Girls on Fire

Girls on Fire by Robin Wasserman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I sped through this book and had a hard time putting it down. The events were kind like watching 48 hours or a crime scene, unsolved mystery, 60 minutes about teenagers all rolled into one. Robin Wasserman wove a tale of dark reality was that was to believe was non-fiction while I as immersed within the pages.

Hannah Dexter aka Dex, and Lacey both live on the fringes of the high school social scene. Did I say fringes... what I meant was that they don't fit in for vastly different reasons. Hannah, because she harbors a lot of feelings of injustice and just doesn't have the right look, and Lacey because she is the new girl in a small town, who brings big city Grunge attire and an extreme obsession with Kurt Cobain (the book is set in the early 90s). Lacey takes Hannah and gives her new confidence as she becomes Dex, the trusty sidekick. A hatred of the ultimate mean girl Nikki bonds them together in a girlhood crush on life and hating anything the "plebs" may deign to do or like.

I can honestly say that on the outside look in, that EVERY one of these characters is despicable in some way. Probably Lacey's mom the most for me, with the small glances we get into her selfish thoughts towards motherhood that made me want to beat the crap out of her. Nikki was a CLOSE CLOSE second, especially with the "sleepover" incident.

There is a lot of harsh realities of small town, overly religion, teenage life on these pages. A lot of topics that parents don't ever want to think about happening to their child or have their child out doing. Unfortunately, we can all hide under the blanket of suburbanite life or we can face the fact that things like this will happen to some kids. I wanted to smother my child and home-school him after reading this.

**Sensitive topics such as drug use, underage drinking, "satanic" rituals, rape, emotional abuse and death do occur in this book so be prepared.

With all of the horrors found within, this is also a book that feels so real it is scary. Such as the author either personally experienced these horrors from some point or was privy to someone who did. The book is written that fantastically that to give it anything less would be a travesty... 5 stars for me.

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Drucker & Me

Drucker & Me is written by Bob Buford and is written in autobiographical form about Bob Buford and the business/life coach Peter Drucker.

This book was an interesting read for me.  The first half of the book felt like a really intimate look at the relationship between Peter Drucker and Bob Buford.  It was a very enlightening read and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  I kind of wish the book would have stopped about halfway through.

The second half of the book had trouble holding my interest.  The tone of the book shifted more into Bob Buford himself after the death of Peter Drucker and building up his religious empire.   It got a little religiously pushy and boring to read for me personally, but I’m not a huge religious book reader in general.

The half of the book that deals with Peter Drucker was more than worth reading the book for.  Peter Drucker sounds like he was just an amazing man.  The way that Bob Buford was able to capture their relationship was very eye-opening to read.  I felt blessed to be given such an intimate look at some of the personal advice that Bob was given.  It was almost as if reading this relationship through the pages was being touched by Peter himself.  Of course this description probably fits into who Peter was as a person.  I honestly felt a twinge of sadness at the loss of a man I had never even met.  It felt like a travesty that the world would be deprived of someone so large-minded and inspiring.  I know that I will definitely be looking into more of Peter Drucker’s later writings to try to connect with him and learn from him even after his life.

I give this book 4/5 stars.  I wish it was merely a part one because it would be 6/5 stars for the wealth of knowledge that has been shared with this look into Peter Drucker, eloquently told by Bob Buford.  However the second half of the book took away from this message so much for me, that it was almost blasphemous for the first half.  Unless you are interested in megachurches and a lot of self-touting, I suggest stopping after part one.  If you are interested in autobiographies, biographies, mentorship, non-fiction, advice, etc. I highly suggest checking out this book.


*I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Creation Theory and Parenting

I am currently taking a Mythological English class, and last week we explored our beliefs and the beliefs around the world in creationism.  As a response I had to talk about how I was raised and how I would raise my son.   I spent a lot of time with this, and realized that although I have had many thoughts about it in the past, that I have never actually written down any of those thoughts.  I wanted to share them now in the this public forum:

I have always been fascinated with much in this story of creationism due to all that surrounds it in numerology given the number seven as well as the many similarities that can be traced back to religions of many different eras.  The contradictory beliefs that I have personally experienced within the rigid followers of Christianity have both confused and intrigued me.  I do claim Christianity as a base belief with an open mind to other beliefs and science.

To speak openly and truthfully, my son is now four and I approach small issues as they arrive.  Living in the state of Texas is an extremely religious state, at times to the point of zealotry.  I have no issues with my son learning positive values from any religion such as how to treat people and be a kind and compassionate individual.  As far as it pertains to creation, I have always treaded a line between religion and science.  I do believe that evolution exists as it happens every day, but I also do not think that Darwin was entirely correct in our origin.  I believe that in Science one can also deduce an evolution from a much more man-like species, which is still created at some point.  Given the newness of Christianity within our history as mankind, I have a hard time trusting that it is the “end all, be all” theory in regards to life. 

