Review of "Ben Franklin and the Magic Squares," by Frank Murphy

 Review of

Ben Franklin and the Magic Squares, by Frank Murphy, ISBN 0439328934

Three out of five stars

Interesting, but based on muddled history

 As a longtime enthusiast of recreational mathematics, I was pleased to see this book your young people that describes Benjamin Franklin’s interest in magic squares. The story moves along very well, accurately describes the wide range of Franklin’s interests and achievements and is well written.

 However, there is a fundamental flaw. Starting on page 32 there is the story of a bored Ben Franklin doodling with numbers and eventually inventing a 3 x 3 magic square using the numbers 1 through 9. This is simply not historically accurate.

 This magic square is known in China as the Luoshu and in Chinese legends dates back to before the CE. Other cultures such as Indian, the Babylonians, the Japanese, Greeks and European were also well aware of this simple numerological device. It is impossible to believe that someone of Franklin’s intellectual curiosity would have been unaware of this most basic of magic squares.

 For the implication that a bored Franklin invented this magic square, I give an otherwise quality book an average ranking.

Review of "D-Day Under Fire 1: Storming Fortress Europe," graphic novel, ISBN 9781472838780

 Review of

D-Day Under Fire 1: Storming Fortress Europe, graphic novel, ISBN 9781472838780

Five out of five stars

History being made by the minute

 I have always been of the opinion that education should be carried out by all available means. This includes everything from formal lectures to comic books. Graphic novels have been and continue to be an effective way to teach topics from the routine to the critical. When the Allies landed on the beaches of Normandy in 1944, history was literally being made by the minute. Many of those events are captured very well in this graphic novel.

 Given that the invasion proved to be a success, the fact that it could have gone differently is often lost in the explanations of victory. One of the most fortunate aspects of the invasion was that German Field Marshall Erwin Rommel, the leader of the German forces, was away from the Atlantic front on leave. It was his wife’s birthday and so he was hundreds of miles from the action. Had he been there, Rommel was the only one who could have ordered an immediate counterattack by the German Panzer forces. That counterattack could have succeeded and the Allied forces on the ground could have been defeated and captured.

  Using brutal imagery and reporting the dark humor of many of the troops, the organized chaos and brutality of the fighting are recounted. There is also a recurring theme of how the Scottish troops moved forward under fire to the accompaniment of a man on bagpipes.

 There is no question that one of the most significant historical days of the twentieth century was June 6, 1944. This book is a reasonably in-depth treatment of how the Allied soldiers did their duty, fighting against entrenched German forces, moving bravely against a determined enemy. It could serve as a textbook in history classes.

Review of "Summoned: Frances Perkins and the General Welfare," a PBS video

 Review of

Summoned: Frances Perkins and the General Welfare, a PBS video

Five out of five stars

The first woman in the cabinet most significant

One of the best decisions that President Franklin Roosevelt made was to appoint Frances Perkins the US Secretary of Labor. She was the first woman appointed to the presidential Cabinet and is arguably one of the top ten best cabinet appointments in history. She was a driving force in the creation of the Social Security program, the 40-hour week, the eight-hour day, the federal minimum wage and unemployment compensation.

 Given the deep conservative currents in the American political establishment and the judiciary, the legislative battles to enact these programs were intense and uncertain until they were passed by the Congress, signed by President Roosevelt and passed the judicial review of the Supreme Court. While both Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt provided Perkins with some political cover, she was unquestionably the primary force in making it happen.

 This video is the history of movements that were a fundamental change in the social contracts between the Federal government and the citizenry. Perkins was an extremely skilled political operative as well as a writer of legislation. It seems unlikely that President Roosevelt would have been able to achieve anywhere near the social legislation that he was able to enact without her.

 Frances Perkins is very much an underappreciated person in the history of the United States. So much of what she was able to steward into law is now considered a fundamental component of the American political and economic system. Her story and significant accomplishments are explained very well in this video. All high school students should be required to view it.

