BOOK REVIEW: Arrested Development

(Originally published 2011, Paperback edition 272 pages)

Mr. Ronson's "The Psychopath Test" is more about his adventures in learning about psychopathy. The book jumps about as he follows one piece of information to another. Add to this his intelligence, investigative skills as a reporter of the abnormal, his own personal anxiety's, and a sharp sense of humor and you wind up with a delicious, quirky story that is informative, sometimes scary and other times balls out funny.

"The Psychopath Test" gives you a general overview of how it's determined if someone is plagued with the condition. I cannot stress enough that this is not some in-depth, academic dissection of the condition. The author describes the Robert Hare Checklist that is used as the diagnostic test and takes a course taught by Mr. Hare about how to detect psychopaths. Needless to say, armed with this new information, Mr. Ronson takes his new-found knowledge out for a spin by interviewing such people as Sunbeam's ex-CEO Al "Chainsaw" Dunlap; an ex-British agent; conspiracy theorists obsessed with 9/11 and a British terrorist attack known as 7/7; an ex-Haitian leader of a paramilitary group who murdered oodles of Aristide supporters; how producers select contestants for reality TV shows and an extremely odd bird named David Shayler. The author also describes the creation of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders currently known as DSM-IV which is the reference book used by the medical community.

Some of this stuff sounds like it would be quite dry reading, but due to Mr. Ronson's self-deprecating, witty delivery, I found myself completely captivated by this easy-to-read book. I finished it a little better informed about psychopathy and the murky world of mental illness as well as with a smile on my face. 

 

Meyers - A few years ago, I started writing, under the pseudonym Franklin the Mouse, short reviews at Amazon's web site. This is my most recent review #318)

BOOK REVIEW: FUBAR

 (Published 1948, Mass Market Paperback edition 559 pages)

Mr. Mailer's World War Two book is centered on the thoughts of about a dozen soldiers and officers engaging in a 6000-man U.S. operation to defeat about 5000 Japanese combatants on a Pacific island called Anopopei. The book is purely a male driven enterprise. The few women portrayed are superficial and only come into play during flashbacks about the different characters. All the people from Major General Cummings, who is in control of the operation, to the most lowly grunt in the trenches are struggling with insecurities. Mr. Mailer took pains in convincingly depicting men from a wide variety of backgrounds. You have a few who are intelligent and others (mostly the grunts) that aren't so swift. One character named Ridges is about as smart as a brick. The actions of the Japanese remain a mystery throughout the story.

The author did an outstanding job in describing the thoughts of these various men during war. The officers are more focused on the logistics where the Army grunts are simply pawns on a chess board. Empathy for the American soldiers in the jungle certainly isn't their strong suit. The grunts are living in extremes of either being terrified or bored out of the friggin' minds. With this book, you need to be patient. About two-thirds of this large baby is fleshing out the different characters before placing them in an ordeal that tests the limits of all the men. I could see how the motivations of the men was going to be a problem if they got into a moral pickle and that is exactly what happens. FUBAR (Fucked Up Beyond All Reason) raises its ugly head. There are a few moments of deep suspense, but mostly it's a book of ruminations. Mr. Mailer's story is not for the reader who is looking for something similar to the action movies The Dirty Dozen or The Guns of Navarone. It is a thought-provoking classic only for people interested in reading about the mindset of men during the 1940s.

Meyers - A few years ago, I started writing, under the pseudonym Franklin the Mouse, short reviews at Amazon's web site. This is my most recent review #317)

?????????????!!!!!!

When it comes to diet my mom has amazing willpower. It is kind of ironic because my mom is a great cook. However, once in a great while, her resolve broke down when I was in high school and would lead to the most stupid question she'd ever, ever, EVER ask me, "If I make some peanut butter fudge, would you eat some?"

Airhead

(FATHER-&-SON MOMENT)

Jon said, "Dad, we did a lot of 9/11 stuff in school today."

I said, "9/11 stuff... what's that? Did the students make paper airplanes, light them on fire and throw them around the classroom?"

"That would've been coooooool."

This is one reason why I'm not a teacher.

