Review of "A Pass and A Prayer," by Clair Bee

 Review of

A Pass and A Prayer, by Clair Bee

Three out of five stars

The worst book in the series

I have read most, if not all of the Chip Hilton books by Clair Bee and this one is the worst that I have read. The basic plot premise is that football Coach Henry Rockwell, the Rock, comes down with a serious illness and has to be hospitalized. A man named Tom Bracken takes his place and he is someone with no scruples, little understanding of the subtleties of coaching and he considers himself infallible. Furthermore, Bracken has the backing of most of the powerful people in town.

 Even though Chip has proven himself on the football field, that means nothing to Bracken. When Chip stands up for his teammates and the good of the team, he is demoted. Things move along in an erratic way until the Rock returns. Bracken is such a despicable person that he physically assaults the Rock. Eventually, Chip finds the solution to the problem and a reasonable order is restored, even though the football team no longer has the opportunity to play for the state championship.

 The problem with this book is that the plot is convoluted and difficult to believe. Even under the most unusual of circumstances, no coach would be allowed to do what Tom Bracken does. There is no big game at the end. While there is a game, there is no climactic rendering, it is simply the way the story ends in a lackluster manner.

Review of "The Last Nine Days of the Bismarck," by C. S. Forester

 Review of

The Last Nine Days of the Bismarck, by C. S. Forester

Four out of five stars

The first British victory of WWII

 In September of 1939, German forces rapidly overran Poland. In April of 1940, German forces assaulted Norway and Denmark, easily defeating them. In May of 1940, German forces attacked and defeated the forces of Holland, Belgium and France, as well as the British Expeditionary Force. That campaign essentially ended with the mass evacuation of Dunkirk.

 German forces then began their air attacks against England and for some time, it appeared that the German air force would prevail. In April of 1941, German forces invaded Yugoslavia and Greece, adding to their victories and Allied defeats. After all of this, the most powerful battleship in the world, the Bismarck, sailed out from Germany in the middle of May in 1941.

 The first engagement of British forces with the Bismarck was a disaster for the British, their battleship the Hood was completely destroyed and only three of her crew survived. However, as happens so many times in war, the British air force was able to get off a lucky shot. Even though the Bismarck took a torpedo his in the side early and was able to shrug it off, a torpedo hit the rudder and torpedo mechanism, slowing it down and preventing it from making a run back to port. Crippled with no hope for air cover, the Bismarck was a sitting duck for the British forces that converged for the kill. It was the first real victory of British forces against the Germans in the war.  

 This book is a semi-fictional rendition of the last days of the Bismarck, the actual events are real, the supposed conversations between German commanders is fictional. The author does an excellent job in making it clear how great the tension was during the hunt and how relieved the British leaders and public were when the Bismarck went down. There are also some hints regarding how foolish the German leaders were. If the Bismarck had stayed within their air cover, it would have been almost impossible for the British to have sunk her. The sinking of the Bismarck was also the first clear evidence that the days of the battleship fighting alone were over.

Review of "Tonight Show Memories," starring Johnny Carson DVD

 Review of

Tonight Show Memories, starring Johnny Carson DVD

Five out of five stars

Great glimpses of the greatness

 At only 28 minutes in length, it is not possible for there to be more than a sampling of the 25 years that Johnny Carson was hosting the Tonight Show. Yet, the editors have done a masterful job at pulling out some of the classic events featuring Johnny at his best. From the earliest black and white and fuzzy skits to the high definition color at the end, they are still as entertaining as they were when first delivered.

 Most of the guests appearing in these clips have long passed, as have Johnny and Ed. It is pleasant to see them again at their prime, they are truly some of the best memories of the people that were the entertainment industry when Johnny Carson hosted the Tonight Show.

Review of "TV’s First Family," by Louis Solomon

 Review of

TV’s First Family, by Louis Solomon

Five out of five stars

History of a revolution

 When Norman Lear developed the hit show, “All in the Family,” he revolutionized network television. For the first time, pressing social issues became the subject matter of a prime time situation comedy. Specifically, the racism and ethnic prejudice that was so much a fact of American life. Ethnic, racial and religious slurs were as much a part of Archie Bunker’s life as was eating and breathing. On the opposite side, there was son-in-law Michael Stivic, a pure liberal that was often as thick-headed as Archie. Somewhere in the middle were Archie’s wife Edith and his daughter Gloria Stivik. As is almost always the case in revolutionary works of art, all the characters are played to extremes. Edith is portrayed as of limited intelligence and hopelessly devoted to Archie.

 The show was extremely satirical, with the prejudices of Archie portrayed as objects of ridicule rather than as role models. To many, it was a breath of fresh air in a medium that was sometimes referred to as “the bland leading the bland.” “All in the Family” was controversial, yet it was a hit and was the forerunner of other hits that stretched the limits of what could appear on network television. Often lost is that this show was the first fiction show on television to depict an attempted rape. It was dramatic television at its’ best, Jean Stapleton should have won an award for that scene only. There is no more dramatic scene in the history of television.

