Julie Pollaro

Wake up Boomer

Revisado: 08-21-24

Boomers tend to be conservative so voting Republican is to be expected. However being a boomer myself (1951) I expected them to be a little more thoughtful and certainly less racist. That’s not what I see in everyday life and this book confirms this belief. Diversity is coming, I’m seeing this in my own family. In some cases boomer parents either accepted this or be isolated, your choice. Other things boomers need to think twice about is immigration, who is going to mow your lawn, be caregivers for you , probably new and poor immigrants ( this is not stereotyping just a natural progression for generations). Also don’t be so quick to be against student loan forgiveness. Remember the millennials will be deciding whether or not they bail out social security and Medicare. Just saying.
Wake up America is going to change like or not.

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Boring

Revisado: 07-24-24

Considering the author I was disappointed. The book seemed to drag on forever. I had to take a break from the book in order to finish it. There were so many names they seemed to all run together. Disappointing.

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Wake up America

Revisado: 07-21-24

The author did an excellent job of explaining the far right (illiberal) movement. He points out this movement is not Republican or Democrat. Over the decades both parties have played this role. He does point out that the southern region of the country has been the primary source of this movement. I hope America is smart enough to see the dangers this group represents. Think America ! The American experience and experiment is the anomaly in history not the norm. Resisting change , immigrants, women’s rights and minorities is not the way forward it is the beginning of the end. The American way is to embrace the evolution that is happening.
Excellent book.

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Informative

Revisado: 06-10-24

This book is not riveting or exciting .But it is interesting and full of information. It’s hard to imagine what the medical profession faced with the new modern warfare. Doctors had faced the use of modern weapons in South Africa ( Boer War) and Algeria but not on the scale of WWI. The changes they made saved countless men both then and in the future.
It may take some forced listening but eventually you will finish and looking back over what you learned will be satisfying.

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Boring

Revisado: 06-03-24

Interesting topic and stories. However the author is way too wordy and narrator fails to bring any adventure or excitement . Couldn’t finish.

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Outstanding analysis

Revisado: 06-03-24

I’m of the Vietnam era. I had a student deferment my best friend was a combat veteran. I’ve read many books about this era and stories about the war. This by far was the most concise and objective book about this era and war that I have ever read. The author did his best to be both analytical and informative about this struggle. The part I liked best was he always kept you informed of the thinking of the time. It’s easy to point out errors in hindsight but why did the leaders make those choices. The author also informs you about what the North Vietnamese people were doing and why. He points out the serious mistakes they made and the consequences they suffered. In summary if you are looking for an adventure book this is not your read but if you’re interested in an analytical look back this is a great book.

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Facism won

Revisado: 05-24-24

If you enjoy European history this is a book for you. I’m old enough to know that the Nazis helped Franco become dictator and that he ruled until the mid 1970’s.
Mussolini was also involved committing 75000 troops to help Franco. This was another case of France and England being so adverse to war they ignored what was going on in their own backyard. Having read about how terrible the Great War was I understand the reluctance of entering another country’s conflict. However that fear is exactly what dictators count on. Entering into war is not always correct as we experienced in Iraq , Afghanistan and Vietnam however sometimes it is the correct course as we can see now re the Korean War.
Franco was a facist who overthrew a democratic government and ruled for 35 years. It was an oppressive and ruthless regime which we along with the Europeans allowed to continue. Those who oppose helping Ukraine should read this book. It takes a long time to correct your mistakes once democracy disappears.
The author did a great job being concise and avoiding lengthy language to explain how events happened and why. It’s also a good example of how democratic bureaucracy sometimes gets in its own way.
Really good read, short and to the point.

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Underwhelming

Revisado: 05-15-24

The story was very interesting and showed the despicable actions of the Nazis during the war. All war is heinous, just read any soldier’s story. How the treatment of civilians need not be. Anyone who wishes to build an empire realizes treatment of civilians needs to be as honorable and humane as possible. This book tells of gruesome acts by Nazi leaders. However the author bogs us down in needless detail. So much so that you lose track of who is who and what is relevant to the story. The narrator is British with the applicable accent. At times you couldn’t understand her, I rated the story 4 stars and would have rated it higher if not for the criticism noted above. Good story just wish it had been told better.

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Humanity

Revisado: 05-03-24

There are very few books reflecting the Japanese side of WW II. This showed how there are few differences between the warriors of war. Interesting and enjoyable reading. I really enjoyed this book.

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Principles

Revisado: 01-17-24

I’m a Democrat and seldom agree with Liz Cheney’s policies. I don’t like her Dad. However just because you may not like or disagree doesn’t mean you can’t respect a person. I always respect someone with principles. And citing an over used phrase I would fight for the rights of this person to express their opinion and exercise their rights. This was a well written and excellent narrated book. Concerning Trump and the MAGA movement the Cheney’s and I agree 100%. If I was a Democrat in Wyoming I would vote for Cheney. I am so glad Democrats can rely on principled Republicans like Liz Cheney. I watched all the January 6 committee hearings so there were only a handful of things I learned from this book. But Liz reemphasizes the importance of defeating not just Trump but the entire MAGA movement. I hope she is right and a new Conservative Party evolves from this destruction of MAGA. Democracy needs alternative ideas in order to thrive. It does not need extremism especially if violence or intimidation is the vehicle used to win.
March on Liz Cheney I am standing right next to you.

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