Book Review - Rewired: An Unlikely Doctor, a Brave Amputee, and the Medical Miracle That Made History by Dr. Ajay K. Seth

I am a big fan of biographies, history, science, and technology. I'm also a big fan of science fiction becoming science fact. It's not often these five areas come together in one story.

Rewired: An Unlikely Doctor, a Brave Amputee, and the Medical Miracle That Made History by Dr. Ajay K. Seth is a nonfiction short novel about one woman losing an arm and then regaining feeling and function via surgery and a prosthetic. It is available as an eBook, Audiobook, and those paper things your grandparents used to read.

The Good

Story. This book tells the story of a woman who is bitten by a racoon, her arm becomes severely infected to the point it has to be amputated, and then a new, never-before-performed surgery restores sensation and motor functions to the art. The story itself is pretty remarkable, because everything that happens is pretty basic and ordinary, and yet the results of every event and every action was not the usual or even the expected. There were also many unexplained and seemingly impossible twists in the story.

Telling. The author is the doctor who performed the amputation and the surgery to restore sensation and function. He does a remarkable job detailing the events in a very interesting way. His ghostwriter(s) should probably credited on the cover as well.

Technology. This book discussions cutting edge technology and surgical techniques that not long ago were strictly in the realm of science fiction. It was a lot of fun to see them move into the light of science fact.

The Bad

Stops too Soon. This book stops too early. There is still so much more to this story, but I suppose the author wanted to get the important part out there for all to read, and maybe we'll have a sequel to finish the tale.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I really want to know what happens next. Does the main character get a new prosthetic, and does it work like a real arm?

Overall

Rewired: An Unlikely Doctor, a Brave Amputee, and the Medical Miracle That Made History by Dr. Ajay K. Seth is a nonfiction short novel about one woman losing an arm and then regaining feeling and function via surgery and a prosthetic. The story itself is pretty remarkable, because everything that happens is pretty basic and ordinary, and yet the results of every event and every action was not the usual or even the expected. There were also many unexplained and seemingly impossible twists in the story. The author is the doctor who performed the amputation and the surgery to restore sensation and function. He does a remarkable job detailing the events in a very interesting way. His ghostwriter(s) should probably credited on the cover as well. This book discussions cutting edge technology and surgical techniques that not long ago were strictly in the realm of science fiction. It was a lot of fun to see them move into the light of science fact. This book does stop too early. There is still so much more to this story, but I suppose the author wanted to get the important part out there for all to read, and maybe we'll have a sequel to finish the tale. Overall, it is a fascinating story. I highly recommend this book and give it 4.5 out of 5 eReaders.

  

Book Review - Hal Foster: Prince of Illustrators, Father of the Adventure Strip by Brian M. Kane

I absolutely adore early newspaper comic strips by the great masters like Milt Caniff, Roy Crane, and Hal Foster. And I find the story behind the comics and their creators tend to be worth exploring.

Hal Foster: Prince of Illustrators, Father of the Adventure Strip by Brian M. Kane is a biography of the man and his work. It is available in both hardcover and paperback editions.

The Good

Telling of the Story. Biographies can be incredibly fascinating or painfully dull depending on who is doing the storytelling, and this author did a good joy of keeping the story moving while including a lot of information, details, and background information to set the story in the proper time and frame. While there is a ton of info, I never felt bogged down by it because of the quick page, conversational tone, and numerous visuals.

Artwork. This book does an incredible job of including a lot of photos and artwork, especially photos and artwork that have probably never been seen outside the family or since they were produced. I was really impressed with all the Christmas cards, sketches, doodles, advertisements, paintings, etc. and the quality of their reproduction.

 

The Bad

 ...

What I Would Like to Have Seen

While I appreciate all of the extra matter included, it would have been nice to see a few more examples of the actual comics Hal Foster was so famous for. There were a few panels in black and white from his color comics run on Tarzan, but no full page comics which would have been really nice to see.

Overall

Hal Foster: Prince of Illustrators, Father of the Adventure Strip by Brian M. Kane is a biography of the man and his work. It is available in both hardcover and paperback editions. Biographies can be incredibly fascinating or painfully dull depending on who is doing the storytelling, and this author did a good joy of keeping the story moving while including a lot of information, details, and background information to set the story in the proper time and frame. While there is a ton of info, I never felt bogged down by it because of the quick page, conversational tone, and numerous visuals. This book does an incredible job of including a lot of photos and artwork, especially photos and artwork that have probably never been seen outside the family or since they were produced. I was really impressed with all the Christmas cards, sketches, doodles, advertisements, paintings, etc. and the quality of their reproduction. I highly recommend this book and give it 4 out of 5 eReaders.