Review of "The Lady or the Tiger," by Frank Stockton

 Review of

 The Lady or the Tiger, by Frank Stockton ISBN 9781540351227

Five out of five stars

Arguably the best short story ever written

 I clearly remember reading the title story of this collection in my eighth-grade language arts class. A few of the girls hated it because they didn’t know the ending and were not shy about expressing their opinions. Explanations as to that being the point of the story did not change their opinions at all. Finally, with a gleam in her eye, the teacher announced that we would read “The Discourager of Hesitancy: A Continuation of ‘The Lady of the Tiger’.” The class, as we all wanted to know what had happened, eagerly received that announcement. There was great disappointment in all of us when we realized that there was to be no resolution and the situation was made worse by the second unresolved ending.

 To make things a little better, the teacher then had each of us write our own ending to both stories. To date, this remains the most interesting writing assignment I have ever received, the level of interest and energy in the class for this assignment was the highest I have ever seen.

 Stockton was a masterful storyteller, he takes what would otherwise be slightly absurd circumstances and turns them into stories that grab and hold your attention. The only downside, and it is a slight one, is that you need to know a little about the social mores of the time the stories were written. Stockton wrote them right before the start of the twentieth century, so his descriptions of the interactions between single men and single women are proper for the time but seem strange to the modern reader.

 The stories in this collection are:

 

*) The Lady of the Tiger?

*) The Griffin and the Minor Canon

*) Love Before Breakfast

*) “His Wife’s Deceased Sister”

*) Our Story

*) Mr. Tolman

*) Our Archery Club

*) The Discourager of Hesitancy

 

each and every one of them is a gem.

Review of "The Red Scarf," by Richard Mason

 Review of

The Red Scarf, by Richard Mason ISBN 0874838509

Five out of five stars

Deeply moving story involving segregation

 It is an extremely rare occasion when the printed word can generate moisture in my eyes. However, I grew misty at the description of two boys spending their money for eyeglasses that are a Christmas present for their “Uncle” Hugh. A little historical context is needed to appreciate the significance. The setting is southern Arkansas in the early 1940’s, the two boys (Richard and John Clayton) are white and their “Uncle” Hugh is an elderly black man. When Richard finds a dead mink on the side of the road he is relatively wealthy and can buy Christmas presents for his entire family as well as a beautiful scarf for Rosalie, the girl he wants to woo. However, when he is shopping, he remembers how badly Hugh needs reading glasses so that he can continue to read his bible and this leads him to give up the presents and buy the glasses for Hugh.

 There is a great deal of love between the boys and Hugh, he tells them wild stories that keep them spellbound. Hugh lives alone in what amounts to a shack some distance from the small town and is a railroad pensioner. The boys look after him, getting his groceries twice a week and the other members of the community understand and appreciate what they do, sometimes seeing that Hugh gets a little extra.

  There is not the slightest hint of racial prejudice in the story, although “colored”, the polite term of the time is regularly used. When the boys tell the optometrist that they are buying the glasses for an elderly colored man that is a friend of theirs, he reduces the price for them. Furthermore, they are also able to buy a Christmas goose for Hugh when the seller reduces the price. In the end, Richard’s good deeds are rewarded and he even gets a kiss from Rosalie.

 Some of the other very memorial characters are Bubba, a cook at the local diner, Peg, a one-legged saloonkeeper and Wing, a one-armed police officer with a wicked swing with a blackjack. Richard and John Clayton have a wonderful childhood full of (mis)adventures as they are constantly scheming to make money. There is a sad ending with a plot device that one would not expect from a story positioned in the segregated south of the 1940’s.

Review of "Meet Babe Ruth," VHS tape

 Review of

 Meet Babe Ruth, VHS tape

 Five out of five stars

 Babe sitting and recalling his deeds

  No other figure has ever changed their sport more than Babe Ruth changed baseball. Furthermore, no one else even comes close. Before he reached the major leagues, baseball was a “station-to-station” game, where the offensive mentality was to hit the ball and then stop at the next base. Before Ruth entered the majors, the home run was a rarity, never considered a fundamental offensive weapon. However, once he began hitting them, the game changed forever.

 One of the most amazing statistics one can ever find in sports is the fact that in 1920 Ruth hit more home runs than all other teams in the league except one. This was also at a time when baseball was the national pastime, making Ruth a superstar at a level that has never really been equaled.

 This tape is a collection of video clips of Ruth in action, it is presented in the format of Ruth sitting in a chair with pipe in mouth and turning the pages of a scrapbook. All fans of baseball history will recognize nearly all of the players and will know about the circumstances of the action in the clips. No attempt is made to set a dramatic stage for the video, it is narrated in a monotone manner as if Ruth is talking to a small audience.

