Literature Suppressed on Social Grounds by Dawn B. Sova

 

Publisher: Facts of File

Copyright: 2011

ISBN: 9780816082285

This was a very interesting book, that gives the reader/researcher a rather disturbing insight into what people (primarily in the United States) are offended by. I'm not going to pretend to say I understand the rather silly objections that led to some of these bans (most luckily were temporary), but in some cases it was rather humorous to say the least.

A total of 125 books are examined in this book. A short summary of the contents of each book is given, and then the censorship history is examined. Most of the objections seemed to come from parents who were offended when their children were assigned books to read, but a few stemmed from other sources as well.

There are three other books in this series that deal with Political, religious, and sexual censorship and I am looking forward to reading those as well. They were all written in 2011, and I believe it is time to update them with new editions.

The First Team by John Ball (1911-1988)

 

Publisher: Little, Brown and Co.

Copyright: 1971

ISBN: ?

I first read this book many years ago, and since this time have read it a few more times, as I find the characterization and plot to be very well structured. The author did a fair bit of research into the workings of various parts of the United States government, as well as the US Navy.

The story deals with the essentially bloodless takeover and occupation of the United States by Russian forces. While this may seem somewhat impossible to many people the events depicted in the story leading up to the successful takeover are quite plausible, although today somewhat dated as it has been 51 years since this book was first published.

When you consider recent political events in the United States I find it quite likely that something like this could've happened. In the book and outgoing president foresees the future and the dangers coming towards the country when the president-elect takes power and creates an underground to forestall any problems. An intelligent act like this seems to me something that President Obama would've done. When you take into account the idiot who succeeded him, and who is portrayed in the book as a totally ineffectual president then this becomes even more realistic.

At the time I'm writing this review Russian forces are still in the Ukraine after having invaded six months ago. There are massive casualties on both sides, due primarily (in my humble opinion) to the egotistical stupidity of Vladimir Putin, and his attempt to make a name for himself. Unfortunately it's quite likely this name will be warmonger, or something possibly even worse.

While the premise might seem a little unlikely, the novel is well written and for those fans of intrigue and espionage novels is a must read.

"Evolution: The Human Story" by Dr. Alice Roberts

 

Publisher: DK Publishing

Copyright: 2018

ISBN: 9781465474018

Dr. Alice Roberts is the Professor of Public Engagement at the University of Birmingham in England, and a Biological Anthropologist, and host of "Digging for Britain", and is the is the author of a number of books.

This book is a great explanation of the evolutionary process as it applies to the human species. It takes the reader from a time about 8 million years in a past up to modern times in very well written sections that explain the origins of life in general, and then break down the individual stages of human evolution.

It would I believe be suitable for any young person who is interested in the subject, and make a fantastic addition to any school classroom, as it is very well written and easy to understand. It is full of pictures that explain the concepts of evolution, how facial reconstruction works, and much more.

While even though a book as well written as this one is will still likely not convince those people who are adamant that evolution isn't true, it should I believe go a long way towards convincing those who are on the fence.

Highly recommended.

"Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" by Jules Verne (1828-1905)

 

Publisher: Crown Publishers, Inc.

Copyright: 1983

ISBN: 0517413736

This book is another classic in what would come to be known as science-fiction. It was originally written in 1869, and illustrates Verne's fascination with science. It is true that the science depicted in this and other of Verne's stories does not match what we consider to be science today, but for the most part it is accurate as far as the scientific knowledge of the time is concerned.

This is essentially a story of discovery, in that Professor Arronax is taken on a voyage under the sea, and being a naturalist is enamoured with the things he sees. It is true that the book is quite long, but the detail Verne goes into is excellent. He is one of a number of authors that I would have loved to have met.

I recently rewatched the Disney version of this book which came out in 1954. As is typical the director once again took huge liberties with Verne's story.  However, considering the year this was made they weren't all that bad as the movie would've had to be quite a bit longer to encompass the entire story. One major change they made however was to hint that Captain Nemo had discovered nuclear energy, and that the Nautilus was powered by it, this was also reinforced when at the end of the movie Nemo's base was destroyed, and a telltale mushroom cloud was evident. Neither of these things were part of Verne's story, and considering that the story is set in 1866, it seems rather silly to contemplate as atomic theory was definitely in its infancy, and Albert Einstein wouldn't be born for 13 years. Add to this that the nature of the atom was formulated in 1911, that electron surrounded the nucleus was discovered in 1897, etc. and we are once again confronted with age old puzzle of why Hollywood can't do basic research.

It would be nice to see some studio take on this and many other classic stories and do them as a miniseries, as the author intended.