So Many Books; So little Time

The Great Influenza

The Great Influenza: The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague in  History

By John M. Barry

c. 2004

The Spanish Flu of 1918 killed more people in 24 weeks than AIDS has did in 24 years. It killed more people in 1 year than The Black Plague did in 100 years and just like in the days of the Black Plague, men walked the streets calling “bring out your dead” and loaded them in carts to be buried in mass graves.

And yet, all this was was a case of influenza.

So, what was it exactly and what can be done about it today?

In this book (mine is an earlier edition than the one shown) John M. Barry starts with the development of modern medicine in the late 1800’s and moves through the research and development of medical science to the 1920’s. He talks about the virus and its movements in waves–Spring 1918 (nonlethal), Fall 1918 (lethal), Spring 1919 (nonlethal) and Spring 1920 (somewhat lethal–this wave killed my father’s sister).

He also discusses the differences between influenza and SARS which killed in China a few years ago and what governments have done to try to contain possible lethal influenza outbreaks world wide.

His conclusion, in my edition, is that there is probably nothing that could stop this from happening again nor from it being just as lethal in terms of percentages of victims worldwide. In fact, we may see more people as victims simply because of the nature of the world today as opposed to 1918.

Well written, easy for the layman to understand but still frightening stuff to think about.

No More Dead Dogs

No More Dead Dogs

by Gordon Korman

c. 2001

Meet Wallace Wallace, the kid with two last names and no first name–or is that two firsts and no last? Wallace is the son of a pathelogical liar so he has taken a lifetime vow to never tell a lie. Not bad for a high school kid, except that it puts him crosswise of his English teacher, Mr Fogelman, when the teacher assigns the class to read the book “Old Shep, My Pal” by Zack Paris and write a book report including their favorite part and character.

Thanks to his vow to never tell a lie, Wallace doesn’t. He tells it like he found it–boring, and he hated the characters and he wouldn’t recommend it to his worst enemy. His favorite part was on the last page–The End. Wallace claims to know a book by it’s cover–”Pick out a book with an awards sticker and a dog on the cover. Trust me, that dog’s going down.”

Unfortunately for Wallace, “Old Shep, My Pal” is (a) Mr Fogelman’s favorite book and (b) the book Mr Fogelman has adapted to a stage play and is directing as the school play. Yes, Wallace is in trouble. He is in detention with Mr Fogelman until he re-writes the book report. When he asks the principal how long he will have to wait, however, the principal politely informs him that the parking lot “is paved with the bones of teachers waiting for Wallace Wallace to see it their way.”

So, non-liar, stubborn, and considered a football star Wallace Wallace is sentenced to spend, perhaps the rest of his life watching rehearsals of “Old Shep, My Pal” and is therefore bumped from football. At some point, the actors start listening more to Wallace than Mr Fogelman and the play starts to change….and someone is sabotaging not only the play but also Wallace Wallace.

This is a whodonit, a comedy and a thoughtprovoking study into the life of one high school student. It’s written in half-prose and half-play form for added interest. Don’t let the plainish cover fool you. This book is worth reading if only to find out how it ends.

A personal note–I suspect Wallace Wallace is really a thinly disguised version of my oldest son. Fortunately, Mr Fogelman didn’t work in our school system.

The Dumpster Diver

 The Dumpster Diver

by Janet S. Wong

c. 2007

This is for my friend, the former dumpster diver–you know who you are!

Meet three kids in an apartment complex working with Steve the Electrician who dives once a month in the dumpster in his alley. Our narrator “I” is the Hose Handler #1, Lina is the Hose Handler #2, and Johnny is the Fauceteer. Anyone who knows or can guess anything much about dumpster diving knows why these kids are needed.

Steve rescues stuff from the dumpster and recreates it into other stuff. He comes complete with “diving suit” and rules for diving. He has a neighbor he helps who is very grateful and another neighbor who is a grouch and thinks Steve should stop the nonsense and just get busy making more money so he can buy things new instead of rescuing junk.

