Poppin' Da Pres

Abraham Lincoln’s legacy will live on forever.  Partly due to his many achievements as president but also because of his infamous assassination.  Most know of the moment on April 15, 1865, when Lincoln was killed, shot in the back of the head by John Wilkes Booth, but few know of the incredible manhunt for his assassin.  Chasing Lincoln’s Killer dives deep in the details of the 12 days following his death and the search for Booth.

It could be said that the author, James Swanson, was born to write about Lincoln. Swanson and Lincoln share February 12th as a birthday.  From a young age Swanson became a Lincoln fanatic and is now considered one of the top historians on the 16th President.  Chasing Lincoln’s Killer is written for a younger audience and Swanson does a great job toning his diction back so it is easier to understand.  The author has so much knowledge on the subject he could have easily swamped the reader with endless information and a vocabulary that was too elevated.  

This book is made great by Swanson’s expansive background on Lincoln and especially his death.  He describes the actual deed in all its gruesome splendor -- Booth’s insatiable thirst for blood, the bullet “ripping through [Lincoln’s] chestnut-colored hair” and coming to rest behind the President’s right eye amidst “wet brain matter,” the smoke from the shot still hanging in the air.  In addition to vivid details Swanson creates a very urgent and frantic tone and does an excellent job filling in the story with gripping accounts of Booth’s tumultuous but near-perfect escape, as well as highlighting each shady accomplice who helped him along his journey.

8 out of 10 Pistols

76 Dayz Partying on a Yacht

Titanic.  Exxon Valdez.  Costa Concordia.  Even Moby Dick.  Shipwrecks are fascinating. Something about the terror of the unknown of the seas grips the mind.  Steven Callahan’s memoir Adrift fulfills this natural intrigue that many have with the open ocean.  

During a night time storm, Callahan is rocked awake by the sound of panic. His vessel, Napoleon Solo, was struck by what he believed to be a whale. In a frenzy, Callahan, Solo’s solo crew member deploys a life raft.  After hurling as much emergency gear and safety equipment into the raft, he parts ways with the sinking sail boat that he hand crafted and intuitively designed.  

While stranded adrift in the Atlantic Ocean, Callahan keeps a journal, that not only serves as the basis of his memoir but also as a guide to educate other sailors.  In addition, the righting of this journal kept him sane and took is mind off the monotony of solidarity.  He often reminds the reader that he is not a hero, and Adrift is an account of what not to do.  Callahan uses a tone that shows he has learned a great deal from his voyage and a comparing Adrift to a self-critique is not a far stretch.

The shipwreck, shark attacks and shooting of flares to approaching ships are very intensely written and action packed.  To separate these moments from the long and dull descriptions of drifting at sea, Callahan utilizes vary sentence length to excite and calm the reader.  “She’s going down! My mind barks orders. Free the emergency package. My soul screams. You’ve lost her!” Every sentence used to describe the moment the ship begins to sink, is a simple sentence. The choppiness make it thrilling. The pace makes it dramatic.  “The light of each day makes me optimistic that I might last another forty, but the darkness of each night makes me realize that, if any one thing goes wrong, I will not survive.”  The length and combination of independent clauses truly show the mind of Callahan wandering as he floats along. 

Day after day, he floats along, his soul flooded with loneliness and mind capsized by constant terror. To cope with this isolation, Callahan uses personification to describe his surroundings.  “...condensation, coins tossed to this beggar by the aristocratic sun.” By using personification it gives the tale that really has only one character, a myriad of antagonists and protagonists. The fish, sharks, sun, raft and even his own feelings like hunger, are given characters that create a complexity when he is secluded at sea.

9 out of 10 Sailboats

Gettin' Crunk an' Faded Since 1919

It began with the best of intentions.  Worried about the affects of alcohol on Americans and American families, mothers and communities leaders started a movement that created one of the oddest Constitutional Amendments. The 18th Amendment.  Bootleg: Murder, Moonshine and the Lawless Years of Prohibition by Karen Blumenthal gives a glaring account of the social experiment known as Prohibition. Unlike Prohibitionists - often called “Drys”- Bootleg is remarkably interesting; a delicate balance of factual text, engaging but also relevant photos and riveting additional facts that captivate the reader.  A big part of making historical text interesting is organization, and Blumenthal nails it. Giving just enough background information that anyone, from history buffs to high schoolers, will be thrust into early 20th century American life. It doesn’t feel like your typical bland, boring non-fiction book, but rather like a thrilling ride in the backseat of a Model T Ford with Al Capone at the wheel. 

