Tag: nonfiction

History of the American Public Library

History of the American Public Library

Posted on by jack

This is an enjoyable book. I had requested an Advance Reading Copy (ARC) of Part of Our Lives: A People’s History of the American Public Library by Wayne A. Wiegand because I like libraries. I got the ARC from NetGalley and thank them for the chance to read this book on my Kindle before publication.

I claim neither special knowledge of nor interest in librarianship, just an interest as a library user and occasional supporter. I think I may be part of the target audience since the subtitle suggests this is a “people’s history” rather than one aimed primarily at professionals. Continue reading “History of the American Public Library”

Rio Roosevelt Revisited

Rio Roosevelt Revisited

Posted on by Jack

Like many Americans, we are making our daily journey to the TV to watch the Ken Burns documentary on the Roosevelts. So far I have found it very enjoyable. But last night’s third installment reminded me of an excellent book I read a couple years ago.

The book is The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt’s Darkest Journey by Candice Millard. After former President Theodore Roosevelt lost Continue reading “Rio Roosevelt Revisited”

2014 Pulitzer Prize for nonfiction – Toms River catastrophe

2014 Pulitzer Prize for nonfiction – Toms River catastrophe

Posted on by Jack

Congratulations to Dan Fagin for winning the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for nonfiction for a great book on the environmental catastrophe at Toms River, NJ. I previously reviewed Toms River: A Story of Science and Salvation by Dan Fagin here . Continue reading “2014 Pulitzer Prize for nonfiction – Toms River catastrophe”

Fighting for the Press by James Goodale

Fighting for the Press by James Goodale

Posted on by Jack

I read Fighting for the Press: The Inside Story of the Pentagon Papers and Other Battles by James Goodale for several reasons. First there was a radio interview with the author on Radio Times and I listened to the podcast. It I found it very interesting and wanted to buy the book as soon as I could.

Second, I was in college at the time of the Pentagon Papers battles and it was interesting to re-visit this history and learn more about it. And third, this battle over the publication of the Pentagon Papers by the New York Times and other papers during the Vietnam War is very relevant to the freedom of the press disputes today.


James Goodale was the New York Times general counsel at a time when the Pentagon Papers were leaked to the NY Times. The Pentagon Papers was classified Top Secret, although that classification now seems excessive. After internal discussions at the Times, the paper battled Richard Nixon’s Department of Justice for the right to publish and won.

Why was this so important? The Pentagon Papers were a history of our involvement in Vietnam prepared for the government and classified ‘Top Secret’. Thousands of young men were being killed in the Vietnam War and the country was being torn apart with political protests, bombings, etc.

The Pentagon Papers showed that the case the government made for going to war was a pack of lies. These papers were leaked (stolen secrets) and the New York Times wanted to publish and, of course, the Nixon administration wanted to keep the secrets away from the public. It was a great story and is told well in this book.

So this is an insider’s story of what may have been the most important case on First Amendment and freedom of the press. I was expecting the book to be dry and legalistic in parts or even much of the story. I was surprised and pleased and it was not. Although this is a true story, it reads more like a legal thriller and kept me reading.

Most of the book discusses The Pentagon Papers case and other cases related to Richard Nixon’s war on the free press. The last few chapters move us into the present. And there is an extensive set of references. The G.W. Bush and Obama administrations have not been good for ‘freedom of the press‘ issues.

So who would I recommend read this? First, there are journalists and lawyers. Although I must repeat again the book is not at all bogged down by any technical aspects of the law or journalism that would detract from the experience of the general reader. Then anyone with an interest in the time period or freedom of the press issues. I find this last particularly important today since the balance of security, surveillance, privacy, and press freedom is so essential to our society,

Looking at the Amazon page, there are both Kindle and Paperback Editions and the Kindle version is much less than the paperback. I went with the Kindle edition since it was much cheaper and delivery was almost immediate.

