The New Book Review

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Franky the Flamingo Must Find Water in Florida's Environment

Title: Franky The Thirsty Flamingo
Author: Wanda Luthman
Illustrator: Mara Reitsma
Available on Amazon
Genre: Fiction: Children's/Biology/Environment

The environment! A passion of mine. How could I not love this story of a young flamingo who must learn the ways of the world, including what to ink and drink. This slender book tells about his difficulty in finding proper water to drink. Encouraging and positive, his story is told in perfectly metered rhyme that will appeal to any child. It would make a wonderful addition to the gift shops at libraries and national monuments and parks where flamingoes abound.

I also appreciate how the illustrator let her topic influence her color choices. She helps make the book sing Florida and Sunshine.

More About the Author

Wanda Luthman has her Masters of Arts in both dental Health Counseling and Guidance Counseling from Rollins College, Winter Park, Florida. She is an award-winning author who with five books to her credit and a member of Florida's Writers' Association.

More About this Blog

The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read and love. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page and in a tab at the top of this blog's home page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites so it may be used a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing

Thursday, September 5, 2019

Stories of Your Life by Ted Chang and Arrival the Movie Discussion Questions

MORE ABOUT THIS BLOG The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read and love. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page and in a tab at the top of this blog's home page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites so it may be used a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Stories of Your Life and Other Stories by Ted Chiang
and Arrival the Movie Discussion Questions

Stories of Your Life and Other Stories was written by Ted Chiang. Arrival, the movie, is based on a single chapter entitled (not surprisingly) "Stories of your Life." After watching the movie, I was inspired to read the book thinking it was based on a novel. So, I had to make do with the one chapter that really didn't explain that much more about the movie. The movie does leave a person wondering. However, the book is still worthy because of all the other stories. Ted Chiang's book, Exhalation, was on a summer reading list by former President Obama.

If a book club has read the book or watched the movie, these questions are on a PDF instant download available at the next link. Click for your own copy.

Free PDF download with the questions for the book and movie

Now for the book questions. Ah, Chiang seems to be somewhat of a technical writer and we must use our inferring reading and thinking skills to figure out what he means. This makes for a great book club discussion, while not an easy one. He offers us some thinking challenges.

My questions probably do not do the book justice as it is quite deep. A book club might take the discussion deeper, after beginning with the handout.

You might also enjoy the discussion questions for the books and movies, The Green Book, as well as The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

Thank you for reading, Carolyn Wilhelm from the Wise Owl Factory

MORE ABOUT THIS BLOG The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read and love. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page and in a tab at the top of this blog's home page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites so it may be used a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Sunday, September 1, 2019

Dr. Wesley Britton Pay Attention to Women Who Helped Win WWII

Blogger's Note: Visitors and subscribers to this #TheNewBookReview and like to celebrate holidays dedicated to women's contributions to history by reading good books will find this review especially useful! #EqualityDay, #WomensDay #50/50Leadership

A Woman of No Importance:

Subtitle: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II

Author: Sonia Purnell

Hardcover: 368 pages

Publisher: Viking (April 9, 2019)

ISBN-10: 073522529X

ISBN-13: 978-0735225299

Purchase on Amazon

Reviewed by Dr. Wesley Britton originally for BookPleasures.com

This summer turned out to be my unexpected exploration into female participants in the French resistance during World War II. It began when I read D-Day Girls: The Spies Who Armed the Resistance, Sabotaged the Nazis, and Helped Win World War II by Sarah Rose as well as Madame Fourcade's Secret War: The Daring Young Woman Who Led France's Largest Spy Network Against Hitler by Lynne Olson. Now, I've read a long-overdue, in-depth biography of American spy Virginia Hall by Sonia Purnell. I must concur with all the other complimentary reviewers who gave this history five star reviews.

I first read a short but very complimentary biography of Virginia Hall in Emily Yellen'sOur Mother's War: American Women at Home and at the Front During World War II (2004). In fact, Hall was the premiere lady spy in Yellen's overview that only glancingly looked at behind-the-lines operatives in France. Of course, Purnell's tome reaches far beyond the sort of general information Yellen had access to.

Purnell's years of research is an impressive achievement considering the gaps in available files and the likelihood many of Hall's exploits were never recorded by anyone. Part of this oversight is likely based on the reality Hall's labors were so clandestine there was every reason not to keep files on her work. Equally important is the fact female agents were not the norm and there was a widespread prejudice against women being involved in the war at all except as support staff, code-breakers, ambulance-drivers, the like.

