Read any good books lately?
We're sure you or your spouse have come across some books that were really worth the read, and we're thinking other Prep '58 guys and family members might like them too. Cos suggested that we set some space aside to share info on these books, and ask the gang for a brief review of the books they recommend.
The response has been excellent, and we decided to provide a separate page for the recommendations, and keep them all on line as a Prep '58 Reading List. If you have a book that you think the gang would like, send in a review and we will feature it in the Blog, and make it part of the Reading List on this page.
This section of the Library holds reviews from 2015 thru 2019.
Nov, 2019 Fred Baran reviewed a book by David McCullough, "The Pioneers."
"It is a historical novel that covers the settlement of the Northwest Territory by settlers from Massachusetts and Connecticut from the late 1600s thru about 1850. The First Permanent Settlement was in Marietta Ohio where I went to College.
Most of the research for the book was provided by the staff at the Marietta College Library, with who I had worked in the past, and these archivists were mentioned by the author. Marietta was settled by New Englanders, led by many Revolutionary War heros, clergymen and craftsmen. I know some of the descendants of people mentioned in the book, and lived one block away from the Campus Martius Settlement and Museum.
The collection of early letters, paintings and accounts of famous people who traveled through Marietta (Lafayette, Burr, Washington. to name a few) reside in the College Library. Anyone interested in Earl American History and the Westward Movement would enjoy this book.
About 4 miles from where I live in Bethel CT, is Putnam Park - a historic campsite of the Revolutionary battles which took place in this area. It contains a large bronze statue of General Israel Putnam, mounted on his horse. General Putnam and his first cousin General Rufus Putnam were leaders of the New England settlers who traveled west, over the Allegheny Mountains and built riverboats when they reached the Ohio River, then sailed down to the confluence of the Muskingum and Ohio rivers where they landed and founded Marietta, the first settlement in the Northwest Territory.
Mar, 2019 Bob Filoramo reviewed a book by Michael Collins, "Carrying The Fire."
"Michael Collins is my mother-in-law's first cousin, my wife's first cousin once removed, and the pilot of Columbia, the command module for the Apollo11 flight to the moon in 1969. Cousin Michael's book is a great read, full of details we would never have read about in newspapers or seen on TV.
Eileen and I saw Apollo 11 yesterday. It was very good. Michael's book is better. While most of the headlines went to Armstrong and Aldrin, Michael was equally important; they were a terrific team of highly trained, fearless comrades. Michael would later have a key role in designing the Air and Space Museum in DC. Go see the movie; then read Carrying the Fire. Peace, Bob"
Feb, 2019 - Gerry Drummond sent us an excellent review of a book by Michael Lewis, "The Fifth Risk."
"This is a challenging book, packed with hidden heroes, recurring acronyms, cold realizations and much unfinished business. Michael Lewis, a graduate of Princeton University and the London School of Economics, includes Liar’s Poker, Money Ball and the Big Short among his writings. He lives in Berkley, California with his wife and three children." You can read Gerry's full review here.
Nov, 2017 - Bob Filoramo recommends...
"I recommend a book for those who like to read history, specifically WW2 history. The book is Church of Spies, dealing with the planned tyrannicide of Hitler by faithful Catholics in the German army with the full knowledge and approval of Pope Pius XII. The sub title of the book is "The Pope's Secret War Against Hitler".
Tyrannicide is a rare, legitimate action, given all the essential reasons for carrying it out. Obviously it requires serious discernment, plenty of prayer and some BIG testicles. The author is Mark Riebling; the book is exceptionally well researched and well written.
May, 2017 - Randy O. offers his comments on a book he read on his recent cruise.
The Best and the Brightest by David Halberstam
"How did we manage to lose 58,000 lives in a prolonged war in Vietnam, bringing grief and misery to hundreds of thousands more of their families and loved ones, referring to JFK’s whiz kids (many ivy league academicians) was written during that period and gives an in depth examination of the backgrounds and thinking of these decision makers?"
"I skimmed over the personality studies of these brainiacs to get to and refresh myself on the root causes of this fiasco. Here are a few: our obsessed fear of communism and Johnson’s not wanting to be the president to lose another country to this ideology (dreaded Domino Theory); a false view of the Vietnamese populaces’ perceptions of their current leadership as put forth by our CIA and military (only those bringing good news got promoted, others were sidelined); and a gross miscalculation of the enemy’s strength and determination.
