'Born a Crime' by Trevor Noah

Born a Crime, Trevor Noah (4.0)

This is simple title for a thoughtful book. The comedian, Trevor Noah, is young for a memoirist, but his situation is rather unique which makes it worthy of an early look. Growing up in South Africa with a white Swiss father and black mother both during apartheid and post, he describes moving (and surviving) through all the varied cultures and never really fitting into any of them. While he doesn’t mince words about apartheid, he focuses on the realities for someone who looks ‘colored’ (very distinct in South Africa as not black or white), can speak many languages, and who’s friends live in Soweto while he lives in a white suburb. Given the various troubles that befall Mr. Noah and his mother, how he succeeds in life and his attitude throughout is a tribute to his upbringing by his mother. Overall the book illustrates the underlying love of a son for a mother who works hard to keep him centered, even with many crises due to a very tough environment.

'Exact Thinking in Demented Times: The Vienna Circle and the Epic Quest for the Foundations of Science' by Karl Sigmund

Exact Thinking in Demented Times: The Vienna Circle and the Epic Quest for the Foundations of Science, Karl Sigmund (3.0)

I read a review for this book that criticized how the writing focused social aspects (i.e. who doesn’t agree with or get along with whom) and lauded when it focused on each scientist’s theories. Maybe because it is written by a professor who walked the same hallways as the famous thinkers of early 20^th century Vienna, people expected more about the theory. Oddly I enjoyed the biographic parts of the book much more than the drier explanations. That said, I am surprised that this book gets such strong reviews overall. While the times and people highlighted are interesting, the writing was quite hard to follow. Mr. Sigmund did not follow a logical timeline – so when we got close to an interesting time, such as WWII, he would jump to another time with different characters. I will admit, I was familiar with only 30-50% of the scientists, so a timeline would have helped me follow who was part of which ‘circle’ – yes, there are more than one. The book did make clear the amazing number of great scientists who knew and worked together in Vienna prior to WWII. Given the descriptions and obvious love the author has for Vienna, I wish I had read this book before we visited a few years ago!

'Moloka'i' by Alan Brennert

Moloka’i, Alan Brennert (3.0)

As an historical fiction novel that describes a life of a young Hawaiian girl’s odyssey after being diagnosed with leprosy, this book is touching and interesting. I have visited Moloka’i and knew the leprosy colony existed, with its isolated and foreboding location, but this book brings the experience into focus. What I really liked about the book was that the depressing overall experience was highlighted in a readable way that showed the possible light of life someone could have. It wasn’t sugar coated (though convenient that the protagonist had a certain ‘type’ of leprosy), but it also wasn’t maudlin. Mr. Brennert does this by showing an entire life lived with experiences both good and bad. I’m not particularly compelled to read the sequel, but I would like to read more non-fiction about the time and experience.

'The Electric Kool-aid Acid Test, by Tom Wolfe

The Electric Kool-aid Acid Test, Tom Wolfe (2.0)

This was a tough book to read. It’s as if Mr. Wolfe wanted to give the reader the experience of actually taking acid. I certainly don’t feel the need to do it after reading this – not exactly a pleasant experience. Wolfe follows Ken Kesey (author of ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo Nest’) and his band of Merry Pranksters as they use, somewhat abuse, and introduce LSD to others while traveling around the country in their bus. I found the most interesting element having to do with how they were introduced to the drug (the VA hospital in Menlo Park paid Stanford students to undergo experiments) and their various dealings with the law. Unfortunately the lack of plot and writing dissonance distracted me and ruined any possible enjoyment of the book.

'Alive' by Scott Sigler

Alive, Scott Sigler (3.0)

This was a fair dystopian YA novel, but not as compelling as many I’ve read and managed to remind me of most of them. I am surprised how many reviewers LOVED this book. While there were a couple of unique aspects (which the author requests reviewers not ‘spoil’ for the new readers), the behavior of the main character often was either very predictable or very odd. I won’t give away the plot or the twists, but suffice it to say that the book is about a group of young adults in a strange, unknown place. They can’t understand when or how they got there and it feels somewhat like a prison that they need to escape from. Yes – similar to ‘The Maze Runner’, ‘The Hunger Games’, ‘Divergent’….which frankly, are all better books. The book stops at a natural point, but I’m not sure I’ll be reading the rest of the trilogy.