Pleased to Meet Me is a close look into why are we different... We all have different tastes, hobbies, interests, addictions, appetites, and loves. The book's message relies on little history, a bit of scientific research, some key anecdotes, and quite a few enjoyable cultural references. What happens at the intersection of DNA, the microbiome... Continue Reading →
Curveball: How I Discovered True Fulfillment After Chasing Fortune and Fame by Barry Zito
Growing up in Marin County just north of the Golden Gate Bridge, my father had no intention of driving me through the city to a cold and windy Candlestick Park... thus, I became an Oakland A's fan. From Dave Kingman and Tony Phillips, Jose Canseco and Dave Stewart, Eric Byrnes and Eric Chavez... I have... Continue Reading →
Trashed by Derf Backderf
Trashed is a semi-autobiographical graphic novel about being a garbageman. For the most part, the book is told in a day-in-the-life narrative, following the three-man truck crew on their routine picking up trash around town. They are the bottom of the food chain at the "Village Service Department." Picking up engine blocks, roadkill, and lots... Continue Reading →
The Great Successor: The Divinely Perfect Destiny of Brilliant Comrade Kim Jong Un by Anna Fifield
I have long had a fascination with the land north of the DMZ. I have read several true accounts of life in North Korea, including a couple books that I have reviewed on the blog, namely A River in Darkness: One Man’s Escape from North Korea by Masaji Ishikawa (Mini Review) and See You Again in Pyongyang: A... Continue Reading →
The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives by Dashka Slater
Sasha Fleishman, who identifies as asexual, was on their way home from school on the 57 bus in Oakland, Ca, on Monday, November 4th, 2013, when they were set on fire. Richard Thomas and his friend saw Sasha wearing a skirt and tried to 'prank' them by putting a lighter to it. Sasha suffered 3rd... Continue Reading →