Sportswriter Paul Daugherty had a few choice words for God when he learned that his daughter Jillian had Down syndrome. But he writes that the day of her birth "was the last bad day." In An Uncomplicated Life: A Father's Memoir of His Exceptional Daughter, Daugherty writes about Jillian and his family's life together, living with a disability.
Daugherty's story is raw and personal, revealing the struggles that his family went through in Jillian's education and upbringing. Yet above all he conveys a sense of hope and joy as Jillian's personality and cheerful attitude shine through. Paul and his wife determined from the start that they wanted more for Jillian than the expectations of medical and educational professionals. For too long, parents "had been told their kids with special needs could not achieve." The Daughertys threw out that advice, educated themselves about laws regarding the education of special needs children, and fought for Jillian to be educated in a mainstream classroom.
I loved these chapters, as my family has been through the same trials: witnessing the horror of the self-contained classroom, convincing teachers that modification doesn't just mean crossing out a few questions, bringing legal pressure to bear on the district to simply follow the law. Daugherty writes, "No parents of typical kids have to fight their school district for the right to have their children in a typical classroom."
Why is inclusion such an important issue to parents of children with special needs? First of all, it's the law. But more importantly, "If you want kids with disabilities to achieve beyond the norm, why would you put them in a segregated classroom, only with other kids with disabilities?" Children should not be excluded from the overall educational experiences shared by their typical peers. And as inclusion advocate (and Jillian's future mother-in-law) says, "There aren't special lines at the grocery store" for people with special needs.
The Daugherty's love for Jillian is overflowing in the pages of An Uncomplicated Life. I'm sure they would say they simply love their daughter. But Jillian is the kind of person whose love spreads around her wherever she goes. As Daugherty's mother said, "Jillian is the best Christian I know. . . . She's kind. She loves genuinely. She gives. She enjoys life. . . . She acts like the rest of the world should act but doesn't. . . . Those who know her are moved to do better, to be better. To do good." Daugherty himself writes, "Jillian is closer to perfect than anyone I've known."
An Uncomplicated Life follows Jillian's life from birth, through childhood, to college, and eventually to engagement to her "best boy." Her story is a testament to the power of a family who chose to look not at what she couldn't do, but what she could do, who asks that we not merely look at Jillian, but see her. Jillian's example will inspire many parents of children with special needs not to settle for less than what standards the world might hold but to "expect, not accept." My daughter is 13, and has travelled some of the road Jillian has. Jillian's story encourages me to continue to raise her like Jillian, who is aware of the "shackles" of her disability but didn't let them hold her back. Thank you, Paul Daugherty, for sharing your beautiful daughter with us.
Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!
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Monday, March 23, 2015
Sunday, March 22, 2015
Godzilla: Cataclysm, by Dave Wachter and Cullen Bunn
It's been many years since Tokyo was devastated by a giant monster battle. The monsters haven't been seen or heard for a while, but the city still has not recovered. A few survivors live among the ruins, scavenging for their daily needs and wondering when and if the monsters will come back. Godzilla: Cataclysm, written by Cullen Bunn and illustrated by Dave Wachter, follows the story of some survivors who may have roused the monsters. One of them even has some insight into what got them so worked up.
Lots of the familiar monsters return. Godzilla's place as the king of them all is threatened, but fear not, Godzilla fans! You won't be disappointed in their hero. The story is thin. A somewhat promising eco-monster is introduced. What we really want to see is the monster fights, right? And the monster fights are as epic as can be on the printed page. Getting this one on film would keep CGI artists up nights!
This collection of Godzilla comics will please the fans. I grew up watching the movies, and still enjoy the new ones when they are released. Pick up Godzilla: Cataclysm for a bit of a fix until another Godzilla blockbuster movie is released.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!
This collection of Godzilla comics will please the fans. I grew up watching the movies, and still enjoy the new ones when they are released. Pick up Godzilla: Cataclysm for a bit of a fix until another Godzilla blockbuster movie is released.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!
