Tag Archives: biography

A Forest in the Clouds

Posted on March 11, 2019 by smellincoffee

A Forest in the Clouds © 2018 John Fowler336 pages John Fowler’s A Forest in the Clouds is his account of studying gorillas alongside famous naturalist Dian Fossey.   Although I picked it up for the gorillas (as one would), the … Continue reading →

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Rebel Without a Green Card

Posted on February 22, 2019 by smellincoffee

Americanized: Rebel Without a Green Card288 pages© 2018 Ssara Saedi Sara Saedi and her older sister Samira were both born in Iran, but following the revolution their parents fled to America by way of Italy.  Although Sara had virtually no … Continue reading →

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Ghost in the Wires

Posted on February 9, 2019 by smellincoffee

Ghost in the Wires: My Adventures as the World’s Most Wanted Hacker© 2011 Kevin Mitnick, William Simon. Forward by The Woz.393 pages CYBERPUNK introduced me to the story of Kevin Mitnick, a teenage phone phreaker turned celebrity hacker,  who boasted that … Continue reading →

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Odd Egg Editor

Posted on January 30, 2019 by smellincoffee

Odd-Egg Editor © 1990 Kathryn Tucker Windham 170 pages Anyone who grew up in Selma, Alabama, prior to 2011 had heard of Kathryn Tucker Windham, and odds were they cherished her.  A master storyteller, she inspired an annual Tale-Tellin’ Festival … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Jobs

Posted on December 11, 2018 by smellincoffee

Steve Jobs © 2011 Walter Isaacson 656 pages The past twenty years have been an amazing ride for Apple Computers, in which the ailing and speeding towards bankruptcy company suddenly metamorphosed into the most valuable company in the world, responsible … Continue reading →

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The New Tsar

Posted on August 14, 2018 by smellincoffee

The New Tsar: The Rise and Reign of Vladimir Putin© 2012 Steven Lee Myers592pages When the Soviet Union collapsed abruptly at the dawn of the 1990s, the world order changed overnight. Optimists predicted the ‘end of history’.   Such an end … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 11 Comments

Broad Band

Posted on August 9, 2018 by smellincoffee

Broad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet © 2018 Claire Evans288 pages When the ENIAC was first displayed for the public, its proponents bragged that it could do complex mathematical calculations in seconds which would have … Continue reading →

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Forgotten Founders

Posted on June 22, 2018 by smellincoffee

America’s Forgotten Founders© 2011 ed. Gary Gregg II185 pages After reading several thoughtful full-length biographies in this series, I expected the same quality in miniature from this collection. That is not the case at all; after a lengthy opening essay … Continue reading →

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How Microsoft’s Mogul Reinvented an Industry

Posted on June 1, 2018 by smellincoffee

Gates: How Microsoft’s Mogul Reinvented an Industry-and Made Himself the Richest Man in America © 1994 Stephen Manes and Paul Andrews 560 pages   I recently watched Pirates of Silicon Valley, a questionably-acted movie based on the rise of  Bill … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

The Letters of CS Lewis

Posted on April 8, 2018 by smellincoffee

Letters of C.S. Lewis © 2017 Harper Collins Edited by Warren Lewis and Walter Hooper 688 pages After the death of his younger brother, Warren Lewis released a collection of his letters for posterity’s sake. Perhaps it was to repay … Continue reading →

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