Filthy Rich / James Patterson, et al. / 400 pgs

Granted, this is only my second James Patterson book, but it was light years better than the other one I read. He co-wrote this book with two other authors, one of whom is a journalist, so I am using this book for the Read Harder challenge category to read a book by a journalist.

I must have been really busy with college during the time that the Jeffrey Epstein scandal went down, because I did not know much about it at all. The book was very illuminating about what a horrible man Epstein is, and how, despite the tons of evidence against him, the legal system let his victims down. I also did not know of what Alan Dershowitz and Prince Andrew were accused of until reading this book. I definitely recommend reading the book if you haven't really gotten the full story of Epstein or want a lesson on how the justice system fails victims.

Lincoln's Last Trial/ Dan Abrams/ 287 pgs

This was a book discussion title that details the very last trial Abraham Lincoln participated in before he ran for president in 1860. I found all of the historical details fascinating but the walk through of the trial itself to be a bit tedious. As well, Abrams repeats a lot of anecdotes. The trial took place in Springfield, IL and a man named Robert Hitt transcribed it using a form of shorthand. Hitt had done the same with the Lincoln and Douglas debates. Abrams used this transcript (found in an attic) to recreate the trial on the written page. A man named Quinn Harrison was on trial for the murder of Greek Crafton. Lincoln's strategy was self-defense and it was interesting to see how he handled the trial and to see how the law and the way trials run have evolved since 1859.

The Kennedy Detail/Gerald Blaine/449

11.22.63
A date that will forever live in our minds.
For the men of John F. Kennedys secret service, this is the day where they felt like they failed the nation. This book takes the account of some of the men on the Kennedy secret service detail, from that fateful day to everything that happened after and weeks before. They share personal memories and humorous moments with the president. They share their saftey concerns, especially since the president loved to meet with crowds, drive in the back of the presidential limousine with the top down and his preference to not have agents on the back of the cars for protection.
It's also really interesting to see how the secret service operated in the 60s.

In Sickness and In Health/ Ben Mattlin/ 238 pgs

Egads! My second non-fiction book of the year and it's only March. This is very unusual for me:-) The subtitle for this book is: Love, Disability, and a Quest to Understand the Perils and Pleasures of Interabled Romance and it takes a look at couples (either married or long-term commitment) where one of the partners has a disability and the other does not. This book is not personally relevant to me, except that it did give me more insight into what my parents are facing as they grow older, with my stepdad becoming less able to care for himself and more reliant on my mom. The book is written in a very engaging and forthright style by Ben Mattlin, who has spinal muscular atrophy. Ben has never walked and has always been dependent on others (family members and paid help). He's been married for 26 years. He weaves stories of his own marriage throughout the book but each chapter is spent on a different couple that Ben has interviewed. It's a fascinating and informative read.

Into the Gray Zone: A Neuroscientist Explores the Border Between Life and Death/Adrian Owen/261 pgs.

Neuroscientist Adrian Owen has dedicated the last twenty years exploring the gray zone--what the lay person knows as the "vegetative" or non-responsive state of a brain damaged person. In a very readable format, Owen takes the reader along on his journey of discovering "life" in brain damaged patients who were otherwise considered totally unaware of their surroundings. It's a fascinating read, with the ethical issues coming into play, and where technology in the future will lead research in this area. Highly recommended!

Unbroken/Laura Hillenbrand/400 pgs

This might be the only non-fiction review you see from me all year as I tend to stick to fiction. Unbroken is a biography of Louis Zamperini, an irreverent and high-spirited Italian-American who was on his way to what looked like a spectacular Olympic career as a miler when World War II broke out. Louis became a bombardier in the Pacific theater after the United States entered the war. On a mission to search for a downed plane, Zamperini's own plane crashed into the ocean. He, Russell Phillips, and a third young man named Mac were the only survivors. While Mac died at some point, Zamperini and Phillips managed to stay alive for over 40 days adrift on the vast ocean, only to be "rescued" by the Japanese and taken as POWs. Their time as starved and beaten prisoners/slaves was just as horrific as their time lost at sea. But both survived.

