Author Archives: Lopaka

Truman

27 Sunday Nov 2022

Posted by in Biography, History, Politics, Reading

≈ 3 Comments

Truman by David McCullough
1993 / 1,120 pgs. (280,000 words) Biography, Politics, and History

Truman, what an outstanding annals and page turner. Many times, I found myself wanting to continue devouring another page beyond my mandatory hour obligation. All confession, I started this novel with a skeptical mindset if I would enjoy reading a vast biography. I was very pleasantly amazed at how much I genuinely enjoyed reading Truman.
  
This biography is a telling of Harry S. Truman from the day of his birth to his death and the real impact he had on the United States. It does not start off with the simple, Harry was born on 8 May 1884. McCullough starts with events that happen to Harry’s grandfather and father which would impact Harry throughout his life. The author builds a narrative that shows how actions of those, that even before you were born, could have a profound effect on our lives even almost a hundred years after the fact.

McCollough then builds from Harry growing dealing with having to wear glasses to wanting to attend West Point. Showing how Truman’s love of history and reading and how that would influence and even impact decisions and relations with political leaders during his presidency.

The underlying narrative with Truman which is well known today is how everything for Truman came later in his life than what normal people would expect with life experiences. For example, he went to fight in France during World War I as a Captain at the age of 33. Most of those under his command were between the ages of 18-23. Harry Truman was also the only President that deployed to France and served in combat in the first world war. He did not marry his love of his life, Bess Truman until he was 35 years old. 

There are many details of Truman’s time as a Presiding Judge, his relationship with the political influential family Pendergast. The same family that eventually helped Truman become Senator which, after his election, Senator Truman started the Truman Commission that monitored spending and corruption with New Deal Programs. Finally, how and why Truman became Vice President knowing that he would have to take over for Roosevelt because many, including Roosevelt himself, knew that the President wouldn’t live through his fourth term.

Naturally, I can expound more, this is a massive and detailed biography, however, I’ll give some of the juicy tales that I really enjoyed and showed the true Harry Truman like we’ve never knew before.  Harry wrote to Bess everyday and in one of his letters, while he was President, he called Bess his “Juno, Venus, Minerva, and Proserpina.” I’m not trained in the classics and had to look up Proserpina and it was a perfect name for Bess.

As an airman, we’ve also loved the fact that Truman signed the National Defense Act of 1947 that among its many actions created the United States Air Force.  He signed in on board “The Sacred Cow”, the presidential aircraft.  However, why he signed it on the plane is never explained. He was on the plane to fly home to see his dying mother and delayed the plane for an hour so he could sign the legislation. Once it was brought to him, he signed it on the plane and flew home, however, sadly, his mother died before he arrived in Missouri.  

This biography won David McCollough the Pulitzer Prize. He also received the Pulitzer for another biography, John Adams. I would absolutely recommend Truman. This is a masterpiece 

Enjoy a good cup of coffee and a delightful book!

Lopaka

1776

02 Sunday Oct 2022

Posted by in History, Military and War, Reading

≈ 1 Comment

1776 by David McCullough
2005 / 294 pgs. (96,500 words) Military, War, and History

1776 is a very fascinating book that primary focuses on the first full year of the Revolutionary war. It starts with King George III address to parliament on 26th Oct 1775 where he states the a declaration of Independence will be the eventual goal of the British Colonies, this is eight months before the Declaration of Independence is signed on 4th of July, 1776.

The narration of the book goes into the decision to give overall command of the Continental Army to George Washington and all the fascinating trials and defeats that Washington partakes in just 1776. Details that modern history classes don’t tell that would really show the true miracle that the United States won the war in the first place. 

Just a sample of this is the endless Enlistments that would expire and soldiers that Washington desperately needed would return home. Washington’s Army pulling out of many engagements and retreat for much of the year causing questions to arrise within the Army and even Congress whether the command of the Army should be handed to Washington’s deputy commander General Charles Lee, although this wouldn’t be a question after Lee is captured by the British on 12th December 1776. 

Another highlight of the book is the importance that Colonel Henry Knox and even a young Alexander Hamilton would have on the Revolutionary Army in 1776.

For anyone interesting in the history of the Revolutionary War, this is a definitely a wonderful read.  I would recommend it.          
  
Enjoy a good cup of coffee and a delightful book!

Lopaka

Christine

02 Sunday Oct 2022

Posted by in Horror, Reading

≈ 1 Comment

Christine by Stephen King
1984 / 736 pgs. (184,000 words) Horror

The most famous horror car in history, Christine, a 1958 Plymouth Fury. Painted Red and White, which Plymouth never offered. King takes us on an automotive adventure that changes horror. At first, as you read about this car, you think Christine is possessed by the devil or a demon of some type, alas dear reader, you would be wrong, just as I was.

