A Marriage at Sea: A True Story of Love, Obsession, and Shipwreck

A Marriage at Sea: A True Story of Love, Obsession, and Shipwreck by Sophie Elmhirst

A couple went boating and got "lost at sea", needing to spend a long period of time on a raft. This was a stressful experience that ultimately made their relationship stronger. They had a few "false hope" near-rescues before they were finally saved. They received a lot of publicity afterwards. The experience proved transformative, and they kept a strong relationship through life.

This book is based on the account of Maurice and Maralyn Bailey. The "lost at sea" experience was only part of the story as the book focuses on the later impact of their life. (At first it felt odd to have it discuss the "post-shipwreck" experiences with so much remaining in the book, but it does make sense in the end.)

There Were Giants in the Land: Episodes in the Life of W. Cleon Skousen

There Were Giants in the Land: Episodes in the Life of W. Cleon Skousen by W. Cleon Skousen, Jo Ann Skousen and Mark Skousen

W. Clean Skousen's family members assembled an autobiography from his journals. Skousen was born in Canada, then served a church mission in Europe and then came to live in the USA. He spent time working for J Edgar Hoover in the FBI. He was later a university professor and a police chief before focussing on his National Center for Constitutional Studies. The organization advocated a conservative focus on the study of the constitution and it's religious basis. In addition to the political writings, he also wrote parenting works and a "thousand years" series of books on the Old Testament. He was very devoted to his organization and his brand of conservative principles. However, he had trouble with others that differed in the way to run things. His anti-communist beliefs were perfect for the cold war mentality and seemed to reach the mainstream peak during the Reagan era. After the end of the cold war, his relevance appeared to wane.

The Death and Life of Aida Hernandez: A Border Story

The Death and Life of Aida Hernandez: A Border Story by Aaron Bobrow-Strain

The communities along the Mexico-USA border are caught in the crosshairs of immigration policy created far away. The borders were once quite porous, with families spanning both sides. People would freely cross the borders. There were no quotas on Mexican immigrants, and various iterations of guest worker programs. However, changes to increase "fairness" of immigration policy opened up immigration from other countries, but ended up reducing Mexican quotas. Then the country clamped down on the border. Soon organized crime became involved in getting people (and drugs) illegally across the border. This lead to more border security. The US has now spent a huge amount on securing the border, yet there are still huge numbers of illegal immigrants. There are also many industries that rely on the immigrants. 

This book focuses on one of those immigrants, Aida Hernandez. She was born in Mexico and had family on both sides of the border. There was a history of domestic violence in her family. (Undocumented immigrants are reluctant to report violence for fear of being reported - especially if he perpetrator is a citizen.) She had a boyfriend she met at school in Douglas, Arizona. As a teenager, she had a son in the US, however, she still liked to party and went with friends to Mexico. She got caught on the border trying to return and was stuck in Mexico. Since she grew up mostly in the US, she did not have a Mexican ID and had difficulty getting a job. She worked a bar job that would get her some money. However, after work, somebody tried to rape her and ended up stabbing her. She was treated in a Mexican hospital, then rushed to a US hospital under a special treatment program. She was given special time to stay in the US to get better. She overstayed it and then was caught by immigration after trying to steal a lego set at Walmart. She was then in detention for about a year before finally getting resident status under an "abused spouse" provision. She was not an "upstanding citizen". However, she does have some positive attributes.

The book is not sure what it want to be. At times it is a history of the Douglas, Arizona and Agua Prieta, Mexico. At other times it is a Mexican immigration history. While the "title track" is the history of Aida Hernandez and her family. It also has a digression to the life of a woman that Aida would meet in the detention center and with whom she would enter and leave a relationship. The book could be more concisely written to bring out its main points.

Beyond the Story: 10-Year Record of BTS

Beyond the Story: 10-Year Record of BTS by BTS and Myeongseok Kang, translated by Anton Hur, Slin Jung and Clare Richards

BTS is one of the biggest musical acts in the world. They are also Korean and part of the K-Pop idol system, yet they exerted much greater creative control over their music. Their experience is different from those of western musicians. There are a number of subtleties that come out in this story and make it very different from western musical hagiographies.  There is a strong attachment to fans that is different than what is seen in western rock bands. There is also a greater respect for authority and cultural norms. They are breaking with Kpop idol norms in creating their own hip-hop music with personal lyrics. Yet they are still very much part of the system. They are dedicated to working hard to perform the best for their fans. They can move the boundaries without completely tearing them down. Performance is an important part of what they do. I find it takes extra work to relate to people of very different cultures, however, it is often worth it.