In the case of Hall, her persistence in breaking through the glass ceiling is even more impressive when you realize she was raised and groomed for a life as well-off--and married--woman in high society, not a rough-and-tumble agent living on the lam and in often dire circumstances. Add to that that the lower half of her left leg had been amputated leaving Hall a woman with a disability that could have dimmed her prospects--if not for that determined, iron will of hers.

Because of that leg and her age, Hall wasn't the most likely covert agent for the Gestapo to hunt. She was versatile in her use of disguises, using her disability as a way to throw the hounds off her trail. All she really couldn't do was run. But she could hike across a treacherous mountain trail in the snowy Pyrenees. And that was just one exploit to admire in Hall's many-faceted career.

Another woman to admire is biographer Sonia Purnell who not only keeps a fast-paced, detailed story going, but she keeps reader interest with her scattered indications of what is to come, especially the consequences of certain events. It becomes very clear Virginia Hall was a stand-out officer during World War II and could have become a valuable asset in the CIA had the agency not been populated by the Father Knows Best mentality of the Cold War years.

So readers learn much more than the day-to-day operations of Hall's covert actions and I often wondered where Purnell found so many minute details of conversations, movements, relationships, etc. As with the other books I've read this summer, I ended up feeling a sense of shame that there was a time when women, no matter how talented, creative, motivated or successful, just didn't get their due and rightful recognition. Until now.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Free Review Resource: Give a Little, Take a Little - It’s a Beautiful Thing

Let's Make this Authors Helping Authors Project

a Two Way Street

By Lois W. Stern

Creator of the Tales2Inspire® Collection

and Your GetReviews Advocate

An author advocate and firm believer in the power of “Authors Helping Authors”, my underlying philosophy has helped me propel my Tales2Inspire® project to international fame. As our review requests continue to grow on this REVIEWS WANTED blog, please also contact one author whose book description listed below appeals to you, and write an honest review. If it’s a good one, post it on Amazon. If not, e-mail the author with a couple of suggestions on how they could improve it. Let’s keep this Authors Helping Authors project rolling as a two way street.

________________

You can get any of these books listed below for FREE

in exchange for an honest Amazon posted review.

REVIEWS WANTED

TITLE: Jiffy Body, The 10-Minute System to Avoid Joint and Muscle Pain

NUMBER OF PAGES: 146

DESCRIPTION: Jiffy Body: The 10 Minute System to Avoid Joint and Muscle Pain is a must read for anyone who wants to avoid or reduce aches, pains, stiffness and swelling.

AUTHOR'S NAME: Bart Potter

E-MAIL: bartlettpo@gmail.com

FORMAT: Paperback

AGE/INTEREST LEVEL: Adult

AMAZON URL: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1733984305/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

______________________

TITLE: A PREDATOR AND A PSYCHOPATH: A Dark and Twisted Psychological Thriller

NUMBER OF PAGES: 277

DESCRIPTION: Drawing inspiration from real cases, and with well-researched, realistic characters, A Predator and A Psychopath is not for the soft-hearted.

AUTHOR'S NAME: Jay Kerk

E-MAIL: Authorjaykerk@gmail.com

FORMAT: Mobi, epub, pdf

AGE/INTEREST LEVEL: adult, psychological thriller

AMAZON URL: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07V4NL6R8

______________________

TITLE: EVERYDAY SUPERHEROES: WOMEN IN STEM CAREERS

NUMBER OF PAGES: 79 pages

DESCRIPTION:

When kids (boys and girls) are asked to draw a scientist, nearly 70% draw a MAN! This children's book tackles stereotypes in STEM careers, sharing the colorful stories of 26 diverse women from an astronomer to zoologist. In researcher David Miller’s recent meta-analysis of 20,000 scientist drawings from the last fifty years, only 28% of scientists depicted were females.

