Con Law, by Mark Gimenez

My favorite lawyer/author is back!  Mark Gimenez's newest legal thriller, Con Law, raises the bar again for his entertaining, provocative story telling.  Gimenez promised that Con Law is "the first of a thrilling new series"featuring his new lawyer/action hero, John Bookman, affectionately known as "Book." University of Texas law professor and esteemed author by day, Harley-riding, butt-kicking justice-seeker in his spare time, Book has a strong sense of honor and desire for the truth which drives him to some rather uncomfortable predicaments.

In Con Law, Book gets a letter from a former student, who is practicing oil and gas law in Marfa.  Book hops on his Harley with his intern, and gets into more of a mess than he ever anticipated.  He finds that his former student has died in a questionable one-car accident, the West Texas law firm and their biggest client may be up to no fracking good, and small-town Marfa has more than its share of big-city problems, with drug traffickers, long-time locals, big-time ranchers, and the three As, artists, attorneys, and a--holes.

As Gimenez's readers know, he is skilled at capturing the personality of a place, placing and deleloping the personalities there, and plotting a perfectly paced story that will keep you guessing and wondering just what is going on.  In the meantime, his discourses on legal and societal issues (fracking by the gas drillers plays a large role in the novel, and Gimenez fills us in on the details) add to the story in an informative, non-distracting way.

I thoroughly enjoyed Con Law and look forward to Book getting another letter.

Ten Billion, by Stephen Emmott

I'm sure Stephen Emmott is really smart.  Way, way smarter than I am.  Maybe smarter than most people. But in his new book Ten Billion, Emmott resorts to scare tactics, exaggeration, and misleading interpretations of facts and trends to try to stir his readers into a frenzied panic.

Emmott's basic premise is that as the Earth's population approaches ten billion, the planet will get to a point at which it can no longer sustain the population.  We will soon run out of arable land for agriculture sufficient to grow enough food, and we will run out of fuel to power our homes and lifestyles.  "In short," he writes, "we urgently need to consume less.  A lot less.  And we need to conserve more.  A lot more." We will have to see a "radical change in behavior" which will require "radical government action."

Without offering a counterargument to his every point, which would probably be fruitless anyway, I just want to point out a couple of large, overarching issues on which I disagree with Emmott.  First of all, Emmott is deeply skeptical of the power of human ingenuity to solve the world's problems.  He says the "rational optimist" believes, falsely, that "our cleverness and inventiveness mean we don't have to worry: we will invent our way out of our current predicament." The problem is that "our cleverness, our inventiveness, and our activities are now the drivers of every global problem we face."

He seems to dismiss past inventiveness as wholly inadequate.  I was struck by his description of the Green Revolution.  He reduces the Green Revolution to increasing use of pesticides and chemical fertilizer and the industrialization of food production.  He makes no mention of Norman Borlaug, water-efficient hybrid plants, and disease-resistant strains of wheat.  What other, future developments might great men and women come up with in the realm of energy, agriculture, and transportation?  We can't even imagine, just as Malthus and Ehrlich couldn't imagine Borlaug's innovations.

Part of Emmott's problem with the Green Revolution is that, as a result, fewer people starved and the population boomed.  His attitude reflects a view of people as primarily consumers, not producers.  When Emmott sees the population grow, he sees more mouths to feed.  When the rational optimist sees the population grow, she sees more producers, more creators, more innovators.  As Julian Simon wrote, people are the "ultimate resource." This is my second fundamental problem with Emmott, his low view of humanity.  He says "the worst thing we can do--globally--is have children at the current rate." He reminds me of the villain in that Tom Clancy novel whose objective was to decimate the world's population so that the Earth (in his view) could survive.

Are there environmental problems?  Yes.  Are there problems to be solved tied to a booming population?  Yes.  But do we have to agree with Emmott that "Only an idiot would deny that there is a limit to how many people our Earth can support"?  Not necessarily.  I am confident that like Malthus, Ehrlich, Carson, and Gore, his forecasts will be proven wrong and fundamentally tied to ideology.  In the meantime, I'm sure, like his forebears, he will try to milk the induced panic for all it's worth.



Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy.

Saturday Millionaires, by Kristi Dosh

College football fans know all about the big money in the game.  Astronomical budgets, millionaire coaches, palatial facilities, huge TV contracts, and tremendous popularity add up to big, big money.  Every year, we hear more and more about paying players and realigning conferences, and wonder about money taking the fun out of the game.  As a sports business reporter for ESPN, Kristi Dosh has a front row seat to the ins and outs of the business of college football.

