David Finkel began his project by following the deployment of the 2-16 battalion to Iraq. He was imbedded with the soldiers for eight months. His gripping tale was published as The Good Soldiers.
Mr. Finkel continued by following some of the same soldiers home. He witnessed their struggle to leave war behind. To return to what was. But for the soldiers, the war kept butting in. At night. During the day. Sleeping. Awake. So close to the surface. The struggle gets worse with time. Families work to understand, but they can’t. How can you understand war when you weren’t there? Their soldier moves further away. This soldier doesn’t deserve understanding. This soldier came home. This soldier wasn’t there to save the buddy.
In Thank You for Your Service, Mr Finkel is masterful at showing the quiet devastation tearing these vets apart. Their self-induced loneliness is fostered by their inability to talk to anyone that wasn’t there. They didn’t understand what the soldiers were expected to do to survive. Politics, ego, and exhaustion further demolish their fragile minds. Many are abandoned by family. Even if they’re not, they feel guilty they can’t be the hero. They can’t be the caretaker. They can’t be a shoulder for their loved ones. They feel guiltier still when they are the ones who abandon loved ones so as not to be a further burden.
The Veterans Administration has tried to help the vets and with each new program, the soldier is hopeful. Only to be let down when the list is bigger than the number of seats. Or, because of budgets, the program is cut.
These soldiers returned so damaged, so hurt, so hopeless. Where could they turn for healing? They came home, but did they survive the war?
Certainly, the combat veteran’s rate of suicide, two every three days, is an unmistakeable indicator.
One reviewer called this book a “bruising account” of the plight of combat veterans. Well, it bruises anyone who reads it.
David Finkel begs the reader to ask:
Do we know what war is?
Do we realize the true costs of war?
What are we thanking our veterans for?
These are questions we should all ask before we send anyone to war.
Friday, January 17, 2014
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Review of Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult
“America’s the only first world country that still uses capital punishment,” Ms. Picoult exclaims on her website and repeats in this powerful book. Exploring the death penalty, religion, and spirituality, she tells a story constantly questioning and always pushing at the boundaries of our beliefs.
Shay (Isaiah M.) Bourne, New Hampshire’s first death row prisoner in 69 years, is the impetus for these questions. In his trial, he is represented by a charlatan and is sentenced to death. While in prison, he heals the sick, turns water into wine, and speaks with a prophetic grace.
Father Michael Wright answers the call for spiritual help. But Father Michael has a secret that affects his ministry to Shay--a secret tormenting the Father and begging to be told. In the end, he wonders who is ministering to whom.
Maggie Bloom is a lawyer for the ACLU. Her causes are those of the hopeless. When she learns of Shay’s request to donate his heart to the victim’s family, she takes on the challenge of changing the death venue to make that possible. After all, everyone deserves to practice their own religion, don’t they?
June Nealon is torn apart by the events that have shaped her life. Her first husband was killed in a vehicle accident, though her daughter, Elizabeth, was spared. Then, after she married again, her new husband, Kurt, and Elizabeth were killed. Tormenting her is the fact that she hired the accused killer, Shay, to change their spare bedroom into a nursery for the baby inside her.
Claire Nealon is ten years old now. She has lived with heart disease most of her life, but her heart is giving out. There is the possibility of a heart donor. . .
Ms. Picoult delves deep into the bowels of the prison system and what we consider justice. She takes the basic concepts of our beliefs and lays them on the table to be dissected and explored. Forever a master of words, Ms. Picoult weaves the title in and out of the story so seamlessly, you find yourself reviewing the book to discover all the ways you can have . . . a change of heart.
Shay (Isaiah M.) Bourne, New Hampshire’s first death row prisoner in 69 years, is the impetus for these questions. In his trial, he is represented by a charlatan and is sentenced to death. While in prison, he heals the sick, turns water into wine, and speaks with a prophetic grace.
Father Michael Wright answers the call for spiritual help. But Father Michael has a secret that affects his ministry to Shay--a secret tormenting the Father and begging to be told. In the end, he wonders who is ministering to whom.
Maggie Bloom is a lawyer for the ACLU. Her causes are those of the hopeless. When she learns of Shay’s request to donate his heart to the victim’s family, she takes on the challenge of changing the death venue to make that possible. After all, everyone deserves to practice their own religion, don’t they?
June Nealon is torn apart by the events that have shaped her life. Her first husband was killed in a vehicle accident, though her daughter, Elizabeth, was spared. Then, after she married again, her new husband, Kurt, and Elizabeth were killed. Tormenting her is the fact that she hired the accused killer, Shay, to change their spare bedroom into a nursery for the baby inside her.