Arnie falls in love with Christine at first site. She is badly falling apart, a car that has been sitting and neglected for many years. It should have been sent to the junk yard, destroyed, and recycled. Something about her infatuates him. Something that causes him to do anything to purchase her from her original owner, an Army veteran named Roland LeBay. LeBay hates everything and everyone. Although he loves Christine. As he does everything for the car, his family suffers from his desires for the car. His wife and daughter die within Christine. After making the deal to sell Christine to Arnie, LeBay dies, and the true power of the car becomes known and starts its deadly reign of death and destruction.

This novel is narrated by Dennis, Arnie’s best friend. As Dennis states, he wrote a reflection of events five years after the final act and also as a record in case something happen. He wrote it after reading the paper that the last surviving member of Buddy’s gang died when a car crashed though a wall killing him. Just like, Pet Cemetery, King leaves us wondering, is there more to come.

I really enjoyed reading this novel. It is on the list for a recommended book by King to read. Not at the top of the list. However, its one that would not disappoint a new reader.
 
Enjoy a good cup of coffee and a delightful book!

Lopaka

Rage

13 Saturday Aug 2022

Posted by in Psychological, Reading, Thriller

≈ 1 Comment

Rage by Stephen King
1977 / 211 pgs. (54,176 words) Psychological Thriller

This was the first book King published under Richard Bachman. An interesting fact about this specific novel is it is out of print by request of Mr. King himself. Why did he do this? The following narration should clearly define the answer to why.

Charlie is a senior in high school who is called into the principal’s office to discover his fate after attacking a chemistry teacher with a pipe wrench. Once the verdict is read, transfer to Greenmantle Academy, Charlie mouths off to the principal and is immediately expelled from school. After arriving at his locker, he takes the gun and extra rounds he brought, sets the rest of the contents on fire, and closes the door. While smoke billows out of the slots in the locker door, he walks into a classroom, shoots the teacher in the head, and takes the class hostage. He kills another teacher who bursts into the classroom, wondering why they do not evacuate while the fire alarm is going off.

After the fire is out, the principal, a psychologist, and the local sheriff talk to Charlie over the intercom system, asking him to release his fellow students. He refuses and plays mind games with the adults while talking about “Getting it on.”  Much of the novel is about Charlie and his fellow students talking about challenges that many youths take on during their most impressionable years, High School. From the physically challenged to the jock who is a cowered inside and uses his aggression against others to hide it. Even sexual, or lack of, experienced is shared in the classroom while police and others wait outside the school for Charlie’s next action.

Naturally, I do not want to give away the ending. As one can deduce from the narration, why Mr. King asked his publisher to stop printing the book. After several school shootings, one of which reportedly Rage was in the locker of one of the shooters, Stephen King stated he no longer wanted the book in circulation for obvious reasons. 

This book is just more than just teens talking in a classroom. It is also about how many teens feel growing up in High School. It is a deep dive into youth’s challenges in school as they grow up, build an identity for themselves, and determine where they will go next on this fascinating journey called life.

I enjoyed this book. However, given the subject, for many, this could be a very challenging or not disturbing book to read, especially with the school shooting at the beginning and the hostage situation in the classroom. It is not an easy book to find. Since I am reading all of King’s novels, it would not be a complete list without Rage.      
 
Enjoy a good cup of coffee and a delightful book!

Lopaka

The Island of Dr. Moreau

07 Sunday Aug 2022

Posted by in Fiction, Reading, Sci Fi

≈ 1 Comment

The Island of Dr. Moreau by H. G. Wells
1896 / 153 pgs. (43,183 words) Sci-Fi, Fiction

A classic by H. G. Wells. Pendrick, a biologist, is found after a shipwreck by Dr. Montgomery. Dr. Montgomery helps Pendrick gain strength as he is transported to an island. After arriving at the island, Dr. Montgomery takes his cargo with the animals and heads out to the island. Pendrick is kicked off the boat by the captain and drifts onto the island. This is where he is introduced to the Island of Dr. Moreau and his nightmare creations.

Dr. Moreau is a vivisectionist that was banned from practice in England. He came to the island to continue his experiment. The creations from his experiments inhabit the island, and Pendrick encounters them as he is confronted with several living beings. They are a blend of different animals that have human instincts, including speech and thought.

The book is a narration of Pendrick and his brief time on the island and escape. It is a fascinating insight that almost feels like a youth trying something that he wants to do but does not want to ask if he should.

This is a fast read; it only took me a few hours to read. It would not be the first H. G. Wells novel that I would recommend. That is The Time Machine.

Enjoy a good cup of coffee and a delightful book!