William Blake vs the World

William Blake vs the World by John Higgs

For some reason, I had thought Blake was American. He was not. He was very British. He was "unschooled" by his mother long before that was a thing. He became involved in writing and engraving using his unique style. He did not fit well in many categories. He claimed to be Christian, but his religion did not fall in line with church teachings. He had his own prophesies and mythology in is poetry. He was adopted by the romance poets, but didn't quite fit in with them. He was just his own thing. The book explores his life and work in detail, though it is not quite a biography or literary analysis.  

To the Rescue: The Biography of Thomas S. Monson

To the Rescue: The Biography of Thomas S. Monson by Heidi S. Swinton

There is an audiobook available from audible and ebook available from libraries. Thomas S. Monson grew up in a working class part of Salt Lake. His church unit was the combination of two wards, called the "6-7 ward" (This would be sure to attract giggles from children everywhere with the popular meme.) From a child, he was fairly sociable and had leadership positions from a young age. He liked the outdoors and was fairly sociable, though got into typical juvenile mischief. He had good leaders at a young age who encouraged him to help others. He continued to have a strong focus on the individual throughout his life.

He attended the University of Utah and worked in advertising and publishing. He would continue to have a keen eye for details throughout his life. He enlisted in the Naval reserves towards the end of World War II, but spent most of the time in San Diego. He became involved in church callings, serving as a Bishop and Mission President at a young age. He was also a young member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He was involved in many areas of the church, especially the opening of the church behind the Iron Curtain. He continued to have a reputation for individual focus and looked after individuals from his stewardship. 

He was always a master storyteller. I recognized many of the stories from his talks. This book "fills in the details" for many of the events that are already well known.

Abe Lincoln (Landmark Books)

Abe Lincoln (Landmark Books) by Sterling North

This biography of Lincoln covers a lot of his law career and his early political career. It pretty much wraps up with him getting the presidential nomination. It is interesting to have insights into his law practice and family life. The presidency is well covered in many other books, so this one makes a nice addition to Lincoln stories.

Insights from a Prophet's Life: Russell M. Nelson

Insights from a Prophet's Life: Russell M. Nelson by Sheri Dew

This book is a "fun events in the life of somebody that I know" biography. It goes through the life of Russell M. Nelson and even references another biography. However, it also pulls in other personal experiences that the author had with him. Russell was a precocious child. He skipped a grade in school and graduated early. He went to undergraduate and medical school during the time of World War II. He was dedicated to learning and serving in his church. His family came from a multi-generational Mormon background, but were not active members of the church. He went to church on his own, and worked to bring his family along. He married and lived a student pauper's life of medical training. He served in the military during the Korean war. He was on the forefront of the nascent field of heart surgery. He also had a knack for foreign languages and learned Chinese and later spent time in China. He became more involved in church service, even turning down a post at University of Chicago to remain in Salt Lake to be able to take more church callings. He was later called to be an apostle and had to wind down his surgical practice. (Though he did keep the appointments he already had.) He had some interesting experiences, including significant footwork to get church recognition behind the Iron curtain. He also experienced an armed robbery and attempted kidnapping in Africa. His wife passed away (due to a heart issue). His CPR was unable to save her. He later remarried (through somebody he met be somewhat of a chance meeting.)

As a church leader, he was older than those ranked above him and was not expected to become president of the church. However, a number of passings in quick succession left him as president. He announced a number of significant changes, including restructuring of meetings and ministering and made a large number of visita around the world. He did have to give up skiing, though. This anecdotes work to bring out the history of his life.

The Complete Poetical Works of Edgar Allan Poe

The Complete Poetical Works of Edgar Allan Poe by Edgar Allan Poe

There is a biography at the start. (Poe lived an interesting life with a morbid death.) There are also essays and dramas included. Poe was not a fan of long poems. He was a great, imaginative writer.

Annabel Lee (1849) - a somewhat morbid love poem, unfortunately read with a robotic voice

The Bells (1848) - the repetition of bells makes this one good

The Raven (1845) - Poe's famous poem. Captures his style well

To Helen (1831) - a poem of beauty with Helen of troy and others

A Dream (1827) - a dream, short and sweet

Alone (1829) - a loner in childhood

Fiaryland (1829) - imagery of a land of fairies

Who Was Rosa Parks?

