Review of Jill: A Biography of the First Lady by Julie Pace and Darlene Superville

Authors: Julie Pace and Darlene Superville

Publish Date: April 19, 2022

Publisher: Little Brown & Company

Buy from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Jill-Biography-First-Julie-Pace/dp/0316377503/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2NLPI09YYQEDI&keywords=jill+a+biography+of+the+first+lady&qid=1651269692&sprefix=jill+a+birography%2Caps%2C254&sr=8-1

Dr. Jill Biden has been described as President Joe Biden’s greatest political asset. Like many women of her generation, she holds her commitments as wife, mother, and grandmother at the center of her life. She is a professor, earned a doctorate in educational leadership, and taught at Northern Virginia Community College. She broke barriers as First Lady as the first to hold a paying job outside the White House. Jill is the story of this accomplished American woman.

From her earliest days dating Senator Biden to her embrace of Biden’s young sons Beau and Hunter Biden and the birth of their daughter Ashley; her role by Joe Biden’s side through Senate reelection race after Senate reelection race; her years as Second Lady; to Joe’s successful third run for the Democratic presidential nomination, Jill has lived in the public eye.

Jill: A Biography of the First Lady by Julie Pace and Darlene Superville with Evelyn M. Duffy is an exceptionally researched and illuminating read. Pace and Superville of the Associated Press are veteran correspondents of the Washington DC political scene, and this new biography helps shed light on some the more intimate details of Jill Biden’s life. Through this exposé we are able to better understand her personality, which has been a bedrock for the Biden family through heartbreak and good fortune alike.

“She arrived hardened, and at times jaded, by the harsh realities of American politics and the personal tragedies her family has endured in the public eye. Yet she also stepped into a White House as a symbol of resilience and relatability—a woman fiercely protective of her family and her passions and ambitions.”

Skillfully constructed, this profile goes further than just summarizing the story of the Jill Biden most of us only know from news bites. The authors have carefully and expertly trimmed the narrative to the most important events, while still creating an interesting and poignant story. We all know of the heartbreaks that have struck President Biden, but this biography delivers a critical understanding of the role Jill has played in his life. This book leaves the reader with not only a deeper understanding of who Jill Biden is, but also a clearer perception of Joe Biden, his children, and their inner circle.

A proper biography is one that shares the life of its subject, but an exceptional biography is one that goes above and beyond just their life story and leaves the reader feeling like they were at least for a short period of time, a part of their life. Jill: A Biography of the First Lady, does just that and more.

This review first appeared at the New York Journal of Books on April 29, 2022 - https://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-review/jill-biography-first-lady

Review of Fear No Evil by James Patterson

Author: James Patterson

Release Date: November 22, 2021

Publisher: Little Brown & Company

Buy from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Fear-No-Evil-Alex-Cross/dp/0316499145/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=james+patterson&qid=1638212199&qsid=137-0792672-2832115&sr=8-2&sres=0316499145%2C0759554269%2CB08W529Q23%2C0316499374%2C0316276626%2C0316499870%2CB09L82GKQX%2C1538752832%2C1538718855%2CB08WRNPF3M%2C1538715457%2C0316499447%2C0316540714%2C1538703556%2C1529125871%2CB08Y8ND73G%2C1538703939%2C075955434X%2C0316499773%2C1538703548

Alex Cross ventures into the rugged Montana wilderness where he will be the prey. He's not on the job, but on a personal mission—until he's attacked by two rival teams of assassins, controlled by the same mastermind who has stalked Alex and his family for years. Darkness falls. The river churns into rapids. Shots ring out through the forest. No backup. No way out. Fear no evil.

“Someone had dipped a rolled-up section of that morning’s Los Angeles Times in the blood pooled on the floor and used it to scrawl these words on the wall . . . Las Familias Muertas No Cuentan Cuentos . . . Dead families tell no tales . . .”

This is the 29th installment of bestselling author James Patterson’s wildly successful Alex Cross thriller series. Patterson is known as the world’s bestselling author and has created more enduring fictional characters than any other novelist living today. The Alex Cross series was first published in 1993 with Along Came a Spider.

The main protagonist in the series, Alex Cross, is a highly intelligent and rational detective and specialist in forensic psychologist based in Washington, D.C. He started as a homicide detective but eventually becomes a senior agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. During the series, he eventually returns to private psychology practice but continues to work with the local police department as needed. Each novel contains an entirely new plotline, however, there are references to prior narratives in each new novel.