Friday, March 20, 2015
AsapSCIENCE, by Michael Moffit and Greg Brown
Perhaps you have seen the clever, informative videos posted on AsapSCIENCE's YouTube channel. If not, look it up. If there's an everyday science question you've been wondering about, perhaps they'll have the answer you seek! If you're away from your WiFi connection, pick up Michael Moffit and Greg Brown's new book, AsapSCIENCE: Answers to the World's Weirdest Questions, Most Persistent Rumors, and Unexplained Phenomena.
You have always wondered, I'm sure, whether the silent ones really are more deadly (you know what I'm talking about). And the ten second rule? Here's the definitive answer. And while they may not forever and always settle the debate over whether the egg or the chicken came first, this is the best discussion of the question I've seen in print!
I thoroughly enjoyed the wit and simplicity of Moffit and Brown's explanations, but at the same time did not feel like I was being talked down to. AsapSCIENCE is definitely for the layperson, but it doesn't shy away from introducing technical terms and difficult concepts. This is the most fun you'll ever have reading a science book!
Which leads me to my biggest complaint. Many of these topics are questions more often posed by children. (Grown-ups don't tend to be as curious about eating boogers and hiccups and brain freezes.) For the most part, this is a great book for kids to explore these questions, but then they thrown in a few chapters about some very adult phenomena. Granted, older teens will be curious about some of these topics, but that doesn't mean I want to see them in a book that otherwise seems to be aimed at kids. It's not graphic (or pornographic), but the chapters on hangovers and sexual topics could have been left out, or left for a different book.
The fun illustrations and conversational tone bring real science to everyday life in a way that anyone can understand. Pick up AsapSCIENCE and put your curiosity to rest on these everyday subjects.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!
You have always wondered, I'm sure, whether the silent ones really are more deadly (you know what I'm talking about). And the ten second rule? Here's the definitive answer. And while they may not forever and always settle the debate over whether the egg or the chicken came first, this is the best discussion of the question I've seen in print!
 |
| Admit it. You've always wondered about this. . . . |
Which leads me to my biggest complaint. Many of these topics are questions more often posed by children. (Grown-ups don't tend to be as curious about eating boogers and hiccups and brain freezes.) For the most part, this is a great book for kids to explore these questions, but then they thrown in a few chapters about some very adult phenomena. Granted, older teens will be curious about some of these topics, but that doesn't mean I want to see them in a book that otherwise seems to be aimed at kids. It's not graphic (or pornographic), but the chapters on hangovers and sexual topics could have been left out, or left for a different book.
The fun illustrations and conversational tone bring real science to everyday life in a way that anyone can understand. Pick up AsapSCIENCE and put your curiosity to rest on these everyday subjects.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Defying Isis, by Johnnie Moore
A Christian holocaust? A group dedicated to eliminating Christianity altogether? It sounds extreme and impossible, but that is the vision of ISIS. In Defying Isis: Preserving Christianity in the Place of Its Birth and In Your Own Backyard, Johnnie Moore sounds the alarm: Christians, ISIS wants you dead.
Moore points out that the territories where ISIS is most active, parts of Iraq and Syria, played an important role in Old Testament history and in the early growth of Christianity. I often focus on the sites of Jesus' ministry as the land of the Bible, and then I think of Christian expansion primarily to the west. Moore reminds us of the history of the people of Israel, and points out that in the first half of Christian history, the eastern church was in many ways stronger and more advanced than the church in the West.
These historical reminders are important, but more important are the stories of Christians facing unutterable evil under ISIS. Our brothers and sisters in Christ face a choice: convert or die. Many are being martyred in a manner no less evil than the Nazi persecution of the Jews. And like the Nazis, the ISIS aims to eliminate an entire religious group: Christians. He challenges American Christians, especially Protestants, to expand our view of the Christian family. Many of those being persecuted are Catholic or Orthodox, but are no less our brothers and sisters we worship with every Sunday.
