Review of 'Iowa “The Land Between the Vowels",' by Bruce Carlson

 Review of

Iowa “The Land Between the Vowels,” by Bruce Carlson

Five out of five stars

Growing up in Iowa in the early twentieth century

 Books like this that are a collection of reminiscences of childhood and early adulthood raise interesting thoughts in modern readers. From autos that were becoming common possessions to the slow arrival of electric power and appliances, things were starting to change dramatically in the first two decades of the twentieth century. Yet, in most rural areas, the farmhouse was largely unchanged from the previous century.

 One of the most amusing stories is about four boys that somehow acquired the monstrous sum of $2. Even better, they were free to spend it any way they wanted. They hitched up a buggy and took a trip to Duffy’s General Store, where they gorged themselves on soda pop, ice cream and candy. Their indulgence was so extensive that all four of them got seriously ill on the way back home.

It is interesting to hear how they had to repair the buggy when wheels went bad. Nearly all farms had an old, parked piece of horse-drawn equipment, so when a wheel went bad, they were given a replacement wheel that they swapped out themselves.

 Another of the most amusing stories is when they convince their city friend that if you run around a roosting owl and get it to follow you with its’ eyes, it will twist its’ head off. An unusual modification of the classic Iowa story of hunting snipe.

 While they lacked the modern forms of entertainment, from books like this it is clear that boys in the first quarter of the twentieth century still had a lot of fun. It was necessary for them to create their own entertainment and it is clear that they were masters at it. Along with getting into some occasional serious trouble.

Review of "Japanese Fairy Tales," by Iwaya Sazanami

 Review of

Japanese Fairy Tales, by Iwaya Sazanami

Five out of five stars

Many similarities to European tales

 These six tales by the legendary Japanese storyteller Iwaya Sazanami have many characteristics of classic European fairy tales. In “Momotaro,” an old, childless couple have their wish for a son granted via magic. That son then goes off to fight a set of ogres that have terrorized the local people for years. As is usual in such stories, he comes back to his parents a hero, having vanquished the entire team of ogres.

 There are many sentient creatures that exhibit human traits, there are cruel and avaricious humans and others that are very kind. In many ways, the characters are similar to what appears in the European fairy tales. There are many reasons why Sazanami is called the Japanese equivalent of Grimm of Germany. Like the Grimm fairy tales, Sazanami simply collated and organized rather than wrote these stories of ancient Japan.

 Despite the large cultural differences between populations, when examining fairy tales, it is easy to recognize how similar humans are.

Review of "A Preface to Democratic Theory," by Robert A. Dahl

 Review of

A Preface to Democratic Theory, by Robert A. Dahl

Five out of five stars

Predicate calculus applied to voting

 This is one of the most unusual political science books I have ever read, for there is an occasional reference to mathematical formulas to express how votes are created and applied. Line graphs are also used to express percentages of eligible voters differentiated based on the strength of their preferences.

 For example, on page 39 there is the formula:

NP(x,y) > NP(y,x) ↔ x Pg y.

It is explained in the text. NP(x,y) means “the number of citizens that prefer x to y,” and x Pg y means “x is then chosen as government policy to y.” It is a mathematical way of saying that if the number of people that vote for option x over y is greater than the number that vote for option y over x, then the government accepts option x as policy.

 The author refers to the ideas of James Madison in describing the various ways that factions, both in the majority and in the minority can somehow seize power in a government. There is analysis of how more than one minority faction can align themselves into the equivalent of a majority in order to take and share power. Making it a very detailed analysis of just what democracy is.

 The three branches of the federal government are also described and compared. Of particular interest are the cases mentioned where the United States Supreme Court declared popular laws passed by the Congress unconstitutional more than once. These rulings were eventually overturned by a later court, albeit decades later. These sections of the book seem particularly relevant in the years of the Roberts’ court.

 A scientific examination of what democracy is and how it is implemented in the United States, one can see how the contents of this book can be applied to the presidential elections of 2000 and 2016, where the winner lost the popular vote by millions. The victory was in the Electoral College and not the sum of what was in the ballot boxes.

Review of "Burn This," executive producer Bill Kennedy

 Review of

Burn This, executive producer Bill Kennedy

Four out of five stars

Humorous pseudo-cards

This book is a collection of humorous pseudo-cards with the equivalent of a front and a back. They cover many different topics, from holidays, to satire to love. For example, on pages 65 and 66 there are the captions, “You create in me . . . a burning sensation.” On pages 117 and 118 the captions are, “Here is the secret of eternal youth . . . lie about your age.”

 An image amplifying the caption appears on each page and they all are a positive and humorous emphasis. Nothing profound, just base humor in a couple of short sentences.

Review of "The Russian Revolution: 1917-1932," by Sheila Fitzpatrick

 Review of

The Russian Revolution: 1917-1932, by Sheila Fitzpatrick

Five out of five stars

An event that still reverberates in the world

 While there is a clear start to the revolution that overthrew the Russian monarchy, it was centuries in development. The Romanovs held the title Tsar of the Russian Empire from 1613 until 1917. Therefore, there was a great deal of history of the monarchy in Russia before it ended. Fitzpatrick spends some time setting the historical context, just enough to establish an understandable background.

 Fitzpatrick is also correct in putting forward the proposition that the revolution lasted much longer than the years until the Bolsheviks consolidated their hold over the land that became the Soviet Union. After the Civil War ended, the nation was in a terrible condition. One of the amazing facts was that the Soviet Union in the early twenties was less industrialized than it had been before the start of World War I.

 The Soviet leadership understood that the nation had to rapidly industrialize if it was to survive in the modern world. Therefore, the drastic and ruthless actions directed by Stalin were rightfully considered a continuation of the 1917 revolution in how they changed what was the Russian Empire.

 This is an excellent description of one of the most transformative events of the twentieth century. In less than two decades, a prostrate country that was broke and agrarian was transformed into an industrial giant capable of fighting off the most powerful military machine on the European continent. Recent Russian history has its roots in what happened over a century ago.

Review of "A Treasury of Mark Twain: The Greatest Humor of the Greatest American Humorist," edited by Edward Lewis and Robert Myers

 Review of

A Treasury of Mark Twain: The Greatest Humor of the Greatest American Humorist, edited by Edward Lewis and Robert Myers

Five out of five stars

In only a few words, the best social satirists and humorists can make a point that other people need pages to express. There have been none better at this than Mark Twain, and that is demonstrated in this book. The comments are short, generally 4 or 5 to an eight inch by five inch page. Yet, they are packed with a very effective meaning.

 There is nothing highbrow about the messages, Twain was not known as a writer where the reader needed a dictionary to understand his work. A joy to read over and over again, Twain has often been called a master of folk wisdom. Clearly, the emphasis should be on the second word.

Review of "Defending a Ghost," by John P. Derryberry

 Review of

Defending a Ghost, by John P. Derryberry ISBN  9781365347580

Four out of five stars

A virtual, rather than a real ghost

 This largely autobiographical book features a male adolescent who lost his father and separate best friend within a short period of time. He goes through a great deal of extreme grief, even to the point where he is verbally abusive to his mother. Sports are somewhat of a release, yet since his father coached, talked and played sports with him, they were also a reminder of his loss.

 At times overwhelmed with anger at his situation, the main character finally reaches the point where he is enjoying playing basketball again. He is good enough to play at the small college level, and the rendition moves back and forth from his adolescent years to his first years of college ball.

 The ghost in this case is virtual rather than a “real” one. The main character struggles to emerge from the great sense of loss, looking and doing almost anything brings back a memory of his father. Anyone that has struggled to emerge from the grief process based on an early death will relate to this book.