Wilson by A. Scott Berg

Wilson by A. Scott Berg

Posted on by Jack

Woodrow Wilson was a complicated man and he dealt with complicated issue so it seems fairly obvious that this biography must be complicated. In “Wilson”, A. Scott Berg tells this story well. There are some places where the complications and details slow down the reading but I think Berg gets about as close as you can get to a page-turner given the amount of material and complexity of material in some places.


He piqued my interest with an introduction about President Wilson’s journey to Europe to settle the terms of the peace after World War I. I was interested (otherwise I wouldn’t have even attempted the 800+ pages here) but this made me more interested.

Then Berg gives a more or less chronological account of his life giving you a better understanding of this man who would be President. I’ll not go into detail here but I will say Berg tells this well. You can probably find many short summaries of his life online.

Woodrow Wilson graduated from Princeton (Class of 1879) and would return there after practicing law, earning a Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University and several faculty positions. He was a respected academic and wrote extensively on government and politics. In 1890 Wilson joined the Princeton faculty and in 1902 became president of Princeton.

In 1910 the political bosses in New Jersey thought he was an electable candidate for Governor and could be easily controlled. He was elected and they were very surprised.

Then with about a year of political experience, he was chosen as the Democratic candidate for President. The bulk of the book describes the next 8 years as president and then his final years. Wilson is often rated among our greatest presidents. Read this book and you’ll learn why.

I enjoyed the book. It is a commitment to read book of this length but it is certainly worth it.

The Secret Gospel of Ireland by James and Leo Behan

The Secret Gospel of Ireland by James and Leo Behan

Posted on by Jack

The full title and subtitle is actually The Secret Gospel of Ireland:The Untold Story of How Science and Democracy Descended from a Remarkable Form of Christianity That Developed in Ancient Ireland. But that is quite long and would not do as a title of this review.

The Behan brothers begin with the early history of the Catholic church. The Romans never made it to Ireland but did rule most of the known world in those days. The Catholic church or at least that a large part of it was centered in Rome and became the official state religion of the Roman Empire in 380 AD.


The really interesting thing is that this is not just a straightforward history of the Church with perhaps a regretful statement about the light of learning going out in Europe but surviving in Ireland and then being revived in Europe by some travelling Irish monks.

No, this is much more. Consider the issues discussed, Why did the Pope send a mission to Ireland? Why was Patrick much more successful than the bishop sent by the Pope. How and why did Irish Christianity differ from the Roman Catholicism of the time. What were the philosophical and theological ideas of each? What were some of the other ideas considered? And how did they develop and influence each other?

The Behans cover a lot of ground in about 200 pages. And do so in an interesting fashion and weave an important explanation of events, relating some Irish influence on Catholicism to our ideas of science and democracy.

A very interesting book. And as a bonus, they added a short chapter at the end with references and suggestions on further reading.

I enjoyed this book quite a bit so this is really a very favorable review but I do have one minor gripe.

The title can be a bit misleading. That is, The Secret Gospel of Ireland might lead you to believe that this is about some long-lost secret scrolls found in Ireland. And that is not what this book is about at all. But that is a bit of a quibble and definitely not as important as the content of this wonderful book.

The subtitle is a much better indicator of what this book is about but it is too long to be a good title. So we have a shorter and less accurate title. Certainly not a major flaw but something I thought I should mention in case any prospective readers are mislead.

But the title does have the sense of the book and a short pithy title does make it easier to refer to the book, to say nothing of looking nice on the cover (very nice cover, by the way). So we have a good book with a title that might be more accurate but I have no suggestions there.

This book is definitely a keeper. I enjoyed it very much and learned a lot in the process. The nice part about having this book on my bookshelf is that when I am feeling a bit philosophical, I can reread parts or turn to that last bonus section to find more reading.

I highly recommend this book to those with an interest philosophy, theology, or the intellectual history of Europe.