I won’t spoil then ending but I will tell you that no one dives forever but this is a kids’ book so there are no tears either. The type is recycled-looking which just goes along with the theme of the book. The characters are interestingly drawn and have a unique flavor to them. The messages are subtle and available for adult expansion. The endsheets might give some people the creeps but only if they stop long enough to realize they are a solid wall of bugs.

Neat book. A fun read with loads of possibilities.

The WWII Journals of E. J. Bird

The WWII Journals of E. J. Bird

by E. J. Bird

c. 2001

E. J. Bird was head of the Utah WPA Federal Art Project when he was drafted. He was in his 30’s and thought he was exempt. He was working for the WPA and getting his own art shown nationwide. He thought he was exempt. He was wrong.

E. J. Bird entered the Army and went on a ride throughout America stretching from California to Missouri to Oregon, sometimes with his wife along and sometimes not. He was put in a regular outfit then transferred to an art outfit then put in charge of painting signs and building things. His daughter Robyn was born during this time and, unlike the men on the front lines, he enjoyed spending time with her.

That time was not to last, however. Ultimately, when the United States started winning the war in the Pacific, he was sent overseas to build an airfield. He ended up on I E Shima, a tiny coral island in the South Pacific where he saw plenty of the horrors of war.

In my untrained opinion, E. J. Bird’s art is filled with harsh lines and angles. He seems to specialize in exaggeration of certain body parts and his people come over more as characatures than portraits and many of them have the same basic look to them. His few landscapes are softer and easier on the eye.

But as a writer both during the War in his diaries and in 2000 and 2001 when he wrote the story of his war years, he is dynamic and humorous. He can tell a story and make you feel as though you are standing there alongside him. He remembers people and events and tells about them as though it were just yesterday and he does it in such a way that you wish he wouldn’t stop.

Not for children but not just because of the language. Many of the things he saw and writes about are not for sensitive ears. He saw “remains” of humans on I E Shima, kamikazes and other horrors of war. But for a WWII buff, this is an excellent addition to a library. It is very personal and honest and shows a lot about the war both at home and in the Pacific.

Cleopatra’s Palace

Cleopatra’s Palace: In Search of a Legend

by Laura Foreman

c. 1999

Travel back in time to just before the birth of Jesus and meet Cleopatra, Cesaer, and Mark Antony. Along the way, discover how many times a family can intermarry and still give birth to normal-looking, healthy children, meet Herod the Great who tried to assassinate Jesus at birth, and learn that he wasn’t the only one who had a proclivity for killing off his family members if it suited him.

This book was put together to show the palace that has been underwater for almost 2,000 years and to put right the ancient coastlines of Alexandria. But most of the book (5 of the 6 chapters) is a biography of Cleopatra herself. It begins with her genealogy and her relationship with her father and goes on to present both her birth order, her prechosen husband and how she ended up the mistress of two of Rome’s most powerful men.

Cleopatra was no shirking violet and the Roman Empire was big politics for her entire life. She is shown as smart, cunning, political, and shrewd enough to keep herself and her children alive, at least for a while.

For Christian readers, this gives an insight into the world in which Jesus came to minister. Admitedly it does not show the common people he came to but it shows the workings of the Roman Empire which ruled the area and a brief overview of how the politics of the time came into play.

An interesting book. Not a lot of religion in the book just lots about the life of Cleopatra and her immediate family and the men she loved. Beautiful pictures throughout of the artifacts that were and perhaps still are underwater awaiting an Egyptian decison as to what to do with them on a permanent basis.

Old Pig

Old Pig

by Margaret Wild

c. 1995

This is a serious book. My kids can pick up on a book that’s going to end sadly in seconds and they had this one pegged shortly after it began.

This is the story of Old Pig and Granddaughter who have shared a house for many years. They share household duties and meals. The story starts to go sadly when it is learned that Granddaughter doesn’t like what she eats every night for dinner but will eat it if it means Old Pig will live forever.

