Gifted Hands

Title: Gifted Hands

Author: Ben Carson & Cecil Murphey

Pages: 232

Genre: Biography/Autobiography

Letter Grade: A-

Synopsis: This is the story of a young pediatric neurosurgeon who is the best in his profession. He attempts (and usually succeeds) at surgeries that no other doctor is willing to attempt. The African-American surgeon (Ben Carson) grew up very poor in inner-city Detroit. With the motivation of his mother (who only had a third grade education) and his own desire to be the best, he rises above the stereotypes and graduates from Yale and then the University of Michigan with his medical degree. He has spent most of his time as a surgeon at Johns Hopkins Medical Center in Baltimore. He shares numerous experiences where the reader is left with no doubt that the Lord was guiding him. His faith in Christ is very apparent from this book.

My Review: I really enjoyed this book (I read it in only 2 days!). His story is inspiring and amazing and he never fails to give credit to the Lord for his successes. There are a few sad stories but most of them are simply miraculous. He obviously feels very strongly about his Adventist faith and comes across as a little preachy at times. The book is an easy read and one that will not soon be forgotten.

From the Book: "(p. 119) I learned something from that experience. No knowledge is ever wasted. To quote the apostle Paul: "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God" (Romans 8:28). The love I learned for classical music helped draw Candy and me together and also helped me get into one of the best neurosurgery programs in the United States. When we work hard to acquire expertise or understanding in any field, it pays off. In this case, at least, I saw how it certainly had yielded results. I also believe that God has an overall plan for people's lives and the details get worked out along the way, even though we usually have no idea what's going on."

A Train to Potevka

Title: A Train to Potevka

Author: Mike Ramsdell

Pages: 345

Genre: Thriller, Autobiography

Letter Grade: B+

Synopsis: This is the story of an LDS CIA agent who works covertly in the Soviet Union and Russia. Although he classifies it as a work of fiction (because of the sensitive nature of many of the stories), I would classify it as an autobiography. The stories told are incredible and often inspiring. He was blessed with many miracles during his trials. The main story is of a covert operation in a Siberian town that goes wrong. Mr. Ramsdell is forced to evacuate the city and go to Potevka on a slow peasant train. Although the book mainly follows his journey and adventures in Russia, he intertwines many other stories from his youth in Bear River, Utah and family life.

My Review: I enjoyed this book. While reading it, it is apparent that the book has been written by an "amateur" and not a professional writer. That's not to say its not well written though. The book is inspiring and draws heavily upon Mike's LDS mission and church experiences. When he breaks away from his stories about Russia, the book slows down but it always seems to pick up again. This book has a hard-to-explain human quality that really makes the stories easy to envision and hard to put down.

From the Book: "When I was younger, I always thought that after a person reached a certain age of maturity, life's troubles would finally be behind him. Yet, for whatever reason, the Good Lord apparently has a different plan for some of us."

The Cold War

Title: The Cold War

Author: John Lewis Gaddis

Pages: 266

Genre: History/Non-fiction

Letter Grade: B+

Synopsis: Most people in my generation know very little about the Cold War. This is a book written by a Professor of History at Yale University specifically for people who do not remember the fear of life during the Cold War. The book describes how the Cold War began, how the world was divided during the Cold War, the major political decisions that were made during the Cold War and how the Cold War finally ended after 45 years.

My Review: I really liked this book. It was a little dry at times (it is a history book), but most of it was very readable. The book is organized by concepts and by time. This means that once a new chapter is started, the book often goes back in time to explain a new concept. I would have preferred the whole book to be written on a time line and to not go back and forth between decades. I almost even shed a tear at the description of the Berlin Wall being breached.

From the Book:

• "(p. 48)

President Truman: We will take whatever steps are necessary to meet the military situation, just as we always have.

Reporter: Will that include the atomic bomb?

President Truman: That includes every weapon we have.... The military commander in the field will have charge of the use of the weapon, as he always has.

