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Powell's Staff:
Five Book Friday: In Memoriam
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Every year, the booksellers at Powell’s submit their Top Fives: their five favorite books that were released in 2023. It’s a list that, when put together, shows just how varied and interesting the book tastes of Powell’s booksellers are. I highly recommend digging into the recommendations — we would never lead you astray — but today...
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Brontez Purnell:
Powell’s Q&A: Brontez Purnell, author of ‘Ten Bridges I’ve Burnt’
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Rachael P.:
Starter Pack: Where to Begin with Ursula K. Le Guin
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Customer Comments
chicagomark1960 has commented on (15) products
Last Thing You Surrender A Novel of World War II
by
Leonard Jr Pitts
chicagomark1960
, November 28, 2022
Leonard Pitts always takes race issues head on and this book, set during WW II, in both Alabama and the European and Pacific Theaters, covers a lot of ground. But the race issues are just symptomatic of our inhumanity towards each other. While winding through horrible truths about how we treat each other, Pitts always manages to find hope that gives us the strength to go on. His Pulitzer Prize winning style will keep you engaged. While the setting is the 1940s, the characters speak to our lives and struggles today. At times, his writing is poetic, such as this quote: "The winter snow made it seem as if nature sought to the world seem innocent of war. Now spring had come, and the war was simply an intruder, the verdant meadows strewn with corpses, flowers crushed beneath wrecked war machines, clear blue skies befouled by towers of black smoke. Death crashing a festival of life." This is one of the all time best novels (historical fiction) that I have ever read.
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Grant Park
by
Leonard Jr Pitts
chicagomark1960
, January 16, 2021
Racism, especially as it applies to white people in relation to African Americans, has always been a complicated issue. Leonard Pitts takes this on from various points of view in the novel. There are no flat, one dimensional characters in this page turner. If you are looking for an exciting novel, or if you are looking explore the complex issues of racism, this book is for you. This was written during the Obama administration. It takes on new significance during the Trump years and events of January 6th, 2021.
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Nemesis
by
Philip Roth
chicagomark1960
, April 13, 2020
This is an interesting read today, in light of COVID 19. Bucky Cantor, the lead character, is Jewish. As the polio virus turns his promising life upside down, he has to wrestle with his ideas about God. This book is a page turner, very easy to read, well written and entertaining.
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Al Capone His Life & Legacy
by
Deirdre Bair
chicagomark1960
, March 28, 2018
Growing up in Chicago, I learned who Al Capone was before learning who George Washington was. This book provided me with insight into how Capone attained legendary status. Bair looks at all aspects of his life with meticulous research. She shows us where he came from as well as examining how he acted in all aspects of his life. Those being: son, father, husband, as well as organized crime gang leader. Along the way we learn some fascinating things about how the justice system and law enforcement practices have changed. For example, when Capone, at the height of his power wanted to expand to Los Angeles, the mayor and chief of police met him at the train station and turned him around letting him know that he wasn't welcome in their city. Imagine doing that today. We also read about the importance of Mabel Walker Willebrand, the first female US Assistant Attorney General. Without her ground breaking work in the US vs. Sullivan case in 1927 Capone wouldn't have been convicted of tax evasion and this story would be dramatically different. Since Al Capone is an American legend I recommend reading this book to learn more about who he was and how he attained this status.
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The Crime of the Century: Richard Speck and the Murders That Shocked a Nation
by
Dennis L Breo, William J Martin
chicagomark1960
, October 19, 2017
I had just turned 6 years old in July of 1966 and there isn't much that I remember about that time. However, I do remember the fear that gripped Chicago, the city I lived in, when news of the murder of eight nurses spread. Years later I would look up the location of the murders. They happened 25 miles away from where I lived but that summer, to a 6 year old, they may has well been next door. Breo does an excellent job writing a compelling narrative of that event and how it impacted police work and crime fighting. He also shows how an uneducated criminal can slip through a drag net and required a lucky break to be caught. This book takes us from the months before Speck's crimes to it's impact years after Speck's death.
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The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion
by
Jonathan Haidt
chicagomark1960
, July 25, 2017
Haidt, a social psychologist, argues that we are guided by emotions and then wrap our reasoning around our desired outcomes. His five Moral Foundations of Politics make sense. Those are Care/Harm, Fairness/Cheating, Loyalty/Betrayal, Authority/Subversion, and Sanctity/Degradation. These are enlightening and he does a great job of explaining how the political right touches on all four foundations while the left leans heavily on the Care/Harm foundation while almost ignoring the last three. Although Haidt calls for us to disagree more constructively, he doesn't offer much hope of that happening. My one complaint about this book is his discussion of religion. He is an atheist so it makes sense that he wouldn't address the conflicts in this area as much. The Sanctity/Degradation Foundation may lead the right to condemn same sex marriage but he fails explain how they moved to a position of allowing multiple divorces and remarriages in their ranks while still holding to their Christian faith which denounces this. Further, he tells us, "Liberals hate the idea of exclusion." The Gospels are the only record of what Jesus Christ thought (provided you believe this) and he clearly hated exclusion as well. The stories there all tell us about him reaching out to the outcast. How did this religion become part of the political right? Haidt doesn't get at this.