  

 

TV Show Review - Five Came Back

I'm a big fan of film and history, so a mini-series like this is right up my alley.

Five Came Back is a 2017 3-episode mini-series. It is rated TV-MA for language and graphic images of war and is appropriate for teens and up.

The Good

The History. This documentary does an excellent job of covering the careers of 5 top Hollywood film directors, John Ford, William Wyler, John Huston, Frank Capra, and George Stevens, how they got into film, what they shot before World War II, what their role was in that war, and how it forever affected them. I've heard parts of these stories from time to time, but it was wonderful to see them all together.

The Visuals. This documentary included shots from many films of the era, many photographs of what went on behind the scenes, and plenty of new visuals to tell the story. It looked like a big budget Hollywood production unlike most documentaries that show their small budgets.

The Pace. While this is a documentary, it moves at a much quicker pace than most documentaries. I never found myself getting bored or watching the clock. It moved at the pace of most 1940s films, which was very appropriate.

The Perspective. Too often people have a habit of judging the past by current fads and thought, which makes no sense since the past was a different time with different circumstances. This documentary does an excellent job of keeping the proper perspective and judging the men and their films by the standards of their day. And several modern day directors give very insightful observations about their films and the effect they have on us even today.

The Bad

...

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I was totally satisfied.

Overall

Five Came Back is a 2017 3-episode mini-series. This documentary does an excellent job of covering the careers of 5 top Hollywood film directors, John Ford, William Wyler, John Huston, Frank Capra, and George Stevens, how they got into film, what they shot before World War II, what their role was in that war, and how it forever affected them. I've heard parts of these stories from time to time, but it was wonderful to see them all together. This documentary included shots from many films of the era, many photographs of what went on behind the scenes, and plenty of new visuals to tell the story. While this is a documentary, it moves at a much quicker pace than most documentaries. I never found myself getting bored or watching the clock. It moved at the pace of most 1940s films, which was very appropriate. Too often people have a habit of judging the past by current fads and thought, which makes no sense since the past was a different time with different circumstances. This documentary does an excellent job of keeping the proper perspective and judging the men and their films by the standards of their day. And several modern day directors give very insightful observations about their films and the effect they have on us even today. I highly recommend this show and give it 5 out of 5 remotes.

   

  

 

Book Review - Andrew Carnegie by David Nasaw

In college, one of my Economic instructors often referred to Andrew Carnegie and mentioned what he would do. The version he presented made Carnegie out to be a fascinating character I wanted to learn more about.

Andrew Carnegie by David Nasaw is a biography. It is available as an eBook, Audiobook, and those paper things your grandparents used to read.

The Good

Research. Before he died, Andrew Carnegie started an autobiography which his wife finished and published after his death. A biography considered very authoritative was also published. Apparently both contained a lot of inaccuracies, unverifiable stories, and flat out lies. The author did an excellent job researching the man and explaining what can be verified and what can't.

Portrayal. The author focused on who Carnegie was as much as what he did. Carnegie was quite a paradox preaching one thing while practicing its opposite. He also flipped his opinion on several issues throughout his life. The author also shows him as delusional thinking he had much more influence than he did.

The Bad

Bias. The author has his own opinions and interpretation of history, and makes no attempts to be objective and hide his conclusions. Nor does he leave the reader much room to disagree or draw his own conclusions.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I wish the author had been more objective.

Overall

Andrew Carnegie by David Nasaw is a well researched biography of an important figure in US and World History. The author presents who the man was as well as what he did. He points out what can and cannot be verified and corrects many errors and purposeful fabrications from previous biographies including Carnegie's own autobiography. Unfortunately, the author has own opinions and interpretation of history, and makes no attempts to be objective and hide his conclusions. That would have been fine in a work of fiction, but not so much in a work of nonfiction. I give this book 4 out of 5 eReaders.

   

Book Review - The Aviators: Eddie Rickenbacker, Jimmy Doolittle, Charles Lindbergh, and the Epic Age of Flight by Winston Groom

I'm a big fan of history, especially from the gay 90s thru the roaring 20s and into the 30s and early 40s. I also love early aviation. So how could I not pick up this book.

The Aviators: Eddie Rickenbacker, Jimmy Doolittle, Charles Lindbergh, and the Epic Age of Flight by Winston Groom is a satirical, comedic, science fiction legal thriller. It is available as an eBook, Audiobook, and those paper things your grandparents used to read.

The Good

Stories. The stories the author chose were incredible, and while the men mentioned didn't really work together or have the same background, their stories parallelled in interesting ways.

Writing. The stories were so well told. The writing didn't get in the way of the narrative. The author was very objective presenting the stories as history and not trying to push a particular view or political position.

