Category Archives: Contemporary Nonfiction

Not easy reading – but important

Posted on September 13, 2018 by Linda

Tom Dillon, a veteran journalist, reviews two books that offer serious food for thought – one an investigative examination of Donald Trump’s business dealings with Russia, and the other a primer on dealing with tyranny. Reviewed by Tom Dillon TRUMP/RUSSIA: … Continue reading →

Posted in Contemporary Nonfiction, Politics | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Challenging the powerful, a reporter’s story

Posted on June 20, 2018 by Linda

Reviewed by Linda C. Brinson REPORTER. By Seymour M. Hersh. Random House Audio. 14 hours; 11 CDs. Read by Arthur Morey. $40. Also available in print from Knopf, 355 pages, $27.95. “I am a survivor from the golden age of … Continue reading →

Posted in American History, Audio Books, Contemporary Nonfiction, Memoir, Military History, Politics | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

It might be … it could be …

Posted on February 16, 2018 by Linda

Did you know it’s only a few days until the major league baseball teams start spring training? Tom Dillon is well aware that it’s almost time for a new baseball season, so he figures it’s also time for a review … Continue reading →

Posted in Contemporary Nonfiction, Sports | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

At the intersection of nature and imagination

Posted on April 13, 2017 by Linda

It’s always a pleasure to have a review from Tom Dillon, who draws attention to books I might otherwise miss. Reviewed by Tom Dillon THE INVENTION OF NATURE: ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT’S NEW WORLD. By Andrea Wulf. Alfred A. Knopf. 473 pages. … Continue reading →

Posted in Biography, Contemporary Nonfiction, History, Nature | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

What did the president know …

Posted on April 11, 2017 by Linda

Reviewed by Linda C. Brinson RICHARD NIXON: The Life. By John A. Farrell. Random House Audio. Read by Dan Woren. 29 hours; 23 CDs. $60. Also available in hardcover from Doubleday. There have been other biographies of Richard Nixon, the … Continue reading →

Posted in American History, Audio Books, Biography, Contemporary Nonfiction, History, Politics | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

A most misunderstood president

Posted on March 29, 2017 by Linda

Reviewed by Paul T. O’Connor HERBERT HOOVER: A LIFE. By Glen Jeansonne. Berkley. 464 pages. $28. Also available from Penguin Audio, read by Mark Deakins. 16 hours, 28 minutes. $29.95. Head west across Interstate 80 from Chicago, and you’ll come … Continue reading →

Posted in American History, Audio Books, Biography, Contemporary Nonfiction, History | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Fighting Irish – a tale for our times

Posted on March 14, 2017 by Linda

Paul O’Connor reviews a new biography of a 19th-century immigrant who battled discrimination against himself even as he fought for freedom for those who were enslaved. Reviewed by Paul T. O’Connor THE IMMORTAL IRISHMAN. By Timothy Egan. Brilliance Audio. 14 hours, 9 … Continue reading →

Posted in American History, Audio Books, Biography, Contemporary Nonfiction, History | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Poverty, material and spiritual

Posted on March 6, 2017 by Linda

This memoir/sociological analysis came out last summer, but Bob Moyer finds that it’s just as relevant now as it was during the thick of the presidential campaign. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer HILLBILLY ELEGY. By J.D. Vance. Harper. 261 pages. $27.99. … Continue reading →

Posted in Contemporary Nonfiction, Memoir, Politics, Sociology | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The enduring mountain

Posted on December 30, 2016 by Linda

Tom Dillon, journalist and outdoorsman, reviews a new book that’s full of information about North Carolina’s beloved tourist attraction and state park. Reviewed by Tom Dillon GRANDFATHER MOUNTAIN: THE HISTORY AND GUIDE TO AN APPALACHIAN ICON. By Randy Johnson. University … Continue reading →

Posted in American History, Contemporary Nonfiction, Nature | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Why we do what we do

Posted on November 16, 2016 by Linda

Reviewed by Paul T. O’Connor INVISIBLE INFLUENCE: THE HIDDEN FORCES THAT SHAPE BEHAVIOR. By Jonah Berger. Simon & Schuster. 232 pages. $26.99. As much as we’d all like to think that we run our own lives, there’s no denying that … Continue reading →

Posted in Contemporary Nonfiction, Popular Science | Tagged , , | Leave a comment