Uncle Ho, very much aware of our growing frustration, could live with a ten to one troop loss and had 200,000 youths coming of fighting age each year."
July, 2016 - Bernie Whalen recommends this book
"Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline.
Easy and interesting read. Was a past NY Times Best Seller for many months. Story of homeless children in Lower NYC and other East Coast cities who were placed on trains and sent to farmlands in the Midwest. The story is more than a historical novel about 200,000 abandoned children that were put on "orphan trains" between the late 1850's and 1920's. These children were sent west in the hopes of being adopted. Many were subjected to hard labor and servitude. It is intertwined with a family in present-day Maine that presents a story of courage and hope.
June, 2016- Walt Mohuchy published another novel, and provided a synopsis...
Terminal Payback
"Former Managing Director of Emerging Markets at Bear Sterns and retired sergeant of the NYPD, Terry Adams is the forensic investigator for a law firm catering to upper crust clients. He also maintains a detective agency in the East Village servicing the local community, mostly as a pro-bono problem solver.
An intriguing telephone call thrusts him into a web of conspiracy and corruption on a global scale. The caller hires him to find those responsible for the death of Charles Gregory, an investment banker at his old firm, who was killed by an oncoming subway at the Wall Street station, even though the police pronounced the death accidental.
He zeroes in on a bank in Cyprus where a trail of illicit payments to the victim uncovers insider trading at JP Morgan-Chase and leads him to massive corporate fraud in the emerging markets of eastern Europe. Investigations in Budapest and Stavropol, Russia, identify Alexei Godunov, an ex-KGB colonel, as a principal perpetrator in the scheme.
Through networking he identifies the corrupt broker, who is also the agent for the Brighton Beach mob. Hacking into brokerage records, Terry discovers the mob’s significant investment losses in the swindle. He concludes that the death was the mob’s payback for the misdeed. When Alexei Godunov meets the same fate as Charles Gregory and Terry learns of Godunov’s business connection to his client, he attempts to intercede with the mob to save his client’s life."
December, 2015 - A recommendation from Jack Gavin
The John Wells series by Alex Berenson.
The Faithful Spy (2006) is the first of a series. Begin at the beginning as they say.
November, 2015 - A recommendation from Bob Filoramo
Sycamore Row by John Gresham
If you like Grisham, you will love this one. Deep south, small town minds, bigotry, toxic family relationships; much redeeming ethical, social value.
June, 2015 - A book review from Vince Grillo: Klondike Fever by Pierre Berton
I came across this book on a cruise to Alaska a few years ago, and once I started reading it, I couldn't stop. We were in Skagway, Alaska, a town that grew in the early days of the Gold Rush, and thrived as the kick-off spot for the thousands who came in search of gold.
The book begins with the earliest discoveries of gold in the Yukon River. But the heart of the book is the struggles of the tens of thousands who were drawn to Alaska, the unscrupulous people they met there, and the hardships they endured in seeking their dream.
There were great fortunes made in Alaska, but most of these fortunes came at the expense of the prospectors who were exploited by con artists and opportunists who never spent a minute panning for gold. It is a metaphor for the struggles of mankind, and the incredible endurance of people in search of a dream. You will enjoy it, even as sobering as the story is.
Bob Filoramo - The Odd Thomas series by Dean Koontz.
Add Dean Koontz to you list of current authors to explore. The " Odd Thomas" series is both tense and chuckle-chuckle funny. Deals with the age old battle between good and very real evil from a subtly Catholic perspective. The series, in order: Odd Thomas, Forever Odd, Brother Odd, Odd Hours,Odd Interlude, Odd Apocalypse, Deeply Odd, Saint odd,which I am currently reading. Check your local library for copies or a Kindle? Enjoy!
Cos - Killing Patton by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugar
Killing Patton portrays General George S. Patton as both an egotistical publicity-hound as well as a daring military strategist. If you enjoy reading accounts of military strategy and battlefield conflicts, you will like Killing Patton.
May, 2015
Bob Filoramo - Any Jack Reacher novel by Lee Child.
Jack Reacher, a retired Military Police Major, is a maverick who finds himself in crazy situations, defending the vulnerable, and beating the bad guys mentally and physically (6'5, 250 lbs, martial arts expert). He "drifts" from place to place, owns almost nothing, wears clothes for a few days, throws them away and buys new ones. Correction: he owns a tooth brush. Hollywood made a movie titled "Reacher". Jack was played by diminutive Tom Cruise with a boat load of camera angles to make him appear like Reacher. Didn't work! < Editor's note > There are 20 books in the Jack Reacher series, and they are available at Amazon.