AUTHOR'S NAME: Erin Twamley and Joshua Sneideman

E-MAIL: erinedu365@gmail.com

FORMAT: Electronic PDF or a Paperback

AGE/INTEREST LEVEL: Ages 8- 14 years old/STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math), Careers, Women, Diversity

AMAZON URL: https://amzn.to/2HVGaUl

______________________

TITLE: THE RED DIRT HYMNBOOK

NUMBER OF PAGES: 320

DESCRIPTION: Ruby now realizes she made a big mistake when she ran away to marry a traveling preacher. But she can't just call home, because in 1979 the closest thing to a cell phone was a CB radio. Besides, Dad is still angry at her for "running off with the dang-fool Jesus Circus."

AUTHOR'S NAME: Roxie Faulker Kirk

E-MAIL: okroxie@gmail.com

FORMAT: PDF, E-book and paperback

AGE/INTEREST LEVEL: ADULT

AMAZON LINK: click here

______________________

TITLE: THE OPIUM LORD'S DAUGHTER

NUMBER OF PAGES: 287

DESCRIPTION: The Opium Lord’s Daughter features true events and characters within a world populated by rogue drug traders, imperialist government officials, religious zealots, and scrappy survivors. It’s a coming-of-age story filled with romance, adventure, and tragedy; an expedition through the destruction of a culture, underscoring the hold and havoc drug empires perpetually exert.

AUTHOR'S NAME: Robert Wang

E-MAIL: rwang@opiumwar-story.com:

FORMAT: E-book available on all major retailers

AGE/INTEREST LEVEL: 18+

AMAZON LINK: https://tinyurl.com/the-opium-lords-daughter

______________________

TITLE: AVENGING ANGEL: LOVE AND DEATH IN OLD BROOKLYN

NUMBER OF PAGES: 394

DESCRIPTION: An African-American woman, struggling to overcome the trauma of a racially motivated childhood rape, finds even deadly revenge insufficient. She stalks the streets of the dark city, dangling her spider's web before potential predators. Eventually, while searching for salvation as a fearless champion of endangered women, she tests her capacity to risk being loved. a tale of revenge, survival and redemption, wrapped around an unlikely and stormy dark romance, and set within the context of some unfortunately timeless issues: Violence Against Women, and Racism.

AUTHOR'S NAME: Charles S. Isaacs

E-MAIL: DrCSIsaacs@aol.com

FORMAT: any digital format

AGE/INTEREST LEVEL: Adults

AMAZON LINK: Amazon

______________________

TITLE: SENSITIVE

SUBTITLE: My Journey through a Toxic World
PAGE COUNT: 293

DESCRIPTION: A bold and straight-shooting memoir about my lifelong struggles with chemical sensitivities, wrapped around timely and important manifesto about the need to avoid toxic products and environments. Additional themes: IRS whistleblower claim, triumph over family trauma, and sexual bias/assault in corrupt and patriarchal systems.

AUTHOR: Pookie Sekmet

EMAIL: pookiesekmet@gmail.com
WEBSITE: https://www.pookiesekmet.com
FORMAT: ARC (Advanced review copies)
AGE/INTEREST LEVEL: General Audience/Memoir
AMAZON LINK: http://tiny.cc/3jy89y

______________________

TITLE: WE GO TO BO

# OF PAGES: 24

DESCRIPTION: A story with characters, action, and humor, using words no longer than two letters to make it easier for children to learn how to read

AUTHOR'S NAME: Larry Baum

E-MAIL: lwbaum@hotmail.com

FORMAT: All requested PDFs and e-books. Paperback copies limited to five

AGE/INTEREST LEVEL: 3-6

AMAZON LINK: https://www.amazon.com/We-Go-Bo-Larry-Baum/dp/1519197969

______________________

TITLE: JUSTICE GONE

# OF PAGES: 336 (314 excluding front and back matter)

DESCRIPTION: A homeless vet is beaten to death by police. Protests erupt. 3 cops are gunned down. A multi-state manhunt. And the trial of the decade. A new kind of legal thriller.

AUTHOR'S NAME: N. Lombardi Jr

E-MAIL: nlomb269@gmail.com

FORMAT: PDF, e-book (including Kindle), 20 paper back copies

AGE/INTEREST LEVEL: teens and adults

AMAZON LINK: http://tiny.cc/c9y89y

_______________

TITLE: SUPER SPOONS TO THE RESCUE: A MATH MEASURING STORY

NUMBER OF PAGES: 58 Pages

DESCRIPTION: This is a math story about spoon superheroes who help people measure ingredients for things like chocolate cakes. When their town is hit by a tornado, they help dispense the exact amount of medicines needed. They fly to the rescue as requested. This book also has worksheets and activity cards.