Fear No Evil is somewhat unusual in that Cross and his associates find themselves caught in the crosshairs of two warring drug cartels. They are pulled into a case where the body count rises precipitously. Cross, et al, soon become the targets for both groups, and they end up in the wilds of Montana.

“I want someone who can help me understand the situation enough to halt the needless killing. . . . You do know that you can never stop that kind of violence, Señor Cross. I’ve spent my whole life in it. Never once stopped. Oh, maybe a week here, a week there. But violence, fighting for what’s yours, building an empire, becoming as king—that is the natural course of life. How are you going to stop life doing its violent things?”

Throughout the entirety of the Alex Cross series, Patterson has consistently included the strong bond of friendship and love, and this continues with Fear No Evil. Cross is still the supportive husband to Bree and a good friend and longtime partner to John Sampson, always there in their times of need.

Kudos to Patterson for creating yet another exciting chapter in the Alex Cross saga. A master of his craft, Patterson slowly builds the plot with a series of set pieces, well-timed reveals, and a final twist that climaxes in a heart-pounding and tense ending. Fear No Evil is a compelling and captivating read. A sure-shot bestseller. An action-packed suspense-filled crime thriller that will have you racing through every page. A must-read for all James Patterson and Alex Cross fanatics.

Review first appeared at the New York Journal of Books on November 28, 2021 - https://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-review/fear-no-evil-alex

Review of Stranger in the Lifeboat by Mitch Albom

Author: Mitch Albom

Release date: November 2, 2021

Publisher: HarperCollins

Buy from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Stranger-Lifeboat-Novel-Mitch-Albom/dp/006288834X/ref=asc_df_006288834X?tag=bingshoppinga-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=80814219495561&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4584413749017390&psc=1

Acclaimed author Mitch Albom has penned five consecutive #1 New York Times bestselling novels. His books have sold nearly 33 million copies and have been translated into 42 different languages worldwide. Known for finding spiritual meaning in everyday life with novels such The Five People You Meet in Heaven, The Next Person You Meet in Heaven, and The First Phone Call from Heaven, Albom in his writings often seeks to answer the meaning between the divine state and experiences bounded by physical reality.

“It’s been three days since the Galaxy sank. No one has come looking for us. I try to stay positive . . . I see surrender in the eyes of many . . . If this is to be, if this is indeed my end . . . I need to tell you something, and I need to tell the world as well.”

Albom’s new novel, The Stranger in the Lifeboat is deeply thought-provoking and asks the question: What would happen if we called on God for help and God actually appeared? An explosion on a yacht leaves ten desperate souls struggling to survive adrift in a lifeboat. Included among these are some very influential and wealthy people. Short on water, food, and hope, three days into the ordeal they spot a man floating in the waves. They pull him in, and he claims to be God. So begins Albom’s most captivating and inspirational novel to date, and for the first time in his fiction writing, he contemplates and explores what people might actually do, if after praying for divine intervention, God really appeared.

“He wore no lifejacket, nor was he holding on to anything when we spotted him bobbing in the waves . . . We waited for the stranger to respond, but he just looked at us doe-eyed . . . Nina touched his shoulder and said, ‘Well, thank the Lord we found you.’ Which is when the man spoke. ‘I am the Lord.’”

Throughout the tale, Albom as usual does a masterful job of keeping the reader engaged and speculating. Is this mysterious and serene man really who he claims to be? And what actually caused the boat to explode? Are the survivors already in heaven, or are they in hell? It is narrated by Benji, one of the passengers, who describes the events in a notebook that is discovered a year later when the empty life raft washes up ashore on the island of Montserrat. It then falls to the island’s chief detective, a man struggling with his own inner struggles, to solve the mystery of what really happened.

The story is divided into three sections with different timelines and points of view. Sea is told while the survivors are on the lifeboat; Land is told a year and a half after the yacht’s sinking; and News is told before the yacht set sail. Albom’s writing style as always is simplistic but effective. It allows the reader to look inward and reflect upon faith.

Fast-paced and compelling, The Stranger in the Lifeboat is thought-provoking, hope-filled, and inspirational. It makes you ponder your deepest spiritual beliefs, and although it does not deviate from the expected outcome, this does not detract from its overall inspirational effectiveness. Whether or not you are a spiritual person, Albom ultimately suggests that answers to our prayers may be found where we least expect them.

