“A Woman of No Importance” by Sonia Purnell This book is about Virginia Hall, a woman of great importance who rarely received recognition for her accomplishments as an American Spy. She was born of privilege but spent her entire adult life fighting for peace during World War II and the years that followed. In 1942 […]
Month: June 2020
Book Review: “Educated”
“Educated” by Tara Westover Tara Westover’s memoir is both enlightening and frightening. She tells the story of her life growing up within a large family of children who were “homeschooled” in name only. They actually had no education at all except what they taught themselves. The author was seventeen-years-old the first time she entered a […]
Instincts
Do you follow your gut instincts and if so are they usually right? I believe we are given instincts for a reason and I do try to pay attention to what my “gut” tells me. If I am in a place that is potentially unsafe and I have the feeling I should not take a […]
by Solomon Abrams
It’s no accident that: We learned about Helen Keller instead of W.E.B. DuBois We learned about the Watts and L.A. Riots, but not Tulsa or Wilmington. We learned that George Washington’s dentures were made from wood, rather than the teeth from slaves. We learned about black ghettos, but not about Black Wall Street. We learned […]
Red Summer
Tonight, the President of the United States will hold a rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Many believe the rally should not be held there because of the city’s history of violence against African Americans almost 100 years ago. Tulsa was only one of many cities wherein Black Americans were tortured, beaten, burned, or hanged during the […]
Quote
“Pit race against race, religion against religion, prejudice against prejudice. Divide and conquer! We must not let that happen here.” Eleanor Roosevelt Sadly, Ms. Roosevelt, It has. It has.
20 Bucks
Case 1 Several months ago, a college student was shopping at a craft store. She paid with a $20 bill which she had received at another retail establishment. The clerk checking out her order looked at the bill and said, “I’m sorry, but this is counterfeit.” The student was shocked and produced another bill that […]
The Body
“THE BODY – A Guide for Occupants” by Bill Bryson The size of this big book might be off-putting but if you are interested in how your body works I suggest you read it. Being a Registered Nurse I wondered if this would be of interest to me since I expected it to be just […]
On Tyranny
Here’s a book that I recommend for all citizens of a democracy. It’s cheap, it’s small but it is loaded with information that we need. “On Tyranny” by Timothy Snyder In the twentieth century, many Europeans saw their democracies yield to fascism, communism, or Nazism. Twenty years into the twenty-first century we have the advantage […]
The Travelling Cat Chronicles
“The Travelling Cat Chronicles” by Hiro Arikawa When I borrowed this book I was expecting a silly cat story. Boy was I wrong! This is truly a chronicle of a cat who traveled. In fact he traveled all over Japan. The cat is the narrator and he is very funny and wise. His relationship with […]
A Rebooted Brain
Do you ever wish you could reboot and start over? I think that sometimes we do and yet maybe not really if you hear the story I want to share with you. I came across a tiny article about Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor that piqued my interest so I researched her and was fascinated by […]
How Long?
“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward toward justice.” Martin Luther King Jr. 1967 How long must people of color wait for that justice? Photo by Pixabay
The Last Lecture
“The Last Lecture” by Randy Pausch I just read this book for the second time and still found it very interesting and uplifting. Professors often give a “last lecture” at the end of their illustrious careers. Randy Pausch, a tenured professor at Carnegie-Mellon, gave his when he was in his late forties and dying with […]
Respect Haiku
Nationwide protests, Do not let the damage hide The genuine issues here. Respect for humans Color and ethnicity All like you and me.
Leaders
If you could sit down with any influential leaders from any country living or dead; who would it be and what would you say to them? My Answer: These are my top three at the moment and they need no name tags. What I would say would be unimportant because I would be so […]
Wee Free Men
A Book Review by Dianne Bynum So much fun, a great escape…It’s April of 2020 and the world is in the throes of a pandemic. I’ve been sick for a month with a virus that no one fully understands. I needed a book like The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett. When my fever broke […]