Top 5 Reasons to read Jerry B. Jenkins "The Betrayal"

I am going to veer from my normal review style, and revert back to one of my old blogs: The Top 5. Here are the Top 5 reasons to check out Jerry B. Jenkins upcoming novel, "The Betrayal":

The Thrill: The real reason to read any novel is good storytelling. Jenkins offers up a classic who-done-it, a good old-fashioned detective story, and a flat-out modern thriller.

The Hero: Any good story needs a hated villain and a loveable leading man. I’m not sure that Jenkins delivers either of those in “The Betrayal”, but Detective Drake Boone is a man’s man and an actual hero. You want Boone to win the girl, win the race, and win the day.

The Cast: For all of the love and hate that is missing for the protagonist/antagonist, it is made up for by the supporting characters, in spades. The members of the 11th Precinct are engaging, and Jenkins actually brings the reader to like a lawyer: Fritz Zapollo.

The City: For me, I read authors who make the setting a major character in their novels. I know Chicago and its suburbs a little, and Jenkins gives a minor wink to the Second City. If I’m advising Jenkins for the future: give me more, give me more, give me more.

The Faith: Jenkins is, first and foremost, a Christian writer. Although I am a Christian, I have not read any texts that incorporate my faith. It was one of the most refreshing experiences that I’ve had. All of the thrills that I expect in my reading, through characters who share their daily faith, just like me.

Journal of a UFO Investigator

The Good: It was imanginative. There was good character development. That's about it.

The Bad: This was like a work of surrealism. I'm sure it's very intellectual to say that you've read this, but it's really just garbage. It was a 10 hour metaphor of a boy dealing with the death of his mother. That's about 9 hours and 55 minutes longer than it needed to be. Blah.

The Ugly: All of it, really. Just awful. Without merit.

Overall rating: 0.5 out of 5. I'd like the 10 hours of my life back.

American Tempest

The Good: With all of the references to the Tea Party, it is only fighting that the history of the original Boston Tea Party would draw new attention. This is an intricate look at all of the pertinent events that led up to, and followed the Boston Tea Party, and resulted in the American Revolution. Although this is a history text, told by a history professor, it is told in just the way that I love history told. Human history, for me, is defined not by time, or events, but by humans, and that is how this tale is told. The story is framed in the characterization of the two key players in the Boston Tea Party, and, in fact, the move toward independence itself: Samuel Adams and John Hancock. I loved this fact.

The Bad: It was a history text. It felt for long intervals like I was reading a history text. Zzzzzzzzzzzzz.

The Ugly: None.

Overall rating: 3 out of 5.

Straight Talk... No Chasers

The Good: It's all good. This is a follow-up book to Steve's original relationship guide for (Black) women. It's a take-off of his relationship questions part of his radio show. It's entertaining, it's funny, and it's helpful. I want every woman I know to read it. I think if every woman read it, half the assholes in the world wouldn't wind up with good women, and almost all of the bullshit fights between men and women in relationships wouldn't happen. Ladies, please read.

The Bad: It's specifically geared toward woman, and specifically black women.

The Ugly: Why was I so entertained and enthralled by a relationship book for black women???

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5.

Update: Branch Rickey

The Good: Dick Hill. That, in and of itself, is enough. If there is a narrator in Heaven, it'll be Dick Hill. If there is someone who will narrate my life story, I want it to be Dick Hill. Okay. I'm off of my soap box.
But, I can't say it enough. Like... I am the anti-sports narrative, "sports as life"-type of guy, and, just because Dick Hill read this story, I was enthralled.
Also, the only thing that I knew about Branch Rickey was that he was the general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers when they decided to bring the first negro player into the big leagues. Au contraire...
The story of Branch Rickey is too big for me to summarize here. I suggest that you let Dick Hill tell you the story.

The Bad: If something about this story was bad, and I'm sure that it was, I couldn't tell because Dick Hill covered it up.

The Ugly: Being from the South. Knowing the stories of my forefathers. The atrocious nature of human indignity that Jackie Robinson must've suffered, and the courage it took, is grossly understated. I would think.