 The baseball fan will appreciate this look at the life of Ruth, as impressive as his statistics are, they still don’t give an accurate account of how much he changed baseball. One segment that surprised me was the one that showed Ruth playing golf with Ty Cobb. Given Cobb’s reputation for being vicious on the field and being hated by his fellow players, it seemed unlikely that anyone would associate with him off of it.

 

Review of "Endless War," by Ralph Peters

 Review of

Endless War, by Ralph Peters, ISBN 9780811705509

Five out of five stars

Cynical, realistic treatise on wars

 When I was working as a software developer and we were having meetings there were times when very imaginative statements were made regarding the features to be added and the time it would take to implement them. I would often raise questions as to whether the plan was realistic and my concerns would sometimes be received by the comment, “Charlie, you are so cynical.” My response was often, “I prefer the term ‘experienced’.”

 In this series of essays, Peters expresses opinions that are both cynical and experienced. He uses the events of history to convincingly argue that war and conflict is a fundamental component of the human condition. He takes a hard view concerning religious strife arguing that religious conflict is based on emotion, so it foolish to think that such conflicts can be reasoned to conclusion.

 Using history all the way back to the ancient Greeks, Peters points out that where conflict is possible, it will generally happen. Wars end when both sides are exhausted or when one side overwhelms the other. Peters cites many examples of what the main thesis of the book is: when you go to war, do so with maximum force with a clear objective. Killing as many of your adversaries as quickly as possible is the way to minimize casualties over the long term.

 Peters is contemptuous of most of what is now the national security apparatus in the United States. From the halls of academia to the halls of a Congress that are largely purchased to the military officers that toe the line to the defense contractors that make massive amounts of money producing military equipment. He sees most of it as counter-productive in the goals of U. S. national security.

 This book is one of the most interesting that I have read. The points are strong and backed up by history. Peters spares no one in his criticisms of how America had been fighting wars over the last ten years. I was particularly impressed with his statements about Afghanistan and the absurd notion that it will ever be a cohesive nation or even if it will ever come close to being a country that has risen out of a feudal state. Those of us that know the history of that region and the cynical actions of the Pakistani security forces knew very early that the United States would someday be leaving in a hurry and with the conservative forces back in power. Peters in essence predicted the result of the U. S. presence in Afghanistan.

Review of "Threshold of Empire and The Battle for Manila 1898-1899," by James H. Nelson

 Review of

Threshold of Empire and The Battle for Manila 1898-1899, by James H. Nelson, ISBN 1884570712

Five out of five

Account of a much understudied event

 There have been many significant and trajectory changing events in the history of the United States and they are generally covered in the K-12 history curriculum. One event that is generally not given the historical attention that it is due is the war between the United States and Spain in 1898 to 1899.

 It was a very short and hugely successful war in the sense that the Spanish forces were quickly and totally defeated. The American victory over the Spanish fleet in Manila Bay was arguably one of the most one-sided naval victory in the history of naval warfare. The Spanish had 9 vessels sunk with only one American ship damaged. There were nine American wounded compared to 77 Spanish dead and 271 wounded. Spanish power in Asia was destroyed forever.

 However, the key outcome of the war was the fact that America became a colonial and global power. The Spanish islands in the Caribbean were taken over, which was a logical, nearshoring  extension of American power. However, the acquisition of the Philippines, thousands of miles from the American west coast and a gateway to Asia, was something unexpected. Before the war, very few Americans could have located the Philippines on a globe. Once the decision was made to make the Philippines an American possession, the United States became a major player in Asian affairs. It can be argued that it was the initial event spawning the rivalry between the United States and Japan.

 This dramatic change and the fact that American military forces had to defeat an indigenous guerrilla force fighting for independence is something that is not given the examination that it should. American forces engaged in some very ruthless actions in subduing their opponents.

 This book is a significant addition to the history of a watershed event in American history. It is an accurate rendition of the unusual events that led to a Spanish defeat and the rise of a new colonial power that expanded its territory thousands of miles beyond its previous borders.

