The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl by Timothy Egan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Timothy Egan’s tale of a dark time in American history is a harrowing read and a testament to the short-sighted and egregious greed that this country has been and is continually known for. Egan’s story-telling portrays the lives of many both victimized and culpable of the environmental catastrophe that continues to haunt the environment to this day.

It is a difficult read only because of the endless, the ceaseless destruction that is descriptively presented. Along with the descriptions of the land as it blew away, Egan also presents the tenacity of those that chose to try (at least) to stay the course. The story of the dustbowl is probably, at least, known vaguely by most but Egan includes the reasons, the excuses used, and the desperation of those that fought and eventually left the great plains in ruins.

The book is also a reminder, one of many, of the continuing battles that we in this country are still fighting, and against the same enemies. So, as well as an historical account, The Worst Hard Time also reminds us that these battles are often not won in a lifetime, that the enemies throughout history are the same, and that the reasons for the battles are consistent: greed.

Egan holds no punches and the book is a stark reminder that we are both culprits and victims of our own making. This is a great story, a reminder, and a sad tale of both humanity and the environmental havoc that we wreak upon the planet upon which we live.

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The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

48 Laws of Power is a systematic description of different philosopher’s viewpoints on how to defeat enemies, get ahead, and generally take advantage of situations and people. First Greene presents the laws and then follows with examples throughout history. And finally he offers counterpoints and counterarguments to the laws mainly pointing out how, if not followed, what the consequences will be.

The list can be taken in at least two ways. First, it can be used as a lesson book on how to further your quest for power, money, and prestige at any cost; on how to and why turn selfishness, greed and avarice into virtues. Secondly, it can be used to understand such people, and there are many, that choose to do such things.

The book is not a well-written composite of philosophical concepts but more a self-help book for psychopaths (#1) or a way to ‘know your enemy’ (#2). Either way, it is a thorough and systematic presentation of human insights or short-comings (depending upon who is reading it).

View all my reviews Landslide: The Final Days of the Trump Presidency by Michael Wolff
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The story presented is of Trump’s last days in 2020 and culminates in the atrocious and grievous acts of his followers on January 6th. Michael Wolff’s second installment of his ‘insider’ take on the Trump Whitehouse is illuminating, horrifying, entertaining, and sad. Much of the book is written in the first person of people that work closely with this regime.

In reading, the writing is story-like rather than historical, which makes it a quick read. That, and the fact the Wolff plays a loose game of fact and pseudo-fiction throughout. It is not difficult to imagine the conversations taking place as most are available on live television, but Wolff’s claims should not be taken as hard facts, although I don’t think he meant the book to be taken that way.

Wolff’s writing is both that of a gossip and a journalist as much of the book could not be checked or warranted. Wolff is fair with Trump, a bit too giving fair given the current second term. If the reader is searching for hard facts concerning Trump a better book in all ways would be Woodward’s Rage and The Trump Tapes. But if one is looking for a little historical entertainment, Wolff’s book would do the trick.

View all my reviews Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life by Arnold Schwarzenegger
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Picking up this book not expecting much other than some entertainment, I did some research and found that it was likely that Schwarzenegger wrote this book himself without the help of a ghost-writer. I was impressed and decided to give it a try. Afterall, being useful is a virtue if such usefulness is a positive for both the individual and society. In Schwarzenegger’s case, according to his book, he is both. I would tend to agree.

One can say much about Schwarzenegger’s acting skills, his politics, and his talent altogether, but one cannot deny that his story is fascinating and impressive. This alone warrants reading the book. But equally interesting is his take on usefulness. Almost madly driven, Schwarzenegger boils down his beliefs into seven rules, each of which is geared towards getting ahead in life, something Schwarzenegger knows a lot about!

The book is definitely geared towards the all-American drive for money and fame, but that aside the rules can apply to almost any goal. Two points that Schwarzenegger makes throughout the book that is laudable is his ability to dismiss what others think about him, and his belief that one should give back to the community, both of which he does very well.

This is an easy, interesting read for anyone who has ever wondered how a person from Austria can come to America and actually achieve their dreams, and is enjoyable to boot.

View all my reviews On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I’ve never thought of Stephen King as a producer of good literature, but more of an entertainer. I was wrong. Being a writer myself I enjoy reading and listening to other writer’s processes and rituals concerning their own writing and King’s book is one of the best books that I have found concerning writing.

It is personal but reaches beyond his own experiences. His advice is straightforward and offers no shortcuts to writing. But one of the most important pieces of advice that King offers is one of the most difficult for most writers, including me, to accept: we must take the art and mechanics of writing seriously. To King, writing and story-telling are serious endeavors.

King’s book is honest and entertaining all at once and his advice hits hard. The voice of his words are easily recognizable and his informality is refreshing. I can highly recommend this book for anyone who has ever been curious about, or writes themselves. Read it a few times because some of the advice feels like a slap in the face, something most of us need every once in a while.

View all my reviews The Trump Tapes: Bob Woodward’s Twenty Interviews with President Donald Trump by Bob Woodward
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Bob Woodward is famous for his honesty and his straightforward journalism and while some may admire him and some hate him, these characteristics cannot be denied. The Trump Tapes are a collection of recordings that Woodward had with Donald Trump during his first presidency. In them Trump comes across as amiable and willing, almost too willing, to tell the truth.

It is important to state that Trump was aware that Woodward was recording the interviews (by phone) and that Woodward did not hide his intentions of writing a book about Donald Trump. Of all the media coverage, books and interviews that Trump has had in the past years, these tapes reveal more about his personality, his intentions, his drive, and his persona than any other.

The Trump Tapes is also entertaining, but unfortunately so at the cost of Mr. Woodward’s necessity of having to listen to the often meandering and narcissistic monologues that Trump dutifully delivered all for the sake of being interviewed “by the most famous of all journalists”. It is apparent throughout the recordings what Trump was after and Woodward delivered.

This is and will be an amazing piece of history, sadly so.

View all my reviews The Brothers: John Foster Dulles, Allen Dulles & Their Secret World War by Stephen Kinzer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This historical account of two of the most influential persons on modern American history is both an enlightening account of how the country rose so quickly to superpower status, and the horrific ends by which it took to do so. The Dulles brothers are perhaps not so well known to most but they should be.

In the book Kinzer recreates the story that led these men to mold what modern America has become and how they did it. It is a harrowing account of what some people are capable of and to what extent they will go to warrant their ideologies, as narrow and nationalistic as the Dulles’s ideologies were. During a time when corporations were first being formed these men did much to create most of the problems that America has today.

Kinzer’s account is straightforward and well documented. It is true history if such a thing is ever possible and needs to be read by every American wondering how we have got to where we are today.

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