Update: Gov Rick Perry's "Fed Up"

The Good: This is like a primer for a Rick Perry national campaign. Governor Perry has a lot of credentials with the limited government crowd, of which I am a proud member. He suggested, in response to federal overreach, that Texas may choose to secede from the Union. He is a stalwart supporter of the 10th Ammendment project. I am a fan.

The Bad: Unfortunately, I read this immediately after I finished "Rollback", which made this come off as political drivel, a plutocrat trying to portray himself as a revolutionary.

The Ugly: It did him no justice, with me, that the introduction was written by Newt Gingrich, who has become the ultimate government insider.

Overall Rating: 2.5 out of 5.

Update: Tom Woods' Rollback

The Good: Everything. This book starts off as an indictment of the Obama administration and congressional Democrats in regards to the economic meltdown. In that regard, it is the political equivalent to Michale Lewis' "The Big Short", extremely detailed and educational. However, that is not the true merit of this text. It quickly morphs from a specific response to the 2008- economic meltdown, to an overarching manifesto on Austrian School economics and Liberatrian American civics. This is very similar to what has happened in Woods' previous books that I have read, "Meltdown" and "The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History". If there is an author who most completely summarizes my political thought, it is Tom Woods. And "Rollback" brings us up-to-date. Read it! Read it! Read it!

The Bad: Very little. The transition from current events wiki to overarching manifesto is not a smooth one. That's about it.

The Ugly: Woods is front and center, one of those Ron Paul crazies. Although I espouse many Libertarian sensibilities, I can't put myself on that crazy train. I'm not sure how to rectify the two...

Overall rating: 5 out of 5. Must read

Sarah's Key

The Good: I am a Master's candidate in Global Studies, and have spent much of my work concentrating on Just War Theory. Never, have we discussed the Vel d'Hiv Roundup of Jews in Paris in 1942. And, I can't believe that we haven't. In fatc, it is my first knowledge of the event in my life, and I can't believe that is true. The way that we teach and understand and reconcile the autrocities of war, have to include the universal truths of events such as the Vel d'Hiv. So, I am very thankful to have experienced this story. To be clear, French police used French buses and French camps to send French citizens to their deaths. Of the thousands of children that were rounded up in Paris in 1942, most were sent to Auschwitz and almost none survived, and Paris was complicit in this. That's an important historic message.

The Bad: Not much. A friend gave this book to my wife, and I picked it up to share the experience. I am glad that I did. However, this is very much a girl's book. Written by a female, in a female's voice. I love female protagonist, but struggled with some of the feminine sensibilities of the author's voice. Not bad, though.

The Ugly: Almost nothing. The story is told by a novelist who is an American ex-pat living in Paris. Her main character, at least for half of the story, is an American ex-pat living in Paris. The protagonist is also a lunatic lefty journalist. I would imagine that the authoress shares the same wrong-minded world view. Blech.

Overall rating: 4.0 out of 5.0. Historically significant story. Probably higher than that if you're a woman.

Behind...

I'm a couple books behind on updates. First up...

Outliers.

The good: Sociolgical study based upon statistical data. I love it. It was very entertaining. Also, this was a book suggested by my baby bro, so we were able to share the experience - which I enjoy. However, that's about it. It was a variation of "Freakonomics", and, for me, not nearly as entertaining. Sorry, Seth.

The Bad: Normally, I prefer that for non-fiction texts, the author reads the audiobook. However, for this one, not so much... Malcolm Gladwell did read it, and his voice is so tinny, I had to take all of the treble out of my stereo so as not to give me an earache. Brutal. Also, his Canadian accent made me angry, but that's a different story.

The Ugly: Just one thing, but it's philosophical. Listen, I am a big proponent of nurture over nature in that anthropological/sociological argument, but I recognize the importance of self-determination. And some of that is inherent. Given the exact same nurturing, I would never have been Bill Gates, I ain't him. The audio has an interview with the author at the end, and he states that his purpose for writing the book is to destroy the American myth of the self-made man. I whole-heartedly disagree with this premise.

Overall Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Laura Hillenbrand's "Unbroken"...

