James Adams

Leaders take note: this reality check should be required reading

Reviewed: 05-20-24

Holy Smokes these nukes and our disposition to use them is beyond ludicrous! The fact that any potentially unhinged leader could literally wipe civilization away is truly playing Russian Roulette with life on earth, and not just human life. Yeah the earth can recover, but at dinosaur timescale. Yes it’s just a scenario, but it’s quite plausible and based on science all the way. That is, this scenario is likely close to what will actually happen should a bullet be in the chamber. Leaders take note. This should scare the hell out of us all. I should rephrase that to ‘Unholy Smokes’. Hey Prez - have your guys give you a locator before you jump.

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Worthy of a Chapter in any Profiles in Courage

Reviewed: 01-01-24

We dismiss our opponents as having “drunk the cool aid” but to actually enhance our understanding we first must have the confidence and humility to question ourselves and our positions, and measure them against the bright light of factual evidence. Liz has provided a boatload of actual facts here - not mere punditry but testimony derived under oath. May those of my party take a good hard look at what Liz has shared here and - with the discipline of an open mind - consider the evidence and make the intellectually honest conclusions.

Someday there may be yet one more statue in the halls of congress- one of a brave woman who stood up to rescue her country from the whirlwind of weak men’s selfish schemes to attack the very foundations of what our forefathers wrought in 1776.

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An epic worth revisiting

Reviewed: 07-09-23

I was a kid when Roots the mini-series aired on TV and became a standout cultural event, though my memories of it have mostly faded (excerpt for Star Trek’s Jordy). I really was swept up in this epic journey of historical fiction of one African in the 1750’s - 1760’s who was snatched by slave traders to be the headwater thread in a tapestry of lives and generations who experienced an America imbued with slavery, and what that really meant in terms of lives lived as a society of “massa’s” and their “human property”. Imagine actually living in a society with that dynamic! We don’t come away despising or lionizing either side, but rather with an appreciation of the actual likely experiences of both. As a white person who some time ago spent several years embraced by my fellow (almost all Black) worshipers at a large African-American church (with truly soul stirring experiences being a regular feature) I only now have a deeper understanding and appreciation of their heritage and culture - most of which I find endearing. The epilogue - including standing at the water’s edge 200 years to the day from when Kunta Kinte’s ship arrived, and reconnecting with the author’s original kinfolk - was indeed poignant and touching. I’m a fan.

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1 person found this helpful

This is what makes America great

Reviewed: 09-26-22

A fascinating and never boring inside look at the workings of a flagship of American justice in operation, and many of the famous cases we’ve all read or heard about. Would that all Americans of good conscience and good sense cheer on Geoffrey and the SDNY in their battle against the many insidious forces who flout our laws. And that we would similarly disdain the craven and selfish attempts to derail the cause of justice by political operatives at the highest levels. This reader is grateful for people like Geoffrey, mostly unsung heroes, who are daily Holding the Line for what’s right and against what’s wrong. They make America great every day.

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Made Me So Proud

Reviewed: 08-13-22

This physical book was given to my brother and me during a family visit in July 2022 by my cousin, Lieutenant Rick Adams, who is mentioned in this book. What these young men experienced in the fury and chaos of the Vietnam war, and the heroic bravery and courage they demonstrated, mission after mission is really beyond comprehension. This book brings vividly to life the details of a particularly harrowing mission in which a special forces team is surrounded by hundreds of enemy troops determined to annihilate every American soldier. The remarkable life and dedication of Roy Benevidos specifically is the center story, but it is also the story of all of the heroes with whom Roy served. My cousin Rick, who is now 80, commanded a helicopter gunship, Mad Dog 6, and was one of the pilots who - like the Cavalry - came to the rescue in this battle, in the face of imminent destruction on every side. I’m grateful to Rick for opening up and sharing with my brother John Adams and me, after all these years, this story from his personal recollection. He has yet to bring himself to read this book, but I plan to encourage him to do so. I see now, for the first time, that my wonderful, kind, funny, intelligent, wise elder cousin - and a good golfer - Rick Adams is a true American hero. I appreciate this book: it has made me so proud of him, and of every Vietnam veteran.

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Woodward Worthy

Reviewed: 02-28-22

A frank and thorough rundown of the facts and historical details, with loads of insider vignettes. Excellent narration. I missed a tie-it-all-together summary as to what the “everything they ever wanted” actually is, besides the Supreme Court. After such a through diagnosis, I would have enjoyed a few words of prognosis as in, how do we move forward from here? The author leaves that to us to decide.

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7 people found this helpful

Our Antidote to the Pandemic of Misinformation

Reviewed: 11-30-21

From Group-Think to Cancel-Culture, this is The resource to fortify you to withstand and push back against the onslaught of mis- and disinformation, and those who would deny your freedom to even voice your opinions. You will discover the “reality-based community” scientists and other thinkers that steward truth by hearing all comers and refuting (or ignoring) the bullshitters. But, lest we ourselves unwittingly exacerbate the problem, the author suggests we follow the advice of Socrates:
- Be humble about our beliefs
- Assume we are often wrong
- Seek out challenging information and opinions

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A Comfortable, Engaging Conversation with Dolly

Reviewed: 05-08-21

Like so many millions of other people I have known Dolly and her music over the decades and appreciated her life as an iconic country music star. This audiobook was a refreshing change from your typical autobiography, the way it was gently narrated and then having Dolly share little vignettes, the way you might enjoy stories sitting around the dinner table, with a guitar nearby. It left me wanting to know more about this down-home superstar, to see her perform, and check out more of her many original songs.

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Absolutely Delightful and engaging listen

Reviewed: 04-24-21

Why didn’t I appreciate this guy when he was House Speaker? Maybe because he let the shutdown-crew run roughshod. But now John Boehner finally gives his take on life, politics, golf and the too-many jerks who have too-successfully gummed up the system. I like a guy who admits he’s a jackass - at least you know he recognizes his own faults, and makes you want to maybe come down from your own high horse. This is a light-hearted laugh-out-loud and yet candid take on what sadly has become “Crazy Town” USA - Washington D.C. As an Arizona Republican-in-hiding from all the current insanity, it does my heart good to hear a Republican leader tell it like it really is, and with the perfect touch of sarcasm and humility. I’ll be thinking of you, John, when I’m out there on the golf course - trying not to be a jackass.

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A soft-spoken brilliance

Reviewed: 03-22-21

What a delightful experience to hear calm brilliance, wit and musings from what must be a Canadian national treasure. Required reading I’m sure for anyone remotely inspired to putting creative pen to paper, this book is a beautiful meditation on the relationship of the written word (thus its Writer) to the readers of said word. Count me, late again, a new fan of Ms. Atwood and her ilk: the un-young and too un-sung.

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