Showing posts with label drugs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label drugs. Show all posts

How to Get From There to Here Review

How to Get From There to Here
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How to Get From There to Here ReviewI came across this book after seeing the author, Chef Jay Littmann, on a local Las Vegas TV news program. I was interested in his story immediately. The man has overcome so much during his life and has risen above and truly made it. It's a success story that really relates with many problems out there today. People feel down and out for a number of reasons - no job, no house, addictions, weight gain - whatever it is. This book addresses the same issues that Jay had during his life and shows how to correct mistakes and start over. It's a page turner and an easy read and something that truly inspires.How to Get From There to Here Overview

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Nights of the Red Moon Review

Nights of the Red Moon
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Nights of the Red Moon Review
The red moon hovers over a tale of murder in East Texas, silent witness to the dead body of Amanda Twiller, casually tossed onto the lawn of her home. Sheriff Bo Handel gradually pieces together motives and suspects in this wryly crafted mystery, Burton imbuing his weathered lawman with a quirky perspective on the world and a lifetime of relationships with friends, loyal deputies and the occasional interaction with FBI sources when the need arises. Like the experiences of this likable widower sheriff, the threads of time and place weave through the lives of regular folks, minor criminals and the inevitable sharks that prey on their weaknesses. Personalities loom large in Burton's story (a low-key but equally affable hypothetical long-lost cousin of James Lee Burke's Dave Robicheaux), but when the minister's estranged wife is so outrageously displayed in death, Bo takes exception. Like her troubled life, Mrs. Twiller's colorful past leads Bo in many directions.
Slowly, methodically, Handel works the office phones, his deputies, sources and imagination to eliminate one suspect after another in a novel that explores rural Texas and its inhabitants, from hardworking families to the petty criminals who scurry around the edges of opportunity, a slice of American life untouched by city troubles until the creeping violence of the drug culture infects nearly every level of society. Handel tolerates mischief in "his town" only when it harms no one but the doer, but Amanda's murder leads to some ugly revelations and a few blatant lawbreakers who need to be put away. A tale of crime and punishment that focuses on the universality of human failure and the infestation of drugs in East Texas, the investigation moves inexorably toward a climax, the attrition of time demanding occasional retribution and a lot of respect for the character of those who endure and carry on for the sake of the next generation. Burton is an engaging writer with a sly wit and a world of wisdom, a welcome addition to the crime thriller lexicon. Luan Gaines/2010.
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Tricks Review

Tricks
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Tricks Review"Tricks" was my second Hopkins' book. I read "Impulse" a while ago and remember devouring it in a matter of hours and loving it. I wish I felt the same way about "Tricks."
Hopkins has established herself as a crusader of tough teen issues - drug use, suicide, abuse. This book was no exception. The author approached teen prostitution head-on, not sugar-coating it and without unnecessary moralizing. I applaud Hopkins for that, not many authors have guts to touch this kind of subject. As for the novel itself, it left me cold.
First, I was (to my own surprise) extremely bored by the narration, so much so that I started contemplating to drop the book altogether. I might have felt this way because of the multitude of the POVs - too many switches, too little time to get attached to any character. Very often I found myself confused who was the narrator, the stories started to blend together.
I also thought the book was just too wordy, too drawn out when it didn't need to be (too much info about Cody's gambling problems, for instance) and too quick or superficial when some events needed to be explored deeper. I felt I needed more to understand what drove Eden to so easily give herself over to Jerome for a couple of strawberries or how Ginger took on stripping.
Some events in the book felt a bit too cliche or gimmicky - Lucas' reasons for breaking up with Whitney (because she was a virgin and not great in bed - really?) or Carl's transformation to an abusive sugar daddy in a matter of... minutes.
Long story short, too often I felt I was being emotionally manipulated rather than truly touched by the characters' plight. I read another "issue book" not so long ago - "Living Dead Girl." Alice felt real to me, I never truly believed in Seth, Cody, Whitney, and Eden, only Ginger and her story had some authenticity.
The story picked up significantly in the last 100 pages or so, once everybody hit the rock bottom. Those pages were great, gritty and disturbing and painful to read. But it took way too long to get there and by that point in the story I was already tired of the book.
Will I recommend this book? Absolutely, the subject of it is important and has to be brought to light. Is this the best written book about teen prostitution? I don't think so.Tricks Overview

