July 2015 Reviews

Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Food Rights: the Escalating Battle Over Who Decides What We Eat by David E. Gumpert

This is really an eye-opening book. While I was more than aware of the evils of conventional factory farming, I wasn’t as aware of how much pressure the government tries to put on smaller traditional farms who are trying to operate outside of the conventional factory method. This book focuses on a few cases of smaller traditional farmers and food clubs or herdshares that were targeted and shut down or prosecuted for not following food laws. Many of these stories involve raw milk which has become the catalyst issue for food rights. While the laws on raw milk vary from state to state, many of the stories in this book were of people operating under the radar of the law – or trying to. If the public sale of raw milk is illegal, what about a herdshare agreement or private food club? These issues are being decided across the country right now. What is more of a fundamental right than the right to choose what kind of food goes into your body?! And this is not about food safety – it’s about governmental power and control. Gumpert does a great job exploring this appalling issue through a few examples. This will really make you think and I agree with the author that we need more small farmers and the people who support them and want to buy their food to move into civil disobedience against these ridiculous laws. If you don’t already support your local lunatic farmer and stand up for local food rights in your area!

Some quotes I really liked:

“But, today, the U.S. government denies perhaps the most fundamental right: freedom of food choice. After all, what good is it to possess the right to own guns, assemble, speak, or worship if we can’t choose good fuel for our bodies to propel us to shoot, pray, or preach? Is not food even more basic than religion? What religion can you practice without food?” (p. x from the Introduction by Joel Salatin)

“While most small farms that sell directly to consumers, including Meadowsweet, actively encourage their customers to visit and learn about how their food is produced, large corporate producers often try to keep shocking images of vast crowded animal holding areas off-limits to public scrutiny. After several videos of farm animal abuse were publicized, a number of states with a substantial number of farms owned by major corporations – Iowa, Utah, Florida, Illinois, and Minnesota – actually promoted legislation that would make it illegal for anyone to film CAFO farms undercover.” (p. 31)

“The Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund sprang up on July 4, 2007, to protect the rights of farmers and consumers being prosecuted for dispensing foods privately. One of its first cases involved defending Meadowsweet Dairy, which I described earlier in this chapter. In early 2010, it challenged the FDA in a federal court suit on behalf of ten plaintiffs, arguing that the agency’s ban on interstate shipments of raw milk interfered with individual rights to privacy and due process. The case was notable for prompting the FDA, in a motion to dismiss the case, to declare that Americans have ‘no absolute right to consume or feed children any particular food.’ Its rationale? ‘Comprehensive federal regulations of the food supply has been in effect at least since Congress enacted the Pure Food and Drugs Act of 1906, and was strengthened by the passage of the FDCA [Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act] in 1938. Thus, plantiffs’ claim to a fundamental privacy interest in obtaining ‘foods of their own choice’ for themselves and their families is without merit.’” (p. 34-5)

“Despite raw milk being for many centuries one of mankind’s most important foods, its seventy-five-year downfall during the chaos of the Industrial Revolution resulted in it becoming not only the first processed food, but the first food in American history to be banned or sharply limited in its raw form. Because the restrictions occurred gradually (over a period of more than half a century) and the evidence seemed so convincing, the enormity of what happened – that an important precedent had been set that allowed public authorities to ban or curtail food deemed ‘dangerous’ so as to ‘protect’ us – went largely unnoticed.” (p. 45)

You're Not Much Use to Anyone by David Shapiro

David just graduated from NYU and is stalling on actually finding a career and becoming an adult. His parents still pay his rent and he pretends to be studying to take the LSAT. When he lands an incredibly dull and mindless job he decides to start a blog as an outlet. He types up the posts on his Blackberry and emails them to a friend to post for him. Pretty soon his blog takes off and he has real journalists wanting to interview him and write about him. While he's excited David also feels like he's still pretending to be an adult - and now pretending to be a writer. The book is almost written like blog posts, so it's a really quick read. There are some pretty funny parts, but also some pretty awkward parts which make it seem more real and make David more likable. While I did like the book, the ending was really vague and just left you hanging. I was hoping for some hint of a direction for David in the end. Overall, a fun, quick read.

