Review of Thin Air by Richard Morgan

Reading Thin Air by Richard Morgan was a different experience for me.  I love traditional science fiction stories, but this one was anything but “traditional.” The protagonist, Hakan Veil, is a different kind of character.  He possesses a different skill set due to work in the Earth service and knows how to use his genetically enhanced body to full effect.  His relocation to Mars has, of necessity. turned him into a mercenary with lots of desirable skills – all for sale at a price.  He gets pulled into a series of adventures in a place where the traditional mores seem not to exist – even in the police.  Corruption seems to abound everywhere and he has some trouble figuring out who the “friendlies” are although he is not above using his erstwhile enemies to accomplish his goals. 

He was give a charge to protect one of the Earth overseers sent to monitor Mars activities named Madison Madekwe, and she disappears.  Looking for her leads to a set of adventures revolving around a lottery program for return trips to Earth, criminal conspiracies, enemies becoming allies and vice versa. Veil does it because he has a code that if you take a job, in this case to protect Madison, then you do it. The overall impact of the book, is not my personal choice of an enjoyable read,  although I can see how some readers would like it.  It is too convoluted and too much effort is needed to follow the storyline that seems all over the place…Veil is in prison then not in prison; in good standing and then not.  Just too much “drama” for me as a reader. 

Review of The Good Lives After: Reflections of a Baby Boomer

This book is a compilation of 78 weekly columns, which focused on issues of concern to those who are termed “baby boomers.” It will be by, for, and about boomers and their issues. In other words, it means it is specifically for those who were born between 1946 and 1964. Current population estimates are that there are nearly 75 million boomers. The author is one of this illustrious number being born in 1946!! Although boomers are the target of this series, it should be interesting and possibly informative for anyone who knows or loves a boomer.

Have boomers already begun turning “old” at 65? According to published reports, there are more than a thousand turning that magic 65 every day and this aging will go on until 2029. Why is 65 considered the age of “oldness”? Even the oldest boomers didn’t qualify for Social Security at that age. The oldest boomers had to be 66 to qualify for full benefits and the youngest will need to be 67 for full benefits. Currently boomers qualify for Medicare at 65 and they can still take early retirement at 62. Maybe the Medicare is the trigger for the magic 65.

During the years since their birth, boomers have had a profound impact on any number of things because of the large population numbers. Many boomers have been witness to some pretty spectacular things and some of those might best be forgotten. Some of the technology that was being developed was instrumental in boomer power. Television began to make a strong penetration into the entertainment scene and along with it the advertising that was targeted towards boomers.

Boomers were the first generation to really embrace differences in all forms. They were pretty much responsible for a different type music and our more open attitudes have led to more relaxed attitudes on race, sex, drugs, etc. They were often more open in seeing and accepting differences than their parents and have instilled that attitude into their children and grandchildren. Each generation had its war and Viet Nam was the one for boomers. It was not pretty and there were many different attitudes about the conflict. Some were willing to go and fight to defend a country that was loved so much or because they believed in obeying authority, even if not in support of the war; others loved the country just as much but were willing to leave the country to avoid doing something that was antithetical to what was believed. 

Schools saw boomers crowded into large classes or sometimes, if lucky, even new school buildings. Classes were always larger than the classes which had been ahead of the boomers, at least for those in the early years of the boom. New teachers, new school classrooms, and lots of other things because of large numbers were needed. Boomers changed education, just as they changed almost everything else. As a group boomers were pretty egalitarian and believed that everyone should be judged by their merits. The leaders who were respected covered a broad range from Martin Luther King, Jr. to John Kennedy to Billy Graham. These role models have led to boomer leaders including Bill Clinton and George W. Bush – almost a paradox. But then boomers never were easy to pigeonhole as a group and remain that way. 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01394QFH0/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

Review of Atlas of the Unexpected

In a compendium like the Atlas of the Unexpected, it is often helpful to see what the author is thinking.  The following are excerpts from the introduction. “..odd and enchanting, ancient and modern…Unimaginable in some instances, and all but uninhabitable in others…remind us of the enduring strangeness of our planet.” These words pretty much sum up the scope of the book—a little about a lot!  The chapter titles range from the Accidental Discoveries, Strange Roots, Haphazard Destinations, Cavernous Locations, and Serendipitous Spaces.  Each of them seems to pull the reader in deeper. The sites described are from all over.  Some, the intrepid traveler might have already visited like Pompeii in Italy or the Galapagos Islands. Others like the Lascaux Caves or the Dead Sea Scrolls sites might be places we want to go.  Other sites, I’d never heard of but now would like to visit and some are easy to get to being in the United States like the Fly Geyser in Nevada or Glass Beach in California or Gibsonton in Florida where some of the human oddities lived.

Each place has its own story presented in a concise fashion taking only a few pages and often including a map showing exactly how to best find the site. In less than 200 pages, a staggering 45 places are described and shown. There is also a good bibliography for further study and reading. A comprehensive index of names and places allows finding any of the locations in the book easy.

