11 minute read
Book reviews
Life and Death focuses on life
Life and Death John Durbin Husher iUniverse, Inc.
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Life and Death: The History of Overcoming Disease and What It Tells Us About Our Present Increasing Life Expectancy as a Result of Present Day Actions by John Durbin Husher covers both Life and Death – but is mainly about Life.
Life and Death covers the five worse causes of death in the history of mankind and what has been done to prevent a repeat of these causes. This is a story that covers the dramatic efforts since the 18th century by key individuals to overcome illness and extend the life of man.
It also takes the reader up to the year 2015 and what is being done to overcome many of the everyday illnesses and the death threatening ones.
In this current age of a Covid-19 pandemic, many readers will find information that is valuable to them in taking actions to help prevent or resolve their medical problems.
A work of meticulously executed scholarship, Life and Death is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to libraries and reading lists of medical students, academia, members of the medical community, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject.
How to be a Legendary Teacher Adam Prociv Balboa Press
Adam Prociv learned quickly that the energy he exuded in the classroom had a huge impact on the young children he was teaching. In How to be a Legendary Teacher, he explores how educators can inspire students and help them learn, starting with the way they approach each day.
As a teacher, your primary role is to create good energy, which can be as simple as your body language. Ask yourself if you are a teacher you’d enjoy being taught by (and if the answer is no) then do some soul searching. Throughout this guide to being a better teacher, aspiring classroom instructors will learn how to: Spark meaningful conversations among students; Engage students in creative projects that promote learning; Decide if you went into teaching for the right reasons and if you should stay; Navigate the numerous obstacles to teaching.
The teaching game is a process of trial and error, and while some lucky souls have a natural flare for the profession, others don’t. But just like anything in life, success doesn’t necessarily come to those with the most talent but to those with the will and determination to be a legendary teacher.
With almost 15 years in early childhood education, and 8 years in primary education, Adam Prociv also maintains an informative web site at adamprociv.com.
When it comes to finances and retirement, most so-called “experts” plug your numbers into a retirement formula to tell you how much money you need to retire. Unfortunately, the conventional approach is fundamentally flawed. If you fail to learn how retirement savings truly works, then you’ll either underspend and be miserable or overspend and run out of money.
In How Much Money Do I Need to Retire: Uncommon Financial Planning Wisdom for a Stress-Free Retirement, author and former hedge fund manager Todd Tresidder takes you beyond the scientific facade of modern retirement planning. Todd has helped thousands of people find financial freedom through his website and podcast. Now you too can use his advice to take the guesswork out of your retirement planning.
How Much Money Do I Need to Retire reveals: Why the best way to describe most retirement estimates is garbage-in/garbage-out; The five critical assumptions that can destroy your financial security; How to reduce the amount you need to retire by as much as $600,000; Three strategies to maximize spending today while protecting for the future; How to calculate the amount of money you really need to retire on the first try without software, online calculators, or being a math genius.
Expertly written and comprehensive, this compendium of financial planning advice and insights is thoroughly reader friendly and user effective in tone, commentary, organization and presentation.
Tresidder’s financial writing has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Smart Money Magazine, Investor’s Business Daily and more. He is a former hedge fund manager who “retired” at age 35 to become a financial consumer advocate and money coach. He also maintains a website at financialmentor. com.
Pedal Pushers Coast-to-Coast Marianne Worth Rudd Author House
For 32 years, Marianne Worth Rudd dreamed about cycling cross country, almost as long as she’s known her husband, Terry. She thought the bike trip was about getting to the Atlantic. They expected snow, lightning, heat, and wind while bicycling cross country. That happened. What they did not expect was a car collision, a broken arm, or Hurricane Sandy. That happened, too.
Pedal Pushers Coast-to-Coast is the story of their 2012 cycling quest from the Pacific to the Atlantic, chronicling the challenges, joys, and surprises of their 4,500-mile, 12-week bicycle journey. Personal quirks became quirkier. Pain and grief unexpectedly seized the trip mid-way with a car collision and broken arm for Terry, but three months later, their quest resumed- on a snowy October day in northern Minnesota.
From once coast to another, Marianne (Mari) and Terry experienced not only the changing terrain and state borders, but an elation far more gratifying than just reaching destinations – they discovered the curiosity and kindness of strangers, and the lasting impact. From simple gifts of root beer and oranges on a hot day, to shelter from a lightning storm and random invitations countrywide for meals and lodging, strangers offered unexpected generosity and care throughout their travels.