Hand to Mouth: Living in Bootstrap America by Linda Tirado

In 2013 Linda Tirado responded to an online forum question about why poor people make bad decisions. Her response/tirade hit a chord and almost instantly went viral. It was published on The Huffington Post and other major publications. Hand to Mouth is a longer, more organized version of that forum post. Tirado talks about being poor and living hand to mouth and how hard it is - she explains many of the misconceptions or stereotypes wealthier people have of poor people. While I don't consider myself ignorant of how hard it is for poor people to get by, this book was VERY eye-opening. Unfortunately even if you try not to you still often assume the stereotypes, but Tirado shows that you can be smart and articulate and still struggle to make ends meet day to day. I don't think of myself as "rich," but by Tirado's definition I most definitely am. This book should really be a must-read for anyone - wherever you are on the wage/class spectrum. If nothing else you'll be more grateful for what you have and you'll try harder to be nicer to the low-income workers you encounter on any given day (fast food, gas station, janitorial workers, etc.).

The Moment of Everything by Shelly King

In some ways this book really reminded me of Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, but with a female protagonist - they both feature used book stores in California, IT start-ups, coding, and of course lots of books. Maggie came out to California with her best friend and an MLIS degree hoping to find work in a library system. Instead she ended up working for a tech start-up company with her best friend - at least until her position was eliminated. After that she ends up spending so much time in her landlord's used bookstore that she starts working there. While there she finds a tattered copy of Lady Chatterley's Lover that she plans to read for a book club she's been asked to join. But when she starts to read she's surprised to find notes written on the pages of the book between Henry and Catherine - two real life people who seem to fall in love with each other only through these notes. Do Henry and Catherine ever get together? Are they still alive? Where are they now? This energizes Maggie and she ends up using Henry and Catherine's story to bring attention to the Dragonfly used book store. Through her time at the Dragonfly Maggie's life will change in unimaginable ways - she will experience grief and heartbreak, love and hope.

Bon Appetempt: a Coming of Age Story by Amelia Morris

This was somewhat disappointing. I love a good food memoir, but this one was pretty depressing. It was more about the author's constant dissatisfaction with her life and less about food. Food did factor in, more so as an adult, but overall it was kind of a downer. I liked the premise of the book that attempting to cook is important even if your results don't "match" the picture with the recipe and that is obviously a metaphor for life that it's more important to try new things than always take the safe route. There were a few recipes in the book, but not as many as you would expect for a book like this. Overall, it wasn't terrible, but I wouldn't recommend it.

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt (Books & Banter book club)

I would have never read this book if not for my book club. While I can't say I would recommend it - it is ridiculously long and often a downer - it did keep my interest and it's one of the craziest books I've ever read. There is SO MUCH going on the whole time that it's amazing that Tartt managed to keep everything straight throughout the book. Because there is so much going on and so many characters it's a book that's hard to describe or summarize. Basically the whole story is about Theo Decker and his attachment to a painting called The Goldfinch. Every major event in Theo's life is because of or related to that painting. He has an unbelievably dysfunctional and sad childhood - many important people in his life end up dying suddenly and unexpectedly. As an adult Theo gets into the criminal underground side of the art world - still all related to his connection to The Goldfinch.His past starts to catch up to him and how he decides to handle things will show who he really is. A big theme throughout the book is what determines who you really are - your parents, your circumstances, your choices, etc. This was definitely an interesting and unique book, but it is also incredibly sad and depressing and there is a LOT of drug use. It should make for an interesting book club discussion though since there is a LOT to talk about!

Some quotes I really liked:

"But sometimes, unexpectedly, grief pounded over me in waves that left me gasping; and when the waves washed back, I found myself looking out over a brackish wreck which was illuminated in a light so lucid, so heartsick and empty, that I could hardly remember that the world had ever been anything but dead." (p. 93)

"Though sometimes I worked down in the basement with Hobie for six or seven hours at a time, barely a word spoken, I never felt lonely in the beam of his attention: that an adult not my mother could be so sympathetic and attuned, so fully there, astonished me." (p. 418)

"Very dark message to this book [The Idiot]. 'Why be good.' But - this is what took hold on me last night, riding here in the car. What if - is more complicated than that? What if maybe opposite is true as well? Because, if bad can sometimes come from good actions-? where does it say, anywhere, that only bad can come from bad actions? Maybe sometimes - the wrong way is the right way? You can take the wrong path and it still comes out where you want to be? Or, spin it another way, sometimes you can do everything wrong and it still turns out to be right?...What if all your actions and choices, good or bad, make no difference to God? What if the pattern is pre-set? No no - hang on - this is a question worth struggling with. What if you badness and mistakes are the very thing that set our fate and bring us round to good? What if, for some of us, we can't get there any other way?" (p. 745-6)

