James Donaldson’s Book Review – Son by Jack Olsen

This is one of the most fascinating and intriguing books that I’ve ever read! I actually listen to it, in audiobook format, and it was about 21 hours long, but it was so jampacked with intriguing, riveting narration about the characters involved with the South Hill Rapist case that captivated the city of Spokane Washington from the late 1970s until the trial in 1982.

The story centered around Fred Coe, and some fascinating court transcripts, but also, the author, Jack Olsen, did a fantastic job of weaving all of the characters in and out throughout the story, and also, getting us to readers, to really get a feel for who they are and who they were.

Ultimately, Coe was convicted for a series of rapes, but it wasn’t so much to rapes, as it was the odd, almost demonic, psychopathic and schizophrenic behaviors that he exhibited throughout, as told by the author, Jack Olsen.

Another intriguing character, was Fred Coe’s mother, Ruth, who could best be described as eccentric, somewhat delusional, and probably psychopathic as well. She got arrested at the end of the trial for Fred Coe, for meeting with an undercover agent, and arranging to have the judge and one of the prosecutors murdered, and a murder for hire scenario.

I read a lot of true crime books, and books about serial killers especially, but is probably the first time, that I became so involved with one of the books, mainly because I had heard of the South Hill Rapist throughout the years, but I didn’t really know a lot of the details.

As I mentioned, this all took place in the late 1970s in Spokane Washington, just 75 miles up the road from where I went to school at Washington State University, even though I wasn’t aware so much what was going on up the road in Spokane, there seem to be so many close connections with Fred Coe, even enrolling as a student at Washington State University at some point.

The book is very straightforward, not filled with a lot of guts and gore, and bloodshed, (no doubt, there is plenty, but not an overabundance), but the riveting part about the book, was the trial, the examinations and cross examinations, and Fred Coe’s strange behavior throughout.

 

James Donaldson’s Book Review – Articulate While Black: Barack Obama, Language, and Race in the U.S by H. Samy Alim

This was an interesting book, to say the least.

The authors, throughout the book, are trying to connect a “professional speaker” like former President Barack Obama, who, because he is an African-American, that white America actually enjoyed listening to, the authors spend the majority of the book making the comparisons between Barack Obama, and others who utilize the African-American lingo.

Being an African-American myself, I’ve long since known that if us African-Americans, speak the “King’s English” we are much more readily accepted amongst white America than if we “ghettoize or ebonic-zise” are language, and then we wonder why we find yourself on the outside looking in.

The authors do have some good points throughout, such as the dominant majority groups in any country, tend to have a “bar” which the lesser dominant groups have to rise to, in order to earn some type of acceptance. I guess this is normal in a way, and it plays out in various ways throughout the animal kingdom itself.

But, language is not the only thing that gets us acceptance into the white culture. Also looks (you’ll notice that Barack Obama is not a very dark skin African-American, so that a pick him up some points right there), he’s also clean-cut without any tattoos that I know of, closely cropped hair without the braids and the dreads, smiles readily and looks to straight into the eyes when he is talking with you. So he has learned to master all of those traits, that enhance the opportunity for African-Americans to enjoy greater acceptance into the white dominated culture in America.

I’m very much the same way. I’ve learned a long time ago to speak properly, carry myself in a professional manner, smile and look people in the eye, talk clearly and enunciate when I speak, closely cropped hair (in my case, a bald pate), light complexion, professional fitting clothing, etc.

I think a lot of it comes from your overall background that you grew up in in the neighborhood that you are from. But if you going to find success at greater levels in the white dominant society of America, you have to leave a lot of those ethnic tendencies behind, and be able to fit in as best you can. Of course, there are exceptions to the rule once in a while, but even that depends on what that individual is “bringing to the table”.

This is a book that probably people of color will readily understand much more easily than Caucasians. That’s because it’s our reality, and we have to live it every day.