I choose to let me son explore what feels right and true within his own soul and heart and not force-feed him beliefs in the way that they were thrust upon me.  I feel that my role as a parent is instead to guide him to sources of knowledge and be there to answer his questions as best I can; free from judgment and bias if he comes to a different conclusion that is right for him, than that which is right for me.  I think that this is an issue that will continue to be a debatable enigma for as long as mankind exists.  For me I do not need to know the answers to everything, as I am constantly in search of information to quench my thirst for knowledge and I am open to concepts that are knew and feel more correct than what I know at this point and time.  I know that is not a complete or popular answer on this question, but that is best I can provide at this time.

The Tears of Nero

The Tears of Nero is written by Jason Brannon and features a story reminiscent of SAW and featuring Christianity and beliefs in angels and the apocalypse.

When describing this book, I most commonly refer to it as “The Dark Religious Saw” book. It features religious zealotry for personal gain at its finest. There are a plethora of Old Testament religious names and ideas that occur within this novel. However, do not let the religious aspect cause you to shy away from this book. As someone who will usually pass up overly religious fiction, this was a thrilling read. It was definitely worth the read and the religion was the driving force for sides both “good” and “evil.”

I had many conspiracy theories about characters throughout the book and can admit slight disappointment at none of them coming to pass as huge twists in the story, but it was still a very good suspense read.

The book opens in a man having a possible psychotic break when he is visited by a dark angel after having lost his mother to cancer which makes him question his faith and belief in God. The question that pervades his mind and remains a theme throughout the story is “Why do bad things happen to good people?” At this time he is reminded of and envisions the historical Roman emperor Nero who massacred Christians during his reign.

Five people awaken after having been drugged at a party on what they think is a deserted island. Quickly, they realize that they are instead about to play a game that may cost them their lives. They are faced with experiences that will make them question their faith, and everything they know about people and life in order to entertain the curiosity of a madman. Each of them has something in common in one way or another, but can they figure it out in time?

Brannon did an excellent job of creating realistic characters and breathing into them life. The surroundings were described well and you could feel the ominous tones of the book. My main complaints are there were a few typos peppered here and there throughout the story and that I wanted it to have more twists to totally blow away any notions of solving the mystery.

Overall this was an entertaining read that is well deserving of 4/5 stars. I would definitely be interested in reading more of Brannon’s work and I highly recommend this novel. If you are into anything from suspense to religion to fiction in general, you will enjoy this book.

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Spotlight on God on Trial by Sabri Bebawi

Blurb:

Convinced that God is a negative force, tormenting the helpless human race, an ailing English professor becomes determined to put the deity on trial.  But when he’s diagnosed with schizophrenia, he soon succumbs to the damning madness and brutally stabs and kills his wife. And in the deadly manhunt that ensues, he is ultimately shot dead by the police.   This prompts his grieving sister to follow through his life’s mission to bring God to justice.

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Excerpt:

He’s now back home in California. It is another night. That
tantalizing sensation overtakes his natural senses again. Growing up, he always felt a sense of discomfort that was unrelated to his illnesses, and he still feels it now. He never has been able to identify the source of his severe and unusual discomfort. He wonders whether it was his family, religion in general, or society, with its unscrupulous culture.

He thinks of his parents. “Sadly, They were at odds,” he hears himself utter. “And rightfully so.”

His mother was at home, taking care of five kids, and his father was
either working or endlessly playing. His mother had a tender soul. She was simple, affectionate, and caring, and loved her children dearly. The child in him sees her before him as a pretty young woman with fair skin, brown hair, and large brown eyes. She stands by his bed; she is neither too tall nor too short and neither too slim nor too heavy, but she is mysterious. Though his mother probably never knew it, she has had an immense impact on his life that continues with him until this moment of certain hallucination.
 
He becomes fully awake. It is 2:25 a.m. He gets up and decides to make a cup of espresso forte. After breaking a couple of coffee cups, spilling coffee all over his kitchen counter and floor, and mumbling a few expletives, he cleans up. Now he is calm; now he will taste the fruit of his coffee-making adventure; he places the cup on his desk and starts to write.  
I’m not sure my parents’ odd relationship had any effect on me. I was a happy child tormented by religion and religious people’s
hallucinations. I was tormented by Egyptian hypocrisy. I’ve seen a great deal of hypocrisy, child abuse, infidelity, abuse of women, and abuse by the government, churches, and mosques.  
He hears the voice of his mother; during his childhood she always
read to him in bed before he went to sleep. Now she reads from the
Bible. In both her wisdom and lack of awareness, she reads from the Book of Genesis and the Book of Revelations. This exposure to apocalyptic writing at a very young age has had a profound effect on him.
 