A great sorrow, and one that I am only beginning to understand: we don't get to choose our own hearts. We can't make ourselves want what's good for us or what's good for other people. We don't get to choose the people we are...Only here's what I really, really want someone to explain to me. What if one happens to be possessed of a heart that can't be trusted --? What if the heart, for its own unfathomable reasons, leads one willfully and in a cloud of unspeakable radiance away from health, domesticity, civic responsibility and strong social connections and all the blandly-held common virtues and instead straight towards a beautiful flare of ruin, self-immolation, disaster?" (p. 761)

The Chain: Farm, Factory, and the Fate of Our Food by Ted Genoways

The Chain looks at the industrial food industry through the lens of Hormel - one of the largest pork producers in the world. Genoways not only looks at the horrific CAFO system for "raising" hogs for meat, but also how companies like Hormel corner the market for themselves through vertical integration (they own ALL aspects of the industry - the hogs, the feed, the slaughterhouses, the food processing plants, etc.). Besides the horrible, yet blessedly short, lives of the hogs, the worst part is how terribly the workers are treated. These companies needs scores of low-wage, un-skilled labor, so they look to the illegal immigrant population. These people, of course not all here illegally, are just trying to make a living, but usually end up with severe long-term health problems even after only a few months in this type of environment. What's even more enraging is that these companies often work with ICE to "give" them illegal employees over certain periods of time instead of having sweeping raids where half or more of their employees would be arrested and deported, yet these companies are never prosecuted or punished for continuing to hire illegals all the time - they don't have any intention of ever stopping. Unfortunately all these corporations care about is making more money - to the physical and emotional harm of the animals raised and killed for these products, the workers who do all the dirty work, and the communities affected by the CAFOs and factories. While a hard and sad book, it's another window into the horrible world of industrial farming. The ONLY answer to this is to support your local farmer and opt out of this terrible system. 

Here are some quotes I liked:

"Only at the end of the checkup did Dyck explain to Garcia that there was an 'epidemic of neuropathy' that was affecting QPP [Quality Pork Processors, Inc.] workers - a newly discovered form of demyelinating polyradiculoneuropahty. After careful study, medical investigators had unanimously concluded that inhaling aerosolized brains had caused workers' immune systems to produce antibodies. Because porcine and human neurological cells are so similar, the antibodies didn't recognize when the foreign cells had been eliminated. Even when Garcia's body had eliminated all the hog tissue he had inhaled, Dyck explained, the antibodies kept fighting the infection, destroying Garcia's own nerve cells. The explanation made sense, except that, according to company officials, QPP had been blowing brains, off and on, for more than a decade. So why did workers fall ill now and not earlier? The answer offered by the Mayo Clinic is complex but boils down to one key change: increased line speed...And the longer hours worked in 2007 had, quite simply, upped workers' exposure." (p. 50-51)

"'It's absurd,' said Amanda Hitt at the Government Accountability Project. She told me that activist videos were akin to airplane black-box recorders - evidence for investigators to deconstruct and find wrongdoing. Ag gag laws, as they're known, don't just interfere with workers blowing the whistle on animal abuse. 'You are also stopping environmental whistle-blowing; you are also stopping workers' rights whistle-blowing.' In short, 'you have given power to the industry to completely self-regulate,' That should 'scare the pants off' of consumers concerned about where their food comes from. 'It's the consumers's right to know, but also the employee's right to tell. You gotta have both.' She said she couldn't believe that an industry that had been so regularly recorded breaking the law 'would have the audacity to come to any state legislative body and say, 'Hey, we're sick of getting caught doing crimes. Could you do us a favor and criminalize catching us?'" (p. 138-9)

"To me, the hog industry's vigilance against external pathogens seemed strangely at odds with their out-of-hand dismissals of concerns about their facilities' effects on human health." (p. 194)

"But this modern method of raising hogs is the farthest thing from natural; in fact, it is only made possible by massive amounts of antibiotics - used to prevent illness, to promote growth, and to increase fertility in ever increasing dosages as bacteria develop resistance and mutate into new, stronger strains. Many medical researchers and public health advocates now caution the widespread use of antibiotics has grown reckless and potentially dangerous." (p. 196)

