OK, on GR’s five-star scale, I have to give this book a six. It’s not quite at the literary and narrative level of Mutherjee’s “The Gene,” but it’s definitely a must-read. Of course, you first have to read Harari’s first book, “Sapiens,” which I said actually should be the standard history text for all high Read More …
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Book Review: Deadeye Dick
I first read this book 30 years ago and had categorized it as sort of a typically delightful Vonnegut book but not among his best. I might still say that after this second reading but doing so only emphasizes the greatness of Vonnegut’s wit and imagination. I read a description of the book that describes it Read More …
Book Review: Hamilton
I have read a lot about the Revolutionary War and the founding of the United States, and but for a powerful description of the Incident at Weehawken in the first section of Joseph Ellis’s Founding Brothers, Hamilton has always seemed to play a role somewhere in the wings – the egotistical near-monarchist who nobody liked. Read More …
Book Review: The Ministry of Utmost Happiness
This is a very interesting story, well told. It features a fascinating, if somewhat confusing at times, array of characters, including a transgender protagonist, a courageous freedom fighter, an orphan adopted and raised by loving though unorthodox women, a renowned TV journalist and many more. Set in modern-day India and Kashimir, it has a wide Read More …
Book Review: Leonardo Da Vinci
I must confess to some minor disappointment in this book. I don’t know much about Da Vinci and have been looking for an opportunity to learn more. Isaacson’s biography was excellent in part of that goal but incomplete. The book would be better titled “The Works of Leonardo Da Vinci”, for it does an exceptional Read More …
Book Review: News of the World
The prose and descriptions in this story from post-Civil War America are strongly reminiscent of Larry McMurtry. But this is a wholly original story. There is nothing derivative about it. The plot centers around an aging veteran of several conflicts – dating back to his participation in the War of 1812. At 71, he has Read More …
Book Review: A Life in Parts
The problem with this book is that there’s so much great material to work with. Cranston could have written 280 pages on his experiences as Walter White alone. That part is clearly the one that he’s most proud of, and fans of his work would be eager for more details, especially after the stirring scene Read More …
Information, misinformation and a viral G-7 photograph
The job of news and copy editors at a traditional newspaper today is fraught with more hand wringing and fear of second guessing than I can recall in more than 40 years in the profession. As they work to select pictures, edit stories, write headlines and organize the presentation of all this material, editors are Read More …
Another lesson of Barr scandal – written word needs extra care
I have spent my career devoted to the written word, so far be it from me to disparage it. But as Roseanne Barr found this week – and as sites like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Reddit and more prove every day – we’ll all be better off if we stop for a moment to consider the Read More …
Share in a real, constructive conversation about safety
In a front-page editorial on Wednesday, we on the Daily Herald editorial board vented our frustration over continued school shootings with a call for a statewide panel that would research potential solutions and produce specific recommendations before school starts again next fall. At the end of a contentious General Assembly and the beginning of a Read More …