Who Was Rosa Parks? by Yona Zeldis McDonough

I did not realize that Rosa Parks had a backstory of fighting for rights. There were other black people who failed to give up their seats for whites on Montgomery busses. However, they did not resonate with the general public the way Rosa Parks did. She was an educated, upstanding citizen. She had also worked behind the scenes for civil rights. The bus boycott and fame were challenging for her and her family. Eventually she moved to Detroit with other family members. 

This book is a quality, short introduction to her life and the background of the bus boycott and civil rights movement. It is somewhat sad that it was transportation that was attacked. In the name of improving civil rights we ended up hurting our transportation system. (Next step would be to bulldoze black neighborhoods for freeways.)

Who Was Blackbeard?

Who Was Blackbeard? by James Buckley Jr.

Blackbeard was an infamous pirate who was known for raiding the American coast during the colonial era. He was bold and extremely successful in his work. At one time, he even settled down in a town in a form of local amnesty. However, he ended up back at work and eventually met his fall as authorities raided him. We have an idea of his pre-Blackbeard identity, but are not 100% sure. The book provides background on the pirate as well as the situation in which he arose. Britain sponsored "privateers". These eventually freelanced on their own. Working on a British ship was very regimented, with little chance of reward. Pirate ships were more democratic with greater chances for leadership and material reward. 

The Perfect Mile: Three Athletes. One Goal. And Less Than Four Minutes to Achieve It

The Perfect Mile: Three Athletes. One Goal. And Less Than Four Minutes to Achieve It by Neal Bascomb

Wes Santee, John Landy and Roger Bannister were all trying to be the first to run a sub-four-minute mile. As I only recognized one of the names, I had a strong idea how it would turn out. However, the story is still dramatic. Each of the runners had challenges. It is clear that a bit of good (or bad) fortune is involved in setting athletic records. It is interesting to see parallels with the modern mess of the NCAA as well as the attempts to complete the first female sub-four mile.

Of the three, Wes Santee had the worst luck. He was constantly stymied by the US athletics association. At one time, the prevented him from running the mile because he already qualified in another event. Later, they banned him because he received too much money in expenses. (The organization had authorized those expenses and made a financial killing on the events, but Santee wasn't able to see any of it.) After college, he was full time in the military and competed in running events there, but never got to run an official sub 4 mile.

John Landy was from Australia and had little support from his national sports federation. He also competed in one race against Bannister with an injured foot. He was the second person to break four minutes and held the mile record for three years.

Bannister was the first to officially break the record. He held onto the ideal of amerture individual competitor, only reluctantly getting outside coaching. He was also studying and later working as a doctor. The running was a sideline. He had pacers help out and came close to running a sub-four mile numerous times before he finally broke the barrier at Oxford. The weather was horrible that day and he thought about trying again another time. However, it cleared up close to race time and he was able to do it.

The audiobook has a small afterward where the author discusses his experiences meeting the runners and the very different personalities. 

The Party's Interests Come First: The Life of Xi Zhongxun, Father of Xi Jinping

The Party's Interests Come First: The Life of Xi Zhongxun, Father of Xi Jinping by Joseph Torigian

Loyalty to the communist party is key to success in Chinese government. This long biography explores the life of Xi Zhongxun and his experiences living through communist upheaval. He had various ups and downs with relationship to his role in China. It can be especially problematic when he knew there were problems with the implementation of government policies, yet he also knew that speaking up could risk is position. The book provides an interesting exploration of the rise of Mao and post-Maoist China by focusing on one person who was involved in the history in prominent, but not dominant positions. His son would go on to be the leader of China.

Who Was Abraham Lincoln?

Who Was Abraham Lincoln? by Janet Pascal illustrated by John O'Brien

This short biography of Lincoln has enough unique points to bring him alive. There are the challenges of his childhood as well as experiences with his wife and kids in the white house. It helps answer the questions of who he was as a person.

