Chumnley

Exploration of owning ones principles and idealism

Revisado: 01-25-25

Like PB’s other young adult releases this book reads at a mature level, is enjoyable at any age. It is a tale of the having ones blissful youth shattered by cold realities that adulthood brings, the realizations that accompany a better understanding of the world we live in. And how soul crushing it can be to realize that one may be part of the problem itself, themes that any young person leaving the warm bliss of childhood encounters upon adolescence, maturity. Like his other books this is well researched, involves a timely important subject (questionable safety of common household and pharma products) and again asks of todays tech: just because we can does it mean we should? And what are the human costs? The Young Adult catagorization is betrayed only in its relative simplistic ideologies and fantastical scenarios, that the main characters are teens. Otherwise this is yet another in PB’s list of must-reads, er listens (the performance is stellar, not over dramatic, the readers excellent annunciation bearing a stark contrast to that of typical mumbling teenagers we live amongst). I would have given this title 5 stars across the board if only because I would steer newbies to PB to his epics Wind Up Girl, Pump Six, and Water Knife first, which are hands down masterpieces.

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Wading into origin of words, the Opium War, British imperialism, Oxford and elite academia.

Revisado: 01-01-25

Cinematic near-historical fiction blends a “Harry Potter’esque” magic so seamlessly for a moment I almost thought word pairs were real. Abundant footnotes delving into the origin of words stitches together a slightly stilted pace while simplistic emotions and interpersonal drama tends toward that found in “teen” novels. Overall insightful and worthwhile listen that bears a great fruit.

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Thought provoking, fact filled, engaging

Revisado: 04-13-24

Engaging mix of history, national security policy, politics, and good ol’ war stories. Thoroughly researched the facts are verified, underscored by testimonials of those who were there, conveying their humanity, ethos, intent. This book ranges from the philosophical: questioning the concepts of war, defense, whether a “just” war is possible, and what is truly the most humane methods to accomplish national defense goals. To the hairy: accounts of ambushes, lying injured in bomb craters, rice paddies, developing film in makeshift photo labs. A must-read for anyone interested in national security policy, deterrence, global politics. A rare audiobook where the author is also a top-notch reader.

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Foundational insight

Revisado: 02-07-24

History does not so much “repeat itself” as human nature has changed little in centuries. “Human nature” is more accurately described as human psychology and Fromm breaks it down, explains the world of humans via Freud et al in the same way Darwin postulated the origin of species. This book is a giant stepping stone in any quest to understand the world around us, how humans have found themselves in the situation we are in today. How to explain our past, both the good and the atrocities of our past. 1941, but could have been written yesterday based on current events.

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High thought, philosophy, genius

Revisado: 02-23-23

More accurately described as an audio play/performance, this book reads more like a tome of philosophy, life observation, than the second installment of a book with elements of mystery, who'dunnit. A semester college course could easily be taught, dissecting and analyzing, fact checking this and digressing on so many points of the "dialogue" it could actually be 2+ semesters. With this, and The Passenger, it feels like a massive hard drive data dump from the mind of one of the most brilliant writers of our lifetime. Incredible insight into the higher meanings of mental illness, nuclear physics, mathematics, violin manufacturing, suicide. Like a work by Thich Nhat Hahn or Socrates, this could easily lay on your bedside table to be cracked open at any page. The audio performance is majestic (as was The Passenger's). Truly a great work of art, thought, beyond what one would expect from McCarthy, if that's even possible.

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Excellent as always, to the point, objective

Revisado: 02-23-23

Guinn's contemporary history is always well researched and presented. His works involving Manson, Jim Jones, and Bonnie and Clyde qualify as essential reading, masterpieces. I enjoy those books because they delve into the cultural landscape surrounding the main events yielding great insight into how they materialized but also a look under the hood into the inner workings, history of this country. Guinn's Waco is an excellent account of how the Branch came to be and especially how the ATF, FBI and other forces function and handle (mishandle?) such things. It's to the point and informative and an essential read, part to any understanding of the event. David Thibodeau's survivor account should not be overlooked, and Guinn references him more than once, however Thibodeau's book, while not overtly subjective, still lacks 100% objectivity as Guinn's almost scientifically adheres to. My only criticism is that I had hoped he would have written more on the subtitle subject: the legacy of rage that we are all living through, have yet to see the consequences of. Hopefully that's on his to-do list, a future book.

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Deep twisted tale

Revisado: 07-09-22

Few can tell tales like this. And turns out she is an excellent reader (always makes a big difference). So many pearls of dark wisdom - mark of a timeless writer, like Celine, Twain, Steinbeck, can pack a world of emotion in a single sentence: “When she asked the birds which herbs to eat to heal her loneliness they answered that they knew nothing of love. That love was a distinctly human defect which god had created to counterbalance the power of human greed”. Do. Not. Miss.

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Foundation stuff

Revisado: 06-26-22

The impact of Ballards ideas and prose are all here. Brief read. Essential. Note that this is the later edition with author annotations. I wasn’t aware of that until he made a reference to Dan Quail at which point Ballard’s prescience seemed a little too extreme even for him. The annotated version is the standard version today (wiki).

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Excellent as always

Revisado: 05-26-22

Guinns historical accounts do well to wrap the topic with a greater picture of events surrounding them. While not as heavily layered as his majestic Bonnie and Clyde, Manson books, he does well to capture the atmosphere in the borderlands at the time that has led to the relationship that the US has with its southern neighbor today. Heavy in detail this qualifies as military history.

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Excellent insight into national security policies

Revisado: 05-26-22

I was prepared to pull the eject button if this smacked of conspiracy theory as the title seemed to imply. But instead i was gripped from start to end. This work is a detailed account of events surrounding this infamous submarine accident that gives the reader insight into the lives of submariners, the technological aspects and history of sub warfare , water launched missiles, and marine espionage, intelligence. It also covers well aspects of Cold War Soviet and Chinese era military, from leadership to sailors. The author presents well researched evidence-based theories regarding the relevance of this event and how it not only may have led to the deaths of half a million residents of Hawaii but also how it may have been key to detente, establishing relations with China and ending the Cold War itself. Highly recommended for fans of national security policy, espionage, geopolitics. An engaging read.

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