(Reviewed by Don Jung) This memoir is a dazzling look into the wild and bizarre life of the talented Phil Proctor. While he is known as one of the four founding members of the Firesign Theatre, his story is full of bits of his career where he meets most of the show business celebrities from…
(reviewed by Ann Onymous ) The subtitle of the book refers to “Refuge in America” but is there REFUGE to be found? They are REFUGEES but they are not experiencing the “condition of being safe or sheltered from pursuit, danger, or trouble.” From before 1933 to today the definition of “refugee” has been altered across…
(Reviewed by Don Jung) Brody James leaves the military to get a job in the Police Department of his hometown that he left fifteen years ago after graduating from high school. He reunites with old school acquaintances as he settles down in his new job. The characters vary from charming to evil as he investigates…
(Reviewed by JD Jung) Libby’s life was falling apart. Recently divorced, recovering from breast cancer, and struggling with her son’s heroin addiction, she felt lost and desperate for strength. Though she never got along with her own mother, she fondly remembered her loving Italian grandmother, or “Nonna”. Though unable to read or write, Nonna was…
(Reviewed by JD Jung) I had never heard of Tony Galento before reading this book—the rough-edged heavyweight best known for flooring Joe Louis in the third round of their championship bout. At first glance, his story might seem like a footnote in boxing history, but author Joseph Monninger transforms it into something far more captivating.…
(reviewed by Ann Onymous ) “Should I come clean? I was well aware of the risk of unburdening myself to the executive in a public accounting firm, but all signs indicated I was on the path to landing my first big job...I rolled out the armed robberies, my time behind bars, the community-college courses in…
(Reviewed by Pat Luboff) “The underlying mission of this book is to render, with accuracy, unimaginably long lengths of time and incredibly vast distances in space, conceivable at a glance.” You’ll note that instead of listing just the author’s name, I have included the phrase as he has it on the front of his book.…
(Reviewed by JD Jung) In times like these, when the world feels heavy and overwhelming, many of us crave a light and fun read. That’s what drew me to Best Woman. Yes, it’s light and humorous on the surface, but poignant with honest undercurrents. Twenty-nine-year-old Julia Rosenberg is headed back to her hometown of Boca…
(Reviewed by Christopher J. Lynch) Ham's Heaven was a tough book to get through – but not for the usual reasons: poor plotting, pacing, etc. It was tough because it was a very emotional story that needed to be told. The author, Ori Gersht, draws from a great deal of historical facts to create…
(Reviewed by JD Jung) I was excited to read The Bolden Cylinder because of its promise of jazz and its New Orleans setting—two of my favorite things. What I got was so much more: a richly layered mystery involving arson, unrequited love, and a fifty-year-old disappearance that ties the past and present together in unexpected…
