Review: The Rush: California Gold, the Civil War, and the Making of the Modern World

The Rush: California Gold, the Civil War, and the Making of the Modern World by Nathaniel Philbrick
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book explained the history of the gold rush in California and the subsequent aftermath in an understandable way. It stated in Sutter’s Mill located in the Sierra Nevada mountains, finding gold that lead to a vein called the Mother Lode. Later another vein of silver was found in Nevada, the next state over and called the Comstock Lode. These two veins of minerals helped fund the United States, helped with the Civil War and spurred the building of the railroad to the west coast. And much more.

Each chapter introduced a specific part of the history, such as building the railroad, or the Chinese immigrants who came to help build the railroad, or how the native people living in California were decimated by this influx of people. This focus within the chapter helped to ground this history throughout the book without feeling scattered or disorganized.

Among the various facts learned, I did appreciate hearing about the various mining techniques used, especially the massive water cannons used that destroyed the mountains. I first heard about this at a rest stop along Interstate 80 there are information plaques and photos about this. One sign reads “there were 45 separate hydraulic mines operating within just a 1.5-mile radius of where this highway rest stop sits”. This type of mining was so destructive, it is astonishing the lengths they went to get that gold.

I listened to this book which was wonderfully narrated by Scott Brick.

Book rating: 4.5 stars

Thanks to Viking Penguin and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book. Also thanks to Penguin Random House Publishers for an advance audiobook copy of the book.


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Review: Identity

Identity by Milan Kundera
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Kundera is from the Czech Republic but he wrote this book in French, and I read an English translation. The main character, an aging woman, Chantal is starting menopause, getting hot flashes and realizes that "men don't turn to look at me anymore." Chantal asks herself is she still a sex object to men? She wants to be desired and seems to not be able to accept aging and not being desired by someone she doesn’t know. She likes the “male gaze”.

Jean-Marc wonders, well what about him, he looks at her? But he is someone she knows, they live together. The book is mostly about Jean-Marc trying to get Chantal to notice how he still looks at her, loves her, and doesn't that mean something?

Unsigned letters appear for Chantal that she finds strange, someone says he is watching her. She tries to figure out who. The POV switches between Chantal and Jean-Marc, with a bit of Chantal’s past mentioned, such as her ex-husband and their child who died. But the past is not lingered upon, only mentioned briefly. The book is not very long, and there is a bit of oddness to the book overall, felt a little surreal.

Book rating: 3.25 stars


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Review: Black and Blue

Black and Blue by Anna Quindlen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I’ve been going through my shelves reading some of those sitting there for a long time. This is another one that I got likely shortly after it was released. I loved Quindlen's writing style in this book. I was drawn in despite the topic of domestic violence.

Francine is a nurse married young to an Italian who is a NY cop, a detective. He was sexy and dangerous, and violent to her. Beat her up until one day she finally had enough and left, with the help of a woman who runs an organization for battered women to escape.

Fran takes her beloved boy Robert who is only ten and seemed to have accepted the lies of everything is okay, despite all the injuries to his mother. They are relocated to Florida and start a new life on edge. Fran, now Beth, can’t tell anyone her truth.
I was drawn in by the writing style, mostly conversational. But it’s also one of those books that don’t challenge too much. Despite the topic I’m glad I finally read this one.

Book rating: 3.5 stars


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Review: Red Star Sister : Between Madness and Utopia

Red Star Sister : Between Madness and Utopia by Leslie Brody
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Leslie Brody’s book is an autobiography about her life as a hippie teenager in the late sixties-early seventies. In 1965 at the age of 13 her mother died which drastically changed her life. At the time she was very engaged in music, being one of those screaming girls for the Beatles. But as she grew up the Vietnam War and the anti-war protests become her central focus.

During high school Brody joined school newspapers and tried to get her poetry or other feminist articles published in underground papers. She worked as staff at one paper, but was more a secretary and the boys never seemed to want to publish her writings. Also, during her high school years she attended the Woodstock music festival, although her experience was nothing like what I would have expected. She was on the fringes and spent the rainy days inside a car.

After high school she wanted to roam more and be more of a pollical agent and by fluke, picked up while hitch-hiking, joined The White Panthers. This was the first I’ve heard of this group, of course knowing about the Black Panthers. The White Panthers completely supported the Black Panthers while their agendas may have differed slightly as the White Panthers were very involved in trying to end the Vietnam War.

Instead of going to college, essentially phoning home to say Dad I’m not going, Leslie continues to be an activist. Eventually she goes to Europe and becomes a backpacker. She had a plan to go to Paris and talk to the Vietnam delegation about ending the war. However, before going to Paris she spent a lot of time in Amsterdam and very slowly traveled to France.

Eventually she ended up in the hospital with sores all over her body and spent a lot of time recovering. Perhaps her madness was the expectations of what she could accomplish with ending a war, but her efforts seemed haphazard.

The descriptions of her experiences of anti-war efforts and working with underground newspapers were very detailed. Brody had nearly continuously kept journals at the time, which helped serve as her memory along with some other artifacts she kept. A few times she writes about her recollections differing from what she wrote, which she ponders briefly upon. At times she uses unexpected words which made for better reading.


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Review: Togetherness: Symbiosis and the Hidden Story of Life's Greatest Collaborations

Togetherness: Symbiosis and the Hidden Story of Life's Greatest Collaborations by Rowan Hooper
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was a great read about how everything is interconnected. The detailed explorations in symbiosis becomes a bit astounding and yet makes perfect sense when you think deeply on the subject.

The author Hooper discusses Darwin and his theories quite a bit with how he got some of it wrong with competition being the driving force, when cooperation in nature is much more prevalent.

Fascinating book really. It was a bit dense at times but written in a fairly approachable manner overall.



Thanks to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book.



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