Review of "The Legend of Pancho Barnes and the Happy Bottom Riding Club," Nick Spark Productions

 Review of

The Legend of Pancho Barnes and the Happy Bottom Riding Club, Nick Spark Productions DVD

Five out of five stars

Great story of what should be an aviation star

 For most people, their knowledge of female aviation pioneers begins and ends with Amelia Earhart. While Earhart accomplished many things, including having an expert public relations group, she was not the best female pilot of her time. There were other women that were better pilots, and even more daring. One of those women went by the name of Pancho Barnes.

 Born Florence Leontine Lowe and into wealth, her adult life began rather traditionally when she married a minister and established a traditional home. However, after a sojourn in Mexico where she passed as a man and became involved with leftist revolutionaries, she adopted the name “Pancho.” It was a fitting choice, for she was quite revolutionary in her breaking of sexist norms.

 Pancho was such an intuitive pilot that she soloed after only six hours of instruction. She was so talented that she became a movie stunt pilot, flying with and among the most daring flyers. The work was dangerous and one of the major contributions she made was the formation of the Associated Motion Picture Pilots union that standardized pay scales and working conditions.

 Pancho broke Amelia Earhart’s speed record and after going broke at the onset of the Depression, she bought land adjacent to Muroc Field, where new planes were being tested. She created the Happy Bottom Riding Club, a dude ranch that catered to the pilots that were flying the planes. Three of the pilots that knew her well were Buzz Aldrin, Chuck Yeager and Jimmy Doolittle. Clips of comments from Aldrin and Yeager appear on this video.

 Her dynamic and revolutionary personality are captured in this video, as well as the conflicts she had with a specific Air Force commander. Her ranch house burned down under mysterious circumstances, and she had to face down trumped up charges that her ranch was a site of organized debauchery.

 Spoken of with reverence by some of the best pilots the United States has ever produced, the sheer dynamism of Pancho Barnes is captured in this video. While this is a documentary, it will be clear to all who view it that her life should be the subject of a feature film. She was a legend in her time and should be a legend for all time in the aviation industry.

Review of "The Eerie Silence: Renewing Our Search for Alien Intelligence," by Paul Davies

 Review of

The Eerie Silence: Renewing Our Search for Alien Intelligence, by Paul Davies, ISBN 9780547133249

Five out of five stars

Plausible answers to the basic questions regarding life outside Earth

 Decades ago, I graduated with majors in biology, chemistry and mathematics. Since that time, I have read and understood many books and articles about life and intelligence outside Earth. It is a rare occasion when I encounter anything that presents a previously unencountered perspective on alien life.

 Davies opens with the rather unintuitive thread that the search for alien life should begin on Earth. He is correct in stating that most microscopic species have not been identified and catalogued, so there is a significant possibility that species could be discovered whose metabolic pathways place them outside what is considered the standard zoological tree of Earth based organisms. For example, carbohydrates and proteins with a structure different from the fundamental handedness of terrestrial organisms.

 This is an approach that has real possibilities and that can be done without leaving Earth and is something that I have not seen so logically put forward before. A concerted effort to identify and categorize microorganisms found throughout the Earth will have strong scientific and commercial value, even if no unusual results are discovered.

 Another thread that Davies covers in detail is the reality that carbon-based intelligence may only be a transient phenomenon. There are strong reasons to believe that humans will soon create machines with high intelligence and the ability to expand and reproduce, quickly rendering humans obsolete and uncompetitive. A plausible case can be made for the premise that such machines are the logical end result of natural selection. With the ability to intellectually grow and adapt, have nearly unlimited memory, and the ability to grow replacement parts for every component, such machines could be considered the pinnacle of the evolutionary tree. Furthermore, such societies may exist throughout the galaxy.

 I enjoyed this book immensely. Without having to postulate any technology such as warp speed or matter transporters, Davies develops arguments regarding why societies with large sizes could be created and continue to expand. If these machines could function for tens of thousands of years, then sub-light speeds become less of an obstacle in the management of a civilization. While it is clear that not all of what Davies postulates is true, it is a good bet that some of it either exists or will someday.

Review of "The Infinite Book: A Short Guide to the Boundless, Timeless and Endless," by John D. Barrow

Review of

The Infinite Book: A Short Guide to the Boundless, Timeless and Endless, by John D. Barrow, ISBN 1400032245

Five out of five stars

Infinity for the masses

 The concept of infinity is both simple and extremely difficult to comprehend. That is because there are in fact so many ways the fundamental concept can be applied. The idea that there is no largest natural number is easy to understand. Nearly everyone can comprehend that one can continue to add one to positive integers with no possible ending. If it is explained the proper way, then it is also easy to comprehend that one can take the average of two numbers and get a third between them. By repeating the process, the concept of an infinite number of decimal numbers can also be understood.