"The team gathered the records of more than a thousand patients from rural Iowa who had been admitted to the Iowa Veterans' Affairs Hospital with respiratory complaints in 2010 and 2011. In all, they found 119 of the patients were suffering from MRSA. The rate in itself was distressingly high, but the greatest shock came when the home addresses for those patients were overlaid onto the Iowa's DNR's [Dept. of Natural Resources] map of CAFOs. The overwhelming number of patients with MRSA lived within one mile of a hog confinement. They were three times more likely to have the antibiotic-resistant bacteria than other residents of rural Iowa - and nearly ten times more likely than someone living in an urban area. The researchers were unable to say exactly how MRSA was making the jump from the confined hogs to the workers in the barns and the nearby residents, but they noted that manure from CAFOs is typically spread as fertilizer on the corn and soybean fields surrounding the barns. 'MRSA can be aerosolized from this manure to human food or water sources,' they concluded. 'The increasing populations of swine raised in densely populated CAFOs and exposed to antibiotics presents opportunities for drug-resistant pathogens to be transmitted among human populations.'"(p. 204-5)

"...the impact [of CAFO hog production] on Iowa's waterways has been almost too massive to comprehend. Of ninety test stations established across the state, only two now rate water quality as good. None rate as excellent. The Raccoon River and Des Moines River watersheds, which together supply most of the drinking water for the city of Des Moines and converge just east of the capital, have the highest and second-highest nitrate loads of the forty-two major tributaries to the Mississippi River. The Iowa DNR [Dept. of Natural Resources] estimates that the level of E. coli in the Raccoon River needs to be reduced by 99 percent." (p. 210)

June 2015 Cookbooks

The Little Book of Lunch by Caroline Craig and Sophie Missing

I really like the concept of this book. The authors are trying to encourage people to enjoy their lunch at work more - not by going out, but by making fun and special meals that are easy to assemble at work or hold up well until lunchtime. They break the recipes down into a few categories like cooking the night before, using leftovers better, wholesome and healthy, etc. At the beginning they also talk about the best ways to package lunches and various containers that can be used as a lunchbox. Overall, a cute book that sings the praises of lunchtime at work.

Fried Chicken by Rebecca Lang

Who would have thought you could have an entire cookbook devoted to fried chicken?! Rebecca Lang starts off with some really helpful information about frying chicken - from selecting a chicken and cutting it up into pieces (with a helpful picture) to options for fats to use when frying, and the various types of frying (skillet, deep, and combination). Then the recipes are broken down by the frying type. Of course EVERY recipe sounded great and there are tons of mouth-watering pictures of fried chicken throughout! Really good Southern-style fried chicken is one of my cooking goals, so hopefully this book will help me get on the right path.

June 2015 Reviews

Saving Simon by Jon Katz

In 2011 Jon Katz received a call from an animal control officer who was trying to find a home for a severely neglected donkey that was seized from a local farm. Katz agreed and quickly realized that Simon (the donkey) would change and affect him more than he ever imagined. Simon was almost dead by the time animal control officers were called about his condition. In the weeks that it took to nurture him back to health he and Jon formed a strong bond. Jon began to see the true meaning of compassion through his relationship with Simon. He even decided to visit the farmer who neglected Simon because he felt like if Simon deserved compassion, so did his former owner despite his actions, or lack thereof. Because of his relationship with Simon Jon begins to open himself up more - both to animals and people. He ends up adopting two other animals (a border collie from Ireland and an older blind pony) that he never would have before simply because he was more open to their needs and situation. This is really a beautiful book about one man's experience with an animal, but also about the strong bonds between animals and humans and how they can shape us if we let them. If you're an animal lover this is a must read!

All or Nothing: One Chef's Appetite for the Extreme by Jesse Schenker

Jesse Schenker never felt comfortable in his own skin. When he was 12 years old he discovered drugs and quickly felt calm and relaxed like he never had before. By the time he was 17 he was physically addicted to Oxycontin and when that became harder to come by he turned to heroin and crack. By his early 20's he had lied and stolen from every family member and friend he had. Jesse finally began to turn his life around after hitting rock bottom - living on the streets for over two years. When he was arrested Jesse was actually glad because he knew it would be a chance to finally get sober. Before and even during his addiction Jesse loved food and cooking. After he got sober he knew that the kitchen is where he needed to be, but it was also where he had been introduced to harder drugs. Determined to stay sober and succeed in the kitchen Jesse poured all his energy into learning and growing as a chef. After making a name for himself in the New York restaurant scene Jesse knew he had finally made it, but he also realized that he had traded one drug for another - he was a raving workaholic who was running himself into the ground. After opening two successful restaurants and creating a family of his own Jesse still works to create a "middle ground" in his life so that he's not tempted by the extremes of his personality. This is a wild ride into the shadow-world of drug addiction, but also a story of hope as Jesse shows that it's possible to completely turn your life around despite whatever your past might be.

