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kevin_shepherd's reviews
563 reviews
I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai
5.0
I don't think Malala Yousafzai is going to have a long life, and the sadness of that probability is overwhelming. She is a remarkable, lovable human being who had the courage, instilled by her equally remarkable father, to speak out for decency and educational equality. But the same faith that sustained her spawned the degenerates that tried to kill her. This isn't intended as an indictment of Islam, but rather a condemnation of totalitarian fundamentalism, no matter what guise it assumes.
The idealist in me wants to believe that Malala's love of physics and history and journalism will continue to inspire new and progressive ideologies in Pakistan and Afghanistan and elsewhere around the world. But the realist in me, the part of me living under a demagogue who uses faith to control and manipulate his supporters, knows that religious states favor blind obediance over education, and Malala Yousafzai (thankfully) is anything but obedient.
The idealist in me wants to believe that Malala's love of physics and history and journalism will continue to inspire new and progressive ideologies in Pakistan and Afghanistan and elsewhere around the world. But the realist in me, the part of me living under a demagogue who uses faith to control and manipulate his supporters, knows that religious states favor blind obediance over education, and Malala Yousafzai (thankfully) is anything but obedient.
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
5.0
What a wondrous tale! Much more bizarre than the film, especially in the final chapters. Let’s face it, in a world where you contemplate how to milk tiny porcelain cows with your bran & needle brain while hammer-heads curse you for summoning flying monkeys, one has to wonder if L. Frank Baum and Lewis Carroll weren’t time-sharing the same opium hookah...
The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
5.0
There is considerable speculation that Wells (A) intended this short novel to be an asseveration on Darwinian natural selection. Wells himself was once a student of Thomas Henry Huxley, a man known affectionately (and scornfully) as “Darwin’s Bulldog.” Whether or not that conjecture is true, it certainly fits the narrative.
It’s also speculated that this is (B) a slam on British colonialism, (C) an advocation for the rights of animals, and (D) a stab at religious fundamentalists. I doubt that Wells consciously set out to incorporate so many subliminal messages in this now classic sci-fi thriller.
A better explanation (in my humble opinion) is that Wells’ phenomenal ability to imagine real responses to surreal circumstances tends to bring our societal monsters (racism, exceptionalism, speciesism, etc.) out of the shadows.
Five Stars.
It’s also speculated that this is (B) a slam on British colonialism, (C) an advocation for the rights of animals, and (D) a stab at religious fundamentalists. I doubt that Wells consciously set out to incorporate so many subliminal messages in this now classic sci-fi thriller.
A better explanation (in my humble opinion) is that Wells’ phenomenal ability to imagine real responses to surreal circumstances tends to bring our societal monsters (racism, exceptionalism, speciesism, etc.) out of the shadows.
Five Stars.
The Sky Is Not the Limit: Adventures of an Urban Astrophysicist by Neil deGrasse Tyson
4.0
“Beyond the judgment of others, rising high above the sky, lies the power of ambition.” ~NdGT
One part memoir and three parts astrophysical awesomeness. Tyson recounts his journey from a star-struck Bronx adolescent (with a telescope) to one of the world’s most prominent and recognizable scientists. Along the way he shares his insights and opinions on topics as diverse as public education, NASA, race relations, 9/11, Stephen Hawking, dark matter, neckties, and male strippers.
Did you know..?
* A solar eclipse can never occur on Easter.
* An alien from Venus would be called a “Venereal.”
* A day on Jupiter is only ten hours long.
* Pluto is smaller than seven moons in our solar system, including ours.
* A can of Diet Pepsi floats, a can of regular Pepsi sinks.
“...there is no shame in not knowing. The problem arises when irrational thought and attendant behavior fill the vacuum left by ignorance.” (pg 38)
One part memoir and three parts astrophysical awesomeness. Tyson recounts his journey from a star-struck Bronx adolescent (with a telescope) to one of the world’s most prominent and recognizable scientists. Along the way he shares his insights and opinions on topics as diverse as public education, NASA, race relations, 9/11, Stephen Hawking, dark matter, neckties, and male strippers.
