3rd Quarter ORB Review

Abraham Lincoln, A Man Of Faith and Courage by Joe Wheeler. Howard Books, 2008

Abraham Lincoln, A Man Of Faith and Courage is a biography of our sixteenth president, Abraham Lincoln. The main focus of the author is to show how Lincoln's faith in God and unwillingness to give up influenced his career. Having a somewhat tough childhood with his mother dying young, Lincoln never had a great connection with his father. He was much more close to his adopted mother who encouraged him to continue his education while his father always thought he should just settle down and be a farmer. Lincoln seemed to be unsure of what career he would pursue, choosing many different careers before finally becoming a lawyer. His great speechmaking in the courtroom lead to a career in politics. He was elected president in 1869, becoming the first Republican president, a party which he helped create. During his presidency the Civil War occurred, as well as personal tragedies such as his son Willie dying. After the turbulent war, many were upset about the victory in the North. Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth at Ford's Theater on April 14th, 1865.

"Personable and readable...it moved quickly." -Rebecca Reid

This biography was not quite as detailed as I would have liked it to be. Wheeler is very good at telling stories of Lincoln, but he is very uneven in providing details. For some stories of Lincoln's life he only provides a short paragraph of information. For stories of Lincoln that many people have already heard, he will sometimes devote pages. However, there is some very inspirational material in the book and I would mildly recommend it to someone who is interested in reading about Lincoln.

"The once robust Treasury was looted and left on shambles. The nation's reputation abroad was trashed by operatives of the South so that the Confederacy would be quickly recognized by the great powers." (140)

Looking at the book objectively- if I had not known anything about Lincoln before reading this biography, I would have thought he was a great man after reading this book. However, having a decent background of knowledge about Lincoln, the book felt like a rehash to me with intriguing peaks of information that were extremely interesting. Personally, the book is extremely inspirational. It really motivates the reader to never give up. Lincoln faced many obstacles in his life but never gave up. Once again I would mildly recommend this book, but it is not overly in-depth.

Second Quarter Outside Reading Book Review

The Teammates by David Halberstam. Hyperion Books, 2003. Genre: Biographical Novel

The Teammates is a novel about the friendship that developed between Ted Williams, Bobby Doerr, Johnny Pesky, and Dom DiMaggio while they were all members of the Boston Red Sox during the 1940's and 1950's. The thread that holds the book together is the last trip DiMaggio and Pesky made in 2001 to visit Williams before his death. They drove together in a car with a driver, Dick Flavin, and went to Florida to see Williams. The book jumps from past to present telling the stories of each of the four mens' childhoods, their personal lives, and their careers. Halberstam also tells about their lives after their careers, and how they managed to stay friends after all the many years they spent together.

"[A] crystalline gem of a work about old pals, in theory, but really about everything there is." -Rick Telander, Chicago Sun-Times

The Teammates is a very straight-forward book. Halberstam doesn't try to add any unneeded details that would drag down the pacing. The stories he provides of the four men are all essential to understanding them. Ted Williams is the dominant personality of the book. He always made sure to get his point across to people and when he strongly believed in something, he made sure people knew about it. Bobby Doerr balanced out Williams' personality and was quiet, but very mature. Johnny Pesky was truly devoted to the team, and was like a little brother to Williams. Dom DiMaggio, forever overshadowed by his brother Joe, was an amazing player in his own right, even though most people said he looked nothing like a stereotypical baseball player.

The author vividly makes these real people come alive to the reader on the page. By the end of the book, the reader can understand the diverse personalities of the four men, and how they were able to remain friends for such a long time.

"But the World Series is different. Because the entire nation focuses its attention so intensively, it is the venue where one play in one game, and one play by a player often otherwise uncelebrated, so holds our collective attention that it has its own permanence, and it becomes the defining image of the player." (152)

I have to admit that I'm a fan of baseball, the Red Sox, and the time period in history where most of the book happens. So I probably would be biased by saying that this was one of the best non-fiction books I've ever read. I am definitely going to find more books by Halberstam, he is one of the best writers I've read a book by in a while. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of baseball.

Timeline by Michael Crichton Book Review

Timeline by Michael Crichton. Ballantine Books, 1999. Genre: Science-Fiction

Timeline is a novel that is first and foremost about ideas and science. The book focuses on ITC, a company in Arizona that is lead by Robert Doniger. Doniger a young, arrogant, but extremely intelligent individual. His company is funding the reconstruction of a monastery and castles in France, a project headed by Professor Edward Johnston. When a lawyer from ITC comes out to examine the project, they know information about the site the researchers do not. Johnston becomes suspicious and demands to go to ITC to speak with the head of the company. Johnston travels back in time and becomes stuck back in 1357 when he does not take the necessary device to return to the present. ITC convinces Johnston's three of Johnston's research team members to go back and save him. When they go back in time, they discover that the ancient world is a much more dangerous place then they thought, especially when their two guides are killed. They have the dilemma of having to save the professor and find a way to return back to present day.

"One of his best...[A] nonstop roller coaster of a novel." - Philadelphia Enquirer

I've read two other books by this author, Sphere and The Andromeda Strain, of these, Timeline is my least favorite. I don't know why, but Crichton seemed to not really have a good story. I never quite understood the motivations behind everyone's actions. The only character that was given a backstory was Doniger. Everyone else seemed kind of one-dimensional. One researcher, Marek, was extremely into the past. It was kind of strange until the end of the novel, where it was revealed that he actually chose to live in the past. Crichton's writing style is extremely brisk. He doesn't always bother to explain character motivation. The reader is not given a main character to focus on though, and that can be frustrating because all the characters end up feeling under-developed. If someone wants to read a book that has a lot of adventure (especially swordfighting) and is interested in science, I'd recommend they read this novel.

"Charging up the hill toward them were six horsemen in full armor: steel helmets, chain mail and cloth surcoats of maroon and gray. The horse were draped in black cloth studded wih silver. The effect was ominous. The lead rider, wearing a helmet with a black plume, pointed ahead and screamed, "Godin!" (195)

I would say that I am a fan of Crichton's writing, but sometimes it is hard to understand exactly what is going on in the story. I do think that Timeline is a thrilling book to read, but I wish the characters besides Doniger had been better developed. If I was going to recommend a Crichton book to someone, I'd still recommend The Andromeda Strain. That book had some better developed characters than Timeline. I wouldn't say I didn't like this novel, but it had some issues with plot development. Still, the book reviews showcased on the cover promise action and suspense and I would say Timeline definitely delivers on that promise.