BOOK REVIEW: The Candidates Behind The Cacophony

(Originally Published 2013, Hardcover Edition 482 pages)

Clearly, "Double Down" is not meant to be the ultimate book of what occurred during the 2012 campaign. The most glaring example is the reporters, Mark Halperin and John Heilemann, completely ignore Ron Paul's quixotic quest. Heck, the libertarian is mentioned even less times than Sarah Palin. And "Mama Grizzly" wasn't even running in the darned thing. That ought to cause many of Ron Paul's more zealous supporters to blow a blood vessel or two. The reporters focused mostly on the background drama that unfolded in the Obama and Romney camps. While their previous work "Game Change" seemed to center more on the historic primary battle between Democrat Senators Obama and Clinton, "Double Down" leans in the direction of Mr. Romney's travails. This makes sense. As the incumbent, President Obama was focused on the general election. There's not much really there. But Mr. Romney? I felt bad for the guy. He had to contend with such loose-cannon lightweights as Representative Michele Bachmann, Rick Santorum, Herman Cain, Texas Governor Rick Perry and blowhard Donald Trump. In addition, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has a whole chapter devoted to him potentially being a fly in the ointment of Romney's aspirations. Also, odious Newt Gingrich's antics are given quite a bit of attention. Oh, and let's not forget a Republican party in the middle of a civil war about the direction to take the GOP. Yeah, good luck with that, Mitt.

What "Double Down" does very well is humanize the individuals and clearly shows the compromises they must make in an effort to sit in the White House. President Obama and Mr. Romney are decent men, but holy ham hocks, presidential campaigns bring out the worst in people. The book's overall tone is gossipy. There are countless examples of staffs manipulating potential voters through negative ads, sabotaging the opponent's rallies, political back-scratching and power-plays, constantly obsessing about campaign contributions, and the shallow nature of debates. Also, no matter how well prepared a campaign staff and the candidate may be, "Double Down" shows that things are going to mess with your plans. Some were self-inflicted and others were completely out of their control.

The most depressing thing about "Double Down" is that going negative against your opponent works very well and many citizens are easily swayed by superficial appearances. Every four years, it's the same thing. Voters and candidates of both persuasions get all hyped-up and starting believing that if the other person wins then it will usher in the End of Days. It takes a special kind of wingnut to put themselves through our presidential-campaign process. If they win, they're considered brilliant or cheaters. If they lose, everybody throws their two cents in on how you messed up. The book successfully shows the ups and downs of running through this media-saturated gauntlet. "Double Down" is an extremely fun, informative read, but the thing made me question (once again) our nation's sanity.

(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 #388)

BOOK REVIEW: And Now For Something Completely Different...

(Originally Published 2012, Paperback Edition 366 pages)

I was not familiar with Ms. Lawson or her blog until the book popped up on the New York Times Bestseller List. Sweet mother of mercy! The cute cover with the mouse on it belies a very warped mind. It took a few chapters to get used to her rambling writing style. I found the beginning of the book somewhat tiresome until the fourth chapter about Stanley the talking squirrel. From that point, I was hooked and not disappointed. She wasn't kidding in her introduction when she said some of the stuff would offend readers.

Her material is not only profanity-laced but covers a wide variety of misadventures. Beyond the talking squirrel, they include such things as her taxidermist dad and Czech-immigrant grandparents, dropping acid, meeting her future in-laws, working in Human Resources, socially awkward get-togethers, arguments with her husband Victor, undergoing acupuncture, her miscarriages, losing weight, and the unexpected death of a beloved pet. Surprisingly, she effectively mines this material for humor. All these episodes occur in Texas. Ms. Lawson's chapter about battling with vultures as well as scorpions made me glad I live in Maine. There's even an explanation of the mouse wearing a cape on the book cover.

Ms. Lawson's is an extremely funny, odd bird. The lady displays a level of paranoia that, if true, is breathtaking in its excess. She also seems unable to stay focused on any one topic without veering off on some tangent. This also makes for very funny episodes, but only for people who are not offended by profanity or off-color humor. I wonder what color the sky is in her world? It was well worth reading. 

(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 #387)

BOOK REVIEW: A Matter Of Degrees

(Originally Published 2012, Paperback Edition 387 pages)

What is enjoyable about reading Mr. Dionne's book is his even-tempered delivery. You will find no snarky sarcastic sentences written by the author. Yes, Mr. Dionne is a progressive, but backs his work with an accurate portrayal of how our country was born. He laments the current manifestation of radical individualism that is called the Tea Party. He clearly shows how our nation has always struggled to find a balance between individual freedoms and mutual obligations. The book persuasively explains that the Tea Party's extreme form of individualism is taken from the short, 30-year, Gilded-Age era and is not reflective of the Framers' true intent.

