Book Reviews

If I ever think too much that I'm not doing anything, all I need to do is review my book reviews.

The Strength of His Hands by Lynn Austin

Another wonderful installment in the Chronicles of the Kings series I've been reading through. I am convicted and encouraged by Hezekiah's story, and I'd love to find a good study on him. I'm disappointed to see that the author has not written any other Biblical historical fiction, but I'm eager to get into the final book of the series.

Going Rogue: An American Life by Sarah Palin

It's no secret that I am a big Palin fan. This book, however, was a let down. Seemingly written for an audience capable of reading at fifth grade level, Sarah topically shares the details of her life from birth through the 2009 presidential election. I would have preferred something more substantial about her faith and her political views. (Now be nice, she does have them.)

I'll hold out hope for the next book; I'm sure there will be more.

On the Beaten Path: An Appalachian Pilgrimage by Robert Alden Rubin

Even back when I was a kid, I was captured by books of walking across the U.S., of sailing around the world, of trekking through Alaska with sled dogs, of scaling frozen mountains. For as much as I am an indoor person, I enjoy living vicariously through the adventures of others.

Since we now live so close to the Appalachian Trail, I figured it was time to read another book about it. This was a good one; surely not the best, but one that kept me interested in the trek.
It's been awhile since I've read an Appalachian Trail book.

The author of On the Beaten Path struggles with a mid-life crisis, quits his job and leaves his wife for six months to hike the 2,160 mile long Trail. Along the way, he meets interesting characters, gains self-discovery and realizes that he has a pretty good life.

Not bad, not memorable; a gentle and relaxing read.

Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt

Five years ago, this book was highly lauded as "dazzling," "politically incorrect," "engaging," and "rich in insights." I laud it as one of the most overrated bestsellers ever.

Economist Levitt supposedly turns boring economic statistics to topics that interest us: finding similarities between sumo wrestlers and schoolteachers, and the KKK and realtors; how parenting choices do--or don't--determine our children's success; the real reason crime dropped dramatically in the 199os, and more.

(Did I really say "topics that interest us"?)

Levitt puts his spin on statistics, how to read them, how to apply them, and how they divulge "surprising truths." As with many statistics used to show cause and effect, *I* could easily pick apart his "reasonings"--which means anyone could.

And yes, I'm still interested in reading his latest SuperFreakonomics. I don't want to know what sociological trend that indicates.

More book reviews

Liberty and Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto by Mark Levin

Be still my heart! I LOVE Mark Levin (impressive bio!). I recently made the connection that the same Mark-Levin-author-of-the-standout- Men In Black: How the Supreme Court is Destroying America is the talk show host guy is also the author of this book.

Liberty and Tyranny is a series of essays on hot button topics such as free market, federalism, faith and the founding of our government.

I want my own copy of this book, definitely recommended reading, "the necessary book of the Obama era."

Ronald Reagan: "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction."


Arguing With Idiots: How to Stop Small Minds and Big Government by Glenn Beck

While reading the Levin book, I also picked up Glenn's latest book. After leafing through, I found the topics to be similar to Levin's, so I skipped it. For now. But I adore Glenn, I love his sarcasm, and the book's graphics are terrific. Maybe I'll read it next year (hey, that's just a month away).


Who Do I Talk To? A Yada Yada House of Hope Novel by Neta Jackson

Book Two in Neta's newest series furthers Gabby's life at Manna House--both as a program director and resident. I am enjoying the series, although Gabby hasn't worked her way into my heart yet. (It took me awhile to like Jodi in the Yada Yada series too.)

What I did not like about the book was the author's detailed inclusions of Yada Yada characters. Instead of adding to the new book, it's very contrived. I'm guessing that will stop as Jackson gets more comfortable with the current characters. I'm eagerly waiting for the next book, I don't read much fiction, but this is worth it.

Touched By a Vampire: Discovering the Hidden Messages in the Twilight Saga by Beth Felker Jones

I won my copy of this book through Jen's giveaway (thanks, Jen!). Although I haven't read the series, you'd have to be living in an Iraqian cave to not know how popular it is.