AUTHOR'S NAME: Carolyn Wilhelm

Illustrator: Oxana Cerra

E-MAIL: cwilhelm@thewiseowlfactory.com

FORMAT:3 PDFs, 3 of PAPERBACK BOOKS (people can have both)

AGE/INTEREST LEVEL: Primary Grades 1-3 (Ages 6-9)

AMAZON LINK: https://tinyurl.com/y495v5nc

_______________

TITLE: TALES2INSPIRE ~ THE PEARL COLLECTION

NUMBER OF PAGES: 124

DESCRIPTION: True stories of fifteen Awesome Kids, each making an incredible impact with a project to better our world.

AUTHOR'S NAME: Lois W. Stern

E-MAIL: tales2Inspire@optimum.net

FORMAT: PDF, e-book, paperback copies limited to 4

AGE/INTEREST LEVEL: preteens, teens and adults

AMAZON LINK: http://tiny.cc/jqr89y

_______________

To get your copy of any of the above titles for review:

Email the author directly using their address above.

Commit to writing a review within 30 days.
Post your review on Amazon.
Give the author permission to post it on this New Book Review blog, credited to you with a link to your website or social network, of course.

____________________________________________

In the tradition (and memory) of our beloved friend and author advocate, Dan Poynter,

The New Book Review wants to help our readers get credible reviews, so continue to send us your REVIEW WANTED requests as outlined below.

__________________________

TO SUBMIT YOUR REVIEW REQUEST, KINDLY USE THE FOLLOWING FORMAT:

TITLE:

NUMBER OF PAGES:

DESCRIPTION: (Please keep pitch to 75 words or less.)

AUTHOR'S NAME:

E-MAIL:

FORMAT:(PDF, E-BOOK, # of PAPERBACK BOOKS, # of HARDCOVER BOOKS)

AGE/NTEREST LEVEL:

AMAZON URL: (Kindly send shortened link, which you can obtain at: https://tiny.cc)

Send review requests to Lois at: tales2inspire@optimum.net

Put Blogspot Review Request IN THE SUBJECT LINE.

__________________________

CAROLYN’S HINT #6 FOR GETTING REVIEWS:

Think of the Geting-Reviews process as an art of its own, one that must be learned or at least remolded to the needs of the publishing industry.

Page 89 of Carolyn Howard-Johnson's How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally

__________________________

MORE ABOUT THE GUEST BLOGGER AND HER TALES2INSPIRE PROJECT

Lois is a multi award winning author whose work has been featured in the New York Times, on Local Access TV and in live presentations in many varied venues. She has now published eight Tales2Inspire books of her contest winners' stories. Fans of Chicken Soup for the Soul are particularly enamored of Tales2Inspire books, because aside from their inspirational themes, they are filled with original photos to enhance the power of each story.Lois invites interested readers to get a FREE Tales2Inspire sampler book at: www.tales2inspire.com/gift and to learn more about entering the next Tales2Inspire contest at: www.tales2inspire.com/contest

Facebook: www.facebook.com/tales2inspire

Twitter: www.twitter.com/tales2inspire2

Learn more about her and her projects here:Tales2Inspire website: http://www.tales2inspire.com

Twitter: www.twitter.com/tales2inspire2

Facebook page: www.facebook.com/tales2inspire

LinkedIn profile: http://tinyurl.com/odtw2wt

Get a FREE Tales2Inspire Sampler book at: www.tales2inspire.com/gift

Tales2Inspire trailer: https://youtu.be/FuDgXkYMHvo

Blog: http:://www.tales2inspire/blog

Free Review Resource: Give a Little, Take a Little - It’s a Beautiful Thing

___________________

MORE ABOUT THIS BLOG

The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read and love. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page and in a tab at the top of this blog's home page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites so it may be used a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

#AuthorsHelpingAuthors #SharingwithWriters #GreatBkReviews #Tales2Inspire

Monday, August 26, 2019

A Travel Journalist Explores the Final Frontier: Death

Title: How to Communicate with the Dead and How Cultures Do It around the World

Author: Judith Fein

Publisher: Global Adventure

ISBN: 978-0-9884019-9-0
Author Website: www.globaladventure.us
September 4, 2019 Release

Reviewed by Marlan Warren, Reviewer originally for Roadmap Girl’s Book Buzz

“Communicating with the dead has been a secret

part of my life for many years.” –Judith Fein

Judith Fein’s fourth deep travel memoir, How to Communicate with the Dead and How Cultures do It around the World, invites us along on her decades of investigations and explorations of the final frontier: Death.