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Blood Brothers Review

Blood Brothers
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Blood Brothers Review"Darkness, darkness be my blanket,
Cover me with endless night."
-- Jesse Colin Young
"Don't die, don't die, don't die. Can't you hear me? You can't die when we're doing all we can to save you.
"A few more minutes pass. The doctor tells me to stop. 'Still no pulse without CPR,' Guthrie says finally.
"The doctor breathes in deep and lets it out slow. 'Let's call it.' He removes his gloves, his face mask, his gown. He slams them into the trash. 'We can't do anything more.' He frowns and his big brown eyes glisten in the bright light.
"I don't want to stop. I want to tell the girl I'm sorry she's dead and won't ever go to college, or fall in love, or do anything she ever dreamed of doing. I'm sorry she won't ever be able to get mad over something stupid. I'm sorry, but we gave everything we had to give.
" 'Thank you,' Dr. Murphy tells us. 'For all your help.'
"I stand there and listen. All I can hear is a buzz from a machine. All I can see is the dead girl. She fills the room even though she's just a small, still body on the metal table.
" 'I can't do this right now,' Guthrie says. 'I'll be back in a few minutes to finish up.' I pull the sheet over the girl. I won't leave her there lying naked. On the way out, I leave the door cracked just in case there really is a soul and it needs to escape.
"I step into the waiting room in time to hear the wailing of the girl's mother, her father's anguish. Head down, I start thinking about Michelle, about Joey, about myself -- and it hits me. What right do I have to be so pissed about how they treated me? Everything that's happened with them seems as important as bird droppings when a teenage girl dies in front of you."
Clay Gardener, Med Tech One, is the youngest employee in a Georgia hospital. Nearly eighteen years ago, Clay himself entered the world in a far away hospital in Endurance, Texas, where his mother died giving birth to him.
For the past ten years Clay has been best friend and cycling partner to Joey Chancey. The pair met after the warehouse in Endurance, where Clay's dad had worked, burned to the ground and Clay's dad moved him and his sister to the Georgia town where his dad's old Vietnam War buddy -- Joey's dad -- lives. Clay, who with Joey, graduated from high school last month, has always wanted to be a doctor, but he doesn't have the grades or the money to pursue his dream. Instead, he's doing twelve-hour shifts at the hospital. Joey, the class valedictorian and football hero, is heading to Duke in the fall.
But after Clay gets off the tough shift that was marked by the teen girl's death (after a car accident), he wearily enters the shed in Joey's backyard -- the shed that has always been Clay and Joey's clubhouse and sanctuary -- and finds Joey naked and in a violent, psychotic state. Apparently it has something to do with a party Joey had been at. After an intense struggle in the shed, Clay has to call 911 and soon Joey is on life support at the hospital.
What has happened to the supposedly straight-arrow Joey and what is the deal with Michelle, the girl who was sort of with Clay but who has been coming on strong to Joey?
BLOOD BROTHERS is a gritty mystery which is relentless in its pacing because Clay has to sandwich his attempts to figure out what happened to Joey into those all-too-brief periods of time when he is not either working at the hospital or watching his friend's struggle in critical care.
The author's long career working in hospitals, beginning as a teenager, is clearly responsible for the vivid depictions of hospital work -- from the yucky and mundane tasks to the life-and-death climaxes -- which will hold the interest of all but the most squeamish readers. Chalk another one up to the Class of 2K7.
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Fade to White Review

Fade to White
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Fade to White ReviewHollywood Harper Stone arrives at Spruce Peak, Vermont to film a mouthwash commercial. Once a star, this is the only gig he can get though he does not hide his rage over how far his fame has fallen.
Avid skier Stacey Curtis looks forward to a turn on the slopes before going to work at the Broken Binding bar. However, the lift is closed due to the filming directed by Stacey's former boyfriend Brian Russell. Still the Ski Diva and her friend ski patrol operative Chip Walsh ski together until they run into a corpse. Someone murdered Harper with the last person to see the actor alive being Brian, who is known for his jealousy and anger. Stacey knows to stay out of the homicide on the slopes, but investigates anyway
The second Ski Diva amateur sleuth (see Double Black) is an engaging tale that focuses more on skiing than on the whodunit. Stacey is a wonderful protagonist whose theme is Let it snow; let It snow; and let it snow. Although the mystery takes the backseat on the lift, fans will enjoy going downhill with Stacey who brings enthusiasm and energy to the slopes.
Harriet Klausner
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Devil Wind: A Sammy Greene Thriller Review