I'm going to break from my normal form for this book, because it would be demeaing. There is no "good, bad, or ugly", there is only greatness. Very seldom, all of the factors come together: a fantastic story, constructed by a magnificent story-teller, and read by an incomparible narrator. When this happens, greatness occurs. That's what happened with Laura Hillebrand's "Unbroken". I will discuss the three factors:

1. The story: If the story weren't true, it would be far too fantastical and horrific to believe. How Americans, myself included, aren't keenly aware of the story of Louis Zamperini. It doesn't take from the greatness of Zamperini, it merely infers that the number of fantastical heroes from WWII is beyond the comprehension of the average 21st Century American. It seems that many characters from this story (Alan Phillips, Bill Harris, etc.) could have been the protagonist - and that, in itself, speaks volumes. It is a suspenseful, sad, glorious, and fulfilling story - and everyone should treat themselves to it.

2. The story-teller: Laura Hillenbrand is well-known for having penned another non-fiction novel, "Seabiscuit", which was made into a film and nominated for 7 Academy Awards. To be fair, I haven't read "Seabiscuit", but I know the story. And if you could write a story that generated 7 Oscare nominations for the story of "Seabiscuit", well, you could certainly give them all to The Louis Zamperini story. Not only is the story, which spans almost 11 decades, fresh and relevant, it is an "off-the-edge-of-your-seat" thriller. All I know is, I will read everything that she writes from here on out.

3. The narrator: This is only important for us audiophiles, but few book experiences can equal those read by Edward Herrmann. He has done so much work as an actor, it would be hard to narrow down his most notable roles, but for me he is "Max" from "The Lost Boys", and he is fantastic. Anything that he reads, I want to be there.

I could read 500 books this year, none would live up to the greatness of Laura Hillenbrand's "The Unbroken".

Michael Savage: Trickle Up Poverty...

The Good: For starters, I am a casual listener of the author's radio show, "The Savage Nation". If you are unfamiliar, Michael Savage is one of America's most popular conservative radio talk show hosts. He is a paleoconservative, that means that he has no love loss for either liberals, nor "Bushite" neo-conservatives. He is a multi-time NY Times best-selling author, and this is his rebuke of President Obama's economic "plans".
To summarize his radio-style, he's a combination of Glen Beck and Anthony Bourdain, although he'd label both of them as shlemiels. He's precisely a product of his environent, the son of 2 NYC immigrants who made it on their own. He's a recovering liberal, entrenched in the ultra-liberal enclave of San Fran.
He holds a Ph.D. in anthropology, and the good doctor treats the reader to a case study on President Obama's Marxist-Leninist ideology, and the Maoist and Collectivist leanings of most of his unelected czars. The result is quite educational, and very scary.
In short, it's a necessary text for all concerned about the continuation of The Republic.

The Bad: As I stated in the beginning of this project, I really, really hate it when non-fiction texts aren't read by their authors. Savage uses his voice to make his living for God's sake. This was very, very disappointing.

The Ugly: Very little. He is a social scientist, and a professional bloviator, so it is a little long-winded, but I loved it.

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Freakonomics...

Disclaimer: I read the follow-up "Superfreakonomics in 2010.

The Good: I am the audience for these guys. I am not swayed by "feel-good" stories, or any "sports-as-life" narratives. But, take the questions that no one asks in life, use empirical data, and give the answer that no one wants you to: I'm in. The book is written by a couple of economists, also in my wheelhouse. But, it is very well-written; entertaining, and if you listen to the audio - well read, though not by the author(s). The book asks many varied and hilarious questions: What really caused the violent crime wave of the late 80's/early 90's to disappear? (Roe v. Wade, amongst other factors), and Do black mothers doom their children to lesser life results by their "black-sounding" names? (No. Sort of.) Great questions, even funnier answers, all with quanitifabled evidence as support. Love it.

The Bad: Of course, as with me, the book misses some importnat human factors in its arguments. I recognize this about myself, as well as the results of Freakonomics.

The Ugly: It's too short. It leaves those of us into the book, really hungry for more. Fortunately, there's Superfreakonomics!!!

