Category: book review

How to Defend Yourself Against Deadly Weapons of Mass Distraction

Johann Hari’s book on the attention crisis was prompted by his godson’s addiction to his screens and his inability to focus and by the author’s own struggles with attention and distraction. Hari is a British-Swiss journalist who has written books on depression and the war on drugs and has given hugely popular TED talks on…


Book Review: ‘Never Forsaken’ by Cindy Scott

The subject matter of this book piqued my interest as I am half Filipina on my father’s side. Born in Portland, Oregon, I am an American citizen, and freedom is granted to me by birthright. My father came to America from the Philippines in the early 30s, became an American citizen, attended the University of…


Book Review: ‘The Midnight Library’ by Matt Haig

A sad and depressed young woman contemplates taking her life. She is full of regret and has chosen to be more self-critical than self-congratulatory. She’s lost people close to her. Her cat has died. Her work is unfulfilling. Her relationships are crumbling. Matt Haig’s “The Midnight Library” starts out on a dreary and depressing note…


Book Review: ‘Room 39 and the Lisbon Connection’

It’s June 1940. The Battle of Dunkirk is over with a massive military evacuation from Britain’s beachhead. Germany has occupied France. What of Britain’s longtime ally Portugal and its key port in Lisbon? Then-Prime Minister Winston Churchill along with British intelligence see the security of Portugal as key in their continuing efforts to unseat Hitler…


Book Review: ‘The Lincoln Highway’

Coined by John William De Forest in an 1868 essay, the Great American Novel, as many academics now posit, has not yet been written. There have been some standout contenders like “Moby Dick” (1851), “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” (1852), and “Huckleberry Finn” (1884), to name a few. And let’s not forget “The Great Gatsby” (1925). When…


Book Review: ‘Britfield & The Rise of the Lion’

In 2019, the Britfield adventure began in England with its first book, “Britfield & the Lost Crown.” “Britfield & The Rise of the Lion,” the second installment of a planned seven-book young adult series, was released in the summer of 2021. The series follows the harrowing escapes, of which there are many, of Tom and…


Book Review: ‘The Art of Patience: Seeking the Snow Leopard in Tibet’

The title of this book popped up in one of those elegantly printed catalogs that appear unexpectedly in your mailbox and demand perusing. This one immediately caught my attention. Snow leopards. Tibet. Being in the wilderness. Following vicariously in the footsteps of an adventurer. Being cold, actually being very cold, and finding joy. While certainly…


Book Review: ‘The New Trail of Tears: How Washington Is Destroying American Indians’

The Trail of Tears began and ended nearly 200 years ago. History looks at it as the exemplification of a people felled by war, disease, ignored treaties, and the destruction of its culture by internal and external forces. The Indian Nations and the American Republic (as well as Canada) proved incapable of coexistence, and as…


Book Review: ‘Captain Putnam for the Republic of Texas’

When Americans think of the American Revolution, they typically think of the ground troops led by men such as George Washington, Daniel Morgan, and Nathanael Greene. When it comes to fighting on the high seas, it’s the French Navy that comes to mind. The Continental Navy, aside from possibly John Paul Jones, typically isn’t given…


Book Review: ‘I, Citizen: A Blueprint for Reclaiming American Self-Governance’

In many of their writings, the Founding Fathers often indicated what they were working to secure for the American people: safety and happiness. These two words were a reflection of what Thomas Jefferson meant when he wrote that “governments are instituted among men to secure these rights.” The Founding Fathers’ goal was to institute a…