Peter & Ernesto: A Tale of Two Sloths, by Graham Annable

Peter and Ernesto are best friends.  They also happen to be sloths who hang around in a tree together all the time.  Graham Annable tells a story about the time they decided not to hang around the tree and had some adventures.  In Peter & Ernesto: A Tale of Two Sloths, Ernesto decides that he wants to see more than the piece of the sky they see every day.  Leaving Peter behind, he sets out to see other pieces of sky.  Ernesto travels the ocean, the desert, and even to the arctic to see the sky.  Peter begins to worry about Ernesto, so he begins to go in search of his friend.

One of Ernesto's new friends, a raccoon on a mountain, is surprised to see a sloth so far from home.  He says, "I thought sloths were lazy."  Ernesto explains, "We're content.  There's no need to move much when you're content."  Both Peter and Ernesto see new things and make new friends on their adventures.  But home in their familiar tree is where the end up and where they belong.  Maybe the life a sloth is best, in a familiar place with familiar faces and a familiar piece of sky.  But even a sloth needs to get out and see another piece of sky every now and then.

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

Herding Cats, by Sara Andersen

Sara Andersen, the angsty, artsy, introverted, and hilarious cartoonist who published Adulthood is a Myth and Big, Mushy, Happy Lump has a third collection: Herding Cats.  She's as funny as ever, but maybe a little more grown up than in her other collections.  Andersen's fans will recognize her consistent themes: introversion, procrastination, menstruation, and bibliophilia.  I can't relate to her completely, but I can enjoy the humor for sure.

Her work is self-abasing, but there's a positivity that unmistakably shines through.  Even when her autobiographical cartoon character is stressed, overwhelmed, feeling inferior, or whatever, she manages to find creative strength and will power.  I mean, she found enough energy and creativity to fill a whole book with funny comics!

In the last quarter of the book, she writes, "Making Stuff in the Modern Era: A Guide for the Young Creative."  In case you wondered about her struggles, she writes (and illustrates) this essay from her own experiences as a rising artist, trying to figure out how to make a career in art. 

I enjoy Andersen's work and anticipate that she'll continue to find some inspiration for future books!



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

Code of Conduct, by Brad Thor

Brad Thor has a hard job.  With each Scot Harvath book, Thor has to think of ever-greater threats to life as we know it so Harvath can save the day.  In Code of Conduct, Harvath goes to Africa to investigate the scene of a video where some aid workers at a remote clinic were killed.  In this war-torn region, African hemorrhagic fever is being weaponized. 

The more Harvath learns, the more he realizes they are not simply dealing with biological warfare.  Behind the ensuing world-wide outbreak Harvath finds a U.N. official whose grand schemes include exterminating the majority of the human race.  Of course, in his scheme, he and his select companions survive to rule over what is left of humanity.

With the help of his friends at the Carlton group and in the global espionage community, Harvath manages to track down the evil mastermind of this plot and, well, save the world.  You'd think he'd start getting the big head after all he does, book after book, but Harvath manages to stay humble and desperate to seek justice and kill all the bad guys.

The problem with a large-scale disaster story is capturing the urgency of the crisis.  I only picked that up tangentially.  Of course, any time Harvath is on the case, Thor writes with a sense of urgency.  This applies whether he's stalking a single foe or if the future of humanity is at stake.  So that's my only real complaint about Code of Conduct.  It's a worthwhile Harvath story, but there's a nagging feeling that there should be more to it.

Things That Make White People Uncomfortable, by Michael Bennett

As I read Michael Bennett's Things That Make White People Uncomfortable, I had conflicting feelings.  On the positive side, Bennett is an impressive, accomplished man.  He has achieved greatness in his field, becoming one of the best defensive players in the NFL, after going undrafted out of college.  His is a devoted father and family man, married to his high school sweetheart, with whom he has three daughters.  And he is a passionate activist and philanthropist.

On the other hand, he comes across as someone with an overinflated sense of his own importance.  This is not a big surprise.  Superstar athletes seem to believe the world revolves around them.  Bennett seems arrogant and whiny.  Half the book is about the travails of college and professional athletes.  Look, I get that many athletes feel like he does, that they are playing in college sports "to generate funds for the athletic department and billions of dollars for conferences and cable networks."  But I don't get their overlooking the privilege they have of getting an expense-paid education.  I live in Texas, and I've known plenty of kids who would love to have gone to Texas A&M with Bennett and his brother, but who didn't have the money or the athletic ability to attend.

And in the NFL, these guys, even bench warmers, make more money in a year than many people will
make in a decade.  For crying out loud, Bennett makes more per game than many of us will earn in a lifetime.  So cry me a river, Bennett, when you compare the NFL to slavery.  No slave lived his own multi-million-dollar mansion (much less a $4 million home in Hawaii).  And no slave was free to walk away from his or her employer like you are.  Everyone is now aware of the physical costs that come along with the game, but no one is forcing you to come to practice and cash those checks.

I am a white person, and Michael Bennett doesn't make me uncomfortable.  I don't care what race his is.  He is thoughtful and passionate.  He embraces the full spectrum of leftist ideology, which I disagree with.  But what irritates me is his insistence that he is oppressed and that we must listen to him because of his wealth and fame.  I can certainly get behind some of his causes and interests--women in STEM fields, better diets and food availability, particularly in poor neighborhoods--but what arrogance to use his wealth as a platform while simultaneously disparaging the entire system that helped him obtain that wealth and fame.