I was hoping for a valid discussion of story themes, along the lines of What's a Christian to Do With Harry Potter? Unfortunately, Jones's book is a complete mess, and I stopped reading half way through. Each argument Jones writes against Twilight can be applied to practically every fictional book out there. There is nothing here relevant to Twilight itself.

Example: "The Twilight Saga suggests that the love between Bella and Edward is true love. If Bella and Edward are used as a measuring stick for love in real life, we may come to believe that true love looks a lot like controlling, abusive love." p. 45

Example: "As readers, we relate to Bella . . . Some families are far more terrible than Bella's . . . It's also the case that many families are much less disappointing than Bella's . . . But even the most loving families disappoint." p. 85

Example: "[Bella] panics at the thought of marriage . . . Bella associates marriage with reduced opportunities and disdains it as a traditional route that doesn't make sense for her." p. 99

ARGH!!!!!! It's FICTION!!!!! It may not be appropriate for every teenager, but it's FICTION. I do not worry that Trevor expects the world to be like Hobbiton. I do not worry that Trevor will want to be Darth Vader and turn to the Dark Side. I do not worry that Holly will want to live Bella's life and become a vampire. (Hey, she's on team Jacob anyway.)

Bottom line: If this were my daughter's school assignment, and she wrote similar paragraphs uncovering "hidden messages" of Twilight, I would find her reasoning groundless and her logic unacceptable.

I am forwarding the book on to a friend who had also expressed interest in it. I'll be interested to see if she gets something different out of it. (So let me know, R., will you?!)

(As the word "FICTION!!!!!" shouts over and over in my brain.)

(And yes, that's supposed to be there.)

Book Reviews

I've read these over the past several weeks; this post would be better titled "Book LIST."

Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist by Michael J. Fox

Q. Who doesn't like Michael J. Fox?

A. Any conservative who reads his 288 paged left wing liberal manifesto.

Not recommended. Read his Lucky Man instead.

Q & A by Vikas Swarup

This is the book that inspired the Academy Award winning film Slumdog Millionaire. Holly and I tried to watch the movie but, not understanding the heavily accented English, quickly gave up.

It was an interesting read. Once I began, I didn't care so much about the protagonist or the ending, yet I couldn't put the book down.

Reading the reviews, the movie is quite different, not in a bad way, just different. I'm glad I finished the book; I have no interest in trying the movie again.

Song of Redemption by Lynn Austin

This second novel in the Chronicles of the Kings series begins with the reign of King Hezekiah, his efforts to return Jerusalem to the True God, and the impending Assyrian invasion.

I am *really* enjoying this series, and I appreciate broadening my knowledge of the northern and southern kingdoms. I'm eager to read the next installment. Definitely recommended!

A slew of book reviews

I keep feeling like I'm not accomplishing anything. Apparently I'm mistaken, because the books are piling up and ready to go back to the library. There's been nothing too remarkable either way, so I'm posting them all at once just so I can keep track of what I've read.

A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity by Bill O'Reilly

I've been a long time fan of O'Reilly, and I can remember when he was on trash(ier) tv several years ago. Yes, I like him, but I can't seriously call The O'Reilly Factor a news show. I've read many of Bill's books in the past; this one differs in that it's his autobiography of growing up as a young Catholic boy on Long Island. To sum it up, using Bill's words, "A bold, fresh piece of humanity fights his way up and becomes a media force."

We don't talk about it much, but we've spent some time with Bill.

Or at least someone who looks a lot like him.

Robert disliked the book; Bill's ego came shining through. That's probably the same reason I found it appealing.


A good read; O'Reilly fans may like it.

* * *

Leaving the Saints: How I Lost the Mormons and Found My Faith by Martha Beck

Linda recommended this book; a very sad story (and the author did NOT find true faith). This book provides an inside look at the practices of the LDS church, and its actions to continue to so tragically deceive its members. I'd recommend this for the church story.