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Ghettoside A True Story of Murder in America
by
Jill Leovy
chicagomark1960
, November 29, 2015
Anyone who wants to understand the Black Lives Matter campaign should read this book. While Leovy follows a murder case in South Central Los Angeles for a good deal of the book, she also argues that for centuries black people have been cheated when it comes to getting justice for the murdered. Excellent research and compelling story telling make this a must read.
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Brothers The Road to an American Tragedy
by
Masha Gessen
chicagomark1960
, October 04, 2015
Masha Gessen is uniquely positioned to write about the Tsarnaev brothers and the 2013 bombing at the Boston Marathon. She is bicultural, having lived in the USA and Russia and has knows many people in both regions. In a concise, well written 271 pages, she takes us on a journey with Tsarnaev family from parts of Russia to Boston and then back. As an ESL teacher, I found this book helpful in thinking about how to work with new immigrants. As someone who has read several true crime books this year, I found this book fascinating. Gessen answers some questions, dispels some myths, and raises new questions. Briefly juxtaposing the actions of the Boston FBI office in this case with their actions in the Whitey Bulger case (which was ongoing at the same time) was brilliant.
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Bible Gender Sexuality Reframing the Churchs Debate on Same Sex Relationships
by
James V Brownson
chicagomark1960
, July 15, 2015
Same sex marriage is becoming legal all over the world. But what of Christian churches? The division is much deeper here. In this book James Brownson examines the Biblical passages that speak against same sex relations. He looks at the context in which these passages were written and the cultural norms of the times. This book invites us look at these passages with new eyes and to question how we view same sex marriage within the Christian faith, in light of our evolving culture. Brownson does not take short cuts with theology. While people may not have their minds changed, this should be satisfying to conservatives and liberals alike. Bible, Gender, Sexuality is a must read for anyone who is wrestling with the issue of same sex marriage within Christianity.
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Our Little Secret The True Story of a Teenage Killer & the Silence of a Small New England Town
by
Kevin Flynn
chicagomark1960
, June 22, 2015
A good writer can make you feel like you are there, watching the story unfold. Kevin Flynn and Rebecca Lavoie took me back to Hopkinton, New Hampshire in 1985. On a Saturday in November, a tragedy that had been brewing for years came to head and the result was a murder. Flynn and Lavoie take on a two decade journey to solve this murder. This journey never gets dull as they reveal detail after detail and the reader can feel the frustration of the investigators. Even though we learn the identity of the murderer before the end of the book, there is still a surprise ending. This book is definitely worth reading if you like crime stories or if you want a glimpse into small town New England.
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Whitey: The Life of America's Most Notorious Mob Boss
by
Dick Lehr and Gerard O'Neill
chicagomark1960
, February 16, 2015
While visiting Boston, I asked the locals which book about Whitey Bulger they thought was best. This title came up over and over. Dick Lehr does a great job spinning a narrative of Bulger's life that will leave you finding it hard to trust the FBI. This is one of several books he either authored or coauthored about Whitey Bulger and this one seems to be the most comprehensive. He also paints the back drop canvass of Boston during Bulger's twenty year reign of terror. Boston had sunk to being a city less desirable than Detroit and then rose up to being a world class city that may be the best educated on the planet. I do wish that Lehr and O'Neill would have included some maps and more time lines to help follow the action.
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1954 The Year the Year Willie Mays & the First Generation of Black Superstars Changed Major League Baseball Forever
by
Bill Madden
chicagomark1960
, October 05, 2014
As we approach the World Series many people think about baseball. Bill Madden's book takes us back to a time when the World Series began on September 29th and all the games were played during the day. But nostalgia is not point of this book. Madden tells the tale of how African American athletes rose to prominence in Major League Baseball. For the first time in 5 years the white only Yankees finished second to the well integrated Cleveland team. In the National league, the equally well integrated Giants and Dodgers fought for the pennant while the white only teams languished. Professional sports had turned the corner for good. All of this against the back drop of the landmark Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. The Board of Education. This is an enjoyable read for anyone who is interested in baseball or wants to learn more about civil rights in the 1950s.
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Americanah
by
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
chicagomark1960
, July 04, 2014
Adichie's offers many insights to race relations, especially between white and black people in America. As a teacher who is deeply involved in equity work in a public school I found this to be accurate and helpful to my work. Overall though, the novel addresses the power to get what one wants. Race is just one source of power and Adichie examines how money, social standing, and physical appearance can all either help or hinder people in their quest to get what they want.
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(2 of 4 readers found this comment helpful)
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Driving Mr Yogi
by
Harvey Araton
chicagomark1960
, July 20, 2012
"The best friend is the guy that you look forward to seeing more than anybody else. And you don't have to be from the same generation to have that. You can be years apart and from two different parts of the world." This quote sums up this wonderful book about friendship. The baseball stories are nice but anyone who enjoys a story about how to be a friend will enjoy this book.
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Popular Crime Reflections on the Celebration of Violence
by
Bill James
chicagomark1960
, June 26, 2012
Bill James applies his analytical mind to crime and our justice system. There would be no "money ball" without Bill James. I hope that he has a similar effect on our criminal justice system. If you like any of his baseball books you will like this book. However, even if you do not care at all about baseball but are interested in crime and our justice system, you will find this interesting.
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