Tucson Bookworms

Stolen Lives by Malika Oufir and Michele Fitoussi

This book is a true documentation based on the memory of Malika as to her life of privilege as a young girl living in the Palace. Her father was a high ranking military officer. He attempted a Coup and was shot to death. Malika, her mother and her five siblings were immediately imprisoned in a penal colony. The youngest a boy was only nine years old. After a few years they were taken to a different prison and were not even allowed to associate with each other. The conditions were harsh and food provided meager. In desperation after 15 years they were able to dig a tunnel undetected and four escaped including Malika. More...

Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard

“In 1880 a truly remarkable man was elected president only to be shot by a madman. But that is where the drama began.”

The dirty politics at that time makes politics today seem polite by comparison. Key to the account is a man with a sense of divine mission. The treacherous vice president had his own mission: to emasculate the president politically. The man who shot the president admitted he shot the president, but denied that he killed him. And he was correct in a very real sense. I drew my own conclusion based on very important facts in "Destiny", but which are another part of our history and world history.

A big question at the time was whether the VP would initiate a corrupt presidency.

Millard has written a compelling narrative that brings this important, but relatively unknown episode, in American history to life.  Highly recommended for those who are interested in our history.

Millard has provided an excellent epilogue, 44 pages of notes documenting the facts, and a detailed bibliography at the end of the book. 

Cruel and Usual Punishment by Nonie Darwish

Those of you who actually read my stuff understand that I have a great concern about the spread of Islam to every corner of the world. While it may be true that the vast majority do not espouse violence against those of different faiths, it is also estimated that at least 15% can be considered devout enough to commit acts of violence including death to non-believers. !5% times 1.2 billion Muslims in the world today equals 150, 000,000. I would think that any caring, thinking person would consider that many radical Muslims to be sufficient to cause alarm. More...

This is Herman Cain by Herman Cain

My journey to the White House By Herman Cain

I detest the fact that political campaigning has become a forever activity but I did happen to watch a little of the second Republican debate. There on the end of the line was a man who happened to have a black complexion who was a man I had never heard of before. He was obviously not a politician. His comments intrigued me. Soon thereafter I received an e-mail listing his many accomplishments in life. I didn’t believe it so I checked it out on the internet. It was true. Then a friend told me he had written a book so I checked Amazon and sure enough he had, not one book but many. Most dealt with his management philosophy. The one I purchased is the one I will be reviewing.

There are many things I like about this man. He rose out of humble beginnings in the South where blacks were discriminated against. He greatly admires his father who raised a family under these adverse conditions with dignity. The Civil Rights activity was in full swing when Herman was in High School. His father insisted he apply himself to his studies and not get involved. This he did. I heard a commentator on MSNBC deriding him for this. His father also told him to not play the victim card but do the best he could to achieve his goals. He has lived this advice. More...

Bob Lutz Car Guys vs bean counters by Bob Lutz

The battle for the soul of American Business

Bob Lutz is a man in high regard. He was the President of Ford Europe in 1979, was CEO of Exide Technologies, the world’s largest producer of lead-acid batteries in 2001. At that time he was asked by the President and CEO of General Motors to join with the company as Vice Chairman of  Production. He was 70 at the time. He agreed and stayed for 9 years. His charge was to make great cars again. In this he was successful. More...

Honor Lost by Norma Khouri

Love and Death in Modern-Day Jordan

This is a tragic true story written by a young woman who escaped from Jordan. Her life long girl friend had been murdered by her father when he discovered she had been meeting with a man that she had come to love. They had never engaged in sexual activity but just having contact with a man was sufficient to kill her by stabbing her 12 times in the chest and waiting until she was dead before calling an ambulance. As is required by law he turned himself in, was sentenced to three months in jail, was bailed out and at the end of the sentence was released for time served even though he had never spent a day in prison. More...

Patton by Ladislas Farago

Ordeal and Triumph

 832 pages of the life of this man who became the best General officer the US Army ever had. I followed his career as a young boy but of course never had the opportunity to understand his history before the war. This book was used as the foundation for the movie PATTON starring George C. Scott. I would be ashamed to tell you how many times I have watched it. Scott did an outstanding job of re-creating this complex man. If you have seen the movie then much of this book will remind you of it. Many of the famous statements Patton made in real life were in this book and also in the movie.

Because of his impetuous nature he put himself in difficulty many times. We must credit General Marshall and General Eisenhower for recognizing how important Patton was for the war effort that they overcame the criticism and gave him command of the Third Army shortly after the Normandy landings. He was able to imbue his officers and men with his aggressive nature and went on the attack. The book mentions the numerous times when he was deliberately deprived of fuel and ammunition in favor of the British General Montgomery. The writer is convinced as am I that had he been supported fully the war could have ended in 1944. I am sure there are other books that would disagree. You can look for them. For me I am satisfied with my own point of view.

If you are a history buff as I am and in particular the Second World War then you will enjoy reading this biography.