Lopaka

All The President’s Men

07 Sunday Aug 2022

Posted by in History, Politics, Reading

≈ 1 Comment

All The Presidents Men by Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward
1974 / 368 pgs. (92,000 words) Political/History

When I started this book, I thought it was a play-by-play of what happened at Watergate and how the President of the United States fell from grace. I was delightedly wrong in my interpretation of the subject of the book. While the Watergate break-in in 1972 serves as the background of the book and is the focus of the circle of events, the book is the experience of Bernstein and Woodward as they navigate in their investigation of the break-in.

The book naturally starts with the break-in and wiring of the Democratic National Headquarters at the Watergate Hotel. When Bernstein is called to write about the break-in, he is upset because he hoped he was finally moving away from reporting these common cases. Little did he know what he was about to uncover.

Woodward is teamed up with Bernstein at the start, and both do not want to work together. As the story grows, so does their friendship. The book builds from the discovery of a phone number for H Hunt at the White House in a phone book for several of the thieves. Also, one individual, McCord, was prior CIA and FBI. These simple facts start to grow the case from a simple break-in to how high the conspiracy goes.

The book also builds on all the trials, errors, and tribulations that Bernstein and Woodward experience as this continues the investigation into Watergate, including the few times they felt their lives were in danger. The most famous individual in the case of Watergate, Deep Throat, is introduced in the book, although it doesn’t reveal who he was.

The novel does not end with Nixon resigning. It ends at the state of the Union, 1974 when Nixon stated he would not resign. The follow-on book, The Final Days, goes into the events that lead up to Nixon’s resignation. That will be read later.

Enjoy a good cup of coffee and a delightful book!

Lopaka

Profiles In Courage

14 Thursday Jul 2022

Posted by in History, Politics, Reading

≈ 1 Comment

Profiles in Courage by John F. Kennedy
1955 / 226 pgs. (73,255 words) Political/History

A remarkably interesting expose on the word Courage. Senator John F. Kennedy, later President of the United States, while recuperating from back surgery, underwent a project to build a case of what Courage is in the political world. He researched Senators that when the time came for a critical decision knowing what their party and constituents desired as opposed to their eventual actions.

In each case, when the Senator committed the action, the cost was great. Several were ostracized from their respective political party. One Senator was nearly lynched in Virginia. One has gone down in history as a pro-slavery Senator because he gave one of the most famous speeches supporting the Great Compromise of 1850 that admitted California and prevent the disillusion of the Union for 10 more years. Safely, part of this compromise was greater power for slave owners and the continuation of the horrific practice. However, he was an ardent abolitionist until that speech, even freeing slaves.

The core of these profiles is Senators that decided on the greater of the United States as opposed to what their states desired. Most of the profiles are senators that served right before the civil war. The cases are around the Nebraska-Kansas Act and the Great Compromise of 1850.

Kennedy did note that some of these cases are controversial today. Many of those profiled are still viewed today in a negative light. He does not argue we should look at each person differently today, knowing more of the background for their decisions. We should admire the Courage of their actions to put the betterment of the nation first, knowing that it could cost them everything, including their lives.

A few of the profiles of special note are:

  1. Sam Houston, was the hero of the Texas Revolution and its first president. Also, the first Senator for the State of Texas, voted against the Kansas-Nebraska act knowing he would be recalled to Texas. Became the 7th Governor of Texas and fought against succession and after Texas voted to leave the US, he resigned.
  2. Edmond G. Ross of Kansas, even with enormous amounts of pressure from the legislative branch in Kansas, the Republican Party, and even fellow Senators, voted against removing President Andrew Johnson from office, he was the key vote in the end.
  3.  Daniel Webster of Massachusetts and the 7 March Speech forever destroyed his political career and reputation while he was trying to keep the nation together and prevent a civil war.

Many of those profiled were Senators that are lost to history such as Ross of Kansas, yet their stories are very fascinating. When reading what Ross endured before he delivered his vote is enormously powerful and should be taught in schools about what Courage and Sacrifice in the political arena truly is.

I would recommend this to anyone that enjoys reading about history and politics. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Enjoy a good cup of coffee and a delightful book!

Lopaka

American Government 2e

30 Thursday Jun 2022

Posted by in Political Science, Reading, Textbook

≈ 1 Comment

American Government 2e by Krutz, Glen
2020 / 654 pgs. Political Science/Textbook

American Government2e is a textbook for PSC-1030. Another Community College class that I will be teaching in the fall. Like previously, I needed to completely read this book to assure my course is built and ready for my class. I’m not trying to kill my brain reading two textbooks.

