Renegade by Andres Grosso Ciponte and Dacia Palmerino

I never knew a lot about Martin Luther. Growing up Catholic, I knew he was the man who broke from the church and began Protestantism, the 95 Theses, and not much more. I was interested to learn more about the man and this book did not disappoint me. It made the historical figure into a real person. I felt the struggles he went through as he tried to reason his way to God only to discovery that it was faith that was needed, not reason. 

I was surprised by some of the aspects of his life. These are the things that made him a real person to me and not just an historical figure to be either vilified to sanctified. 

The artwork was fairly disturbing and graphic throughout much of the book. I would not recommend this for children. Given that, I found the artwork to be compelling and that it added to the story. 

I received a free electronic ARC of this book through Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

Mandela and the General by John Carlin

I knew who Nelson Mandela was. I was alive during the time these events happened. I had no idea all this was going on. The fact that the peaceful change of government that Mandela accomplished was almost thwarted by an armed "white power" movement was new to me. I had never heard of this General Viljoen. But I am glad now that I do. Reading this book gives me some hope for the future. If a country as divided and fractured as South Africa could come together; if a man who started out hating Mandela and thinking he should get the death penalty came to admire and like him; if that is possible, maybe there is some hope for our future as well. Gripping narrative and interesting artwork. I'd say give this book a read.

I received a free electronic ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover

If you ever need a little inspiration on your educational journey, I heartily recommend this book to you. Westover's journey is nothing short of breathtaking in its length and breadth. She grew up, unschooled in any meaningful way, in the back country of Idaho. Her father was a religious fanatic and an anti-government zealot. At 17, through the example of her older brother Tyler, she studied on her own for the ACT and on her second attempt scored a 28, which was enough to get her into Brigham Young University.

At BYU she discovered the real holes in her knowledge. Historical items that are background cultural knowledge for most of us were meaningless to her. This was not due to a lack of intelligence, but to a lack of being taught these things. I don't want to ruin the story by enumerating some of the shocking lapses.

She was also ignorant about medicine. Her family was against the use of medicine. They believed in being healed by faith. This included the lack of knowledge about the importance of proper hygiene.

It is a story of struggle and triumph. A struggle against physical, mental, and emotional abuse. A struggle against ignorance and stubbornness. A struggle against shame.

I believe that this book is important for educators and anyone who believes in the power of education. I cannot recommend this book strongly enough.

Dark Night: A True Batman Story by Paul Dini

I was not sure what to expect when I first looked at this graphic novel. What I didn't expect, but most certainly got, was a riveting true story. Paul Dini, the author, uses the graphic novel format to write a stirring autobiography. He is not gentle with himself. I was intrigued by the story and impressed by the level of honesty Mr. Dini showed.

In writing about the tragic event where he was severely beaten, the author uses the cartoon and comic book characters he worked with to help portray his inner landscape. This psychological play is a powerful metaphor. The villains from Batman,chosen with great care, were there trying to sabotage him, and the Dark Knight was there with encouragement, insight, and tough love.

I would recommend this book highly. If you are not a graphic novel fan, I encourage you to give it a try. It is worth the read.

The Imitation Game: Alan Turing Decoded by Jim Ottaviani

This was an absorbing graphic novel. It is a rarity for me in this format—nonfiction. The subject of the biography, Alan Turing, was an inherently intriguing man. As a science fiction nerd I knew some things about him: he was English, he was a genius, he broke the Nazi's Enigma code, he created the test for artificial intelligence, and he was convicted of the "crime" of homosexuality in the 1950's. What I did not know, filled the rest of the book.

The book unfolds in an unusual way, alternating between Turing narrating his own life and "interviews" with people from his life. I'm not sure about these. They seem to interview people from different periods of his life. Who is questioning them is not made clear. I wonder if it was meant to be a representation of the imitation game that Turing himself created. Who is telling the truth? Who is lying? To what degree is it a lie or a different interpretation of events? Those being questioned are represented in shades of black and white. Turing, narrating the story, seems to be able to interact with them.

He was a genius. This was made clear. His grasp of mathematics was phenomenal. He made created of the foundational principles of modern computer science. He used his mathematical skills to decipher the Nazi's Enigma codes. This was fiendishly difficult to do. And he was in "competition" with another there who believed that people were superior to machines when it came to code breaking. The codebreaking project so impressed Winston Churchill that he instructed the military to provide them with whatever they asked for.

The topic of his homosexuality is handled tactfully. It was apparently an open secret during his time working for the government during World War II. He himself never seemed to understand that it was literally a crime. The laws have since changed, but that did no good for him. It was especially a tragic irony that his war service was still classified and his character witnesses could not tell the court what it was he had done for the country. Rather shabby treatment.