Claire Nealon is ten years old now. She has lived with heart disease most of her life, but her heart is giving out. There is the possibility of a heart donor. . .
Ms. Picoult delves deep into the bowels of the prison system and what we consider justice. She takes the basic concepts of our beliefs and lays them on the table to be dissected and explored. Forever a master of words, Ms. Picoult weaves the title in and out of the story so seamlessly, you find yourself reviewing the book to discover all the ways you can have . . . a change of heart.
Review of The Lion by Nelson DeMille
Nelson DeMille is a funny guy. Not overtly, but rolling-your-eyes funny. The kind of guy you would have liked to hang out with in high school. Always a chuckle, but with a sparkle of intelligence gleaming in his eyes.
In The Lion, DeMille shows us in Micky-Spillane fashion. John Corey and his wife, Kate Mayfield, are members of a joint task force of FBI agents and retired New York cops. Kate is FBI; John, a retired cop. Together, they lead us into a world of daring-do.
Taking a break from the stresses of work, they go skydiving. Kahlil Asad, the Lion, shows up to exact revenge for past grievances - midair. During a tandem jump, Kahlil attaches himself to Kate and, in a grand show of retribution, slices her throat in full view of a helpless John. Kahlil promises he will soon be back for John and leaves him to deal with his dying wife.
In this lion and tiger dance, each has surprises for the other on their way to the endgame.
DeMille’s writing is sharp, witty, and clever. Each of his characters have personalities that explode in color, framing a picture for the reader. His plot moves at a consistent pace, drawing the reader deeper into the story.
DeMille further adds interest to his characters by donating the names of philanthropic friends to the cast in exchange for a hefty donation to the charity of their choice.
DeMille is succinct in his words. I was surprised that I had read the last line, indeed, the last page, for when I flipped it over, I found the acknowledgements.
Guess I’ll just have to read his next book!
In The Lion, DeMille shows us in Micky-Spillane fashion. John Corey and his wife, Kate Mayfield, are members of a joint task force of FBI agents and retired New York cops. Kate is FBI; John, a retired cop. Together, they lead us into a world of daring-do.
Taking a break from the stresses of work, they go skydiving. Kahlil Asad, the Lion, shows up to exact revenge for past grievances - midair. During a tandem jump, Kahlil attaches himself to Kate and, in a grand show of retribution, slices her throat in full view of a helpless John. Kahlil promises he will soon be back for John and leaves him to deal with his dying wife.
In this lion and tiger dance, each has surprises for the other on their way to the endgame.
DeMille’s writing is sharp, witty, and clever. Each of his characters have personalities that explode in color, framing a picture for the reader. His plot moves at a consistent pace, drawing the reader deeper into the story.
DeMille further adds interest to his characters by donating the names of philanthropic friends to the cast in exchange for a hefty donation to the charity of their choice.
DeMille is succinct in his words. I was surprised that I had read the last line, indeed, the last page, for when I flipped it over, I found the acknowledgements.
Guess I’ll just have to read his next book!
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Rapture in Death by J.D. Robb
Would it surprise you to learn that J.D. Robb is actually Nora Roberts? No, I thought not. Fans of both know who the author really is. How can they help but find out when they go to the library for their Nora Roberts fix?
While she uses distinct styles for each name, it’s easy to spot the genius that is Nora Roberts--and true fans know that. Just as Eve Dallas knows how to track down her killer, so does J.D. Robb know how to weave a story that rocks.
A futuristic thriller, Rapture in Death, pits the beautiful-yet-brooding, heroic cop, Eve Dallas, against a beautiful and charming sociopath out to use everyone and everything for her own, fiendish benefit. Dallas’s blunt approach to life, in the mansion and the station house, is a fresh change from the “Nick and Nora” type of setting.
Her cast of characters are charming and off-beat, but be warned: you’ll want to cuddle them like teddy bears. Delia Peabody, Eve’s sidekick, is an intelligent cop mentored by the brilliant Ms. Dallas. But the dynamic is reversed when Ms. Dallas plays straight-man for the witty Ms. Peabody. When the day is done, poor Eve goes home to her mansion and gorgeous, sexy, and seriously-rich husband, Rourke. And ladies, Rourke has an Irish accent that melts butter, a past that is way past choirboy, and a love for Eve so deep, it tugs the heart.
Pick up a J.D. Robb book. You’ll be glad you did. Better yet, pick up the book on CD and let reader, Susan Ericksen, lull you into a fantasy with her sharp portrayal of these rich characters.