* * *

An Inconvenient Book: Real Solutions to the World's Biggest Problems by Glenn Beck

The usual entertaining and sometimes self-deprecating commentary of Glenn Beck. I wasn't sure if I should check this out, but the cover photo of Glenn eating a map of the state of California convinced me. It's a dated book, nothing too outstanding; I enjoyed it nonetheless. I had several Facebook ads for a free download too, I'm sure that's available just by googling for it.

* * *

Defeating Darwinism by Opening Minds by Phillip E. Johnson

* * *

Multiple Sclerosis: Your Legal Rights by Lanny Perkins and Sara Perkins

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Employment Issues and Multiple Sclerosis by Phillip D. Rumrill, Jr.

Book Review - The Language Police: How Pressure Groups Restrict What Students Learn by Diane Ravitch

I'm familiar with Dr. Ravitch; she's loosely grouped with others who write about the decline of education in our country. Assistant Secretary in the Dept. of Education under (the first) President Bush, she later accepted an appointment by President Clinton to the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB), which supervised national standardized testing. The NAGB approved potential reading passages for test questions, which then underwent the test contractors' "bias and sensitivity" review.

We all remember the stories about standardized test questions. Per "bias and sensitivity" review: Cake cannot appear in a comprehension story because it is not healthy; a story set in mountains discriminates against students who live in flatlands; it is wrong to describe peanuts as nutritious because they can cause severe allergic reactions. The list of stupidity goes on.

In addition to detailing a variety of well known testing companies' policies for standardized testing, this book also reveals how textbook publishers fall under the same unreasonable demands by feminists, ethnic minorities, the left, the right, religious groups, and the list goes on and on.

Background: textbook publishers pour millions of dollars into creating new books. Their eventual sales are dependent upon the approval of a few large states, such as Texas or California. If they are unable to sell in large numbers, they will also potentially lose the small sales. Publishers want to please their customers and therefore sanitize their books to avoid any possible potential objection.

Testing and textbooks must represent minorities in specific percentages. With original authors' permissions, popular stories were changed, for example: Judy Blume's Freddie in the Middle became Maggie in the Middle. Mrs. Jay was changed to Mrs. Chang. Although males and females were counted for equal balance, the state of Texas criticized a higher percentage of male animals. The state of California complained when The Little Engine That Could was depicted as male.

"Pioneer women doing domestic chores must be replaced by pioneer women chopping wood, using a plow, using firearms and handling large animals." (McGraw Hill) Women cannot be crying or doing "housework." Older people cannot be disabled or overweight. Men cannot be doctors or primary breadwinners. Children cannot be rude.

In short, test and textbook guidelines reach for a fictional world where there are equal numbers of males and females, where racial groups have participated equally in all aspects of history. History is not supposed to make us feel "good." How condescending that even student tests and textbooks are used to make a political point. "Literary quality becomes secondary to representational issues." "[The] ultimate goal of the academic curriculum is to advance multiculturalism." (Scott Foresman, which has 160+ pages of textbook guidelines.)

At the same time editors were simplifying reader vocabulary, which were found to be "too hard." ". . . standardized tests probe little more than basic skills. Depth, complexity and subtlety have been ruled out." I can well relate to this. As we began preparing for standardized testing when Trevor was in third grade, I saw that he was not doing well in "comprehension." I quickly realized that the testing wanted him to remember the color of John's dad's truck. Trevor had no idea--it was irrelevant to the story. But he could understand and easily explain WHY John liked to go riding with his dad. (Example.)

This was definitely a great read, very interesting, particularly the 25 pages of "banned words, usages, stereotypes, and topics." Wow. My personal subtitle would be something like "Reasons 224 - 592 to Homeschool." Note that the book was published in 2003, quite a while in terms of the school textbook industry, but probably not long enough ago to have made much difference in the books used today. On the downside, the book is poorly organized, with too much intermixing of testing and textbook requirements. Regardless, I recommend it as a definite eye opener, a fascinating book.

Book Review - Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time by Greg Mortenson

I have time only for a quick review. I've been waiting several months to read this 2006 Ney York Times bestseller. My library was slow to order it, and even now only has a large print copy. But it was well worth my persistence in checking the catalog and well worth my wait.