The book chronicles a transcontinental cycling adventure marked by challenge, resilience and hope, and illustrates the outpouring of kindness and generosity from strangers across the continent.
Marianne Worth Rudd is a veteran of self-supported bike touring in North America, Europe and New Zealand. She’s completed three cross-country U.S. bike trips-two with her husband, and one as solo cyclist. She maintains a website at thepedalpushers.net
The Coffee Cartel Paul H. Barrett iUniverse, Inc.
In the Straits of Florida, about 20 miles from Cuba, two fishing buddies are shocked when two intruders board their 55’ Hatteras during the night. The intruders are ultimately shot and what follows is a suspenseful tale of a retired FBI Agent, Paul Pilot, and his discovery and involvement in a sinister plot involving modified cocaine, super addictive coffee and a group of ruthless villains.
Cutting edge surveillance technology, several assaults on Coffee Cartel operations and torturous interrogations end in the termination of one of the most sinister operations ever conceived.
Paul Pilot, while intensely involved, falls deeply in love with Sara Sonata (an ebony angel). Despite incredible odds, Pilot helps stop the Cartel’s threat and he is ultimately presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in the White House.
The stuff of which action/adventure movies are made, The Coffee Cartel by Paul H. Barrett is an engaging and impressively original novel that will have special appeal to mystery buffs
A Soul’s Journey G. C. DePietro Independently Published
As far back as G. C. De Pietro can recall creativity has been her healer, born prematurely and later diagnosed with a life-threatening childhood disease she spent much of her early youth in hospitals. After surviving several near death experiences she knew she would commit her life helping others.
As an art therapist De Pietro realized there were too many innocent children who had devastating stories to tell and had witnessed horrific events in their young lives. Thus, she wrote a book about her involvement with these children called Abandoned which is available on Amazon. It tells the story of boys forgotten and how the art therapy process helped them heal.
Looking for answers as to why this sort of thing had to happen, she began to investigate karmic patterns. After studying with Jungian analyst Dr. Roger Woolger, PH. D, Ms De Pietro became a certified Past Life Regression Specialist. She now combines Art Therapy with Past Life Regression Therapy to make a unique contribution to the transpersonal psychotherapeutic community.
The underlying message offered by DePietro in her new book, A Soul’s Journey: The story of traveling through time to find the truth, is that recovered subconscious memories prove that death is not a punishment, but rather an opportunity to be reborn with new knowledge acquired from previous lives.
The liberating concept of reincarnation allows us to learn from our mistakes. The reasons why we keep coming back may surprise but more importantly learning how to move on and not get stuck in the karmic cycle is the quest as the readers of A Soul’s Journey will discover in this particular soul’s journey.
Farm Boy, City Girl: From Gene to Miss Gina
John “Gene” E. Dawson, author
Tamara Dawson Bonnicksen, editor MiRiona Publishing
Farm Boy, City Girl: From Gene to Miss Gina is a three part memoir that details John “Gene” E. Dawson’s life growing up in Depression-era Iowa in a poor farming Irish-Catholic family and his adult years spent living on the LGBTQ cultural edge in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and St. Louis. Deftly edited by Tamara Dawson Bonnicksen, this is a remarkable autobiography that offers a
rare glimpse into the mid-20th century history of both rural Iowa and of LGBTQ individuals in Middle America.
Part One, Farm Boy 1931 - 1949: Gene recounts his years growing up in the Great Depression, moving with his family from rental farm to rental farm until his parents could afford to purchase their own land and home. Life was difficult and often brutal for anyone during this time, but especially so for a gender-fluid gay child/teenager.
Part Two, Transition and Tragedy 1950 - 1959: Gene initially leaves the farm and begins transitioning into his new life as a gay man in the cities of Cedar Rapids and St. Louis, adopting the “city girl” persona of Gina. But the tragic accidental death of his mother forces him to move back to his family’s home in Iowa, where he faces gut-wrenching family drama and the loving burden of helping to raise his three younger brothers.