For most of her life, Judith Fein has seen and heard dead people. Not all the time, thank goodness, or it would not leave much time for this prolific journalist to write about her soul-searching globetrotting with her ever-skeptical photojournalist husband, Paul Ross. “Judie and Paul” are the “Nick and Nora” of the travel adventure-supernatural set. She can see a ghostly figure in the middle of nowhere and believe it to be a specter. He can be right next to her, eyes huge, and afterward admit “maybe” it was real. Their yin-yang bonding and love adds to the delightful humor of this Odyssey.

How to Communicate with the Dead signals a coming out of the woo-woo closet for Fein. The Oxford dictionary defines “woo-woo” as “unconventional beliefs regarded as having little or no scientific basis, especially those relating to spirituality, mysticism, or alternative medicine…” Throughout her illustrious career as a journalist, Fein has occasionally penned articles about seeking healers and rituals in “exotic” locales; although mostly she has flown under the radar as a gifted intuitive herself. This book puts the spotlight on Fein’s spiritual truths as she has lived them, revealing how she has embraced and been embraced by others around the world who perceive those truths without shame.

There is no navel-gazing in these stories that take us from her father’s untimely death (and her first stunned awareness that she could hear him beyond the grave) to her late mother’s skepticism that she and her daughter could communicate after her transition (and how wrong that turned out to be) to various vortexes of cultures and religions that accept death as a fact of life that does not end the soul.

Fein’s passion to communicate with her living readers shines as an honest desire to help others move through their grief and fears to an understanding that death itself is not the final word on existence.

A discussion guide ends the book with such thought-provoking gems as:

“Would you like someone to contact you after you die? Why or why not?”

No matter what the answer, I’m willing to bet it won’t be boring. Fein invites readers to discuss the most taboo topic in America, as if to say:

“Hey, it couldn’t hurt.”

About the Author

Available in e-book and paperback via Amazon, Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, Booksamillion, Global Adventure. Judith Fein is based in Santa Fe and available to speak at venues.

About the Reviewer

Marlan Warren is an L.A. journalist, novelist, playwright, screenwriter, blogger, and publicist with Roadmap Communications [http://bit.ly/2Mak8fJ and Book Publicity by Marlan. She reviews for the Midwest Book Review and her blogs include “Roadmap Girl’s Book Buzz” and “L.A. Now & Then.” She is the author of the fictionalized memoir, “Roadmaps for the Sexually Challenged: All’s Not Fair in Love or War” and the producer/writer of the acclaimed documentary, “Reunion. Marlan is now in production for the documentary “What Did You Do in the War, Mama?: Kochiyama’s Crusaders” based on her play" “Bits of Paradise.". She is a member of the Nonfiction Authors Association and on the faculty of The Greater Los Angeles Writers Society.

A Travel Journalist Explores the Final Frontier: Death

MORE ABOUT THE BLOGGER, THIS BLOG, AND ITS BENEFITS FOR WRITERS

The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Of particular interest to readers of this blog is her most recent How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically (http://bit.ly/GreatBkReviews ) that covers 325 jam-packed pages covering everything from Amazon Vine to writing reviews for profit and promotion. Reviewers will have a special interest in the chapter on how to make reviewing pay, either as way to market their own books or as a career path--ethically!

This blog is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Note: Participating authors and their publishers may request the social sharing image by Carolyn Wilhelm at no charge. Please contact the designer at: cwilhelm (at) thewiseowlfactory (dot) com. Provide the name of the book being reviewed and--if an image or headshot of the author --isn't already part of the badge, include it as an attachment. Wilhelm will send you the badge to use in your own Internet marketing. Give Wilhelm the link to this post, too.

Friday, August 23, 2019

Read Our Lips Reviewer Shares Fave with The New Book Review Readers

Title: Reverb

Author: J. Cafesin
Reverb website: http://reverbnovel.com
Genre: Romantic Suspense; Literary Fiction
ISBN-10: 0615756395
ISBN-13: 978-0615756394
Rating: 5 Stars
Purchase on Amazon.