If you were like me, one of the first things I did was turn to the map showing all of them to see how many were close by…there are nine in the United States!!   Each site shares some interesting facts like the one on Grand Tsingy on Madagascar where the lemur abounds and it is their only known natural habitat.  But not just the lemur is native, there are over 200,000 different species, making it the most biologically diverse island on Earth.  Bet you didn’t know that before!!

This is one of those fun books to have and explore from time to time.  It is probably not a book that one just picks up for a pleasure read.  It is more of a reference work, useful in planning a trip to off-the-beat places or just doing research on oddities on our planet.

Review of Blood Brothers by Nick Pope

Blood Brothers by Nick Pope is a fast-paced novel set in the United Kingdom.  It is very up-to-date with the current President of the US (Trump) playing a role in trying to overthrow the existing British government.  The central theme is one of terrorism and also a focus on one man’s humanity (Kahn). Certain atrocities committed in the name of Islam against women and children causes Mr. Kahn concern.  The British operative, Quill, works out a type of peaceful co-existence with Kahn.  This story gives some idea of the inner workings of the anti-terrorism task force that exists in the UK.  The novel started sort of slowly with the setting of the scene but rather quickly moved on to a high degree of action.  As an American reader, the only issue I had was the heavy use of acronyms that did not at first seem to be clear.  For an American, when reading a British work, one becomes used to the sometimes different spellings and word choices between British and American English.  These spellings and word choices were not a real issue but a reader quickly understands that things like lorry rather than semi is used.  I really enjoyed the book and there was a high degree of brotherhood that developed between two warriors who were on different sides of the apparent conflict between Islam and the West. Definitely I’d recommend this book for anyone interested in a struggle of ideas and ethics.  A grudging understanding happens between Kahn and Quill…perhaps we could have more of this shared understanding.

Review of The 50 State Fossils: A Guidebook for Aspiring Paleontologists

The 50 State Fossils: A Guidebook for Aspiring Paleontologists, is a book that many upper elementary through high schoolers might find useful and fun to explore.  The book, while short (72 pages), is data dense.  I’d suspect the most likely reader would be looking for specific information on fossils in the particular states(s) of interest, including the District of Columbia. But the introductory material would bear some time exploring.  Not only is there a general introduction but specifics provided on how fossils get formed – from “cast and mold” to “original material” and everything in between. There are data supplied on how various states processed getting their particular fossil or in some few cases have only a state rock, state dinosaur, or have none recognized. As a generalized book, the volume provides a general description of geologic time and animal/plant taxonomy (classification). These could be useful to a budding paleontologist or fossil hunter.

After the general introductory sections, each state is presented in alphabetical order with their fossil, or rock, etc. Since the book is a type of reference, many readers will probably go first to the state of their birth, states where they’ve lived, states where they’ve gone to school, or so on.  In my case, this could be the fossilized tooth of the Carcharodon megalodon (a great white shark ancestor that would reach over 59 feet long!)  Only teeth have been found thus far but lots of them have been discovered in coastal areas of North Carolina. In this case, like all the others, a map of the state showing where the fossil is found is shown.  Additionally for each state’s fossil, there is a geologic time scale; when the fossil was designated; a line drawing of the fossil or original animal if the fossil is only a part; and a photograph of a specimen. Since most of the terms are scientific names, a pronunciation guide is provided.
This would be a good book for any student looking for more information on fossils found in particular states, in other words it is a focused reference.  Many readers will get pulled in by the their first reading of a state’s fossil and end up reading about other states’ fossils, perhaps where their parents were born or worked. The book is short enough to be easily read in a short time and could be a springboard to deeper reading on fossils. If the parent is also reading the book it could lead to some interesting family conversations.

Keeping in mind the general reference nature of the book, the ending material provides ample additional assistance.  This includes a glossary, list of sites in each of the states to go and see fossils, suggestions for further reading including URLs, a listing of photo credits, and finally a comprehensive index of the book’s described fossil information.  All in all this would be a really good book for a classroom or school library.  If a parent has a child with a strong interest in paleontology it could make a good gift for a special occasion. It would be a useful science interest item.

Review of #Zyklon

When I first picked up Zyklon by John Hazen and began reading, the only thing I remembered about the title was that it was the name of the gas that was used in the Nazi Concentration Camps of WWII. I was assuming that it was about the camps and the people killed with the gas.  While there is a connection, the novel is set in modern times not the times of over 60 years ago.  The twists and turns of the plot line hold the reader’s attention.  The character development is well done from a reporter, to Presidential candidate, to Israeli agent, and to genius “crazy” people. How these all relate and others as well is the crux of the story.  There are modern day murders that have a connection with former Nazi guards, exactly how this is all intertwined makes this novel hard to put down as slight turns happen with frequency.  The only distracting part of the book are just a few obvious typos that somehow escaped the editing process.  None of these mistypes caused the story to be at all lost or obstructed –only slightly off-putting to a critical reader. Definitely I recommend this novel if you are seeking a novel set in the modern day with connections to a darker past. There are some connections to happenings in the current world political climate and this would make a good analysis novel.

