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.