Overall, it’s an interesting read, it does tend to ramble all over the place with a very wide scope it’s trying to capture, and also, I don’t think it takes into account, that former Pres. Barack Obama is a polished politician, (as are all the politicians) with speechwriters, a staff that understands the demographics that he’ll be speaking to, and hours of practice every time he goes out into public. So, it’s not quite like comparing “apples to apples”, and if you take those things into consideration, former Pres. Barack Obama knew exactly what he was doing, when he was speaking to the various groups he was speaking to throughout his presidency. Remember how Hillary Clinton went to the black church, and started speaking in a “urbanized, religious tone” that seemed totally out of character for her? Of course she practice that as well.

Good book, enjoy it for what it’s worth.

 

James Donaldson’s Book Review – Why Tolerate Religion? By Brian Leiter

For once in my many years of doing book reviews, I have to admit that “I didn’t get this book” and the overall meaning it was attempting to convey to me. It seemed to ramble on and on, about a lot of vague notions, and in reading the publisher’s summary, I can see that the author was trying to explain the rationale why a Western democracy like the United States, gives special religious exemptions to organize groups that call themselves a religion.

I don’t know, I didn’t get it, and, unless you are into this type of topic, I don’t want you to waste too much time trying to figure it out either.

Oh well, every once in a while you run into a “clunker”, but I still make sure I read through it all just in case there’s something I might be missing.

Not in this case!

James Donaldson’s Book Review – Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff, and It’s All Small Stuff by Richard Carlson

This was a wonderful book, and a great way to look at life, and learn to take it in stride, and also as the title states, “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff, It’s All Small Stuff”. Oh, if only we can keep that in mind as we continue down our journey called life.

How many times do we get caught up in worrying about things that we have absolutely no control over, or things that are perpetuated by the people, or things that are not our fault, yet we take it personally?

We human beings are wired in such a way, that with the emotions that we’ve developed throughout our existence, those same emotions, which can be lifesaving and life enhancing most of the time, can also put us in a box, and keep us right there.

I wrote down several notes while reading through this book as the author gives us a lot of tips on how to “Not Sweat the Small Stuff”.

– Two rules of harmony in life are; (1) don’t sweat the small stuff, (2) it’s all small stuff.

– Make peace with imperfection

– Let go of the ideal that gentle, relaxed people cannot be super achievers

– Be aware of the “snowball” effect of your thinking

– Develop your compassion

– Remind yourself that when you die, your “in” basket won’t be empty

– Don’t interrupt people, and/or finish their sentences

– Do something nice for someone else, and don’t tell anyone about it

– Learn to live in the present moment

– Become more patient

– Ask yourself the question, will this matter a year from now?

– Surrendered to the fact that “life isn’t fair”

– Allow yourself to be bored once in a while

– Once a week, write a heartfelt letter

– Imagine yourself at your own funeral

– Spend a moment every day thinking of someone to thank

– Set aside quiet time every day

– Seek first to understand

– Become a better listener

– Choose your battles wisely

– Practice random acts of kindness, and senseless acts of duty

– Choose being kind over being right

– Understand separate realities

– Take a moment to say how much you like, admire, or respect about another person.
Make sure  you tell that to them.

– Search for a grain of truth in others opinions

– Understand the statement, “wherever you go, there you are”

– Breathe before you speak

– Adopt a child through the mail

– Read articles and books entirely different than a point of view from your own, and try to
learn something different

– Do one thing at a time

– Be willing to learn from friends and family

– Be happy where you are

– Do a favor and don’t ask for, or expect one in return

– Stop blaming others

– Become an early riser

– Trust your intuition

– Be open to what is “is”

– Live this day as if it was your last, it just might be

 

These tips, and so many more throughout this wonderful book, are things to keep in mind, and you realize how much more pleasant, relaxing, and easy flowing your life can be. Sometimes, we “subconsciously” get into these internal battles with people who cross our path throughout our day, and if we “let it go” and realize it’s just “small stuff anyway”, we won’t get ourselves ruffled, our blood pressure will stay nice and level, our adrenaline will stay within the normal range, and we ourselves will be much more pleasant people to be around.

Sometimes we’re all wound up, and we don’t realize why.

So, enjoy this wonderful book. It’s a short read for the most part, and something that you can refer back to time and time again. It’s one of those books, as I done with a handful of books throughout my life, that I choose to implement as many of the words of advice and beneficial points as I can into my own life.