Review of #Burma: the Forgotten War

Burma: the Forgotten War seems to be an attempt to capture all the nuances of a WWII campaign that is so multifaceted as to almost defy coverage.  Latimer has obviously done copious research as there are extensive footnotes accompanying the chapters.  In some cases these are actually off-putting as they interrupt the reading.  The work seemed to have the style more of an academic treatise and it was actually dull at points.  For a scholar highly interested in the Burma theater it would be a great resource. They would enjoy learning more about the various battles from Kohima to Imphal and how commanders on both sides reacted.  There were a number of maps showing the war’s progress and battle lines from 1941/42 to 1944/45. How Indian troops as part of the British Empire were involved gives an insight into current Assam province issues. The book is quite long but in the PDF version I was reviewing, I’m not sure of the exact page count –but it seems about three times the length of a typical 300 page novel.  The book was not an enjoyable or easy read but it did provide enlightenment on this aspect of World War II. The audience  who would enjoy it most would be specialized in battle history of the place or scholar seeking to understand the nuances.

Review of #Weird War Two

The name (Weird War Two) is certainly appropriate for this book.  Reading about the oddities that happened in World War II, is something that is likely to interest a WWII buff.  There are some many oddities that are being reported, it reads a bit like “fake news” as some of the happenings are so extreme.  Obviously the author has spent a lot of time researching and compiling the information.  As a reader who generally likes to know more, the lack of any reference material is off-putting.  It is understandable that this is not cited like a research paper but at the end of each short essay, it would have been very nice or even in an appendix.  The length of the “chapters” is all very short – generally a page or two.  If you are interested in reading about some of the oddities of the second world war, then this is the volume for you.  The writing is conversational in nature and flows easily making reading a breeze.  I would recommend the book for the war buff looking for some conversational anecdotes to share.

Review of #The Tanzania Conspiracy

When I read the topic on which this novel was going to focus, African albinism, I was both intrigued and excited to read.  Unfortunately the addition of a seemingly odd twist with elements of a con man who was not African took the pleasure away for me. The story bounces back and forth from North America to Tanzania and other African countries.  The connection is he had lost his wife and in his investigation he found a black market in human body parts—those of the  albino Africans.  This body market is mainly used by witch doctors and others to use body parts for cures and incantations, although this is a practice not totally limited to witch doctors.  The value of an African “white” body can be upwards of $75 thousand!  As the con man, Max, gets deeply involved in this story while learning about this beastly practice comes out in the novel.  Learning about this abhorrent practice in a novel format might be thought to lessen the impact, but it does not.  It is just plain disgusting—not the novel but the practice.  Because the practice plays such a key aspect in the story, a reader must have a high tolerance for pure evil and nastiness. I found the story somewhat disjointed because of the bouncing back and forth among the several locations.  From the standpoint of the social implications of African albinos and their tribulations, I’d say this book is a worthwhile read to learn more but the actual storyline is not so good and for me not enjoyable.

Review of The Craft of University Teaching by Peter Lindsay

This book is a well written and often funny presentation about University teaching.  The use of examples called “teachable moments” in the introduction sets the stage for the rest of the chapters. Everyone who has ever taught at the University level would be familiar with the situations and feelings presented, especially if they cared about their students actually learning!  The following six chapters are each building on the idea of the difference in the objective versus subjective aspects of teaching.  Or as some would describe it the science and the art of teaching.  Chapter one is a sort of introspective about the craft (art) and the goals that professors set for themselves. One salient argument is about the idea of  “covering material” or the “motivation to learn” material.  The question can be stated "is there antithesis between covering and motivating?"

Chapter 2 takes a slightly different tack and one that again any professor is aware of or even any student at probably any level is aware of although may not be able to articulate –success is determined by who we are rather than what we do. The author looks at rubrics as being too routine for real learning to take place. Looking at “best teaching practices” may be only a short/temporary fix and could be seen relating to the objective/science of teaching. Lindsay might even suggest if you are not interested in the material or even the student to “fake it.”

In the very next chapter (3), the author seems to shift focus and seems to argue that teaching is not about personality.  But learning and success may be heavily dependent on what we assign.  This gives focus to what a professor thinks is important. We need to create that which excites.

Chapter 4 looks at the use of technology and the author admits to being both a technophobe as well as a luddite when technology is mentioned. Several interesting points of view concerning online classes and the ubiquitous PowerPoint slide decks are presented. He makes the point that technology consumes more time than it deserves.

Plagiarism and its reason is among the focal areas in Chapter 5. It is not enough to see what plagiarism is (through the examples provided) but to analyze why and to dig deeper in the various types. An appendix is provided on what plagiarism is and methods to help avoid it.

The last chapter is sort of a rehash of the many factors involved in the craft/art of teaching. The author seems to suggest that how we might approach changes in what we do colors anything and everything we do as professors.  This discussion is only a beginning as we craft people need practice to become more perfect in our craft/art.

For any faculty member or administrator this would be a great professional development piece and could easily form the basis in community of practice seminars.  I’d give it a big thumbs up for both the depth and sensitivity that is used as well as being well written and entertaining at the same time it is thought-provoking.