Christopher Lynch

An interesting read for anybody interested in Chicago's history, aviation, or both. Long before I moved to Chicago I of course knew it well as the place where I would spend hours in airports between legs of flights. People always had an opinion on Midway vs. O'Hare, even if they'd otherwise never stepped foot in the state of Illinois. This book explores the history of Midway airport, and along the way gives a bit of insight into O'Hare as well, which was built because Midway couldn't be show more expanded to accommodate wide-body jet aircraft.

This book suffers from being too busy. There's a lot of information in here, including large photos, but there are also a bunch of sidebars and timelines that are integrated in with the text, making it difficult to follow the flow of the narrative itself. The text is also split into columns which works with the wide book pages, but adds to the chaotic confusion. If sidebars had had a different color background (as is standard in most books), and the timeline moved to an introduction or an appendix, I would have liked the book much better.

The narrative itself is interesting without going into too much rambling detail (which I find true of many other Chicagoland aviation history books). The author's grandfather was an FBO at Midway and helped to foster the budding aviation industry at the airport. Even though this book was published 15 years ago, not much has changed at Midway since then, making it still relevant today. show less

“…As soon as I leave, you’ll be on the hunt. And you’ll stay on the hunt all night if you have to. When something like this happens, you’re like a pit bull that gets something in its mouth and won’t let go.”

One thing you can count on, when you pick up a One-Eyed Jack novel by Christopher J. Lynch, you are in for mystery, suspense and a skilled read. Ironically, Sin Tax is a story about a blackmailer who hunts to stop a blackmailer. While the protagonist, Jack’s scruffiness show more and bad-guy-rescuer has gone a little soft since a girlfriend came into the picture, the character is still intriguing. Every bad guy probably has his un-scruffy moments. One-Eyed Jack is still blackmailing the rats who deserve someone noticing their less than moral activities and helping others who get caught in their traps. It was a weekend read. Couldn’t put it down show less

Anxiety Management for Kids on the Autism Spectrum: Your Guide to Preventing Meltdowns and Unlocking Potential by Christopher Lynch

July 1, 2019
Future Horizons
Non-fiction, parenting, Autism
135 pages

I received a digital ARC of this book from NetGalley and Future Horizons in exchange for an unbiased review.

I found the book very informative. I have ALOT of experience with autism and it’s related issues, specifically anxiety. This author does a great job with breaking down the complexities show more of autism by focusing on anxiety, a key component. Understanding the causes of anxiety in children with autism can hopefully provide insight into their challenges and how to help. From experience, its easier to empathize when one understands. The suggestions in this book for anxiety are very specific to the autism spectrum population in particular. Unless, a person has an understanding of autism and it’s challenges the techniques listed will be difficult to comprehend. The coping skills necessary are almost opposite what one might typically do to manage anxiety.

https://bookwormreviewblog.blogspot.com/2019/06/anxiety-management-for-kids-on-a...

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2827752322 show less

This look at Chicago's lesser known airport, Midway, on the southwest side, had its interesting moments and some good photos.

I enjoyed hearing about the early days of aviation, as well as about the crash of the blimp, Wingfoot, into a bank building at Jackson and LaSalle in Chicago's Loop in 1919. I also enjoyed reading about the restaurants Marshall Field's opened at Midway and how, in those gentler times, people would go to the airport for a nice brunch.

I never realized that Chicagoland's show more first airport was in Maywood or that the blimp crash caused Grant Park not to be used as an airport afterwards.

Aviation buffs and Chicago history fans would probably enjoy this. show less