I think, and pray, it makes me a better person as well!

James Donaldson’s Book Review – The Upstarts: How Uber, Airbnb, and the Killer Companies of the New Silicon Valley Are Changing the World by Brad Stone

Ten years ago the idea of getting into a stranger’s car or walking into a stranger’s home would have seemed bizarre and dangerous, but today it’s as common as ordering a book online. Uber and Airbnb have ushered in a new era: redefining neighborhoods, challenging the way governments regulate business, and changing the way we travel. In the spirit of iconic Silicon Valley renegades like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, another generation of entrepreneurs is using technology to upend convention and disrupt entire industries.

This was a fascinating look at the world of “Upstart Entrepreneurs” utilizing newfound technological methods in order to compete against long-established “brick-and-mortar” and “generational” businesses that have been part of our Americana culture forever.

The fact that a couple of young upstart entrepreneurs who founded Uber and Airbnb, could have entered into traditional territories that have been so “monopolize” over the generations, and become a “legitimate player”, lends credo to the fact that especially in America “almost anything is possible”.

I’ve been part of a couple of upstarts in my entrepreneurial career, one of them competing with a traditional business in a traditional industry, and another, the latest one, utilizing a lot of the new means of communication via technology, iPhones, iPads, apps, etc., and going against traditional means of communication. It is exhilarating, bringing a ideal to fruition, and the whole team working so hard to fulfill the vision.

Just as we read in this book “The Upstarts”, entrepreneurs do what entrepreneurs do, not so much because of the dollar signs that are dangling in front of them at some point, but because they have a passion, they want to prove a point of view, they don’t take “no” for an answer, and they want to change the “status quo”.

Young millennial’s, aren’t bound by a lot of the old styled “traditional thinking”, and to them, almost anything goes. And, as society adjusts to the new ways of doing things, is no longer unheard of for a stranger to jump in the back of the car of another stranger, and trust that they will arrive safely to their destination. Or that a apartment or homeowner, will open up a room in their home to a total stranger as well, and lived to tell the story. My, how times have changed!

A great book, whether young and old alike, if you have an open mind, I think you’ll get a lot out of this book, and see that the “world is your oyster”, and if you come up with a great ideal, but together the right team to help you execute the ideal, sell the concept to people who are looking to be “changemakers”, you’ll be off and running in no time at all.

James Donaldson’s Book Review – Remembering Jim Crow by American RadioWorks

 An excellent short overview of the era of Jim Crow. I learned a lot just in this short excerpts about Jim Crow from listening out only to the facts, but also to the live interviews took place both with white and black people.

There are many variables that play into the ongoing struggle of blacks in America even today. Not to mention, poverty, a lot of emphasis on education, broken dysfunctional families, etc., but the legacy of Jim Crow continues to linger on probably more so than anything. It’s created a mindset/brainwash conditioning of one people versus another that continues on to this day.

James Donaldson’s Book Review – The Myth of America’s Decline by Josef Joffe

As witnessed by today’s ever bitter and partisan politics, politicians continue to talk about how much of a decline America is on and that the “end is near”, that we are losing our global standing in the world and soon to be overtaken by the likes of China, Russia, and whatever other “Johnny-come-lately”. Of course, the more conservative the politics, the more hawkish the politicians tend to be, as you can witnessed by the “carnival barking” of the entire slate of Republican presidential candidates, headed by the one not only, Donald Trump.  It’s basically a lot of “bogeyman” politics, and that the rest of the world is evil, and we are such pure souls, and our liberties and rights that we work so hard for, are at stake.

This book goes through a lot of great history, decade by decade, and which should look like another rising power was going to take the lead in the world, be it, Germany, Japan, Soviet Union, and now China. The book shows us that all of this talk has come and gone throughout the years, yet America, even with its flaws, is still better than 98% of the rest of the world.

Enjoy this book, and especially keep in mind during the presidential election campaigns that are going on, and when the politicians are telling you how poorly we are doing, just realize, that we are the best of the best here in America.