Review of "Jack the Ripper: The Simple Truth" by Bruce Paley

Bruce Paley has written a great piece of Ripper literature. "Jack the Ripper: The Simple Truth" is meticulously researched, well written, and quite entertaining. It paints a picture of Whitechapel and East London that made it quite real to me. He lays out a convincing case against Joe Barnett. Paley's thesis was quite original when he first introduced it. There is very little actual evidence against Barnett, but Paley uses modern methodology to point right at the person who would be one of the first suspects today. The boyfriend of one of the victims.

The Kindle version does have some formatting problems, but I didn't find any that interfered with the flow of the book. I'm reviewing the book, and I found it very well done. It's well worth a read to anyone interested in Ripperology, Victorian London, true crime, or serial killers. I liked this book very much and could barely put it down. I can't say if this is the best Ripper book out there, but I can say that I enjoyed it a lot.

I also found the meticulous endnotes and research very useful for further study.
Jack the Ripper: The Simple Truth

Review of " American Terrorist: Timothy McVeigh and the Oklahoma City Bombing" by Lou Michel

I think "American Terrorist: Timothy McVeigh & the Oklahoma City Bombing" by Lou Michel and Dan Herbeck is an important book for Americans to read. It is very unbiased and straight-forward, and it helps explain just what happened to lead to the greatest domestic terrorism incident in our history. I think it will help the nation heal. As others have stated, it won't leave you with a feeling that McVeigh was a psychopath. That's the most disturbing part of the the entire book. He wasn't.

The book follows McVeigh's life all the way from his birth and innocuous childhood, through his military career, and to the fateful day when he placed a truck bomb outside the Oklahoma City Federal Building and murdered hundreds of people. It's an interesting journey. Following a regular guy who went way off the tracks and did such a horrible thing from beginning to finish is...sobering. I found the information about how he planned the bomb with Nichols the most interesting. It's hard to believe a regular guy could sit in his friend's house and plan it that way, but it makes sense.

I've recommended this book to friends, and they often recoil. "I don't want to read about that freak." I think people should read about that "freak" because there's no other way to begin the healing. Knowing what happened is the first step.

This book was constructed through interviews with McVeigh on death row and interviews with many other people involved who knew McVeigh. It's probably as close as we'll ever get to understanding what caused him to do what he did. It is well written. Although it will make you cringe and recoil at points because of the drastic nature of the events, I think it's an important book.

Review of: "Pride: The Charley Pride Story" by Charley Pride with Jim Henderson

I love country music and music in general. Charley Pride's story moved me deeply. This memoir follows him from a sharecropper's son in the Mississippi Delta to the life of a professional baseball player to the Army to the mines of Montana to country-music superstardom. It's a great overview of a life that's been purely American. Through it all, he stayed the same, old Charley Pride. He tells his story with an honesty and humility that is refreshing. He tells it like it is.

This book touches on many elements of Pride's story that I hadn't heard much about. His life in minor-league and negro league baseball was quite interesting to me as a fan of the game. It discusses the racial tensions he faced as the first, black man to break into country music. It covers his struggles with alcohol and depression. It tells of his family and the difficult relationship with his father. I found this book to be deeply touching. It's a story that deserves to be read. Charley Pride sings country music because Charley Pride is country music. If ever there was a person that was meant to sing country music, it was Charley Pride. This memoir will go on my shelf right next to Charlie's old friends, Waylon and George Jones.         
Pride: The Charley Pride Story

Review of "Enemies and Playmates" by Darcia Helle

I've read two or three of Darcia Helle's other novels and also several short stories by her. I've enjoyed every one. "Enemies and Playmates" is no exception. The characters are very well crafted. I was particularly impressed with the way the writer uses such things as clothing and snippets of lyrics to give more depth. I identified with one of the lead characters, Jesse, very much. Nearly every character has depth, and I enjoyed getting to know them. The mental struggles of nearly every major character are quite evident, and there were a several interesting twists.

This is an interesting story with a fast-moving plot. It is a dark story, but I felt resolution with the ending. It's a very well written book, and I recommend it a lot. I'd also recommend reading beyond the end of the story to a short explanation of how song lyrics helped craft of of the characters. I found it to be an interesting glimpse into the writing process. This one is worth reading!Enemies and Playmates

Review of "I Wasn't Ready to Say Goodbye" by Brook Noel and Pamela Blair

I've struggled for months with what appeared to be a mid-life crisis. In researching how to get through it, I tracked the source down to delayed grief. I lost my brother in 1995 and my dad in 2000 in very similar auto accidents. I don't think I ever grieved them properly and it surfaced in my forties. This book is one of the ones I found to address my particular situation.

This is a well written guidebook to carry anyone through the experience of losing a close loved one suddenly. It contains sections dealing with specific losses such as: a spouse or partner, a sibling, suicide, mass death (such as terrorism), fallen heroes, and others. Each section is thoughtful and helpful. It also has a wonderful portion of the book carrying the reader step by step through the immediate aftermath of sudden death. The back couple chapters are dealing with additional resources and activities to help with grief work.

The authors of this book have both dealt with sudden death themselves. Part of what I found most useful was reading the sections they wrote about their personal situations. I'm still working on the back exercises. I think that will take a while. I wish I'd had this book in 1995 when I lost my brother. Even though my grief was delayed by decades, I am still finding it helpful. Grief is a very individual experience that nobody except the person inside your head will ever understand. These authors have written a resource to help you find your way through that deep, dark forest into the light again. I recommend it to anyone who's experienced a sudden death. I'll keep my copy when I'm finished to hand on to the first person I know who needs it. It helps.
http://www.amazon.com/Wasnt-Ready-Say-Goodbye-Surviving/dp/1402212216/ref=cm_cr-mr-title#_

Review of "Everything Happened in Vietnam: The Year of the Rat" by Robert Peter Thompson

In "Everything Happened in Vietnam: The Year of the Rat", Robert Peter Thompson has given us a glimpse of what the war looked like through his eyes. It is very authentic. This book reads much like sitting and hearing Mr. Thompson tell his story. The stream of consciousness style lends itself well to the confusion of war. His conversational writing is pleasant. It's like sitting in a bar and listening to an old friend relate his memories. At times, I became a little lost but I'd keep reading. Then I'd say to myself,"That was well done!" I especially liked the little updates at end of some of the chapters.

I enjoyed this book. It's good to find more Vietnam veterans telling their personal stories. Our history is made up of millions of regular people. Real history isn't made by famous generals and presidents. It's made of regular people like Mr. Thompson. Too often, nobody knows about it except the people who were next to them. This book very clearly shows the struggles to mentally survive the war. I'm sure it was cathartic for Mr. Thompson to tell us his story. I thank him for sharing it with all of us.
Everything Happened in Vietnam: The Year of the Rat

ForeWord Book of the Year Awards

"SAT & BAF!" is now entered in the ForeWord Book of the Year Awards. This is the last contest I had planned, and it's another big deal award. It's done by ForeWord Reviews Magazine through the American Library Association. Wish me luck!!
ForeWord Book of the Year