Overall rating: 3.5 out of 5. I think that they should've combined the two books - but this was perfect for the purposes of my quest!!!

Water For Elephants...

Disclaimer: This is the 1st book suggested by someone else, my sis, and the first book in a long time that I read purely in anticipation of an upcoming movie.

The Good: For starters, the book is set in two different periods. Narrated by both a 23-year old and a 93-year old (or 90) Jacob. For the audiobook, these parts are read by two different readers, and they are both fantastic. The reader of the 23-year old Jacob must voice many different and intriguing circus-related characters, and does so magnificently. The 93-year old (or 90) Jacob tells his story from first-hand voice, and the narrator does a bang-up job. Also, the construction of the characters is phenomenal, even the characterization of Rosie the Elephant Bull. In the end, the reader is lead to literally cheer an elephant triumphing over the dastardly August. The settings are fantastic, what you'd expect for a prohibition-era circus tale. The scenes set upon the circus train are especially my favorites. They are breathtaking and exhilirating. The bottom line is that this is a simple love story, but the setting, the characterization, the story-telling makes it so much more than that.

The Bad: The stuff that would really interest me: the redlighting of Camel and Walter, the garotting of Uncle Al, the death of August, these things are not told in near enough vulgar detail. That's what I want. But, that is a really pickky point.

The Ugly: My only real beef was that much modern day beliefs, standards, colloquialisms, etc. were attributed to the story, which was set in 1931. It really bothered me. But, that's just me.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5. Which is good. Aside from a few deviations from the novel (Marlena was a brunette, there is no Uncle Al, Jacob is being played by a total pussy), I am excited about the movie, which I wasn't before I read this. I expect it to have the fantastic artistic cinematography of Tim Burton's "Big Fish", combined with the cool period scapes of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button". And, that's a good thing.

Justin Halpern's "Shit My Dad Says"

The Good: All of it. Chicks won't get it, like the Three Stooges. But for a dude, this shit is like the bible for dealing with a son. It's very short, but packed with wisdom - and nothing but laughs. I literally laughed out loud the entire read. p.s. Thanks to Barry and Jana for the book.

The Bad: Myself. I am pissed that I didn't know about this phenomenom earlier. Halpern has 2 Million Twitter fans, and has been doing this for a while. Reading his Tweets nearly makes me crap my pants. I'm disappointed that I wasn't on the front-side of this. This is the kind of thing that I usually know. If you are a guy, and you're not following his Tweets - you should be.

The Ugly: This has been made into a CBS sitcom. That can't be a good thing. I haven't watched it, I probably won't watch it - in order to do Halpern's book justice, it would have to be on premium cable. Comment if you think that I'm wrong about that.

Overall Rating: 6 out 5, or the best possible rating that I can give. If you're a dude - just read it - trust me. Disclaimer: chicks, you won't get it.

Between a Rock and a Hard Place

The Good: Alot. I was drawn to read this for two reasons. First of all, I have no affintity for outdoorsmanship. The things that motivate Aron Ralston on a daily basis, have absolutley no draw for me. However, Char and I saw the story on this on Dateline several years back, and it was very intriguing. I want to see the James Franco movie, 127 Hours, based on Ralston's story, so I was motivated to read the book. Also, I'm thoroughly mesmerized by the mentality that it would take for a man to saw his own right arm off. The will to live, the desperation for freedom, the sheer state of shock that one must be in to come to that point - it is so compelling to me. And, in a brilliant turn of events, not only did Ralston write the text himself, he also narrates the audiobook. It is pretty much everything that I hoped for, from the details of Ralston drinking his own urine, to the amputation procedure. It is riveting, and, from the horse's mouth.

The Bad: The double-edged sword of Ralston reading the audiobook is that not only do I have to hear it from the horse's mouth, I have to listen to Ralston. As previously stated, I can't comprehend the mentality of a guy like Ralston, and, also, that makes it hard for me to emphasize with a guy who goes out and gets his arm stuck under a boulder. He a granola-loving fruit bar, and I really find it hard to care that he hacked off his own arm.