The math in the book was sometimes hard for me to follow. I am an English teacher, though, and used to math being hard to follow. I think I will be rereading this. I want to go back and try to better understand more of the details. Get to know Turing’s ideas better. Get to know Turing better.

I would definitely recommend this. It is well worth the reading.

Gumption: Relighting the Torch of Freedom with America's Gutsiest Troublemakers by Nick Offerman

I really enjoyed listening to Nick Offerman's first book, Paddle Your Own Canoe: One Man's Fundamentals for Delicious Living, and was looking forward to his second book with a great deal of anticipation. I was not disappointed.

In this book Offerman talks about gumption:  combination of hard work, courage, and a willingness to go down the less travelled road. It began in an almost expected way--with several of the Founding Fathers. What made his biographical sketches of them different were the way he told these stories and his own particular interpretations of their lives and the lessons he learned from them. Offerman is a great story teller. And while he takes himself lightly, he does not take his message lightly: that an intrinsic quality of the American character is the willingness to go against the grain and to do your own thing. More than that, though, to do it well enough that you can make enormous change--whether this is what you set out to do or not.

The book was idiosyncratic in that, after some of the expected historical figures (Washington, Franklin, Madison) and moving to other, less expected, figures (Frederick Douglass, Theodore Roosevelt, and Eleanor Roosevelt) his list becomes much more personal. I was introduced to historical figures I had not heard of and contemporary Americans--some known to me, some not. All these stories were told with a dry wit and wry humor that stayed on message.

I have often thought that many of the best comedians were also philosophers. That they spread the world views of their philosophies with humor to help the medicine go down. Offerman is in this vein. He has a philosophy of life that he is passionate about. It includes such attributes as individualism, working hard at work worth doing, perseverance, a fierce defense of our American right to be who we want to be, and a fiercer belief that government should stay out of our private lives and decisions, but be there to help those who need it.

This is all told in an extremely amusing way that kept me listening raptly. While I won't be putting this book in my seventh grade classroom library (there is some language in there that would get me fired), I do not hesitate to recommend it to older teens and to grown folks. This is not just the usual historical subjects. It is worth noting that while I did indeed learn a lot from the book, it was at no time pedantic or boring. This is something the best teachers strive for and that Offerman delivers.

Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion by Gregory Boyle

I first heard about Father Greg and his ministry while participating in the JustFaith program at my church. He works with gang members in East Los Angeles. He has done this for more than 20 years so far. He started Homeboy Industries as a way to help gang members transition to a life after gangs.

In this book, which he reads himself, he comes across as humble and loving. It is his love that has created a way out for his “homies.” They call him G or G-Dog. He calls them worthwhile human beings. More than calling them that, he treats them that way as well. And he shows their humanity in this book, breaking past stereotypes and letting the readers see it as clearly as he does.

Written after his diagnosis of leukemia, which has been in, as one of his homies put it, “in intermission” for several years now.  He wrote it to preserve the stories he has told for years. Stories that should live on even after he does.

This book has moments of pure hilarity and deep sorrow. More than once this book caused me to tear up, and I don’t easily cry over a book. He writes of successes and of disappointments. He has had many, presiding over 172 funerals of gang members at the writing of the book. But this is not a sad, morose book. Quite the opposite. Some of his stories made me laugh out loud, causing some startled looks from my daughter.

There is a strong dose of religion in this book; it was, after all, written by a Jesuit priest. But Father Greg comes to religion from a place of compassion and inclusiveness. He is the kind of Catholic I hope to be. I think that he and Pope Francis are on the same wavelength.

I strongly recommend this book. It presents a real view of how life in East Los Angeles can be. Better yet, it shows that there is always hope. Even the hardest heart can be opened to compassion, by compassion.

Oh Myyy!: There Goes the Internet by George Takei

I love George Takei’s Facebook feed. It is consistently amusing and quirky. I feel much the same way about his book Oh Myyy!: There Goes the Internet.

I have to admit that I had some misconceptions about this book. I thought before reading it that it was nothing more than a collection of the various pics and memes that he has shared on Facebook. It was nothing of the sort.

It is more of a memoir. He tells the story of how “Oh myyy!” became his trademark. He explains how he slowly entered the social media world with Twitter. He has several amusing stories about his Twitter experiences. It is conversational in tone, as though Uncle George is just talking to me. Telling tales.

He goes into how he got into Facebook. And how he was as surprised as anyone else that he became such a sensation. While he could have come off as pompous or self important, he instead seems to be a regular guy. He has his own views on what he should and should not post. He stands by these principles.

I love the self-deprecatory humor, the apparent candor, and yes, the quirkiness of this tale. I also want to reread the last couple of chapters that has tips on how to build and hold on to an audience on Facebook.

I would recommend this book. It was fun. I read the 244 page Kindle version of the book in an evening. Not earth-shattering, but definitely a fun way to spend a Sunday night.