The Devil in the White City

Title: The Devil in the White City

Author: Erik Larson

Pages: 10 discs? (I don't remember)

Genre: History

Grade: B+

Synopsis: The World's Columbian Exposition (i.e. World's Fair) of 1893 was held in Chicago to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Columbus' arrival in America. This book intertwines the story of the architect Daniel Burnham's struggles to get the fair off the ground in such a compressed time frame and Henry H. Holmes and his World's Fair Hotel just west of the Jackson Park Fairgrounds. Architecturally and from a design standpoint, the buildings and grounds of the fair are simply amazing. More or less in 18 months, the swampy Jackson Park was transformed into a beautiful white city lighted entirely with electric lights (the first place for this to be done). Huge buildings were built to house the different booths with the crown jewel being the first Ferris Wheel. On the other hand, H.H. Holmes' hotel was originally built as a torture palace with dissection tables, gas chambers and a crematorium. All through the fair (and before and after) he would lure young women into his confidence before killing and dissecting them.

My Review: As a design engineer, I especially enjoyed the chapters where the design and construction of the Ferris Wheel was discussed. The Paris Exposition of 1889 had been a huge success with the Eiffel Tower and Chicago needed something great to follow it up. The original Ferris Wheel was huge. It stood 264 feet tall and had 36 compartments capable of carrying 60 people. Nobody had ever seen such a structure, yet the Ferris Wheel turned out to arguably be the strongest structure in the park. H.H. Holmes was one of the first serial killers in the US and almost went undetected had he not made a couple crucial errors. His story, while disturbing, was also very interesting. I also enjoyed random little historical nuggets that are scattered throughout the book from the Pledge of Allegiance being written for the fair's dedication day to descriptions of Walt Disney's father working on the fairgrounds and telling stories to his son about the White City (possibly helping Disney to create his vision of Disneyland).

Disclaimer: This book obviously gets pretty gruesome as it goes into as much detail as is known of the many murders Holmes' committed.

Rome 1960

Title: Rome 1960 - The Olympics that Changed the World

Author: David Maraniss

Pages: 496

Genre: Non-fiction, History

Grade: B

Synopsis: The Rome Olympics of 1960 were held when the world was in a transitory state. The Cold War was at its height, it was the first time that many of the Olympic competitions allowed women to compete and the United States (and much of the world) was in the midst of a racial revolution. While many of the athletes representing the United States were African Americans who were celebrated when they won, there were many restaurants and other places where they were prohibited due to the color of their skin. In addition, the 1960 Olympics were the first Olympics that were really televised and broadcast throughout the world. Clips had been shown during previous Olympics, but this was the first time that prime-time viewers were able to watch much of the competitions. These were the Olympics of sprinter Wilma Rudolph, decathlete Rafer Johnson and boxer Cassius Clay.

My Review: I loved reading the stories of the competitions. There always seemed to be an underlying political theme during every event. The Americans vs. the Soviets, the West Germans and the East Germans competing on a unified German team. The South Africans swearing that no racism was involved in selecting their team yet not a single black was good enough to compete. The inspiring stories of the decathlon, the track events and many others were also very enjoyable. The book did get a little wordy, but all in all was quite an interesting read.

Blink

Title: Blink

Author: Malcolm Gladwell

Pages: 288

Genre: Non-fiction

Grade: B+

Synopsis: This book analyzes the psychology of first impressions and the snap-judgment (or think-slicing). In many cases, the judgments made by somebody in the first second or two of exposure go against everything that the experts say but are nonetheless often correct.

My Review: I found this book to be very interesting and thought-provoking. I enjoyed how the material was presented with stories and examples backed up with research and studies. I do think that the information in this type of book needs to be taken with a grain of salt because there are two sides to every story and research can often be found to support contradicting claims. That being said, there are ways that we can prepare ourselves to make better snap-judgments.

Crazy for the Storm

Title: Crazy for the Storm

Author: Norman Ollestad

Pages: 6 discs

Genre: Memoir

Grade: B+

Synopsis: Norman Ollestad is 11-years old when he is in a plane crash high in California's San Gabriel mountains. His father and the pilot are killed immediately and Norman has to make it down the mountain on his own. The story of the plane crash is intertwined with a memoir of memories of young Norman skiing in races on difficult terrain and surfing throughout Southern California and Mexico. The pressure Norman's father puts on him to perform at these sports ultimately helps Norman save his own life when the plan crashes.

My Review: I listened to this book being read by the author and found the story to be quite enjoyable and amazing. When this book was recommended to me, it was recommended as one of the best books on parenting. While I don't concur with that opinion, I did find myself contemplating my own parenting style and the type of father that I would like to be.

Disclaimer: The language in the book is vulgar at times.