The Ugly: Nothing, really. Other than the not carrying for the subject of the text - but that's alot.

Actually...

"The Inside of a Dog" got bumped. I warned that this would happen. I got through 20-30 chapters (which were very difficult), and Brad Thor's "The Athena Project" came in. It immediately went into the CD player. So, without further ado...

Brad Thor's "The Athena Project".

The Good: Alot. This is the book that I have been most looking forward to reading, and it didn't disappoint. The book centers around a super-secret Delta force-trained counter-terrorism unit. And did I mention, they're all hot chicks!!! If you don't know, I am a huge fan of female protagonists. I am also a big follower of Brad Thor - his "The Last Patriot" is my favorite novel of the last decade. His traditional protagonist, CIA agent Scott Horvath is a well-crafted character, but in his last novel, "Foreign Influence", Thor introduced Horvath to The Athena team. Since then, Thor fans have been aching for more. And, we get it. The character development and interplay between Casey, Cooper, Erickson, and Rhodes is intriguing and entertaining. I want even more. There's even a couple of Horvath cameos. Real good.
It has Nazi's, KGB agents, alQaeda, quantum teleportation, a Venice boat chase, beautiful women with guns. What more could you want? So much fun.

The Bad: Not much. I am very particular when it comes to female protagonists, and there are but a few storytellers that can do it well. Greg Rucka is just about the best. Brad Thor doesn't reach that level. His girls are a little single-dimensional and, at times, very campy. It feels as if he is fishing for someone to snatch up the movie rights. But that's okay, it's the level of camp that I'm looking for with this story. Just needs slightly more depth. Also, the narrator was not my favorite.

The Ugly: The villians. I'm still unclear of who they were, and what their motivations were. This is the setup for the next novel, which I anticipate will be titled "The Amalgam", but it does absolutely nothing to intrigue me in "The Athena Project". I don't want the bad guys to be brought to justice bad enough, because I'm not quite clear who/what/where/when/why/how they are the bad guys. That was the only, but definitive, disappointment of the novel. Brad: a great villian makes a novel.

Next up...

Peter Schweitzer's "Architects of Ruin"

Disclaimer: Schweitzer was a speech writer for President Bush 43. He is a right wing nut job, like myself. I have read everything he's ever written - and I suggest all of you do, too. His book, "Do as I say, not as I do" is a must-read for contemporary American politics.

The Good: Everything. If Krakauer's book is the Cliff Notes for the Global War on Terror, then this should be called "The Great Recession of 2008 for Dummies." I have noticed that there are 3 groups of people when discussing the economy: people who understand the problem (which would include myself), people who want to appear as though they understand the problem (they say things like "tax cuts for the rich, and Bush lied, people died"), and then the largest group - the ones whose eyes glaze over when you bring it up. The apathetic masses, cultivated by years of public school indoctrination, are starting to stand up and take notice. They are starting to wonder why their friend's husband lost his job, or their sister's son lost his house, or why it costs them $300 at Wal-Mart now when it used to cost them 1/3 of that.
The answers to those questions are in this book. Who, what, when, why, where, and how caused this problem are listed in easy language in only 184 pages. And, newsflash folks, ain't nothing changed. All of the faces and practices that caused the problem are still in place, and running along as if nothing ever happened. Oh, and fully funded with your great-grandchildrens' lunch money.
In case your getting glazed over again - he spells it out better than I could, and easier.

2nd Disclaimer: if you are part of the 1st group, you should still read this - but also check out Michael Lewis' "The Big Short". He's the guy who wrote "Moneyball" and "The Blind Side", and he explains what happened in excrutiating (but entertaining) detail, minus the partisan political rhetoric. It's fantastic. Read it.

The Bad: Very little. It is short, and written very simply. I'd have preferred more details, but I understand why he wrote it this way.

The Ugly: None.

Overall Rating: Like 4.99 out of 5 for educating Joe Q. Public on the Recession, and the current state of affairs in our economy. Please, please read this.

Next up...

Steven Adler's My Apetite For Destruction...