In her new book, Saturday Millionaires: How Winning Football Builds Winning Colleges, Dosh takes reader into the numbers behind the schools and teams we love watching on Saturdays.  She addresses many of the trends of college football, while shedding light on some of the myths and misconceptions people have about the money involved.  Is it true that a handful of big schools run their programs at a profit, while many barely break even or run a deficit?  Yes, the growth in success and popularity of college football has the "unfortunate consequence of inspiring others to compete beyond their means."  But contrary to what we hear from smaller programs, that same growth has coincided with expanded TV coverage, and a BCS system that increasingly spread around exposure and money, so that smaller schools and schools from the lower-tier conferences have games televised and appear in more bowls than ever.

And what about paying players?  Bad idea.  The big money for bowl appearances?  It's usually not enough to cover a school's expenses.  And those millions that are thrown around for TV contracts?  Here's the deal: to play in Division 1 athletics, schools have to field teams in 16 sports, 14 or 15 of which never make money and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not well over a million, to run each year.  That football TV money is the lifeblood of many athletic departments.

Dosh covers these questions, as well as telling the history of conference TV deals, ongoing conference realignments, the BCS, and projecting the future of the football playoff system.  Dosh's book is by no means an expose of the sordid money dealings of college sports, but a sober accounting of the reality of funding collegiate athletics.  I, for one, am thankful that college football has retained its uniqueness and distinction from pro sports, and am hopeful that the NCAA and the playoff system will keep the difficult balance between the big money and high stakes and the purity of the student-athlete experience.

Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!

The Pitcher, by William Elliot Hazelgrove

Ricky Hernandez has a gift, an arm that can throw a mean fastball, but, so far, there's too much working against him to capitalize on that gift.  He lives in a community where there are very few Hispanics, and he gets teased and marginalized.  His coach would rather play him at catcher, so the coach's son gets to pitch.  And, frankly, in spite of his speed, or maybe because of his speed, he doesn't have very good control.

He does have a few things going for him, though.  Mostly, his mom, who helps out as coach, and pressures the head coach to give him a chance.  And, best of all, the reclusive, grumpy neighbor across the street happens to be a retired major league pitcher.  Slowly but surely, he reluctantly agrees to coach Ricky in preparation for high school tryouts.

Hazelgrove tugs on some heartstrings as he tells the story of a broken down former major leaguer who comes out of his shell a bit, learns to live for others, and regains some of the joy of baseball and life; the story of a little boy with big dreams, who has been let down by his father, his coach, and the world in general; the story of a mom who knows the odds are against her son, but is willing to sacrifice whatever it takes to bring him happiness and success.

Hazelgrove is a talented story teller, who tells this story with heart, realism, and hope.  The Pitcher is an enjoyable tale, well told.

Thanks to the author for the complimentary electronic review copy!

Chasing God, by Roger Huang

Huang and his wife Maite.

Have you ever read about a ministry, or seen a ministry at work, and thought, "What a remarkable organization!  They do so much, and impact so many lives!  I could never do that!"  I had previously never heard of Roger Huang, founder of San Francisco City Impact.  In his new book Chasing God: One Man's Miraculous Journey in the Heart of the City, Huang, son of Chinese immigrants, tells the story of SFCI and how it grew to become a wide-ranging, well-respected ministry to the poor residents of San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood.

As a young Christian, Huang worked in downtown San Francisco hotels.  He began visiting with people on the streets of the neighborhoods near his workplace, passing out sandwiches with his family on his time off.  Eventually they rented space, started children's programs, and ministered to hundreds of children and their families each week.  The story in Chasing God is nothing short of amazing.  Huang has a gift for overcoming obstacles and, importantly, inspiring people to contribute their time and resources to join him in his efforts.  He seems to be someone who has "favor with God and man," as God answers prayers miraculously and many people buy into Huang's work.

I can't help thinking there must be more to Huang's story, but the impression Chasing God leaves is that when someone is sold out to following God and obeying him, God will make provision for everything. He is serving God, serving the poor in his community, and serving alongside his wife and adult children.  What an inspiration.  If every Christian had Huang's attitude, looking around his or her community and seeking ways to serve, what a difference we, with God's help, could make!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!