• "(p. 82) And so, to paraphrase Kurt Vonnegut, it did indeed go. The Cold War could have produced a hot war that might have ended human life on the planet. But because the fear of such a war turned out to be greater than all of the differences that separated the United States, the Soviet Union, and their respective allies, there was now reason for hope that it would never take place."

• "(p. 257) Gorbachev was never a leader in the manner of Vaclav Havel, John Paul II, Deng Xiaoping, Margaret Thatcher, Ronald Reagan, Lech Walesa - even Boris Yeltsin. They all had destinations in mind and maps for reaching them. Gorbachev dithered in contradictions without resolving them. The largest was this: he wanted to save socialism, but he would not use force to do so. It was his particular misfortune that these goals were incompatible - he could not achieve one without abandoning the other. And so, in the end, he gave up an ideology, an empire, and his own country, instead of using force. He chose love over fear, violating Machiavelli's advice for princes and thereby ensuring that he ceased to be one. It made little sense in traditional geopolitical terms. but it did make him the most deserving recipient ever of the Nobel Peace Prize."
  

The Radioactive Boy Scout

Title: The Radioactive Boy Scout

Author: Ken Silverstein

Pages: 209

Genre: Biography

Letter Grade: B+

Synopsis: This is the biography of David Hahn as a teenager outside of Detroit, Michigan. He was a science genius and spent much of his life attempting to build a model breeder reactor, which is quite different than a normal nuclear reactor (and much, much more difficult to build). This book chronicles his achievements, first building his own fireworks, brewing moonshine and creating a self-tanning lotion. Eventually he sets his sights on obtaining every element on the periodic table. Most of his peers, teachers and scout leaders didn't see just how ambitious and ingenious David really was. The methods that he used to obtain radium, thorium, americium, uranium, lithium and many other elements is very impressive but very scary as he took little thought towards protecting himself. Eventually he does build a neutron gun and a highly radioactive nuclear reactor (not a real breeder reactor).

My Review: I really enjoyed this book. I believe that I first heard about it in an IEEE magazine. There is really a lot of chemistry in the book and those interested in chemistry would probably enjoy this book even more than I did. David's scientific ambition is very impressive. Unfortunately for him, this ambition didn't translate well into schoolwork. It's a little nerve wracking the kinds of things that can go on right under your nose (in his case his parents' nose).

From the Book: "(p. 105) But David had discovered a secret, which had been first revealed to him when he read in his Boy Scout materials about polonium and americium: Many household and consumer items contain radioactive elements. Perhaps they contained only small quantities and certainly not in a pure form, but David figured he could devise means of isolating and gathering radioactive elements from store-bought goods."

Sarah

Title: Sarah

Author: Orson Scott Card

Pages: 390

Genre: Historical Fiction

Letter Grade: A

Synopsis: This is the story of the prophet Abraham's wife Sarah. Card follows her from a young child to when Abraham leads their only son Isaac to the hills to be sacrificed. He describes Sarai's marriage to Abram, their life in the wilderness and time in Egypt. After their time in Egypt, they return to the land of Canaan and descriptions of the wickedness of Sodom and the righteousness of Salem (Melchizidek's city) ensue. Sarai's emotions and feelings are brought to life throughout the book as she struggles to find out why she has not been blessed with children and to accept that God wishes her to give her handmaiden to Abraham.

My Review: I really, really enjoyed this book. I have read a handful of other books by Orson Scott Card but they were all science fiction books. I was impressed with how this one turned out. Sarah is an example of faith and obedience that everybody can appreciate. Because Card is a Mormon, his views and the liberties that he takes with what little is written in Genesis and the book of Abraham is very believable. Although, the book is fictional, Card has made the book of Genesis come alive for me.

Farewell to Matyora

Title: Farewell to Matyora

Author: Valentin Rasputin

Pages: 227

Genre: Fiction

Letter Grade: C+

Synopsis: This book is a sanctioned piece of Soviet literature. It was published in the Brezhnev (post-Stalin) era and portrays how a Soviet village is destroyed because of a large hydroelectric dam project. The book describes how the older people in the village struggle to change and adapt and how the younger villagers are much more willing to give up their village and move to a new, larger village. The book provides an argument that the Soviets can only be spiritually regenerated by returning to and embracing the old way of life.