The Lady Queen: The Notorious Reign of Joanna I, Queen of Naples, Jerusalem, and Sicily

The Lady Queen: The Notorious Reign of Joanna I, Queen of Naples, Jerusalem, and Sicily by Nancy Goldstone

Why do authors write fictional romantic fantasy when the real life is so much better? Joanna I was a middle age queen of Naples. There were various machinations going on with her reign. The Hungarians all wanted a part and set her up with a husband. He was to be a "king in name only" without power to rule. Alas, his family was seeking to gain too much power. Then he mysteriously died. She was blamed even though others were found guilty. She had various other husbands and was pregnant multiple times, but never had a child that lived towards adulthood. Others tried to battle to take the kingdom. She was saved by the papal armies, but ultimately had her downfall by siding with the wrong Pope (against one that was formerly one of her subjects.) She was ultimately imprisoned and likely murdered. The author does a great job of dramatic narrative, making a history that is much more appealing than fictional novels.

What's the Big Idea, Ben Franklin?

What's the Big Idea, Ben Franklin? by Jean Fritz, illustrated by Margot Tomes

the book seems to have wandered off before I could get a picture of the cover. It is a short biography of Ben Franklin. It covers the lesser known details to include the achievements and foibles of Franklin. We was the youngest of the youngest and did not want ot be confined by an apprenticeship. He is known for lighting and diplomacy. The audiobook includes too versions, one with age turns and one without.

Sally Ride: America's First Woman in Space

Sally Ride: America's First Woman in Space by Lynn Sherr

I did not like the voice of the narrator of this audiobook. Not sure what was the issue, but it is hard to get involved with the book. Sally Ride was shy. She became the first female astronaut. She encouraged girls to get involved in science. She was involved in studying the earth, and had some university positions teaching physics. She had a traditional marriage with a male astronaut that lasted a few years, but then lived most of her life in a private lesbian relationship. She "came out" only in her obituary after she died from cancer. The biography felt fairly distant. She didn't leave many personal records, and was fairly tight-lipped in interviews, so much of what we have on her is through others. 

The power of determination: Featuring the story of Ronald Reagan

The power of determination: Featuring the story of Ronald Reagan by Della Mae Rasmussen and Phyllis Collan

This book was not as bad as I thought it would be. It is a biography of Ronald Reagan. Most of the life events appear to be accurate. However, the reasoning and the "determination" may be far fetched. For some reason, there is a bird telling the story.

The book is fairly long for a kid book. It also ends with "everyone knows who he is" now. Alas it is now four decades after his election and he is not as well known.

The book tells the story of Reagan growing up in poverty in Illinois. He works hard and works his way through college. It is now the depression and he decides he wants to be a sports announcer. He does such a good job that he is encouraged to go to Hollywood. There he has success and has a good, easy life. He decides to go into politics.

The book presents his experiences being upset with discrimination and encouraging people to work hard. The book tries to have a humorous tone that does get a bit over the top. 

An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s

An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s by Doris Kearns Goodwin

The author and her husband, Dick Goodwin, had front row seats to the changes in the 1960s. Dick served as speechwriter for JFK and LBJ as well as working for the Eugene McCarthy and RFK campaigns. He understood the various styles of the politicians and felt that working on speeches was a great way to influence politics. He also was busy planning activities for each of the Kennedys when he heard that they were shot. 

The author appeared later in the scene and worked in a "Student" position in the LBJ administration. Things got off to a rocky start when her first published article ended up referring to ways to defeat LBJ. She somehow managed to stay and after his presidency ended, he wanted her to help write his memoirs.

They participated in both elections as well as running of policies. Civil rights and Vietnam were both key events in their experience. The book details how these unfolded from the internal views of those inside. LBJ was perhaps one of the best people to push forward civil rights due to his experience as a wheeling and dealing southerner. He wanted to keep southerners in the fold and keep too much from being "imposed" on them. He knew when to compromise and when to push.

The book includes the personal experiences that they had as well as the "global" events that were applicable. The view is very much focussed on their experiences. They worked in Democratic administrations, and thus the "inside the beltway" narrative pretty much ends after LBJ leaves office. Though the last years of LBJ's life are covered as well as quick discussion of the Democratic legacy.

Sources of the River

Sources of the River: Tracking David Thompson Across Western North America by Jack Nisbet

David Thompson explored the land of the Columbia River and the Pacific Northwest for the British business interests. However, he is not well known in history. This book intersperses the author's visits to the modern northwest, with the exploration stories of the Thompson. It seemed like it should have been interesting than it was.