In 1993, Greg Mortenson unsuccessfully attempted a K2 climb and, upon his rescue, was accidentally led to a poverty-stricken Pakistani mountain village. Impressed by their hospitality, he promised to build them a school.

Greg begins his ingenuous efforts to garner financial support to fulfill his promise. He catches the attention of Silicon Valley pioneer Dr. Jean Hoerni, who grants him the money--in exchange for a photograph of the completed building. From this combined effort, the Central Asia Institute is eventually formed, which has since built over 70 schools in remote mountain regions.

Greg opens educational possiblities to small villages in the region, returning occasionally to the U.S. to work and raise further funds. His appeal lies in his ability to befriend the various peoples he meets--from peasants to tribal chiefs to Taliban leaders. Greg is in northern Pakistan on September 11 when he hears, "A village in New York has been bombed!"

This adds a compelling twist to the book, which made it particularly memorable. Greg saw firsthand the secret schools that exist only to teach militant jihad under the guise of "Islamic Education" at a cost of $45 million. Funded through an extremist, fundamentalist offshoot of Sunni Islam, these schools provide the only educational opportunities for impoverished Pakistani students. (Do I need to say How scary is that?)

The central theme of the story overshadowed the fair amount of liberal political rhetoric that I found (and almost expected). There were several small comments interjected which were not necessary. Greg's main point is that through education we can leave a legacy of peace--instead of violence, war and terrorism. We can sit here and talk about it all we want, but Greg Mortenson and the CAI are DOING something about it.

He's an interesting guy with an interesting story. It definitely gave me pause to think about a lot of things that I don't usually think about. I highly recommend this book.

Book Review - The Politically Incorrect Guide to Global Warming and Environmentalism by Christopher Horner

I'm debating even writing a review on this book. I've read another PIG (Politically Incorrect Guide) recently and enjoyed it. Silly me to assume that all the books in this series would be equally good.

The author's style is that of a political pundit. There may very well be some gems hidden inside but the never ending stream of sarcasm is tiresome. This is unfortunate, because I believe global warming is a multi-faceted issue, and I was hoping to read something truly informative.

I didn't waste my time continuing to read. This book is not recommended, but I'd love to hear suggestions. And, dear Lori, sorry, your friend Al's book is not quite what I had in mind **wink**.

:)

Book Review - In Mortal Danger by Tom Tancredo

Congressman Tancredo is from Littleton, where we lived for many years before moving here. He's also currently one of the Republicans in the running for President, although it's safe to say he's not a viable contender. I occasionally have the privilege of listening to Mr. Tancredo on the radio talk show I listen to each morning.

The topic of illegals get my head swirling, and it's difficult for me to think about calmly. For my own sanity, I'll try to keep my personal opinions to a minimum, instead restating some points in the book.

Congressman Tancredo is a concise, to the point author. He successfully intermixes egregious examples within his written narrative. This book is not specific to Colorado by any stretch, although one chapter details the efforts of the Denver Public Library to incorporate large amounts of Spanish materials into its collection while removing English holdings.

Our broken borders and current immigration "system" (oxymoron) are symptomatic of bigger cultural issues. Under the guise of "multiculturalism" and "tolerance," political correctness has once again gone overboard, and "tolerance" is once again redefined.

America is NOT the bad guy.

Giving illegals the same "rights" as those who came here legally--CITIZENS--devalues our system. Citizenship is NOT an entitlement.

One only has to look at Europe's demographic changes over the past few decades to realize that the U.S. will soon stand alone in defending Christianity and ultimately western civilization.

A 2004 Time Magazine investigation projected that 3 MILLION illegals would enter the U.S. in 2006. That's 60--SIXTY--Boeing 737 plane loads of illegals per day for a year. And that's just in 2006.

Despite our growing awareness, we continue to see proposals touting amnesty, K-12 and higher education at taxpayer expense, along with drivers licenses and voting rights for illegals.