 The concepts of being able to match up the positive integers and the positive whole numbers so that there are an “equal” number of elements in both sets, where one is inside the other is where some people start to get lost. The continuation to transfinite numbers with hierarchies of infinity is a difficult, but not impossible concept to grasp.

 The place where the concept of infinity really becomes difficult, even for mathematicians and people who study the universe is when the question arises whether the universe is finite or infinite in both breadth and in time. There is now little doubt that the universe as we know it began with what is called the Big Bang. In other words, elapsed time can definitively be traced back to a point where the universe popped into existence and has expanded at a great rate since then. No known laws can take us back before the Big Bang and we do not yet have enough information to determine what the ultimate fate of the universe will be.

 Barrow covers these topics in ways that are as understandable as possible for people that have not engaged in deep study of the concepts. The book is both a fun as well as informative read. All readers will come away with more knowledge about the many types of mathematical infinity as well as the current understanding of the properties of the universe and the various options for how it will evolve.

Review of "Praying For Gil Hodges: A Memoir of the 1955 World Series and One Family’s Love of the Brooklyn Dodgers," by Thomas Oliphant

 

Review of

Praying For Gil Hodges: A Memoir of the 1955 World Series and One Family’s Love of the Brooklyn Dodgers, by Thomas Oliphant, ISBN 0312317611

Five out of five stars

Baseball and so much more

 This book contains many different threads; all tied together by a love of the Brooklyn  Dodgers and the void that remained when they moved to California. It is largely an autobiography of Oliphant in his early years growing up in a small apartment, attending school, engaged in youth and school activities and being devoted to the Brooklyn Dodgers. His father was stationed in the South Pacific in World War II and operated on land. Like so many that slogged through the humid jungle, he came down with serious cases of tropical diseases.

 Increasingly finding it difficult to carry out his work as a freelance writer, his father reached the point where he could no longer earn a living. This put a severe strain on the family finances, yet as Oliphant emphatically states, he never felt deprived.

 Intertwined with the story of his life is the history of the Brooklyn Dodgers, with a focus on their ability to win pennants and lose in the World Series to the New York Yankees. Often in incredible ways. No history of the Dodgers would be complete without some detailed coverage of Branch Rickey and his move to sign Jackie Robinson and integrate baseball.

 No sports book is complete without some form of “big game at the end,” and that happens here as well. That event is the 1955 World Series, when the Dodgers were finally able to defeat the Yankees, touching of celebrations throughout Brooklyn. Oliphant does a superb job in intertwining his life, the characteristics of the Brooklyn populace and explaining the background of the Dodger team in the first half of the decade of the fifties. He covers the reasons for the departure of the Dodgers, pointing out that attendance at Ebbets Field had declined and it was a dilapidated structure by the time the Dodgers left. Oliphant even does a bit to come to the defense of Walter O’Malley.

 Although this is largely an autobiography of Oliphant, a non-athlete, it is also a first rate sports book. The writing is superb and some significant name-dropping is done. For example, Oliphant describes his interactions with Arthur MacArthur, son of General Douglas MacArthur. He also gives his impressions of the General’s personality. This is one of the best non-fiction sports books of all time.

Review of "The First War of the United States: The Quasi War With France 1798-1801," by William J. Phalen

 Review of

The First War of the United States: The Quasi War With France 1798-1801, by William J. Phalen, ISBN 9788193759165

Five out of five stars

Covers a war rarely mentioned

 The primary great power rivalry of the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries was between Britain and France. France directly intervened in the American war for independence, and it seems unlikely that the United States would have won if it were not for the French help. At the time, France was a monarchy, which created issues with some Americans that were generally opposed to monarchies.

 As the United States made the initial steps to nationhood, the French did what great powers always do, they tried to manipulate events to their advantage. The reality was that the achieving of independence did not change the fundamental ties of commerce and business between the United States and Great Britain. The British also did all they could to maintain their commercial ties with their former colony. The French also felt that the United States owed them some gratitude for their assistance.

