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This father knows best, or at least tells it best
By Linda C. Brinson I’ve followed Clyde Edgerton’s writing career from the beginning, when he blasted onto the North Carolina literary scene in a storm of controversy. His first novel, Raney, poked fun at Southern Baptists, and his employer at the time, Campbell University, an affiliate of the N.C. Baptist State Convention, was not amused.…
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Gorillas, evolution and adventure
My husband says he can’t drive while listening to an audio book – it’s too distracting. But I can (and usually do), except when traffic gets bad or directions confusing. On a recent trip, I took the wheel so that we could listen to a book I thought we’d both enjoy. I was right. He’s…
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A modest civics lesson on a lofty subject
Paul O’Connor (no known relation to Sandra Day O’Connor) is embarking on his annual driving trip, which means lots of good listening/reading time for him, and lots of good reviews for us. By Paul T. O’Connor OUT OF ORDER. By Sandra Day O’Connor. Random House Audio. CDs, 7 Hours. $35. It’s an oddity of America’s…
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The Third Reich and the power of fiction
Bob Moyer doesn’t throw glowing adjectives around lightly. If he calls a book “amazing,” it’s worth taking note. By Robert Moyer HHhH: A Novel. By Laurent Binet. Translated by Sam Taylor. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 327 pages. $26. The heated battle began shortly after World War II. As artists turned to the horrors of the…
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The casualties in industry’s assault on science
The book Denis DuBay reviews here was published in 2008, but it is, unfortunately, just as relevant today as it was then. By Denis DuBay. DOUBT IS THEIR PRODUCT: HOW INDUSTRY’S ASSAULT ON SCIENCE THREATENS YOUR HEALTH. By David Michaels. Oxford University Press, 2008. 384 pages. $29.95. Once upon a time, seemingly in another galaxy…
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Suffering and comfort
The Rev. Dr. Charles McGathy, “Chuck” to most who know him, takes a look at an audio book that tackles one of the most difficult books in the Bible – and some of the most difficult questions for struggling human beings. By Charles McGathy THE BOOK OF JOB: When Bad Things Happened to a Good…
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A new greatest generation?
I hope those who have access to the Greensboro News & Record will read a column I wrote on today’s Ideas front. The article talks about the importance of a new book written by members of the U.S. Naval Academy class of 2002, which I review briefly below. It also gives information about two appearances…
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They make a case, but it’s hard to listen to it
Paul O’Connor is back in North Carolina, back in the UNC classroom, and back in the midst of the noisy political season. By Paul T. O’Connor IT’S THE MIDDLE CLASS, STUPID. By James Carville and Stan Greenberg. Penguin Audio. 6 CDs. $29.95. Read by the authors but adapted. Also available in hardcover from Blue Rider…
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Obama, commander in chief
By Paul T. O’Connor CONFRONT AND CONCEAL: OBAMA’S SECRET WARS AND SURPRISING USE OF AMERICAN POWER. By David E. Sanger. Read by Robertson Dean. Random House Audio. 13 CDs, 15 hours. $50. Also available in hardback from Crown. Given the way President Barack Obama has used the American military, whether in the Afghanistan surge, the…