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Beautiful writing and compelling story!

Revisado: 03-23-24

The narrator is, of course, Meryl Streep, and she is fantastic! But about ten minutes in, I forgot it was she because she thoroughly became “Emily” in the main character role! And the story was so convincing - I mostly read non-fiction and I was enthralled by the reality of this confessional tale. Patchett’s writing and style are so spare and satisfying that I caught myself admiring the form of the book as much as the story. Just enjoy! (I’ve already begged two friends to get the Audible book and listen…)

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Stark (but well-written) reminder of democracy’s struggles throughout our nation’s history

Revisado: 02-05-24

HCR has written a concise history of the US battle for interpretation of freedom and equality, pointing out that each generation has the repeated task of redefining and enriching the ideals of 1776. There have been long periods of time when, as a nation, we have fallen far short of the goal(s), and now, in 2024, we have a major challenge and choice in determining which type of world we leave to our children and grandchildren. Highly recommend!

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Not just a book about terrible men

Revisado: 12-28-23

I almost didn’t buy this book, thinking it would just be endless cataloguing of the monstrous acts of so many men over the millennia (& I had no desire to rehash that history.) But the author was introspective and even had a chapter on how women (herself included) can be monsters! She also wrote much about how creative arts require total dedication of the artist such that monstrous behavior often results from creation of masterpieces. Loved this book!

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Insightful thorough review of how evangelicals have gone astray

Revisado: 12-13-23

I’m guessing that if one is not in any way familiar with the evangelical religious tradition, this book might be too detailed or complex to be interesting. However, for those of us who either grew up or spent time in a conservative church culture, this book could be very hard to put down. As a former Southern Baptist, I listened almost non-stop to the various interviews and discussions of how many evangelicals have turned their churches into political power generators instead of following Christ. I highly recommend the author and his excellent analysis, reporting, and reading of his book. It also seems to be written to attempt some kind of connection with the very members of those highly politicized churches. The author certainly takes his religious faith seriously and devotedly.

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Scintillating - couldn’t put it down!

Revisado: 12-10-23

If you’re as familiar with the work of the January 6th congressional investigation as I am, you may not want to revisit the events of that day in the detail that Liz Cheney gives in this book. However, I found that it made more sense and had a more powerful effect on me hearing her read and relive the horrors of that day and how it happened. It was worth the retelling with extra meaning and impact. However, I kept reading the book wondering why she hadn’t bothered to look at the Republican Party’s approach to power/leadership anytime before 2020. It’s not like the country didn’t have a pretty good idea of what kind of presidency Trump would stage back in 2015 even, with the outright play-to-the-fans lying about Obama’s citizenship or “wink-wink” on the racial issues inherent in his campaign(s). And, of course, I know that Cheney’s father’s role in the disastrous invasion of Iraq would have been a difficult topic to discuss. But for all the patriotism and commitment to constitutional principles she propounds, it did seem a giant oversight for Ms. Cheney to ignore the direction towards chaos that has characterized the Republicans since at least the Gingrich days.

So, not to take a bit away from her own heroism and standing up for the nation which has cost her a House seat and personal safety in this rabid dog-eat-dog Republican Party, but why is she still identifying as Republican when there’s no place for her to stand? Where’s the rest of that story? A great read, though, and I couldn’t put it down from start to finish!

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Even-handed, excruciating, and frightening

Revisado: 11-17-23

The author did a remarkable job of fairly weighing Romney’s values and foibles, even explaining so much of the “rock and a hard place” of politics today. But while my primary take on Romney is admiration and respect, the lasting impression will be one of fear for our democracy, as this book goes a long way towards addressing how we are now at each others’ throats…

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Impressive work and reading

Revisado: 11-15-23

So much scholarship and careful analysis make this a work of art in itself; one comes away from reading with at least a sense of who George Eliot really was and why her works are so permanently established.

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Fascinating and very informative

Revisado: 11-13-23

If you’re not very familiar with the work of the SEC (Securities not College Football), you may be overwhelmed by the detail and depth of reporting here. But the writing is clear & the topic might grow on you (as it did for me) and you’ll learn things you never knew. First, I had no idea how complex and convoluted the creation of the SEC could be, nor how long it took to mature into a viable entity that didn’t have to worry about continuing existence after the next election.

Second, I had never known of Joseph Kennedy’s work as the first SEC commissioner, nor that William O. Douglas took the same position before being named to the Supreme Court!

Well-narrated and always interesting, if you’re a history buff!

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Almost everything I expected

Revisado: 11-10-23

Such a clear, thorough, well-read dynamic book! And yet, I was expecting a bit more on Lindburgh’s and America First here; apparently, Rachel tried to focus on just those stories not so well covered by others… still I longed for that wrap up chapter where all those isolationist and fascist wannabes were summed up.

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Outstanding!

Revisado: 11-08-23

I’ve not read other King biographies but had a sense that this well-read, well-researched book with new FBI and other materials will set a new bar for seeing King as the heroic, though multi-flawed, human being we honor today. Yes, his hypocrisy and lack of faithfulness in his marriage are horrible, but this book puts so much of that in context where his shame and guilt and depression are a piece of the entire government (FBI) and other attacks against him. This helped me see just how brave and courageous he really was to pick himself up attack after attack to go back into the fray, all along visualizing how it would end for him.

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