 This book covers the relationship between France and the United States in the years immediately after the American war of independence through the presidencies of George Washington and John Adams and the first year of the presidency of Thomas Jefferson. Two main political parties with widely different positions were forming in the United States, and the French Revolution overthrew the monarchy and established a republic. The French republic was more aggressively warlike than the monarchy, leading to significant conflict between the United States and France.

 One amazing fact that is often lost to history is that at the time of the presidency of Washington, the United States had not a single warship to protect the country from seaborne aggression. Even though there was a very large merchant fleet. Therefore, the American navy had to literally be built from scratch.

 This is a fascinating description of the early years of the United States when the founding fathers had to govern the country and deal with foreign nations that were often hostile and manipulative. Despite some significant disagreements, those men managed to steer the country through the dangerous waters and avoid what would have been a disastrous overt war with France.

Review of "Moscow 1941: A City and Its People at War," by Rodric Braithwaite

 Review of

Moscow 1941: A City and Its People at War, by Rodric Braithwaite, ISBN 1400044308

Five out of five stars

When the war on the Eastern front was decided

 Although there were many large and obvious signs that Germany was about to attack the Soviet Union in the summer of 1941, the Soviet leadership (Stalin) chose to ignore them. Trains bearing Soviet grain and other raw materials were on their way to Germany while the German armored units and aircraft were decimating Soviet Red Army formations. So rapid was the advance of the German forces, millions of Red Army soldiers were surrounded and captured.

 There was a great deal of debate among the German leadership as to what should be the primary goal of conquest in 1941. There were those that considered the capital city of Moscow to be the primary goal while others were in favor of maintaining the broad front.

 This book is about the near conquest of Moscow by the German forces. While other areas of the front are mentioned, the focus is on the city and how the people and the leadership responded to the crisis. What is made very clear is one of the most important historical facts. Had the Germans made a concentrated drive on Moscow, they could have taken it. Even though their forces were split, small units came within visual range of the city.

 It is fascinating to be taken within the Soviet government at a time of true existential crisis, when all of the mistakes made by Joseph Stalin were exposed. One of the most interesting historical tidbits is that when the officials went to wake Stalin after it was clear that the Germans were attacking, he thought that he was going to be arrested.

 While it is unlikely that the capture of Moscow by the Germans would have led to their victory against the Soviet Union, it is clear that without the capture of Moscow, the Germans could not win. Although it is possible there could have been a negotiated settlement like the treaty of Brest-Litovsk. The Soviet Union simply had too many resources available, most specifically (wo)manpower and the willingness to throw it at the Germans. The Soviet Red Army was the only military in the Second World War where significant numbers of women served in combat roles.

 This book is an important description of the most critical time during the Second World War. Had the Soviet Union not survived the onslaught of 1941, it is difficult to imagine how the Allies could have successfully invaded Europe in 1944. It is impossible to understand how the Allies won the Second World War without knowing how the Soviet Union survived the German onslaught of 1941. This book explains how it survived.

Review of "Aftermath: Following the Bloodshed of America’s Wars in the Muslim World," by Bir Rosen

 Review of

Aftermath: Following the Bloodshed of America’s Wars in the Muslim World, by Bir Rosen, ISBN 9781568584010

Five out of five stars

Depressing, yet illuminating story of the misguided wars

 In the aftermath of the United States engaging in acts of war against the Iranian nation, reading this book is extremely important. Those of us that follow these things remember how the administration of George W. Bush justified their invasion of Iraq on massive falsehoods regarding terrorism, supposed weapons of mass destruction and the vague concept of bringing freedom and democracy to the Arab nations.

 Rosen does a superb job in explaining how the invasion of Iraq simply split open all of the underlying hostilities between the Sunni and Shiite populations of Iraq as well as the aspirations of the Kurds for their own nation. Rosen begins with a historical recapitulation of the religious differences between the Sunni and Shiite branches of Islam. The mechanisms whereby the British Empire carved Iraq out of the remains of the Ottoman Empire are also explained along with how this created ethnic conflicts that the British used to maintain their control of Iraq.

 Rosen clearly has a very deep understanding of the ethnic undercurrents of Iraq and how they led to the extremely brutal civil conflict that the American forces and their allies tried to tamp down. This book is a demonstration of how ignorant of the American body politic is of the internal structure of other nations.