"Our Divided Political Heart" is not the kind of work which is effective if you read only a few pages per session. Mr. Dionne's trains of thought about such topics as populism, the politics of history, the various manifestations of liberalism and conservatism, and the impossibility of nailing down the Constitution's original intent is not casual reading. It was nice to read Mr. Dionne stressing that the Constitution was created by intelligent but flawed men and it is a political document that was formed through compromise and some obfuscation. What was especially reassuring about the book is the author relies heavily on the esteemed, Colonial historian Gordon Wood. (Mr. Wood's Pulitzer Prize-winning work "The Radicalism of the American Revolution" is extremely worth your while.)

Mr. Dionne is a very good writer, but the work has a slightly academic tone to it. Hopefully, this will not detract you from reading it. The book is highly informative, well-reasoned and ultimately a hopeful one. 

(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 #386)

BOOK REVIEW: A Victim Of Circumstances

(Originally Published 2009, Paperback Edition 391 pages)

It was impossible for me to visualize anyone else but the actors who portrayed the characters in "The Hunger Games" movie. However, this did not detract from Ms. Collins's second book of the popular trilogy. The story is written in a manner that it's unlikely you'll need to look up the meaning of any of the words. However, the complexity and suspense of the story is first rate. "Catching Fire" is not a stand-alone work and reading the first book, "The Hunger Games" (or seeing the movie,) is necessary to truly understand what has transpired before the "Catching Fire" story begins.

The book is written in the first-person narrative through the eyes of Katniss. Once again, like "The Hunger Games," the reader has no understanding of what is going on beyond the protagonist's perspective. This format works very well in developing the tension, suspense and mystery throughout the story. The author also convincingly shows the mental trauma of being a survivor of the Hunger Games. The main antagonist, President Snow, is given more attention than in the first book and his odious nature adds a great deal to the suspense. New characters are also introduced that are very difficult to ascertain if they are on Katniss's side or not? Ms. Collins does an excellent job of tightening the multiple nooses around the heroine's neck and had me wondering how in the heck Katniss and her allies would get out of this complex mess?

"Catching Fire" is an Orwellian book for teenager readers, but still highly entertaining for adults. The work is not meant as high-brow material meant to be discussed with the champagne crowd. A fun, edge-of-your-seat story that is as good if not better than the original. Please note that "Catching Fire" leaves off as a cliffhanger and intentionally was written for people to read the last book "Mockingjay" to find any kind of resolution to the story. 

(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 #385)

BOOK REVIEW: It's A Bird! It's A Plane! It's The Other Guys!

(Originally Published 2012, Paperback Edition 432 pages)

God knows, creative people are not usually the easiest creatures to work with and the passion that comic readers invest in these things is way beyond what I consider healthy. Sending out death threats to writers or artists because they killed a comic-book character isn't exactly someone working with a full storyboard in their head. Mr. Howe's "Marvel Comics: The Untold Story" is a clear-eyed view of the birth and evolution of the mighty comic publisher. A large portion of the book focuses more on the dynamics between management and the creators. The author thankfully avoids immersing "Marvel Comics" into the different cartoon characters' adventures. Sadly, all the illustrators who were the visual and sometimes creative brainchilds of the now iconic superheroes such as Spiderman, Captain America, Fantastic Four, Hulk, Wolverine and X-Men were looked upon as peons by the original owner Martin Goodman and the other executives who followed in his footsteps. The author does an excellent job of separating fact and fiction about the myths that have arisen around Stan Lee and illustrator-extraordinaire Jack Kirby.

The book certainly removed any romantic impressions I had about working in such a demanding and temperamental field. It was disheartening to see how a scrappy little company churned out these wonderful creations and eventually morphed into a corporate nightmare under the tutelage of odious, corporate raiders Ron Perelman and then Carl Icahn. At some points, you'll shake your head in disbelief at the gang-that-couldn't-shoot-straight executives' actions. I imagine "Marvel Comics" is a work that will interest people who read comics or have an interest in how the industry works. It would be nice to see a book written about the other publishing Goliath, DC Comics. Mr. Howe has written an extremely engaging book. 

 (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 #384)