I can admit that Dave Eggers has not been one of my favorite writers. Sure, he’s got a great deal of talent yet somehow I just haven’t fully enjoyed the books of his which I’ve read. They weren’t bad, but they weren’t great.

However, I truly enjoyed Zeitoun. If you weren’t already aware this is another one of Egger’s narrative non-fiction novels much like What is the What. This story though takes place immediately before, during and after hurricane Katrina in late August and September of 2005. When all this turmoil and destruction was taking place in New Orleans I was actually in New Zealand. And similar to the reaction by the people there of the 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean, for which I was also in New Zealand, the people there were concerned for my well being and that of my family and friends. Quite simply, it’s amazing how a natural disaster, exacerbated by the human infringment on and of nature, can cause such a humanitarian response around the world. This of course was proven to me futher during the 2007 Southern California wild fires (which were fairly close to my home) when friends from around the world contacted me to express their concern for my family and friends once again.

Lets get back to Zeitoun. Basically the story is about a muslim man and his family living in New Orleans. When the storm approaches, the man (who goes by his last name which oddly enough is Zeitoun) decides to remain behind and weather the storm while his wife and four children evacuate. Why does he stay behind? Well, I would guess there is some sense of stubborness (which is not said outright) but also his interest and desire to protect his livelihood.

Yes, in order to keep reading you must click here.

Raid on the Sun by Rodger Claire

If for some unknown reason you had felt that Saddam Hussein had been wrongfully targeted by the U.S. military campaigns in Iraq may I please direct you to page 13 of this book where Rodger Claire outlines Hussein’s youthful and disturbing practice of stabbing helpless dogs in the stomach with a red hot poker. I mean cute harmless dogs, why Saddam why? OK, that doesn’t necessarily redeem anyone’s actions but at a minimum it demonstrates what kind of a child he was.

Alas this book is not really about Hussein. Instead its a non-fictional thriller that reads more like a novel outlining a single controversial air assault on Iraq’s first and hopefully last attempt to develop atomic weapons, otherwise know as WMD’s (you know, those things Bush was looking for). If you didn’t already know that Israel has one of the strongest military forces in the world this book will help you realize that. It came as no surprise to me when I read about the incredible detail that went into this strike. A year and half in the making, utmost secrecy and pin point accuracy are a few of the trademark attributes with which the Israeli military operates.

Being a member of the tribe and a firm believer in Israels staunch policy and politics in the middle east I will not be critical of the actions which were taken. Instead I will applaud the bravery and heroics of the elite airmen who took this daring and dangerous strike on without asking questions fully aware that they may not return. Had it not been for their actions the volatile middle east would possibly be a nuclear waste land today.

This is a short one, I promise…

Man Who Loved Books Too Much... By Alison Bartlett

When I first heard about The Man Who Loved Books Too Much I was worried. Not for my love of books, or that the rare book police would be onto me but worried that this book would be somewhat like The Island of Lost Maps. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy “Island” it was, as I characterized in my review, just somewhat bland and I was worried that this book would be too.

Thankfully Allison Bartlett delivers in a way that Miles Harvey didn’t. She made her book and story personal, enjoyable, light and interesting. I had actually attempted to catch Ms. Bartlett at recent signing here in San Francisco but unfortunately arrived a little too late. I really wanted to ask Ms. Bartlett some questions and inquire as to whether or not she is familiar with Island of Lost Maps. I guess I’ll just have to wait a little longer.

The Man Who Loved Books Too Much was a fun, quick read. I didn’t really know what to expect but Ms. Bartlett skillfully and artfully focuses on one particular thief and his state of mind. She managed to immerse herself into the world of rare books, see things that would astound you and I and speak to a good number of people to provide the most complete picture available.

What really struck me about this story is how simple it was. Here you have this normal guy who likes to collect things, show them off and pretend to be someone he’s not. Then there’s the guy that’s looking for him and his loot all the while there is a pesky (I mean that in the nicest of ways Allison) journalist who is trying to get inside both their brains and figure out how they tick. Fantastically simple, true and entertaining.

Oh, it gets better, and there are pictures!

The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York by Robert Caro

Never again will I look at New York city and state the same way.

For those of you that don’t know, I am or will be pursuing a masters degree in urban planning/development in the near future (I hope). Being a field that really interests me I thought that it was time for me to pick up the 1100+ page book The Power Broker and learn about one of the greatest/worst planners in history.

This book was, to put it simply, fascinating. Despite it’s length, at no point did I ever consider putting it down and stopping (I came across many people who had done just that). Robert Caro’s book is seriously a masterpiece. There is very little about the book itself to criticize. In terms of who the book is about though, there is much to be criticized.

What Robert Moses did to New York can never be changed. His legacy will undoubtedly live on forever. The parks he built, the roads, highways, expressways and bridges he built as well as oversaw and all the other changes he made to the skyline, shoreline, inner city and state as a whole will always serve as a reminder of one of the most influential men in New York as well as America’s history.

