Reported by Jeanne
Hellhound on His Trail: The Stalking of Martin Luther King, Jr. and
the International Hunt for his Assassin by Hampton Sides kept our
Nevermore reader enthralled. The book
documents how petty thief and conman James Earl Ray was influenced by the rise
of George Wallace, and began stalking the Civil Rights Leader. After King’s murder, it took 65 days for
investigators to catch up with Ray, a hunt that lead to Canada, Portugal, and
various other countries. The book was
thoroughly researched and contains step by step accounts of how Ray committed
his crime. She said that even though it
was a time period she thought she knew well, she was still surprised by
things. This book is highly recommended.
Jeff Nesbit’s This is the Way the World Ends is a
sobering look at the effects of climate change. Extended droughts in some parts
of the world are affecting food production while the number of powerful
hurricanes hitting U.S. is growing.
Struggles over access to fresh water will have a powerful impact on
human societies. Our reader recommends
the book but warns it may keep you up at night.
A more optimistic reading experience was provided by Have
Dog, Will Travel by poet and memoirist Stephen Kuusisto. Born legally
blind, Kuusisto was taught to try to hide his disability, a strategy that
worked as long as he was in familiar surroundings. Losing his job, however,
meant that he needed more mobility:
enter Corky, a Guide Dog. The
bond between the two is instantaneous and Kuusisto finds his life forever
changed. The book is beautifully
written, and does an excellent job of describing how life is for a blind
person. It’s also a tribute to the bond
between human and canine. Our reviewer
loved it.
The World’s Strongest Librarian received
a lukewarm reception from our next reader. Librarian Josh Hanagarne’s memoir of
growing up Mormon and dealing with Tourette syndrome received good reviews for
its candor, humor and insight.
Weight-lifting turned out to be one of the few things that helped, hence
the book’s title. The Nevermore reader
was unimpressed, saying that it was confusing and not very interesting.
Finally, The Long Haul by Finn Murphy came up for
discussion again. This is the memoir of
a young man who decided to drop out of college and become a long distance
trucker. This beautifully written and insightful book has charmed a number of
Nevermore readers with its humor and commentary on life, globalization,
politics, and consumerism. It was yet
again highly recommended.
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