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Category Archives: Reviews
It’s not so lonely out in space: three to celebrate Apollo 11
Fifty-two years ago, men from Earth touched down on the moon and inaugurated a new era in human exploration. I usually re-watch From the Earth to the Moon (a Tom Hanks docu-drama that is in my “Everything is burning but … Continue reading
Posted in Classics and Literary, Reviews, science fiction
Tagged biography, H.G. Wells, human space flight, memoir, Star Trek, vintage SF, William Shatner
6 Comments
Spaceman
Spaceman: An Astronaut’s Unlikely Journey© 2016 Mike Massimino336 pages All his life, Mike Massimino wanted to be an astronaut. He was six when he saw Neil Armstrong’s famous small step, and he wanted to be out there with the men … Continue reading
The Virtue of Selfishness
The Virtue of Selfishness© 1964 Ayn Rand174 pages How many books and movies have moved audiences by portraying a character who, struggling with persistent unhappiness, is pushed by their despair through to the realization that they’ve been living their life … Continue reading
The Eagle’s Claw
© 2021 Jeff Shaara352 pages Lastly, The Eagle’s Claw, a novel of historical fiction about the Battle of Midway. Midway was one of the battles of WW2, the turning point of the Pacific War that, six months following Pearl Harbor, announced to Dai … Continue reading
Posted in historical fiction, Reviews
Tagged 1940s, espionage and commandos, Jeff Shaara, military, WW2
1 Comment
Return of the Primitive
Return of the Primitive© 1971 Ayn Rand, The New Left© 1999 Ayn Rand and Peter Schwartz290 pages The Return of the Primitive collects Ayn Rand’s written responses to the eruption of the student movement in the late sixties, particularly … Continue reading
Posted in Politics and Civic Interest, Religion and Philosophy, Reviews
Tagged 1960s, 1970s, Ayn Rand, Objectivism, philosophy
12 Comments
Nomadland
Nomadland: Surviving America in the 21st Century© 2017 Jessica Bruder273 pages America has always been a nation on the move, but some people take that more literally than others. Nomadland takes us into the aftermath of the great recession, as … Continue reading
Posted in Reviews, Society and Culture
Tagged 2000s, 2010s, American Southwest, poverty, simple living, travel
6 Comments
A clump o’ reviews, because I’m house/dog/pool-sitting sans PC
I am in town for Father’s Day and thus taking a moment to scribble on my computer, having spent the past few days happily bobbing in a pool. Taking care of friends’ houses in their absence is such a chore, … Continue reading
Posted in Classics and Literary, Reviews
Tagged American Literature, John Steinbeck, simple living
6 Comments
Steal this Book
pub. 1971 Abbie Hoffman308 pages At some point in the early 2000s, I stumbled onto a digital copy of Steal this Book and was appropriately scandalized. Because of the unique religious subculture in which I was raised, most of the … Continue reading