 The war in Afghanistan is also covered, but not to the amount of ink expended on Iraq. Clearly, Rosen is also very knowledgeable about this country as well. Once again there is a demonstration of how ignorant the American body politic is about Afghanistan. The rather ignominious departure of the American military was predictable, given how the Afghans were able to deal with their British and Soviet invaders.

 It is not possible for me to understate the significance of this book as the United States continues to engage in acts of war against the Muslim world. None of the recent US military interventions in Muslim countries have had an outcome anywhere near what the stated intentions were.

Review of "The Heathens," by Ace Atkins

 Review of

The Heathens, by Ace Atkins, ISBN 9780593328408

Five out of five stars

Atkins outside the Parker box

 My familiarity with the writings of Ace Atkins has previously been restricted to his stories that are a continuation of the characters created by Robert B. Parker. I have been impressed by his work in this area Atkins does a good job expressing the personalities in ways very similar to Parker.

 In this book Atkins weaves a story packed with supporting characters that are ruthless, single-minded, a whole lot of quirky, afraid of facing the world, rebellious, intelligent, single-minded and determined to discover the truth.

 The main characters, if there really is such a thing, are teenage delinquent TJ Byrd and Tibbehah County Sheriff Quin Colson. When TJ’s mother is murdered and her dismembered body is found in a nearby shed, such is the nature of TJ’s wildness that she is the prime suspect in the minds of nearly everyone.  Knowing this, TJ teams up with her boyfriend, best female friend and with her nine-year-old brother, they hit the road with U. S. Marshall Lillie Virgil in pursuit. They travel across several states.

 The boyfriend is an expert at hotwiring cars, and they find some assistance with one of his relatives. While this is in many ways a road story, there are many flashbacks to the characters at their point of origin, for that is where the original crime will be resolved. The characters there are generally criminals from the brutal murderers to the almost hapless con artist.

 There are unusual twists and turns as TJ and her group travel. They encounter some very bad actors along the way yet manage to find enough resources to continue until there is the inevitable climactic events where TJ and her band end up as well as the resolution at their point of origin.

 Even though the story follows several threads, they are well interconnected, so there is no sense of any of the characters and their exploits being unnecessary. The story is set in the modern world, TJ and her band are savvy social media users. This aspect is also very well done.

 I found the story to be an intense page-turner. You root for TJ and her group to survive as well as focus on the actions of Sheriff Colson as he follows several threads that converge on an explanation of what really happened with TJ and her mother. This is clearly in the pure Atkins voice as he demonstrates his ability to create and exploit characters outside the Parker universe.

Review of "Babysitters," DVD

 Review of

Babysitters, DVD

1 out of five stars

Ridiculous premise poorly executed

 The premise of this movie is a simple one, high school age babysitters that become sexually involved with the fathers of their charges. It begins with a new hire that turns out to be an excellent sitter with many features of a maid, even to the point of scrubbing the kitchen floor. After a few virtual dance moves and some innuendo, the father and the sitter become sexually involved. 

 This quickly expands out into what is in essence a call girl ring where several girls at the high school are recruited to become sitters with benefits. It goes on for some time until there are just too many people involved, and the secrets cannot be kept, even from these incredibly ignorant mothers. There is even an extended scene where one of the fathers joins in a major vandalism of the high school. 

 The premises are so absurd that the movie is quite boring. There are a few scenes where the sitter and the father engages in some genuine interpersonal dialog, but not enough to make it interesting. About one-third through the movie I was convinced that there would be a rash of scenes of bare chested girls in an attempt to save the movie from terminal idiocy. To the credit of the producers, they did not do that. 

 With simple interactions and an extremely unworkable plot, this movie fails to generate even the slightest interest. I had to watch it in 15 minute segments in order to male it to the end. 

Review of "On Conan Doyle," by Michael Dirda

 Review of

On Conan Doyle, by Michael Dirda, ISBN 9780691151359

Five out of five stars

A deep look into the works of Doyle

 Arthur Conan Doyle is most known for being the creator of the superlative detective Sherlock Holmes. Yet, Doyle wrote much more than that. To the extent that his other writings are mentioned, they are often restricted to Doyle’s writings on spiritualism. His other writings, some of which Doyle considered to be his best work, are rarely mentioned. 

