‘It was very difficult for the Americans to tell the good guys from the bad guys.’ Would the United States allow a man to take the fall for a CIA agent’s murder? Would the government be complicit in the cover-up? These are the overreaching questions directing Michael Pullara's book The Spy Who Was Left Behind.... Continue Reading →
Dawn of the Code War: America’s Battle Against Russia, China, and the Rising Global Cyber Threat by John P. Carlin
Do you bank online? Do you use social media? Do you have a smartphone? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you are vulnerable to cyber attack. As much as we depend on technology in our lives, it's important to think about the implications of these choices we are making as individuals, and... Continue Reading →
Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America by Jill Leovy (Mini Review)
At its heart, Ghettoside is a page-turning account of a murder investigation in South Los Angeles, but this book dives deep into many issues. Leovy presents a balanced account of the issue of black on black crime in Southern California, throughout the United States, and its history in our country. The case presented is a... Continue Reading →
The Escape Artists: A Band of Daredevil Pilots and the Greatest Prison Break of the Great War by Neal Bascomb
“Any successful escape... would need to be a four-stage event: intense preparation, a foolproof breakout, an evasion scheme, and a bid to cross the border.’ From getting shot down in dogfights to being caught spying in the trenches, prisoners were rounded up in a multitude of ways during The Great War. And once locked up... Continue Reading →
Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth by Sarah Smarsh
Sarah Smarsh's Heartland is a telling memoir about growing up in a working-poor family in and just outside of Wichita, Kansas during the 80s and 90s. It's a piece that is built on powerful storytelling, and a unique voice in which the writer addresses her future daughter throughout the narrative. She shares the stories of... Continue Reading →