Barely Bearable

THE BEAR WAS CONVINCED NO ONE WANTED TO SIT AND EAT WITH HIM BECAUSE HE WAS BLACK.

BOOK REVIEW: Animal Magnetism

(Originally published 2011, Paperback edition 358 pages)

Mr. Abramson's story is written in the first-person narrative of a 30ish-year-old, dead woman named Helena Colden. Two weeks after kicking the bucket, her noncorporeal self realizes she can observe the lives of people she knew when she was alive. Descriptions of the afterlife are intentionally ignored. I guess you could say she seems to be in some sort of waiting phase before moving on to whatever. She has the ability to witness multiple events that are happening at nearly the same time despite the situations occurring at very distant places from each other. The primary people who Helena observes are her grieving husband/high-powered attorney, David Colden; Dr. Jane Cassidy (Jaycee) who is a scientist dealing in primate research; a kindly veterinarian partner named Joshua Marks; and an African-American woman named Sally Hanson as well as her 10-year-old son Cliff who has Asperger's. All the characters have two things in common. They are still wrestling with the death of a loved one and animals are an integral part of their lives.

The primary thrust of the story is the healing nature of animals and how we can learn to accept the inevitability of death. It also covers the pros and cons of using animals as... well... guinea pigs for scientific research. Each character is written in a wellrounded way. Even the antagonists are not completely evil stereotypes, but given a little bit of time to explain what they believe. The story contains enough suspense and mystery to keep the reader interested, but the main focus is on the different characters' introspections. Mr. Abramson's first book is an easy, well-written, Prozac of a story that will likely appeal primarily to people who have ever lost a pet and secretly hope that whatever lays beyond death isn't so bad. Despite the morbid nature of dealing with the Grim Reaper, the book has a life-affirming feel to it. Being a "dog person", I enjoyed it very much. It left me with a warm, fuzzy feeling. 

Meyers - A few years ago, I started writing, under the pseudonym Franklin the Mouse, short reviews at Amazon's web site. This is my most recent review #316)

BOOK REVIEW: The Dude Never Let Up

(Originally published 2010, Paperback edition 570 pages)

Theodore Roosevelt walked away from what easily could have been a third term as President of the United States. With his type-A personality, there was nothing short of death that was going to keep him from making waves in whatever he did. Mr. Morris' third volume is an excellent finale to a colorful man. The 26th President quickly left Washington D.C. for a hunting/exploration African safari. The author does a fine job describing how Roosevelt's numerous articles written and published while he was out killing oodles of lions, giraffes, hippos, monkeys... heck, basically anything that had a heartbeat made him even more popular. He may have been a retired president, but the friggin' guy couldn't swing a dead monkey without hitting some foreign dignitary wanting some of his time.

After traveling around Europe, he returned stateside and, as usual, found others lacking the "right" qualities to be in leadership positions. His outsized ego is on full display as he takes it upon himself to usurp President Taft and then start the famous Bull Moose Party in a huff about being outmaneuvered at the 1912 GOP convention. The book also covers in detail the assassination attempt by John Schrank and how the seriously wounded Roosevelt remarkably continued campaigning despite having a bullet in his chest as well as bleeding heavily. After the election, the story continues with his perilious journey into the Brazilian jungle which almost killed him. (Note: A more detailed account can be found in Candice Millard's outstanding book "River of Doubt.") The remaining portion of the book deals with his being an irritant to President Wilson and pushing for us to enter World War One in a time when most Americans were isolationists.

Mr. Morris' colorful prose are a good fit for arguably our most colorful president. I was amazed that the old, fat, lame coot was still itching to lead men into battle in Europe even though he would have been clearly in over his head. The Rough Rider loved war for war's sake and he dearly pays the price by forcing his four sons to get into the fray. I read all three volumes in succession and found the two previous works helped to understand why Theodore Roosevelt acted the way he did in his later years. There is much to admire and hate about the man. The three paperback books entail 1,866 pages. It is a well-researched, entertaining work that gives a balanced portrayal of our 26th President, but Lordy, Lordy it's a loooooong read.

Meyers - A few years ago, I started writing, under the pseudonym Franklin the Mouse, short reviews at Amazon's web site. This is my most recent review #315)