The Secret Speech, by Tom Rob Smith

Following his successful first novel Child 44, Tom Rob Smith continues the story of Leo Demidov in The Secret Speech.  Since his vindication as an investigator in Child 44, Demidov is back in Moscow, heading his own office.  But a criminal group has begun targeting officers of the secret police who abducted and abused their victims.  Demidov is a prime target.  The wife of a priest he arrested now heads up a criminal gang.  They kidnap Demidov's daughter, and he must free the priest in order to get his daughter back.

The Secret Speech is wide ranging and less coherent than Child 44.  In The Secret Speech, Demidov becomes more of an action hero.  He is Jason Bourne, Liam Neeson in Taken, or Jack Ryan.  And just as those fictional counterparts leave a trail of destruction in their wake, so does Demidov.

I enjoyed Smith's weaving of Russian history into the story.  Krushchev's speech, the labor camps, the revolution in Hungary, and Demidov being tossed around by these historical waves all worked together to personalize this period of history, even in done in rather implausible ways.  I enjoyed The Secret Speech, although not as much as Child 44.  This one is less crime fiction, more political suspense thriller.

Yes or No, by Jeff Shinabarger

I'll just start this review with my bias: I didn't particularly enjoy Jeff Shinabarger' book Yes or No.  It has more to do with my expectations rather than the book itself, but my expectations were shaped by the title and promotional material.  First of all, look at the full title: Yes or No: How Your Everyday Decisions Will Forever Shape Your Life.  This isn't a book about everyday decisions.  The book description says it will help you "develop your personal philosophy of choice" and show a "practical process for making good choices."

None of the above, in my view, really fits the content of Yes or No.  Shinabarger writes a lot about his own life, and the development of his organization, Cardboard People.  I am interested in this organization, which helps "social entrepreneurs" get started.  They are the real target of this book: people who are starting an organization and need help with their vision and focus.  If this is you, great.  You are probably the type-A, motivated individual that Shinabarger is writing for.

For the rest of us, the non-entrepreneurial, low-profile types who would like some guidance in seeking God and making wise and productive decisions as we look for jobs, serve in our churches and communities, and lead our families, Yes or No misses the mark.  It simply didn't deliver as advertised.


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

Poorly Drawn Lines, by Reza Farazmand

Silly.  Simple.  Off-beat.  Existential.  Random.  Hilarious.  Questionable.  Profane.  Absurd.  Poorly Drawn Lines calls all of the above to mind.  Reza Faramand has compiled some of his comics from poorlydrawnlines.com, plus some short essays, into this book.

If you have an appreciation for off-beat, random humor, you will enjoy his take on dating, life in space,  being a writer, soap, drinking and other essentials of life.  (By the way, Poorly Drawn Lines is not for children.  Rated-R language.)

Here's a selection that I could really relate to:

I know you see me . . . I see that little glance and I know you're watching me reach for the cantaloupe again.
Seven.  I've had seven pieces of cantaloupe. . . . Look at the chewed-out rinds glazing over in a haphazard stack on my paper plate.  Count them.  Count them and judge me as you look toward the cantaloupe bowl and then down at your napkin, which you're using as a plate because you've had only two slices . . . .
I'm the wolf of cantaloupe and I will eat it all and feel nothing of this shame you try to project at me . . .

Oh, yeah.  I'm going out to buy some cantaloupe now.



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

Child 44, by Tom Rob Smith

At the height of the Cold War, a serial killer is on the loose in Soviet Russia.  An unlikely hero, Leo Demidov, has to use stealth and misdirection to solve the heinous crimes.  The problem is, investigating crime in the Soviet regime means admitting that there is crime.  In the workers' paradise, crime, of course, should not exist.  Child 44, Tom Rob Smith's first novel, traces Leo's pursuit of truth in spite of state dogma, while describing a political and social system that we can be thankful no longer exists (at least in that form).

Leo, a war hero and patriot, serves in the secret police, whose primary objective is to uphold the State.  Suspects are guilty until proven innocent, but they are never proven innocent because only the guilty are arrested.  To release someone who had been arrested would be to admit that the State made a mistake, and the State never makes mistakes.

Leo convinces the family of a murdered child to accept the murder as a mere accident, but when he learns of murders that resemble that child's murder, he doggedly pursues the truth about the killer.  Of course he must do so covertly and at the risk of his life because of the treasonous thought that there is a murderer on the lose and that the State had not "solved" the crimes correctly.

On one level, Leo's chase is good crime drama.  Putting the pieces together, while constantly looking over his shoulder, he never imagines where the path is taking him.  (The reader, however, has a pretty good idea before Leo does. . . .)  Leo's crisis of integrity and determination to do what he knows is right makes the story interesting, as does the setting of Soviet Russia and the bureaucratic, oppressive, hypocritical, deadly, unjust, and downright evil mess that it was.

If parts of the story, especially the climactic reveal, seem a bit stilted or contrived, that's OK.  It's crime fiction, not academic history.  Child 44 is a fun read.  I look forward to Tom Rob Smith's next book.