This textbook breaks down the government in a simple order. However, what is very different than the previous textbook is the detailed information that I felt was missing. Also, this is designed as an introduction to American Government. Naturally, it is divided into sections that start with how the government was formed, born from the failures of the Articles of Confederation to the evolution and adoption of the Constitution, same as the previous textbook I read for my course in American Government.

Between the two books, I would recommend this one. It’s better detailed and easier to digest. Plus, the bonus, this book is free to download on the Openstax site.

If one wants a desire to understand the US government in simplistic terms, this is a wonderful book. However, it is a textbook, so I would imagine that not many finish reading this, including my future students.

Enjoy a good cup of coffee and a delightful book!

Lopaka

American Government: Roots and Reform 2014 Election

06 Monday Jun 2022

Posted by in Political Science, Reading, Textbook

≈ 1 Comment

American Government: Roots and Reform by O’Connor, Sabato, and Yanus
2016 / 550 pgs. Political Science/Textbook

American Government is a textbook for PSC-1030. A Community College class that I will be teaching in the fall. Naturally, I needed to completely read this book to assure my course is built and ready for my classes. If an individual would like a good understanding of the political system of the United States, this is a good book. It can be very dry at times, naturally, that is the nature of textbooks.

This textbook breaks down the government in a simple order and is not very detailed. It is designed as an introduction to American Government. Naturally, it is divided into sections that start with how the government was formed, born from the failures of the Articles of Confederation to the evolution and adoption of the Constitution.

Other sections break down into more details to understand the progression of our Federal system. Also, explaining the three branches of government and the challenges they have all faced over the years. Details of other impacts on our system like political parties, news media, and domestic policy and also explained in the book.

If one wants a desire to understand the US government in simplistic terms, this isn’t a bad book to read. However, it is a textbook, so I would imagine that not many finish reading this, including my future students.

Enjoy a good cup of coffee and a delightful book!

Lopaka

Starship Troopers

21 Saturday May 2022

Posted by in Philosophy, Reading, Sci Fi

≈ 1 Comment

Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein
1959 / 208 pgs. (84,769 words) Sci-Fi/Philosophy

A curious narrative that could easily be finished in a couple of hours. A novel that at first appears as a future war narrative is also a philosophical discussion on the wrongs in American Society. The story starts with a simple bounce-and-drop mission. However, like all warfare, no combat goes as planned. At the end of the first chapter, Dizzy is dead, and they move back to the rendezvous point to evac as planned.

Returning to high school, the commentary builds from Johnnie and how he enlists in Federal Service. Interestingly, in the book, all personnel that works in the recruiting building are discouraging Jonnie from joining, even the Sergeant at the desk with no legs and only one arm. Obviously, this is vastly different from enlisting in the service today. Johnnie ships off to Basic at Camp Arthur Currie (Named after Gen Sir Arthur Currie, Canadian Army).

The majority of the narrative is set at Camp Currie. Johnnie explains everything about basic training. One chapter is an explanation of how the mechanical suit works. After one incident, a deserter is returned to camp, and punishment is executed, Johnnie remembers a discussion in his History and Moral Philosophy class in High School. Heinlein uses this point to explain what he believes is wrong with 1950’s American society and how it could be changed. This is the section that explains why a citizen gains more rights than a civilian, for example, the right to vote. The famous quote in Chapter II, “A Citizen accepts the personal responsibility for the safety of the body politic, defending it with his life, a civilian does not” is expanded upon and clarified as to why the Federal Service was created and changed society for the better.

After basic, Johnny then reports to Camp Spooky Smith for climbing training and goes on leave in Seattle.  It is there that he and a few other troopers experience what some people truly think of those that serve in uniform. After training, our second battle occurs. This is the point where the novel picks up from the beginning of the book. He reports to the Roger Young (named after Corporal Roger Young, USMC, Medal of Honor) and joins Rasczak’s Roughnecks. Johnnie goes to Career and then reports to Officer Candidate School. During school, he is assigned to a unit as a Third Lieutenant and takes part in the battle of Plant P. After which, we reach the end of the book and his next drop as he leads his Platoon.

Starship Troopers is considered a classic Sci-Fi/Philosophy novel from one of the big three in Sci-Fi. It is a quick read; anyone could finish it in a day. Taking my hour allocation, it only took me 7.5 hours to finish the book. If one is looking for a book about a large space war, this is it as much is discussed on how the world is running in the future. As mentioned, there are a few spots of battle that do not disappoint. This novel is written as a narrative from Johnny Rico’s view, meaning much is what he thinks and recollects. Would I recommend it? It is not horrible, easy-paced, and does not get boring. Not a page-turner though, does not leave you at the seat of your pants.

Lopaka  

Enjoy a good cup of coffee and a delightful book!

Lopaka