There are current immigration bills both in Colorado and the U.S. Although President Bush's "reform" tanked badly last week, he immediately called for Republicans to unite with him and revive this bill. The American public has made its collective voice heard, and yet the President refuses to listen.

Possible solutions:

• Deportation. It's costly and ineffective, since we are not protecting our borders. (Laws exist but are not enforced at the federal level.)
  
• Amnesty. Rewards unlawful behavior (and why do you think so many are coming, because this is what they are banking on).
  
• Do nothing.
  
• CUT SERVICES. No more free medical care. No more free public education (currently more than $12 billion annually). No more "anchor babies" (which law was written in the 1800s to prevent states from denying freed slaves citizenship. No more food assistance and no more housing subsidiaries. If the incentive to stay is lowered, they will leave, or not come in the first place. No new amnesties. Stop people from crossing our borders illegally.
  

Mexico's number one source of income is oil exports; second source of income is remittances from the U.S.--to the tune of $18 BILLION per year.

What we do now will determine the fate of our nation. Our country is indeed in mortal danger.

The simple truth is that we've lost control of our own borders, and no nation can do that and survive.
Ronald Reagan

This wasn't the best written book ever but it was very informative, pretty comprehensive. I highly recommend it. Maybe Tancredo has a chance in 2012.

Book Review - The Marketing of Evil by David Kupelain

Ah, The Marketing of Evil is another book where I wish I knew what prompted me to choose it. David Kupelian is managing editor of World Net Daily, and this book jacket is adorned with praises by people such as Dr. Laura, David Limbaugh, Dr. James Kennedy, and Michelle Malkin. It was very informative and reminded me a lot of Mark Levin's Men in Black: How the Supreme Court is Destroying America.

The premise: "Millions of Americans today accept ideas and behaviors that would have horrified all previous generations. Why?"

I had such mixed feelings about the book. It started off with a bang, describing the "marketing techniques" behind the promotion of a variety of social issues. This was fascinating to read, and I could easily see how these techniques have been used to gain significant public sympathy and support in so many different arenas in today's culture.

For example, I'll apply these to my personal current hot topic, illegal immigration. (Although there are laws against this, you wouldn't know it in the sanctuary state of Colorado where there are written policies in some cities forbidding police officers from turning over illegals to ICE.)

Desensitization. There are so many ways in which we've been desensitized, I can't even begin a comprehensive list. We've been listening for several years how illegals commit crime after crime, are sent back to Mexico, only to reappear here to commit more crimes. For many years, canned goods in our grocery stores have both English and Spanish labels. We hear prompts for Spanish in voice mail hell. Forms at dr.'s offices are bi-lingual. By now, it's routine. We roll our eyes, thinking, "Here we go again."

Jamming. At the point people finally get fed up, we're called racists. I don't get this one AT ALL, but hey, that puts one on the defensive and gets away from the "illegal" topic. The big guns come out to silence and discredit any dissenting opinion. (Why else would two Border Patrol agents be sitting in prison, apparently with the blessing of our President?)

Conversion. Why do we hear comments such as, "How can we fault those who want a better life?" "Your relatives immigrated." (Both true, but there are LEGAL ways to obtain this, and that's what the whole issue IS.) If you repeat something enough, you can get people to believe it. The terminology has changed. "Illegal aliens" become "undocumented workers." And how can we forget that idiot state senator from Florida who proposed banning the term "illegal alien" from government documents because it reminded her of someone from "outer space"? (She gets paid for this??)

But after this great beginning, the rest of the book doesn't follow through. It's terribly disjointed, more like a series of opinions, but there's no connection, no flow between chapters, and no consistency. Many of the points and topics were good, but there was no continual story. The bok took a truly bizarre turn for the final 1/3, wherein the author compares the MSM to the computer program in the movie The Matrix.

Reading through the chapters left me with an overwhelming sense of sadness at the state of our country. It wasn't a bad book, just not well written. I wish the author had included significantly more source references for many of his claims. It's not that I doubted them, but I wished for more information. Recommended? Sure, but don't get your hopes up, this book is not all it's cracked up to be.