The Bad

Narration. The narration was good, but it wasn't great. It didn't take away from the story, but it certainly didn't add anything to it.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I'd love for this to be adapted to film.

Overall

The Aviators: Eddie Rickenbacker, Jimmy Doolittle, Charles Lindbergh, and the Epic Age of Flight by Winston Groom tells the story of three incredible pioneers of early aviation and their lifetimes of contributions even after their initial fame and history-making exploits. The three men didn't work together or even follow the same path, yet their stories have several parallels that I wasn't aware of. The writing was strong, the storytelling masterful. I couldn't put this down. I give this book 5 out of 5 eReaders.

    

Quick Movie Review: Goodbye Christoper Robin

I love the Ernest Shepard art of the Winnie the Pooh books, so I was curious to see the story behind their creation. Goodbye Christoper Robin is not at all what I expected it to be. I was surprised by all the drama and domestic problems behind the creation of the beloved classic. The story was interesting, it just wasn't well told. The movie chose to jump around in time chaotically instead of presenting the story linearly, which made it a bit confusing. The actors weren't likable and the pacing was very slow. I give this film 3.5 out of 5 boxes of popcorn.

    

Book Review - Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President by Candice Millard

James Garfield is largely forgotten today because of his short time in the White House, but in his lifetime he made quite a contribution. I only became aware of him when I visited Mentor, Ohio and saw the museum dedicated to him.

Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President by Candice Millard is a biography of James Garfield, 20th President of the United States.

The Good

Well Written. This book flows very well. The words don't get in the way, it moves at an entertaining pace, the events are well described, and the information is complete so the reader isn't left wondering about anything.

History. This book deals with a period of history between the Civil War and the beginning of the 20th Century, a period that is rarely written about or explored. There were a lot of important figures, events, and discoveries in this period that were fascinating to read about. That alone makes this book worth reading.

The Bad

Not Dramatic. Often the historical figures and events that get written about do something extraordinary or spectacular in a flashy sort of way that makes one go wow. James Garfield was a great man who did great things, but they were more low key things and not so flashy. If you read many biographies, this one may feel a little anti-climatic because of the smaller more subtle ways James Garfield affected history instead of some dramatic turn in the course of events.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

The anti-captial punishment rant at the end was annoying and out of place. Otherwise this book covered the topic well and in an interesting way.

Overall

Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President is a well-written biography about a great man whose contribution to history was more subtle and is largely forgotten today. His accomplishments aren't as dramatic as those of others most people read about, but important nonetheless. This book deals with a period of history between the Civil War and the beginning of the 20th Century, a period that is rarely written about or explored. There were a lot of important figures, events, and discoveries in this period that were fascinating to read about. That alone makes this book worth reading. I give this book 4 out of 5 eReaders.

    

    

Movie Review: Sully

I enjoy movies based on true events, but because it is a true event you know how it will end. This presents a challenge for filmmakers to create suspense, tension, and hold the audience's attention without the audience becoming bored. Sully succeeded marvelously.

Sully is a 2016 drama film based on the true story of a pilot who landed a commercial jet on the Hudson River and all passengers lived. by writing their name in it. It is rated PG-13 for language and is appropriate for teens and older.

The Good

Tension. Even though I knew what was going to happen, I was still at the edge of my seat during much of the movie wondering what was going to happen and whether they were going to make it.

Acting. The acting was all really well done. The characters made me feel like I was watching the actual event happen.

Cinematography/Special Effects. The visuals were really strong. It looked like I was actually sitting in New York watching the plane go down or sitting in the plane while it crashed. During the rescue scene, I felt like I was on the plane trying to get out and on the rescue boats heading to the Hudson to save lives.

The Bad

Story Structure. This movie is not told in a linear fashion but jumps around in time to try and show Sully's mental state and set up a question then show the answer. While I understand why they chose to go with this approach, it didn't add to the film. It actually detracted by breaking up the tension.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I wish the filmmakers had opted for a more linear mode of storytelling. The drama was there. The questions were there and were obvious. The timeline of the story didn't need to be manipulated so much to make the point; the audience is smart enough to figure it out for ourselves. The pilot's concerns and mental state were obvious and clearly portrayed.

Overall

Sully was a great film that did an excellent job presenting real events and made the audience feel like it was actually happening and they were part of it. The filmmakers did an excellent job keeping the audience at the edge of their seats with incredible tension making us wonder whether the plane would make it or not even though we already know how it ended. The choice of nonlinear storytelling is the film's main weakness, and while I understand what the filmmakers were trying to achieve, it was unnecessary and didn't add. I give this film a solid 4.5 out of 5 boxes of popcorn.