My Review: I found this book to be a pretty easy read, but I did not find it all that interesting. The book is full of symbolism and metaphors. The book seems to be lacking a climax and most of the story is simply filler. I'll be reselling this book on half.com.

From the Book: "(p. 92) "So don't live to be that old," Darya said with sudden anger. "Know your limit," and she stopped, lowering her voice, realizing that it is not given for man to know his time. "Is it for one's sins that God keeps you alive beyond your time? Oh, they must be terrible sins for that...Where do you collect them? Man must live only as long as he serves a purpose.""

What Should You Read Next?

Here's a fun website that I stumbled across recently. It's called what should I read next? It's web address is http://www.whatshouldireadnext.com/. I haven't had a chance to try it out too much, but it looks pretty good so far. I put a permanent link to this site on my sidebar for your easy access.

One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich

Title: One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich

Author: Alexander Solzhenitsyn

Pages: 139

Genre: Historical Fiction

Letter Grade: B+

Synopsis: As the title so simply states, this book chronicles one cold, January day in the life of Ivan Denisovich Shukhov. Shukhov is in a Stalinist work camp in Siberia. He was sent there because he escaped from the Germans as a prisoner of war and returned to the Russians (i.e. no concrete reason, just like most of the people in the camp). The book is a single narrative and has no chapters. Although this book clearly chronicles one of the "good days", it still makes you shudder that people were forced into such awful conditions. In many ways, this book is a satire of "Socialist Realism", which is the concept of what Soviet art (including literature) should be. This book shows how Shukhov is a model prisoner, yet still receives no special treatment. He is generally kind to others, while still looking out for his own good.

My Review: I quite enjoyed this book. It was a quick read and realatively easy to understand. Most of us know very little about the forced labor camps and the purges under Stalin. While this book does not deal with the purges, it shows very effectively how men were placed in these camps without reason. It is a vivid depiction of humanity under extreme duress. Disclaimer: This book had quite a bit of foul language, supposedly included as a knock against Socialist Realism.

From the Book: "(p. 134 - Shokhov talking to a Baptist prisoner, Alyosha) But, Ivan Deisovich it's because you pray too rarely, and badly at that.Without really trying. That's why your prayers stay unanswered. One must never stop praying. If you have real faith you tell a mountain to move and it will move..."

"(p. 101 - Walking back to the camp after a hard day's work) Now we could take things easy. Everyone was elated. As elated as a rabbit when it finds it can still terrify a frog."

Sofia Petrovna

Title: Sofia Petrovna

Author: Lydia Chukovskaya

Pages: 120

Genre: Historical Fiction

Letter Grade: A-

Synopsis: This book is a fictional account of the Stalin's great purge. The main character of the book is Sofia Petrovna, a workingwoman trying to be the best Communist that she could be. Her son, Kolya was a great Communist. He was a member of the Young Komsomols and an ingenious inventor. Regardless of all this, he was arrested because somebody had fingered him as a terrorist or something (he wasn't of course). This book chronicles how Sofia Petrovna would wait in line day after day after day trying to learn more about the whereabouts of her son and trying to find out why he was arrested. Eventually he was sentenced to 10 years in a labor camp. Sofia Petrovna never believes that her son is guilty, she also never believes that anybody else who has been arrested is innocent.This is a story of a mother's naivety.

Review: This was a good book. It was a quick read and easy to understand. It is a testimonial to just how messed up the Soviet Union was at the time of these purges. It can be compared to the McCarthy scares of the 1950's but on a much much greater level. Nobody knows exactly how many people dies during the purges. Most believe that more than 6 million were killed. This book is a reminder of the cruelty of those times and the lives that it destroyed.

From the Book: "(p. 72 Spoken by Kolya's friend Alik to Sofia Petrovna) "We've been put on the blacklist, as I understand it. Scoundrels! Where the hell did so many swine come from all of the sudden?" said Alik."

