Race Easy

There is story after story of inflicted famine...

Revisado: 05-01-19

So I had family, ethnic Germans (a.k.a. "Germans from Russia"), who lived in Ukraine. My grandfather emigrated from Ukraine in 1907 at age 17, but he left some siblings behind. I recall my father telling the story of how, in the '30s, his father received a letter in a black envelope (indicating someone's death), with a letter of his sister's passing.

This book recounts the famine inflicted upon Ukraine, in the 30s and earlier, by the Stalin regime. There is some mention of the ethnic Germans there, but I have little doubt that my great aunt's death was part of this "Red Famine". This book gave me a sense of how awful it was.

This is a very well documented book, using lots of archival letters and documents to portray this travesty. Unfortunately, it's a bit of an overkill... With a print version, you could skim or scan much of the seemingly redundant accounts. With the audio version, you pretty much have to slog through all the narratives of injustice and desperate, dying people. An abridged audio version might have been a more interesting read/listen.

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I purchased the print book for my father-in-law...

Revisado: 05-01-19

This book was a good listen. He tells some of his life story, and many of the cases that he worked on when he was in Colorado Springs. My father-in-law, an avid reader, used to live in Colo. Springs, so I thought he'd enjoy the book. He did, although he didn't specifically recall any of the homicides described in the book. My wife enjoys Kenda's TV show. All-in-all, this is a good listen.

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A story of an editor/author of erotic anthologies

Revisado: 04-17-19

Rachel is a notable editor of, and contributor to, erotic anthologies. This books tells us a bit of her own story. It was a fun listen.

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This book deserves another listen...

Revisado: 04-17-19

So 2017 was the 500th anniversary of the Reformation lead by Martin Luther. Nadia, a Lutheran pastor, continues in this spirit, advocating for a sexual reformation within the church.

Nadia's message is incredibly articulate. I could hardly believe how well she is able describe situations. I'm sure much of her book has been adapted from sermons and presentations she has done. In reading of her background, it noted that she usually spends 20 hours a week working on a 10 minute sermon. That effort, including her research, study, and wordsmithing, is very apparent in this book. There may be other people in the world who could perhaps write a book like this, but I don't think anyone could have said it as well as Nadia has.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) is a big tent, providing a home for those with very different theological persuasions, ranging from conservative to liberal. Nadia and her former congregation are definitely at the edge of this tent, forcing the church to look at the essential message of the Gospel, and how it speaks to all of us, even those of us who live outside of the church's "normative" sexual lifestyles. Nadia's stories challenge our underlying assumptions and perceptions about what Holy lifestyles can look like.

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Not as funny as I had hoped...

Revisado: 04-03-19

I got about one guffaw and several serious chuckles. It was an okay read for me.

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I read this not long before my mother passed...

Revisado: 02-12-19

This was a good book for helping me to think about end-of-life decisions as my mother was dying... I was ready when the palliative care team came into my mother's hospital room to discuss the options... in fact, I was able to lead the discussion given that I had just read this book. I've listened to this book a couple of times, and I think I'll listen to it again.

As I told people I had read this book... my pastor, a boss, the chaplain, a neighbor... they told me they had read the book. Then they would tell me how they had purchased this book for others. This book is obviously connecting with people!

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The path to becoming an Elite Special Ops PJ

Revisado: 04-30-18

This was a great story, telling how one guy became an Elite Special Ops PJ. I learned a lot about the process, and more about all of the U.S. military special ops units. As a civilian, it was a very informative for me, and a very easy listen given its great story-telling.

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A great autobigraphical read...

Revisado: 02-11-18

My life-partner, who has been in recovery for more than 26 years, tells me that she was a blackout drinker (which was long before we met). This book provided me some insight, and allowed me to have further discussions with my partner so that I can be of more support for her.

The author is a professional writer, and this books shows that. It is well written, and is an easy listen. If you're interested in this topic, this is a good choice.

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A good book for understanding the Reformation...

Revisado: 02-10-18

I grew up within the tradition of the Lutheran church. With 2017 being the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, I wanted to get a better understanding of the tradition in which I was raised and currently worship.

There are a lot of books out there to choose from... I only wanted to read one. I wanted one that was not too academic, yet provided me with a framework and context for understanding the reformation, as well as an understanding of Martin Luther. This book seemed to hit that mark.

There were enough stories intertwined with the history to make this a relatively easy listen.

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Esther Perel writes another great book!

Revisado: 02-10-18

So I had listened to Esther Perel's first book, Mating in Captivity. I came upon that book after I had found out about Esther Perel, by reading a 2003 article by her, "In search of Erotic Intelligence" in the Utne Reader. Although Perel is not an academic, she is a skilled and experienced clinician/therapist, has important insights, and is an engaging presenter.

An affair/adultery almost always violates the trust within a relationship. Perel works through these violations in a variety of settings, and pays particular attention to the "other woman" (or other man). She talks about how to maintain and protect a relationship from an affair, as well as how to heal.

I found this book to be helpful in dealing with my anger towards my ex, as she, while not having an affair, nonetheless violated the trust in our 30+ year relationship. While I still have much anger towards my ex, Perel's book has helped me to balance that anger by blessing my ex whenever I can, as the depth of my love in my current relationship exceeds that which I had with my ex.

If you can get one really good thing out a book, it was a great read! This was a great read for me.

Beyond that, Perel's stories from her clients, along with her insights, makes this book an easy listen.

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