Sunday, November 13, 2016

Book Recommendations

Gifts
With Christmas and Hanukah coming, you might want to consider one of my 12 books as a gift. Something here for everyone and the royalties go to charity, not to me. ~Bob

Book Recommendations

The Last Highlander. By Sarah Fraser
This was a comprehensive, excellent biography of the enigmatic Simon Fraser, Lord Lovat, who was the last man beheaded for treason in the UK. (The beefeater at the Tower asked us this question and was surprised when I knew.) Lovat was a Jacobite at heart, but played both sides, supporting the Hanoverians in 1715 and Bonnie Prince Charlie in the 1745 rebellion, after which the Clan system was destroyed in the highlands. His and his clan's interests lay with the government, as he struggled all his life to restore Clan Fraser and his patrimony against grasping neighbors, only to lose it all in the '45, following his heart. He was not out in the '45, being too old and infirm, but his son and a large contingent of Frasers was. The book contains excellent descriptions of the tragedy at Culloden and the terrible aftermath. Despite being written by a Fraser, it is well balanced, neither exulting of condemning Lovat. History buffs, especially of Celtic history, will find it of interest. So will people who like to read about fascinating characters. I read it on kindle, very cost-effective that way.

The Colony: The Harrowing True Story of the Exiles of Molokai. By John Tayman 
Bonnie and I listed to the fascinating, but tragic book on CD in the car. it is a comprehensive history of the leper colony at Molokai in Hawaii. I knew of the existence of the colony, but not that thousands of people, many misdiagnosed or not contagious, were arrested and forced there, then declared dead. Despite that, family member often followed them to help them survive. The death rate was horrific, not the least because they were ill supplied with basic necessities. The Board of Health, which with local sheriffs enforced the edict against the "disease which is a crime" (as the Hawaiians said) was chronically short of funds, if part because of the extravagances of the Royal Family and the government. Much of it was needless, as modern research shows that only five percent of the population can catch leprosy, which only a small percentage of lepers were contagious. This is a very interesting bit of social history, though the story is horrific.

People's Republic Kindle Edition. By Kurt Schlichter 
An enjoyable thriller set in a near dystopian future when the United States has split into two countries, the red states staying as the USA and the blue states as The Peoples Republic of North America. The PRNA has carried political correctness and progressive principles to the extreme, and as always happens in statist systems, the people are coerced to do as told, the border is closed and the elites live very well indeed. Think East Germany, Cuba and Venezuela combined, all on steroids. An uneasy truce prevails though there was a lot of fighting over the split. The novel revolves around an adventurer and former vet who makes his living going into the PRNA and rescuing people who want to leave--and can pay. People who fear for the future of our country and who like thrillers will enjoy this. People who are working to bring about a socialist utopia will not. Available cheap on Kindle.







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