This is a book about dying and how Old Pig knows when it’s her time to go and so does Granddaughter. And so they spend one last day together looking and listening and tasting together–a feast, in Old Pig’s words. And then Old Pig goes to bed and Granddaughter asks permission to lay down with her and hold her one more time.

I have read other books about dying and sadder books about dying all of which addressed it in different ways. This one addresses it as a known fact that is not to be feared but that it is important to make some final arrangements–which Old Pig does. Not funeral arrangements but she pays her bills and gives her remaining money to Granddaughter with a promise then lives her last day just looking at the world around her with Granddaughter.

There are no Christian thoughts in this book but it wouldn’t be hard to put some in there. This is not for every kid but it could offer some comfort to kids who read it with a parent when someone the child knows and loves is dying in order to make that passing an easier event to accept.

Nicely done pictures by Ron Brooks. The book is British in origin and the type is rather faint but the pictures have a watercolor feel to them so there is nothing bright or overwhelming in the book itself. For a parent in need of a book like this, it has definite possibilities.

The Pirates Laffite

The Pirates Laffite: The Treacherous World of the Corsairs of the Gulf

by William C. Davis

c. 2005

Yes, there was a Jean Laffite and yes, there was a Pierre Laffite and no, they weren’t the same man. They were brothers from France who settled in the Gulf of Mexico and carried on for most of their lives as pirates of a sort. They had children–though probably never married–they dealt mostly with smuggling including the smuggling of slaves. Yes, they did work for the US government at the Battle of New Orleans but weren’t exactly war heroes. They probably never left any treasure as they spent most of their money so quickly they were often being taken to court for non-payment of debt.

This is the story of the Laffite brothers as nearly as William Davis can re-create it after all these years. It’s not nearly as interesting as a fictionalized version and spends much of its time with Pierre in New Orleans trying to stay out of prison while running slaves and sneaking back into town to see his mistress who owned the house he lived in (for safety purposes) and children.

Anyone looking for action on the high seas should skip this book. The action in this book, what little there is, does not take place on the high seas but in Barataria just north of New Orleans, in New Orleans, in Galveston, and other places in and out of the Gulf of Mexico. Davis also deals with church records and legal documents but that does not mean that the reading is dry. In fact, he puts a lot of really interesting stuff in the end notes section that doesn’t quite fit in the rest of the text. And he does manage to keep the story going without dragging along.

He leaves no stone unturned as far as myths and mysteries but investigates every person associated with the Laffites and runs down every mystery as nearly as he could. He even looks at every other Laffite, Lafite, and Lafitte in or around New Orleans. He looks at every alledged child the Laffite’s had or were rumored to have and looked into the possibility of every brother or brother-in-law they might have had.

This is an exhaustive work on the two most famous pirates the world has ever known. Not the most exciting book on the market but for anyone interested in the real world of pirating in the Gulf in the early 1800’s, this is a great book.

The Case of the Most Ancient Bone

The Case of the Most Ancient Bone

by John R. Erickson

c. 2007

The newest and longest Hank the Cowdog mystery to date. This is Hank’s fiftieth book so, of course, he had to have a spectacular adventure to go along with it. I really half expected us to revisit most of Hank’s friends and other acquaintances from the ranch but we only spend time with the people in his life, Pete the Cat and Rip and Snort, coyote cannibals.

But we do meet some new people and a new dog who figures dear old Hankie out in nothing flat and has a good time with it and him. We meet one of Slim Chance’s old rodeo buddies, Mr Wilkens who got his head stepped on at a rodeo and then enrolled in college. He is now an archeologist working on a dig just a few miles from the ranch and stopped in to say hello to his old buddy Slim.

Well, in looking for Slim, Wilkie meets Little Afred and Hank and invites Little Alfred out to the dig. Now, being a five-year-old boy, Alfred is ready to go but his mother is not ready to let him so she insists that he have some parental supervision. Loper is caught up with a broken windmill and not really wanting to go so he convinces Slim that he should go in his place especially since it’s his friend who is running the site.

