Bug Out Vehicles And Shelters

BOOK: Bug Out Vehicles and Shelters: Build and Outfit Your Own Life-Saving Escape

AUTHOR: Scott B. Williams

GRADE: B+

In the incredibly unlikely event that I find myself in seriously dire straits with a need to flee immediately, I now know exactly who I want to be fleeing with! Scott B. Williams has written what is probably the most comprehensive “how-to” on escaping in the midst of a Grade A disaster: what he refers to as a SHTF (Shit Hits The Fan). I’ve officially adopted the acronym as my own; for my own less intense purposes of course.

Bug Out covers everything from prepping fast escape vehicles to living aboard canoes; and everything in between that you could possibly imagine. The book’s chapters are organized by type of escape vehicles, reviews every pro and con, provides some specific options and a comprehensive checklist at the end of the chapter. Need to live in a cave or under a tree? He’s got your back on that one too!

While Bug Out is not what I would define as a page turner; it’s more of a reference, I will certainly keep it handy in the case of a nuclear bomb. If this type of thing interests you, then I would defy someone to find a better reference that Williams’ book!

The Voices of Serial Killers

BOOK: The Voices of Serial Killers: The World’s Most Maniacal Murderers In Their Own Words

AUTHOR: Christopher Berry-Dee

GRADE: B-

In Christopher Berry-Dee’s third book devoted to combing the minds of some of the heinous criminals with a fine-tooth comb delivers what turned out to be, hands down, the most disturbing 300 pages of literature I’ve ever read. Parts of his expose literally made me a little sick to my stomach. This presented a dilemma in the grading of Berry-Dee’s book because despite the fact that I didn’t particularly enjoy reading The Voices of Serial Killers, it was impeccably researched and written in a way that masterfully combined hard facts with witty and humorous commentary – a difficult feat given the nature of the topic. Thus after some deliberation, I settled at what I believe to be a fair grade of B-.

The Voices of Serial Killers was written to give the average Joe an intimate look inside the minds of those who commit the unfathomable acts we cringe hearing about on the nightly news. He spent over ten years corresponding with these hardened criminals and those that knew them while simultaneously poring over every court and police document related to these cases. He leaves no detail uncovered (even when I, personally, could have done fine without some of the more gory details) and offers the prisoners an opportunity to speak for themselves in the chapters through correspondence with him – an opportunity most leaped at. The result is fascinating – even if it is a little sickening at the same time.

Voices is also a searing look at the justice system here in America and the death penalty in particular. First of all; I was unaware that every single inmate sentenced to the death penalty is REQUIRED to request an appeal of his sentencing. These appeals are not negating the guilt of the inmates. Instead, they are appealing the death penalty and litigating for life sentences. These appeals take MINIMALLY 15 years of paperwork before anyone gets their day in court; all of which is on the state’s taxpayers dime. Hence, housing an inmate for life is significantly less expensive than arguing for the death penalty. Something to think about regardless of where you personally stand on the debate.

Overall, The Voices of Serial Killers is very well written, meticulously researched and documented but a little bit hard to stomach. I would recommend it for those not easily offended.

Sermon On The Mount

BOOK: Sermon on the Mount: The Key to Success In Life

AUTHOR: Emmet Fox

GRADE: A-

After an enthusiastic recommendation, I picked up Emmet Fox’s latest best-seller with cautious optimism. On the one hand, I respect the person from whom I received the recommendation; but on the other hand, I’m not really a big fan of what I affectionately refer to as “Jesus books.” That being said, I made a commitment to give it a fair shot. And I’m glad I did.

Fox takes pulls apart the famous Sermon on the Mount bit by bit in order to enlighten the reader as to how to change their lives based on these teachings. Fox looks at everything from the Beatitudes to the Lord’s Prayer and provides some valuable insights. The points that he makes are well researched and make sense, even to those not steeped in religious belief (like myself).

The teachings he looks at and the explanations he offers are simply, concise, easy to follow and profound. The language is beautiful and the imagery is top rate. It’s an easy read and it offers some excellent thinking points. I would recommend it to all: religious or not.

The Grizzly Maze

BOOK: The Grizzly Maze

AUTHOR: Nick Jans

GRADE: C-

I picked up Jans’s exploration into the life and death of bear aficionado, Timothy Treadwell, from the dollar bin hope for a little more excitement than I ended up with. I walked away disappointed to say the least. However, not disappointed enough to put the book down.