A Splash of Red By Gabriel Cohen

A Splash of Red By Gabriel Cohen

Posted on by Jack

I signed up for Gabriel Cohen’s email list and I’m glad I did.  For those not familiar with the author, Gabriel Cohen is a writer living in Brooklyn who has written several books about a Brooklyn-based homicide detective.

I have reviewed all 4 to date here.

I have enjoyed them all and I’ve been waiting for the next in the series. So what does this have to do with the list? The author has his own website at http://www.gabrielcohenbooks.com.

And you can sign up for emails there. You don’t get many. This is the first I’ve gotten in a while and it was so good I decided to blog about it.

I was hoping for a notice that a new book was coming and maybe an invitation to be an advanced reader. I think what I got was almost as good, but some might actually say better. Mr. Cohen has written a nonfiction piece for a new website.

I totally enjoyed “A Splash of Red” which is a free read at http://narrative.ly/2012/09/a-splash-of-red/. It starts with the writer looking for an affordable apartment, and quickly progresses to a crime writer living at a crime scene. I say quickly because it is not a very long piece. It is a great story and certainly worth a few minutes of your time.

While there be sure to check out the rest of the Narratively website. It is an interesting web publication of true stories. Did I mention it is free? If you are so inclined you may support the project but the site is free and open to all.

Twilight of the Elites: America after Meritocracy by Christopher Hayes

Twilight of the Elites: America after Meritocracy by Christopher Hayes

Posted on by Jack

Twilight of the Elites: America after Meritocracy by Christopher Hayes is a book well-worth your time. Most of us are unhappy to one degree or another with our society. During the past 10 years or so we have seen many failures and that is the starting point of the book. But what is the solution? I still don’t know. To be honest about it, I really didn’t expect one book to have all the answers but this is a good start in identifying some of the problems and suggesting some possible solutions or at least some improvements.
Continue reading “Twilight of the Elites: America after Meritocracy by Christopher Hayes”

The Parties Versus the People by Mickey Edwards

The Parties Versus the People by Mickey Edwards

Posted on by Jack

The Parties Versus the People: How to Turn Republicans and Democrats into Americans by Mickey Edwards is an important book. I was lucky enough to read an advanced copy via NetGalley .

The United States political system is dysfunctional. Surprise! Surprise!

We the people are theoretically in charge yet the people we elect to represent us refuse to compromise and so are unable to govern and solve our country’s problems. The obvious conclusion is that there is just too much partisanship. Where Mickey Edward’s book rises above the common political discussion is in proposing solutions.


About a year ago Mickey Edwards expressed these ideas in the Atlantic. Mickey Edwards had been a congressman and then a professor of government so he knows what he is talking about.

Yale University Press gave him a platform on which to expand his ideas into a book.

The overriding theme is that we have given up too much of our control to the 2 major political parties. This is done on several levels. Parties limit our choices to a few candidates. Once one of these candidates is “in”, he or she is then beholden to the party for both current power in office (example, committee assignments in Congress) and the chance to be re-elected. Every 10 years the party in power (in most states) gets to redraw the electoral map for its own advantage and usually to the detriment of any real community representation.

At times the book may seem a bit repetitive but that is only because there are so many problems and so many solutions, all related by the common theme – too much power to the parties at the expense of the people. To make it more complicated the rules vary from state to state. And the power of parties to restrict access to those of their choosing and redraw districts is at the state level.

This book is not a diatribe against parties. It is natural to have a diversity of opinions in any large group. It is also natural that people with similar opinions would associate and even sometimes form groups like our political parties. These associations can be useful.

The author is objecting to our current system which is party-driven. He gives many examples of the resulting problems and suggests ways to reduce the power of parties and so enhance the power of politicians to work together for the common good. The book is well worth reading. It won’t be out until late August so you can pre-order now and read the Atlantic article in the meanwhile.