Review first appeared at the New York Journal of Books on November 2, 2021 - https://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-review/stranger-lifeboat-novel

Review of The Man I Knew by Jean Becker

Author: Jean Becker

Release Date: June 1, 2021

Publisher: Twelve Books

Buy from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Man-Knew-Amazing-George-Post-Presidency/dp/153873530X/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=jean+becker&qid=1623103336&sr=8-2

George Herbert Walker Bush came into the US presidency as one of the most qualified candidates to assume office. But if presidential success is determined by winning reelection, Bush was unsuccessful because he failed to convince the American public to give him another four years in office. But if this narrow-minded definition of what constitutes a success is true, George Bush’s post-presidential legacy can only be labeled as a triumph.

As Bush’s post-presidency chief of staff, Jean Becker had a ringside seat to the never-dull story of the former president’s life after his years in the White House. After losing reelection in 1992 to Bill Clinton, Bush’s life “was filled with determination, courage, generosity, love, hope, humor fun, and always big ideas.”

He developed the odd habit of jumping out of airplanes; and learned how to adjust to life in a wheelchair, after having lived most of his life as a high-energy athlete. He enthusiastically saw two sons become governors of their states, one of whom would also become President of the United States. But one odd and highly unlikely development stands out among his post-presidency achievements. 

Through the ages, the President's Club has seen its share of rivalries, alliances, even some true friendships, but on December 26, 2004, Bush and Clinton’s relationship changed forever when a catastrophic tsunami struck Indonesia. In Washington, President George W. Bush and his advisors searched for an appropriate way to coordinate and direct the outpouring of aid from private sources. It was the younger Bush who came up with the idea of asking his father and Clinton to work together. Both were proven fund-raisers and had deep-rooted contacts. Bush and Clinton have been described many times as the odd couple of American politics, but in the years following this tragedy the two former political foes developed a close bond and connection that surprised both men and many of their longtime aides.

The Man I Knew: The Amazing Story of George H. W. Bush’s Post-Presidency by Jean Becker is a wonderfully poignant and intimate behind-the-scenes portrayal of George Bush’s post-presidential life and accomplishments. Becker served as chief of staff during this period and had unique and unparalleled access to the personal and public life of the former president. Based on her personal recollections, Becker details the ups and downs of running the office of a former president from the perspective of someone who knew him best.

“When he left office on January 20, 1993, he moved back to Houston . . . with every intention of staying out of the public eye. That was not to be.”

The Man I Knew is a delightfully touching narrative and worthwhile read, but Becker admits that the narrative is not objective. She confesses to being one of Bush’s greatest fans. So if you are expecting secrets and gossip about Bush’s personal life this is not the book for you.

As Becker writes, “He lived what he preached: Any definition of a successful life must include serving others.” She goes on to describe how Bush “rebuilt his life” and “found a way to continue making a difference.” This is the story of Bush’s modest journey from president to a man of the people and how, after his emotionally draining and heartbreaking defeat to Bill Clinton in the 1992 presidential election, he found a way to make a difference. By the time of his death in November 2018, he was one of the most admired, respected, and beloved former statesmen.

This review was first published at the New York Journal of Books on June 7, 2021: https://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-review/man-i-knew-amazing

Review of Murder at the Mission by Blaine Harden

Author: Blaine Harden

Release date: April 27, 2021

Publisher: Viking

Buy from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Mission-Frontier-Killing-American/dp/0525561668/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=blaine+harden&qid=1619541516&sr=8-2

In 1836, Marcus Whitman, along with a ragtag band of fellow missionaries and fur traders joined a wagon train to the Oregon Territory. He and his wife, Narcissa, along with Reverend Henry Spalding and his wife, Eliza, and William Gray, founded a mission at present-day Walla Walla, Washington. They had come to the area to convert local Indians to Christianity. For the next ten years, their efforts at conversion were met with only limited success and as more white settlers descended upon the region and intruded upon sacred Cayuses lands tensions between the settlers and tribal leaders began to arise.

Following the deaths of a large number of natives from an outbreak of measles (which was brought to the area by the white settlers), some of the tribal leaders accused Whitman of murder and in retaliation, a renegade group killed Whitman and 11 others on November 29, 1847, an event that came to be known as the Whitman Massacre. This event led to continuing warfare between settlers and native people for several years and reduced the indigenous population even further.