Did you know..?
* A solar eclipse can never occur on Easter.
* An alien from Venus would be called a “Venereal.”
* A day on Jupiter is only ten hours long.
* Pluto is smaller than seven moons in our solar system, including ours.
* A can of Diet Pepsi floats, a can of regular Pepsi sinks.
“...there is no shame in not knowing. The problem arises when irrational thought and attendant behavior fill the vacuum left by ignorance.” (pg 38)
Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho by Stephen Rebello
4.0
If you’re one of those salivating film fanatics who watch DVDs with the “Director’s Commentary” turned on, and then afterwards watch all the special features like “The Making of...” and “Deleted Scenes” and “Alternate Endings”... this is your book.
The Man Who Killed Boys: The John Wayne Gacy, Jr. Story by Clifford L. Linedecker
3.0
I read this many years ago (circa 1997) after a university course on human aggression sparked my interest in mass murderers and serial killers. Gacy was a respected citizen and a (somewhat minor) pillar of his community - that is, until someone noticed the foul odor of rotting flesh emanating from his crawl space.
The Lottery and Other Stories by Shirley Jackson
5.0
Twenty five short stories here and not a bad one in the bunch:
The Lottery
Flower Garden
Come Dance with Me in Ireland
Men with Their Big Shoes
Trial by Combat
Pillar of Salt
Like Mother Used to Make
Colloquy
The Intoxicated
The Daemon Lover
The Villager
My Life with R.H. Macey
The Witch
The Renegade
After You, My Dear Alfonse
Charles
Afternoon in Linen
Dorothy and My Grandmother and the Sailors
Elizabeth
A Fine Old Firm
The Dummy
Seven Types of Ambiguity
Of Course
The Tooth
Got a Letter From Jimmy
Pigeonholing Shirley Jackson as a “horror writer” is a gross underestimate of her depth and range. Yes, Jackson could scare you (The Lottery, The Witch...), but she could also move you with a remarkably powerful social statement (Flower Garden, After You, My Dear Alfonse...) or, my personal favorite, make you laugh hard enough to wet yourself (My Life with R.H. Macey, Dorothy and My Grandmother and the Sailors...). Five Big Stars.
The Lottery
Flower Garden
Come Dance with Me in Ireland
Men with Their Big Shoes
Trial by Combat
Pillar of Salt
Like Mother Used to Make
Colloquy
The Intoxicated
The Daemon Lover
The Villager
My Life with R.H. Macey
The Witch
The Renegade
After You, My Dear Alfonse
Charles
Afternoon in Linen
Dorothy and My Grandmother and the Sailors
Elizabeth
A Fine Old Firm
The Dummy
Seven Types of Ambiguity
Of Course
The Tooth
Got a Letter From Jimmy
Pigeonholing Shirley Jackson as a “horror writer” is a gross underestimate of her depth and range. Yes, Jackson could scare you (The Lottery, The Witch...), but she could also move you with a remarkably powerful social statement (Flower Garden, After You, My Dear Alfonse...) or, my personal favorite, make you laugh hard enough to wet yourself (My Life with R.H. Macey, Dorothy and My Grandmother and the Sailors...). Five Big Stars.
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
4.0
I almost wish they would dispose of the "young adult" label. Had I known this book was Y.A. I might never have given it a second look and I would have missed out on a wonderful reading experience.
Where Bigfoot Walks: Crossing the Dark Divide by Robert Michael Pyle
3.0
Pyle interweaves his passion for the outdoors with his interest in the unknown. He puts forth possibilities with a skeptic's eye and a child's enthusiasm, all while trekking (sometimes naked) through his beloved Pacific Northwest. I found myself occasionally questioning his sanity but never his integrity or heart.