Being imaginative, and in this phantasmagoric state, he now experiences the same fright he experienced as a child. He returns to bed and suddenly falls asleep but is soon awoken by one of his many epileptic seizures. His body shakes uncontrollably, and his tremors seem to have a mind of their own.

As his attack gradually dissipates, he thinks of the savagery of God and questions why a peaceful God would be so cruel and nasty. These thoughts make him feel even more terrified. Since childhood he has been petrified of that entity referred to as “God.”

At age seven or eight, he developed an obsessive-compulsive disorder.  He’d repeat the phrase “God forgive me” to himself all day until he went to bed. He kept this a secret because he had no idea how his mother, siblings, or Zakia would react. He remembers that he often went to Zakia, who was a Muslim, and asked her to hold him. She would oblige, and he would feel protected, even from that savage God.

He gets out of bed. It is 3:42 a.m. He makes another cup of espresso forte and sits at his desk, thinking. Again he writes.

This phase simply shaped my feelings about whether God does indeed exist. I often thought I’d be better than him or her or it, for I would not be as cruel, brutal, or malicious. Today I am an agnostic, and I can’t get myself to understand why anyone would believe in such a God as depicted in the holy books, including the Bible.

In addition to the Bible, there were other sources of great damage.  Egypt is an Islamic country. I was exposed to and forced to learn about Islam and its holy book, the Quran, which is like the Bible in its
catastrophic content. I was forced to learn about the Islamic laws, Sharia, even though I was a Coptic. I did so in schools, and I did so in everyday affairs. I was even forced to memorize and recite verses from the Quran, which also had a negative impact on me.

The daily prayers announced over loudspeakers, and coming from all directions, were a frightening experience for me. Everywhere in Egypt, between each mosque there is a mosque, and even that wasn’t enough. The radio broadcasted Quran readings repeatedly. Even today the memory of these sounds brings a deep downheartedness to my soul.

I remember Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman, the blind cleric who’s in a North Carolina prison now for conspiring to commit terrorism. His mosque was right behind our house. I remember Abdel-Rahman’s Friday sermons. He’d curse the Christians, Jews, and Americans (I don’t know why he cursed Americans) publically over a loudspeaker that echoed miles away. The sheikh would scream in a screeching, deafening voice, “May God burn them and displace their children, and may God burn their houses.” The congregation would repeat, “Amen.” And the pattern would continue.

This persisted for a long time. We were so used to it, however, that it didn’t bother us much. The amazing thing is that Sheikh Abdel-Rahman was a friend of my father’s. He often visited my father at his law firm and spent hours talking with him. My father considered him a harmless, kind man.

Well, for once my father was wrong. The sheikh always has been a terrorist, and he put his evil spirit into action. Fortunately he’s in prison now. I hope he never gets out.

He stops writing for a minute and wonders how the United States allowed that savage man to enter this country. Where was American intelligence?  Didn’t they know how radical Abdel-Rahman was? This was simply bizarre.  But the United States government overlooks such things so often that he
wonders whether the word intelligence is fitting at all.

His mind is racing, and he grows exhausted with the burden of thoughts.  Hoping for a few minutes of sleep, he goes back to bed. His hope materializes, or perhaps he thinks so; at the very least, he is
semi-asleep.

Buy Link:

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About the Author:

The middle of five children, Sabri Bebawi was born in 1956 in the town of Fayoum, Egypt, where he attended law school at Cairo University. He then left Egypt for the United Kingdom. He was invited by Oxford University, where he spent some time, and never returned to Egypt. A few years later, after living and working in England, Italy, France, and Cyprus, he took refuge in the country he loved most, the United States.

In California he studied communications at California State University, Fullerton, then obtained a master’s degree there in English education. Later he worked at many colleges and universities
teaching English as a second language, freshman English, journalism, and educational technology. He did further graduate work at UCLA and obtained a PhD in education and distance learning from Capella University.

Although English is his third language, he has published many works in English on eclectic topics. It has always been his ambition to write novels, and this is his first attempt. As English is a foreign language to him, the task of writing a novel has been challenging.

As a child, Bebawi struggled to make sense of religions and their contradictions; in fact he grew up terrified of the word God. As he grew older and studied law, as well as all the holy books, he developed a more pragmatic and sensible stance; the word became just that—a word.