 The strongest feature of this recapitulation of Doyle’s life is the mention of his other writings. Some of those writings are examined in significant detail, a valuable feature for readers that want to expand beyond the Holmes tales. 

 Dirda is a member of the group “Baker Street Irregulars,” a club of people dedicated to delving deep into the meanings and unusual extensions of the characters beyond what Doyle actually wrote. There is extensive mention of these musings, no place more than on page 146. “Jason Rouby conjectured that Holmes let Moriarty go at the Reichenbach and that the reformed master criminal went on to pursue a career in law enforcement the United States, taking the name J. Edgar Hoover. C. Arnold Johnson, by contrast, hypothesized that Moriarty returned to London as Fu Manchu, while William Leonard determined that Moriarty survived because he was actually the undead Count Dracula.” 

 Delving into the total work and mind of Conan Doyle is some of the most interesting literary exploration that you can embark on. This book is a must read for deep fans of Conan Doyle. 

Review of "Trent’s Last Case," by E. C. Bentley

 Review of

Trent’s Last Case, by E. C. Bentley

Five out of five stars

Truly a landmark in the murder mystery genre

 Originally published in 1913, this story is a bridge between the Sherlock Holmes stories by Arthur Conan Doyle and the full development of the murder mystery by the writers of the middle of the twentieth century. No less a luminary as Agatha Christie considered it one of her favorite stories.

 The main character and detective is Phii[ Trent and he is brought in to investigate the murder by shooting of businessman Sigsbee Manderson. No one was saddened by his death, Manderson was a ruthless businessman and the list of enemies that he made is extensive. It was argued that the world was a better place when he was not in it, but it was the position of the legal profession that no murder should be ignored. 

 There is little action in the modern sense of the murder mystery, everything is based on extensive dialogue between Trent and the other characters. Manderson has a wife that lived in the same dwelling, yet there seemed to be no real affection between them. Given no hard evidence pointing to a specific perpetrator, all are suspects, yet the facts give all reasonable alibis.  The solution is a complex one, so convoluted that while the case is solved, no one is to be charged with the crime of murder. 

 Given the complexity of the case, the reader familiar with the works of Agatha Christie will recognize the influence of this story on many that Christie wrote. The case is solved by interactions of Trent with other people, using what the Christie character of Hercule Poirot would call, “Order and method.” 

 The events proceed slowly, yet to a satisfactory solution. If you desire action in your detective stories, then you will likely find this one dull. However, if you are interested in the development of the murder mystery genre, then this book will serve as a valuable lesson. 

Review of "SS-GB: Nazi-Occupied Britain 1941," by Len Deighton

 Review of

SS-GB: Nazi-Occupied Britain 1941, by Len Deighton, ISBN 0394504097

Five out of five stars

Interesting alternate history premise

 The basic premise of this detective thriller is one of significant alternate history. After the defeat of the Allied forces in 1940, Germany was successful in their invasion of Britain. While there were major battles on British soil, the remaining British forces were no match for the Germans. The King is hostage in the Tower of London, Winston Churchill was captured and executed and there is no government in exile in the British colonies. 

 The year is 1941 and the alliance between Germany and the Soviet Union remains intact. There was a great deal of damage to the British infrastructure and many British soldiers were captured and remain as P.O.W.s elsewhere. Most of the British people try to live as best they can with rationing and German troops patrolling the streets. There is a resistance movement, but it is small and generally ineffective. The areas of Britain that remain unoccupied are slowly being starved out. While sympathetic, the United States remains neutral, with no great desire to come to the aid of the British nation. 

 Within the British population, there are some officials that remain in their positions and try to serve the British people as best they can under the watchful eyes of their German superiors. One such person is Detective Superintendent Douglas Archer of Scotland Yard. He continues to do the best he can in investigating crimes and has a professional relationship with the Germans. 

 The story has a complex plot, and much is based on the historical fact of the deep animosity between various segments of the German military. The Army retains much of its Prussian aristocratic office core and they have a deep dislike for the more working class and brutal SS. The machinations inside the German military made this a joy for history buffs like me to read. Few historical accounts or works of historical fiction deal with these rivalries within the German military. If you are not a student of history, then some of the aspects of the plot will seem incorrect. However, those that know the history will find them superb features of a delightful story.