Part Three, City Girl 1960 - : Gene returns to Cedar Rapids before finally moving on to live an open, full existence as Miss Gina in St. Louis. Even in the city though, life was quite hard for openly gay men, and Gene recounts multiple harrowing tales involving the brutality of police, gay bar life, and the unsung heroism of midwestern LGBTQ people – years before the famous Stonewall riot of New York City.
A deftly crafted, exceptionally informative, engagingly compelling, and candidly personal account of a unique life lived out in interesting times, “Farm Boy, City Girl: From Gene to Miss Gina” is an extraordinary read.
The Lincoln Family Photograph Jay Peter Morgan iUniverse, Inc. Few days in American history have been as meticulously documented as Abraham Lincoln’s last day. The bucket list was short. The day began as a peaceful spring day and Lincoln had put in motion a plan to have a joyous carriage ride with his wife, attend the theater, and spend the day enjoying his family.
Gone was the melancholy that had engulfed the last few years. On this day, the President bounced out of bed, was jovial at breakfast, and uncharacteristically fussed over his appearance. He was usually unkempt and miserable, but had a special reason to appear dapper on this day.
On their carriage ride there is about an hour where the Lincolns are unaccounted for. Mary Lincoln claims they went toward The Soldier’s Home – but while historians disagree with her, they do not offer much of an alternative.
Many historical accounts of Lincoln’s last carriage ride contradict the very eyewitness accounts they source. Everyone knows the events of that night, and hopefully the photograph that is at the heart of Jay Peter Morgan’s The Lincoln Family Photograph: Moses in the Bulrushes plausibly fills in the afternoon of Lincoln’s last day.
An iconoclastic but inherently fascinating and deftly written historical study, The Lincoln Family Photograph is unreservedly recommended as a ‘must read’ for all Lincoln scholars.
In 1993, Jay P. Morgan was an amateur antique collector and dealer when he acquired a pair of photographs that set in motion a new set of career paths that included amateur historian and author.
Indie Bestsellers Midwest Indie Bestsellers Hardcover for the week ending 7/12/2020
FICTION NONFICTION
1. The Vanishing Half
Brit Bennett, Riverhead Books, $27
2. A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor
Hank Green, Dutton, $27
3. Where the Crawdads Sing
Delia Owens, Putnam, $26
4. Mexican Gothic
Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Del Rey, $27
5. The Book of Longings
Sue Monk Kidd, Viking, $28
6. Such a Fun Age
Kiley Reid, Putnam, $26
7. The Lost and Found Bookshop
Susan Wiggs, Morrow, $27.99
8. American Dirt
Jeanine Cummins, Flatiron Books, $27.99
9. Deacon King Kong
James McBride, Riverhead Books, $28
10. A Burning
Megha Majumdar, Knopf, $25.95
11. Death in Her Hands
Ottessa Moshfegh, Penguin Press, $27
12. 28 Summers
Elin Hilderbrand, Little Brown, $28
13. The Heir Affair
Heather Cocks, Jessica Morgan, Grand Central, $28
14. Camino Winds
John Grisham, Doubleday, $28.95
15. The Giver of Stars
Jojo Moyes, Pamela Dorman Books, $28
Midwest Title Alert
1. How to Be an Antiracist
Ibram X. Kendi, One World, $27
2. Me and White Supremacy
Layla Saad, Sourcebooks, $25.99
3. The Room Where It Happened
John Bolton, S&S, $32.50
4. The Splendid and the Vile
Erik Larson, Crown, $32
5. Between the World and Me
Ta-Nehisi Coates, One World, $26
6. Untamed
Glennon Doyle, The Dial Press, $28
7. Hood Feminism
Mikki Kendall, Viking, $26
8. I’m Still Here
Austin Channing Brown, Convergent Books, $25
9. Entangled Life
Merlin Sheldrake, Random House, $28
10. Countdown 1945
Chris Wallace, Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster, $30
11. Becoming Duchess Goldblatt
Anonymous, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $24
12. The Cold Vanish
Jon Billman, Grand Central, $28
13. The Biggest Bluff
Maria Konnikova, Penguin Press, $28
14. Separated: Inside an American Tragedy
Jacob Soboroff, Custom House, $29.99
15. Begin Again
Eddie S. Glaude, Crown, $27
Brought to you by the Midwest Independent Booksellers Association and IndieBound based on reporting from MIBA’s member bookstores. = Only on the Midwest list
