An Intricate Coloring Book for Science Fiction and Fantasy Fans

 

Kirby Rosen’s coloring book takes you on an adventure to intricately imagine alien worlds. The pictures are wonderfully detailed just waiting for color to bring them to stunning life. This is not a coloring book for someone who wants to dash off colored pictures in minutes. The drawings take concentration to bring to life.

I love Kerby Rosen’s coloring books. They are always imaginative allowing your imagination to take flight as you decide how to bring each picture to life. Each intricate picture is a challenge.

The paper is heavy enough that it won’t bleed through easily. Colored pencils or pens work very well, but if you’re careful water colors are also possible. I highly recommend this book as a relaxing pastime that spurs your imagination to roam free.

I received this book from Dutton Plume for this review.

The Concept of The West as Political History

 

The author makes several important points in this survey of western civilization. Using fourteen individual lives from different time periods, she shows that the people living at the time did not always have a concept of The West as a unified civilization. This is particularly true of the Greeks who considered themselves as much Asiatic as European.

The second point the author makes is that history is often written to embrace a political narrative. This orientation gives more coherence to history to illustrate a position than is factually correct. Thus the concept of The West is used to present a history that focuses on the ideas and ideals embraced by the culture at that time usually to prove their origin theory and illustrate why the people believe in a particular paradigm.

I thought the author did a good job of illustrating her thesis with the lives of a variety of individuals. It made the book much more readable that a straight argument from historical facts. Certainly, if you read in depth history of past civilizations, it’s clear that their conception of who they were at a particular time period is not necessarily the same as the way they are portrayed in modern history books.

I recommend this book as an antidote to the prevalent notion of history as an unbroken sweep from Greece and Rome through the Middle Ages and Enlightenment to the present day.

I received this book from Penguin Random House for this review.

A Novel of Theodore Roosevelt’s Life

 

Many biographies have been written about Theodore Roosevelt, and he himself was a prolific writer. In the present book, the author’s idea was to write a novel rather than another biography because he wanted the book to center on Roosevelt and what he thought and felt. In this spirit, the book begins with his early life. A spindly child who had severe asthma, his father wanted to harden him up. Much of Roosevelt’s later life particularly his time in the badlands was dedicated to physical fitness.

The book then moves to Roosevelt as an old man in interviews with his biographer Hagadorn. This device allows Roosevelt to tell the tales of his accomplishments and adventures and give his perspective. I think the device works well for what the author hoped to accomplish.

I enjoyed the book. It was well research and well written. However, I have a bias against putting ideas, feelings, and emotions into an historical character. I personally, don’t think it adds a great deal to the understanding of the real person. I have read several biographies of Roosevelt and personally didn’t think this book added much to my understanding of the man. Although I can’t highly recommend this book, it is an interesting take on Roosevelt’s response to his life.

I received this book from St. Martin’s Press for this review.

The Agonizing Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb to End the War with Japan

 

At the end of WWII the United States and it’s allies were tired of war. The goal was unconditional surrender with Japan. However, the question was whether the Japanese were ready. This book convincingly gives the detailed history suggesting that before the atomic bomb Japan was ready to fight to the death.

Three men were intimately involved with the difficult decision to use the bomb. Henry Stimson, the American Secretary of War had overall responsibility for the decision to use the atomic bomb. He was ill, a Victorian gentleman of the highest integrity. General Carl “Tooey” Spaatz, head of the strategic bombing in the Pacific, had the responsibility for supervising the planes that dropped the bombs. He was a quiet man who took his responsibilities seriously. The third man was Shigenori Togo, the Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs. Almost alone of the ministers in Japan, he believed that Japan must surrender.

The author tells the story of the decision and subsequent dropping of the bomb through the stories of these three men. In this he not only relies on historical accounts, but also on diaries and letters. I thought he did an excellent job of describing the pressure these men were under. Part One of the book describes the character of each man so that when the action starts in Part Two, you can relate to how the men dealt with the pressure

I thought this was an excellent book. It is well researched and reads almost like a novel, particularly since it is told in the first person. If you’re interested in WWII, I highly recommend this book.

I received this book from Penguin Random House for this review.

Amusing Essays about Growing-up, Career and Family

 

Andrew Rannells is an actor with roles on Broadway, film and television. I admit I hadn’t known much about him before reading this book, but I was impressed with his candor and humor. Much of the book relates to his career like auditioning for the Book of Mormon. One of my favorite essays is Saigon in the Finger Lakes. He was cast as Chris in Miss Saigon. During his stay in the Finger Lakes he wrote numerous amusing letters to his friend, Zuzanna. The essay is primarily the letters.

Andrew delves into growing up. One question is when do you know you’re an adult: when you have a house, a career, a lover? I found his musings quite relevant. How do any of us know when we’re grown up.

In the context of family, he talks about being an uncle. He never wanted to have children and was startled when his brother and sisters began to produce off-spring. He knew he wouldn’t have children, so he decided to become a good uncle.

I enjoyed his writing style. It is very conversational making you feel like you know the other person. I think the audiobook might be even more enjoy because the author’s style lends itself to the spoken word.

I enjoyed the book and recommend it if you’d like a book that you can enjoy in chapters as a relaxing read.

I received this book from Random House for this review.

Fighting Evil

 

When the Germans invaded Holland, Hannie Schaft was a law student thinking of a brilliant career. Then she saw the German atrocities and worried about what would happen to her Jewish friends. She joined the Dutch Resistance. With her red hair and audacious attitude she became one of the groups’ most feared assassins. Fearlessly she approached German officers and shot them at point blank range. Because of her exploits she became known as the Girl with the Red Hair. Even Hitler knew about her.

Hannie was a strong fearless woman and this book is based on the true story of her life. I have read many books about the second world war and the part female spies played, However, this is unquestionably one of the best. The book is extremely well researched. However, it reads like a thriller.

The first part of the book is rather slow going while the author skillfully builds her character, but the end is exciting to the point it’s hard to put it down. Although Hannie is the main focus of the story, the author did an excellent job of fleshing out the minor characters making them almost as unforgettable as Hannie. I highly recommend this book if you enjoy the history of WWII.

I received this book from Penguin Random House for this review.

An Idyllic Society Showing Signs of Stress

 Proctor Bennett is an official in the idyllic land of Prospera, an archipelago in the ocean. The archipelago consists three islands: the main island of Prospera is where the elite live, the Annex is the province of the workers, and the Nursery is where the old people go to be reprogrammed. Proctor’s job is to take the old people, either willingly of unwillingly to the Nursery. He enjoys his works until he has to take his father who is unwilling to go. They ugly scene makes Proctor think, and he becomes uncomfortable with some of the aspects of his environment and the stresses between the classes.

The divide between the elite and the servants who are basically slaves bothers him and in fact he learns of unrest in the Annex. The workers are in many respects basically slaves and Proctor begins to see the difficulty of the situation.

This is a long book with a complex plot. There are a great many characters. Some are well developed, but others could have been fleshed out better. There are plenty of twists and the ending is somewhat surprising. However, it’s a satisfactory read. In some ways, it reminded me of Plato’s Republic. Plato sees no conflict between the classes in his ideal society, but perhaps The Ferryman presents a more complete picture of what could happen.

I received this book from Random House for this review.