Devil Wind: A Sammy Greene Thriller
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Devil Wind: A Sammy Greene Thriller ReviewI really enjoyed this novel, which reminded me of Raymond Chandler's "Red Wind" in that Schlian and Reid (like Chandler) use the wind as almost a character to punctuate the tension and heat of Los Angeles during the course of the story. The plot was so compelling and complex and integrated the subplots so well that I found it hard to stop reading. Sammy is working in Los Angeles, in and of itself a wonderful setting with the Santa Ana winds, when a woman's body is found. Without giving too much away, we eventually learn the body may be that of Sammy's mentor/father figure's daughter and that the death may be related to the manipulative machinations of a CIA operative who wants to control the upcoming presidential election . I particularly like the way the authors create a sense of vulnerability in Sammy (who's pretty tough, overall) through her desire to have a closer relationship with her father and ex-boyfriend. I'm not a big suspense reader and suspect it was the characters - Sammy and the alleged dead woman and even the not-so-bad guys (as opposed to the evil-doers) - that compelled me to keep reading as much as the plot. There aren't many women who write straight suspense and I think that sensibility - seeing the world and events through a young woman's eyes - was also a plus for me.Devil Wind: A Sammy Greene Thriller Overview

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Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Other American Stories (Modern Library) Review

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Other American Stories (Modern Library)
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Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Other American Stories (Modern Library) Review"Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream" by Hunter S. Thompson
Hunter Thompson practiced total immersion journalism. This form of reporting is called gonzo journalism.
Hunter Thompson drove to Las Vegas to report on a motorcycle race and ended up writing a story about himself writing a story about a motorcycle race. If he would have written a conventional report on motorcycle racing it would have been interesting to motorcycle enthusiasts for a few days. Since he wrote a gonzo story he had a very wide canvas and he used it well to create a classic.
The reader might be turned off by the obstreperous behavior, extreme self indulgence and offensive inconsiderate language. If you can look past this offensive conduct and you will see that Hunter Thompson gave us an insight into the American character of the 1970's.
See also: Hell's Angels: A Strange and Terrible Saga (Modern Library)
I completely enjoyed this book and recommend it to others.
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This Is for the Mara Salvatrucha: Inside the MS-13, America's Most Violent Gang Review