In Cold Blood

Title: In Cold Blood

Author: Truman Capote

Pages: 343

Genre: Non-fiction

Letter Grade: B+

Synopsis: This is the story of the brutal killing of the Clutter family in Holcomb, Kansas. The murders took place on November 15, 1959. The killers had entered the Clutter home and tied up all four members of the family. They were shot with a shotgun held a few inches from their faces. The only clues that were left were two bloody bootprints. No motive could be found. This is the story of the deaths of the Clutter family and their killers, Richard Hickock and Perry Smith.

My Review: It was hard to believe that this book was a non-fiction book. The story is incredible and the details that Mr. Capote was able to turn up are astounding. The book was somewhat disturbing. Hickock and Perry (the killers) show no emotion for what they did and its hard to believe that humans can be so detached yet so conscious of the crimes they commit. There were a few slow spots but most of the book was exciting and unexpected - even though you already know the outcome.

From the Book: (pg. 55, Spoken by Dick to Perry less than an hour before they arrived at the Clutters) Perry gripped the edge of the washbasin and hauled himself to a standing postion. His legs trembled; the pain in his knees made him perspire. He wiped his face with a paper towel. he unlocked the door and said, "O.K. Let's go."

Envy

Title: Envy

Author: Yuri Olesha

Pages: 128

Genre: Socialist Fiction

Letter Grade: B

Synopsis: The main character, Nikolai Kavalerov, is taken in by Andrei Babichev - who is a very important person in the food industry of their city. Kavalerov is an aimless drifter and is often drunk. Babichev tries to help Kavalerov make a better life for himself but Kavalerov is so self-centered and deluded about his own worth that he even begins to hate Babichev. Kavalerov dreams of being important and envies Babichev to no end. Kavalerov gets himself kicked out of Babichev's apartment and he teams up with Andrei Babichev's brother, Ivan. Together they plot to kill Andrei but this comes to nothing. Eventually Ivan and Kavalerov end up living a life of indifference.

My Review: I had to read this book for a class but I was lucky because this book was very interesting. It was actually banned from being published in the Soviet Union for many years because the main character (Kavalerov) was not a good example of the 'new Communist man'. Another problem that they had with the book was that the reader would sympathize with Kavalerov. You do begin to like Kavalerov but you also begin to feel sorry for him and it's very easy to see how worthless he has become. The book reads very quickly and is almost humorous at times.

Favorite Passage: Forthcoming...

Cement

Title: Cement

Author: Fyodor Gladkov

Pages: 311

Genre: Socialist Propaganda

Letter Grade: B

Synopsis: This was one of the very first books to be published in the Soviet Union after the revolution. It is the story about a small industrial city and how they struggle to get the cement factory running again. The main character in the story is Gleb, who recently returned from fighting in the army. He returns to find his wife totally changed. Gleb takes the reins upon himself to work very hard to get the factory going. He and his wife are both members of the Communist party. Gleb and his wife Dasha are now equals in their social lives and in their working lives. The book chronicles their stuggles to adapt to this new situation.

My Review: I obviously had to read this book for school. It turned out to be better than I expected. The book was written (indirectly) as propoganda for the Communist party. It shows how honourable work and labor is to the country. I grew to really like Gleb and a few of the other characters but I also learned to be very grateful that I do not live in a Communist society.

Favorite Passage: (p. 232, talking about Communists who are not 'true' Communists because they think that they are better than others) "It was difficult for him to speak, as he had an unusually large tongue; there was too little room for it in his mouth, and in conversation it peeped out like a slug. Suskin could not get his words out; they stuck in his mouth and splashed about in the saliva with his tongue, suffering from their inability to escape."