Colonel Roosevelt by Edmund Morris

There have been many books written about the life of this remarkable man and his achievements. Not all sing his praise. I have found that most of our greatest leaders have those who find fault with them for one reason or another. It is always annoying to me. No matter what great accomplishments they did, someone always feels the need to bring them down a peg. This book was not like that. It was unique in that it concentrated on a finite period of his life from 1910 until his death in 1919 at the age of 61. More...

Incognito : the secret lives of brains by David M. Eagleman

Are some of your “choices” dictated by a part of your brain that you don't have direct access to? Do you really have free will. If you get mad at yourself, who is angry at whom?   What is chick sexing?

The title of the first chapter is an extremely apt quote: “There's Someone In My Head, but It's Not Me.” Who's in charge? Your tiny conscious  mind, or the gigantic “Someone”?

Incognito is a science book written by Eagleman, a noted neuroscientist. He  wrote it in a conversational style that turns hard science into readable prose. He also uses vivid illustrations to make difficult concepts easily understood. It's a compelling read with wonderful insights that will give you a lot of food for thought. His opinions about the future are something else.

The Things You Find on the Appalachian Trail: A Memoir of Discovery, Endurance and a Lazy Dog by Kevin Runolfson

     This book is nothing like “A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail” by Bill Bryson because Kevin was well prepared to thru hike the AT.

     His excellent book is about him personally and about the AT. But it is also about a variety of interesting people that he meets during his odyssey. It’s a serious book with lots of laugh out loud situations. Rufus, his unusual dog, contributes a great deal to the story.

     Kevin's discoveries about himself, and his developing romance on the trail bring a surprising depth to his interesting trek.

     Kevin’s strength and perseverance, coupled with blue blazing, aqua blazing, yellow blazing, and trail angels, helped him complete the AT while changing his life.

Lost in Shangri-La by Mitchell Zuckoff

This is an interesting, fully documented, account of a plane crash in the mountains of New Guinea towards the end of the Pacific war of WWII.

It was a gripping personal interest account of 24 service men and women who were being rewarded for their service by taking a sight seeing plane ride to see a hidden valley that had recently been discovered. Only three survived the crash. They were all injured and had been burned. Without food or other basic items, after a few days rest, they were able to reach a clearing where they were spotted by a search plane. The rest of the story revolves around the natives they encounter, the rescuers who risked their lives and their final rescue.

The author states that this was a major news story which gripped the nation. No doubt it did but I have no recollection of the event. I found it to be very interesting and well written. I haven’t spoiled it for you as what I have mentioned will be found by reading the jacket cover.

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

This is an incredible true life account of an American born in 1917 and still alive as the book went to print. As a novel it would have been a thriller to read. What this man accomplished and how he survived under incredible circumstances is mind boggling. The author did voluminous research in uncovering and verifying the events. More...

Too Big To Fail by Andrew Ross Sorkin

I am always astounded after reading a book like this. The research involved and the time consumed appear monumental to me. I purchased the book and read it during my plane rides to visit family and friends. The author describes in incredible detail the events and conversations of the principal participants during the financial crisis during the Fall of 2008 which led to Congress approving $700 Billion in aid to the major financial institutions in what was referred to as TARP (Trouble Asset Relief Program). More...

Freedom from Fear by David M. Kennedy

Freedom from Fear

The American people in Depression and War,

1029-1945

My friend Jim Terlep lent me this book to read as he knows my interest in history, particularly American history, 858 pages later I have finally completed reading. It is an outstanding effort. It is the most complete and thorough report of the circumstances and the people involved during those critical decades. It is so monumental that trying to report on any one aspect would not do justice to the author.

There have been many books written about FDR, some favorable and some negative. This author tried to expose the events and in particular the New Deal Legislation enacted as to whether positive or negative. Chapter 12 puts it all in perspective as to whether it was positive or not. In my opinion it was. People’s bank deposits were protected where before they had lost everything when the banks fell. The Glass-Steagall Banking act separated investing from commercial banks. (President Clinton allowed this to be repealed which started the banks on their reckless behavior with devastating consequences. To this date our current President and Congress have not seen fit to re-enact.). Social Security was created to provide funds necessary to help the elders to live decent lives. Unions were allowed to grow to provide security and improve the lot of workers. Child labor was abolished. Many roads, bridges, dams, hiking trails, clinics, and schools were built by Americans working for the CCC or WPA. More...

Making Rounds with Oscar by David Dosa, M.D.

Oscar is an outstanding book on several levels. It is about a normally standoffish cat with a remarkable empathy for those who need him. It is also about an exceptional young Dr who already has a life impacting illness. He is a gerontologist in an excellent nursing home. And it is a story of patients with dementia and their families.

It is a hopeful, uplifting book about those who find it almost impossible to be hopeful.

The stories themselves make for a great read, even fun at times. But I highly recommend it because it also provides so much useful information for caregivers,  primarily for patients with dementia but also for any life ending disease. Doctors usually do not provide much of the necessary information for the patient and family that is found in this book.

As we live longer and longer, there is an increasingly high probability this book will help you cope. Read it for yourself, but especially for your loved ones. Be prepared for the future.