Lentil Underground: Renegade Farmers and the Future of Food in America by Liz Carlisle

In 1986 Dave Oien and three other young farmers started Timeless Seeds as a way to transition their family farms from traditional chemical-dependent monocultures into organic farms. Lentil Underground tells the story of Timeless Seeds from it's very beginning to what they are doing today. Timeless is a unique entity in that it is still dealing with commercial-level farming, while trying to stay true to their grass-roots, community-oriented background. Besides founder Dave Oien, many of the other Timeless farmers are profiled in this book and they tell how they came over to the "organic side" of farming. This is a unique look at how a small group of like-minded friends really created a farming industry build around their values and principles. Their story shows that a small group of people really can make a big impact on their local community and truly change the face of farming.

Some quotes I liked:

"Conventional growers had different expectations than Dave's buddies did, and most of them had no idea what they were getting themselves into. Dave knew firsthand that farm conversion was an intense process, which unfolded as a series of sweeping changes. First you had to change your mind. Then you had to change your farm. Then you had to change your business and the institutions that served it. And now that you were a weirdo, you either had to change your community or form a new one." (p. 105)

"AS the 2009 legislature approached, it appeared the alliance had a decent shot of passing the most popular piece of its legislative package: the Farmer Protection Bill. As sponsor Betsy Hands explained, the Farmer Protection Bill would establish a standard crop-sampling protocol for patent holders to follow when investigating farmers, something GMO seed companies had been doing with increasing frequency. If a grower acquired patented plant material unknowingly - by planting contaminated seed or via pollen drift - they couldn't be held liable for patent infringement. After several years of failed attempts, it looked like the farmer protection measure finally had the necessary votes to pass. The bill sailed through the Montana House of Representatives on a 37-43 vote, and Jim Barngrover started thinking ahead, imagining how he might leverage this majority to pass some of his more far-reaching GMO-related proposals. And then, before it could reach the floor of the state senate, the Farmer Protection Bill was tabled in committee. Two days later, an investigative reporter from the Associated Press offered an explanation. Monsanto had hosted a dinner for members of the Senate Agriculture, Livestock, and Irrigation Committee at a private club in Helena. Somewhere between the steak and the dessert, the legislators had changed their minds about patent infringement." (p. 206-7)

"What I'd realized as I spent time with the Timeless farmers is that most of what they were doing was tangential to the business, at least in mainstream economic terms. But if so many of these farmers' activities fell outside the purview of a typical enterprise, I could see how their broad-based efforts were nonetheless integral to their success. As they carefully stewarded an ecosystem, a social movement, and an information network, the lentil underground had introduced me to a very different form of economy...In making these connections, the plants and people of the lentil underground bore a curious resemblance to one another. Both initiated change in their communities that could only be described as radical. In the literal sense of that word, the underground allies sought fundamental transformation at the very root of their respective systems. Surrounded by producers, they insisted on lives as regenerators...Socially and ecologically indispensable, it remained economically near impossible." (p. 242-3)

"Anna and her fellow Timeless growers attempt to create a workable niche for themselves in the food system, while simultaneously questioning the very foundations of that system. By finding creative ways to stay in the game without fully accepting its rules, the lentil underground alters the landscape slowly, subtly, subversively. This is why they can withstand challenges that bring the rest of American agriculture to its knees, like the 2012 drought. Instead of building farming systems that are maximally productive under ideal conditions, they're designing dynamic agroecosytems for the long haul, which can both survive adverse conditions and adapt to them. The many dimensions of the lentil underground - from the diverse community of microorganisms beneath the surface of the soil to the diverse community of people organizing for change beneath the surface of red state America - are at the root of this supple strength." (p. 247)

Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen

Sydney always felt invisible compared to her older brother Peyton. Peyton was always the center of attention and now he is the main cause for concern in the family. After a series of increasing serious incidents of crime and drug use, Peyton is in a drunk-driving accident that paralyzes someone. Now he is facing real jail time. If Sydney felt invisible when things were good, it's even worse now with her parents constant worry about Peyton. Then she meets the Chatham family - they are all musicians and run a local pizza restaurant. Their chaotic family is the polar opposite of her family, but she loves all the music, noise, and love she feels from this family. With Layla Chatham Sydney finds herself confiding in her new friend in ways she never could with her other friends, but Sydney is also drawn to Layla's older brother Mac. Through the Chathams Sydney finds friendship, love, and even ways to reconnect with her own family. 