Uncensored, by Brian Cosby

This year I have been reading the Bible in chronological order.  I admit, it's been a while since I have read through the Old Testament.  As I read the history of the Patriarchs, and especially the history of the kingdoms of Judah and Israel, I get so frustrated with the stories.  There are times when the people of the Bible make ISIS look reasonable and the God of the Old Testament seems far distant from the character of Jesus.  I have to come to grips with the fact that I would rather cut some of those passages right out of the Bible instead of dealing with them as a part of my heritage of faith.

Brian Cosby, a pastor in the Presbyterian Church in America denomination, addresses this very struggle in his new book, Uncensored: Daring to Embrace the Entire Bible.  He writes that "many self-professing Christians cherry pick the Scriptures for a feel-good faith."  We like the scriptures that make a good bumper sticker or t-shirt slogan, but spend a little time reading the Bible and you'll find plenty that you don't want to see on your next youth retreat t-shirt.

Cosby leaves no doubt that he holds a high view of scripture.  He affirms that "God's Word is inspired, inerrant, and authoritative."  When there's something troubling in the Bible, "it beckons my trust in a God who is using His Word to take me to His intended destination."  Cosby shares R.C. Sproul's view: "When there's something in the Word of God that I don't like, the problem is not with the Word of God, it's with me."

After affirming the reliability and authority of scripture, Cosby addresses some specific areas in which Christians tend to be selective in their reading and use of scripture.  He discusses creation, God's justice, God's role in restraining evil while not being the source of evil, his intolerance for sin, and the reality of hell.  Cosby also delves into some expressions of cherry-picking faith: churches that emphasize entertainment as worship, and parents who outsource the development and teaching of their children to third parties.

Uncensored has helped me to reflect on ways in which I tend to gloss over or ignore passages that I don't like as I read.  It's a great reminder that "all scripture is God-breathed and is useful . . ."  His advice is perfect: "When we come to a Scripture passage that is offensive, we should pray and ask, 'God, why have You inspired this text?  What are You trying to teach Your church?  How does this humble me and glorify Christ?'"

Cosby addresses some of the "hard passages" that may come to your mind as you read, although not to an extent that will satisfy everyone.  He gives some good examples, but the strength of Uncensored lies in the encouragement to embrace all of the Bible with the attitude that God included even the embarrassing, unsettling, and downright offensive portions of scripture for a good reason.  That reason may not be evident to me, but, like Sproul said, my presumption must be that the problem lies with me, not with God.


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

Deep Dark Fears, by Fran Krause

Fran Krause sees peril all around her, real, potential, or purely fantastical.  Based on some of her own fears, as well as some solicited from readers of her blog, she has created a collection of comics encouraging just a little bit more fear.  Deep Dark Fears will ring true with many readers.  Reactions will range from, "I am scared of the same thing!" to "That's ridiculous!" to "I never thought of that--but now I will!"

I don't worry so much about ghosts or a parallel world in the mirror or my loved ones being reincarnated as pets, who then see me going to the bathroom.  But I can see how some might!  More compelling are the fears that pretty much all of us can relate to, like being caught publicly doing something on social media, like "Facebook stalking" your old girlfriend.  And who can't relate to being afraid of becoming "an old person who makes kids afraid of getting old"?

Krause's humor is on the dark side, funny and thoughtful.  Her drawings are the sort that makes you feel like anyone could draw them.  I mean that in the best sense--the art conveys a sense of shared experience.  Deep Dark Fears reminds me of my friend who always seemed to imagine the worst that could happen.  Maybe you've never been afraid of being cut in half by the elevator.  But pick up Deep Dark Fears and you're sure to find some familiar fears--and maybe some new ones, too.


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

Behind the Ivy Curtain, by Aayush Upadhyay

As the father of a high school junior, I have a front-row seat for the pursuit of the college dream.  Like many kids near the top of their high school class, my son is a shoo-in for acceptance to the vast majority of colleges in the U.S.  But when it comes to competitive scholarships and acceptance to that small percentage of elite schools, the odds are not in his favor.  Truth be told, the odds are against anyone getting into some of the elite colleges, with acceptance rates in the single digits.

Into that fray enters Aayush Upadhyay, a recent Yale grad who has crunched some numbers and has valuable insights for high school students whose sights are set on the Ivy League. In Behind the Ivy Curtain: A Data-Driven Guide to College Admissions, Upadhyay breaks down admissions data culled from collegeconfidential.com to give applicants some insight into what matters for those seeking to join the ranks of the Ivy League.

None of Upadhyay's conclusions will shock the reader.  The higher the rank, the higher the test scores, the better the chances for admission.  He sheds some light on some of the more subjective elements, like extracurriculars (multiple years in one activity tends to beat short tenures in multiple activities), but, again, nothing too surprising.

Upadhyay's analysis and conclusions are worth reading for applicants to Ivy League schools.  I was left with the feeling that unless GPA, class rank, and test scores aren't top-notch, the rest of the application will never matter.  Behind the Ivy Curtain feeds into the growing perception of ambitious high school students that admission to an Ivy League school is the only route to success in academics and life.  I hope my son and others like him will realize that while Ivy League schools may provide a great academic experience, there are plenty of other schools around the country where excellent academics, excellent professional development and networking, excellent character building, and excellent life experiences can be found.


Thanks to the author for the complimentary electronic review copy!