Reviewed by Angie originally for Read Our Lips

Listed as Favorite Book!

Sir James Michael Whren goes by James Logan is attending his half brother's funeral in England. He's anxious to get back to his music studio to continue working on his current project. His father, Edward Whren wants to have chat with him about his future which leaves James feeling resentful and sullen to his father's presence. Edward continues the conversation he started five years prior to which James replies let's not go down this road again because he wants nothing to do with Whren Trust or inheriting anything from his father. Edward Whren hatches a plan to keep James in England but he could not foresee what happens next to James. James is arrested at Heathrow Airport on a trumped up charge of dealing drugs and forced into rehab but that is the beginning of his worst nightmare of his life for the next year and half. James manages to escape where he's being held to eventually States to gain access to his money~so he can disappear again. James does that and more. He's hidden on island of Greece called Corfu and eventually meets Elisabeth Whitestone and her son Cameron. James slowly comes out of his shell being around Elisabeth and Cameron. James is completely haunted by his past and can't seem to shake just wanting to die. Elisabeth knows that something awful happened to James eventually gets him to start eating and pick up his musical skills again. Will James let his past continue to haunt him? Will James find his muse again? Will James love both Elisabeth and Cameron? Will Elisabeth admit her feelings for James? Your answers await you in Reverb.

Reverb is gut wrenching emotional rollercoaster from first page to last page. I've found my favorite book and character of the year in this book. I honestly don't have the words to explain or describe how this book affected me. I applaud the author for bolding stepping into this dark path and the courage to follow thru with it. I highly recommend this book. I look forward to next book presented by this author.

-----

The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Tuesday, August 13, 2019

Critique of Two Books About the Champawat Tiger: Man-Eaters of Kumaon and No Beast So Fierce

A question every human has in their mind is whether monsters are born or created. If monsters are born, then no one is to blame for the death, destruction, and sorrow left in their wake. But if a monster is made, then who is culpable for the misery inflicted on others?

One monster arguably made is the Champawat Tiger or rather the Champawat Tigress. She is attributed to no less than 436 deaths: 200 in Nepal and 236 in the Kumaon area of northern India. Her reign of terror is thought to have lasted almost a decade around eight or nine years before a brave hunter from a modest background laid her to rest.

Jim Corbett, born in India during the British occupation of India, was not part of the British elite, being of Irish ancestry and not being from a wealthy family. With a large family, six older half-siblings, and eight younger full siblings, he learned the ways of the Indian wilderness when need drove him to hunt to provide for his siblings due to his father’s untimely death.

Critique of Two Books About the Champawat Tiger: Man-Eaters of Kumaon and No Beast So Fierce

Eventually, Jim Corbett’s reputation as a skilled hunter led the British Raj to call upon him to destroy the tiger. He traveled north to the Himalayan foothills where the tiger reigned over the terrified populace. Through cooperation with the local populace combined with an understanding of tiger behavior and acts of bravery by many people, the Champawat tiger was brought to bay and slain by Jim Corbett.

The Champawat Tiger was his first experience with a fearsome man-eating carnivore. Unlike all the others who had attempted to hunt this killing machine, he quickly ascertained the animal in question was an older tigress. Did the others simply not care or were they so lacking in an understanding of their quarry?

The story can be read in Jim Corbett’s own words in the book Man-Eaters of Kumaon. He has an engaging but simple storytelling style. He sidesteps some thorny issues of the day but it is clear that he was a humble man and one surprisingly open-minded towards Indians. Keep in mind that in this era it was perfectly acceptable to refer to anyone not white as savages and barbarians and open racism was expected from a “civilized” gentleman.

Unusually for an adventure story, the author is honest about the discomforts offered by the landscape. He talks about the dangers of malaria, risk of wounds turning septic, and uncomfortable nights in trees and getting rained on. He also acknowledges the danger from India’s wildlife itself, which included king cobras, leopards, mugger crocodiles, and of course enraged tigers.

It’s hardly a surprise the story of the Champawat Tiger would continue to fascinate even over a hundred years from when it occurred. There is a lone hero, Jim Corbett. A cast of stalwart sidekicks and supporters of the hero. Of course, no story would be complete without an anguished villain, the tigress herself.

Jim Corbett retains a simple but tactful style. He avoids falling for the temptation of sensationalism, avoiding gory detail about the tiger’s victims. He states enough to communicate the horror of what the victims were subjected to but in deference to the people who loved them, he avoids unnecessary details of the nightmare scenes that he witnessed.

