General Ike, A Personal Reminiscence by John S.D. Eisenhower; 2003; Free Press, New York; 277 pages; E34eg/0-7432-4474-5; 6/25-6/28

A biography of the military Ike and his relationships with various wartime contemporaries as seen by his son John Eisenhower.  John devotes individual chapters to Ikes’ relationships with Churchill, DeGaulle, Monty, Generals Marshall, MacArthur, Pershing and Patton.  The view of these is relationships is extraordinary because of the authors proximity to and relationship with his subject.  His recollections range from when he was very young through his fathers term as president.  Some of the actions takes place while John was on his fathers’ staff while he was the Supreme Commander and President.  A real insiders look at Ike.  Ike has always been one of my heroes, so to read this view of him was very exciting.  RRRR

Ulysses Moore, The Long-Lost Map by Pierdomenico Baccalario, translated by Leah Janecczko; 2005; Scholastic Inc, New York; 257 pages; 6/24-6/25

I don’t know if is the fact that this was orginally written in Italian and then translated into English, that makes it bad, or if is just bad. Most books in a series stand up by themselves and serve as slice of the characters lives. The only thing this book is good for is as a prologue for book 3. The story takes place in ancient Egypt and current day England, however no one in Egypt is alarmed by the appearance of two teenage boys from today, all the Egyptians speak and understand English. It is two stories which only peripherally affect each other for much of the book. There are two many inconstencies, such as the boys being able to understand hieroglyphics with no problem. r

Perfect I’m Not, Boomer on Beer, Brawls, Backaches, and Baseball by David Wells; 2003; William Morrow, New York; 414 pages; 796.357 W453p/0-06-050824-8; 6/18-6/24

I collect autographed cards of San Diego Padres players and I have sent David a bunch, even including sending him extras to keep if he will sign just one for me.  But I never get anything back from him.  All I want is one card of him in a Padres uniform signed.

Now to the book, an autobiography focusing mainly on baseball.  We get a look at where David came from, raised by a single mother and her Hell’s Angels friends, Wells found that he had a talent for pitching.  Once he gets signed this is a baseball book, but not a nasty book like Juiced, or even an expose like  Ball Four, but David’s story in pro baseball.  Some people he likes, some he doesn’t.  You can’t argue with him cause it’s just his experiences.  A straight shooter, with good insights.  RRR

Fatherloss, How Sons of All Ages Come to Terms with the Death of Their Dads; Neil Chethik; 2001; Hyperion, New York; 304 pages; 155.937 C526f/0-7868-6532-6; 6/13-6/18

A overview of a survey by the author of how men came to terms with the death of the Dads. The book is divided into sections depending on the age of the men at the time of their Dads’ death. It is a very comprehensive look at how men of many ages, with differing relationship with their Dad, differing religious backgrounds and socio economic backgrounds dealt with this particular crisis. One thing I took away is that we can not know for sure how we will react until it actually happens, that we need to let each other know that it is okay to cry, but it is also okay not to cry, and to allow each other talk or not talk, don’t press someone to act in any particular way. It is a day I am not looking forward to, I think it will be very emotional. RRR

The Rules for Hearts, a Family Drama; Sara Ryan; 2007; Viking, New York; 222 pages; y Ryan/ 978-0-670-05906-5; 6/13-6/13

The follow-up to Saras’ debut novel Empress of the World, follows Battle to Portland where she is going to attend Reed College after a summer of living with her brother and his theatrical friends.  It is a slice of life in which Battle gets involved in a relationship which flucuates throughout the summer, she sees a whole a whole different side of her brother and learns some important lessons about love and friendship.  A very good book, with a ending that disappointed me, although I struggle to understand why.  RRR