Timothy Treadwell lived among Alaska’s brown grizzly bear population for years, several months out of every year. And when I say that Treadwell lived among the bears, I mean he literally camped out 10 feet from the most popular feeding spot for Alaska’s bear population. He did so without guns, bear spray or any other safety precaution. His life’s mission was to save the bears – which makes an excellent tag line. Through photo and video documentation, Treadwell brought viewers the up close and personal footage they crave. Unfortunately, Treadwell (and partner Amie Huguenard) died at the hands (or mouths) of these same bears.

Jans does do an excellent job in dissecting the controversy surrounding Treadwell’s life and death. His book is meticulously researched and concise but doesn’t lend itself to an exciting read. I would label it mildly interesting at best and be hard pressed to recommend it.

The Drowned And The Saved

BOOK: The Drowned And The Saved

AUTHOR: Primo Levy

GRADE: A-

With “The Drowned And The Saved,” Primo Levy has produced a stunning meditation on the atrocities of the Holocaust that is like none other that I am aware of. Part memoir and part academic text; Levi’s tome is an analytical text borne out of a fear of repeating the events that took place during that dark time in all of our histories. What is not learned from is generally repeated.

“The Drowned And The Saved” delves deep into the day to day complexities of life in the Nazi Concentration Camps; looking at everything from the shame of the workers to the “gray zone” of those who were both prisoners and workers and the transformation of the campers from human beings into animals (with the accompanying degradation). He looks into the commonly held stereotypes put upon those inside and debunks them all. Finally, Levi concludes with letters from Germans in response to his book – which is simply fascinating.

“The Drowned And The Saved” is a fabulous book through and through. My only warning before recommending this would be that the language and context is written in a highly academic style and therefore is frequently difficult to comprehend. My experience was that if you give it a chance and keep reading, you will be more than grateful you did by the end. I believe this is a must read for all.

Look Me In The Eye

BOOK: Look Me In The Eye: My Life With Asperger's

AUTHOR: John Elder Robinson

GRADE: B+

John Elder Robinson has managed to put out an account of Aspergers Disease that is both touching and highly readable, while also being immensely informative.

In today's world, Aspergers is well researched, moderately understood by the general public and generally accepted; but when Robinson was growing up he was struggling with a disease no one knew about, understood or accepted. Autistic's were considered to be those incapable of human interaction, success or an independent life. They were either put in group homes or sequestered in their own homes without much of a chance to thrive. Those who showed mild symptoms of Autism but still looked more of less like the general public were considered freaks, lazy or worse. Asperger's was simply not on the public's radar. Hence Robinson grew up ostracized, lonely and desperately confused about how the world worked and why he could not fit into no matter how hard he tried.

Add to that the insane household he grew up in and it's a miracle he made it out alive, let alone successful and socialized. What I didn't know going into the book was that he is brothers with Augusten Burroughs (author of the bestseller Running With Scissors) and was raised in a home full of mental illness, abuse and neglect. His response was to leave home at 11years of age and take up with various unsavory factions. His extensive knowledge and intense focus on mechanics (common to those with Asperger's) allowed him to tour with KISS as their sound manager for a year; and his account of that adventure is incredible.

Eventually Robinson made a life for himself, owns his own business and has a family. He is a supporter of the Asperger's cause and speaks extensively on the topic in the hopes of helping others. His tale is entertaining and informative and I recommend it to all.

Girl In Need Of A Tourniquet

BOOK: Girl In Need Of A Tourniquet

AUTHOR: Merri Lisa Johnson

GRADE: C+

Johnson's memoir of her life with Borderline Personality Disorder is a stream of consciousness account of the interior of her mental condition. It's designed to be a glimpse into her psyche in the hopes of educating others of the mental illness she suffers from. Interspersed into her ramblings are passages from several psychiatric texts and experts; but that can't save Girl In Need of a Tourniquet from its' rambling nature. The style is hard to read and difficult to follow. It improves as the book goes on, but still reads as the perseverations of an unmedicated psychiatrically ill woman. Interesting at times and mildly informative at others; Girl In Need of a Tourniquet is still not something I would recommend.