This is Sarah Dessen at her best! I'm already a fan, but this might be her best book yet. She has an effortless way of creating characters that are so relatable and real. She also perfectly captures the emotions of first love in a real way (not a cheesy fake way). What I love the most about her books is that the characters are REAL. I'll keep reading her YA stuff, but I would love it if she would venture into adult fiction too.

No Place to Hide: Edward Snowden, the NSA, and U.S. Surveillance State by Glenn Greenwald

To say this book is eye-opening would be a gross understatement. Greenwald tells the story of how Edward Snowden contacted him and a colleague, Laura Poitras, and gave them hundreds of NSA documents that proved the US had been spying on other nations, as well as, its own citizens with impunity. All Snowden wanted was to expose this illegal behavior and make US citizens aware of what was really going on. He did all this at enormous personal risk and basically left his life behind in order to do so. What's even more interesting than Snowden's whistle-blowing was how hard the media worked to discredit him and Greenwald and how rampantly the US government, including the President, blatantly lied about what the NSA was doing. This is an unbelievably disturbing book that should be read by EVERY US citizen.

Here are some quotes I really liked:

"The lesson for me was clear: national security officials do not like the light. They act abusively and thuggishly only when they believe they are safe, in the dark. Secrecy is the linchpin of abuse of power, we discovered, its enabling force. Transparency is the only real antidote." (p. 12)

"Snowden gave me an answer [for why he was doing what he was doing] that felt vibrant and real. 'The true measure of a person's worth isn't what they say they believe in, but what they do in defense of those beliefs,' he said. 'If you're not acting on your beliefs, then they probably aren't real.'" (p. 43)

"Often, whistle-blowers like Snowden are demonized as loners or losers, acting not out of conscience but alienation and frustration at a failed life. Snowden was the opposite: he had a life filled with things people view as most valuable. His decision to leak the documents meant giving up a long-term girlfriend whom he loved, a life in the paradise of Hawaii, a supportive family, a stable career, a lucrative paycheck, a life ahead full of possibilities of every type." (p. 47)

"The Obama administration had waged what people across the political spectrum were calling an unprecedented war on whistle-blowers. The president, who had campaigned on a vow to have the 'most transparent administration in history,' specifically pledging to protect whistle-blowers, whom he hailed as 'noble' and 'courageous,' had done exactly the opposite. Obama's administration has prosecuted more government leakers under the Espionage Act of 1917 - a total of seven - than all previous administrations in US history combined..." (p. 50)

"In addition to foreign leaders, the United States has also, for example, spied extensively on international organizations such as the United Nations to gain diplomatic advantage." (p. 142)

"A training document prepared for analysts claims the program [X-KEYSCORE] captures 'nearly everything a typical user does on the internet,' including the text of emails, Google searches, and the names of websites visited. X-KEYSCORE even allows 'real-time' monitoring of a person's online activities, enabling the NSA to observe emails and browsing activities as they happen." (p. 153)

"The Internet has long been heralded as an unprecedented instrument of democratization and liberalization, even emancipation. But in the eyes of the US government, this global network and other types of communications technology threaten to undermine American power. Viewed from this perspective, the NSA's ambition to 'collect it all' at last becomes coherent. It is vital that the NSA monitor all parts of the Internet and any other means of communication, so that none can escape US government control." (p. 169)

"The many pro-surveillance advocates I have debated since Snowden blew the whistle have been quick to echo Eric Schmidt's view that privacy is for people who have something to hide. But none of them would willingly give me the passwords to their email accounts, or allow video cameras in their homes." (p. 171)

"What makes a surveillance system effective in controlling human behavior is the knowledge that one's words and actions are susceptible to monitoring [whether is actually IS all the time or not]." (p. 175)

"Of course, dutiful, loyal supporters of the president and his policies, good citizens who do nothing to attract negative attention from the powerful, have no reason to fear the surveillance state. This is the case in every society: those who pose no challenge are rarely targeted by oppressive measures, and from their perspective, they can then convince themselves that oppression does not really exist. But the true measure of a society's freedom is how it treats its dissidents and other marginalized groups, not how it treats good loyalists." (p. 196)