Your Medical Mind: How to Decide What Is Right for You by Jerome Groopman, M.D., and Pamela Hartzband, M.D

Your Medical Mind: How to Decide What Is Right for You by Jerome Groopman, M.D., and Pamela Hartzband, M.D

Posted on by Jack

We are all different. Modern medicine gives us many choices and many are based on probabilities of desired or undesired outcomes. And there is often an abundance of information and/or conflicting information. So, the question is “how do we decide?”

Drs. Groopman and Hartzband take on this question in “Your Medical Mind: How to Decide What Is Right for You” in a very interesting and informative manner. They interview a wide variety of patients dealing with various medical issues ranging from high cholesterol to cancer to end of life. They discuss various biases and how statistics and various narratives (stories of other patients) can either be used to mislead or educate.

Quite often there is no one best choice for everyone and no one best doctor for everyone. This very helpful guide to find the right choices for you . This book is full of good advice for both those facing a medical problem and thinking about their choices in doctors.

I liked this book a lot. I bought it to keep on my bookshelf as I am sure I will face some of the issues they discuss here over the coming years. I particularly liked the extensive notes and bibliography. I highly recommend this book.

The President Is a Sick Man by Matthew Algeo

The President Is a Sick Man by Matthew Algeo

Posted on by Jack

No. It is not the current president or a recent past president. I’m sure there are many people who would think this title is one of the many political hatchet jobs that have been published in the last few years. But the full title The President Is a Sick Man: Wherein the Supposedly Virtuous Grover Cleveland Survives a Secret Surgery at Sea and Vilifies the Courageous Newspaperman Who Dared Expose the Truth makes it clear that this is not about a recent president at all and there is certainly more to it than the usual political hatchet job.

The President is Grover Cleveland, the year is 1893, the country faces a financial crisis and there is some secret stuff going on. Cancer is not spoken off in polite society and a president with cancer would be severely weakened politically at a crucial time. President Grover Cleveland has cancer. So the While House just lied.

This is the story of the event and a cover-up lasting for nearly a quarter century. And, of course, the reporter who broke the story in 1893 was believed to be a liar. (Since the President is an honest man.) Matthew Algeo is a reporter and covers this little-known historical event well, putting things in the context of the times and issues and making the story interesting.

The asides are interesting too. President Cleveland had excellent medical care but this seems to be an exception. President today have very good care but that has not been the case for much of our history. I learned in school that President Garfield was shot and died of the resulting infection. The part you don’t learn in school is that the wounds were not fatal but the infection probably resulted from his medical care. Other presidents had doctors picked for political or social reason. Some were good enough but some were really incompetent. The Baby Ruth candy bar is often said to be named for President Cleveland’s daughter Ruth but that does not seem to be the case. I found the background on newpapers of the day fascinating.

The author addresses differences between journalism and newspapers of the 19th century and today’s journalists and media. This a completely enjoyable book. I highly recommend it.

Independence: The Struggle to Set America Free by John Ferling

Independence: The Struggle to Set America Free by John Ferling

Posted on by Jack

I’ve been reading Independence: The Struggle to Set America Free by John Ferling for a few weeks now. For me, nonfiction goes much slower than fiction and that has its advantages and disadvantages.

The book focuses on the years leading up to the Declaration of Independence. The author is a historian known for his expertise in the American Revolutionary era and several previous books have shown that he knows how to tell the story well. Concentration of this relatively short period of a few years allows the author to tell the story in some detail and explain well both the English desire to control a part of their empire and the change as the colonists and Continental Congress progressed from just wanting their rights as Englishmen to the realization that independence was neccessary.

Of course, not everyone made that jump, and those that did, moved a very different rates. I very much enjoyed reading about the interactions of the members who moved from their uncertain prospects to the founding a successful republic and highly recommend this book for those who would like more insight into this era.

Little Book of Alternative Investments and humor

Little Book of Alternative Investments and humor

Posted on by Jack

The Little Book of Alternative Investments: Reaping Rewards by Daring to be Different by Ben Stein and Phil DeMuth is indeed a little book. It is about 250 page but those pages are little – a bit less 5 by 7 inches according to my ruler.