 A change agent of the largest type, Normal Lear was the first to give us reality television. Not the scripted nonsense now called reality TV, but television drama that reflected the difficulties and hardships of real life. This book is an excellent, brief history of this incredible show.

Review of "Buchanan’s Big Showdown," by Jonas Ward

 Review of

 Buchanan’s Big Showdown, by Jonas Ward

 Four out of five stars

Buchanan as a noble western hero

 The mighty Tom Buchanan and his boxing pal Coco Bean are traveling to Dodge City to meet with gambler Luke Short. Their goal is to stage a prizefight between Coco and a massive soldier at the local military fort. While the governor has given permission for the fight to take place and there are business interests in the town that stand to gain a great deal, there are many that still oppose it. The Colonel commanding the local fort is a pompous incompetent and a brutal outlaw gang led by a deserter is gathering nearby.

 Buchanan is once again forced to override his peaceful nature and deal with the outlaws in the only way they understand, with violence. He also shows his tender side in interacting with a widow whose son is in love with a local girl where her father opposes the match. The action moves quickly, the evil ones plot and Buchanan counters their every move, all of which is typical of a Buchanan story.

 Jonas Ward’s Buchanan stories are western hero fiction at its best. Buchanan always does good, even when it appears that he is doing bad when shooting down a man.

Review of "Ghosts of War: The Secret of Midway," by Steve Watkins

 Review of

Ghosts of War: The Secret of Midway, by Steve Watkins, ISBN 9780545665858

Five out of five stars

Quality history lesson wrapped in ghost story

 In the history of World War II in the Pacific theater, there is no question which battle was the turning point. It took place on June 4-7 in 1942 and some have called it the “most decisive battle in the history of naval warfare.“ In the span of only a few hours, the power of the Japanese navy to project air power from carriers was largely destroyed. Not only did they lose four carriers, but the planes, pilots and highly trained crews could not be replaced.

 Anderson and his friends Greg and Julie want to conduct the practice of their makeshift band in the basement of the junk shop of Anderson’s family. While rearranging for space in a room, they open an old trunk and find memorabilia of a sailor in World War II. The act of removing a navy peacoat from the trunk triggers a supernatural event where the ghost of a long-dead sailor appears. An old letter from the sailor is found in the peacoat and that leads the three friends to the person the letter was addressed to. While doing that, they learn a great deal about the battle of Midway and the consequences.

 This story has many features, a sound history lesson on the battle of Midway, the human cost of war when men leave home and their friends and lovers to fight and die in war and the general trials and tribulations of being a teen in the modern world. All of these features are put together very well in order to make a great book for young adults.

Review of "Incognegro Renaissance," by Matt Johnson and Warren Pleece

 Review of

Incognegro Renaissance, by Matt Johnson and Warren Pleece, ISBN  9781506705637

Five out of five stars

Great historical mystery

Much has been written about the Harlem Renaissance, where an area of New York City that had formerly been white became a dynamic black neighborhood. Such ethnic changes were part of what is known as the great migration, where blacks fled the segregated south in search of jobs and more economic opportunity. Many of the more talented ended up in Harlem and there began a flowering of what became black pride, a separate artistic thread as well as some intermingling of artistic and cultural works.

 One of the milestones was a party for the 1924 novel by Jessie Redmon Fauset called “There Is Confusion,” a party attended by some of the most powerful white publishing executives. After this party where rising black writers and editors attended, works by black writers began appearing in mainstream magazines.

 A party similar to that forms the opening scene of this graphic novel. Zane, a low-level reporter for a black newspaper, and Carl are attending a party for writer Arna Van Horn, celebrating his latest work. Zane is very light skinned black man that can pass for white and when there, they meet Xavier, a very exuberant black man that is also a writer. There is reasonable mingling of the races until Xavier is found dead in the bathtub, his wrists cut.

 The police show no interest in considering the death of Xavier as being anything other than a suicide, their concern is more with cleaning up the social mess. Yet, Zane is convinced that it was a murder, and his main lead was an actress that was at the party. He follows the leads and on occasion passes for white when the situation is advantageous. Hence, the word “incognegro” in the title.

 The storyline involves many instances of how the members of the black culture use their knowledge to come to the aid of Zane when he gets into difficulties. It is a very revealing look back into the days when blacks were relegated to secondary roles and doors were opened for the light skinned that simply would not have existed otherwise.

 The murder/exploitation crimes are eventually solved by Zane and his allies. That solution is almost a subplot to what is more interesting, how smart blacks navigated the borders between the white and black cultures as they existed in the 1920’s and ‘30’s. You conclude that there is a great deal of truth in this rendition.