Category Archives: Bios and Memoirs
I Feel Your Stare: An Autobiography – Cheryl Gillespie
(Reviewed by Christopher J. Lynch) #CommissionsEarned It is often said that a wise person walks a mile in another’s shoes. I Feel Your Stare by Cheryl Gillespie takes us on just such a journey. Born with JRA, (Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis), … Continue reading
Posted in Bios and Memoirs, Our Best
Tagged blindness, JRA, memoirs
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Song Noir: Tom Waits and the Spirit of Los Angeles – Alex Harvey
(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned My first introduction to Tom Waits was in Jim Jarmusch’s 1985 film, “Down By Law”. I found him quite enigmatic, and as a singer/songwriter was drawn to his authenticity. While reading Song Noir, I realized … Continue reading
Posted in Bios and Memoirs, Culture, History
Tagged beat generation, film noir, Los Angeles, music, songwriting
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Invisible Storm: A Soldier’s Memoir of Politics and PTSD – Jason Kander
(Reviewed by JD Jung) One would think that Jason Kander had it all. He completed his law degree from Georgetown University and was married to Diana, a girl he met when they were both seventeen. He served in the U.S. … Continue reading
Posted in American Politics, Bios and Memoirs, Politics
Tagged Afghanistan, mental illness, PTSD, veterans
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Black, White, and Gray All Over: A Black Man’s Odyssey in Life and Law Enforcement – Frederick Douglass Reynolds
(reviewed by Ann Onymous ) Each person in life faces many crossroads. From the day we’re born, to the day we die, we are faced with decisions. Each choice can influence our life’s journey. Which direction we take has an … Continue reading
Posted in Bios and Memoirs
Tagged autobiography, corruption, drugs, police, race
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Love, Activism, and the Respectable Life of Alice Dunbar-Nelson – Tara T. Green
(Reviewed by Ann Onymous ) #CommissionsEarned This book was not the biography I expected. Alice Dunbar-Nelson (1875-1935) led an incredible life, full of love and activism indeed. This contribution into the oeuvre of African American history is from Dr. Tara … Continue reading
Posted in Bios and Memoirs, History, Social Justice
Tagged African American history, biography, New Orleans, Women's suffrage
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Taking Down Backpage: Fighting the World’s Largest Sex Trafficker – Maggy Krell
(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned “While a commercial sex transaction may seem consensual on the surface, the lopsided power dynamic, the history of trauma and abuse, and the lack of options often make the consent illusory. And sex without consent … Continue reading
Posted in Bios and Memoirs, Non-fiction, Our Best, Social Justice
Tagged human trafficking, Non-fiction, rape, sex trafficking, Sexual abuse
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Where Have You Been Bobby Marr?: Friend, Felon, Hero – Morris Dalla Costa
(Reviewed by Christopher J. Lynch) #CommissionsEarned Where Have You Been Bobby Marr? is the memoir of Bobby Marr, a young man who left the US to fight in Viet Nam as a whole man, but came back in pieces, physically … Continue reading
Posted in Bios and Memoirs
Tagged memoirs, PTSD, Vietnam War
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Here, Right Matters: An American Story – Alexander Vindman
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “Regardless of any impact on the president, the domestic and foreign policy consequences, or personal costs, I had no choice but to report what I’d heard. That duty to report is a critical component of U.S. … Continue reading
Posted in American Politics, Bios and Memoirs, History, Immigration, Non-fiction, Our Best, Politics, World Issues
Tagged Donald Trump, ethics, immigration, impeachment, military, Russia, Soviet Union
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Becoming Trader Joe: How I Did Business My Way and Still Beat the Big Guys – Joe Coulombe with Patty Civalleri
(Reviewed by Don Jung) Becoming Trader Joe is a true story about a marketing genius who went against conventional mega grocery store chains to create his own style of branding, with a name with unusual food products. Joe Coulombe started … Continue reading
Posted in Bios and Memoirs, Business, Non-fiction
Tagged Business, marketing, Trader Joe
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