This is an intense story, full of graphic scenes about the horrifying experience of these young men. I appreciated that this story wasn't just about Zamperini, the more famous of the two, but included the heroics and fortitude of Phillips as well. As mentioned, this is certainly not an easy read but a worthwhile one to learn about the "unbroken" spirit of ordinary young men who went off to fight in World War II.

Think Like a Freak / Steven D. Levitt / 268 pp

How do you look beyond what seems intuitive to what is really true? Levitt is offering to retrain your brain so you don't fall into the common thought traps that cause you to accept the conventional wisdom. My favorite chapter was the one when they published an article in Great Britain on how terrorists could avoid detection. The whole country was mad at them until they found out why.

Very readable and entertaining. Highly recommended.

Log Cabin Quilts / Rita Weiss Linda Causee 160 p.

The log cabin quilt is expanded and amended to create unique variations.  Using the basic block, designs feature the Chicago skyline, New York remembered and gone fishin'.  Stars and curves may be added. Nine patch incorporated into the center square.  Interesting is the turning the center square on point and surrounding it with trapezoidal strips.
Log Cabin Quilts / Rita Weiss Linda Causee 160 p.

Luke Skywalker Can't Read and Other Geeky Truths / Ryan Britt / 224 pgs

This book of geeky essays talks about a myriad of different subjects from the apparent functional illiteracy of the Star Wars Universe, to the huge use of literature in the Star Trek Universe, to the sexual awakening from watching Barbarella. I will complain that the shortest essay was about my fan favorite, Doctor Who, with just a quick little talk about kicking depression while watching a Doctor Who marathon on Netflix (of course, now, one must have Amazon Prime to do that). I really enjoyed the book and hope the author comes out with a Part 2 once the new Star Wars trilogy is finished. 

***Beware*** This book is not for the gentle reader. There's quite a few F Bombs dropped and talk about sex, pornography, etc.

The Man Who Wasn't There:Investigations into the Strange New Science of the Self/Anil Ananthaswamy/270 pgs.

This is a fascinating book about the "self," and how certain parts of the brain impact one's perception of body, mind, and self. The author interviews individuals with different "disabilities:" Alzheimer's disease, autism, depersonalization disorder, to name a few. He discusses how each person functions in society, the treatment and testing he/she has undergone, and how neuroscience is trying to understand what these individuals face. Recommended!

Eruption:the Untold Story of Mount Saint Helens/ Steve Olson, 300 pages

Eruption written by Steve Olson is the story of events leading up to the massive eruption of Mount Saint Helens and it's aftermath.  Olson begins with the logging industry that migrates from the upper Midwest to the Pacific north east.  He reveals interesting facts of the part lumber played in the expansion of the USA.  Olson also introduces us to a selection of the people who lives ended with the eruption.  Overall it was an entertaining read of characters and geology for the average person.  This book would appeal to the ready who likes history and adventure.

Forensics/ Val McDermid/303 pgs.

The subtitle of this fascinating book says it all: "what bugs, burns, prints, DNA, and more tell us about crime." McDermid takes the reader through the history of the different methodologies used in trying to solve crimes. She injects this information with true crime cases in which a particular method was used--not always successfully! For readers of true crime stories or crime fiction, this book is a must read. Highly recommended!

And Then All Hell Broke Loose: Two Decades in the Middle East / Richard Engel / 256 pgs

Richard Engel is the chief foreign correspondent for NBC. Straight out of college, in 1996, Engel moved to Cairo to start reporting on world events. From there he moved to Jerusalem just before the start of the Second Intifada in 2000, and to Baghdad just before the start of the Second Gulf War in 2003. He's reported on war in Beirut, the toppling of Qaddafi in Libya, and the Taliban in Afghanistan. Through it all, Engel does a very good job of painting in the picture of how hostilities in the Middle East began and continue. The book is easy to read and I found it to be one of the most unbiased works on the subject that I have ever encountered. That's saying a whole lot, considering the subject I am talking about. I would definitely recommend for those who would like to read about the media, a semi-autobiography, and especially those interested in the history of the Middle East conflicts.

Destiny of the Republic/Candice Millard/308 pgs.

