Caitlyn Marsolek

Testimony of The Testimony - Testiception

Revisado: 05-12-17

This book was a wild ride from start to finish. Manuel lives the life of drugs and crime after he witnesses the brutal murder of his family. The whole story is around how he is hell bent on revenge, and when the opportunities to catch up with his family’s killers are in front of him you know he is going to take them. Revenge also ties in with gang violence and the struggles of growing up in low income housing that is flooded with drugs, crime, and gang activity.

Be warned; this book is graphic in every sense of the word. Sexual situations, violence, language, you name it. And it takes that approach from the start; the harrowing details in the murder of Manuel’s family is not for those with a weak stomach. But if you’re not one who is squeamish you will appreciate the detail as it paints a very clear picture of how this story will progress.

I found it eye-opening; we’re all aware by now of the dangers and perils of this world associated with projects dominated by gang wars and racial divides that push those most vulnerable further into poverty and violence. But never have I been able to get such a clear picture and from so many different angles.

If you think you can handle the graphic nature of this book then I highly suggest you give it a read or a listen. In my case it was the latter; and the smooth voice Marvin Slay is sure to take you more into Manuel’s hardened life of crime and violence. Though on that note, I felt changing between male and female voices wasn’t that distinguishable, as it was hard to tell characters such as Aunt May and the various women the boys would have relations with apart from the males in the book. It made for some really awkward sex scenes. Other than that Slay does a tremendous job.

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Fun Fantasy Adventure

Revisado: 12-02-16

If there is a version of this book that you are going to buy then it needs to be the audiobook; the accents used are definitely what outs this audiobook a step ahead of its print copy. Jeff Hays is amazing at distinguishing the different characters, and he really gives each one a different personality.

One thing that I didn’t particular enjoy was just how many characters, particularly protagonists, there were; it can be a bit hard to keep track of them. Also a bit difficult to really establish a connection with a character because of how many there are and how they isn’t more of an exploration of the characters. I would have liked to get to know them more as it would have added to the story and drawn me in further, making me invest more of myself into this compelling story.

In my opinion it also can be a bit slow at times; on occasion I found myself shouting, “Get on with it!” to my iPad. There is a good deal of detail, and while most of the time it is definitely a plus that the author goes into such specifics it is sometimes a big long-winded. But the amount of action definitely makes up for it. I especially liked how each of The Six meet each other and how the team builds itself up in order to take on quests that needed resolution that in a past life had not been achieved.

Not generally the type of book I’d read, but I found it quite enjoyable.

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Great For Anyone in Any Leadership Position

Revisado: 06-17-16

This is a great book that provides ample resources for those who want to become better leaders. It is not just limited to those who work in management either; if you want to be a great leader for any community project this book has great suggestions that point you the direction of being the best leader you can be. You can even apply his leadership tips to other professions; as a teacher I have to act as a leader plenty of times, and while a lot of things he said went right along with my teaching style (better to make the mistakes on paper, self-esteem exercises, etc) there were a few new things I learned that I will most definitely apply to my profession.

The author certainly knows what he is talking about; he gives plenty of examples, his experiences and those of leaders in the past, in order to pinpoint what it takes to be a great leader. With the experiences of the past though I don’t know if I would have chosen Walt Disney as his prime example of his first leader, but that could come with my biases about Disney and watching too much “Adam Ruins Everything.” Otherwise he has some prime examples, my favorite and who I thought was most fitting being Rosa Parks.

Finally, I really enjoyed how he narrated the book. It was almost as if I were sitting in a big hall and he was giving this talk to me as a university student. His seminar tone resonated with those who talk about making big changes to the world on TED Talks. He talks clearly and at a reasonable pace, though I might have heard him stutter once or twice. If it were a seminar I wouldn’t have blamed him, but seeing as this is an audio book that he would have had the chance to edit the stutter threw me off a bit.

Would recommend this to anyone who is looking to improve their leadership skills.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

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A Bit Dry At Times But Then Hooks You

Revisado: 06-17-16

I found this story relevant about current politics, and this really worked in keeping my attention. A lot of reviewers have been honest saying they aren’t political junkies, and, if I’m honest, I’m not one either. But this story presents issues that we hear and see today within a fictional universe. A few of the instances did make me chuckle, an example being the talk about the birthers toward the end. And even when it’s not your cup of tea the author finds ways to keep you interested as if you eat, sleep, and breathe politics. The author clearly knows what he is talking about, and puts it all into context in a way that even those who are unfamiliar with all things political will get it.

