Review of "American Indian Prayers & Poetry," edited by J. Ed Sharpe

 Review of

American Indian Prayers & Poetry, edited by J. Ed Sharpe

Five out of five stars

Great spirit and god are interchangeable terms

This collection of Native American generally short prayers contain the distinctive voice of those that consider themselves at one with nature. It is very different from the “go forth and control” mentality of Christianity. Yet, if you read them with the appropriate cultural openness, you will recognize many of the same sentiments about how one should treat their fellow humans.

 This book is an excellent reference for courses in multicultural studies where there is a bit of a focus on that of the largely displaced Native American culture.

Review of "And Then What Happened Paul Revere?" By Jean Fritz

 Review of

And Then What Happened Paul Revere? By Jean Fritz, ISBN 0590412043

Five out of five stars

Brief biography of Revere the man

 Nearly all American school children have recited the poem that begins with, “Listen my children and you shall hear, of the midnight ride of Paul Revere.” Yet, despite his significant role throughout the American rebellion against British rule, the other aspects of his life are often not examined. This short biography of Paul Revere helps fill that gap.

While it is well known that Revere was a silversmith, less well known is that he printed money for the colonies, rode to deliver vital communications, served in the military, learned how to make cannons and helped to construct a badly needed powder mill. Revere was a very busy man and played several key roles in the American revolution that are often overlooked. His life in service to the nation was far more than the celebrated ride and from this book, young readers will learn that.

Review of "The Changing Map of Africa," by Robert D. Hodgson and Elvyn A. Stoneman

 Review of

The Changing Map of Africa, by Robert D. Hodgson and Elvyn A. Stoneman

Five out of five stars

 Published when countries were being born from colonies

While the European powers had established their presence on the African continent centuries before, it was not until the years 1881 to 1914 that they decided to carve the continent into spheres of control. Some nations did so eagerly and with gusto, others entered the race with a bit of reluctance. German Chancellor Bismark was one that considered the acquisition of colonies to be a waste of resources.

 After World War II ended, it was clear that the colonial era was coming to an end. India, the crown jewel of the British Empire gained independence in 1947 and there was no doubt that Africa would soon be carved up into nations based on borders of the European spheres of influence. One very important point made several times in this book is that the international borders of the countries in Africa were drawn up with no regard to any ethnic territory or allocation to the needs of nomadic tribes.

Before 1951, there were only four independent nations in Africa, eight became independent in the late fifties and fifteen in the year 1960 alone. While these countries generally did not have to wage a war of independence, as the authors make clear, there were many difficulties with some internal bloodshed. The colonial powers allowed for the creation of a wide variety of local governments before they relinquished control, in some cases there were functioning local governments while in others there was in essence a dictatorship of one tribe over all others.

 Some European countries did not relinquish their control until the 1970’s, ending twenty years of struggles and problems trying to acquire and manage self-rule. The authors of this book give an excellent recounting of the problems of independence, some of the causes of the difficulties and the state of the countries when the Europeans transferred control. It is an interesting look at what was a series of complex actions in creating countries.

Review of "Star Trek Fotonovel #3 The Trouble With Tribbles," by David Gerrold

 Review of

Star Trek Fotonovel #3 The Trouble With Tribbles, by David Gerrold ISBN 055311347x

Five out of five stars

One of the all-time favorite episodes in graphic novel form

 The episode of the Star Trek original series, “The Trouble with Tribbles” appeared in the powerhouse second season and immediately became one of the highest rated episodes of the series. It is essentially a comedy overlaying the serious issue of the intense rivalry between the Federation and the Klingons. The lines and sight gags are delivered very well, who can forget Captain Kirk buried hip-deep in Tribbles and the major pun delivered by Scotty at the end.

 This graphic novelization of the episode captures the magic of the episode, it is easy to conjure up the scenes and how the dialog was delivered. I read this novel and had the immediate and powerful urge to watch the episode again. It is arguably the best acted by all players episode in the series and is certainly one of the best written.

Review of "The Silencers," DVD

 Review of

The Silencers, DVD

Two out of five stars

Interpreted as serious or as a parody, fails both ways

 When this movie was released in 1966, four James Bond films starring Sean Connery had appeared. This includes what is arguably the best of them all, “Goldfinger.” It features a woman antagonist with the best sexy name of all time as well as the nastiest villain in the behemoth Oddjob. The megalomaniac determined to control the world was also a feature of two of the first four Bond films.

 When watching this movie, it is impossible to determine if it is meant to be a serious spy film or a spoof. The point is a bit moot as it fails at both. Dean Martin simply does not have the acting skills to portray a spy, even one meant to make fun of spies. The dialog is at times atrocious, showing little of the charm and wit of the Bond films.

 I struggled to watch this movie to the end. However, it did rekindle my interest in the early James Bond movies starring Sean Connery. Others have tried, but none have ever been able to match the sheer screen presence of Oddjob and his killer hat.

Review of "Can’t Miss," by Michael Bowen

 Review of

Can’t Miss, by Michael Bowen ISBN 0060157178

Five out of five stars

 A woman breaks into the major leagues

 Chris Tilden is a natural, incredibly gifted hitter and female. When she is scouted in college, the pro scouts that were there were impressed by her hitting ability and baseball instincts. One went to the owner of the Denver Marshalls major league baseball team and convinced him to offer her a pro contract.  There was even mention that she could be a pure hitter in the mold of Ted Williams or George Brett.

 Like players before her that didn’t fit into the ethnic or color mode before her, Chris faces hostility from others on the field. This includes nasty sexist comments from her teammates, opposing players and even an umpire. There are also the travails of maintaining gender separation in the locker room during moments such as (un)dressing and showering.

 Furthermore, Chris is repositioned into left field from her more familiar third base. Like all others that made such a move, she makes mistakes at first and those errors are amplified. Yet, she can hit, consistently demonstrating that she can time and connect with big league pitches. Like all rookies before her, she faces some displeasure from her established teammates, one of which will have to leave the team. There are also the juvenile antics of her fellow players, often sexist, but not really directed at her.

 As it should be, skill overcomes adversity and bias and Chris rises to the level where she is respected by her fellow players. There is a climactic moment late in the book where she ignites her team to make a genuine run at the pennant. There is a love interest that arises, but it is secondary and could have been eliminated with no loss in the quality of the plot.

 By virtue of the star being female in a male sport, this book is an unusual story of sports fiction. Yet, it is one where the reader cannot help but root for Chris Tilden as she does her best to become a quality major league player. There are moments of isolation and uncertainty, but never one where she loses confidence in her abilities.

Review of "Greatest World Series Thrillers," by Ray Robinson

 Review of

Greatest World Series Thrillers, by Ray Robinson

Four out of five stars

 This book was published in 1965, so the World Series events to be selected from ends there. When selecting the greatest moments in World Series history, there is a great deal of personal taste in the decisions. In choosing twelve games to highlight, Robinson selects the four most obvious, when Babe Ruth “called” his shot, the catch made by Willie Mays in the 1954 series, the home run by Bill Mazeroski that won the 1960 series for the Pirates and the obvious choice for the best of all time, the perfect game in 1956 by Don Larsen. All were moments of great drama, never to be forgotten.

 The writing is a bit juvenile and overstated, even for adolescent sports fiction. For example, when describing the actions of Pepper Martin in the 1931 series, there are the two sentences, “No human being can halt a locomotive on the loose. And that’s what Pepper was that afternoon.” Yet, it is an interesting and exciting look back at some of the greatest moments in baseball history. I have watched the video of the catch by Mays and the home run by Mazeroski many times.