Connect With The Author:

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Giveaway:
Enter to win one of three e-book copies of God on Trial. To enter, simply leave a comment with
your email address on the tour post. The giveaway will be open 9/22/14 –10/20/14. To increase your chances of winning, simply follow the tour and comment at each stop! Winners will be randomly selected and contacted by the author after the tour is over.

Blood of the Fold Review

I have finally found the time to finish Blood of the Fold.  This is the third book in the Terry Goodkind series.  This is the book that seemed to have gotten the majority of bad reviews in the series.  I think it has to do with the religious undertone of the book.  In case you are unfamiliar this is part of the Sword of Truth series that focuses around the main characters of Richard Cypher and Kahlan Amnell as they fight evil and try to restore faith in humanity and magic.

At the end of Stone of Tears, Richard is finally accepting the fact that he is a war wizard and that his magic is brought upon in times of need and instinct.  When he gets out of his own way he is one of the greatest magicians with the most amount of power we have ever seen.  Kahlan has run with Zedd after her beheading.  The Dark Sisters have escaped on a ship.  Richard had finally found a way to forgive Kahlan for forcing him to put on a collar and we have seen new friends from the Old World. We were introduced to the Imperial Army and have heard mention several times about the Blood of the Fold.

In Blood of the Fold, Goodkind delves us deeper into the psyche behind the current leader of the Blood of the Fold a man named Tobias Brogan.  The Blood of the Fold are called such due to the crimson capes that they wear at all times and the trail of blood that they leave behind in their quest to root out banelings (the keepers minions in this world).  Brogan is a true blue believer in his quest and finds ways to explain everything so that he is always the good guy at the forefront of his mind.  If something doesn't add up he will find a reason for it to be acceptable to him (for example, incest with his sister).  If anyone makes him angry or stands in his way they are immediately considered a baneling and must be killed, he will force a confession out of anyone under extreme measures of torture to get them to admit to doing the keeper's work.  He finds that joining with the Imperial Army is in the best interest of the Blood of the Fold at this time.
I honestly think that Terry Goodkind did an amazing job capturing the zealotry that can be found in religion.  The need to always have one's faith proven correct no matter what the peril even if it becomes a personal vendetta....  enter in religious wars...

We are also introduced to the leader of the Imperial Army:  Emperor Jagang who is a dreamwalker.  Which means that he can enter into the dreams of people and physically torture them or find other ways to force them to do his bidding.  He is all about slavery and forcing people to his will.
With Jagang's dreamwalking ability we learn that the Rahl bond that was created by Richard's ancestor is the only line of defense to the dreamwalker entering someones mind when they are asleep.  Of course we can't forget the ever persistent new bodyguards to include the Mord-Sith.


Many of our friends from the Palace of the Prophets stay with us in this story as we can follow along and get to know even more about Verna and Warren and also more about the dark sisters that fled the palace.  We also become intimately familiar with mriswrith and learn more about the great war from the past that destroyed so many lives and so many wizards.  Richard & Kahlan seem doomed to be separated through events and prophecies beyond their control. 

Overall I have to say that this book was shorter than the others and took on a different book than the previous two.  With that being said I do not in anyway think that it is a worse book.  I think it was a very insightful book into an enemy that plays on the fear of people as a "religious body".  I loved that Terry Goodkind was brave enough to take this on and think that he did an excellent job in showing how when ruled by fear, we can lose freedom and reason in life. 

As with the previous two books we are introduced to the third wizards rule being: 
Passion rules reason. —Chapter 43, pg number varies, U.S. hardcover edition.  It is explained in the novel as follows: "Letting your emotions control your reason may cause trouble for yourself and those around you."
And back to the wizard's second rule: The greatest harm can result from the best intentions. "It sounds a paradox, but kindness and good intentions can be an insidious path to destruction. Sometimes doing what seems right is wrong, and can cause harm. The only counter to it is knowledge, wisdom, forethought, and understanding the First Rule. Even then, that is not always enough. [...] Violation can cause anything from discomfort, to disaster, to death."
And of course the Wizard's First Rule: "People are stupid."  "People are stupid; given proper motivation, almost anyone will believe almost anything. Because people are stupid, they will believe a lie because they want to believe it's true, or because they are afraid it might be true. People's heads are full of knowledge, facts, and beliefs, and most of it is false, yet they think it all true. People are stupid; they can only rarely tell the difference between a lie and the truth, and yet they are confident they can, and so are all the easier to fool.

 
To see my two previous book reviews of the series you can go check them out at:

Stone of Tears Review Book 2

Wizard's First Rule Book 1