The narrator has a nice voice; he uses tone to his advantage, and he is clear throughout the book so that you can understand him. There isn’t anything that I disliked about the narrator; on a few occasions I found his voice a bit monotonous but only on a few, mainly because when there was a moment when he really needed to stress a cliffhanger at the end of a chapter or a sudden twist he did the job. Though he really doesn’t change his voice between characters. He certainly tries, but there’s really not much of a difference, and I think he should either commit to differentiating the characters or stick with his own voice since it’s easy and nice to listen to.

Even with the good things though I still have mixed feelings about this audio book. Would I listen to it again over something I dislike? Yes, I would; the content was interesting and brought forth in a challenging way that really made you think, and contained a great amount of detail. But perhaps this is also a small fault; occasionally the book gets rather dry, I think I would chalk that one up to the detail because it went into every single little thing and often it got boring. But luckily as soon as it gets a bit dry enough that makes you want to put it down it hits you with a hook and you keep going. I wouldn’t give it just 3 stars overall, I’d really call it a solid 3.5 as it gets the job done when you want to broaden your knowledge on the inner workings of politics and presents the information in an interesting story that we can find relevance in today. I received a copy of this
book in exchange for an honest review.

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A Raw and Entertaining Story About Our CJ System

Revisado: 03-19-16

Would you listen to Real Men Wear Beige again? Why?

I would simply just to hear the author's voice and how he describes things again. It was an insightful look at the system as a whole, and while the topic isn't an easy one that you can talk about lightheartedly the author does wonders with how he adds in enlightening information while also throwing in a few jokes here and there.

What other book might you compare Real Men Wear Beige to and why?

I haven't had a whole lot of experience reading books on the criminal justice system. I remember reading Lockdown by Walter Dean Myers a few years back, but I think really the only similarity to this book would be that they included insight on the criminal justice system and how people are prosecuted. If memory serves Lockdown is about a teen, not an adult, and the tones of both books are completely different.

Which scene was your favorite?

It was moreso a part that impacted me the most and made me think more than anything. In the beginning the author offers two different stories about inmates; one who is a child molester and the other who was being prosecuting for theft. The former gets off easier than the latter, and the question posed was "Which one would you want sitting in a room with your 10-year-old daughter?" Wow, did that hit hard and make me think about how someone as sick as a child molester can just go in and out like it's nothing.

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

Nothing really moved me as much as there were scenes that really made me think. It definitely changed my perception of prison, jail, and the prosecuting system.

Any additional comments?

In the introduction the author mentioned that the book could either reinforce what you’ve read about in newspapers, or that the book could shock and surprise you. The author is a great storyteller, and he doesn’t make things overly complicated. However, he doesn’t surgarcoat it either, and the way he gives you information definitely gets you thinking.

I was interested in this book because of its description of prison life that it advertises in the summary. Luckily it’s not just prison life either; Donato Alfredano spells out everything bit by bit, including details of how he ended up in prison, the booking process, and going to court. This is helpful because it gives us major details that, as said in the introduction, we would usually miss. I also took interest in this book because my mother and father have both worked in the criminal justice system, and I thought it would be interesting to get another perspective on a long and very complicated process. This book definitely gives that different perspective I was looking for; detailed and raw, it provides that insight into the process without sparing any detail, which I found fascinating. Another reason I enjoyed the attention to detail is that, as a teacher, I now have a student who is interested in going to the criminal justice field, and this gives me information to pass on to him that could be helpful to him in the future. I may pass this audiobook onto him, as I think it would be something he’d enjoy. As an added bonus to me, he’s not the biggest fan of reading, and if I can get him a hard copy it might it might be enough to interest him into sitting down and cracking open a good book.

Finally, I wanted to address the tone, as this is an audio book and tone is just as important as the words on the page. The tone of the book is professional and at the same time pretty relaxed. Alfredano explains things in a way that is easy to understand; occasionally he throws in prison jargon, but he always goes into further detail so that someone who is not familiar with prison or the criminal justice system would be able to follow along quite easily. It is evident from the beginning how the book is going to go down, as the way the author describes Zack is funny yet descriptive enough that we all know what kind of person he’s talking about. It was refreshing, and kept me listening even

If there was something I didn’t like it was how he broke it down into a math equation. Not that it was bad, and it doesn’t really affect my rating, but I’m not a fan of math, so when he started into that small tangent I groaned. Interesting, just not in a format I enjoyed. And it only lasted for a minute or so.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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