Of course, aspects of the story almost require suspension of disbelief. Some ask if one lone tiger could really eat 436 people. The story caught the attention of journalist Dane Huckelbridge who set out to research the story, which has reached legendary proportions.

In No Beast So Fierce: The Terrifying True Story of the Champawat Tiger, the Deadliest Animal in History, the author sets about verifying the facts of the legend. While he does not fully endorse the 436 alleged victims, he does note that while it may have been lower, it could have been a much higher number due to various social circumstances in British run India.

While the author is not a tiger expert he did travel to the region for his research and took pains to research not only tigers but also the socio-economic conditions in the region during the Chapawat’s reign of terror. There are a few minor mistakes such as saying tigers flip porcupines onto their bellies when I am sure he meant backs, as porcupines typically walk (maybe waddle is more correct) with their bellies to the ground.

Overall though it is well written and provides additional insight into the Champawat Tiger and British run India. For many reasons, Jim Corbett kept his stories politically neutral although he does hint at the tensions between the native-born population and the British colonizing them. When one understands the hostility of the Kumaoni towards the British Raj and their representatives, it just shows how extraordinary Jim Corbett was to earn their trust and love.

An interesting aspect of No Beast So Fierce is the author asserts that the Champawat Tiger was a man-made ecological disaster. He draws attention to the deforestation and mass killing of animals that occurred at the time. Sadly such things continue today.

While the author of No Beast So Fierce imagines the original poacher who set off the deadly chain of events to be a poacher who set off to kill a tiger, Jim Corbett does name the person a poacher but refrains from further judgment and speculation. Given the Champawat was injured by a gunshot to the mouth, there is no doubt it was a poacher for who else would set out in the jungle with a gun? But it could have just as easily been someone hunting for game birds or the deer who inhabited the jungle, and having been surprised by the tigress, shot her in terror and self-defense, and then took off as fast as he could.

Both authors, however, agree upon the danger of leaving a wounded animal in the wild. Jim Corbett is more explicit on the irresponsible actions of a hunter who does not end an animal’s suffering.

An accidental shooting would explain why no attempt was made to follow the tigress after wounding, but it just as easily could have been an irresponsible hunter. Either way, it had dire consequences for those who lived in the Himalayan foothills. One does have to wonder if this person did become one of her victims. Note: I assert the poacher was a male not just because both authors do but because hunting was a decidedly male task.

Dane Huckelbridge asserts the Champawat Tiger had her own name in Nepal, from the village of Rupal where she killed her Nepalese victims. He takes a very idealized view of Nepal and Indian society in the area, which must be taken with some reserve because every society has a dark side.

While at times Dane Huckelbridge adopts a condescending tone towards those who lived during the events, the tone changes by the end of the book. Especially towards Jim Corbett who early in the book he insinuates is a fame-seeking social climber, but by the end, his tone has changed to neutral or even some admiration.

If anything, reading the books written by Jim Corbett show him to be a truly humble and self-effacing man who downplayed his merits such as his extraordinary skill in tracking and his remarkable marksmanship. He was universally reputed to be humble, honest, and well-liked by all who knew him, although also a solitary man.

I believe his pursuit of material comforts was driven by wanting to provide for his family and having suffered from deprivation as a child, he would naturally seek financial security. This is a normal human instinct. He had a special relationship with his sister Maggie, who I am guessing was close in age with him and one of his many siblings he was closest to. By special I am not insinuating anything other than his sister Maggie was also his best friend.

Reading the books by Jim Corbett himself are pleasant reads despite the rather unpleasant subjects of his story. Through the stories, you get to know the man himself. It’s easy to understand why the Indian Government after his death named a national park after him. Today the Jim Corbett National Park is a safe haven in north India for the Bengal tigers he so admired.

Guest Blogger i-Reid

I. Reid is an insatiably curious, overeducated homo sapiens-sapiens who much to the dismay of family and friends has never outgrown the why phase (or how phase if applied to how a thing works). As I. Reid is gainfully employed and considered a productive adult in polite society, I. Reid guest blogs on occasion guided by whatever is the curiosity of the nanosecond. Find her on the Wise Owl Site at https://www.thewiseowlfactory.com/guest-posts-by-i-reid/

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