'A Promised Land' by Barack Obama

A Promised Land, Barack Obama (4.5)

What a joy to read a book written by a politician who is thoughtful, knowledgeable and not particularly cynical!  I appreciated the insight given to understand major decisions and initiatives. The book is quite long and mainly covers his first presidential election and the first three years in office. I didn’t feel he covered too many topics, but he does give a lot of background to each. This was sometimes helpful and sometimes I could go through it quickly. For example, in order to understand our issues with Iran, he goes back to pre-Khomeini and walks the reader through their history with many of the major players highlighted. I had read a review of the book that said the book was not personal enough. I disagree – I was surprised how often he talked about how he really felt and about his family and friends. Always the gentleman, he was quite gracious about those he worked with or against- a little chippy when he pointed out that Sarkozy wears ‘lifts’ – but mostly gracious. I also liked that his digs at Trump were relatively subtle and mostly highlighted by the comparisons the reader will make. I believe this book shows why someone should pursue a government job and by example shows how it’s possible to remember than while deep in the muck.

'Wild Seed' by Octavia Butler

 Wild Seed, Octavia Butler (3.0)

I’ve heard much about Ms. Butler and her unique take on Sci-Fi and was looking forward to this well reviewed book. While I believe it to be well written and unique, the one-note plot left me hoping for more. I liked the unusual story of two ‘eternal’ beings in African bodies with unique powers existing during the time of slaves. As the Europeans kidnap people from Africa, Anyanwu sees her many generations of children being taken. Doro, the more powerful spirit, is drawn to her and she realizes she is not the only one with powers. We believe Doro is saving any unusual, powerful African, but sadly he is just culling them to become a multigenerational breeding farm in order to come up with a master race. The majority of the story is Doro oppressing as he uses Anyanwu as a baby making machine – with her hating him but obliging. After the chapters began with new and interesting ideas, I was disappointed that the rest of the story was monotonous and painful to read.

'In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex' by Nathaniel Philbrick

In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex,  Nathaniel Philbrick (3.5)

I do not recommend reading this book while noshing on sushi! In addition to the description of whale killing and dismembering, one can imagine the tale of how the shipmates tried to survive is not good material to read while dining. Philbrick gives the backstory of the young Nantucket sailors and the culture that leads them to venture on the ocean and return years later with thousands of gallons of whale oil. While Herman Melville based ‘Moby Dick’ on this true story, this author focuses more on the story after the ship is sunk by the whale. As far as adventure goes, I prefer ‘Endurance’ and Shackleton’s, but this is definitely an interesting, well-told story that clearly articulates the stress, tragedy and psychological affects both during and after the event.

'The Way of Kings' by Brandon Sanderson

The Way of Kings, Brandon Sanderson (4.0)

Reading this book is a serious commitment. Not only is it 1000+ pages, but there are 3 more written and 6 more planned after that! We are always looking for the successor to JRR Tolkien in the world building story telling realm and Mr. Sanderson has made a strong start with Book 1 in this series. The story follows three main characters, filling in the world around them through their eyes. I found the characters interesting and the magical elements unique. Unlike many in this genre, most of the beings are human, with a major exception being the various spren, creatures that are mostly small and invisible and are attracted to the energy of their type (firespren, painspren, etc.) and can be sensed near that energy. Not sure yet where they belong in this epic, though they seem important. My biggest complaint is that I think the book leans too heavily on the world building and lacks some key dramatic plotlines. While there is plenty of action (battles, assassinations, killings, etc.), the overall evil (think Voldamort and Sauron) is too ambiguous and out of reach to menace until the very end. The last 100 pages were more satisfying in that respect, though the book obviously does not end here, so the majority of one’s questions are left unanswered. As I said – reading this was a serious commitment to read more!

'The Professor and the Madman' by Simon WInchester

The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity and the Writing of the Oxford English Dictionary, Simon Winchester (4.0)

Anyone appreciative of meaningful vocabulary will enjoy this book. Not only does it describe the making of the best-known English dictionary, the Oxford English Dictionary, the words used in so doing are delightfully apt and numerous. While not exactly crowd sourced ala Wikipedia, I was surprised to find how the OED staff went about getting volunteers to help find all the quotations for each word. One problem was interesting: many readers submitted quotations for very obscure words with few definitions, but few submitted ones for everyday words with many definitions (i.e. ‘art’). Lucky for us, none were ineffable. The book outlines the bio of the two men involved and how their lives intertwined, but also generously gives examples of engaging definitions throughout the chapters. It’s hard not to like a book that takes a staid subject such as dictionary writing and spices it up with murder and a lunatic asylum!

'Caste: The Origins of our Discontents' by Isabel Wilkerson

 

Caste: The Origins of our Discontents, Isabel Wilkerson (3.5)

This book is very depressing. Filled with important information supporting the author’s points defining the racism in America as a caste system – but it was alarming to read the details of such atrocities as lynching and realize the extent to which they occurred long after you thought they had stopped. One of the most shocking chapters explained how the Nazis looked to the US to understand how to oppress a group of people believed inferior – and that they eventually thought we had gone too far! Nazis look to your country as ‘best practice’ of oppression, but decide you are a little crazy. That says a lot. I appreciated reading the multiple personal accounts Ms. Wilkerson included. It’s often too easy to say an author cherry- picked their stories to make their point. Her passages show she lives it every day. I did find some of the book repetitive and found myself skimming the middles sections. Much of the book was not surprising, but embarrassing (for our country) and sad. 

The Foundation Trilogy, Isaac Asimov

 Foundation, Foundation and Empire, Second Foundation, Isaac Asimov (5.0)

After hearing that it was being made into a TV series, I decided to return to the O.G. of Science Fiction, Mr. Asimov, and his most famous trilogy. We follow a Galactic Empire where mathematicians use Psychohistory to predict the destruction of their worlds and a dark age that lasts 30k years. Hari Seldon (lead psychohistorian) has taken the predictions out in time to find a path that will reduce the dark ages to 1 millennium. He establishes a Foundation of scientists to manage the process and claims there is a Second Foundation on the opposite side of the Galaxy. Due to the long- term nature of this plan, the first book jumps 30-50 years per chapter. This makes it more like a group of short stories and can be a little disjointed. The second and third books allow the reader to follow and appreciate characters, which I found more enjoyable. ‘Foundation and Empire’ is my favorite – for both introducing one of the most interesting characters (The Mule) who spends much of the book in the shadows and for one of the best female characters in Science Fiction (Bayta Darell in book 2). This is quite an accomplishment, given the books were written in the 50’s. If you claim to like Sci-Fi, you must read this trilogy.