Dr. Alan Albarran

Chicken Hill Comes to Life

Revisado: 03-10-25

I started listening to this book for Black History Month but didn't get it finished until the first week of March. It had been on my list for some time.

There are hundreds of reviews out there about this book. It was my first experience with the author, and I found it to be very positive overall. As for the audiobook version, narrator Dominic Hoffman does a very good job of engaging the listener and keeping the story flowing, although I will admit to times when I had to replay a few sections of a chapter to fully understand what I had just heard. That is probably more my fault as a listener than that of the author/narrator.

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Starts Strong, Ends Flat

Revisado: 12-30-24

Liked the performance and the storyline up to the last chapter, then things fell apart. What was anticipated to be contact with alien life forms turned out to be something unexpected. At least the time investment was short.

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Your View of Trees Will Change After Listening

Revisado: 12-14-24

This review is for the Audible edition of Trees, written by Percival Everett and read by Bill Andrew Quinn. I decided to read this book after reading James earlier this year, my first experience reading author Percival.

This book is challenging to review, because it takes the reader through so many different emotions and feelings. At times you will be laughing, other parts angry. Trees is a work of fiction wrapped around historical truths with a story that begins in the rural fictional town of Money, Mississippi, where a series of vicious murders has taken place. The victims, all males, were stabbed to death and each had their testicles cut off in an act of hate. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (yes it does exist) is called in to help local law enforcement and from there things just get stranger and stranger.

We meet a number of interesting characters. While more development might have helped, there is more than enough to drive the story forward. The killings in Money and the rest of the South are not new; lynching was the norm for decades. Hence the title Trees.

Racism is an ugly thing. Trees makes the reader face racism straight on, and we don't like what we see (or hear in this case). Speaking of hearing, the narration by Bill Andrew Quinn is excellent, and makes you feel like you are in the rural South.

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Back to the 1970s/80s

Revisado: 11-22-24

I remember seeing Jake and Elwood on Saturday Night Live and was captivated by their music and humor. I devoured this short Original in two settings. Very nostalgic, and if you were around in that era (and at least appreciate the Blues) you will enjoy the presentation. Well done, good editing, and kind of eerie to hear John Belushi's voice in an unheard interview.

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Kennedy vs Nixon 1960

Revisado: 11-12-24

This review is for the Audible edition of Countdown 1960. I've read several of the books in the Countdown series by Chris Wallace; all of them have been enjoyable to read and opened up new insights for me and I'm sure other readers.

The setting here is on the 1960 race for President; Kennedy versus Nixon, in a race among the closest in history. Wallace goes behind the scene for both campaigns, starting before the primaries and taking into account other world/US events and leaders that play a role in the history of the era.

There is a lot of familiar territory here if you have read anything about JFK or RMN. Wallace does a good job presenting both candidates strengths and flaws, but spends more time on Kennedy and his family, especially father Joe who in Wallace's version paid for the Presidency. JFK's constant philandering is mentioned several times with different women he encountered.

Nixon is the loyal, 8-year VP for Eisenhower who is not really supported much by Ike until the election is just a month away. Nixon also has trouble with some of the Republican leaders, some of who would have preferred Nelson Rockefeller or another candidate besides "Tricky Dick" Nixon.

In the end Nixon is defeated, although several state state electoral ballots were being legally challenged (much like 2020) at the time Nixon graciously conceded.

Countdown 1960 is a very readable look back at the 1960 election that had many firsts, such as the first candidates born in the 20th century; and perhaps more importantly for Kennedy the first to feature a series of televised Presidential debates that helped showcase Kennedy's looks over Nixon's haggard face in the first debate.

The narration is very good and holds the listener's interest throughout the presentation.

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The Beginning of the American Revolutionary War

Revisado: 11-12-24

Bunker Hill takes the listener through several of the important events leading to American independence and the beginning of the Revolutionary War. The Stamp Act, the Boston Tea Party, the Boston Massacre, the initial fights at Lexington and Concord, and other key moments are all brought to life along with a cast of patriots and British characters we know from history: Samuel Adams, John Hancock, Paul Revere, Joseph Warren, and William Howe to name a few of the most prominent names mentioned in the text.

The battle of Bunker Hill, which really took place on Breed's Hill, is richly detailed in an almost play-by-play banter similar to a sporting event. But the battle was far from that; it was the bloodiest battle yet between the colonists/patriots and the British from which there would be no turning back until the war would conclude at Yorktown much later.

The narration at times became somewhat monotone, which dragged the presentation for me. But Philbrick's writing still comes through and carries the day. The book is the first of a trilogy by the author on the American Revolutionary War.

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Looonnnngggg Biography

Revisado: 09-12-24

I've read a number of Walter Isaacson's books, and was looking forward to this one, even though it was a 20+ hour audiobook. It was ok. Part of the problem was the subject matter; part of the problem the narrator. Jeremy Bobb has perfect enunciation, but he is so monotone he sounds like an AI bot. There was literally no emotion or range in his voice, That added to the boredom of listening. I was able to get through it by bumping up the speed,

Elon Musk is a 21st century genius and also one of the most mercurial persons on the planet. Plus, he is a narcissist with little care for workers who he indiscriminately fires to save money on the firms he controls.

Musk's story is far from over as his innovations (Tesla, SpaceX, Xai) are still developing their potential. His acquisition of Twitter, renamed X, makes no sense from a business perspective. X has floundered under his control, and hopefully hiring a new CEO will help get X back on a positive path.

The early part of his story is very interesting. Lots of family issues, sibling and parental drama, and numerous relationships with women and marriages are detailed. Musk suffers from Asperger's syndrome, which is at the root of much of his difficulty with people and social interactions.

If Trump is elected in 2024 he has reportedly pegged Musk to lead an efficiency committee on the US government. I can't see that happening, but if it does I would give him a month on the job at best based on this biography. There is no way he would have time for such a task unless he turned over control of his companies to others. Based on the bio, there is no way he would do so.

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1984 for the 21st Century

Revisado: 08-01-24

This Audible Original blew me away. I thought the performances by Garfield and company were fantastic. The production quality was outstanding. There are some very graphic parts, but overall a compelling, contemporary audio presentation of a classic work.

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Reliving 1969-70

Revisado: 07-18-24

A good way to spend an hour if you were of age in 1969-70. A work of fiction, author Winslow captures the time perfectly, with so many things happening at once: the Vietnam War, Kent State, drug usage, and a lot of turmoil. Performed well by Ed Harris.

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A Very Different Look at Jim

Revisado: 07-14-24

As a youngster I enjoyed the adventures of Tom, Huck, and Jim, and wanted to read this new work--but after thinking about it decided I would probably enjoy the audiobook more. Dominic Hoffman, the narrator, gave an amazing performance as Jim/James. The story by Percival Everett has a lot of surprises and twists (this is not Mark Twain's version) that keeps the reader engaged. I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook.

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