Review: Killer History: Why do they leave all the fun stuff out of the history books?

Killer History: Why do they leave all the fun stuff out of the history books? by Marek McKenna

My rating: 2 of 5 stars



All-too-quick historical trivia in a Kindle edition absent the book's images, needed editing and littered with random hyperlinks made this an underwhelming read. The author is abviously a history fanatic with a lot of knowledge to share, but the delivery was lacking.

Did you know the Wright Brothers weren't actually the first to make a powered flight? That they weren't even second? (Of course, being the first to have a photographer on hand is what made the difference.) That was one of the best of the breathless, hurried vignettes.



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Review: The Search for the Green River Killer

The Search for the Green River Killer by Carlton Smith

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Just got this back from a friend, so I am able enter a review under the correct edition. "The Search..." is an excellent title as this covers the crime from the police investigators' view. The dead-end trails, sought for clues and hopes dashed amid managing a large task force and trying to embrace and benefit from early computer technology tell an intriguing story of a community seeking to remove a killer.



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Review: Killer History: Why do they leave all the fun stuff out of the history books?

Killer History: Why do they leave all the fun stuff out of the history books? by Marek McKenna

My rating: 2 of 5 stars



All-too-quick historical trivia in a Kindle edition absent the book's images, needed editing and littered with random hyperlinks made this an underwhelming read. The author is abviously a history fanatic with a lot of knowledge to share, but the delivery was lacking.

Did you know the Wright Brothers weren't actually the first to make a powered flight? That they weren't even second? That was one of the best of the breathless, hurried vignettes.



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Review: 1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created

1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created by Charles C. Mann

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



This follow up to [b:1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus|39020|1491 New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus|Charles C. Mann|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327865228s/39020.jpg|38742] has more relevance and is arguably an important read to understand currently agricultural and even cultrual aspects of the "homogecene" era prompted by the Columbian Exchange. Resonating with Pollan's [b:The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World|13839|The Botany of Desire A Plant's-Eye View of the World|Michael Pollan|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320488029s/13839.jpg|908398], Mann recounts the history of potatoes from Andean tuber to edible pesticide. Other amazing chapters of this microhistory is the Asian exchange with the galleon trade leading to a 16th Century Chinatown in Mexico City and Mexican silver en masse relocated to China.

I particularly enjoyed and got a lot out of the theme that this late 15th Century activity started a wave of globalism that ramped up quickly and we still feel today. Two examples of that were ex-Confederate refugee rubber plantation founders in Sao Paulo, Brazile (http://www.patsabin.com/lowcountry/confederados.htm) and the failed Darien scheme of Scottish colonists in Panama.



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Review: Richard Pryor: Black and Blue: The Unauthorized Biography

Richard Pryor: Black and Blue: The Unauthorized Biography by Jeff Rovin

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



This unauthorized biography ends with the production of Superman III and tells of Pryor's undulating series of rise and falls from Peoria brothel scion to parallel careers as actor, recording artist, TV performer, and touring comedian. Particularly interesting is the story of Laff Records and much material is given over to Pryor's mysterious burning accident and recovery.



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Review: The Pro: Lessons About Golf and Life from My Father, Claude Harmon, Sr.

The Pro: Lessons About Golf and Life from My Father, Claude Harmon, Sr. by Butch Harmon

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I'm not a fan of golf specifically or even sports in general, however parts of this biography of golf great Claude Harmon, Sr. by his son, a wise curmudgeon and great athlete, were very interesting to read. There are multiple threads to this story I found interesting:

1] Tiger Woods transitioning from college to pro under the tutelage of the author. (This book ends while Woods is till on top of the world.)

2] The author's world-class father caring for a family while building a career in the changing pro golf circuit

3] The author's opinion on other gold pros, like the much hyped Michelle Wei and people like Greg Norman. He talks about some personally (like Norman) and others more tehcnially, like Wei.

4] The father and later son woring with and for the king of Morocco.



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Review: The Gamble: General David Petraeus & the American Military Adventure in Iraq 2006-08

The Gamble: General David Petraeus & the American Military Adventure in Iraq 2006-08 by Thomas E. Ricks

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



A fascinating indepth analysis of changling military strategy in Iraq focused mostly 2006-7. Basically, this covers the period from obvious need of reassessment to a policy of greater engagement and ultiamtely the surge. From Bush to the dawn of Obama's involvement, this is centered around Petraeus' entre into the mess. It is particularly enlightening how cooperation and engagement went further than bullets and bombs and I was moved by the comment of British peace activist and Mideast expert (and Petraeus advisor) that she hated war but loved the U.S. military and that America "doesn't deserve it's military"

By and large, this recalls to me Sir Winston Churchill’s analysis of the American way of addressing challenges: "The Americans Will Always Do the Right Thing…After They Have Exhausted All the Alternatives". Unfortunately for Iraq, and us, the consequences of those alternatives will last into the forseeable future.



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