The Hummingbird's Daughter

Title: The Hummingbird's Daughter

Author: Luis Alberto Urrea

Pages: 528

Genre: Historical Fiction

Grade: B+

Synopsis: Teresita was born in 1873 on a prosperous ranch near the Mexic0-Arizona border. She was raised in dire poverty by her aunt but showed promise while growing up. She ended up becoming an apprentice to the ranch's medicine woman and is eventually invited to live in the rancher's (Don Tomas Urrea's) own home. At age 16, Teresita is raped and lapses into a deep coma before appearing to pass away. At her wake she sits up in her coffin rejuvenated and not ready to face death. She now has the power to heal and blesses pilgrim's from all over Mexico who visit to see her.

My Review: This book is often compared to "One Hundred Years of Solitude" as they are both Latin American classics, but I enjoyed this book much more. The author is the grand-nephew of the real Teresita (who is also remembered as the Saint of Cabora). While many of the stories are obviously apocryphal, the book was an enjoyable read and enlightening into 19th century Mexico.

Dave Barry Hits Below the Beltway

Title: Dave Barry Hits Below the Beltway

Author: Dave Barry

Pages: 208

Genre: Humor

Grade: B

Synopsis: The humor columnist for the Miami Herald writes about the history of politics and the United States government.

My Review: While you never know if Dave Barry is speaking the truth or not, this book was certainly an entertaining read. Barry pokes fun at everything he can fit into his 208 pages. In many ways, I found the book to actually be quite eye-opening to the excesses and poor practices of our government. Imagine if the government actually worked the way the founding fathers meant it to...

Tomb of the Golden Bird

Title: Tomb of the Golden Bird

Author: Elizabeth Peters

Pages: 9 discs?

Genre: Mystery

Grade: D

Synopsis: The book is part of the acclaimed Amelia Peabody series. Emerson and his wife Amelia are back in Luxor, Egypt excavating. Emerson has an idea of where a tomb may be located, but it is in the rights area of Howard Carter who eventually locates and excavates King Tut's tomb. Meanwhile, Amelia's family is being hounded by a mysterious group of people looking for somebody.

My Review: This book has generally received good reviews, but I found it to be dreadful. That may possibly be because I've never read any of the other books in the Amelia Peabody series, but this was a difficult one to finish for me. The only redeeming part of the book was in regards to King Tut's tomb, which was mildly interesting.

The Death of a President

Title: The Death of a President - November 1963

Author: William Manchester

Pages: 710 Pages

Genre: History

Grade: A

Synopsis: Essentially this book spans from November 20, 1963 to November 25, 2963, with the 2-3 hours surrounding the death of President Kennedy taking up around 300 pages. About 6 months after JFK was assassinated, Jackie Kennedy asked William Manchester to write a definitive account of the assassination. Manchester was given exclusive access to President Johnson, Jackie Kennedy, the secret service and others who were tied to the tragedy.

My Review: This was one of the most fascinating books that I've ever read. The depth of analysis that this book goes into is incredible. It was no surprise to many people that the President was killed in Dallas. People all over the country were warning the presidential party to avoid Dallas. Amazingly, the morning of the assassination the President and his wife were talking in their hotel room in Fort Worth and JFK mentioned that last night would have been a great night for an assassin to strike.

One thing that stood out to me in this book and in other biographies/historical accounts that I've read about US Presidents is the personality traits and qualities that set them apart from regular people. For example, the morning of the assassination Jackie Kennedy pointed out the beautiful artwork and flowers in their hotel room in Fort Worth. JFK had two minutes to spare and suggested that they give the lady that set them up a call. His final phone call was to thank a lady for the beautiful flowers and artwork.

Although JFK was elected in a country that was divided ideologically (much like today), most of the country was shocked and terribly saddened by his assassination. People throughout the world felt the impact of his death and leaders from countries across the globe made it a point to attend the funeral. What was most impressive of all was the poise and control that Jackie Kennedy showed throughout the ordeal, thanking visitors, receiving foreign dignitaries and planning the events. It was even her idea to place an eternal flame at his grave. I hope the country never has to suffer through a similar tragedy.

The Two Towers

Title: The Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers

Author: J.R.R. Tolkien

Pages: 17 discs

Genre: Fantasy

Grade: B+

Synopsis: The fellowship has broken up with Frodo and Sam sneaking off on their own to try and destroy the Ring in Mordor at Mount Doom. Pippin and Meriadoc have been abducted by Orcs who are taking them to Saruman at Isengard. Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli are carefully tracking their trail in an attempt to save them.

My Review: Once again I enjoyed being immersed in Middle Earth as I followed along Frodo and the others adventures. There were a couple of parts of the book that got a bit long-winded, but the story is still engrossing and enjoyable. I'm looking forward to the conclusion.

