Review of "Pride of Baghdad," by Brian K. Vaughan and Niko Henrichon

 Review of

Pride of Baghdad, by Brian K. Vaughan and Niko Henrichon ISBN 9781401203153

Five out of five stars

Consequences of bombing from the captive feline perspective

 When the United States bombed Baghdad in the invasion of Iraq in 2003, the Baghdad zoo was bombed, freeing many of the animals. Among them was a group of four lions that were eventually shot and killed by U. S. forces. When that happened, the animals were in a state of starvation.

 This graphic novel tells that story from the perspective of the lions, which are sentient and can communicate verbally. To each other as well as to other animals in the zoo. Being subject to captivity for varying periods of time, the oldest lion remembers roaming wild and witnessing the sunset. The youngest have known only being fed on a daily basis without having to engage in any hunting style activity.

 As they roam free within the bombed city, they encounter other animals as well as human victims of the bombing. Their perspective is very well represented, while they can comprehend what they experience, they have no idea about the concept of human war. They argue between themselves, not really enjoying their freedom to roam among the death and destruction. At the end, they are shot by U. S. soldiers and their time out of the zoo was short and not very enjoyable.

 This is one of the most unusual anti-war graphic novels that you will ever encounter. It shows some collateral damage of war that is rarely considered, that of the animals that for whatever reason are in the care of humans.

Review of "The Nazi Party Rally Grounds in Nuremberg: A Short Guide," by Alexander Schmidt and Markus Urban

 Review of

The Nazi Party Rally Grounds in Nuremberg: A Short Guide, by Alexander Schmidt and Markus Urban ISBN 3930699478

Four out of five stars

Brief history of what was planned for Nuremberg

 Nuremberg was the site of the massive rallies conducted by the Nazi Party in Germany before the start of World War II. As part of this program, the Germans developed a massive building program of structures that could house incredible numbers of participants. While few of those structures were ever completed, the sheer grandiosity of their construction plans have few rivals throughout history.

 This book is a brief explanation of those plans with descriptions of how large the structures were to be, how many people they could accommodate and what they were to be made of. The explanations are constructed from pictures of models, what was constructed and a textual description of the building.

 Governments from ancient times have built massive structures designed to be both functional and long-term monuments to their power. The Egyptians succeeded, the Nazis did not. Books like this and a few relics are all that is left of their grandiose plans.

Review of "Isaac Asimov’s Library of the Universe: Rockets, Probes and Satellites," by Isaac Asimov

 Review of

Isaac Asimov’s Library of the Universe: Rockets, Probes and Satellites, by Isaac Asimov ISBN 1555323669

Five out of five stars

Nobody explains science better than Asimov

 Written for the reader in late elementary or early middle school, this book explains how rockets have been used to explore the universe. It opens with a brief explanation of how rockets work and the early pioneers in their development. In this area, the focus is on Robert Goddard. There is a mention of the German rockets carrying bombs to London, but no mention of Werner von Braun, either working for Germany or his later work in the United States.

 There is a focus on what satellites show us about Earth and then some of the results from the probes sent to other planets and moons in the Solar System. It closes with a brief explanation of what is planned in the future as well as a list of the countries that have launched space probes and satellites.

 This book is designed as a primer only, and in that respect the author had been very successful.

Review of "Tom Swift and His Wizard Camera," by Victor Appleton

 Review of

Tom Swift and His Wizard Camera, by Victor Appleton

Four out of five stars

Classic Tom Swift as adventurer rather than inventor

 In this book, Tom invents a new camera for taking motion pictures. He does so after being approached by named James Period, called Spotty by his friends. Spotty is a businessman that has grandiose ideas about action movies that he wants created to be shown in theaters. He wants action from natural events such as volcanoes, earthquakes to wars, nature films of wild animals battling each other and being herded to encountering storms at sea. Therefore, his proposal to Tom is that Tom invent a camera that can capture such action and then use his airship to fly around the world to film the events.