This is an account of James Garfield's brief presidency. I found this rendering of our 20th President of the United States fascinating. It covers background information describing how Garfield was elected, the assassination attempt, and the poor medical care he received which ultimately led to his death. This was during a time in medical history where the cure was as likely to kill a person as the wound or injury he/she sustained. The amount of research Millard put into this book is obvious--highly recommended!

Rosemary: the Hidden Kennedy Daughter/Kate Clifford Larson/302 pgs/Dec, Jan & Feb Challenge

This is the story of the eldest Kennedy daughter - the one most people have never heard of.  It is a story of how those who were born intellectually disabled were treated in the early 1900's.  Or should I say how they weren't treated.  It is based on letters that Rosemary wrote, from Rose Kennedy diaries and from family interviews.  It is not a happy story but will make you think and it is believed that Rosemary and the way she was treated is the basis for the Special Olympics and much of the work her brothers and sisters have done for the rights of the disabled.

When Breath Becomes Air/Paul Kalanithi/228 pgs

This book is not a feel good story - it is the story of a young neurosurgeon, who at the age of 36, is facing a terminal cancer diagnosis.  The first half of the book is about his search for what live is all about and his decision to be a neurosurgeon.  The second half is about his fight to find how what is important when you have been told that you may not be here for much longer.  His wife writes the epilogue to the book and it is very moving.  Some of the medical language may be hard to get thru but it is worth it

Possessed / Thomas B. Allen / 333 pages / October Challenge

This book is based on the same case as The Exorcist playing in theaters in 1973, which was based on William Blatty's 1971 book of the same title.  The movie was fictionalized; this book is what really happened.  The author presents the information from various sources to reconstruct what happened to "Robbie Mannheim" in 1949.  Several priests became convinced that he was a victim of demonic possession and began the exorcism rites for him.  Many seemingly supernatural things happened before and during the exorcism.  This book tells all.  The diary from one of the priests involved is printed in the back of the book - but the story itself is so heavily drawn from the diary that reading it is rather repetitive.  A careful reader may notice a difference in emphasis on various parts of the story, but there is no real departure from the diary itself.  Possessed was first published in 1993, 44 years after the case actually happened. 


This is a challenging book to read if you have any question at all about whether demonic possession could be real.  The author himself questions the possession in his afterword.  The beginning is a bit slow, but once all the background information has been established, the action picks up considerably.  Readers who saw the original movie, or the Showtime movie Possessed will certainly enjoy this book.  Anyone who has questioned Christianity or the existence of demons will also appreciate the straight-forward presentation and ability to make up their own mind after the evidence is presented.

Just Mercy: a Story of Justice/ Bryan Stevenson/ 336 pages

Just Mercy: a Story of Justice is an account of the work done by Bryan Stevenson to find justice for men, women and children on death row in Alabama.  The book closely follows Mr. Stevenson's work with Walter McMillian, sentenced to death on the word of a criminal who recants his story even before Walter goes to trial.  This book is an eye opener to lax representation and social injustices especially to poor or black members of society.  It's cataloged as a biography of Bryan Stevenson, but is really the story of how he came to found the Equal Justice Initiative.  For more information and books of similar topics visit the SCCCLD website.

Judge This.(Ted Books)/Chip Kidd/125 pgs.

Chip Kidd has been designing book covers for quite awhile. In this brief book, Kidd demonstrates the importance of first impressions in life and in design. He takes the reader on a journey of what inspires him in his designing process, and how it translates into art. The reader might not recognize the author's name, but he/she is bound to recognize some of the book covers he has designed. It's quite entertaining and insightful. Highly recommended!

Sociopath Next Door : the Ruthless Versus the Rest of Us / Martha Stout 241 p. Self-help

Sociopath Next door / Martha Stout 241 p.

Martha Stout, a 25 year Harvard psychologist, offers this book to help identify sociopaths.  She has spent her career helping people who's lives have been terribly hurt by sociopaths.  A sociopath is one who does not have a conscience.  He or she feels no shame, guilt or remorse for his/her actions.  Surprizing, 4% of the population have this condition.  That is one in 25.  To help put this into perspective, there is one sociopath in every classroom.  Stout proposes a sociopathic-behavior checklist and suggested coping strategies.