"Once reporters are branded as activists, once their work is tainted by the accusation of criminal activity and they are cast out of the circle of protections for journalists, they are vulnerable to criminal treatment. This was made clear to me very quickly after the NSA story broke. Within minutes of my return home to Rio after my stay in Hong Kong, David told me that his laptop had vanished. Suspecting that its disappearance was connected to a conversation we had while I was away, he reminded me that I had called him on Skype to talk about a large encrypted file of documents I intended to send electronically...'Less than forty-eight hours after you told me that,' David said, 'my laptop was stolen from the house.'...nothing else was taken or disturbed." (p. 236)

Trash Mountain by Jane Yolen

This book was not at all what I expected. I basically picked it up because of the cover with the cute red squirrel. I've always liked squirrels and the cute illustrations are the ONLY good part of this book. Basically the storyline is Nutley, a young red squirrel, doesn't understand why the grey squirrels get the best food/homes/etc. and decides to try to make friends with them. When he does they attack him and leave him for dead, then the next day they come back and kill his parents. When I read that I was like WTF?! This is a children's book?! Nutley vows revenge on the greys. He winds up in the dump which the local animals call Trash Mountain. There he meets a rat named Naw and a seagull named Larie. While his parents always told him that rats and seagulls were stupid and of no value, Nutley realizes that might not always be the case. Nutley realizes that across the street from Trash Mountain is a grove of hazelnut trees, but soon he also realizes they are the territory of the gang of grey squirrels that attacked him and killed his parents. One night when Nutley is trying get some hazelnuts they attack him again and come to Trash Mountain looking to finish him off. There his newfound rat and seagull friends help him out and a grey squirrel/rat/seagull battle takes place.

I was hoping this book would show Nutley making friends with some of the grey squirrels and realizing that not everyone who's not like you is not the enemy. I was REALLY surprised at how the grey squirrels were characterized. I was also really surprised at the fact that Nutley decides to live on Trash Mountain instead of the hazelnut trees - especially once the Trash Mountain animals take care of the gang of evil grey squirrels. I would not recommend this book to ANYONE - it was pretty terrible and did not really have any kind of redeeming good message. The only plus is the cute illustrations which don't work with the violent story at all.

If you want a GOOD children's book series with squirrels as characters try the Mistmantle series or the Redwall books.

Golden State by Stephanie Kegan

Natalie Askedahl always looked up to her older brother Bobby. He taught her to tell time, find constellations in the night sky, and always really listened to her. Bobby is brilliant and goes off to college at the age of fourteen, when he comes home a few months later her parents say it's because Bobby was too young, but Natalie can tell that something has changed and Bobby is not the same. By the time Natalie is married and having her children, Bobby has cut himself off from the rest of the family and is living in a small shack off the grid in rural Idaho. When a terrorist known as the Cal Bomber strikes while Natalie's oldest daughter is at a competition at Stanford University it hits a little too close to home and Natalie starts to look into the Cal Bomber. She quickly realizes that the Bomber's manifesto sounds eerily similar to a ranting letter her brother Bobby had recently sent their mother. When she shows the manifesto and the letter to her husband he realizes they have to go to the authorities. Natalie hopes they will quickly clear her brother and move on, but the FBI arrest her brother and raid his cabin - Bobby is the Cal Bomber. Within a matter of days Natalie's whole life is upended. Golden State follows Natalie as she tries to make sense of the tragedies of the Cal Bomber and the mentally ill criminal who was once the brother she adored. 

This book seems to be based on the Unibomber who was turned in by his brother when he realized the Unibomber manifesto sounded like his brother's ranting letters. The author does a good job of showing how hard something like this would be on the family of the bomber/criminal. I don't think anyone knows how they would react to something like this and if they would have what it takes to turn their family member in to the authorities. The only reason that I didn't rate this one higher is that the focus of the book is less on Natalie's decision to turn her brother in and more on her falling apart afterward.

Hyper: a Personal History of ADHD by Timothy Denevi

This is a really interesting account of what it feels like to live with ADHD. Timothy Denevi grew up in the 80's and was diagnosed with ADHD around the time he started school. When he was being tested to figure out if his issues were ADHD, he realized that something was "wrong" with him and never knew how to fix it. What I found most interesting is that Timothy often realized immediately after doing something that it wasn't the right reaction or thing to do or say, but he couldn't un-do whatever he had just done. In school he learned that physically fighting kept most kids from picking on him because they were afraid of him. He goes through his whole school-age life - Kindergarten to graduating from high school and it was really interesting how some teachers were very understanding and accommodating and others were cruel and expected him to be like other "normal" kids. He also talks about how it felt to go on various medications for ADHD and how even now as an adult he struggles with "needing" medication to be "normal." My brother has ADHD and that was why I decided to read this book. This would be a great read for anyone with ADD/ADHD or anyone with a child/family member/loved one with ADD/ADHD to read to get an insider's perspective.