This massacre is known as one of the most notorious episodes in the US settlement of the Pacific Northwest and its shock and horror directly led to Congress establishing the Oregon Territory. The tragedy remains controversial and Whitman and other missionaries are regarded by some as heroes, while others view them as liars, cheats, and interlopers who attempted to impose their religious beliefs on unwilling Native Americans.

“If you think fake news started in 2016, think again. Alternative facts, self-mythologizing, and outright lies have long played a starring role in American history, nowhere more so than the expansion west in the 19th century.”

In Blaine Harden’s new book, Murder at the Mission: A Frontier Killing, It's Legacy of Lies, and the Taking of the American West, he takes a closer look at the Whitman Massacre and its enduring impact on the region and on the Native American tribe, it helped to destroy. Harden is a contributing editor for The Economist, PBS Frontline, and former bureau chief for the Washington Post. He is a New York Times bestselling author who has penned several works that include A River Lost (1997), Escape from Camp 14 (2012), and The Great Leader and the Fighter Pilot (2015).

“They traveled west into . . . the thick darkness of heathenism . . . during a peak season of godliness in the United States. Called the Second Great Awakening . . . Their quest, as they described it, was to convert the benighted Indians to Christianity and civilize them so that they might survive a looming stampede of westbound white people.”

In this fascinating well-written exposé, Harden has done a brilliant job of not only looking at the life and legacy of Marcus Whitman but also examining the context in which his tragic death begot “one of the great hoaxes in the history of the American West.” A lie that led directly to the ruin of the Native Americans of the Columbia River Plateau. For nearly 175 years the Whitman massacre victims were celebrated as martyrs, but Harden reveals that this was all just an elaborate tale spun to raise money and found a college.

In Murder at the Mission, Harden skillfully brings to life the collision of myth and reality. He has managed to write a fittingly timely book that fits well into the post-Donald Trump era of false narratives, conspiracy theories, and cries of fake news in which a large segment of the Naïve American population was deceived into believing utter nonsense by destroying others in order to make themselves feel good about themselves.

This review first appeared at the New York Journal of Books on April 27, 2021 - https://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-review/murder-mission-frontier

Review of Walk in My Combat Boots by James Patterson & Matt Eversmann

Author(s): James Patterson & Matt Eversmann

Release date: February 8, 2021

Publisher: Little Brown & Co.

Buy from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Walk-My-Combat-Boots-Americas/dp/0316429090/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=james+patterson&qid=1612887115&sr=8-4

The sacrifices of service are indescribable—except by those who have made them. Their personal stories of battlefield life reveal: the goal to be ready every day, every single day, and how that can quickly descend into chaos. The realization that every soldier must be okay with dying, consciously or subconsciously, to be good at this job. How we all need to serve something bigger than ourselves.

Men and women from every branch of the US military and every occupational specialty—armor technicians and tank commanders, combat medics and flight nurses, psychological operatives, and weapons truck drivers—tell exactly how it feels to jump out of airplanes, to be boots on the ground, to shoot and be shot at, and to recognize that they might never get back home. The dedication of these men and women to overcoming tremendous obstacles and achieving everyday victories, in combat and on the home front, is profound.

Walk in My Combat Boots: True Stories from America’s Bravest Warriors by James Patterson and Matt Eversmann takes an authentic look at what it's really like to be a member of the US military. Patterson is the bestselling author of countless works that span numerous genres and his books have sold millions of copies. Matt Eversmann is a former Army Ranger of Black Hawk Down fame. In 2004 he co-authored the gripping narrative The Battle of Mogadishu: First-Hand Accounts from the Men of Task Force Ranger.

In this broad and captivating assemblage of firsthand experiences, Walk in My Combat Boots includes before, during, and after wartime stories. It is told through the words of military veterans of varying backgrounds and expertise. Patterson and Eversmann have complied and created a suspense-filled, heart-pounding narrative that succeeds in painting a picture of what it is really like to serve on the frontlines of the US armed forces.

“Ten of our twenty patients are stretched out on litters . . . some of them are all shot up, and some have lost limbs . . . We have to treat patients while dealing with the stresses  . . . Someone screams to use the restroom . . . Someone screams for narcotics . . . another patient sits quietly, staring . . . I want to go back . . . I’m good, I want to go back, I’m ready. He’s not the only soldier who says this to me . . . All the guys on board want to go back. Every single one.”

