-Dr. D.L.C.

A not-so-well-known history...

Revisado: 05-21-21

Dr. Irvin Painter wrote a very interesting historical account of how 'whites' came to be, but in historical, anthropological, scientific, and sociocultural contexts. I was surprised at how scientific racism somehow escaped the rigors of peer review and all but devoid of facts such as the phrenology craze and how it took root through confirmation bias and though the scientific method was missing, it was still accepted.

Further, the 'Only in America ' idea rears the ugly side of its head when constant attempts to categorize 'others' by virtue of intellectual capacity fell on its face when the Stanford'-Binet (Bibet-Simon) intelligence tests in the military revealed that many so-called dumb negroes actually scored higher than many southern whites who took the exam, yet this darling bit of information was withheld from the public for a time through congressional means because a Kentucky senator was embarrassed.

I enjoyed this book because the author used factual evidence to shed light on long-held stereotypes and how the construct of race had socioeconomic and sociopolitical roots, yet absent are any biological data to support how skin color causes greatness or poverty. Though many aren't willing to acknowledge, let alone accept it, much of human progress (if you can really label it as such) has been to the credit AND blame of white men. Their quest for social, political, and economic dominion is dreadfully apparent in the abysmal lack of accountability and unfairness in society. I hope this book provides insight to all who dare to read it, believe me, the insight is well worth your time reading this book.

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Great story of what 'could' be...

Revisado: 05-13-21

I really like stories of utopia and how societies could be if it weren't for anti-social cultural problems such as racism, greed, and the like. If everyone were engineered to 'be' and the social order maintained, there likely wouldn't be a need for wars, genocide, religious and political extremism, poverty, etc. that plaque our very existence.

Mr. Huxley's story of a utopian society still makes me wonder if such a place could ever exist. It kinda reminds me of the "Wayward Pines" utopia somehow where things are fine until an outsider decided to posit his or her ideals on an already content society and erodes peace in doing so.

What this world needs is Soma :)

By the way, I hated the ending. It was abrupt and nonsensical. I expected some sort of finality or fruition of an endgame for Mr. Savage or at least a return to his native home or an island.

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Interesting insight on 'people'

Revisado: 04-21-21

It was interesting to learn how and why people believe what they do, despite evidence to the contrary. I don't agree with everything Shermer wrote, but overall he did some insightful research. It's a worthy read.

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Interesting and entertaining, but ...

Revisado: 02-26-21

If you read (listened to) "Freakanomics" before this book, you might not be as informed because much of this book seemed like an extension of Freakanomics. Still, it was interesting and entertaining, but not as informative.

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Very interesting book about 'movement '!

Revisado: 02-19-21

I thought it would be somewhat boring, but to my surprise, it was very interested informative. I especially liked the information about snow and germs, seasons and wildlife, and the myths about water flow at the equator as well as the (actual) location of the equator to vwhich many tourists are oblivious.

I enjoyed nerding out listening to this book and dare I add, I wish the book was longer 😉

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Dr. Wheelan made statistics more understandable

Revisado: 10-29-20

This is a nice guide to understanding statistics a bit more. Dr. Wheelan uses meaningful examples that you can easily relate to in an effort to explain why certain analyses are used and how they help understand data. I found this audiobook a very good listen and I learned a bit more about statistics that I can actually use, both in my research as well as my daily life.

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If the world really knew...

Revisado: 12-18-12

If you could sum up The Atomic Bazaar in three words, what would they be?

I guess I'd say: scary, scarier, and horrific.

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

The relative ease at which seemingly poor nations can get their hands on such profound materials such as uranium. The author wrote about the effects of a nuclear detonation and the thing about it is that death come swiftly! The heat alone just destroys anything in its path like no other. Though there are civil uses for nuclear power, making weapons from it should not be allowed under any circumstances because the consequences are far too great.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Tom Weiner?

Probably, but the story captured me, not the narrator's voice.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Yes, when the author discusses the sequence of events resulting from a nuclear detonation from the point of impact through fallout. Very disturbing information, but very informative.

Any additional comments?

This is a very good book and if you're even remotely interested in war, [nuclear] arms proliferation, foreign policy, or just the physics of nuclear weaponry, this book is very likely to impress you.

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VERY well researched and written / narrated!

Revisado: 12-18-12

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Absolutely! While Jacobsen didn't discuss Hangar 18 so much, she surely shed light on much of mysticism of Area 51 and the arms race between us and the (former) Soviet Union. Now I know why all the alien lifeforms resemble human beings (i.e. two eyes, two arms / legs, etc.) because they were human beings. Her research stems from primary sources, people who worked there and of course her sources on the defense contractors are reliable.

What did you like best about this story?

I really liked how she exposed just how inept our science was on military technology to the extent that we had a stolen Russian MiG so we could try to match Soviet technology. Also, I liked the behind-the-scenes bickering from top-level military and government personnel. Were personal agendas put in front of budgets and national defense?

What does Annie Jacobsen bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Her voice is relaxing and brings the story to life somehow.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Area 51: Uncovering the Cover-Ups

Any additional comments?

This is a very good book and though I'm sure many will remain skeptical, at some point, when an author uses primary-source information, you gotta adjust your beliefs. As with most books that have a great beginning and middle, the end of this book wasn't so great. Still, I think it was a very well researched and well-written book and the author narrates her work very well. Ms. Jacobsen, you did a damn good job with this book! -Derrick

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