Book Review - America Alone by Mark Steyn

I just finished Mark Steyn's America Alone, recommended by Chris on our hs list. It required more concentration and thought than I am used to giving when reading, but it was well worth my effort. My knowledge of world politics is definitely lacking, but I was pretty much able to keep up with this TERRIFIC book.

One of the main premises of the book is that almost every developed nation is aging faster than it is reproducing. The U.S. is the exception, barely breaking even with a 2.1 fertility rate. Muslim nations, however, are growing much, much more rapidly and 50% of their population is 15 years old or younger.

"What does it mean when the fastest-growing population on the planet is a group that, to put it at its mildest, has a somewhat fractious relationship with the characteristics of a free society?"

"Children of the future will come from people who are at odds with the modern world." "They're the kids you couldn't be bothered to have."

Highly recommend this book, which I found (of course) at my library.

Book Review - Culture Warrior by Bill O'Reilly

Yay, I finally finished Culture Warrior! The more I read Bill O'Reilly, the more I like him. Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity . . . they're okay in small doses, but they are over the top and a little goes a long way. I only get tired of Bill's self-promotion, never of his opinions (at least not yet).

Overall, his book contrasts the traditionalists with what Bill calls the S-Ps--the secular progressives. I happened to catch his radio show last week for a few minutes and S-P is now one of his catchphrases. "Most regular Americans do not want drastic change in the country and therefore lean toward the traditional." The S-Ps consist of a very small percentage of Americans who are willing to dump loads of money into promoting such things as banning the military from recruiting on college campuses; partial birth abortion; legalized drugs; banning Christmas trees; nativities or menorahs from public display; etc.

I mentioned self-promotion. Bill takes credit for the public outcry in 2005 against the many major retailers who were hesitating to allow the word "Christmas" in the Christmas advertising. (Um, WHAT's the reason most Americans are giving money to these retailers in December????)

By the end of the book, I was definitely thinking of rereading Josh McDowell's The New Tolerance: How a Cultural Movement Threatens to Destroy You, Your Faith and Your Children.

Bill O'Reilly: "The secular-progressive dream is not an impossible one for them to achieve--largely because so many traditional Americans are ignoring the escalating culture war."

Hey, look at Europe, where in many countries, it's already happened.

This book: recommended.

Book Review - The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam by Robert Spencer

I just finished reading The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam ( and the Crusades) by Robert Spencer. It's impossible to wade through all the PC garbage in the MSM (mainstream media). In an attempt to read something more cohesive (it's impossible to read something unbiased), I read Unveiling Islam a few months ago, and I then found this book by poking around Amazon reviews.

For me, this was somewhat intense reading. I am grateful for the Ancient History that the kids have studied. It allowed me to somewhat follow along with the historical background that played a big part in this book, and I was familiar enough with many of the locations and some of the people referenced.

As I read through the book, my uncertainty in believing what I was reading began to disappear. The author makes point after point, stating over and over again why Islam is not the peaceful religion we are so often encouraged to believe. The book denounces many different myths about the Crusades and compares that time in Islam to the present.

A few quotes of note from the book:

Jesus: "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." Matt. 5:44

Qur'an: "And slay them wherever ye find them, and drive them out of the places whence they drove you out, for persecution is worse than slaughter." Qur'an 2:191

John Quincy Adams on "the lineage of Hagar," (i.e., Muhammad): THE ESSENCE OF HIS DOCTRINE WAS VIOLENCE AND LUST: TO EXALT THE BRUTAL OVER THE SPIRITUAL PART OF HUMAN NATURE . . . While the merciless and dissolute dogmas of the false prophet shall furnish motives to human action, there can never be peace upon earth, and good will towards men." (Emphasis original.)

Ibn Warraq, author and outspoken critic of Islam, "There are moderate Muslims, but Islam itself is not moderate."

Great read, great topical study. As much as I would be very interested to learn about this subject more in depth, I have neither the background to be discriminating in what I read nor the time to devote to such a pursuit. This book is definitely recommended.