On a couple of points I was left with questions. Moore gives a nod to mainstream Islam. He notes that Muslims make up the largest number of ISIS's targets, and that Muslims, Jews, and Christians must work together against ISIS. But I'm not clear where he draws the line? He gives dire warnings of ISIS adherents "in your own backyard." While the internet provides the inspiration for extreme, violent actions, where do they get other inspiration? Not at First Baptist. So are these future ISIS extremists at the friendly local mosque? How friendly are we supposed to be?
Further, while the threat of ISIS is clearly huge, and through social media and modern communication the threat is global, how effective are they really? They kill Christians, Muslims who adhere to different beliefs, and Jews. They have limited success in recruiting new members, and the rest of the world sees them as a scourge. In my view, the potential for expansion is very limited.
None of what I said should be interpreted as my disagreeing with Moore, nor do I want to sound as if I'm minimizing the suffering of Christians under ISIS. Moore is right: we in the West must not ignore ISIS. If there's ever a time at which Western Christians need to pray for the persecuted church, this is it. I appreciate Moore's work, compelling me to be aware and to pray.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!
Moore points out that the territories where ISIS is most active, parts of Iraq and Syria, played an important role in Old Testament history and in the early growth of Christianity. I often focus on the sites of Jesus' ministry as the land of the Bible, and then I think of Christian expansion primarily to the west. Moore reminds us of the history of the people of Israel, and points out that in the first half of Christian history, the eastern church was in many ways stronger and more advanced than the church in the West.
These historical reminders are important, but more important are the stories of Christians facing unutterable evil under ISIS. Our brothers and sisters in Christ face a choice: convert or die. Many are being martyred in a manner no less evil than the Nazi persecution of the Jews. And like the Nazis, the ISIS aims to eliminate an entire religious group: Christians. He challenges American Christians, especially Protestants, to expand our view of the Christian family. Many of those being persecuted are Catholic or Orthodox, but are no less our brothers and sisters we worship with every Sunday.
On a couple of points I was left with questions. Moore gives a nod to mainstream Islam. He notes that Muslims make up the largest number of ISIS's targets, and that Muslims, Jews, and Christians must work together against ISIS. But I'm not clear where he draws the line? He gives dire warnings of ISIS adherents "in your own backyard." While the internet provides the inspiration for extreme, violent actions, where do they get other inspiration? Not at First Baptist. So are these future ISIS extremists at the friendly local mosque? How friendly are we supposed to be?
Further, while the threat of ISIS is clearly huge, and through social media and modern communication the threat is global, how effective are they really? They kill Christians, Muslims who adhere to different beliefs, and Jews. They have limited success in recruiting new members, and the rest of the world sees them as a scourge. In my view, the potential for expansion is very limited.
None of what I said should be interpreted as my disagreeing with Moore, nor do I want to sound as if I'm minimizing the suffering of Christians under ISIS. Moore is right: we in the West must not ignore ISIS. If there's ever a time at which Western Christians need to pray for the persecuted church, this is it. I appreciate Moore's work, compelling me to be aware and to pray.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!
Monday, March 16, 2015
The Conservatarian Manifesto, by Charles C.W. Cooke
Conservative icon President Ronald Reagan famously said, "The very heart and soul of conservatism is libertarianism." Charles C.W. Cooke buys that view and develops the idea of conservatism and libertarianism blending together in The Conservatarian Manifesto: Libertarians, Conservatives, and the Fight for the Right's Future. Using common sense and providing examples from a number of different policy areas, Cooke provides a framework for reviving conservative electoral hopes and popular appeal by drawing from libertarian thinking.
As a writer for National Review, Cooke's conservative credentials are solid. As a Brit living in the U.S., he has a healthy outsider/insider perspective on American history and politics. To him, a guiding principle of conservatarian thinking is decentralization. "If there is a conservatarian ideology, its primary tenet should be to render the American framework of government as free as possible and to decentralize power, returning the important fights to where they belong; which the people who are affect by their conclusions and who are therefore best equipped to resolve them."