Lord of the Flies

Title: Lord of the Flies

Author: William Golding

Pages: 208

Genre: Fiction

Letter Grade: A

Synopsis: The Lord of the Flies is a novel about a groups of young boys who are stranded on a deserted tropical island after a plane wreck. There are three kinds of boys in this novel. The first group are those who follow Ralph. He was the first leader elected no the island and represents democracy and order. The main character of the book, Piggy, is a part of Ralph's group. Piggy is the clearest thinking and most adult-like character in the book. This group shrinks as the book progresses. The second group of boys were the choir-boys. They originally went along with Ralph as the leader but found it more exciting to be with Jack and to go hunting with him. Eventually Jack takes over this group of boys and they begin to turn into evil savages. Roger, one of the boys in the group is expecially devilish and delights in harming other living creatures. The third group of boys on the island are the 'littluns', about whom the book talks little. The novel focuses on how the two groups develop and how Ralph's group is focused on being rescued while the boys in Jack's group live without planning for the future. The book follows the boys as many of them transition from being civilized to utterly barbaric.

My Review: This book can be a hard one to stomach. It is a fascinating, thought-provoking social commentary on how quickly we humans can change for the worse. The book is chock-full of symbolism and allegory. One of the main themes of the book is when Simon (who is good, clean and possibly symbolic of a Christ figure) has spent time in nature thinking when he comes upon the pig's head on a stick. The head is covered in flies and seem to almost be moving. SImon imagines the head talking to him. The head confirms to him that the beast on the island (that everybody is afraid of) really comes from within. He knew this all along and when he staggers out of the forest to tell the other boys about what he has learned, he finds them in the midst of their hunting dance celebrating a recent kill. The boys, thinking him to be the beast, attack and kill him. The book leaves an impression and gets you thinking about how you would act under similar circumstances. Most of us probably don't see us as a part of Jack's group, but do we really know?

1776

Title: 1776

Author: David McCullough

Pages: 294 (plus notes)

Genre: History, non-fiction

Letter Grade: A

Synopsis: This is the story of the American Revolution. The book actually begins in October 1775. It mainly tells the story of the Continental Army and their struggles. It paints a vivid picture of George Washington and the leader that he was. The American Patriots Nathanael Greene and Henry Knox also play a large role in the story of the revolution. The roles of the British Commander, Sir William Howe, his armies and the Hessian mercenaries are also related vividly and dramatically. Although the war didn't end until 1783, many of the most important battles were fought during 1776. This was not a good year for the Americans. They lost virtually every battle and saw very little success. The year did end on a good note though and gave the Americans momentum heading into the new year.

My Review: The book begins rather slowly as it is laying the framework for the rest of the book. Once the war begins though, it is hard to put this book down. If I didn't know the ending already, I would never believe how it would turn out. McCullough has an incredible talent to bring the stories to life. From accounts of people that were there he paints a picture so vivid that you know what is going on on both sides of the lines and what the generals were thinking. He takes very little literary freedom. My only complaint is that the book ends at the end of 1776 and doesn't continue on until present day. If history books were written like this, history would be everybody's favorite subject.

Map of Bones

Title: Map of Bones

Author: James Rollins

Genre: Thriller

Pages: 448

Letter Grade: A-

Synopsis: The book begins with a group of hooded men that invade midnight mass at a cathedral in Cologne, Germany. Rather than steal the golden coffin for which the cathedarl is famous, they take the relics from inside the sarcophagus and leave the golden coffin. The relics are supposedly the bones of the three wise men. This crime brings together a small American Sigma force team a Vatican historian and a Roman Carabinieri lieutenant. They go on a chase after the medieval Dragon Court which is still operating in the Catholic Church. They find out that the bones of the magi are not bones at all but a special monatomic gold that allows them to have special powers. The Dragon Court has stolen the bones because they are trying to bring about Armageddon.

My Review: I really liked this book. In many ways it is similar to the Da Vinci Code. I think that I liked this book just as much. Both books have a group of people chasing a secret ancient society and trying to solve a puzzle that has baffled people for hundreds of years. Amazingly, the main characters in both books are able to solve the puzzles in a matter of days. The people in Map of Bones are realistic and the dialogue is intriguing. The plot is clever and makes the book very hard to put down.