Who's the real OG?

When the 18th Amendment banning the sale and consumption of alcohol was ratified, it was hailed as the end of public drunkenness, alcoholism, crime and many other social affairs related to liquor.  Instead, it began a decade where laws became optional and the most respectable citizens broke all regulations.  Notorious gangsters ran the streets and smuggling and producing booze became a family activity. “For the saloon’s regulars, Leroy helped his mother make a cheap homemade whiskey,” Blumenthal tells in one of her numerous background stories that make Bootleg so fascinating. She gives historical events faces and names, making it easier to connect to the circumstances.  For example, rather than writing broad generalizations about 1920’s gangsters, Bootleg puts the reader at the table during one of Al Capone’s mob meetings.  This make’s it a great read for American history fanatics or just someone who wants to sit down with a good book, a strong drink and learn some shit.

I give this book 9 out of 10 bottles of Moonshine

Snow, Sluts and Skiing

This past weekend, our final weekend on earth, was an incredible weekend.  The sheer amount of snow in combination with hot tubs and friends.  Being that this blog is about wonderfully, whoreful, women this video ties it all together perfectly in an incredibly erotic and arousing clip.

Barry O. Is My Homie

The 2012 Presidential election is a difficult decision for many.  Why is that?  When looking at the policies and plans of both candidates there is a clear choice.  President Barack Obama is that choice. He has a long-term economic plan to level the playing field for middle-class Americans and a strategy to protect our climate, using renewable energy sources, while making the U.S. less dependent on foreign oil.  Also, the President has already proven he can be an effective leader. He ended the war in Iraq, as well as taking down the world’s most wanted criminal.  A vote for Barack Obama is a vote for the future.

The President understands that the middle-class is the backbone of the United States of America.  That is why he is doing everything he can to lower taxes for the average American.  He can do this by asking the ultra-rich, elite class of Americans to pay a little more for the commonwealth of the United States.  His plan also includes reducing the national deficit by 4 trillion dollars.  His opponent, multi-millionaire Mitt Romney, would increase the national debt by 5 trillion dollars, as well as make tax-cuts for super-rich people, like himself.  Romney’s plan will take America back to the ideas that got us into this recession.  It is obvious that President Obama is the leader we need to help us through these rough economic times.

Obama’s plan for America realizes that in todays world we must look to new sources of energy, while cutting our ties to foreign oil.  He wants to develop all aspects of renewable energy, including solar, wind and nuclear energy, as well as natural gas, clean coal and bio fuels.  These are the future and the President is taking the right steps towards a cleaner, more efficient America.  In addition, President Obama has already begun lowering our dependence on foreign oil and bring oil production right back home to America.  U.S oil production is at an 8-year high, and we are less reliant on foreign fuels now than at any other time in the last 16 years.  Barack Obama is clearly the man we need for the job, and has already begun taking us down the correct path.

President Obama has a great plan for the future of America but don’t forget what he has already done for our country and the world.  He has kept his promise and ended the war in Iraq.  The President understands the sacrifices that veterans have made for our country and has been tireless in his efforts to support the troops and their families. 

Not only has he assisted the people of our nation, he has also helped citizens all around the world.  No action attests to this more than his relentless pursuit and strategic elimination of Osama Bin Laden.  President Obama has proven to be highly effective in his role of commander in chief and has made our great nation safer by crippling terrorist group, Al Qaeda. He brought justice to a man responsible for the 9/11 attacks.  President Obama deserves another term because of his plan for the future as well as his accomplishments so far.

The United States of America needs to move forward from the war ridden days of economic downfall and foreign oil dependence.  President Barack Obama has and will continue to address these issues in the most effective and responsible way.  Vote Barack Obama for president on November 6th and he will carry this great nation into a bright and prosperous future.

