Review of The Treeless Plain, by Glen Rounds

 Review of

The Treeless Plain, by Glen Rounds

Four out of five stars

Making do with what’s available

 When the people of the United States engaged in their inexorable push westward, in the states east of the Mississippi river there were plenty of trees for building homes and outbuildings. However, when the great plains were reached, the first thought was that it was uninhabitable by settlers. The first response was for the people moving west to travel all the way to Oregon rather than attempt to live in the plains.

 Yet, the desire for land was so great that people began homesteading on the prairie and were forced to use what was available for shelter. The first dwellings were nothing more than dugouts, dirt caves dug into the sides of small hills. Because there was little in the way of solid structure, the elements quickly led to their falling apart.

 An upgrade to this was the house made of sod. People discovered that blocks of sod made from the native prairie grass were easily stacked into walls and provided shelter from the heat and cold. The first houses had canvas sheets for doors and window, but the first improvements were a wooden door and a window made of waxed fabric.

 These advancements in the construction of homes are described in this book and is an illustration of human ingenuity. Wherever, humans establish permanent residence, the first dwellings are built from whatever is available at little to no cost. It is a good book about the westward movement of the American frontier, in that it demonstrates how one of the fundamental hurdles was overcome.

Review of "The Sixth Man," by John Feinstein

 Review of

The Sixth Man, by John Feinstein ISBN 9780385753500

Five out of five stars

Great modern example of YA sports fiction

 While this story adheres to the “winning the big game at the end in dramatic fashion” form of the YA sports fiction genre, it is very modern in the context. First off, it has females other than mothers in lead roles. So many of the classics of adolescent sports fiction have limited to no female characters. The main female character here is a strong personality named Christine and she is a no-nonsense reporter for the high school newspaper.

 Alex is a multi-sport star at his high school and the story opens with the start of the basketball season right after the end of the football season. Alex was almost able to lead his football team to the state title. In this case, there is dissension on the team, for at the first few practices, it is clear that Alex and his friend Jonas are much more skilled than their counterpart senior starters.

 The team does well, but really takes off when the golden boy Max arrives as a transfer. Like Alex, Max’s parents are separated/divorced and he lives with his mother. Both boys have strained to non-existent relationships with their fathers. This is also one aspect of the story that makes it very modern. Finally, it is not long after he arrives that Max reveals that he is gay. This sets off a dual confrontation, where the basketball team must stick together when they are to play for the championship and have to deal with anti-gay violence and smears.

 This is a great story, there is a lot of tension built up to the dramatic finish, Feinstein packs a lot of subtle and explicit action and social commentary into a sports story.

Review of "Snow Treasure," by Marie McSwigan

 Review of

Snow Treasure, by Marie McSwigan

Five out of five stars

Not the claimed true story, but still a great adventure

 There is no disputing the fact that the Norwegian gold reserves were somehow smuggled out of the country after the Germans invaded and occupied Norway in 1940. The gold ended up in the United States, where it was kept in storage until Germans were defeated. According to some accounts that have not truly been verified, the gold was transported in Norway from the storage vault to the transport ship by children on their sleds. While this seems unlikely, it does make for a great plot that is expressed in this book.

 After the Germans took control of Norway, most people did as little as possible to aid the Germans, although there were a few collaborators. Peter Lundstrom and the other children of the town of Riswyk are approached with a plan to load gold bars hidden in the bank aboard their sleds and transport it to a cave where men can then load it on a fishing boat that will sail to America. They are brave young teens, for all know that if they are discovered, the Germans will likely have the people doing the smuggling shot.

 All know that some of the Norwegians will betray their country to the Germans, so all must be careful when speaking. The Germans are depicted as posting harsh decrees yet are presented as having some vestige of politeness toward the Norwegian population.

 It is a great example of YA fiction, the children are depicted as heroes, but not in an exaggerated manner. While it likely did not happen, the story is depicted in a manner that presents it as a plausible happenstance.

Review of "The Case of the Fugitive Nurse," by Erle Stanley Gardner

 Review of

The Case of the Fugitive Nurse, by Erle Stanley Gardner

Four out of five stars

Follows the formula, yet unique

 The Perry Mason novels by Erle Stanley Gardner follow a basic formula. An unusual client comes in and presents a case that is clearly not what they claim. Intrigued, Mason agrees to take the case and suddenly unusual twists pop out everywhere. Mason is suddenly in a bind with the law and his old foe Hamilton Burger is out to even the score, willing to stretch the prosecutorial bounds if necessary. The case then reaches the point where there is apparently an impossible dead end. However, as only Gardner can, he has Mason dig out the truth and the guilty parties are all identified.