 Ned, Mr. Damon, Koku and Mr. Nestor accompany Tom on his adventures and in this case, there is an unusual twist. Mr. Nestor has a major financial stake in the business ventures of Spotty, and he will face significant financial hardship if Tom does not agree to deal with Spotty. This overcomes Tom’s initial reluctance to travel the world in search of action/adventure to film.

 Very little ink is used in the actions leading up to the successful creation of the camera, most of the text deals with the travels of the group as well as the action that they experience and film. Spotty learns of events that are taking place and sends Tom messages concerning where he is to go. As would be expected in such an adventure story, members of Tom’s group often narrowly escape death or injury in their quest to get the best camera shots.

 Far more an adventure story than one about an invention, this one has Tom being more of an entrepreneur than a genius inventor. His goal in this case is to make money for himself and his associates.

Review of "The Better Taylors," by Richard Taylor

 Review of

The Better Taylors, by Richard Taylor

Five out of five stars

These cartoons were originally published in the magazines “The New Yorker,” “Esquire,” “The Saturday Evening Post,” and “Collier’s” and this collection was first published in 1944. Therefore, the humor is well within the bounds set by those two contexts. Many of the featured characters are those of the high upper class, with the appropriate dress, facial expressions and dialog.

 Yet the cartoons have worn very well with age, for the themes are situations that remain constant in modern western societies. The incongruity of the situations keeps the humor intact, even if the situation is something that the reader will never encounter. For example, there is the one where there is a chorus line composed of tall skinny women with one exception, a short plump woman. The caption is, “Did you put the producer’s cousin in the chorus line like I told you to?” Another one has the gentleman of the manor tied up where the room has been ransacked. The butler walks in and says, “Did you ring, sir?” Great combinations of sight and textual gags.

 Some humor wears out quickly, other will last as long as humans are what they are. This collection is in the latter group.

Review of "The Story of Wheatland," by Philip Shriver Klein

 Review of

The Story of Wheatland, by Philip Shriver Klein

Four out of five stars

Brief history of the estate of President Buchanan

 Wheatland is the name given to the country residence of the fifteenth president of the United States, James Buchanan. It was located in Lancaster County Pennsylvania and by the standards of the times was a mansion.

 The house was built before Buchanan took ownership, so very few of the characteristics were by his design. Given that he was the last president before the Civil War, Buchanan’s record of effective government service is often lost to history. He was elected to five terms in the House of Representatives, served as American minister to Russia and Great Britain, Secretary of State under James Polk, and was in the Senate for approximately 10 years. Very little of that oversight is corrected here.

 The focus in this book is on the history of Wheatland rather than that of Buchanan. Written as an explanation of what is now a tourist attraction, there is very little about the life and actions of Buchanan when they do not directly apply to Wheatland. Yet, it is a short and entertaining read, one that piqued my interest in visiting it in the future.

Review of "No Dessert Until You’ve Finished Your Mashed Potatoes," by William O’Brien

 Review of

No Dessert Until You’ve Finished Your Mashed Potatoes, by William O’Brien

Five out of five stars

Cartoons based on exaggerated perspectives

 This book is a collection of cartoons based on the imagination of children when faced with situations in their lives. The situations are exaggerated yet contain a degree of reality based on the perspective of the child.

 For example, there is the cartoon with the caption, “She just adores her baby brother.” Yet, the image is that of an ape in a bassinette with a baby bottle in its mouth. There is the one with the caption, “Bedtime dear. Whatever you’re doing can wait until tomorrow.” The image is that of a child in a space capsule with hands on the controls. Finally, there is the one with the caption, “Why can’t you behave like your cousin Margery?” The image has a girl stirring a witch’s cauldron while an angel flies overhead.

 Capturing the perspective of a child when an adult is telling them things that nearly all children hear, this is an amusing book based on facts as they are perceived by the young mind.