Character Counts by Sharon Sherman
Developing the right characters can make all the difference in the success of a novel. What do you remember from a favorite novel? The plot? The place? Or the characters? In the plot summary on the back cover, what is mentioned first and foremost? What do you want to see when you read a sequel?
For me, it’s the crazy characters. The mysterious Ranger or hot Joe Marino. And maybe Grandma Mazur with her less-than-normal view of life. I really like Lulu - an ex-prostitute attached to Stephanie Plum on one side, and two buckets of chicken on the other. Nothing is normal about Janet Evanovich’s characters, including Bob, Steph’s bulimic dog. While her characters are wild and crazy, there’s an implied goodness about all of them. We feel safe with them, no matter how questionable their past. We want to pack our bags and follow her characters around, just for the excitement.
Not all characters are as fun-loving as Evanovich’s. Some characters we love to hate. Look at the popularity of daytime soaps. So popular were they, they added soaps to prime-time fare. Dallas was one of the first with an extensive thirteen season run, thanks in-part to its greedy, scheming J.R. Ewing. If you want bizarre characters, look at Dark Shadows, returning with the all-time character actor, Johnny Depp.
Then there is the character we would love to be: the beautiful and intelligent Elizabeth Bennet or the unusually deep Mr. Darcy in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, who would keep us on the edge of our seats with their banter and thoughtful emotions.
While a weak plot cannot overcome all the beauty or cleverness in the world, dull characters can keep you from discovering how clever the plot really is.
For me, it’s the crazy characters. The mysterious Ranger or hot Joe Marino. And maybe Grandma Mazur with her less-than-normal view of life. I really like Lulu - an ex-prostitute attached to Stephanie Plum on one side, and two buckets of chicken on the other. Nothing is normal about Janet Evanovich’s characters, including Bob, Steph’s bulimic dog. While her characters are wild and crazy, there’s an implied goodness about all of them. We feel safe with them, no matter how questionable their past. We want to pack our bags and follow her characters around, just for the excitement.
Not all characters are as fun-loving as Evanovich’s. Some characters we love to hate. Look at the popularity of daytime soaps. So popular were they, they added soaps to prime-time fare. Dallas was one of the first with an extensive thirteen season run, thanks in-part to its greedy, scheming J.R. Ewing. If you want bizarre characters, look at Dark Shadows, returning with the all-time character actor, Johnny Depp.
Then there is the character we would love to be: the beautiful and intelligent Elizabeth Bennet or the unusually deep Mr. Darcy in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, who would keep us on the edge of our seats with their banter and thoughtful emotions.
While a weak plot cannot overcome all the beauty or cleverness in the world, dull characters can keep you from discovering how clever the plot really is.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Love in a Nutshell by Janet Evonovich and Dorien Kelly
Mss. Evanovich and Kelly weave a delightful fantasy where-smart-girl-in-trouble meets man-of-her-dreams with attraction electrifying their encounters. Inevitably, things go awry. Through cunning and pure dumb luck, everything seems to work out in the end.
While Mss. Evanovich and Kelly have colorized the characters and developed an exciting relationship between the two main characters, Kate and Matt, it is the ending rather than the story that holds the reader's interest. Being a native Michigander, I appreciated references to one of my favorite cities, Cherry Capital of the United States, Traverse City. And the craft brew lessons were informative and, may I say, a bit crafty.
If you expect fun-loving villains that have a surprising better side, you won't find them here. The villains do show up and they do have a redeeming side, but they are neither fun-loving, nor embarrassed by their better points, but rather hide the fact that they are not what they seem.
On its own, the story is cute and cuddly, and as my friend, Joyce, says, "It's great to have a bubble bath book to read every once in awhile.
But if you are expecting the Evanovich style where there are quirky one-liners to make you smile and flirty innuendos to make you drool, you just might be a bit disappointed.
While Mss. Evanovich and Kelly have colorized the characters and developed an exciting relationship between the two main characters, Kate and Matt, it is the ending rather than the story that holds the reader's interest. Being a native Michigander, I appreciated references to one of my favorite cities, Cherry Capital of the United States, Traverse City. And the craft brew lessons were informative and, may I say, a bit crafty.
If you expect fun-loving villains that have a surprising better side, you won't find them here. The villains do show up and they do have a redeeming side, but they are neither fun-loving, nor embarrassed by their better points, but rather hide the fact that they are not what they seem.
On its own, the story is cute and cuddly, and as my friend, Joyce, says, "It's great to have a bubble bath book to read every once in awhile.
But if you are expecting the Evanovich style where there are quirky one-liners to make you smile and flirty innuendos to make you drool, you just might be a bit disappointed.
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