The Good: Not much. For us GN'R fans who have been desperately longing for the band to recapture its glory of the original album, anything attached to that timeframe generates great nostalgia. It takes alot of reminding yourself of this to make it through this book. The retelling of the stories from that era are fun. That's about it.

The Bad: It's all pretty much bad. The writing is like a note passed between freshman girls in the school hallway. I mean, let's face it, Adler is who he is and he doesn't swerve from that. I thought that the ghost writer might improve upon that, but I was wrong. Very wrong.

The Ugly: Even the pictures aren't that cool. If nothing else, you would expect the pictures from the Apetite From Destruction tour to be cool. But, no...

Overall rating: I'm not going to even rate this. I would love to get a signed copy of this, along with Slash's book. Mostly just to attain the autographs. As far as reading it, don't bother.

Next up...

Jon Krakauer's Where Men Win Glory...

Jon Krakauer’s, Where Men Win Glory
For each book, I will do a quasi-review using the following Sergio Leone-inspired layout:

The Good: For starters, and I will lead with this every time, Scott Brick was phenomenal. He could read the alphabet, and it would hold my attention. I can’t speak for other audio book readers, but for me, the narrator makes such an enormous difference. With novels, Dick Hill and George Guidall are legends, and rightly so, several of the novelists that are must-reads for me, are so because of those 2 guys. Scott Brick is quickly becoming one of those narrators for me. It is just incredible. I have a personal rule: for non-fiction texts, the author had better be the narrator. How can you properly communicate the message of your book, if you’re not doing the reading? Well, now there’s an amendment: if you’re not going to read it yourself, use Scott Brick. He was fantastic.
Having said that, even if you’re not an audio book reader, I think nearly all Americans should read this book. If nothing else, Krakauer does yeoman’s work of explaining the history of Afghanistan, Osama bin Laden, and all of the events that have led to that theatre’s inclusion in the Global War on Terror. It is very necessary.

The Bad: Of course, Krakauer is a pinko loon, granola Leftist partisan, without a doubt. I don’t care about that, for the reasons stated above. But, he really just doesn’t get it when it comes to Pat Tillman’s significance. I have, through my graduate studies, encountered a surprising number of American men aged 18-28 who have been to Afghanistan or Iraq, who have contributed to the insurance of our lifestyle and Western civilization. They truly are the new “Greatest Generation”, just heroes, all. However, outside of my academic universe, there is very little interaction or sacrifice being made by me or my peers in this global conflict. We are at war. And so little of the American public has been impacted by that. This is atypical of the American experience of our wars, and that is not a good thing. Pat Tillman really, really understood that. And that is the importance of Tillman’s story. So many of our heroes of past generations; athletic, pop cultural, political, they all were also war heroes. They gave back to the nation that gave them so much opportunity, and they pitched in, unflinchingly, when she was threatened. The fact that Tillman has become the anomaly in that capacity is a sad, sad statement as to where we our as a nation. Pat Tillman should be the standard for our heroes, and that should be the message.

The Ugly: There isn’t much. But Krakauer does suffer incessantly from Bush Derangement Syndrome. He spends vast expanses of words and pages railing needlessly, and vitriolic, against the Bush Administration. It seems strangely out of place, and does a disservice to the seriously good story telling that he presents. It’s just sad, really.

Overall Review: 3.5 out of 5. It is a must read, simply because it is like a Cliff Notes for the Global War on Terror. If you can look past the Bush-bashing.

1st Up...

The 1st book of my quest is Jon Krakauer's Where Men Win Glory, the story of Pat Tillman. I will stipulate the following going in:

1. Pat Tillman is a hero. I don't look at his story as a way to disparage the US Army, or the war effort, or the Bush Presidency. I just look at his story as a hero's story. Period.

2. I am assuming that Jon Krakauer, who wrote Into the Wild, will not echo my sentiments and will attempt to do all of the above. So, I'm very skeptical.

3. To be fair, I didn't read Into the Wild, I only saw the movie. But the movie was a pinko-leftist anti-capitalist piece of crap, and it was boring. So, I'm very skeptical.

4. That being said, Scott Brick is reading it, and he is just phenomenal.

I'll report back on Monday with my review.