In "valuing the local over the national," conservatives and libertarians share common ground, echoing a federalist view. Other than those few government functions that call for broad application, such as national defense, government at the local level is best suited to make decisions. Should someone in Washington, D.C. make final decisions about the curriculum content of a classroom in El Paso? About the type of fertilizer a farmer in Omaha uses? About the price of gasoline in California?
In other area, such as civil rights, education, and government services, conservatives and libertarians can and should find common ground. Cooke discusses policies with liberty as the bottom line, with an eye toward practical application. He takes a traditionally conservative stance on abortion, as the taking of a human life, but a more libertarian position on gay marriage, asking, Why not? What's the big deal? Drug legalization, he argues, is an issue best left to state and local governance.
A mistake that libertarians make is that "its adherents . . . pretend that they are dealing with a blank slate. They are not." If you've spent time around libertarians, you will certainly agree with this point. There is a real detachment from the real world. Cooke's approach is to look at the world as it is, and apply conservatarian principles in a practical way.
Cooke is insightful and engaging, and is sure to win some converts, or at the very least, spark some thinking and conversation. I don't see many conservatives buying into gay marriage, but he makes a good point: that argument is already lost in the culture at large, and perhaps a better use of political capital would be to focus on abortion. The current system that "has not just entrenched the right of a mother to kill her child, but given institutional succor to the idea that a life is only a life if the mother says it is a life."
The Republican Party and conservatism at large has long been suffering from a lack of principled arguments in favor of smaller government and more dispersed governmental power. Although those in power, even so-called conservatives, are loathe to reverse course, one can hope that Cooke's voice will be heard among those who constantly seek to expand the power of the federal government.
Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!
As a writer for National Review, Cooke's conservative credentials are solid. As a Brit living in the U.S., he has a healthy outsider/insider perspective on American history and politics. To him, a guiding principle of conservatarian thinking is decentralization. "If there is a conservatarian ideology, its primary tenet should be to render the American framework of government as free as possible and to decentralize power, returning the important fights to where they belong; which the people who are affect by their conclusions and who are therefore best equipped to resolve them."
In "valuing the local over the national," conservatives and libertarians share common ground, echoing a federalist view. Other than those few government functions that call for broad application, such as national defense, government at the local level is best suited to make decisions. Should someone in Washington, D.C. make final decisions about the curriculum content of a classroom in El Paso? About the type of fertilizer a farmer in Omaha uses? About the price of gasoline in California?
In other area, such as civil rights, education, and government services, conservatives and libertarians can and should find common ground. Cooke discusses policies with liberty as the bottom line, with an eye toward practical application. He takes a traditionally conservative stance on abortion, as the taking of a human life, but a more libertarian position on gay marriage, asking, Why not? What's the big deal? Drug legalization, he argues, is an issue best left to state and local governance.
A mistake that libertarians make is that "its adherents . . . pretend that they are dealing with a blank slate. They are not." If you've spent time around libertarians, you will certainly agree with this point. There is a real detachment from the real world. Cooke's approach is to look at the world as it is, and apply conservatarian principles in a practical way.
Cooke is insightful and engaging, and is sure to win some converts, or at the very least, spark some thinking and conversation. I don't see many conservatives buying into gay marriage, but he makes a good point: that argument is already lost in the culture at large, and perhaps a better use of political capital would be to focus on abortion. The current system that "has not just entrenched the right of a mother to kill her child, but given institutional succor to the idea that a life is only a life if the mother says it is a life."
The Republican Party and conservatism at large has long been suffering from a lack of principled arguments in favor of smaller government and more dispersed governmental power. Although those in power, even so-called conservatives, are loathe to reverse course, one can hope that Cooke's voice will be heard among those who constantly seek to expand the power of the federal government.
Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!
Sunday, March 15, 2015
Walk on the Wild Side, by Nicholas Oldland
When a bear and a moose and a beaver decide to climb a mountain, interesting things might happen. . . . These three adventure-loving friends thought it looked like a nice day for a hike, and a distant mountain beckoned. Nicholas Oldland tells the story of their adventure, through valley, field, river, and canyon, in Walk on the Wild Side.
