Michael D'Antonio

A clearly-written documentation of the plight of children who ended up in the state-run juvenile welfare institutions in the 1940s. Often these boys were institutionalized for being rebellious kids, or being poor and unwanted by their parents. The book tells much about the misuse of the IQ test (and the factors that could lead to a low score without really reflecting the person's intelligence and abilities). It also told the stories of the abuse faced by these boys. I thought a lot about how show more much chance in involved in someone's life "success." Although I was inspired by some fo the boys who fought back against the institution in later life, I really felt despair at the ways in which people can find any reason to exercise power over others. show less

I never thought I would ever say that Donald Trump simply can't be impeached, but after reading this book, this is exactly how I feel. While Trump scares me, Pence terrifies me! He is truly evil incarnate - or as he says - " a Christian first, a Conservatist second and a Republican third." No where does he mention being an American or even a concern for what is good for the nation. What happened to country first? He tries to portray himself as a nice man filled with humility to disguise who show more he really is - a man filled with hate for anyone who does not share his views - people who are gay, pro-choice, for realistic gun regulations, for the environment, etc. As an elected official he has a dismal record, mainly due to the ferocity of his beliefs that leads to his inability to compromise and work with others. He feels it is "God's will" that he will become president, so if I were Donald Trump I would be sleeping with one eye open - at least politically! show less

A very revealing, even penetrating political biography of this muted leader from the evangelical far-right. The title makes Pence sound like a new Karl Rove, but really he comes across as fawning lackey lapdog to Trump in order to advance such fundamentalist goals expected to be in line with his action as Governor of Indiana when he signed bills intended to restrict abortions and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. (With RFRA, he encountered fierce resistance from moderate members of his show more party, sports associates, the business community, and LGBT advocates. The backlash against the RFRA led Pence to amend the bill to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and other criteria.) show less

I needed books about monkeys for my year of the monkey reading challenge. I love history, I love space exploration and science fiction, and I love reading about how animals provided us with the technology we have today, because I feel it honors them after all of the cruel things that were done to them in an age before animal rights were even thought of. For all of those reasons I picked up this book and as someone who reads a lot of non fiction, I can say this book was very well written.

I show more found it very informative, but not at all in the dry way that most expect a book on the history of science would be. It wasn't a text book of dry facts, but the history of space exploration and the race between the US and Russia to advance their technology and blast into the future of space travel. It portrayed events from both sides of the race, which brought more of the history to life for me than a more one sided telling would have.

I would say that fans of space exploration and science fiction will love reading and learning from this book as much as lovers of history and technological development will. I could not be happier that I found this treasure hidden away in the non fiction section of my library. show less