Fourth and Long, by John U. Bacon

It's the most wonderful time of the year--college football season!  In between games, and in between reading the updates and predictions of your favorite games, football fans of all stripes will enjoy John U. Bacon's tour through the 2012 Big Ten (or should I say B1G) football season, Fourth and Long: The Fight for the Soul of College Football.  Although Bacon is a Michigan grad, and this book focuses on four Big Ten teams (Northwestern, Michigan State, Penn State, and Michigan), these programs are reflective of larger changes in college football, and fans of other colleges and conferences will find plenty to relate to.

As we well remember, 2012 was a pivotal year, especially for Penn State and Ohio State.  At Penn State, one of the most legendary coaches of all time, Joe Paterno, was fired, along with many athletic and university staff, in the wake of the scandal surrounding former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky's sexual abuse charges.  The NCAA came down hard on Penn State, stopping short of the death penalty, but crippling the football program.  At Ohio State, some players had exchanged memorabilia for tattoos,  then Coach Jim Tressel covered it up, and the Ohio State program was suspended from any post-season play.  Bacon, observing how little consequence fell to Tressel and other coaches who lead their programs astray with NCAA violations, comments that "if the NCAA ran local law enforcement, whenever they pulled over a drunk driver, they would impound the car and let the driver hop in another one and drive off."

As these two programs tried to rebound from their respective scandals, they were faced with finding their deepest motivations to play the game of football.  The NCAA penalty against Penn State seemed like it was designed to kill the program, but as Bacon writes,

If the folks who ran the NCAA had set out to design an experiment to prove the student-athletes' commitment to their school and their studies was greater than their need for glory on the gridiron, it's hard to imagine they could have done a better job than what they'd created for Penn State's players that fall.

The commitment and passion which the Penn State players, coaches, and fans showed during that season were inspiring.  Bacon goes on:

When the Penn State players had the bells and whistles of big-time college football stripped away by the NCAA sanctions, they discovered something better: they  believed deeply in the ideals of the student-athlete experience that the NCAA had always espoused--and they believed in them more than the NCAA itself.

At Ohio State, the sanctions were not as extreme or long-lasting, but to have their talent base, and to have no possibility of a conference championship, a bowl, or a national championship has to have an impact on a team's motivation.  To lead the team, they called in a long-time OSU fan Urban Meyer, who had twice won a national championship at Florida.  I was impressed with his leadership and his commitment to the team as he lead them to a historic 12 wins.  Many believe they could have won a national championship.

Bacon tells the story of the Big Ten, these programs, as well as Michigan and Northwestern, in such a way that will make you a fan of the players and coaches involved.  He discusses some of the changes football faces, and the financial stakes get higher, and colleges try not to become merely the NFL's development league.  Most of all, he will remind you why we love college football.  "College football fans don't just love football.  They love college football--the history, the traditions, the rituals, and the rivalries that surpass those of the pro game."  Questions of bowl games and national championships are important, but, as he quotes a fellow Michigan alumnus, "the essence of college football is not a national title.  That's as cheesy as a unicorn. . . . It's regional rivalries that go back generations."

Bacon gets it.  These college football programs get it.  It's college football.

Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!

Si-cology 1, by Si Robertson

Uncle Si, his wife Christine, and his daughter Mrs. Cobern.

I must be one of the last remaining Americans never to have seen the show Duck Dynasty.  Last year my son came home from school one day to report excitedly that Uncle Si was at his school, I had to seek further explanation.  Turns out Uncle Si is one of the stars of the hit TV show, and his daughter was one of my son's teachers.  Now that the Robertsons have firmly ensconced themselves at such a prominent place in popular culture, I decided to read Uncle Si's book and find out what he's all about.

So I learned that Uncle Si is a funny guy who tells good stories, which, apparently, why he is so popular on the show.  Would his life story merit publication, were it not for a reality show about a family business which makes duck calls?  Not likely.  He tells some entertaining tales from his childhood and his time in Vietnam, and he has plenty of pithy sayings and throw away lines.  I enjoyed his good-old-boy tone, and was amused by his take on the truthfulness of the tall-sounding tales he tells: "At my age, a few of the details are cloudy, but I'll recollect the coming stories as best I can.  Hey, just remember it isn't a lie if you think it's true!"

Duck Dynasty fans will want to read Uncle Si's wit and wisdom in Si-Cology 1.  But general readers will want to take this book for what it is: a celebrity book published to capitalize on a TV show's incredible success.  I will say this: if I ever find myself, for whatever reason, stuck in a duck blind, it would be much more enjoyable with Uncle Si along.

Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!