It’s no surprise of course that you may have never heard his name before. There are no movies (that I know of), there is maybe one other biography (that I know of) and there are very few remnants of his work outside of New York. But, if you have visited New York Mr. Moses has without a doubt impacted the way you arrived and the way you saw the city and state.

I promise, it’s worth reading on…

Drawing the Line, Tales of Maps and Cartocontroversy by Mark Monmonier

I bet you didn’t know that “cartocontroversy” was even a word.

Remember way back (my first post) when I told you, my faithful readers, that I love mapsand that I am self proclaimed map-o-phile? Well… I am going to revisit that love here.

Nope, I did not think this book would be provocative at all when I first decided to read it. Yet, I was pleasantly surprised. Fortunately I have had the pleasure of studying maps and learning Geographic Information Systems which I’m pretty sure came in handy when reading this book. That’s not to say that you wouldn’t understand it (I have a lot of faith in anyone who actually spends their time reading what I write) and wouldn’t also enjoy it the way I did.

Seriously, the good stuff is this way…

Forever War by Dexter Filkins

Just the other day I was driving in my car (something I rarely do) and I decided to turn the radio on (again, something I rarely do). I tuned into NPR and began listening to a story revolving around a photo that was taken in Afghanistan, by an AP photographer, of a soldier who was fatally wounded during an ambush. The photo stirred some controversy when the soldiers father requested that the AP not release the photo and the AP proceeded to do so. Ultimately the decision was made as the image displayed “the grimness of war and the sacrifice of young men and women fighting it.” While I will reserve my opinions on the matter it was somewhat coincidental that I was reading this book when I first heard of the controversy.

Forever War is an incredibly different and real look at the view of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan from the eyes of journalist Dexter Filkins. From his account I learned more about the feelings of the peoples there than I had known prior.

The war hasn’t ended and neither has this review…

At the Tomb of the Inflatable Pig by John Gimlette

Flight from SFO to Asuncion, Paraguay one month from today for a two week vacation equals:

- Depart SFO 1:25am Arriving in San Salvador, El Salvador at 7:55am (5hr 30m)
- 52min layover
- Depart San Salvador at 8:47am arriving in Lima, Peru at 2:02pm (4hr 15m)
- 7hr 48m layover
- Depart Lima at 9:50pm arriving in Montevideo, Uruguay at 5:15am (4hr 25m)
- 55m layover
- Depart Montevideo at 6:10am arriving in Asuncion, Paraguay at 6:05 (1 hr 55m)

Total Cost: $955.00
Time Spent Traveling: 25hr 40m (better than the 37 hour trip I found)

Just look at how easy it is to get the capital of Paraguay! Who’s with me?? I hear Taca International Airlines has some tasty in-flight fare.

Of the 44 landlocked countries in the world which one, given the option, would you travel to? Would it be Burkina Faso, Lesotho, South Ossetia or perhaps you would choose Paraguay? As for me, that would be an incredibly hard decision but… seeing as I’ve never had the pleasure of traveling in S. America, Paraguay would be up there at the top of the list. Is that decision based upon the book I’ve just finished reading? No.

The review is this way

China Underground by Zachary Mexico

There is something extremely exhilarating and exciting when opening a book that you know nothing about. It seems like all too often, before I even open a book, I already know so much about it. Either I’m familiar with the author, the story (through reviews or friends) or some sort of hype surrounding the book.

I like to think I stray from the mainstream every now and then (for example The Island of Lost Maps or Eat, Pray, Love ha!). Unfortunately for everyone, I am absolutely positive that the best written books in the world have only been read by a fortunate few.

Now, I’m not going to tell you that China Underground is one those books. Yet, it is not on any bestseller lists (that I know of) or been featured on a talk show, but I’m pretty certain it has been reviewed by the major papers. For the most part though it has flown under the radar.

Until now! Keep reading…

Common Wealth, Economics for a Crowded Planet by Jeffrey Sachs

No, I will not engage in a debate with you. I may have been a member of the middle school debate team but frankly I don’t have the time to write down my notes on index cards these days. Instead I will write my brief, nonsensical review to your book on my blog and hope that I either a.) inspire some people to read it or b.) dissuade others.

Thank You,

The Valet

Onward to the review…

Fortune Cookie Chronicles by Jennifer Lee

I had every intention of dining on Chinese food and enjoying the post meal fortune cook on the eve that I started this book to get into the spirit of the story. Unfortunately for the review and gratefully for my stomach I ended up at Cordon Bleu on California Street. Yep, that’s irrelevant. What is relevant is that because I didn’t get a fortune cookie I decided that I would get my fortune online, along with my lotto numbers, my Chinese vocabulary lesson for the day and my daily numbers (somehow different than the lotto numbers).

Fortune: “A golden egg of opportunity falls into your lap this month.”
Lucky numbers (Lotto): 44-04-19-23-50-30
Chinese vocabulary: Vegetable = shu-cai (would you believe that I actually already knew this)
Daily numbers: 582
Go get your own: http://www.fortunecookiemessage.com/

Read On…