I have enjoyed several books in this Little Book, Big Profit series. Of course, Ben Stein is not only an economist but a humorist (among his many talents) and for those of us who enjoy his humor, this is a wonderful new addtion to the series. Not only do Stein and DeMuth explain the world of alternative investments beyond the standard stock/bond portfolio in an extemely clear way but they add a touch of humor to make the economic lessons entertaining.

They propose looking at an entire portfolio in terms of risk. And discuss adding alternatives to your portfolio to decrease risk and add a bit of return as well. They also discuss several stategies used to decrease risk and suggest cheaper alternatives. And strategies that are unlikely to work for most of us. Learn about commodities, collectibles, real estate, hedge funds, and more and how they could fit into your portfolio or NOT. Who knew there were so many hedge fund types? Read this book and you may decide to check out more in the series.

Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire workplace disaster

Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire workplace disaster

Posted on by Jack

After watching the PBS special on Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York’s Greenwich Village , I just thought I’d put a couple of books I read about that here. This fire was the largest workplace disaster in New York City until 9/11. Ironically, this industry and this factory had been picketed for unsafe working conditions. The owners fought the unions.

The will be 2 specials this month since the fire occurred one hundred years ago on March 25, 1911.

Triangle: The Fire That Changed America by David Von Drehle
is a well-written account of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City in 1911 where 146 workers lost their lives. In addition to covering this event in detail, he discusses the effects of this tragic event on the labor movement and government involvement in labor and safety standards. The author was one of many writers and historian interviewed in the PBS documentary. It has been at least 5 years since I read this but it was an excellent book.

Feel free to check out the reviews on Amazon and look around and see if more recent books look more interesting to you.

Triangle: A Novel by Katharine Weber is a novel based on the Triangle fire which came out a few years back. (See my opinion of a nonfiction account directly above here.) This novel is not just historical fiction about the event, but rather a much more complex tale of memory and human nature. The memory is that of a survivor. But it does cover the actual events, too. A thoroughly enjoyable book.

Henrietta Lacks and immortal HeLa cells: a legal but not moral tale

Henrietta Lacks and immortal HeLa cells: a legal but not moral tale

Posted on by Jack

I just finished The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot.

OK, I am not your typical reader. I am a scientist and have done quite a bit of cell culture. (I am retired now and read a lot.) I knew something about Henrietta Lacks and HeLa cells and thought the book would be only somewhat interesting and really not worth the time. But I was wrong. The reviews have all been so positive, I figured I should give this book a try. The story here is well-told and adds much detail that I thought I wouldn’t care about. (Did I mention that I was wrong?).

The doctors treating her cancer took her cells without informed consent. (But that was accepted practice until fairly recently.) This was the first immortal human cell line and was extremely important to medical science. There were medical advances and money was made. Yet the Lacks family got nothing. It was all legal but I doubt many would consider it moral.

There are several stories: Henrietta, her immediate family, the extended Lacks family, and the injustices done to them. And these are important stories. The book would be worthwhile if all it did was tell these stories. But it also puts these stories into the larger contexts of ethics, science, medical research, race, class, journalism, poverty, and education. So it is very complex and somehow Ms. Skloot manages to weave all of these facets into a fascinating and educational book in much less than 400 pages.

The reviews have been great and the book has become a best seller. And there is a simple reason for this. Rebecca Skloot has transformed an interesting story of an injustice into a fascinating book.

And unlike many of those who benefited from these cells and this family, Rebecca Skloot did something very strange. She actually tried to help this family. She has established The Henrietta Lacks Foundation to help Henrietta Lacks’ family. She is donating a potion of the book’s proceeds to the foundation and all visitors to the site may donate as well.

This story is really well-told. And different readers may enjoy one aspect more than another. But all aspects are well done and I think fairly covered.