This Is for the Mara Salvatrucha: Inside the MS-13, America's Most Violent Gang
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This Is for the Mara Salvatrucha: Inside the MS-13, America's Most Violent Gang ReviewI picked this up because MS-13 is very active in my area (DC/Maryland/Virginia) and I was curious to learn more about how they operated on a national and international level, what their history is, what their main rackets are, what the structure is, what the command and control is, and so forth. However, this is not a book that's going to give you very much of that. Rather, it is a detailed account of the sad story of Brenda Paz -- a teenage MS-13 member whose 2003 murder was a very high-profile news item in the region.
Investigative reporter Logan uses Brenda's story as a way of writing about MS-13, and the book follows her for about two years, starting roughly from the time she moved to Texas to live with her uncle's family until her murder. Her relatives apparently didn't give her a whole lot of nurturing or attention, and as a result, the otherwise extremely bright and bubbly Brenda drifted into gang life. She quickly made friends with a local MS-13 clique, became the girlfriend of their leader, and was jumped in as a member. She spent a little less than a year with the gang, mainly in Texas and Virginia, before she decided to cooperate with police rather than serve jail time. Her apparent photographic memory made her a treasure trove for the cops, and she gave countless interviews to law enforcement officials from all over the country, culminating in a lengthy video-taped session that was adapted into a training video for police on MS-13. Naturally, a number of MS-13 people began to suspect her of being an informant, and as a result of a series of farcical bureaucratic errors and her own hubris, she was killed.
While this picture from inside the gang is often very vivid and interesting, it's not particularly in-depth. Most of what you learn about MS-13 are the basics that have been covered in any number of magazine, television, and newspaper profiles over the last few years. I guess if you had never heard of MS-13, it provides a very solid overview, but it felt pretty skimpy to me. To be fair, writing about closed gangs is not exactly easy, and it's next to impossible to get a truly in-depth anthropological picture of one. Logan does good work with the material he has, spinning Brenda's story into a compelling tragedy and cautionary tale. Ultimately, however, she comes across as yet another teenager without strong family involvement in her life and exceedingly poor decision-making skills.
Logan uses one stylistic device that I didn't care for, and that's inventing what people are thinking when there is absolutely no way he could know. I understand that this is an established practice in some forms of narrative non-fiction, but it really bothered me when in the midst of his retelling of a murder, we are told what thoughts are running through the victim's mind as he's about to die. It's really unnecessary, and is the kind of sensationalistic device that undermines the credibility of the book.
Speaking of sensationalism, by the end of the book, it's still not clear to me why MS-13 is regarded as dramatically more violent than any other gang with cliques throughout the country (such as the Bloods and Crips). No data is provided in the book to make such a case, and the anecdotal examples, while horrific, don't strike me as dramatically different from those perpetrated by other gangs. On the flip side, I do think MS-13 represents a very different and more serious problem than classic American gangs, if only for their international networks. Details about this international dimension are severely lacking in this book -- such as the exact nature of their partnership with Mexican drug traffickers, a proper investigation of the rumor that they have connections with Al Qaeda, and their influence in Central America (in fact, their most infamous crime -- a mass killing in Honduras -- isn't mentioned in the book). Still, this is a nice narrative introduction to MS-13 in America that fills the need for those with an interest in street gangs.This Is for the Mara Salvatrucha: Inside the MS-13, America's Most Violent Gang Overview

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Cartel: The Coming Invasion of Mexico's Drug Wars Review

Cartel: The Coming Invasion of Mexico's Drug Wars
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Cartel: The Coming Invasion of Mexico's Drug Wars ReviewCARTEL certainly opened my eyes to the pervasive and dangerous drug threat facing all U.S. residents, not just those near our national borders, large cities and major urban areas. This book was a seriously needed wake-up call for a small-town girl from the Midwest. These threats have managed to creep into America's "heartland" -- areas I previously thought were "safe" from, or even immune to, powerful, manipulative and bloody Mexican cartels. The things depicted in movies like "BLOW" and "Traffic" are actually happening in every stitch of America's fabric. While I am glad to be enlightened, I pray for all those who fight every day to keep that fabric from unraveling. An excellent, must-read!Cartel: The Coming Invasion of Mexico's Drug Wars Overview

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Triangles: A Novel Review

Triangles: A Novel
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Triangles: A Novel ReviewThe thing about Ellen Hopkins is she writes about the stuff that everyone knows happens, but nobody is willing to admit to. She gives emotion and reason to why people make the choices we do, and what they feel like in the middle of a messy hurtful situation. She is the opposite of happyland syndrome. She tells it how it is.
I had read a little bit of Hopkins's work before: I started Crank (When I say started I mean read the first few pages) and loved it, but I was busy and never got the chance to get into it. But I got an ARC of Triangles, so I sat down and read it--and after one page I was hooked.
If you've been reading my blog at all, you know I'm not a person who likes stories about love gone wrong and marriages failing and extramarital sex etc. because I'm a Christian, and a romantic, and a softie (read 'wimp'). But I went ahead and dove into this book, because I knew Hopkins is a good writer.
It surpassed my expectations. I should have expected her to be this awesome, since obviously she's pretty famous and everyone else figured it out before I did, but I really am blown away. Not only by her blunt yet graceful storytelling, but by her nerve to tackle the stories nobody wants to tell: a dying child, a gay son, a pregnant teen, sexual disease, threesomes, a woman sleeping with her best friend's husband... it's all in here. Yet, it's not plot overkill. She made it work. Somehow.
Though, be warned. Since she does say it like it is, this book is not for the easily offended. But if you're willing to look past the content, there's a gem waiting for you about forgiveness, hope, and what love really means.
Content/recommendation: explicit sexual content, swearing. Ages 18+
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