April 2015 - Bob Filoramo suggested two books:
Biography of G.K. Chesterton by Joseph Pearce
Very well researched; very readable. Chesterton was a fascinating guy.
Seven Story Mountain: Thomas Merton's Autobiography
Witty, incisive, inspiring. A delightful read.
March 2015
Bob Bennet - Galileo Was Wrong - The Church Was Right
Bob Bennett sent us information on a book he coauthored with Bob Sungenis, on the debate about the history and science of geocentrism.
Galileo Was Wrong is a treatise in which the authors present an argument that they believe proves that heliocentrism (the concept that the Earth rotates on its axis and revolves around the sun) is an unproven scientific theory; and that geocentrism (the view that the Earth is in the center of the universe and does not move by either rotation or revolution) is supported by scientific evidence.
They also contend that many of the world's top scientists, including Albert Einstein, Ernst Mach, Edwin Hubble, Fred Hoyle and many more, admit to it being a logical and viable cosmology.
The book has sparked debate in some segments of the scientific community. The editor, who wrote this review, has not read the book, but presents it here at the request of Bob Bennett, one of our own, for your consideration.
Galileo Was Wrong is available at Amazon.
Wolodymyr Mohuchy
I published a story about my parents, titled: FROM THE ASHES. I have been told by a number of people that it is a good read. It deals with life in Ukraine from the Russian Revolution through WWII and my parents' escape to the West.
Amazon Review: "The book is sensually rich, depicting the smells and tastes of wartime as well as of family and friendships that Mykola depends upon for survival. Despite the dire historical context, Mohuchy portrays his subjects as having open hearts, umor and hope."
Kirkus Reviews: "Wolodymyr Mohuchy's carefully narrated story of one man's determination to retain his humanity and find redemption while attempting to survive and transcend the horrors of Stalinism is both a morality tale and an action-packed thriller that will fascinate, delight and instruct" - Alexander Motyl - Author of Sweet Snow and My Orchida.
From The Ashes is available at Amazon or Barnes & Noble.
February, 2015 - Stephanie Grillo recommends a book
God’s Hotel: A Doctor, a Hospital, and a Pilgrimage to the Heart of Medicine
Victoria Sweet, MD PhD
"God’s Hotel is an insightful view of what we have lost and gained from modern medicine. After reading this book, I believe our healthcare system might function better if every healthcare professional and politician would read this book.
The book is written by Victoria Sweet, a physician at Laguna Honda Hospital in San Francisco. Laguna Honda is regarded as the last the almshouse in the United States and was loosely modeled after Frances’ Hôtel-Dieu (God’s Hotels), which cared for the poor during the middle ages.
I enjoyed reading Dr. Sweet’s book as she describes in wonderful detail the concept of "slow medicine," where doctors and nurses have the time to review all aspects of their patients' health, without worrying about the three patients in exam rooms still waiting to see them. The stories of the many patients who benefitted from this holistic approach give me hope this type of medicine can become an accepted form of practice in the future."
Randy Orlowski recommends a book
"In the Kingdom of Ice - The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeanette"
by Hampton Sides.
This is the story of American naval officer George Washington De Long’s harrowing 1879 expedition to the North Pole. The expedition was based on the fact that even in the late 1800's the prevailing thought was that just beyond the Arctic icepack was open sea over the North Pole. The USS Jeannette expedition pretty much put a rest to that theory at a very high cost in heroism, privation and human suffering.
My wife, Sandy, has a genealogical connection to the leader of this polar expedition, LCDR. George DeLong. I mention it in my college class bio as well as some information about her dad, Col. Earl "Pappy" DeLong USMC who went into WWII as a eighteen year old private and retired as a full bird colonel. It's interesting to note that he is the only Marine that was awarded the Silver Star in all three wars in which he fought.
January, 2015
Cos recommends 2 books:
Nemesis - By Philip Roth
A terrifying polio epidemic is raging in Newark, New Jersey, affecting a young teacher and the community regardless of age, sex, and economic status.
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
By Laura Hillenbrand
Traces the life of an Olympian, his days as a US airman, and his courage enduring the inhuman treatment of a Japanese prisoner of war camp.