Spanning nearly 50 years of US military actions from Vietnam to the present day, each of the over three dozen stories are divided into four parts. Written in clear and matter-of-fact style that keeps the reader engaged the narratives take an evenhanded look at individual military service experiences in an honest and frank manner. It avoids unnecessary analysis and description while succeeding in assembling an absorbing and truthful picture of what war was really like for those who have served. Although the true strength of the book lies in its contrasting experiences, which allow the reader to interpret each unique and individual story for themselves on its merits. This collaboration is sure to be a bestseller.

This review first appeared in the New York Journal of Books on February 9, 2021 - https://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-review/walk-my-combat

Review of Bag Man by Rachel Maddow & Michael Yarvitz

Author: Rachel Maddow and Michael Yarvitz

Release date: December 8, 2021

Publisher: Crown

Buy from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Bag-Man-Audacious-Cover-Up-Spectacular/dp/0593136683/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=bag+man&qid=1607468169&sr=8-5

Is it possible for an American vice president to direct a vast criminal enterprise within the halls of the White House? To have one of the most brazen corruption scandals in American history play out while nobody's paying attention? And for that scandal to be all but forgotten decades later?

The year was 1973, and the vice president in question was Spiro Agnew. Long on firebrand rhetoric and short on political experience, Agnew as governor of Maryland and a Baltimore County executive had carried out a bribery and extortion ring in office for years. Then at the height of the Watergate investigation, three federal prosecutors discovered his crimes and launched a mission to take him down before Richard Nixon's own downfall made way for Agnew to ascend to the presidency.

“The crowds who came out to his rallies reveled in Agnew’s unapologetic take-the-paint-off-the-walls partisanship. His increasingly confrontational taunts became a constant presence on the network newscasts . . . Agnew’s political brand was built around the idea that he was an outsider . . . and if he didn’t actually appear to care whom he had offended, that became a feature of his candidacy . . . Rather than hurting him, his ‘slip ups’ seemed to solidify his support with the Republican base.”

Does that sound familiar? Decades before Donald Trump entered politics and began regularly making inflammatory remarks at his rivals. Agnew used this same style of impetuous name-calling and bullying tones to gleefully mock liberals and anyone who stood in his way. He did everything he could to bury the investigation: dismissing it as a "witch hunt," riling up his partisan base, making the press the enemy, and, with a crumbling circle of loyalists, scheming to obstruct justice.

Bag Man: The Wild Crimes, Audacious Cover-up and Spectacular Downfall of a Brazen Crook in the White House by Rachel Maddow and Michael Yarvitz is based on her Peabody Award-nominated podcast of the same name. In this wildly entertaining and informative investigation, Maddow and Yarvitz detail the probe that uncovered Vice-President Spiro Agnew's sordid crimes attempted cover-up and plea bargain that eventually forced his resignation. Maddow is the Emmy Award-winning host of The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC, as well as the New York Times bestselling author of Drift: The Unmooring of American Military Power (2012). Yarvitz is an Emmy and Peabody award-winning television producer and journalist.

“And yet, for all his real impact. Agnew’s story is largely forgotten today . . . what exactly promoted Agnew’s resignation from office in 1973. It was some pennyante tax evasion back in Maryland, right? Part of the reason for the lost history of Spiro Agnew is the simple factor of time.”

Bagman is the story of Spiro Agnew’s crimes. It is a saga that played out in the shadows of Watergate, and although most of Agnew’s misdeeds such as criminal conspiracy, bribery, extortion, and tax fraud occurred prior to his time as vice president he did continue to receive kickbacks from contractors while in office. On October 10, 1973, after months of maintaining his innocence, Agnew appeared before the federal court in Baltimore, and pleaded no contest to one felony charge of tax evasion, and resigned from office. Because of this, he has the dubious distinction of being the only sitting vice president to be convicted of a felony and only the second to resign. In 1832, John C. Calhoun resigned after being elected to the US Senate from South Carolina.

Spiro Agnew was crooked long before he arrived in Washington, and the history of his efforts to cover-up his wrongdoings make a fascinating tale. Maddow and Yarvitz are wonderful storytellers and capably engage the reader by expanding on her podcast with even more details and expert analysis of Agnew's numerous criminalities. Most notably, they convey the scandal’s lasting impact on American politics and the media. Bag Man is a thoroughly consuming reexamination of one of the most shameful scandals of American political history.

This review first appeared at the New York Journal of Books on December 8, 2021: https://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-review/bag-man-wild-crimes