 In this case, the client is the wife of a very successful physician that has supposedly recently died in a plane crash. She suspects her husband of siphoning off revenues from his practice and the IRS also has their suspicions. She hires Mason to find what she thinks is $100,000 in missing money.

 Yet, almost immediately, it is clear that the client has set Mason up. There is an opened and empty safe, the head nurse for the doctor that is also the keeper of the books is also missing and a mysterious best friend of the doctor of unknown whereabouts.

 The only flaw in the plot is that the police and the prosecutor act like fools, never even trying to determine if the corpse in the plane is in fact the missing doctor. One of the key witnesses vanishes from under the supervision of the police and through it all Mason’s arch-foe Hamilton Burger fumes and arrogantly postures.

 It is a good story, one that keeps you gripped through the last pages as the scenario has been laid for what is the climactic courtroom scene where Mason lays it all down in logical sequence.

Review of "MacArthur’s Undercover War: Spies, Saboteurs, Guerrillas and Secret Missions," by William B. Breuer

 Review of

MacArthur’s Undercover War: Spies, Saboteurs, Guerrillas and Secret Missions, by William B. Breuer ISBN 9780785820482

Five out of five stars

A story of incredible heroism

 When the Japanese invaded the Philippines, they appeared to be unstoppable and there was concern that all of Asia would be added to their domain. Yet, in the darkest of times immediately after the American forces in Bataan and Corregidor surrendered, there were those that remained in the Philippines and continued the fight. Some were given orders to become part of the Japanese designated native officials while engaged in espionage while others took to the jungles and engaged in guerrilla warfare against the superior Japanese forces.

 The Japanese were ruthless in their treatment of enemy POWs and the native populations. Therefore, to resist the Japanese in any way and to be discovered meant torture and death. Sometimes, even the mere suspicion was enough to be killed. Therefore, the people that fought back were very courageous. Some of the bravest were the men that volunteered to be transported into enemy territory in order to gather intelligence. Although most survived, as they were being planned, they were openly considered suicide missions.

 This is a fascinating book in that it describes a side of the Pacific war rarely mentioned. Specifically, the ways that the native people resisted the Japanese rule and how they suffered for it. Most of the historical coverage is about the major battles, this book describes the background intelligence gathering that reduced Allied casualties. They had the right stuff needed to win wars.

MacArthur is described as incredibly brave, going into and remaining upright in combat zones as the bombs and bullets were flying. There is little to no criticism of his tactics, as he moved his forces from island to island destroying the enemy or bypassing them and letting them rot away.

Review of "Focusing on Davis County’s Past: A Pictorial History of Davis County," edited by Gary Spurgeon

 Review of

Focusing on Davis County’s Past: A Pictorial History of Davis County, edited by Gary Spurgeon

Five out of five stars

Example of the same only different

 This collection of images taken in Davis County, Iowa show scenes that are of course unique in specifics, yet very similar to what could be collected in most other counties in the Midwest. Herds of Holstein cattle, sheep, horses pulling wagons and machinery are common. From that, there is the transition to motorized transportation and machinery.

 There is also a transition in the buildings used for education. Images of the one-room local schoolhouses, to larger buildings as consolidation took place until the buildings are large and made of brick.

 The reader can clearly see the towns change as they expand and modernize. In an early image of Bloomfield, a large herd of sheep is being herded across town from one pasture to another. Later images have paved streets with large numbers of parked cars.

 Most people find it interesting to look through collections of images that demonstrate how things in a region have changed over time. This collection will not disappoint.

Review of "Comical Confessions of Clever Comedians," by P. F. Pitzer

 Review of

Comical Confessions of Clever Comedians, by P. F. Pitzer

Four out of five stars

Reads like a series of vaudeville acts

 Published in 1904, the authors of the comedic routines in this book were almost certainly vaudeville performers. They sound like bits that would have been delivered on a small stage to a live audience. The humor is largely based on puns that are simple and based on subjects that would be well known to almost all audiences.

 Many topics are used as background material, from baseball to the military to the circus. This book is an interesting look back at what was popular humor at the beginning of the twentieth century.