My only complaint about the book is that he intersperses his story with the history of ADHD and the treatment of childhood mental disorders/conditions - that's fine. But, I wish it had been a shorter chapter about his story and then a shorter chapter about the history of ADHD instead of a few long chapters with both. Sometimes it was hard to jump back and forth so much when you wanted to find out more of his story. But, maybe he did that on purpose to mimic the ADHD mind that tends to jump around and have a short attention span! Overall, I did like it and he does a good job telling his story and about the overall history and treatments for ADD/ADHD.

Summer Secrets by Jane Green

Cat never felt like she fit in and while she was growing up her parents had an obviously unhappy marriage and her mother was depressed most of the time. When she was a teenager she discovered that alcohol made her feel smart and beautiful and interesting. But when she gets to the age of 29 and is still drinking to the point of blacking out and not remembering the night before she knows something needs to change. But then her mother tells her a long-held secret about her past that greatly affects Cat. She goes to Nantuckett to meet family she never knew existed, but the larger family she always wanted turns into a nightmare when her drinking gets the better of her again. That finally inspired her to really get sober - and that's when she reconnects with Jason. She and Jason get married and have a daughter, but then Cat falls off the wagon and isn't able to get back on again - she loses her marriage and her daughter for a time. Now she's in her early 40's and sober again and trying to work through the 12 steps by making amends. That means going back to Nantuckett to try to make things right with her estranged family. She's also trying to deal with Jason dating again. Lots of unexpected events happen in Nantuckett - Cat realizes who her real family is, she might rediscover love, and through it all she continues to take it one day at a time with her sobriety. 

Jane Green does an incredible job telling Cat's story of addiction and recovery from a woman's perspective. Her character is so real and even though you see her make some big mistakes you are pulling for her from the first page. In the end how her story wraps up is so satisfying. This is really a FANTASTIC book from a great author! I was excited to get a prepub copy from Goodreads!

May 2015 Cookbooks

Breakfast: Recipes to Wake Up For by George Weld

This cookbook will make you want to eat breakfast for all 3 meals! The whole book covers breakfast recipes, but there are some aspects that could be used for any meal. It definitely inspired me to try out some new breakfast recipes. I only rated it 3 stars because there weren't as many recipes from this one that I'd like to try, but overall it's a good cookbook if you're a fan of breakfast.

Endless Summer Cookbook by Katie Lee

This is a pretty cookbook that highlights all the great food that you would associate with summer. There were definitely a few recipes I'd like to try, but overall it didn't blow me away. The photographs are very pretty, but I could do with less pictures of the author in a bikini.

Cooking Light the Good Pantry by Cooking Light Magazine

I've seen lots of pantry themed cookbooks recently, but this one is the best so far in my opinion. I love Cooking Light magazine anyway, so this is more great stuff from them. There are a few pages of pantry tips and the best ways to store food at the beginning. Then here is where it gets good - there are tons of recipes for pantry staples like pancake and waffle mix, biscuit mix, etc. and then a few recipes featuring that "staple." There are also lots of great make-ahead recipes for dough, sauces, stocks, etc. and lots of homemade condiment recipes too. This cookbook is right up my alley and I'm excited to try out lots of these recipes!

The Summer Table by Lisa Lemke

I love cookbooks that feature fresh, summer produce, so I was looking forward to checking this cookbook out. But, there weren't very many recipes I wanted to try - which is why I didn't rate it higher. I did like how the author laid out the book starting with sauces and marinades and then going into various summer menus like Mexican Grill Party and A Getaway Picnic each with a few recipes that would fit that menu. I'm not saying there aren't good recipes in here, just not ones that appealed to me.

Food 52 Genius Recipes by Kristen Miglore

Food52 is a website that pulls together recipes and tons of other info about food and cooking. This cookbook is a collection of what they call "Genius Recipes." Recipes that you wouldn't have thought of yourself, but that transform how you cook that particular item/meal/etc. There were definitely a few recipes I'd like to try. When people who cook for a living say "I'll never cook ______ the same way again!" it's something you HAVE to try! I wasn't familiar with Food52 before this cookbook, so that is something I will definitely be frequenting from now on as well. Overall, a good cookbook with lots of solid recipes for basics and beyond.