Actually, Bennett, I'll tell you what makes me uncomfortable.  When a guy in a high-pressure shooting situation acts suspiciously, is detained by police, uses his name and fame to identify himself, and then loudly and publicly criticizes the police, who were simply doing their job.  You know what else makes me uncomfortable?  A guy who disrespects low-level stadium employees, allegedly injuring a disabled 66-year-old security guard, and shouting at her, "Y'all must know who I am.  I can own this motherf-----."  What a jerk.


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

Deadly Recall, by T. R. Ragan

T.R. Ragan continues her Jessie Cole series, which started with Her Last Day, in Deadly Recall.  A few short months after the events of book one, Jessie has hired the girl she was hired to find in Her Last Day and now has been hired to find a baby who disappeared several years ago.  Meanwhile, her crime reporter buddy Ben has hired her to find out more about his past; he has no memories of his life before his accident ten years ago.  Ben also recruits her to assist with tracking down a disgruntled customer of an insurance company, who is threatening to kill innocent people if the company doesn't apologize for denying his daughter life-saving medicines.

Ragan puts this salad of investigations together with panache.  Some of the stories and cases end up overlapping, but mostly we see Jessie juggling her case load, dealing with her young, impulsive assistant, raising her niece.  A romance may be budding with the policeman who came to her aid in Her Last Day and who is a resource for her in the local police department.  And the more she learns about Ben and his broken memory, the less she thinks he wants to know.

Deadly Recall has no drop off from the first book in the series.  Ragan continues to write some demented bad guys, but none as demented as the killer in book one.  She has some light in the darkness.  I don't feel like I have to take a shower or get exorcised.  Ragan's books are definitely a good place to find crime thrillers with strong female characters and believable plots.  I enjoyed Deadly Recall.


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

Unified, by Tim Scott and Trey Gowdy

South Carolina has an unlikely pair of legislators who have become close friends in spite of their apparent differences.  Senator Tim Scott and Representative Trey Gowdy tell the story of their friendship in Unified: How Our Unlikely Friendship Gives Us Hope for a Divided Country.  Both were elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2010.  They hadn't met before, but quickly became close friends, sharing meals and fellowship in Washington, a city where true friendship is hard to come by.

In a way, the "unlikely" part of their friendship doesn't seem all that unlikely.  Scott and Gowdy represent the same state, and are both Republicans.  As partisan as D.C. seems to me (as a decidedly unenlightened outsider), I would think that partisan labels overshadow all other affiliations.  However, Scott is black and Gowdy is white.  In South Carolina, they write that their grandmothers, who had much in common, never met and never would have been able to be friends.  Now Scott and Gowdy share a friendship that previous generations would not have been able to share.

They don't write much about policy in Unified.  They wouldn't disagree on much, but they do talk about their differing perspectives on the police.  Scott has experienced unwarranted traffic stops on many occasions and shares the fear of the police with other black men that Gowdy and white men generally don't experience.  When they do disagree, with each other or with lawmakers from the other party, they emphasize listening and appreciating the stories behind other people's perspectives.

Scott and Gowdy have modeled friendship in Washington, and have reached out together to others, cultivating an environment of mutual respect.  They challenge all of us, no matter what walk of life, to pursue "unlikely friendships--friendships with people who, at first glance, it may appear we have little in common with."  Such friendships have to be deliberate, and "born out of unconditional love and acceptance."

Unfortunately for us, Gowdy has decided not to run for reelection.  Scott was appointed to the senate in 2013, and was reelected in 2016, so hopefully he'll be around for a while longer.  Both of these gentlemen exemplify the attitudes and personalities we need in the halls of congress.  Unified is a great way to get to know them and to learn from their example.


Thanks to Tyndale Blog Network for the complimentary review copy!

Walking in the City with Jane, by Susan Hughes, illustrated by‎ Valérie Boivin

Jane Jacobs's book The Death and Life of Great American Cities is a must-read for urban planners, community developers, and people interested in their own cities and neighborhoods.  Still relevant more than 50 years after its publication, Jacobs's book criticizes the cavalier way urban planners stamped out neighborhoods in favor of freeways and high rises.  Susan Hughes's book Walking in the City with Jane introduces young readers to Jane Jacobs's insight and activism for her neighborhoods and her influence on urban planning.

Even as a child, Jane was curious and observant about how things work.  When she moved to New York, she watched the city and noticed things most people don't.  As she explored her new home, she realized that just like the natural ecosystem, "a city is also an ecosystem. . . . It is made of different parts--sidewalks, parks, stores, neighborhoods, City Hall . . . and people of course.  When they all work together, the city is healthy."  Watching the people in a city was like watching a "sidewalk ballet."

Her perspective is so refreshing.  Putting people ahead of cars--what a concept.  On multiple occasions she led her neighbors in successfully resisting plans to tear down neighborhoods for highways.  If only more neighborhoods had Jane Jacobs!  Take a drive around Detroit, Chicago, Miami, Dallas, Atlanta, or virtually any big city and you will see remnants of neighborhoods that were irreversibly damaged due to heavy-handed urban planning.  The highway interchanges and crumbling housing projects mutely testify to the social fabric that was shredded.  Jacobs's voice, when unheeded, was sorely missed.

Walking in the City with Jane is wonderfully, nostalgically illustrated by Valérie Boivin.  At worst, the book will introduce readers to a remarkable lady and help them be more aware of the city in which they live.  At best, it will inspire them to learn more about Jacobs and be a voice for putting people first in their communities.


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