October 2020 – Ryan’s Book Blog

My Vanishing Country

October 26, 2020 by Ryan

Background

Published in May of 2020, My Vanishing Country is a quazi-autobiography of Bakari Sellers who was one of the youngest state representative from South Carolina. He reflects on his childhood and his rise into politics. He also talks about the state of the world today.

My Thoughts

I read this book because it was a recent release and thought it might be interesting. It wasn’t… I thought there was a lot of hate in the book and I didn’t enjoy it. I don’t agree with several of the statements made but everyone is entitled to their opinion.

Recommendation

A waste of time.

The Leadership Challenge

October 25, 2020 by Ryan

Background

Published in 2017, this book helps the aspiring leader along in their journey. Can leadership be taught or are you born with it? For this book, the answer is it is something you can learn.

My Thoughts

This was a good book that put some science into what I thought of as common sense. It was a good reminder on several fronts and a wake up call on several others. I believe I am a better leader due to reading this book.

Recommendation

It was a good book on the subject of leadership.

Countdown to 1945

October 23, 2020 by Ryan

Background

Published October of 2020, Chris Wallace writes about the development and the use of the atom bomb. He takes us through the process of the arms race and tells the story from multiple people and their points of view.

My Thoughts

I really enjoyed the book. Chris Wallace didn’t spend a lot of time giving his opinion, rather he told the story from what others had written about their personal thoughts and insights. I also thought the addition of the survivors from Hiroshima gave good depth to the story.

Recommendation

I think this story is an important one to get our collective minds around. It was worth the read.

Attack Surface

October 16, 2020 by Ryan

Background

Published in October of 2020, “Attack Surface” is a science fiction novel by author and activist Cory Doctorow, which explores the relationship between technology and social justice. The book follows the story of Masha Maximow, a former government cybersecurity expert who becomes disillusioned with her work and begins to use her skills to help oppressed communities around the world. As she becomes increasingly involved in these activities, Masha is forced to confront the ethical and political implications of her work, and to navigate the complex landscape of global power and technology.

My Thoughts

This is one of those stories which will make you look over your shoulder and 2nd guess everything you do with your cell phone. It forces you to think about everything your gadgets know about you and who might be listening in.

However, it also has this girl power vibe to the whole thing. I didn’t care for the tone and the underlying theme of the story. Too much forced drama…

Recommendation

I didn’t care for it.

News of the World

October 12, 2020 by Ryan

Background

News of the world was published in October of 2016 and will apparently be made into a movie coming out this December. (Tom Hanks of all people.) It is the story of old man who goes from town to town reading the news to people who largely can’t read. He tends to look after himself but ends up getting stuck with a young girl who was rescued from the Indians. (They had kidnapped her as a young child.) He finds himself trying to get her back home and she just wants to get back to the tribe who took her.

My Thoughts

It was a compelling story and I made it through it pretty quickly. It was a reminder of a time in our country when lawlessness was pretty much rampant and protection was your own responsibility.

Recommendation

It was worth the read.

The Art of Her Deal

October 10, 2020 by Ryan

Background

Mary Jordan gives us a story of our First Lady from her growing up in Slovenia to living in the White House.

My Thoughts

I have to admit I didn’t really think of Melania Trump. I knew President Trump was married but didn’t think much about who he had married or what she was about. Also, I don’t know that I still know anything. It seems she is more than happy to make up things about herself so I don’t know how much of this is real and how much was also a story. It reminds me of a Daniel Tosh joke. “Plastic surgery gives you the rare chance to make your insides match your outsides. You know, Fake!”

If you can take this at face value, both she and everyone in her circle seems morally bereft. I’m saddened that these are who my children have to see as their top government officials.

Recommendation

If you like a good train wreck, you might like this book.

The Good Neighbor

October 9, 2020 by Ryan

Background

Fred Rogers is someone who most know as simply Mr. Rogers. This is the story of the person who almost single-handedly changed the face of children’s education for at least 2 generations. He was the driving force behind the funding of PBS and was in millions of homes for over 30 years. This is his story.

My thoughts

Fred Rogers really is Mr. Rogers. That was the main revelation I got from the book. He was just a really good man. A man full of love for everyone and more particularly of children. He cared deeply about how children could be impacted by television and wanted to make things better for them. Seriously, how can anyone live a better life than he did?

Recommendation

Great man and great book!

A Tale of Two Cities

October 2, 2020 by Ryan

Background

Originally published in 1859 by Charles Dickens, this book tells the fictional tale of people living in London and Paris through the French revolution and the “Reign of Terror” immediately following it.

My Thoughts

This was one of those books I hadn’t read since High School and I honestly didn’t remember it. What a terrible time to be alive! I’m so thankful I’m living in our modern world and in the United States!

The book was ok. I had some struggle getting through it as I wasn’t particularly engaged and there is a good deal of jumping around in the story from a variety of characters. This is one of those stories that do not really have a character with whom I would like or identify with. That made it hard to really want to get through it.

Recommendation

It is one of those books we all should read. However, that doesn’t mean you are going to like it.

China’s Great Wall of Debt

October 1, 2020 by Ryan

Background

Published in 2018, this book talks about how China has backed themselves into a corner and how the author really didn’t see a good way forward for them.

China's Great Wall of Debt — China’s Great Wall of Debt

My Thoughts

If true, this was a very disturbing book. The notion that China was on the edge as much as it seemed could have huge ramifications in the near future. This is particularly true with the COVID-19 pandemic going on now.

Recommendation

I’m on the fence with this one