Speedballin' In Da Club

Anthony Kiedis' auto-biography, Scar Tissue, is a look into the life of a punk-rocker who gets caught up in the dreadful world of drug abuse. Kiedis gives the reader a vivid look into the life of a troubled child turned rockstar, who all the while is battling with his impulsive character.  While experimenting with new sounds for the band, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, as well as new drugs and women, he finds himself and learns the terrors of compulsive behavior.  The book comes at an important time when many people, as well as musicians, deal with drug addiction.  Whether it is Kurt Cobain or more recently Whitney Houston, Scar Tissue gives insight into the drug habits these talented artists had before their demise.

This book was written to warn today's youth of the slippery slope one can ride down on a toboggan of bad decisions and reckless behavior.  Kiedis began smoking marijuana at the very young age of 12 and a decade later he was addicted to heroin, cocaine and many other high-risk drugs.  He glaringly recounts the incredible highs but also retells the nightmarish lows as he itched for his next fix. Another audience this book can relate to are people fighting to get sober.  Kiedis relapses over 10 times in the course of the book and has some thought provoking ideas on the reasons for addiction and getting sober. I think part of the reason he told his story was a way to help himself on the road to self purification.  Explaining his journey will help him rid the demons of the past.

Anthony is a musician not a writer so it could have had some stylistic improvements. That being said Kiedis is incredible at retelling events in his life.  So intensely that it makes the reader feel as if they are backstage with Kurt Cobain, Courtney Love and Pearl Jam doing lines of cocaine and shooting up China White heroin. Kiedis also used his music to compliment his writing.  When he spoke of a failed relationship or another relapse, typically he brought in a few lines from a song he had written about that situation.  Kiedis is an incredibly talented song writer and when he combined his lyrics with his writing, it was stylistically an awesome fusion. The manner that he uses is a frank, unsparing, meticulous account of a life lived entirely on impulse, for pleasure and for kicks.

Shawty's First Chapter Book

On the very first day of the first grade, I could not have been any more ecstatic to discover I was in the highest level reading group. The Black Group. Each week students were required to pick a book out of a selection based on their color of reading level. Being excited about my high level designation, I grabbed the only chapter book in the array of brightly colored novels. It was from the Magic Treehouse Series. That night, I blew through all seventy-five pages of "Dinosaurs Before Dark". The history fascinated me as well as the simplicity of the writing. The next week, I again chose another from the series, I was hooked.

Mary Pope Osbourne, the author of the Magic Treehouse series, was the first person in my young life who had ever gotten through to me and explained the tales of history in a way that I could understand them.  It is my firm belief now that without these books, I wouldn't have become the history buff that I am today.  The book "Tonight on the Titanic" gave me my very first obsession with a historial event. After I read that book, a couple of buddies and I went to the library and read all about the Titanic.  We even used to pretend that the playground was the bridge of the Titanic and we were the captains trying to avoid the massive icebergs of the Northern Atlantic.

The reason these books connected to me so well was the way they were organized.  Each story began with siblings, Jack and Annie playing at their home. Then they would race over to the treehouse where, once they opened a book, the aerial fort would begin to spin and take them back in time. The first chapter of every book ended the same way. With my favorite words, "Then everything stood still, absolutely still." Those words signified that Jack and Annie had arrived back in time.  Also, the word "absolutely" was the first "big word" I ever learned.  The tale would continue with Jack and Annie living the actual event in history. Which ranged from Gettysburg to the moon landing to the volcanic eruption at Pompei.  Vivid descriptions and the perfect balance of pictures and text created the ultimate reading experience.

Everything about these books just clicked with me. I really loved the way Osbourne would use alliterations in her titles. Each book had an unique and catchy title that combined an alliteration and a time of the day. "Midnight on the Moon", "Sunset of the Sabertooth"and "Pirates Past Noon" just to name a few.

As I write this essay it blows me away to think how much these books actually affected my life.  Today, I have a passion for history and I'm enrolled in AP U.S History. History excites me and I feel I owe thanks to Mary Pope Osbourne for writing these great books that got me so thrilled about stories from long ago. I realized this summer, while on a family trip to Washington D.C. how much I actually like history. Whether it was walking through the Capitol building or The Smithsonian Institute of Aviation History, I felt like Jack and Annie, living the past, thanks to their magic treehouse.