Sally May, Loper’s wife and Alfred’s mother, was going to lock Hank up so he wouldn’t get into trouble but somehow (imagine that) that didn’t work out and Hank takes off cross country in the heat of the summer and nearly gets shanghied by cannibals Rip and Snort. He manages to get away in typical Hank fashion and makes it to the dig where he finds Slim in a hole, string barring the way to everywhere, meets Doug McGrubber who claims to read his mind and lives a night as a three-legged dog.

This is wholesome ranch reading and there is even a tender scene near the end when Loper comes to his son with an appology for not being a proper dad and shirking his duty to his son. If you haven’t read Hank, he’s great, he’s funny, he’s not as smart as he thinks he is and his illustrator does a fabulous job with the material. Just good fun for everyone and little bit of trivia thrown in as well.

Can’t wait for the next 50.

Secrets of the Vine

Secrets of the Vine

by Bruce Wilkinson

c. 2001

This is the book our Ladies Bible Study is going to do while the pastor finishes up the Gifts’ Study. Then we will all be studying together on Wednesday nights for a while.

This book was written as a follow-up to the Prayer of Jabez by the same author but I haven’t read the Prayer of Jabez and had no problems whatsoever gleaning lots from this book.

Wilkinson uses his own life and ministry and John Chapter 15 to bring us through several different baskets of Christian service–no fruit, fruit, more fruit and much fruit. He tells of an encounter that he had with a vineyard grower who explained about why the vines are worked in the way that they are. What most of us who have only seen wild grapevines think that chapter meant is not at all what it means to an actual vintner.

If your Christian walk is getting stale or if you walk around with a hardness to your heart or if you think that God has given up on you or, worse, you are about to give up on God, read this book. It’s not lengthy but it takes some time to fully absorb what is in it. It’s nine short chapters and there is a four session study guide that may be purchased seperately.

This book is good for anyone, however, no matter where you are in your Christian walk. If you are suddenly going through some problems and just feel like all the joy has gone out of your life, you may be going through some pruning to make you more fruitful and you may actually need to spend more time in prayer and less time working in the church or other ministry. Bad times and diseases may not mean you are being punished for sin but may mean you need to spend time quiet and listening so that you can bring forth more fruit.

Learn to discern what type of time you are going through and know that you need to rely on God more and more each day for that is the true secret to Abiding in Christ.

It’s short, it’s good, and since I started it, I have heard of about four families that could use a copy of this book. It’s amazing how that works out like that.

The Case of the Booby-Trapped Pickup

The Case of the Booby-Trapped Pickup

by John R. Erickson

c. 2007

I like Hank the Cowdog. He is so dumb, he is the most fun I have ever read on four legs. And he thinks he is the smartest critter in the world which just makes him more fun.

In all honesty, I think John Erickson spends more time watching his dogs than he does working his ranch but having been in the cattle business all of my life, there’s plenty of time to do both.

In this selection of the ongoing saga of Hank, Slim’s (the hired hand) pickup finally quits running. After attempting to fix it themselves (it’s pretty well established that Slim and Loper should NOT attempt this), the cowboys pull the truck into town (they, like most cowboys would never call a tow truck) to be repaired. Loper (the ranch owner) somehow manages to convice the dealership that he needs a “loaner” pickup for the few days  that the old one will be in the shop.

And then we get to have some fun. First Hank gets tricked into eating boxes of donuts and then nature puts him in the back of the truck. Then Hank discovers (at the edge of a canyon) power windows and door locks and nearly decapitates himself.

And just when you thought Hank was having a bad day, Missy Coyote comes along and steals both his and Drover’s hearts and leads them back to the pack where Hank has to quickly get away from Scraunch, her brother.

This is vintage Hank the way only a cheap cowboy with a loaner pickup who has never had power locks and windows can tell it. If you haven’t met Hank before, this one is as good a one to start with as any. There is an order to them but, except for the ones about the Raccoon (Eddy), they can be read in any order. No blood, no guts, no language, just good fun laughing at a dog in his own words.