, becoming her friend and protector. When she is eventually ransomed and
returns to her surviving family, she finds re-entry into the restrictive
Puritan culture a challenge. The author’s knowledge of this lesser known time
in our history makes for interesting reading. In Cynthia Lang’s novel, Preservation ($14.95, Mill City Press,
softcover) the year is 1987 and, after the sudden disappearance of her husband,
Lee Baldwin resolves to escape Manhattan by moving to Limmington Mills, a town
described as one where no one goes and nothing ever happens. She wants solitude
but soon discovers that life has other plans for her. Narrated by Lee, the novel
tells the story of the lost past she cherishes and the changes that happen for
her and the town as she finds herself caught up in the dramas of others around
her. For those who recall simpler times before the instant communications of
our times, this story will prove especially interesting.
Lauren
Grodstein, the author of The Explanation
of Everything ($14.95, Algonquin Books, softcover), bases her novel on the
premise that most of us want an explanation for life on earth and a clear
account of our role in the grand scheme of things. It is a story, said Family Circle of “wayward souls search
for forgiveness, healing, and personal truth.” It is a deeply felt story of
love, loss, hope, and the healing powers of forgiveness that takes on the
contentious debate over the origins of life as biologist Andy Waite struggles
to make sense of his life. He’s about to make tenure, beginning to understand
his daughters, and finally overcome the loss of his wife. When a young,
tenacious student shows up at his office, he gradually loses sight of his
personal and professional boundaries, as well as his moral grounding, but there
is also the possibility of faith. This is a complex, demanding story that will
draw the reader in as it explores the salvation that love can offer.
Lastly,
there’s a novella by Jerome O. Brown, Calves
in the Mud Room ($6.74, available from Amazon.com, softcover). Colorado
teenager Wade Summers wants nothing more than to go on his date tonight with
high school hottie Glory Schoonover, but a fierce February blizzard has blown
in and a couple of first-time heifers and calving early. He’s never delivered a
calf on his own but has been shown how to do it by his grandfather. He is a
very conflicted teenager who must confront the abuse of his shady stepfather
and a betrayal by his somewhat disengaged mother. The novella captures the
pains and pleasures of teen romance and escaping his dysfunctional parents
while growing up in an agricultural community. Well worth reading.
That’s
it for July! Tell your book-loving friends, family and co-workers about
Bookviews.com where new fiction and non-fiction that may not get the attention
they deserve can be found every month.
