RachelAH

Living Through History

Revisado: 06-30-24

This book is a fantastic combination of biography, autobiography and history, It’s well organized and delightful to listen to because Kearns-Goodwin has such a clever way with words. It was so enjoyable to listen to that I raced through the book.

Though I lived through this period in history, I had forgotten much of the turmoil and trouble our country went through. It’s good to be reminded in these times that positive change is possible.

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What Makes Adam Run?

Revisado: 11-21-23

I selected this book because I saw the author on television and liked what he had to say. I didn’t know what to expect in his book and found it to be quite eclectic. Mostly, it was the story of the author’s life and beliefs. He explained why he did what he did without making excuses for any of his mistakes. But there were also long sections of information about the time when he was a pilot and a detailed account of how he got elected.

Even though I am a Democrat, I couldn’t help but like this man, because he seemed to be more reasonable and flexible than the average conservative. He tried to do what was best for our country even though he knew he was sacrificing his political career in the process. Too bad, he resigned. We need more like him!

He did a great job of reading the book to us. We could feel his excitement and pain through his voice.

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An Education For the Reader

Revisado: 10-12-23

I found this book to be fascinating ! I learned about electric cars, rocketry, AI, and the behind-the-scene workings of Twitter. Reading about Musk’s accomplishments and abilities made mine feel small and insignificant. The author did not hide Musk’s quirks and inability to “play well with others.” Nor did he downplay Musk’s significant accomplishments. He fully explained Musk’s emotional ups and downs. What a complex person he must be! Reading this book was like watching a train wreck—fascinating but still a train wreck!

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Not what I expected

Revisado: 09-26-23

There’s a lot of good information in this book. But I didn’t feel very informed about President Biden himself as much as receiving information about people he put into important positions. From a historical standpoint, it is an interesting analysis of what has going on in the most recent years in Biden’s life. I suppose it was intended to help us understand the man behind the appointments. I was looking for more information about the man.

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Way TMI: Poor Little Rich Boy

Revisado: 09-15-23

I did not enjoy listening to Harry’s reading of his book; it was monotonous and lacked inflection. I was appalled at his ability to travel the world, live in palaces, enjoy marvelous privileges, and yet continually complain about how he was treated both by the press and his family. I was amazed about the specificity of his memories—how could he remember all those details? Did they all really happen?

Harry is quick to tell us all about his charities and good deeds and to minimize his drinking and use of alcohol. He speaks continually of his mother, even though he receives counseling for this obsession. Will he never get over his loss?

I hope Harry finds happiness in his future but to do so, he will have to learn to appreciate all the good things he already has in his life.

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A look back into history

Revisado: 08-29-23

I decided to listen to this book because I saw the movie Oppenheimer and realized I didn’t know enough about his life to understand what was going on in the film.

Not only did I garner enough information to understand the film, I learned a lot about Oppenheimer‘s life, his family, his habits, his ethical struggles. I enjoyed reading the results of various interviews the authors had made, as I imagine there was no other way to learn these details. But, of course, the accuracy of this information relies on the words of the various reporters.

I like history, so I found the book to be fascinating and well worth my time. Now I plan to read some other accounts to see what light they might shed on Oppenheimer’s fantastic experiences.

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True life can be exciting too!

Revisado: 08-01-23

I chose to listen to this book, because I have been fascinated by Jane Ferguson‘s reporting on PBS for years now. Her book records and explains her life, her assignments, her romance, all in a way that is fascinating and intriguing. She explains why she does what she does and why her life has been fulfilling as a result.

The book is exciting to listen to, in that Jane has the talent for painting the setting in a few words and moving the story along, just as if the reader was in the scene.

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Inspiring and Thought Provoking Narrative

Revisado: 03-14-23

I found this book to be both enjoyable and inspiring to listen to. Michelle shared her philosophies of life that had helped her cope throughout the many changes she encountered. She encourages her readers to adopt them to face our own challenges, which I intend to do.

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Improbable ending

Revisado: 12-31-22

I was enthralled by much of this book, but disappointed in the ending. For one reason, we never do find out what happened to the woman who was one of the two central figures in the story. Secondly, the author proposes a few different possible murderers only to spring another unexpected perpetrator on us at the end. I should state that I do not like reading non-fiction for this reason. Anything can happen in a non-fiction book. It was almost as if the author sat down most days when getting ready to write and wondered “What twist can I put into this plot today?”

Things inevitably got convoluted after a while but of course I kept on reading right to the end to find out “Who done it.”

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All over the place

Revisado: 11-24-22

I found this book to be difficult to follow, because the author was all over the place in her comments. She didn’t seem to have a timeline. We were in her childhood, Then we were in adulthood then we were back in her childhood. Still, Sharon had a lot of wisdom to share, and she read her material in a in an emotional, moving way.

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