A Beautiful Mind

Title: A Beautiful Mind

Author: Sylvia Nasar

Pages: 5 discs

Genre: Biography

Grade: B+

Synopsis: Professor John Nash was awarded the 1994 Nobel Prize in economics for his work on game theory 45 years previously. As a young man, Nash was a mathematical genius who never hesitated to tackle the big problems. By the time Nash was 30 years old he was suffering from schizophrenia and would continue to do so for the better part of 30+ years. Amazingly, in the early 1990's, Nash's schizophrenia began to go into recession and Nash was again able to produce useful work.

My Review: This is one of the only audiobooks that I own, so I've listened to it a few times when I have forgotten to grab some new cds from the library. I find the book to be both an inspiring story of patience and determination among incredibly difficult circumstances as well as a depressing account of the familial difficulties suffered by Nash due to his sickness. There is no doubt in my mind that Nash was deserving of the Nobel Prize or that he was an incredible genius.

The Lightning Thief

Title: The Lightning Thief

Author: Rick Riordan

Pages: 375

Genre: Fiction

Grade: B

Synopsis: Percy Jackson is a troubled teen that has been kicked out of every boarding school he attends. He begins to notice strange things happening in his life, many of which seem to be strait from his class on Greek mythology. It turns out that Zeus' lightning bolt has been stolen and Percy is Zeus' prime suspect. Percy needs to locate the bolt and return it before Zeus loses his temper.

My Review: I enjoyed how the book helped to bring Greek mythology to life. I don't remember much about Greek mythology and I learned (or re-learned) quite a bit. The story is fairly juvenile and too often unbelievable, but it was an easy, enjoyable read.

Mere Christianity

Title: Mere Christianity

Author: C. S. Lewis

Pages: 5 discs

Genre: Religion

Grade: B

Synopsis: C.S. Lewis talks about what it means to be a Christian and the principles that all of Christianity are founded upon. The original lectures were given as radio broadcasts during World War II in Great Britain.

My Review: I found Lewis' insights to be interesting and refreshing, but the lectures themselves could be a bit boring. The lectures definitely gave some food for thought.

Wicked

Title: Wicked - The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West

Author: Gregory Maguire

Pages: 416

Genre: Fiction

Grade: B-

Synopsis: We are all familiar with the story of Dorothy Gale and the Wizard of Oz, but we've only heard her side of the story. This book tells the story from the perspective of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West. Elphaba is born a green hermaphrodite and struggles her whole life with her identity. She goes to school at the University in Shiz where she rooms with Galinda (who would become the good witch of the North). Elphaba champions the rights of Animals (those who can think and talk) and fights against the tyranny of the Wizard.

My Review: I enjoyed the book and the story overall, but found parts of the book to be a little boring and felt that they dragged on longer than was needed. It's been so long since I've watched The Wizard of Oz, that I need to go back and watch the movie to appreciate the book more. Alison and I saw Wicked the musical in Chicago a couple of years ago and quite enjoyed it. In fact, I'll take the musical over the book.

The Persian Pickle Club

Title: The Persian Pickle Club

Author: Sandra Dallas

Pages: 196

Genre: Historical Fiction

Grade: B

Synopsis: Queenie Bean is a young farmwife living in Harveyville, Kansas during the Great Depression. All of Kansas is a dust bowl and crops aren't growing and many people are out of work. Many of the wives in the town are members of the Persian Pickle Club, which is a group of gossiping ladies willing to do anything for each other that creates quilts for themselves and for good causes. A husband of one of the club members is murdered and a new member of the club tries to uncover the mystery behind the murder.

My Review: I enjoyed the book, it was an easy read but also thought-provoking and eye-opening. While the book is set during the great depression, I'm glad that the book didn't focus on all the depressing things going on at the time, but on how the ladies in the club always help each other out.

The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring

Title: The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring

Author: J.R.R. Tolkien

Pages: 18 discs

Genre: Fantasy

Grade: B+

Synopsis: Bilbo Baggins is preparing to celebrate his eleventy-first birthday in the Shire. All of the Hobbits are excited for the eccentric Hobbit's birthday celebration. At the end of the party, Bilbo mysteriously disappears by putting on a ring that he found in his journeys long before. He gives the ring to his heir Frodo Baggins and the wizard Gandalf tells Frodo that the ring is the ring of power that was created long ago by Sauron for evil purposes. Frodo and three other Hobbits end up traveling to Rivendell to council with the elves and on the way they are pursued by the evil black riders. In Rivendell a fellowship of an elf, two men, a wizard, a dwarf, and the four Hobbits head out on a journey to destroy the ring.

My Review: I've read these books once before and I thought that the time was ripe to read them again (this time by listening to them...). I really like the series and I've especially enjoyed listening to them because the reader has actually been singing all of the songs and poems that can be so long and boring when reading the book. The depth of the world that Tolkien has created amazes me.