Beaver proposed a race to the top, to make things more interesting. Moose was in the lead, but tumbled over the side of the mountain. Bear tried to save him, but he got in trouble, too. Beaver came looking for them and saved the day. They decided they had enough excited and took a more leisurely pace the rest of the hike.
I enjoyed Oldland's simple illustrations. He conveys a love of nature and the joy of running in the mountains. More than that, he celebrates friendship and looking out for each other. Kids will like the story, and although there is some peril, I don't think it's scary enough to be a concern. I would look forward to reading more adventures of the bear, the beaver, and the moose.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!
Beaver proposed a race to the top, to make things more interesting. Moose was in the lead, but tumbled over the side of the mountain. Bear tried to save him, but he got in trouble, too. Beaver came looking for them and saved the day. They decided they had enough excited and took a more leisurely pace the rest of the hike.
I enjoyed Oldland's simple illustrations. He conveys a love of nature and the joy of running in the mountains. More than that, he celebrates friendship and looking out for each other. Kids will like the story, and although there is some peril, I don't think it's scary enough to be a concern. I would look forward to reading more adventures of the bear, the beaver, and the moose.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!
Friday, March 13, 2015
Jasper John Dooley: You're In Trouble, by Caroline Adderson, illustrated by Ben Clanton
Jasper John Dooley doesn't mean to be Bad. But once he took a taste of the Bad drink after soccer practice, he couldn't help himself. In the fourth book of Caroline Adderson's Jasper John Dooley series, You're In Trouble, Jasper accidentally gets his hands on a Torpedo High Energy Drink instead of the apple juice he selected. Suddenly Jasper has more energy than ever, and he finds the thrill strangely addicting.
After a few sips, he hides the can in the back of the fridge. Over the next couple of days, he sneaks sips. He keeps coming back to it, even though he knows he shouldn't. One morning when his dad asked him to get the milk, he tries to avoid it, knowing he would give in to temptation. "If he opened the fridge, he wouldn't be able to stop himself from checking if the Torpedo High Energy Drink was still there. . . . He didn't want to drink it. He didn't like that Bad drink anymore. But he wouldn't be able to stop himself."
You're In Trouble is a crack-up. I was laughing out loud as he got himself into all kinds of trouble. On a deeper level, Jasper teaches kids that our actions have consequences. As he tries to get himself out of trouble, or cover up what he's gotten himself into, sometimes he just makes it worse. On an even deeper level, Jasper teaches all of us the dangers of addiction and the importance of fleeing temptation. How many compulsions cause us to make horrible decisions? And how many times to we put ourselves into a position where the temptations overcome us?
Hopefully Jasper learned his lesson about the Bad drink, and will think twice before submitting to the lure of Even Worse drinks and other Bad stuff that can wreck our lives. In the meantime, I got a good laugh out of Jasper's antics.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!
After a few sips, he hides the can in the back of the fridge. Over the next couple of days, he sneaks sips. He keeps coming back to it, even though he knows he shouldn't. One morning when his dad asked him to get the milk, he tries to avoid it, knowing he would give in to temptation. "If he opened the fridge, he wouldn't be able to stop himself from checking if the Torpedo High Energy Drink was still there. . . . He didn't want to drink it. He didn't like that Bad drink anymore. But he wouldn't be able to stop himself."
You're In Trouble is a crack-up. I was laughing out loud as he got himself into all kinds of trouble. On a deeper level, Jasper teaches kids that our actions have consequences. As he tries to get himself out of trouble, or cover up what he's gotten himself into, sometimes he just makes it worse. On an even deeper level, Jasper teaches all of us the dangers of addiction and the importance of fleeing temptation. How many compulsions cause us to make horrible decisions? And how many times to we put ourselves into a position where the temptations overcome us?
Hopefully Jasper learned his lesson about the Bad drink, and will think twice before submitting to the lure of Even Worse drinks and other Bad stuff that can wreck our lives. In the meantime, I got a good laugh out of Jasper's antics.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!
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